Battle of Kursk

Overview

The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in a Soviet victory. The Battle of Kursk is the single largest battle in the history of warfare. It ranks only behind the Battle of Stalingrad several months earlier as the most often-cited turning point in the European theatre of the war. It was one of the costliest battles of the Second World War, the single deadliest armoured battle in history, and the largest tank battle in history. The opening day of the battle, 5 July, was the single costliest day in the history of aerial warfare in terms of aircraft shot down. The battle was further marked by fierce house-to-house fighting and hand-to-hand combat.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Kursk was a major Eastern Front engagement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, ending in a Soviet victory. By scale it stands as the single largest battle in the history of warfare, and it ranks behind only the Battle of Stalingrad as the most frequently cited turning point in the European theatre. Germany committed 780,900 troops against a Soviet force of over 1.9 million. The battle produced catastrophic losses on both sides — Germany suffered roughly 54,000 casualties and the Soviet Union approximately 177,000 — making it one of the costliest engagements of the entire war. It is recorded as the single deadliest armored battle and the largest tank battle in history, and the opening day produced more aircraft shot down than any single day in the history of aerial warfare. The Soviet victory at Kursk, coming in the wake of Stalingrad, further eroded Germany's capacity for large-scale offensive operations on the Eastern Front.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (28)