The Battle of Prokhorovka

It wouldn’t right to have talked about the Battle of Kursk without at least mentioning its final, and most memorable, engagement.  If you recall, Operation Citadel (as the Germans called it) had begun the previous week, and was Germany’s attempt to straighten out the westward loop in its front lines.

The Russian strategy was to layer its defenses, so that as the Germans broke through a line, the defeated forces would simply retreat to reinforce the next line situated a couple miles further back.  This tactic had a distinct effect on German morale as the days passed.  With each breakthrough, the Germans would be excited at the prospect of an upcoming flanking move that would complete the encirclement of the Kursk salient.  And then they’d run smack dab into another line, and the process would begin anew.  It was frustrating to say the least.

But on July 12, 1943, both sides engaged the offensive in what has come to be known as the largest single tank battle in history.  South of the Kursk lies the town of Prokhorovka.  At 7:00am, the German 2nd SS Panzer Corps (with some help from the 48th Panzer Corps) launched to the north towards Prokhorovka.  Two hours later, the Russians began one of their first offensive actions, sending the 69th Guards Army and the 5th Guards Tank Army south.  I know this kind of sounds like a “2 versus 2″ battle, but each group mentioned was actually a multi-division force…these were big groups.  This single battle involved nearly 2,000 tanks.

Initial attacks were blunted (on both sides) by tenacious close air support, but the Russians got the worst of it.  Their aircraft were so busy attacking German tanks that they pretty much ignored incoming German aircraft.  Those planes, armed with 37mm flak cannons, wreaked havoc among the Russian tank formations.  And German artillery was devastating.  As the morning ended, hundreds of Russian tanks were smouldering wrecks.

Had the Russians not committed to a massive attack, but rather held to a defensive posture, their losses would have been greatly minimized.  But anyone that studies the Soviet side of World War II knows that keeping losses at a minimum was low on the priority list.

At any rate, the Germans didn’t accomplish their goals either.  So the Battle of Prokhorovka pretty much ended in a draw, with the Russians sustaining far heavier casualties and losses in equipment.  The outcome also convinced Hitler that this battle wasn’t worth continuing, so he called off Citadel the next day.

Furthermore, the Allied invasion of Sicily just two days before had caused Hitler to make another rash decision, pulling a couple crack Panzer Divisions out of the Kursk battle and sending them south towards Italy.

At full strength, the Germans may have had a little chance to break through the Russians, but we’ll never know for sure.  Operation Citadel was really the last major German offensive in Russia, which makes the Battle of Prokhorovka one of the last offensive battles.  From here on out, it was pretty much a retreat.

Recommended Reading: The Eastern Front – Day By Day, 1941-45