On July 5, 1943, the Battle of Kursk broke out. This was one of the decisive battles of the Soviet-German battlefield during the Second World War. This battle was called the world's largest tank battle. There were more than 5,000 tanks in the armored forces and more than 2,000 in the air force.
Confrontation between the two armies
In the Battle of Stalingrad from July 1942 to February 1943, the Germans suffered heavy losses. In order to save the defeat, revitalize the morale, and regain the strategic initiative, the German commander-in-chief decided to launch a large-scale summer offensive in the Soviet-German battlefield. Because the Soviet army was in the prominent part of Kursk, it caused a great threat to the German defense line. Therefore, Hitler decided to unplug the nail in the eye and the thorn in the meat. The Germans tried to create a "German Battle of Stalingrad" through Kursk, and then occupied the Don River, the Volga River Basin, captured Moscow, and completed its unexplored business in 1942.
In order to win the battle, the German commander-in-chief began a large-scale preparation in April 1943 and formulated an operational plan codenamed "Fortress." In July of the same year, the German army concentrated on 17 tank divisions in the north and south sides of the Kursk region, namely the Belgorod and Orel regions, with the “Central Group Army Group” and the “Southern Group Army Group”. Three motorized divisions and 18 infantry divisions, equipped with 2,700 tanks, 1,050 combat aircraft, and about 10,000 artillery and mortars, with a total strength of more than 900,000. In addition, the Germans were heavily equipped with the most advanced weapons of the time - "Tiger", "Leopard" tanks and "Fidinan" type of powerful artillery. The "Tiger" tank is equipped with a large-calibre gun of 88 mm. The firepower is very strong. At the same time, due to its front armor thickness of 100 mm, it has strong protection. Obviously, compared with the Soviet T-34 tank, German tanks have a considerable advantage.
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