Battle of Kursk

Although this video relates some disputed statistics, and seems skewed toward Germany’s aces, it is an interesting overview of this important battle that effectively ended the German offensive on the Eastern Front.

 

The Battle of Kursk 聽between German and Soviet forces took place聽280 miles southwest of Moscow during July and August 1943. The German offensive, met聽by two Soviet counter-offensives,聽led to one of the largest armored clashes in history.

Alerted months in advance by British intelligence,聽the Soviets reinforced the area and聽prepared an elaborate聽defense system聽to repel聽the German armored spearhead.

The resulting Battle of Kursk, with ~聽6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and 2 million fighting men, is regarded as the greatest tank battle in history: Soviet Dead: 254,470 killed+missing.聽 German casualties: 203,000 killed, wounded + missing.

After the catastrophic losses at Stalingrad, the Battle of Kursk was the final strategic offensive the Germans聽were able to launch on the Eastern Front. For the rest of the war, the Soviet Red Army maintained聽the strategic initiative.