During the Second World War, in 1943, things began to change dramatically on the Eastern Front. It was during this period that the final turning point took place, which began with the Battle of Stalingrad, when, during Operation Uranus, the sixth army of the Wehrmacht was surrounded and defeated by Soviet troops. Then, during the offensive battles in the winter of 1943, German troops were significantly driven back. The front stabilized in the spring, when the German troops during the counteroffensive were able to stop the movement of the Red Army. At the same time, a ledge was formed, on which one of the bloodiest and largest battles in history, the Battle of Kursk, broke out in the summer of that year. Operation "Citadel" - the plan of the German command to defeat the Soviet armies in the Kursk region - suffered a complete collapse.
The German command began to develop a plan for the deployment of hostilities for the summer of 1943. One of the main proposals was to launch a full-scale strike in the area of the Kursk salient, which was accepted. In April, a plan called "Operation"Citadel", according to which the German troops were to cut the Soviet defense in two during a strike from two directions. The start was scheduled for mid-summer.
Thanks to intelligence, texts fell into the hands of the Soviet command, which fully revealed the operation "Citadel", its main tasks and directions. During the meeting of the Soviet Supreme High Command, it was decided to keep the defense, and after the enemy was exhausted and bled, to launch and develop their own counteroffensive.
By July 1943, significant forces were concentrated in the area of the Kursk salient both from the Germans and from the USSR. Among the armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht, there were also new-design tanks, such as the Tiger and Panther, as well as the Ferdinand self-propelled guns, but most of them were tanks of the Pz III and IV series that were already outdated by that time.
According to the plan of the Germans, the operation "Citadel" was supposed to begin on the night of July 5 with a major artillery preparation, but since the command of the USSR became aware of the upcoming actions of the enemy, it was decided to conduct a counter-barrage preparation, thanks to which the German offensive was delayed by 3 hours and began only in the morning.
Shock German tank formations launched an attack on Soviet positions from two sides. The German Army Group Center advanced from Orel, against which the Central Front stood on the Soviet side. Military forces called "South" moved from Belgorod to the positions of the Voronezh Front. During the first day there werebloody battles, and the original German plans required adjustments, as tank formations did not reach their intended positions. However, the operation "Citadel" developed in full swing, and although with great difficulty and losses, the Wehrmacht troops managed to break through the defenses.
July 12, the largest tank clash in history took place. Under the railway station Prokhorovka, a battle broke out between the opponents. During the most difficult battles and with huge losses, the Soviet troops were able to turn the outcome of the battle in their favor. They forced the German units to retreat.
Already by July 15, the Wehrmacht troops had exhausted their offensive resources and went on the defensive. Completely failed the German offensive operation "Citadel". The Second World War entered a new phase - from that moment the initiative completely passed to the anti-Hitler coalition.
