User:EyeTruth/sandbox/Osten
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battle of Prokhorovka was fought near the settlement of Prokhorovka, 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Kursk, on the Eastern Front during the Second World War as part of the Battle of Kursk in the Soviet Union. Principally, the Wehrmacht's II SS Panzer Corps clashed with the Red Army's 5th Guards Tank Army. It is regarded as one of the largest tank battles in military history.[upper-alpha 19]
Battle of Prokhorovka | |||||||
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Part of the Battle of Kursk on the Eastern Front | |||||||
A memorial on the Prokhorovka battlefield | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Germany | Soviet Union | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Units involved | |||||||
II SS Panzer Corps[upper-alpha 1]
III Panzer Corps[upper-alpha 2]
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Strength | |||||||
German:
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Soviet:
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
German:
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Soviet:
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On 5 July 1943 the Wehrmacht launched Operation Citadel. The aim was to envelop and destroy the Soviet forces in the Kursk salient (also known as the Kursk bulge), in hopes of retaining the strategic initiative on the Eastern Front. The operation was conducted by three German armies striking in a pincer movement. The 9th Army attacked the northern side of the Kursk salient. The 4th Panzer Army and Army Detachment Kempf attacked the southern side. Stavka (Soviet High Command) had prior intelligence of the German intentions, provided in part by the British. The Soviets therefore prepared a defence in depth with their "fronts" (army groups) along the routes of the planned German attack in order to wear down the Wehrmacht before eventually going on the offensive. The Voronezh Front was tasked with the defence of the southern side of the salient and the Central Front the defence of the northern side, while the Steppe Front was held as the strategic reserve.
At Prokhorovka, the Red Army committed the Steppe Front in order to stem the advance of the 4th Panzer Army, resulting in a titanic clash of armour just outside the settlement on 12 July 1943.[27][28] The battle raged across a stretch of land ranging in an arc of 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the west and south of Prokhorovka.[29][30] The Red Army succeeded in stopping the Germans from capturing Prokhorovka and breaking through the third defensive belt to achieve operational freedom.
Subsequently, all German forces were withdrawn from the Prokhorovka sector. Both sides suffered heavy losses in the battle. While the Soviets lost more men and materiel than the Germans, they were better able to replace their losses due to their immense reserves of manpower and resources. Afterwards, the Red Army was able to take the strategic initiative on the Eastern Front, and kept it for the rest of the war.