Battle of Prokhorovka

Overview

The Battle of Prokhorovka was fought on 12 July 1943 near Prokhorovka, 87 kilometres (54 mi) southeast of Kursk, in the Soviet Union, during the Second World War. Taking place on the Eastern Front, the engagement was part of the wider Battle of Kursk and occurred when the 5th Guards Tank Army of the Soviet Red Army attacked the II SS-Panzer Corps of the German Waffen-SS in one of the largest tank battles in history.

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

Significance

The Battle of Prokhorovka was fought on 12 July 1943 as part of the wider Battle of Kursk on the Eastern Front, 87 kilometres southeast of Kursk. The engagement brought the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army, commanded by Pavel Rotmistrov, into direct collision with the German II SS-Panzer Corps under Paul Hausser, constituting one of the largest tank engagements in history. As a component of the Battle of Kursk, Prokhorovka formed part of the Soviet effort to blunt the German summer offensive and deny the Wehrmacht the operational initiative it sought on the Eastern Front. Recorded Soviet casualties stood at 3,563, reflecting the intensity of the armored clash.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (8)