Battle of Prokhorovka
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Prokhorovka
(12 July 1943) was fought on the Eastern Front
during the Second World War as part of the Battle of Kursk
in the Soviet Union (450 kilometers / 280 miles south of Moscow
). Principally, the German Wehrmacht
s Fourth Panzer Army clashed with the Soviet Red Army
's 5th Guards Tank Army
. It is one of the largest tank battles in military history
.
On 5 July 1943 the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
launched Operation Citadel. The aim of the German High Command was to destroy the considerable Soviet forces in the Kursk
salient
. Destroying the Red Army in the field would recover the strategic initiative for the Wehrmacht
on the Eastern Front. The operation was to be achieved by five German field armies, which were to strike in a pincer movement
on either side of the Kursk Bulge.
The Soviet Supreme Command, the Stavka
, foresaw the German attack and prepared a defense in depth along the lines of the military deep operations
theory. Soviet marshal
Georgy Zhukov
convinced Joseph Stalin
that the Red Army
should remain defensive and wear down the German Army. When the German forces had been worn down sufficiently by the Red Army defence, the Soviet would release their operational reserve in a counter-offensive
to destroy the weakened German spearhead.
In the ensuing Battle of Kursk
, German forces were halted on the northern Orel
sector. However, in the south the formations of Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS achieved a deeper penetration, approaching Prokhorovka
. The Red Army
was forced to commit its operational reserves sooner than it would have wished. The resulting clash of armour occurred on 12 July 1943 and became known as one of the largest tank battles in history.
This was the pivotal battle of the German offensive to encircle
Soviet forces in the Kursk salient. Its culmination and outcome are a matter of contention. The German assault failed to achieve its objective. The Soviets succeeded in winning a series of defensive engagements and prevented the German formations breaking through their lines, but Soviet attacks against German positions were repulsed. By the end of the battle both sides had suffered heavy losses. The Soviet losses were much higher, but larger operational and strategic manpower and materiel
reserves enabled the Red Army to retain the strategic and operational initiative.
. The subsequent Soviet operations; Operation Uranus
, Operation Winter Storm and Operation Little Saturn threatened the position of Army Group South
. The Soviet operations, if successful, may have destroyed the entire Army Group. These operations led to the liberation of most of the Caucasus
from German occupation at a cost of only 70,000 casualties. Keen for more success Stalin had ordered the Red Army to encircle German Army Group South
by thrusting through to Rostov-on-Don
.
The Red Army advanced but became overstretched. Erich von Manstein
recognised this and organised an improvised counter-offensive which resulted in the Third Battle of Kharkov
. In a repeat of the Second Battle of Kharkov
mobile German forces pinched off the flanks of the Soviet spearhead and destroyed them. The German victory had enabled the Wehrmacht and SS forces to recapture Kharkov on 14 March 1943 and drove the Red Army back over the northern Don River
. In the process they punched a bulge into the Soviet lines to create a salient some 150 miles from north to south. The Germans took some 9,000 prisoners and counted 23,000 Soviet dead. Soviet figures counted 45,000 killed and captured.
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German forces also recaptured Belgorod to the south of Kursk, but the Soviets held Kursk. The German advance beyond Kharkov was soon slowed to a halt as Soviet resistance grew stronger. Neither had the strength to continue offensive operations and the Kursk salient was formed.
Adolf Hitler
and the German High Command selected the relatively narrow Kursk sector for their next major offensive in an attempt to crush Soviet operational and strategic reserves. This was to restore equilibrium to the Eastern Front and win back the strategic initiative.
Soviet intelligence recognised the Kursk bulge would be the focus of a major German offensive in the summer. The Soviet strategic defence of Kursk, unlike Moscow in 1941, would not occur along the entire front. This enabled the Soviets to prepare a strong defence in depth of up to 100 kilometres deep. The Soviets committed 10 Soviet Army Fronts
, containing 40 combined armies and five tank armies operating on a 2000 kilometre front to a depth of 600–700 kilometres. The Stavka authorised a defensive strategy aimed at wearing down the German spearhead by forcing them to breakthrough multiple lines of heavily fortified positions, defended by Soviet units with combined arms
capabilities. When the German offensive withered, the Soviet operational armour reserves would be released to counter attack and destroy the weakened enemy.
divisions, all of which had already suffered losses during the preceding days. The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf had begun the offensive with 456 tanks and 137 assault guns, including only 35 Tiger I
tanks. A further brigade may have been involved in the fighting; the 10th Panzer Brigade had been created on 23 June 1943 and had 45 Tiger tanks on strength. It is possible that this unit joined the 2nd SS Panzer Division, which would have bolstered its strength to 70 Tigers. The total number of tanks and assault guns available on 11 July was about 400, including 70 Tigers.
Soviet sources claim that the Germans possessed 500–700 tanks. German sources are not complete for tank strength returns of 12 July. According to available German sources, 294 German tanks were available on 11 July between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd SS Panzergrenadier Divisions (77, 95 and 122 tanks respectively). The following day, 12 July, the figures for the 1st SS Panzergrenadier Division were unknown, but the strength returns for the remaining two divisions were 103 and 121. On 13 July, returns indicate 70, 107 and 74 tanks available. By 14 July the returns were 78, 115 and 73 tanks. On 15 July, a general decrease to 85, 99 and 77 was recorded. The last record, for 16 July, recorded 96, 103 and 96 tanks operational for the three divisions. The II SS Panzer Corps began the Battle of Kursk with 494 tanks; by 12 July its strength had dropped by exactly 200.
German air power amounted to one Luftwaffe
Korps, VIII Fliegerkorps
. It had 966 aircraft on its order of battle
on 5 July 1943. Attrition had been low over the previous week. Between 5–8 July, the Generalquartiermeister der Luftwaffe reported the loss of only 41 aircraft. Losses for the period 8–11 July are not clear, although it is known that around 220 aircraft were lost altogether on the southern face of the Kursk bulge between 5–31 July.
. The total tank strength of the army stood at ca. 800–850 tanks. Many of these however, were the light T-70
tanks.
The 5th Guards Tank Army had some 409 T-34
, 188 T-70, 31 Churchill tank
s, 48 self-propelled guns of the SU-122
and SU-76
type, and a small but unknown number of heavy KV-1 tanks. Contrary to claims in some accounts of the battle, no SU-152
or SU-85
assault guns were fielded. According to Soviet sources these figures do not include the 2nd Tank Corps, 2nd Guards Tank Corps or the 1529th Self-propelled gun Regiment.
The Red Army fielded the Soviet 2nd Guards Tank Corps and Soviet 29th Tank Corps, Soviet 18th Tank Corps in the first echelon. The Soviet 5th mechanised Corps and the already weakened Soviet 2nd Tank Corps were kept in reserve. The 18th Tank Corps fielded 144 tanks on the afternoon of 11 July, while the 29th Tank Corps fielded 212 tanks and self-propelled guns. Together with the formations committed during the day, the total number of Soviet tanks in the battle probably reached 500.
The Soviet 1st Tank Army also attacked elements of the German XLVIII Panzer Corps, but this was not directly related to the tank battle of Prokhorovka.
Altogether research reveals that 294 German and 616 Soviet armoured fighting vehicles (AFV), up to a maximum of 429 German and 870 Soviet AFV took part in the battle of Prokhorovka.
Soviet aviation amounted to a weak concentration of forces. The Red Air Force's 2nd Air Army, despite bitter losses in the past week, could muster 472 operational aircraft. Of this fleet, 266 were fighter aircraft, 160 Russian bombers and 90 Ilyushin Il-2
Shturmoviks. The 17th Air Army was also committed. It had also suffered a high attrition rate but could field some 300 operational aircraft. Air power was thus even, making it imperative that it be used wisely.
4th Panzer Army, spearheaded by the SS Panzer Corps
, had fought through 10–15 miles of Soviet defenses consisting of high-density minefields
, entrenched
infantry and anti-tank guns
arranged in elaborate pakfront
anti-tank zones. The attack penetrated into the third defensive to a depth of 35 kilometers but was stopped by the 1st Guards Tank Army.
Between the 5th and the 11th July, the II SS Panzer Corps came close to driving a wedge between the 1st Guards Tank Army and Soviet 69th Army. The battles had been difficult, but the Fourth Panzer Army had managed to break through the main Soviet defence zones. The Germans claimed 1,000 Soviet tanks destroyed since 5 July. The 48th Panzer Corps alone claimed to have eliminated 1,300 Soviet soldiers and to have taken 7,000 Soviet prisoners. The 48th also claimed to have destroyed or captured 170 Soviet tanks and 180 heavy mortars along with large amounts of Russian anti-tank and artillery guns.
The II SS Panzer Corps broke through the third line of Soviet defences at Prokhorovka. The Germans wrongly believed they had made a breakthrough and they prepared to exploit the opportunity the following day. They thought they had defeated the last of the Soviet reserve units, but unknown to the Germans, the Steppe Front
under Ivan Konev
stood ready as a reserve to conduct a counter-offensive. Following the German success up to 11 July, and against Konev's protests, Zhukov allowed the Stavka to release two Russian made armies, the 5th Guards Tank Army
under General Pavel Rotmistrov
and the 5th Guards Army from Steppe Front to meet the German threat. The 42nd Guards Rifle Division was committed immediately. After forced road marches, the Soviet forces reached Prokhorovka
on the night of 11 July.
The Soviet Fronts were now ready to launch their counter offensive.
The Soviet armies together with the 1st Tank Army under Major-General Mikhail Katukov
were supposed to attack the German forces and cut off the penetration from the Russian river in Prochorovka, trapping and then destroying the advanced German forces. The attack by 5th Guards Tank Army was aimed at the II SS Panzer Corps, while the other three armies were attacking XLVIII Panzer Corps and LII Army Corps
.
The attack plan for 5th Guards Tank Army had major shortcomings, in that it neglected a proper artillery preparation, ordered the Soviet tankers to use high speed to overcome the shortcomings in armour and weaponry of their tanks, and put the main attack into a sector in which an anti-tank ditch dug by Soviet troops protected the German forces to some degree. Moreover, most of the Soviet aviation was concentrated on the northern flank of the southern sector, leaving the Luftwaffe in complete control of the skies over Prokhorovka. To complicate matters further, the Soviet air-to-ground communication system failed resulting in German aviation delivering heavy losses against the Russians in the opening hours.
The Luftwaffe units were ordered by the commander of VIII. Fliegerkorps Hans Seidemann
to concentrate on covering the advance of the II SS. The attack by the 48th Panzer Corps further north was to be given only sporadic support by Jagdgeschwader 3
and Jagdgeschwader 52
. The air battle became critical to the success of the respective attacks of Soviet and German ground forces. Without proper defensive air support, and in face of Soviet aerial assaults, the 48th Panzer Corps was forced onto the defensive. The 11th Panzer Division noted, "there was some German air activity but more Soviet, including some dive-bomber attacks".
To increase the pressure the 48th Panzer Corps was engaged by the Soviet 10th Tank Corps and the Soviet 1st Tank Army. However the Luftwaffe also struck back with ground attack missions. Heinkel He 111
s inflicted heavy losses on Soviet 69th Army and the 5th Guards Tank Army. Such was the weakness of both sides fighter forces that no losses in this sector were reported on 12 July.
One result of the inactivity of the Luftwaffe over the 48th Panzer Corps was that the Panzerkorps halted its offensive action. Without any supporting diversion attacks the II SS launched its assault against the 5th Guards Tanks Army. Both the 5th Guards and the II SS had launched their offensives simultaneously. The German plan was for Totenkopf
to launch an assault north of the Psel to extend the bridgehead that had been gained there. The Das Reich and Leibstandarte SS
divisions were not involved in the assault, and had a defensive mission until Totenkopf reported a success.
The Soviet attack started at 09:15. General-Leytenant Rotmistrov committed around 430 tanks and assault guns in a frontal attack, with another 70 following in a second wave. The attack was a disaster. The Luftwaffe responded quickly to air support requests and large formations of Junkers Ju 87
Stukas, bomb-carrying Focke-Wulf Fw 190
s and Henschel Hs 129
tank busters equipped with BK 37
37 mm Bordkanone appeared over the Soviet armoured formations. The Soviet tanks were caught out in the open. Supported by German artillery and German tank fire the attack was defeated. The battlefield was covered in thick smoke from exploding Soviet tanks making it difficult for either side to see. Normally the 37 mm was not enough to destroy a Soviet tank. But the Soviets, expecting light resistance at first, had left their metal fuel containers on their rear engine blocks. The Soviet 31st Tank brigade attached to the 29th Tank Corps reported, "We suffer heavy losses in tanks through enemy artillery and aircraft. At 10:30 hours our tanks reached the Komsomolets state farm, but due to continuous air attacks, they were unable to advance any further and shifted to the defence". In total the 5th Guards Tank Army, Soviet 18th Tank Corps and the 29th Tank Corps lost some 400 of their 800 tanks in the morning attack.
One of the reasons for the failures was the lack on the part of the Soviets of an efficient air-to-ground system. The Soviet air assault units could not react quickly enough to sudden enemy movements. Moreover, the 2nd and 17th Air Armies were concentrated over the 48th Panzer Corps giving the Luftwaffe unhindered access to the exposed Soviet armour. The Soviet 31st Tank Corps commander reported, "Our own air cover was fully absent until 13:00 hours". The 5th Guards Tank Army complained, "the enemy's aircraft literally hung above our combat formations throughout the entire battle, while our own aircraft, and particularly the fighter aviation, was totally insufficient".
The reserves of 5th Guards Tank Army had to be sent south, to defend against a German attack by III Panzer Corps. With the loss of these reserves, any hope that may have been left of dealing a major defeat through offensive action to the II SS Panzer Corps ended. But German advances also failed. Despite appalling losses, the Soviet Tank Armies held the line and prevented the II SS from making a breakthrough. Most of the tank battles were fought in fairly close quarters as the Soviets learned from the defeat in the morning action. The losses in men were roughly 5,500 on the Soviet side and 850 on the German. Tank losses are disputed, but around 300 Soviet and 70 to 80 German AFV were lost in the German offensive actions.
Another aspect is that the sudden and violent attack by strong Soviet reserves and the need to break off the assault by the German 9th Army
on the northern shoulder of the Kursk salient
due to Operation Kutuzov
contributed to the decision of Adolf Hitler
to discontinue the attack, the implications of which made him 'sick to his stomach' when he had originally considered it. A parallel attack by the Red Army against the new 6th Army on the Mius river south of Kharkov necessitated the withdrawal of reserve forces held to exploit any success on the southern shoulder of Kursk, and the OKW also had to draw on some German troops from the Eastern Front to bolster the Mediterranean theater following the Anglo-American invasion of Sicily
on the night of 9-10 July 1943.
Regardless of the tactical outcome, the Battle of Prokhorovka was turned into a critical propaganda and operational victory for the Red Army. The Germans had first thought they were almost through the defenses and were expecting nothing more than a few anti-tank guns; instead, they met the better part of a thousand tanks. Clearly the Soviets were not beaten, and this had a significant impact upon German decision making.
It also became clear that the German advantage in quality of officers and men was now eroding and the self-confident Soviets were ready to begin launching larger offensives and driving the German forces back towards Germany. From this point forward, the strategic initiative would remain with the Red Army.
Prokhorovka
Prokhorovka is an urban locality and the administrative center of Prokhorovsky District of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Psyol River southwest of the city of Kursk. Population:...
(12 July 1943) was fought on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
during the Second World War as part of the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
in the Soviet Union (450 kilometers / 280 miles south of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
). Principally, the German Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
s Fourth Panzer Army clashed with the Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
's 5th Guards Tank Army
5th Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The 5th Guards Tank Army was a Soviet Guards armoured formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II.The 5th Guards Tank Army was formed on 10 February 1942. Its organisation varied throughout its history, but in general included two or more Guards Tank Corps and one or more...
. It is one of the largest tank battles in military history
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
.
On 5 July 1943 the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.- Genesis :...
launched Operation Citadel. The aim of the German High Command was to destroy the considerable Soviet forces in the Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
salient
Salients, re-entrants and pockets
A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...
. Destroying the Red Army in the field would recover the strategic initiative for the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
on the Eastern Front. The operation was to be achieved by five German field armies, which were to strike in a pincer movement
Pincer movement
The pincer movement or double envelopment is a military maneuver. The flanks of the opponent are attacked simultaneously in a pinching motion after the opponent has advanced towards the center of an army which is responding by moving its outside forces to the enemy's flanks, in order to surround it...
on either side of the Kursk Bulge.
The Soviet Supreme Command, the Stavka
Stavka
Stavka was the term used to refer to a command element of the armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus′, more formally during the history of Imperial Russia as administrative staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Soviet Union...
, foresaw the German attack and prepared a defense in depth along the lines of the military deep operations
Deep operations
Deep battle was a military theory developed by the Soviet Union for its armed forces during the 1920s and 1930s. It was developed by a number of influential military writers, such as Vladimir Triandafillov and Mikhail Tukhachevsky who endeavoured to create a military strategy with its own...
theory. Soviet marshal
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Zhukov
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
convinced Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
that the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
should remain defensive and wear down the German Army. When the German forces had been worn down sufficiently by the Red Army defence, the Soviet would release their operational reserve in a counter-offensive
Counter-offensive
A counter-offensive is the term used by the military to describe large-scale, usually strategic offensive operations by forces that had successfully halted an enemy's offensive, while occupying defensive positions....
to destroy the weakened German spearhead.
In the ensuing Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
, German forces were halted on the northern Orel
Oryol
Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
sector. However, in the south the formations of Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS achieved a deeper penetration, approaching Prokhorovka
Prokhorovka
Prokhorovka is an urban locality and the administrative center of Prokhorovsky District of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Psyol River southwest of the city of Kursk. Population:...
. The Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
was forced to commit its operational reserves sooner than it would have wished. The resulting clash of armour occurred on 12 July 1943 and became known as one of the largest tank battles in history.
This was the pivotal battle of the German offensive to encircle
Encirclement
Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The German term for this is Kesselschlacht ; a comparable English term might be "in the bag"....
Soviet forces in the Kursk salient. Its culmination and outcome are a matter of contention. The German assault failed to achieve its objective. The Soviets succeeded in winning a series of defensive engagements and prevented the German formations breaking through their lines, but Soviet attacks against German positions were repulsed. By the end of the battle both sides had suffered heavy losses. The Soviet losses were much higher, but larger operational and strategic manpower and materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
reserves enabled the Red Army to retain the strategic and operational initiative.
Background
In the winter of 1942–1943 the German Sixth Army had been lost during the Battle of StalingradBattle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. The subsequent Soviet operations; Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation in World War II which led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romanian armies, and portions of the German Fourth Panzer Army. The operation formed part of the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad, and was...
, Operation Winter Storm and Operation Little Saturn threatened the position of Army Group South
Army Group South
Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...
. The Soviet operations, if successful, may have destroyed the entire Army Group. These operations led to the liberation of most of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
from German occupation at a cost of only 70,000 casualties. Keen for more success Stalin had ordered the Red Army to encircle German Army Group South
Army Group South
Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...
by thrusting through to Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
.
The Red Army advanced but became overstretched. Erich von Manstein
Erich von Manstein
Erich von Manstein was a field marshal in World War II. He became one of the most prominent commanders of Germany's World War II armed forces...
recognised this and organised an improvised counter-offensive which resulted in the Third Battle of Kharkov
Third Battle of Kharkov
The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
. In a repeat of the Second Battle of Kharkov
Second Battle of Kharkov
The Second Battle of Kharkov, so named by Wilhelm Keitel, was an Axis counter-offensive against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted from 12 May to 28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front during World War II. Its objective was to eliminate the Izium bridgehead over Seversky Donets, or the...
mobile German forces pinched off the flanks of the Soviet spearhead and destroyed them. The German victory had enabled the Wehrmacht and SS forces to recapture Kharkov on 14 March 1943 and drove the Red Army back over the northern Don River
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
. In the process they punched a bulge into the Soviet lines to create a salient some 150 miles from north to south. The Germans took some 9,000 prisoners and counted 23,000 Soviet dead. Soviet figures counted 45,000 killed and captured.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and the German High Command selected the relatively narrow Kursk sector for their next major offensive in an attempt to crush Soviet operational and strategic reserves. This was to restore equilibrium to the Eastern Front and win back the strategic initiative.
Soviet intelligence recognised the Kursk bulge would be the focus of a major German offensive in the summer. The Soviet strategic defence of Kursk, unlike Moscow in 1941, would not occur along the entire front. This enabled the Soviets to prepare a strong defence in depth of up to 100 kilometres deep. The Soviets committed 10 Soviet Army Fronts
Front (Soviet Army)
A front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group in the militaries of most other countries except Germany...
, containing 40 combined armies and five tank armies operating on a 2000 kilometre front to a depth of 600–700 kilometres. The Stavka authorised a defensive strategy aimed at wearing down the German spearhead by forcing them to breakthrough multiple lines of heavily fortified positions, defended by Soviet units with combined arms
Combined arms
Combined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different branches of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects...
capabilities. When the German offensive withered, the Soviet operational armour reserves would be released to counter attack and destroy the weakened enemy.
German
The German forces involved were primarily from three Waffen-SSWaffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
divisions, all of which had already suffered losses during the preceding days. The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich and 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf had begun the offensive with 456 tanks and 137 assault guns, including only 35 Tiger I
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
tanks. A further brigade may have been involved in the fighting; the 10th Panzer Brigade had been created on 23 June 1943 and had 45 Tiger tanks on strength. It is possible that this unit joined the 2nd SS Panzer Division, which would have bolstered its strength to 70 Tigers. The total number of tanks and assault guns available on 11 July was about 400, including 70 Tigers.
Soviet sources claim that the Germans possessed 500–700 tanks. German sources are not complete for tank strength returns of 12 July. According to available German sources, 294 German tanks were available on 11 July between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd SS Panzergrenadier Divisions (77, 95 and 122 tanks respectively). The following day, 12 July, the figures for the 1st SS Panzergrenadier Division were unknown, but the strength returns for the remaining two divisions were 103 and 121. On 13 July, returns indicate 70, 107 and 74 tanks available. By 14 July the returns were 78, 115 and 73 tanks. On 15 July, a general decrease to 85, 99 and 77 was recorded. The last record, for 16 July, recorded 96, 103 and 96 tanks operational for the three divisions. The II SS Panzer Corps began the Battle of Kursk with 494 tanks; by 12 July its strength had dropped by exactly 200.
German air power amounted to one Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Korps, VIII Fliegerkorps
8th Air Corps (Germany)
VIII. FliegerkorpsFor more details see Luftwaffe Organization was formed 19 July 1939 in Oppeln as Fliegerführer z.b.V. The abbreviation z.b.V. is German and stands for zur besonderen Verwendung . Fliegerführer z.b.V was renamed to VIII. Fliegerkorps on 10 November 1939...
. It had 966 aircraft on its order of battle
Order of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
on 5 July 1943. Attrition had been low over the previous week. Between 5–8 July, the Generalquartiermeister der Luftwaffe reported the loss of only 41 aircraft. Losses for the period 8–11 July are not clear, although it is known that around 220 aircraft were lost altogether on the southern face of the Kursk bulge between 5–31 July.
Soviet
On the Soviet side the main formation involved was the 5th Guards Tank Army5th Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The 5th Guards Tank Army was a Soviet Guards armoured formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II.The 5th Guards Tank Army was formed on 10 February 1942. Its organisation varied throughout its history, but in general included two or more Guards Tank Corps and one or more...
. The total tank strength of the army stood at ca. 800–850 tanks. Many of these however, were the light T-70
T-70
The T-70 was a light tank used by the Red Army during World War II, replacing both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support. The T-80 light tank was a more advanced version of the T-70 with a two-man turret—it was only produced in very small...
tanks.
The 5th Guards Tank Army had some 409 T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
, 188 T-70, 31 Churchill tank
Churchill tank
The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV was a heavy British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles. It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war...
s, 48 self-propelled guns of the SU-122
SU-122
The SU-122 was a Soviet self-propelled howitzer used during World War II. The number "122" in the designation represents the caliber of the main armament—a 122 mm M-30S howitzer.-Development history:...
and SU-76
SU-76
The SU-76 was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during and after World War II.- History :The SU-76 was based on a lengthened and widened version of the T-70 tank chassis...
type, and a small but unknown number of heavy KV-1 tanks. Contrary to claims in some accounts of the battle, no SU-152
SU-152
The SU-152 was a Soviet heavy self-propelled heavy howitzer used during World War II.It mounted a 152 mm gun-howitzer on the chassis of a KV-1S heavy tank. Later production used IS tank chassis and was re-designated as ISU-152...
or SU-85
SU-85
The SU-85 was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during World War II, based on the chassis of the T-34 medium tank. Earlier Soviet self-propelled guns were meant to serve as either assault guns, such as the SU-122, or as mobile anti-tank weapons; the SU-85 fell into the latter category...
assault guns were fielded. According to Soviet sources these figures do not include the 2nd Tank Corps, 2nd Guards Tank Corps or the 1529th Self-propelled gun Regiment.
The Red Army fielded the Soviet 2nd Guards Tank Corps and Soviet 29th Tank Corps, Soviet 18th Tank Corps in the first echelon. The Soviet 5th mechanised Corps and the already weakened Soviet 2nd Tank Corps were kept in reserve. The 18th Tank Corps fielded 144 tanks on the afternoon of 11 July, while the 29th Tank Corps fielded 212 tanks and self-propelled guns. Together with the formations committed during the day, the total number of Soviet tanks in the battle probably reached 500.
The Soviet 1st Tank Army also attacked elements of the German XLVIII Panzer Corps, but this was not directly related to the tank battle of Prokhorovka.
Altogether research reveals that 294 German and 616 Soviet armoured fighting vehicles (AFV), up to a maximum of 429 German and 870 Soviet AFV took part in the battle of Prokhorovka.
Soviet aviation amounted to a weak concentration of forces. The Red Air Force's 2nd Air Army, despite bitter losses in the past week, could muster 472 operational aircraft. Of this fleet, 266 were fighter aircraft, 160 Russian bombers and 90 Ilyushin Il-2
Ilyushin Il-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
Shturmoviks. The 17th Air Army was also committed. It had also suffered a high attrition rate but could field some 300 operational aircraft. Air power was thus even, making it imperative that it be used wisely.
German advance before Prokhorovka
After several delays in waiting for the new equipment to reach the front, the German offensive was launched on 5 July 1943. Generaloberst Hermann Hoth'sHermann Hoth
Hermann "Papa" Hoth was an officer in the German military from 1903 to 1945. He attained the rank of Generaloberst during World War II. He fought in France, but is most noted for his later exploits as a panzer commander on the Eastern Front...
4th Panzer Army, spearheaded by the SS Panzer Corps
II SS Panzer Corps
The II SS Panzer Corps was a Nazi German Waffen-SS armoured corps which saw action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II.- Formation - Kharkov :...
, had fought through 10–15 miles of Soviet defenses consisting of high-density minefields
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
, entrenched
Trench
A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
infantry and anti-tank guns
Anti-tank warfare
Anti-tank warfare was created by the need to seek technology and tactics to destroy tanks and their supporting infantry during the First World War...
arranged in elaborate pakfront
Pakfront
The Pakfront was a defensive military tactic developed by the German forces on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. It was named after the phonetic pronunciation of the acronym nomenclature for German towed anti-tank guns, PaK...
anti-tank zones. The attack penetrated into the third defensive to a depth of 35 kilometers but was stopped by the 1st Guards Tank Army.
Between the 5th and the 11th July, the II SS Panzer Corps came close to driving a wedge between the 1st Guards Tank Army and Soviet 69th Army. The battles had been difficult, but the Fourth Panzer Army had managed to break through the main Soviet defence zones. The Germans claimed 1,000 Soviet tanks destroyed since 5 July. The 48th Panzer Corps alone claimed to have eliminated 1,300 Soviet soldiers and to have taken 7,000 Soviet prisoners. The 48th also claimed to have destroyed or captured 170 Soviet tanks and 180 heavy mortars along with large amounts of Russian anti-tank and artillery guns.
The II SS Panzer Corps broke through the third line of Soviet defences at Prokhorovka. The Germans wrongly believed they had made a breakthrough and they prepared to exploit the opportunity the following day. They thought they had defeated the last of the Soviet reserve units, but unknown to the Germans, the Steppe Front
Steppe Front
The Steppe Front and later the 2nd Ukrainian Front was a Front , effectively an Army group sized formation, of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
under Ivan Konev
Ivan Konev
Ivan Stepanovich Konev , was a Soviet military commander, who led Red Army forces on the Eastern Front during World War II, retook much of Eastern Europe from occupation by the Axis Powers, and helped in the capture of Germany's capital, Berlin....
stood ready as a reserve to conduct a counter-offensive. Following the German success up to 11 July, and against Konev's protests, Zhukov allowed the Stavka to release two Russian made armies, the 5th Guards Tank Army
5th Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The 5th Guards Tank Army was a Soviet Guards armoured formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II.The 5th Guards Tank Army was formed on 10 February 1942. Its organisation varied throughout its history, but in general included two or more Guards Tank Corps and one or more...
under General Pavel Rotmistrov
Pavel Rotmistrov
Chief Marshal of Armoured Troops Pavel Alexeyevich Rotmistrov was a commander of armoured troops in the Red Army during and following World War II.-Pre-War:...
and the 5th Guards Army from Steppe Front to meet the German threat. The 42nd Guards Rifle Division was committed immediately. After forced road marches, the Soviet forces reached Prokhorovka
Prokhorovka
Prokhorovka is an urban locality and the administrative center of Prokhorovsky District of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Psyol River southwest of the city of Kursk. Population:...
on the night of 11 July.
The Soviet Fronts were now ready to launch their counter offensive.
German offensive plans
The German plan at Prokhorovka was to press on with the general campaign plan for Citadel by forcing the Soviet defences open in the south and link up with the northern pincer at Kursk. The attack coincided with an effort by the 48th Panzer Corps to thrust against the Psyol River to the south west. The station of Prokhorovka was the prime tactical target. The capture of the station, it was hoped, would enable a breakthrough by the Fourth Panzer Army in this sector. This would allow the Wehrmacht to break into the operational and strategic depths of the Soviet rear and to complete the encirclement of the Soviet forces in and around Kursk.Soviet counter offensive plans
The Kursk battle had reached its critical point on 11 and 12 July. The penetration by II SS Panzer Corps succeeded in reaching the Prokhorovka station and threatened to encircle the Soviet 1st Tank Army. The station lay in the heart of the Voronzeh Front defences. On 11 July, Marshal Zhukov ordered a counter offensive of five Soviet armies, including two from the Steppe Front against the spearhead to begin on 12 July.The Soviet armies together with the 1st Tank Army under Major-General Mikhail Katukov
Mikhail Katukov
Marshal of the Armored Troops Mikhail Efimovich Katukov served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as one of the most talented Soviet armor commanders.-Pre-War:...
were supposed to attack the German forces and cut off the penetration from the Russian river in Prochorovka, trapping and then destroying the advanced German forces. The attack by 5th Guards Tank Army was aimed at the II SS Panzer Corps, while the other three armies were attacking XLVIII Panzer Corps and LII Army Corps
LII Army Corps (Germany)
German LII. Corps was a corps in the German Army during World War II. The LII. Armeekorps was destroyed during the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive .-Commanders:...
.
The attack plan for 5th Guards Tank Army had major shortcomings, in that it neglected a proper artillery preparation, ordered the Soviet tankers to use high speed to overcome the shortcomings in armour and weaponry of their tanks, and put the main attack into a sector in which an anti-tank ditch dug by Soviet troops protected the German forces to some degree. Moreover, most of the Soviet aviation was concentrated on the northern flank of the southern sector, leaving the Luftwaffe in complete control of the skies over Prokhorovka. To complicate matters further, the Soviet air-to-ground communication system failed resulting in German aviation delivering heavy losses against the Russians in the opening hours.
The morning battles
At 06:50 hours on 12 July, the II SS Panzer Corps began their attack. As it did so the Soviets also initiated their opening offensive moves. Aircraft from both sides arrived over their respective support points and a huge aerial battle developed. The II SS reported "very strong enemy air activity[...] at 07:10". For the first time during the Kursk battle, the Soviet Air Armies had flown more sorties than the Luftwaffe over the southern sector. The 17 and 2 Air Armies flew 893 sorties while the VIII Fliegerkorps flew some 654 missions.The Luftwaffe units were ordered by the commander of VIII. Fliegerkorps Hans Seidemann
Hans Seidemann
Hans Seidemann was a World War II Luftwaffe general. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
to concentrate on covering the advance of the II SS. The attack by the 48th Panzer Corps further north was to be given only sporadic support by Jagdgeschwader 3
Jagdgeschwader 3
Jagdgeschwader 3 Udet was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. The Geschwader operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet in 1942.-Campaign in the West :...
and Jagdgeschwader 52
Jagdgeschwader 52
Jagdgeschwader 52 of the Luftwaffe, was the most successful fighter-wing of all time, with a claimed total of more than 10,000 victories over enemy aircraft during World War II. It was the unit of the top three scoring Fighter aces of all time, Erich Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn and Günther Rall...
. The air battle became critical to the success of the respective attacks of Soviet and German ground forces. Without proper defensive air support, and in face of Soviet aerial assaults, the 48th Panzer Corps was forced onto the defensive. The 11th Panzer Division noted, "there was some German air activity but more Soviet, including some dive-bomber attacks".
To increase the pressure the 48th Panzer Corps was engaged by the Soviet 10th Tank Corps and the Soviet 1st Tank Army. However the Luftwaffe also struck back with ground attack missions. Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
s inflicted heavy losses on Soviet 69th Army and the 5th Guards Tank Army. Such was the weakness of both sides fighter forces that no losses in this sector were reported on 12 July.
One result of the inactivity of the Luftwaffe over the 48th Panzer Corps was that the Panzerkorps halted its offensive action. Without any supporting diversion attacks the II SS launched its assault against the 5th Guards Tanks Army. Both the 5th Guards and the II SS had launched their offensives simultaneously. The German plan was for Totenkopf
3rd SS Division Totenkopf
The SS Division Totenkopf , also known as 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf, was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke...
to launch an assault north of the Psel to extend the bridgehead that had been gained there. The Das Reich and Leibstandarte SS
1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...
divisions were not involved in the assault, and had a defensive mission until Totenkopf reported a success.
The Soviet attack started at 09:15. General-Leytenant Rotmistrov committed around 430 tanks and assault guns in a frontal attack, with another 70 following in a second wave. The attack was a disaster. The Luftwaffe responded quickly to air support requests and large formations of Junkers Ju 87
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
Stukas, bomb-carrying Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
s and Henschel Hs 129
Henschel Hs 129
The Henschel Hs 129 was a World War II ground-attack aircraft fielded by the German Luftwaffe. Its nickname, the Panzerknacker , is a deliberate pun—in German, it also means "safe cracker"...
tank busters equipped with BK 37
BK 37
The Bordkanone BK 3,7 was a 37mm anti-tank/bomber autocannon based on the earlier 37 mm Flak 18 made by Rheinmetall. It was mounted on World War II Luftwaffe aircraft such as the anti-tank or bomber-destroyer versions of the Junkers Ju 87D-3 and G-2, Henschel Hs 129B-2/R3, Messerschmitt Bf...
37 mm Bordkanone appeared over the Soviet armoured formations. The Soviet tanks were caught out in the open. Supported by German artillery and German tank fire the attack was defeated. The battlefield was covered in thick smoke from exploding Soviet tanks making it difficult for either side to see. Normally the 37 mm was not enough to destroy a Soviet tank. But the Soviets, expecting light resistance at first, had left their metal fuel containers on their rear engine blocks. The Soviet 31st Tank brigade attached to the 29th Tank Corps reported, "We suffer heavy losses in tanks through enemy artillery and aircraft. At 10:30 hours our tanks reached the Komsomolets state farm, but due to continuous air attacks, they were unable to advance any further and shifted to the defence". In total the 5th Guards Tank Army, Soviet 18th Tank Corps and the 29th Tank Corps lost some 400 of their 800 tanks in the morning attack.
One of the reasons for the failures was the lack on the part of the Soviets of an efficient air-to-ground system. The Soviet air assault units could not react quickly enough to sudden enemy movements. Moreover, the 2nd and 17th Air Armies were concentrated over the 48th Panzer Corps giving the Luftwaffe unhindered access to the exposed Soviet armour. The Soviet 31st Tank Corps commander reported, "Our own air cover was fully absent until 13:00 hours". The 5th Guards Tank Army complained, "the enemy's aircraft literally hung above our combat formations throughout the entire battle, while our own aircraft, and particularly the fighter aviation, was totally insufficient".
Afternoon battles
The outcome
While the exact losses on each side cannot be established precisely, the outcome is clearer. Neither the Fifth Guards Tank Army nor the II SS Panzer Corps accomplished their objectives that day.Another aspect is that the sudden and violent attack by strong Soviet reserves and the need to break off the assault by the German 9th Army
German Ninth Army
The 9th Army was a World War II field army.The 9th Army was activated on May 15, 1940 with General Johannes Blaskowitz in command.-1940:The 9th Army first saw service along the Siegfried Line when it was involved in the invasion of France...
on the northern shoulder of the Kursk salient
Salients, re-entrants and pockets
A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...
due to Operation Kutuzov
Operation Kutuzov
Operation Kutuzov was a military operation by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht during World War II. It was named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, the Tsarist General credited with saving Russia from defeat during the invasion by Napoleon in 1812.The Operation began on 12...
contributed to the decision of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
to discontinue the attack, the implications of which made him 'sick to his stomach' when he had originally considered it. A parallel attack by the Red Army against the new 6th Army on the Mius river south of Kharkov necessitated the withdrawal of reserve forces held to exploit any success on the southern shoulder of Kursk, and the OKW also had to draw on some German troops from the Eastern Front to bolster the Mediterranean theater following the Anglo-American invasion of Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
on the night of 9-10 July 1943.
Regardless of the tactical outcome, the Battle of Prokhorovka was turned into a critical propaganda and operational victory for the Red Army. The Germans had first thought they were almost through the defenses and were expecting nothing more than a few anti-tank guns; instead, they met the better part of a thousand tanks. Clearly the Soviets were not beaten, and this had a significant impact upon German decision making.
It also became clear that the German advantage in quality of officers and men was now eroding and the self-confident Soviets were ready to begin launching larger offensives and driving the German forces back towards Germany. From this point forward, the strategic initiative would remain with the Red Army.
Sources
- Bellamy, Chris. Absolute War; Soviet Russia in the Second World War. Pan Books. (2007). ISBN 978-0-330-48808-2
- Bergström, Christer (2007). Kursk – The Air Battle: July 1943. Chervron/Ian Allen. ISBN 978-1-903223-88-8.
- Cross, Robin. Citadel: The Battle of Kursk, Barnes & Noble Edition. (1998). ISBN 978-1-566195-81-2
- Dunn, Walter (1997). Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943. Greenwood Press Ltd. ISBN 978-0-275957-33-9.
- Glantz, David M. & House, Jonathan. When Titans Clashed; How the Red Army Stopped Hitler. University of Kansas Press. (1995). ISBN 978-0700608990-7
- Glantz, David M. Soviet Military Operational Art; Pursuit of Deep Battle. Frank Cass. (1991). ISBN 0-7146-4077-8
- Glantz, David M. & House, Jonathan. The Battle of Kursk. University Press of Kansas. (1999). ISBN 0700613358
- Healy, Mark. (1992). Kursk 1943: Tide Turns in the East. Osprey Publishers, London. ISBN 978-1-85532-211-0
- Overy, Richard. Russia's War.Pengiun Books. (1997). ISBN 0-14-027169-4
- Zetterling, Niklas and Anders Frankson. Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis, London: Frank Cass, (2000). ISBN 0-7146-5052-8
External links
- Kursk Reconsidered: Germany's Lost Victory from Historynet.com.
- Review of Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis with a detailed comparison with the statistics provided by Walter Dunn's "Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943", George Nipe's "Decision in the Ukraine", "The Battle of Kursk" by David Glantz and Jonathan House, and "The Battle for Kursk, 1943" from the Soviet General Staff.
- Олейников Г.А. Прохоровское сражение (июль 1943). – СПб.: Нестор, 1998., http://militera.lib.ru/h/oleinikov/index.html a comprehensive analysis in Russian
- Валерий Замулин. Прохоровка – неизвестное сражение великой войны. М.: АСТ: АСТ МОСКВА: ХРАНИТЕЛЬ, 2006 ISBN 5-17-039548-5 – total description of movement of Russian and Germany troops based on Russian and German archive documents with full statistic of Russian troops. In Russian.