![]() ![]() The Germans’ stay in Soviet territory was coming to an end. But the Russians had stopped the German advance dead in its tracks. “The earth was black and scorched with tanks like burning torches,” reported one Russian officer. When it was all over, 300 German tanks, and even more Russian ones, were strewn over the battlefield. On July 12, 900 Russian tanks clashed with 900 German (including their superior Tiger tanks) at Prokhorovka-the Battle of Kursk’s most serious engagement. Nevertheless, the Germans pressed forward and one of the largest battles of World War II now unfolded as a million-and-a-half soldiers, 6,000 tanks and 4,000. The Germans counterattacked, and the largest tank battle in history began: Between the two assailants, 6,000 tanks were deployed. But on July 5, the Russians pulled the rug out from under Hitler’s offensive by launching their own artillery bombardment. “This day, you are to take part in an offensive of such importance that the whole future of the war may depend on its outcome,” Hitler announced to his soldiers on July 4. ![]() This article appears in: September 2006 By Ludwig Heinrich Dyck With the German Sixth Army destroyed at Stalingrad, the Soviet juggernaut lunged west and southwest across the River Donets. By July, Hitler realized that the breaking of the Russian resistance at Kursk was essential to pursuing his aims in Soviet Russia and the defense of Greater Germany, that is, German-occupied territory outside prewar German borders. The climactic tank battle of Kursk spelled the beginning of the end for the Wehrmacht in Russia. ![]()
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