Film and Television: Starting from the Journey to Guandong

Chapter 160

However, the tragedy of the Lyuban Battle was less than half that of the Kursk Battle.

After the Battle of Stalingrad, during the 1943 days from July 7 to August 5, 8, the Soviet Union and Germany assembled the most outstanding generals, the most elite troops, and the latest equipment to fight in the Kursk salient. A decisive battle was fought, affecting a vast area of ​​​​seven states, and more than 23 million troops were invested in it. The scale and intensity of the battle were extremely rare in the history of war.

Although neither the Soviet Union nor Germany made any major mistakes in the Battle of Kursk, the Soviet army won the battle due to better preparations, stronger perseverance, and firmer determination, and gained the strategic initiative on the Soviet-German battlefield. Continue on the road to liberating Donbass and Ermao.

The German army's attempt to restore the battlefield decline after the defeat of Stalingrad with victory was thwarted. After losing the initiative, it retreated step by step and gradually headed for destruction.

After winning the Battle of Stalingrad in early 1943 and launching a strategic counteroffensive, the Soviet army achieved greater results in its offensives on the northern and southern fronts, recovering square kilometers of occupied territory and annihilating more than one million German troops. Destroyed a large amount of technical equipment with almost all the slave country's troops.

The two sides continued to clash from Leningrad on the Baltic Sea in the north to Taganrog on the Azov coast in the south, with a battle line of more than 2,000 kilometers.

However, the entire Soviet-German battlefield is still in a stalemate, and neither side has fully grasped the strategic initiative. The Soviet army has high morale and is pressing forward step by step, but it has also suffered losses in the continuous battles; although the German army has just suffered a disastrous defeat, it is still With great strength, there is always the threat of a comeback.

Back in January 1943, victory in the half-year-long Battle of Stalingrad was in sight. The Mao Xiong Supreme Command organized a large-scale counterattack on key battlefields to take the opportunity to weaken the German army.

On the northern battlefield, in order to rescue Leningrad, which had been besieged for more than two years, the Volkhov Front Army and the Leningrad Front Army launched a joint attack. After several months of fighting, they successfully opened up the inner and outer parts of Leningrad in May. The connection declared the failure of the German siege strategy.

In the southern North Caucasus battlefield, the Soviet Southern Front and Transcaucasus Front successfully repelled the German invasion.

By January 1, the German Army Group A could only retreat to the Taman Peninsula and Rostov to avoid the fate of annihilation. The hope of occupying the Soviet Union's Baku oil fields finally came to nothing.

In the southern Ukrainian battlefield, by mid-February, the Soviet Voronezh Front, Southwestern Front, and Bryansk Front had successively liberated major cities such as Voronezh, Kursk, Belgorod, and Kharkiv. However, due to the long supply lines and the retreat of the German troops, Due to the scorched earth policy of the time, the Soviet offensive line was exhausted.

By late February, the German Army Group South launched a counterattack that severely damaged the Soviet army and recaptured Kharkov and Belgorod. The Soviet army was forced to switch to defense and suffered losses of more than 2 people, but the German army was unable to carry out further attacks.

On the central front, the Bryansk Front, the Western Front and the Central Front launched offensives in mid-to-late February. However, due to the solid German defense, they were unable to achieve greater results. The Soviet army subsequently switched to defense in late March.

After the entire front was basically stable, the Soviet army shifted to a state of defense and readiness, and began to adjust its organization, recruit troops, and train troops.

During several months of fighting, the German army also realized that it could not defend the long front with its existing forces, and began to selectively abandon some areas to improve the overall defense line.

With the arrival of the spring and summer rainy seasons, the tired two sides entered a peaceful stalemate stage, but they were both intensively preparing for the summer battle.

The Soviet army wanted to take advantage of the situation to expand the results of the winter campaign and continue to regain lost territory; the German army tried to sweep the entire front and regain the strategic initiative. Both sides are making careful plans in an attempt to compete again.

After a series of battles on the central and southern fronts in the spring of 1943, the front formed a westward protrusion in the Kursk region, centered on the industrial city of Kursk, with a frontal frontage of nearly 160 kilometers in the west and a southern front of about 80 kilometers. , the northern line is more than 240 kilometers.

From here, the Soviet army could liberate large areas of territory such as Baimao, Donbas and Ermao, and the German army could also encircle and annihilate the defending Soviet army and attack Moscow from the southwest.

The Soviet Central Front and the Voronezh Front were deployed in the salient, and then a strategic unit, the Steppe Front, was added to the east for preliminary support.

On the north side of the salient is the German-occupied Orel salient, where the 9th Army of the German Army Group Center is deployed; on the south side is the 4th Armored Group and Kempf Group of Army Group South; on the west side is the German Army Group Center's 2th Army. nd Army.

During the spring rain when the war was silent, the high commands of both sides realized that the Kursk salient was the center of the upcoming summer battle: the Soviet army wanted to use this place as a base to annihilate a large number of German troops to consolidate their victory; the German army hoped to annihilate the Soviet army again through encirclement operations. Heavy troops and groups to regain the initiative.

In the stalemate, an unprecedented and fierce decisive battle is about to begin.

In 1943, Germany not only crumbled on the east and west battlefields due to the tragic defeat of Stalingrad, but also cracks appeared within the entire camp, leaving almost only Germany and Neon determined to fight to the end.

In 1942, Hungary established direct contact with the United Kingdom; in early 1943, Finland and Romania began to sue for peace with the West through various channels; in 1943, the Allies intended to attack the Italian mainland through Tunisia and force Italy to withdraw from the war.

At the same time, the Allied forces began to prepare to attack the European continent, which made Uncle Xi very anxious.

In order to save Germany's crumbling prestige, Mr. Hope is eager to win a great victory on the Eastern Front battlefield to restore the situation, eliminate the feeling of defeat within the camp, prevent the camp from falling apart, and firmly tie everyone to the fascist chariot.

Since the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, the German army has suffered heavy losses in terms of troops and equipment. Especially after the spring of 1943, the reserve force was so stretched that it was unable to launch a full-scale offensive and could only choose one direction to launch the offensive.

So which battlefield should be chosen for the summer battle to be most beneficial to the German army? There is no doubt that the German army has noticed the Kursk salient - the German army can launch pincer attacks from the north and south to encircle and annihilate the Soviet troops in the salient, weakening the Soviet army's strength. Then move further east, threatening Moscow.

In early April 1943, Zeitzler, Chief of the German Army General Staff, formulated an offensive operation codenamed "Fortress" against Kursk, and issued it as Order No. 4 in mid-April after obtaining Hitler's consent.

After a series of operations in the spring, the German army has regrouped and replenished its strength. After systematic training, it is confident and ready to go into battle at any time.

In the German plan, the most combat-effective troops and the latest weapons on the Soviet-German battlefield were assembled to form an elite force to break through the Soviet defenses in one fell swoop, surround the Soviet heavy group in the Kursk area, and regain the strategic initiative.

On the surface, the "Fortress" plan has significant effects: weakening the strength of the Soviet army, shortening the length of the front, reducing the German defense pressure, and ensuring the safety of Ukraine's important resource producing areas.

Although the order has been issued, some senior German generals still have different opinions and attitudes towards this battle, which makes Uncle Xi very distressed.

At a meeting held in Munich in early May, many generals were skeptical of this operation and even firmly opposed it.

They believed that the Soviet army was fully prepared and it would be unwise to launch an attack. Moreover, this operation was too risky. Once it failed, the situation on the entire Eastern Front would be irreversible.

In the end, Uncle Xi decided to launch an attack, not only because of the opinions of the top army generals, but also because this was an action related to the fate of Nazi Germany and even the entire camp. Not only could the German army not fail, they could not even choose to avoid fighting.

Although many generals believed that the benefits of fighting this battle were not proportional to the risks, and Uncle Xi also admitted that they were right, Uncle Xi had no choice, and neither did the German army.

The "Fortress" plan also has inherent flaws. It is an incomplete or only a short-term plan. It only involves encirclement and annihilation operations, but the subsequent attack on Moscow or the elimination of the Soviet Southwest Front on the right wing are not reflected.

Moreover, due to the weakening of the German army, 43 divisions were invested in the offensive in the "Fortress" battle, and there were only 2 divisions in the battle reserve.

The German army has put all the troops it can muster into this operation. These troops must not only break through the Soviet defenses, encircle and annihilate the Soviet troops, but also carry out the next step of operations, but the losses on the battlefield cannot be replenished.

The losses caused by breaking through the Soviet defenses were unbearable for the German army. Even if they broke through the Soviet defenses, the German army would be too exhausted to continue fighting.

In addition, the German army always underestimated the strength of the Soviet army when formulating combat plans, leading to misjudgments of the battlefield situation and making it easier for them to tend to risky plans.

This mentality also affects the details of the plan, such as whether on the eastern front it should be a comprehensive defense or a limited attack, whether it should be a defensive counterattack or an active attack, whether it should attack immediately or wait for new equipment to be in place, whether it should choose a duel in Kursk or start at other locations. .

These decisions ultimately related to the fate of the German army.

The Mao Xiong High Command also believes that the Kursk salient is the best place for the upcoming decisive battle. It is not only conducive to the German offensive attempts, but also a springboard for the Soviet army to launch attacks on the German Army Group Center and Army Group South.

On April 4, a document about the "Fortress" plan returned by intelligence personnel lurking within the German high command appeared on Stalin's desk. Combined with recent reconnaissance intelligence, the German army attempted to launch an offensive near Kursk. The plot was obvious, so the Mao Xiong High Command gave instructions - first use defense to wear down the German army, and then counterattack to severely damage the main force of the German army.

After the instructions were issued by the Supreme High Command of Mao Xiong, the Central Front Army and the Voronezh Front Army immediately began to build fortifications and established a deep echelon configuration of defenses in the Kursk salient.

At the same time, the newly formed strategic reserves of the Supreme Command that are being trained in the rear will not be engaged in front-line defensive operations for the time being. Instead, they are assembled in the rear and can be deployed in threatened areas at any time.

The main purpose of defensive operations is to consume the German offensive power, especially to destroy the German tank force.

After completing the first phase of defensive operations, the Mao Bear High Command formulated the "Kutuzov" plan in the north direction of Orel and the "Rumyantsev" plan in the south direction of Voronezh.

The "Kutuzov" plan was to combine the Bryansk Front and the Western Front to encircle and annihilate the German troops in the Orel region on the basis of the Central Front's weakening of the German 9th Army;

The "Rumyantsev" plan was an operation by the Voronezh Front, the Steppe Front, and the Southwestern Front to liberate Kharkov and Belgorod after containing the German offensive from the south.

After completing the counterattack on both sides, the Soviet army planned to move forward to the Dnieper River area to suppress the German Army Group South or forcefully cross the Dnieper River to prepare for the next step of liberating the Ermao.

In the Orel area north of Kursk is the 9th Army of Field Marshal Kruger's Army Group Center. The commander is General Model and has 22 divisions;

In the Belgorod area south of Kursk is Marshal Manstein's Army Group South. The main force is General Hoth's 4th Armored Army and General Kempf's Kempf Group, with a total of 22 divisions;

The 2nd Army of Army Group Center is responsible for the defense west of Kursk, with 8 divisions.

In total, the two assault groups in the north and south have 44 divisions, including 13 armored divisions, nearly 80 offensive troops, 2700 tanks and self-propelled artillery, and more than 1 artillery and mortars.

In addition, they were supported by more than 4 aircraft from the 6th and 2000th Air Forces.

After counting the troops supported by the west, these troops accounted for 24% of the total strength of the Eastern Front, equipped with nearly 70% of the tanks and self-propelled artillery on the Eastern Front, and 65% of the combat aircraft. They can be described as an elite division.

In order to meet the "must win" goal demanded by Mr. Xi, Germany launched an all-out production of new equipment and sent it to the front line, including a 65-ton Tiger tank equipped with an 88mm gun, a 45-ton Leopard tank with good maneuverability, and a tank specifically designed to deal with armored vehicles. Ferdinand self-propelled gun and upgraded the Panzer IV's gun and protection.

The Air Force is also equipped with new "Focke Wolf 190" fighter jets and "Heinkel 129" attack aircraft.

It took three months for the German army to complete a large-scale concentration of troops on the north and south sides of the Kursk salient, and concentrated almost all new equipment on the Eastern Front here.

In order to defend against the attack, the Soviet army assembled six fronts from Rokossovsky's Central Front and Vadudin's Voronezh Front in the Kursk salient, and deployed Konev's Steppe Front to the east as a strategic reserve. Provide support to key frontline areas at any time.

In the defensive phase, the Army Group Center to the north of the salient needs to fight against the 9th Army of the German Army Group Center, which attacks from Orel, and the Voronezh Front to the south of the salient needs to fight against the German Army Group South, which attacks from Belgorod.

After entering the counter-offensive stage, the Central Front Army of the Northern Front, in collaboration with Sokolovsky's Western Front Army and Popov's Bryansk Front Army, launched the "Kutuzov" counterattack operation to liberate the Orel area;

The Voronezh Front Army and the Steppe Front Army on the southern front will launch a counterattack plan code-named "Rumyantsev" together with Malinovsky's Southwest Front Army to repel the German army and prepare for the next step of liberating Ermao.

库尔斯克突出部的苏军包括中央方面军70余万人和沃罗涅日方面军60余万多人，2万多门火炮和迫击炮，3500多辆坦克和自行火炮和近3千架飞机。

The Steppe Front deployed in the rear has nearly 60 men, nearly 9000 artillery pieces and mortars, and more than 1500 tanks and self-propelled artillery.

The Soviet army surpassed the attacking enemy both in strength and defensive facilities.

From this point of view, the Soviet army established an unprecedented defense in the salient and had a huge numerical advantage in terms of strength and technical equipment.

In the early days of the war, the Soviet army's complex equipment and chaotic logistics caused a lot of trouble to the frontline troops. By the early stages of the war in the summer of 1943, Soviet weapons had made great progress in practicality and versatility.

The Soviet armored forces mainly relied on the T-34/76 tank (the more powerful T-34/85 tank had no time to be deployed on a large scale to front-line troops before the summer), with a speed of up to 55 kilometers per hour, and due to the use of sloped armor. It had good defensive capabilities and was one of the best tanks at the time.

The Soviet army had a large number of artillery, especially the GM-13 (Katyusha) rocket launcher, which had ferocious firepower and frightened the German army.

But the Soviet army still lacked powerful anti-tank artillery:

苏军装备的M1937型45mm反坦克炮对德军新式坦克无能为力，只有76mm的ZIS-3型反坦克炮可以在距离虎式坦克200米的位置击穿虎式坦克的前装甲。

As a last resort, the Soviet army resumed production of the ZIS-2 57mm anti-tank gun, which had been discontinued due to high costs, and could penetrate Tiger tanks at a distance of 1000 meters. But the Tiger tank can detect and destroy Soviet artillery from 2000 meters away.

The Soviet machine guns were not universal, and the models were complex and heavy. However, in position defense, the shortcomings were not serious.

In response to the German attack, the Soviet troops and 30 mobilized civilians in the Kursk area spent three months building a defense zone 3-250 kilometers in depth, consisting of three lines of defense.

The Voronezh Front dug 4200 kilometers of trenches, and the Central Front dug 5000 kilometers of trenches.

In addition, the Soviet army repaired and constructed 2000 kilometers of roads and 686 bridges, and prepared a large amount of materials and equipment.

During the construction of the defense line, the Soviet army took six special measures to ensure that the defense line was foolproof:

First, the battle formations and defense fortifications were arranged in depth and in echelons, forming a powerful position system; second, solid and targeted anti-tank fortifications were built to make it difficult for German tanks to penetrate; third, at the front of the position and the depth of the defense line, A large number of anti-tank obstacles were deployed to block the impact of German armored forces;

The fourth is to prepare a strong and well-organized reserve team, which can be deployed at any time to support operations to respond to emergencies on the battlefield; fifth, it is equipped with a large number of various types of anti-tank guns, with a density exceeding any previous defensive operations; sixth, it is to make full use of It increased the power of the air force to suppress the German offensive and support its own defensive operations.

There is a 90-kilometer-deep corridor in the forest to the north of the Kursk salient, where the Soviet Central Front has deployed heavy troops and is waiting. The south is mainly a plain area, and the Soviet Voronezh Front can only choose the fulcrum of the defense line to build fortifications at will.

The Soviet Steppe Front was deployed behind the Kursk salient as a reserve force for the battle.

Having grasped the German army's campaign intentions in advance, the Soviet army was fully prepared and awaiting the arrival of the German army at any time after three months of intense preparations.

As time passed, the situation on the front line became increasingly tight. Mao Xiong's intelligence agencies and reconnaissance units have been paying close attention to the enemy's every move, especially the mobilization of German armored units.

The Mao Xiong High Command issued two early warnings of fighting (on May 5 and May 2 respectively), but in the end the German troops did not take action.

It was the end of June, and intelligence from the front showed that the German army was mobilizing armored units, artillery units, and infantry units on a large scale and was entering the position in an orderly manner. There are various signs that a large-scale German offensive is imminent.

However, in early July, a downed German reconnaissance plane discovered an accurately depicted map of the Soviet defense line-the situation suddenly became tense. The Soviet army had to take urgent action to adjust its defense deployment and strengthen ground camouflage work.

On July 7, the Mao Xiong High Command issued a warning for the third time, informing all front commanders that the German army expected to launch an offensive between July 2 and 7. The Soviet army has entered the highest alert across the board, commanders at all levels have entered the headquarters, and defense troops and equipment have entered predetermined positions.

等待逐渐变成了一种折磨……    7月4日晚，在北线中央方面军第13和48集团军防区抓到了一名清理地雷的德军工兵，经审讯后透露进攻时间为7月5日凌晨3点，的均已全部进入出发阵地。但是这个时间已经迫在眉睫了。

All fronts of the Soviet army immediately entered a state of first-level combat readiness. At this time, there was more than an hour left before 3 o'clock in the morning.

At this time, it was a question whether to make a preemptive strike against the German offensive, because counter-artillery preparations against the German army would consume a lot of ammunition, and there would be no time to consult the High Command.

Rokossovsky, the commander of the Central Front, asked Marshal Zhukov, the representative of the base camp who was also on the front line, for instructions. Zhukov authorized Rokossovsky to make his own decision.

After receiving the authorization, Rokossovsky immediately ordered the front artillery commander to open fire across the board, and Vadudin's Voronezh Front army also simultaneously launched artillery attacks on the Germans.

At 7:5 on July 2, the Soviet artillery began to roar and attack, and the firelight illuminated the position as bright as day.

The Soviets targeted roads, bridges and possible troop assembly points along the main attack routes, and shelled any headquarters they found.

The Soviet army hit many targets, which greatly caused trouble for the German offensive, forcing the northern offensive to be delayed by 2.5 hours and the southern offensive by 3 hours.

After the German army re-prepared, the air was filled with the roar of German counterattack artillery fire. The German army tried to break through the Soviet defense line with the help of powerful firepower.

After more than an hour of artillery preparations, the sound of artillery slowly fell silent, and the German army began to take action. Armored forces, air forces, and infantry units, all the forces that had been assembled in the Kursk area for several months, began to take action, starting the largest battle in the history of war. Tank battle.

7月5日5时30分，德军出动300架次轰炸机对中央方面军第13集团军进行了密集轰炸。

在空中压制后，德军第9集团军在40公里宽的正面上发起了冲击。第一波攻击就投入了3个装甲师和4个步兵师，拥有近500辆坦克和自行火炮。

The first challenge the German army faced was the dense minefield laid by the Soviet army.

The German army put all the most advanced equipment into the battlefield. Not only did it use the B1 remote-controlled small tank to drive the demining roller to clear mines, but it also used the "Goliath" remote-controlled demining vehicle that could clear the entire nearby mines through self-destruction, which greatly reduced the operating pressure of the engineers.

The German army simultaneously dispatched 10-15 Tiger tanks and Ferdinand self-propelled artillery, protected by 30-50 Panzer IV tanks, and rushed towards the Soviet position. Behind them were thousands of mixed assault formations composed of artillery, armored vehicles, and trucks. .

The Soviet army suddenly opened fire until the German tanks were only 500 meters away from the position. The fierce firepower destroyed a large number of German vehicles and quickly repelled the first German attack.

Subsequently, the focus of the German army's second attack turned to the village of Olikhovatka, but it encountered equally tenacious resistance from the two Soviet divisions, and the attacks were repelled one after another.

At dusk on July 7, the German army launched its fifth attack and deployed Ferdinand self-propelled artillery for support.

With the huge power of the new weapons, the German army barely broke through the Soviet army's first line of defense. However, after a day of fierce fighting, half of the Ferdinand self-propelled artillery was destroyed or the track chassis was damaged and could not continue to fight.

On July 7, the German army attempted to take advantage of the situation and advance in depth, but the Soviet army's resistance became more tenacious and they fought for every inch of ground.

The German armored division was also severely damaged after being ambushed by the Soviet army during the attack, and the attack completely collapsed. After two days of fighting, the German army only advanced 9-12 kilometers and reached the Soviet second line of defense. It also paid a heavy price of 25000 casualties and the loss of 200 tanks.

7月6日-7日，苏军3个军（包含2个装甲军）向突入阵线的德军发起反击。

The Soviet troops launched an attack in the pouring rain, but suffered heavy losses under the fierce German firepower. Many tanks were destroyed and smoke billowed. They were forced to withdraw to their defensive positions and continue to adopt a defensive posture.

On July 7, after the German army was unable to break through the defense line of Olihovatka village, the attack turned to another key area - Poneri railway station.

The German army formed the "Karl" Corps with the remaining Ferdinand self-propelled artillery and Grizzly artillery, and advanced in a roundabout way around the battlefields of the first two days.

However, the Soviet army's defense at the Poneri railway station was also very complete and the army reserves were deployed.

The two sides fought furiously on the small battlefield. German tanks frantically attacked the Soviet defense line, and Soviet artillery fired back with all their strength. The battlefield was filled with gunpowder smoke, the sound of gunfire was loud, and the smoke filled the sky.

There were flames everywhere, and even the paint on the barrel burned due to overheating.

It was not until the afternoon of the 7th that the German army broke through the first line of defense of the Soviet army here.

From July 7th to 8th, the German army put all its reserves into front-line operations, including all remaining Ferdinand self-propelled artillery.

After more than ten back-and-forth attacks, several German tanks finally broke through the Soviet minefields and layers of defenses and reached the Poneri train station parking lot.

However, after several days of fierce fighting, the German offensive troops were exhausted and could no longer move forward. The German offensive was completely contained.

The Soviet Central Front has completed its task of defeating the German 9th Army, and it is time to prepare for a counterattack. In his phone call with Stalin, frontline representative Zhukov proposed a counterattack time of July 7.

Starting from July 7, the German army switched to defense on the spot. The week-long offensive ended with only advancing 11-10 kilometers and only breaking through the Soviet first line of defense. However, the losses of the German army were huge, with about 12 casualties and the loss of about 42000 tanks and self-propelled artillery.

On the southern front of the Kursk salient, the attacking German 4th Armored Group encountered a fierce Soviet counterattack, which affected the progress of mine clearance and prevented the German armored forces from fully committing to the attack.

The anti-tank trenches and various types of anti-tank dug by the Soviet army caused a lot of trouble to the German army. Coupled with the harassment from hidden anti-tank guns or minefields from time to time, the German armored forces were almost trapped in the maze laid out by the Soviet army.

On the morning of July 7, after adjustments, the German army began to gain the upper hand with its rich experience and advanced equipment.

德军在第一波攻击就投入了两个装甲军（第3和第48坦克军）和党卫军第2装甲军，共8个装甲师、1个摩托化师和5个步兵师。

The attacking German troops concentrated their armored front lines into a small area to launch the attack. After the armored forwards broke through the Soviet defense line, the following infantry expanded the breakthrough.

At the same time, the German army deployed a large amount of air power to support the front line. The fierce air strikes suppressed the defense of Soviet anti-tank strongholds and assisted ground troops in opening safe corridors in the minefields.

This move required a lot of manpower and material resources, but the German army was not stingy. After the first day of fighting, the German army broke through the first line of defense guarded by the Soviet 6th Guards Army.

On July 7, German armor broke through the Soviet second line of defense.

The Soviet army organized superior forces to launch three counterattacks to restore the front line, but all ended in failure - Katukov's First Tank Army and Kravchenko's "Stalingrad" Guards Tank Army both suffered huge losses. , was forced to hide on the spot and conduct defensive operations.

On July 7, the fifth day of the war, the German troops attacking on the southern front lost almost all of their 9 Panther tanks, with only 200 left ready for combat.

However, the German army relied on its excellent skills and rich experience to continue to advance, launching attacks from multiple locations, and gradually approaching the third line of defense of the Voronezh Front.

On July 7, the German army had penetrated 10-30 kilometers deep into the Soviet army and reached the vicinity of Oboyan, an important town on the southern line. They might break through the defense line and attack the city of Kursk at any time. The Soviet army immediately mobilized the front reserve forces to the third line of defense to strengthen defense.

On July 7, three German tank corps continued to attack near Oboyan and to the south of Prokhovka, an important transportation area. This place is crucial. If it is occupied by the German army, the Soviet troops coming from the rear to support the front line will be blocked, which may cause the front line to collapse.

However, it was obviously difficult to stop the advancing German army with the existing strength. Voronezh Front Commander Vadudin immediately reported to the base camp to request reinforcements. After the base camp representative Zhukov had a phone call with the Steppe Front Commander Konev, Konev immediately sent Rotmy Strov's 5th Guards Tank Army quickly reinforced the troops, and the army headed towards Voronezh under the scorching sun and heat wave of July.

The 5th Tank Army planned to support defensive operations near Prokhovka, but on the evening of the 11th, the area was partially controlled by the German SS Panzer Corps, and there were still troops sent to reinforce it. A tank battle was inevitable.

On July 7, the Soviet army successfully evaded German reconnaissance and approached Prokhovka. It was not until the sun rose that the German reconnaissance plane discovered the Soviet reinforcements close at hand and immediately sent out a signal flare warning.

7月12日9点左右，空中响起阵阵爆炸声，苏军增援部队抵达战场并投入作战。苏军第5坦克集团军拥有4个坦克军和1个步兵军，共计850辆坦克和自行火炮；德军党卫军第2坦克军有3个装甲师，约200辆坦克和自行火炮。

There were hills blocking the Soviet offensive route. The attacking tanks had to move forward in columns and could not give full play to their numerical advantage. However, the Soviet armored troops were not afraid and attacked the German positions.

The German Tiger tanks and anti-tank firepower caused great losses to the Soviet army with their long range. The cross fire network destroyed most of the first batch of tanks.

When reinforcements from two Soviet armored brigades arrived an hour later, the first wave of attacking troops had suffered heavy losses, but still completed the task of attacking the German defensive formation.

The follow-up troops continued to fight with the Germans, bombarding, colliding, and crushing each other. The plains south of the Prokhovka area were littered with the remains of tanks and armored vehicles. Some tank turrets were blown dozens of meters high by exploding ammunition. , some tanks were directly blown into pieces... Tank crew members also joined the hand-to-hand combat on the battlefield after the vehicles were damaged.

In the Prokhovka Tank Battle, the Soviet army had an absolute numerical advantage in technical equipment. The 5th Guards Armored Army fought against the 2nd SS Panzer Army (mainly the 1st Armored Division).

However, the German army has grown through years of combat, and its technical and tactical level and experience are significantly better than those of the Soviet tank crews. It can be said to be the best of any country in World War II.

In addition, German tanks had almost overwhelming advantages in firepower, communications, and fire control. The Soviet army did not take advantage in any of these indicators.

The tank battle lasted from morning to dusk, and both sides suffered heavy losses.

In contrast, the German army suffered less losses than the Mao Xiong due to its good protection, fast rate of fire, and high quality.

In the evening, the Soviet 5th Armored Group lost almost half of its tanks, about 400 tanks; the Germans maintained their position, but also suffered huge losses in equipment and troops. About 70 tanks were destroyed, and they were no longer able to attack forward. "Fortress" The plan failed... Later that day, the German troops were forced to withdraw from the Prokhovka area.

On the evening of July 7, the German offensive was completely defeated. At this time, there were still more than 14 kilometers between the two army groups in the north and south.

Going back to a few days ago, the British and American Allied forces landed in Sicily, Italy on July 7. In order to cope with the task of two-front operations, Mr. Xi held a meeting on the 10th to mobilize Eastern Front troops to Italy to meet the enemy.

A few days later, the 4nd SS Panzer Corps of the 2th Panzer Army went to Italy, and the 3rd Panzer Corps of the Kempf Group went to Donbas to strengthen defenses.

On July 7, the German army retreated to the starting position under the cover of the rear guard, and the "Fortress" plan had given up hope.

On July 7, the Mao Xiong High Command instructed the Grassland Front to also join the battle, and the frontal pressure on Army Group South increased sharply.

On July 7, the Voronezh Front Army and the Steppe Front Army began to pursue the retreating German troops and regained the position before the war started on the 23th. The "Fortress" project was completely bankrupt.

After the defensive phase of the Battle of Kursk ended, the Soviet army overwhelmed the German army with its well-prepared defense. The serious losses forced the German high command to use a large number of reserves, so that the German army had no troops to mobilize in the entire Kursk area.

Of the five Soviet front armies, only the Central Front and Voronezh Front participated in the first stage of the fierce battle. Most of the Western Front, Bryansk Front, and Steppe Front were ready to go. A total of 5 group armies from the five fronts were eyeing the German army.

Now, the German army was at the end of its strength. With the support of powerful troops, air force, and armored forces, the Soviet army launched a counterattack, preparing to deal a devastating blow to the German army.

On July 7, the left wing of the Western Front and the Bryansk Front, with the support of the 12st Air Force Army and the 1th Army Air Force respectively, launched a surprise attack on the German Army Group Center (approximately 15 divisions deployed) defending the Orel area. Subsequently, the Central Front also launched a counterattack, the operation codenamed "Kutuzov".

This attack was launched from the north of Orel and went directly to the back of the German Army Group Center, preparing to completely annihilate the German group in the Orel area.

Under the cover of powerful artillery fire and air force, the Soviet army advanced forward and was invincible, quickly breaking through the German front-line defenses.

Model, commander of the German 9th Army, ordered the German forces in the Kursk area to move to full-line defense. All air forces were transferred back to support defensive operations, and four divisions were dispatched to rush to the rescue to defend the second line of defense.

The High Command of the Mao Bear immediately committed its reserves, but the reserves did not arrive and enter combat until a week after the attack was launched, by which time the German defenses had become very solid.

At this time, the Soviet offensive force reached more than 160 million people. Facing the complete defense system of the German army, it adopted a combination of all-out offensive and key breakthroughs, investing overwhelming troops and technical equipment in key areas to overwhelm the German resistance.

The 11th Guards Army of the Soviet Army was responsible for the main attack in the north of Orel. After powerfully tearing apart the German defense line, it rushed towards the rear of the German army in the southwest. On July 7, they advanced 21 kilometers westward to liberate Bolkhov.

At this time, the situation of the German army was very urgent, and there was a risk of being completely annihilated by the Soviet army.

However, due to macro-level command errors by the Soviet army, the German army took the opportunity to withdraw from its original position and retained considerable strength.

On August 8, the Soviet army pursued and liberated Orel.

On August 8, the Soviet troops advanced to the German defensive positions in eastern Bryansk.

After containing the offensive of the German Army Group South, it took the Soviet Voronezh Front three weeks to gain the upper hand.

On August 8, the Soviet Voronev Day Front, the Steppe Front and the Southwest Front launched a counterattack in the northwest region of Belgorod. The thirty divisions deployed by the German army had been destroyed by more than a million Soviet troops. Stared. Supported by the air force and long-range artillery, the Soviet assault corps overwhelmed the German defenses with overwhelming force.

On August 8, three days after the offensive was launched, Soviet forces liberated Belgorod. On that day, a gun salute was fired in Moscow. This was the first gun salute since the outbreak of the war. It was a salute to the liberators of Orel and Belgrod. 5 guns fired a 124-gun salute to express their respect.

On August 8, the Soviet army cut off the Kharkov-Poltava railway and approached Kharkov from the west. At the same time, the Steppe Front also encircled Kharkov from the north and southeast. At this time, the German army still had 11 infantry divisions, 8 armored divisions and sporadic troops in the city.

From August 8 to 11, after the armored division supporting Army Group Center returned, the German army launched two counterattacks in the Bogodukhov and Akhterka areas in an attempt to prevent the Soviet army from advancing. After a brief period of confusion, the Soviet army repelled the German counterattack. The German army completely lost strength due to excessive consumption.

On the afternoon of August 8, the Mao Xiong Air Force discovered that the German troops began to evacuate Kharkov. In order to retain the fleeing German troops, the Steppe Front launched an attack on Kharkov that night.

On August 8, the Soviet army captured Kharkov. At night, to celebrate the overall victory in the Battle of Kursk, 23 cannons in Moscow fired a 224-gun salute to pay tribute to the liberators of Kharkov.

(End of this chapter)