It was July 1943. For the fifth day on the Kursk Bulge, the battle continued. The Oryol-Kursk section of the Central Front successfully resisted the Wehrmacht soldiers. In the Belgorod sector, on the contrary, the initiative was in the hands of the Germans: their offensive continued in a southeast direction, which posed a threat to two fronts at once. The place of the main battle was to be a small field near the village of Prokhorovka.
The choice of the area for hostilities was carried out on the basis of geographical features - the terrain made it possible to stop the German breakthrough and inflict a powerful counterattack by the forces of the Steppe Front. On July 9, by order of the command, the 5th combined arms and 5th tank guards armies moved to the Prokhorovka area. The Germans were advancing here, changing the strike direction.
Tank battle near Prokhorovka. Central Battle
Both armies have concentrated large tank forces in the area of the village. It became clear that the oncoming battle could no longer be avoided. On the evening of July 11, the battle of Prokhorovka began. German divisionsmade an attempt to hit the flanks, and our troops had to use significant forces and even attract reserves to stop the breakthrough. On the morning of July 12, at 8:15, the Soviet Army launched a counteroffensive. This time was not chosen by chance - German aimed shooting was difficult as a result of blinding by the rising sun. An hour later, the Battle of Kursk near Prokhorovka acquired a colossal scale. Approximately 1000-1200 German and Soviet tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts were in the center of the fierce battle.
For many kilometers one could hear the rattle of colliding military vehicles, the rumble of engines. The planes flew in a swarm, resembling clouds. The field burned, more and more explosions shook the ground. The sun was covered with clouds of smoke, ash, sand. The smell of hot metal, burning, gunpowder hung in the air. Suffocating smoke spread across the field, pinched the fighters' eyes, did not let them breathe. The tanks could only be distinguished by their silhouettes.
Battle of Prokhorovka. Tank battles
On this day, battles were fought not only in the main direction. South of the village, a German panzer group made an attempt to push our forces into the left flank. The advance of the enemy was stopped. At the same time, the enemy sent about a hundred tanks to capture the hill near Prokhorovka. Soldiers of the 95th Guards Division opposed them. The battle lasted three hours, and in the end the German attack failed.
How did the battle underProkhorovka
At about 13:00, the Germans once again tried to turn the tide of battle in the central direction and attacked the right flank with two divisions. However, this attack was also neutralized. Our tanks began to push the enemy back and by the evening were able to push him back 10-15 km. The battle of Prokhorovka was won, the enemy offensive was stopped. The Nazi troops suffered heavy losses, their attacking potential on the Belgorod sector of the front was exhausted. After this battle, right up to the Victory, our army did not let go of the strategic initiative.
