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K Battle of Kursk

History

Dated history of Battle of Kursk (5 July-23 August 1943) in Kursk salient, southern and central Russia.

Educational history. Casualty figures are documented ranges. This is not operational advice, a ranking of nations, or a how-to for weapons or coups.

At a glance
Timeline

Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.

1943-03 Kharkov German counter1943-04-06 Citadel ordered1943-07-05 Citadel opens1943-07-10 Sicily landings1943-07-12 Prokhorovka1943-07-16 Citadel called off1943-08-05 Orel liberated1943-08-23 Kharkov again1943-autumn DnieperAfter 1991 Archive turn
  1. Kharkov German counter
  2. Citadel ordered
  3. Citadel opens
  4. Sicily landings
  5. Prokhorovka
  6. Citadel called off
  7. Orel liberated
  8. Kharkov again
  9. Dnieper
  10. Archive turn
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology

Quick answers

Are the scores a ranking of nations or armies?

No. Scores are browsing aids inside an era-bounded atlas — not live league tables of countries.

How many casualties?

Hundreds of thousands on both sides across the campaign is the honest band. Single-day Prokhorovka integers in old popular books are often too neat.

Was it the largest tank battle?

It was among the largest armour concentrations of the war. "Largest" depends on what you count (day vs campaign, runners vs hulls). Use the question, not a fake record plaque.

Why did Citadel fail?

A prepared, deep Soviet defence, German delay, limited reserves, and a strategic context (Sicily, the long 1943) that forbade a long slugfest.

What was Prokhorovka?

A 12 July clash on the southern face, important and later mythologised. It did not by itself "destroy the Panzerwaffe" in a single afternoon.

What followed?

Soviet offensives took Orel and Kharkov. Germany did not launch another strategic summer offensive in the east.

Start with this section - History

Stalingrad and the March 1943 Kharkov riposte create the bulge. Citadel is a choice to hit the obvious.

Sicily on 10 July belongs in the same fortnight's newspaper.

Timeline

  1. Kharkov German counter

    Manstein's spring riposte sets the salient's shape.

  2. Citadel ordered

    Then delayed, repeatedly.

  3. Citadel opens

    North and south attacks.

  4. Sicily landings

    A western event in the same week.

  5. Prokhorovka

    Southern clash; Soviet Kutuzov also opens in the north.

  6. Citadel called off

    Hitler ends the offensive.

  7. Orel liberated

    Kutuzov payoff.

  8. Kharkov again

    Rumyantsev payoff in the usual dating of the wider battle.

  9. Dnieper

    The next Soviet problem -- a river, not a bulge.

  10. Archive turn

    Western and Russian operational historians cut the cartoon integers.

Eras

Salient forms

After Kharkov, the bulge exists.

Delay

Panthers, mines, arguments.

Citadel

The German throw.

Soviet replies

Kutuzov and Rumyantsev.

Memory fight

Cartoons vs archives.

Milestones

Last German strategic offensive in the east

A dating fact.

Prepared defence works

Time plus depth.

Caption inflation

A historiography lesson.

Calling off Citadel is not the end; Orel and Kharkov are the end of the campaign sentence.

After August 1943, "German summer offensive" is a closed genre in the east.

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