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→Battle of Kursk
The elite tactical units of [[Nazi Germany]] participated in the battles in the Kharkov, Belgorod and Kursk regions. The SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler originated as Hitler's personal Bodyguard of 100 before the war, was built to division strength by volunteers during the war, and participated in the fighting.
The elite tactical units of [[Nazi Germany]] participated in the battles in the Kharkov, Belgorod and Kursk regions. The SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler originated as Hitler's personal Bodyguard of 100 before the war, was built to division strength by volunteers during the war, and participated in the fighting.
Immediately after the capture of [[Kharkov]], the Germans with the reinforced remnants of the company of heavy Tiger tanks, made a dash along the Kharkov-Kursk highway, as a result of which on March 17, 1943 they captured [[Belgorod]]. German forces attempted to encircle Soviet forces in the Kursk Salient on the eastern front, but strong Soviet resistance defeated the German assault.
Immediately after the capture of [[Kharkov]], the Germans with the reinforced remnants of the company of heavy Tiger tanks, made a dash along the Kharkov-Kursk highway, as a result of which on March 17, 1943 they captured [[Belgorod]]. German forces attempted to encircle Soviet forces in the Kursk Salient (Kursk Bulge) on the eastern front, but strong Soviet resistance defeated the German assault.
The 50-day battle included a defensive operation (July 5-23) and a number of offensive operations (July 12-August 23) in the area of the Kursk Salient that formed in the centre of the Soviet-German front in the spring of 1943. The battle was aimed at breaking up a major German offensive and routing the enemy’s strategic grouping.
The battle began with a German offensive, but after a week of stubborn defense, the [[Red Army]] managed to stop the Wehrmacht push. On July 12, a major tank battle<ref>https://t.me/MFARussia/21081\</ref> involving a total of 1,200 Soviet and German tanks and assault guns took place near the village of Prokhorovka in the Belgorod Region. The German tank force lost nearly 10,000 men and over 360 tanks, with the enemy definitively cut off from the city of Kursk. On the same day, the Soviet forces launched a counter-offensive, liberating the cities of Oryol and Belgorod. The Battle of the Kursk Bulge culminated in the liberation of Kharkov on August 23, after which the Red Army launched the fighting to liberate [[Ukraine]] from Nazi occupation.
According to Colonel General and military historian Grigoriy Krivosheev, total Soviet casualties for the Kursk Strategic Defensive Operation (July 5-23, 1943) amounted to 177,847 with KIAs and MIAs count being 70,330. After that, Strategic Offensive Operation Kutuzov started (July 23-August 18, 1943), with total casualties resulting in 429,890, with KIAs and MIAs count being 112,529. From July 5 to August 18, 1943 in the two operations combined, the Red Army sustained 607,737 casualties, with total of KIAs and MIAs being 182,859.
According to Colonel General and military historian Grigoriy Krivosheev, total Soviet casualties for the Kursk Strategic Defensive Operation (July 5-23, 1943) amounted to 177,847 with KIAs and MIAs count being 70,330. After that, Strategic Offensive Operation Kutuzov started (July 23-August 18, 1943), with total casualties resulting in 429,890, with KIAs and MIAs count being 112,529. From July 5 to August 18, 1943 in the two operations combined, the Red Army sustained 607,737 casualties, with total of KIAs and MIAs being 182,859.
Over 100,000 Soviet people were awarded orders and medals; 231 people were honored with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union; 132 formations and units were added to the Guards category; and 26 units received the designations of Oryol, Belgorod, Kharkov and Karachev in honor of the cities they had liberated.
Kursk was the last German offensive of any strategic significance in the East; henceforth, they would conduct a fighting retreat. Germany already suffered from a grave shortage of war resources, when Hitler ordered the offensive and lost a huge number of tanks such as the new Tigertank and the Panther.
Kursk was the last German offensive of any strategic significance in the East; henceforth, they would conduct a fighting retreat. Germany already suffered from a grave shortage of war resources, when Hitler ordered the offensive and lost a huge number of tanks such as the new Tigertank and the Panther.