Танковое сражение под Прохоровкой

The 12th of June 1943

Dedicated to the memory of those who are sacrificing their lives fought for our Motherland

During the Great Patriotic war caused thousands of battles of different scales and different degrees of importance. I want to consider one of them, a tank battle between the small railway station of Prokhorovka and the village of Alexandrovka, 30 km from Belgorod. The fighting on July 12 were not only directly from this village, but also North and South of it. If you look at the map of that time, we will see the base width of about 30 km, formed by the railway embankment and the river Psel. To say that it was just a tank battle - it means nothing to say. This Great Tank Battle, which was attended by more than 1,200 Soviet and German tanks. In the history of our country Prohorovskoe field became the third military field in Russia after Kulikovo and Borodin. It was a turning point in the battle of Kursk, which further defined the course of the Great Patriotic war.

Types of German tanks used in the battle

Light tank PzKpfw II

Light tank PzKpfw III

Medium tank PzKpfw IV

Heavy tank PzKpfw VI

Heavy tank Cherchil

Tank destroyer SAU Stugg

Tank destroyer SAU Marder

Tank destroyer SAU Ferdinand

Types of Soviet tanks used in the battle

Light tank Т-70

Medium tank Т-34

Tank destroyer SAU SU -76

Tank destroyer SAU SU -122

  I do not want go into the tactical - technical characteristics of tanks, let me just say the following. German tanks were superior to the Soviet in the thickness of the armor. Was also able to fire at long range, had the best optics and, accordingly, the accuracy of shooting. The high density of the battle in which tanks fought at short distances, deprived the Germans of the advantages of a more powerful and long-range guns. Soviet tankmen had the opportunity to beat in the most vulnerable areas of heavily armoured German tanks.  

Nazi command had planned to hold a major offensive in the summer of 1943, to seize the strategic initiative to turn the tide of war in their favor. This was developed and in April 1943, approved the military operation codenamed "the Citadel". Breakthrough Germans in the Prokhorovka would have opened the troops of Hitler the possibility of strikes in Kursk, and on the rear of the Central front. The area at the same time neutralized numerical superiority in tanks of Soviet troops and allowed to use the advantages of German military equipment in firepower.

  At 4.30 Commander of The Army GW. Lieutenant General Zhadov ordered : in the morning 11.07.43, concentrate tanks near Oboyan, Spikes, Pervomaisk, firmly taking the boundary of R. Psel section Oboyan-olkhovatka. Semenovka, Prokhorovka, Top-Olshanka. Thus, both the army concentrated in the Prokhorovka huge tank forces and had in the upcoming battle extremely offensive intentions. In the situation of an oncoming tank combat was simply impossible to avoid.

Tank battle of Prokhorovka was one of the greatest tank battles. Now argue about the exact number of tanks, artillery and other equipment involved in the battle of Prokhorovka. But the fact that there were many of them, how ever, is not disputed by anyone. The Germans have used almost all the reserves, bringing unprecedented tank fist to his favorite tactics - break defense tank wedges.

At 8:30 the main forces of German troops in the composition of the Panzer divisions "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich" and "Totenkopf counted composed of up to 500 tanks and SAU (including 42 of the tank "Tiger"), went to Prokhorovka in the band of highways and Railways. This grouping was supported by all available air forces.

"The tanks were rolling like an avalanche. How many of them were not considered. Machines were moving across the field zigzags, changing direction. To confuse our artillerists, to prevent them from aim... bombs are bursting... a rumbling stood, that the blood flowed from his ears".

From the memoirs of a contestant, member E. I. Filatova :

"Clouds of dust made it very difficult to get help from the Luftwaffe, and soon many T-34 broke through our defenses and flocks rushed across the field of battle...".

And this recollection of events July 1943 by the German soldier:

According to eyewitnesses, a rumble was heard for many miles, and a swarm of planes from a distance it seemed to be a cloud. The explosions lifted into the air, the earth, the whole field on fire. Sun closed dense suspension of dust, sand and ash, there was a smell of burning, red-hot metal and gunpowder. Top flaming part of the aircraft. Fighters choked with heavy, suffocating smoke, which was on the field, with a sharp eye. Tanks were distinguished by their silhouettes. Over the field was thunder breaks, the roar of motors and gnashing of colliding machines.

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About 13 hours, the Germans launched another attempt to turn the tide of battle in the main direction leaving from the reserve of the 11th Panzer division, which together with the division "Totenkopf" attacked our right flank. Thanks the selfless actions of parts of the 5th guards army and reinforcements to the aid of two brigades of the 5th guards mechanized corps attack was repulsed.

To 14 hours a Soviet tank army began to besiege the enemy in the Western direction. By the evening the Soviet tankmen were able to move on 10-12 kilometers, leaving, therefore, the field of battle in the rear.  

Before this battle was dry and sunny weather, stood mellow bread... And two weeks later the whole field was black, pitted with craters, full of twisted, burnt and covered in soot metal. "A huge number of burned-out tanks, tank rams, the smell of burnt metal, twisted technique." Yet no one was buried, it was the summer heat and the type of the field was the illustration on the topic "horrors of war". As mentioned witnesses, after the battle at Prokhorovka for three days the front was quiet. A deathly silence. Suddenly stopped the barrage of guns. Did not shoot the artillery, did not fly the aircraft, everything froze. According to the testimony of the main German tank of authority Guderian, this was a "decisive defeat".

German troops were not allowed to develop counter-order environment and the defeat of the German Panzer divisions. Hitler's troops lost in battle to a quarter of a tank that finally exhausted attacking potential in the Belgorod area. The Germans offensive was stopped. Plan "Citadel" has failed. Thus ended the last major offensive of the German troops on the Eastern front. Up to victorious 1945, our army did not released the strategic initiative from the hands.

Bow to those great years So glorious commanders and soldiers And Marshal of the country and the ordinary Worship and the dead and the living For all those who can not forget Let's bow worship friends The whole world all the people all the land Let's bow for the great fight The whole world all the people all the land Let's bow for the great fight