August 23 - Soviet Victory Day in the Battle of Kursk (1943)
The Battle of Kursk occupies a special place in the Great Patriotic War. It lasted 50 days and nights, from 5 July to 23 August 1943. By its bitterness and perseverance of struggle, this battle is unrivaled.
The general plan of the German command was to encircle and destroy the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts defending in the Kursk region. If successful, it was planned to expand the front of the offensive and return the strategic initiative. To implement his plans, the enemy concentrated powerful strike groups, which numbered over 900 thousand people, about 10 thousand guns and mortars, up to 2700 tanks and assault guns, about 2050 aircraft. Great hopes were pinned on the latest Tiger and Panther tanks, Ferdinand assault guns, Fokke-Wulf-190-A fighter planes and Heinkel-129 attack aircraft.
The Soviet command decided first to deflate the enemy's strike groups in defensive battles, and then proceed to a counteroffensive. The battle that started out immediately took on a grandiose scope and was extremely tense. Our troops did not flinch. They met avalanche tanks and infantry of the enemy with unparalleled steadfastness and courage. The offensive of the enemy strike groups was suspended. Only at the cost of huge losses he managed to wedge himself into our defenses in certain sectors. On the Central Front - at 10-12 km, on the Voronezh - up to 35 km. Finally, Hitler's operation "Citadel" was buried, the largest in the entire second world war, the oncoming tank battle at Prohhorovka. It happened on 12 July. In it from both sides simultaneously participated 1200 tanks and self-propelled guns. This battle was won by Soviet soldiers. Fascists, having lost a day of battle to 400 tanks, were forced to abandon the offensive.
July 12 began the second stage of the Battle of Kursk - the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops. 5 August Soviet troops liberated the city of Eagle and Belgorod. In the evening of August 5, in honor of this major success in Moscow, for the first time in two years of the war, a victory salute was given. Since that time, artillery salutes constantly proclaimed the glorious victories of the Soviet weapons. 23 August was released Kharkov. So victoriously ended the battle of the Kursk fire arc. In the course of it, 30 selected enemy divisions were crushed. The Nazi troops lost about 500 thousand people, 1500 tanks, 3 thousand guns and 3700 aircraft. For courage and heroism over 100, thousands of Soviet soldiers who participated in the Battle of Tierra del Fuego were awarded orders and medals. The battle of Kursk ended a radical change in the Great Patriotic War.
The Battle of Kursk, or Operation Citadel, was a turning point, and occupies a special place in the Great Patriotic War. It lasted 50 days and nights, from July 5 to August 23 1943 g. By its bitterness and tenacity of struggle, this battle has no equal. The battle, which took place more than sixty years ago, still attracts attention as the most formidable clash of tank armadas in all history wars The defeat of the Nazi troops at Kursk and the subsequent exit of the Soviet troops to the Dnieper completed a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War.
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