Battle of Kursk July 12, 1943. Battle of steel chariots

(...) The liberation of the ancient Russian city of Orel and the complete elimination of the Oryol wedge, which had threatened Moscow for two years, was a direct result of the defeat of the Nazi troops near Kursk.

In the second week of August, I was able to travel by car from Moscow to Tula, and then to Orel ...

In these thickets, through which the dusty road from Tula now ran, at every step, death lies in wait for a person. "Minen" (in German), "mines" (in Russian) - I read on old and new boards stuck in the ground. In the distance, on a hill, under a blue summer sky, one could see the ruins of churches, the remains of houses and lonely chimneys. These weeds, stretching for miles, were no man's land for almost two years. The ruins on the hill were the ruins of Mtsensk. Two old women and four cats are all living creatures that Soviet soldiers found there when the Germans withdrew on July 20. Before leaving, the fascists blew up or burned everything—churches and buildings, peasant huts and everything else. In the middle of the last century, “Lady Macbeth” by Leskov and Shostakovich lived in this city ... The “desert zone” created by the Germans now stretches from Rzhev and Vyazma to Orel.

How did Orel live during almost two years of German occupation?

Of the 114 thousand people in the city, only 30 thousand now remain. The invaders killed many residents. Many were hanged in the city square - on the same one where the crew of the Soviet tank, which was the first to break into Orel, is now buried, as well as General Gurtiev, a famous participant in the Battle of Stalingrad, who was killed on the morning when Soviet troops took the city in battle. It was said that the Germans killed 12 thousand people and sent twice as many to Germany. Many thousands of Orlovites went to the partisans Orlovsky and Bryansk forests, because here (especially in the Bryansk region) there was an area of ​​\u200b\u200bactive partisan operations (...)

The large-scale tank battle near Prokhorovka was the defensive phase of the Battle of Kursk. This confrontation with the use of armored vehicles of the two strongest armies at that time - Soviet and German - is still considered one of the largest in military history. The command of the Soviet tank formations was carried out by Lieutenant General Pavel Alekseevich Rotmistrov, and the German ones by Paul Hausser.

On the eve of the battle

In early July 1943, the Soviet leadership became aware that the main German strike would fall on Oboyan, and the auxiliary would be directed at Korocha. In the first case, the offensive was carried out by the second tank corps, which included the SS divisions "Adolf Hitler", "Dead Head" and "Reich". In just a few days, they managed to break through two lines of Soviet defense and approach the third, located ten kilometers southwest of the Prokhorovka railway station. She was at that time on the territory of the Oktyabrsky state farm in the Belgorod region.

German tanks near Prokhorovka appeared on July 11, overcoming the resistance of one of the Soviet rifle divisions and the second tank corps. Seeing this situation, the Soviet command sent additional forces to this area, which were finally able to stop the enemy.

It was decided that it was necessary to launch a powerful counterattack aimed at the complete destruction of the SS armored corps wedged into the defense. It was assumed that three guards and two tank armies would take part in this operation. But the rapidly changing environment has made adjustments to these plans. It turned out that only one 5th Guards army under the command of A.S. Zhadov, as well as the 5th tank army led by P.A. Rotmistrov, would participate in the counterattack from the Soviet side.

Full offensive

In order to pull back the Red Army forces concentrated in the Prokhorovka direction at least a little, the Germans prepared a strike in the area where the 69th Army was located, leaving Rzhavets and heading north. Here one of the fascist tank corps began to advance, trying to break through from the south to the desired station.

Thus began a full-scale battle near Prokhorovka. Its start date is the morning of July 12, 1943, when the headquarters of the 5th tank army of P. A. Rotmistrov received a message about the breakthrough of a significant group of German armored vehicles. It turned out that about 70 units of enemy equipment, having entered from the southwest, captured the villages of Vypolzovka and Rzhavets on the move and were rapidly moving on.

Start

In order to stop the enemy, a pair of consolidated detachments was hastily formed, which were assigned to command General N.I. Trufanov. The Soviet side was able to field up to a hundred tanks. The newly created detachments had to rush into battle almost immediately. All day long, a bloody battle continued in the area of ​​​​Ryndinka and Rzhavets.

At that time, almost everyone understood that the battle of Prokhorovka decided not only the outcome of this battle, but also the fate of all units of the 69th Army, whose troops were in a semicircle of enemy encirclement. Therefore, it was not surprising that the Soviet soldiers showed truly massive heroism. Take, for example, the feat of an anti-tank platoon of Art. Lieutenant K. T. Pozdeev.

During the next attack, a group of fascist tanks with submachine gunners on board, numbering 23 vehicles, rushed towards his position. An unequal and bloody battle ensued. The guards managed to destroy 11 tanks, thereby preventing the rest from penetrating into the depths of their own battle formation. Needless to say, almost all the soldiers of this platoon died.

Unfortunately, it is impossible in one article to list the names of all the heroes who were taken away by that tank battle near Prokhorovka. I would like to briefly mention at least a few of them: Private Petrov, Sergeant Cheremyanin, Lieutenants Panarin and Novak, military assistant Kostrikova, Captain Pavlov, Major Falyuta, Lieutenant Colonel Goldberg.

By the end of the next day, the combined detachment managed to drive out the Nazis and take the settlements of Ryndinka and Rzhavets under their control. As a result of the advance of part of the Soviet troops, it was possible to completely localize the success that one of the German tank corps had achieved a little earlier. Thus, by their actions, Trufanov's detachment thwarted a major Nazi offensive and prevented the threat of the enemy entering the rear of Rotmistrov's 5th Panzer Army.

fire support

It cannot be said that the battles on the field near Prokhorovka took place exclusively with the participation of tanks and self-propelled guns. Artillery and aircraft also played an important role here. When the enemy strike group launched an offensive early in the morning of July 12, Soviet attack aircraft attacked the tanks that were part of the SS Adolf Hitler division. In addition, before Rotmistrov's 5th Tank Army began to counterattack the enemy forces, artillery preparation was carried out, which lasted about 15 minutes.

During heavy fighting in the bend of the river. Psel The 95th Soviet Rifle Division opposed the SS tank group "Dead Head". Here, the 2nd Air Army under the command of Marshal S. A. Krasovsky supported our military with their strikes. In addition, long-range aviation also worked in the area.

Soviet attack aircraft and bombers managed to drop several thousand anti-tank bombs on the heads of the enemies. Soviet pilots did everything to support the ground units as much as possible. To do this, they inflicted crushing blows on large concentrations of enemy tanks and other armored vehicles in the area of ​​​​such villages as Pokrovka, Gryaznoye, Yakovlevo, Malyye Mayachki, etc. At the time when the battle of Prokhorovka was taking place, dozens of attack aircraft, fighters and bombers were in the sky . This time, Soviet aviation had undeniable air superiority.

Advantages and disadvantages of combat vehicles

The Kursk Bulge near Prokhorovka began to gradually turn from a general battle into individual tank duels. Here, the opponents could show each other not only their skills, but also their knowledge of tactics, as well as demonstrate the capabilities of their tanks. The German units were mainly equipped with medium tanks T-IV of two modifications - H and G, in which the thickness of the armored hull was 80 mm, and the turret - 50 mm. In addition, there were heavy tanks T-VI "Tiger". They were equipped with 100mm armored hulls and their turrets were 110mm thick. Both tanks were equipped with rather powerful long-barreled guns of 75 and 88 mm caliber, respectively. They could penetrate a Soviet tank almost anywhere. The only exceptions were heavy armored vehicles IS-2, and then at a distance of more than five hundred meters.

The tank battle near Prokhorovka showed that Soviet tanks were in many ways inferior to German ones. This concerned not only the thickness of the armor, but also the power of the guns. But the T-34 tanks, which were in service with the Red Army at that time, were superior to the enemy both in speed and maneuverability, and in cross-country ability. They tried to wedge themselves into enemy battle formations and shoot at close range on the side armor of the enemy.

Soon the battle formations of the warring parties mixed up. Too dense a concentration of vehicles and too short distances deprived the German tanks of all the advantages of their powerful guns. The tightness from a large accumulation of equipment prevented both from making the necessary maneuvers. As a result, armored vehicles collided with each other, and often their ammunition began to explode. At the same time, their torn towers soared several meters in height. Smoke and soot from burning and exploding tanks covered the sky, because of this, there was very poor visibility on the battlefield.

But the equipment burned not only on the ground, but also in the air. The wrecked planes dived and exploded right in the thick of the battle. The tank crews of both warring sides left their burning vehicles and boldly engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, while wielding machine guns, knives and even grenades. It was a real terrible mess of human bodies, fire and metal. According to the recollections of one of the eyewitnesses, everything around was on fire, there was an unimaginable noise from which the ears hurt, apparently, this is how hell should look like.

Further course of the battle

By the middle of the day on July 12, intense and bloody battles were going on in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bheight 226.6, as well as near the railway. Fighters of the 95th Rifle Division fought there, who tried with all their might to prevent all attempts by the "Dead Head" to break through to the north. Our second tank corps succeeded in driving out the Germans to the west of the railway and began a rapid advance towards the Teterevino and Kalinin farms.

Meanwhile, the advanced units of the German Reich division moved forward, while occupying the Storozhevoy farm and Belenikhino station. At the end of the day, the first of the SS divisions received powerful reinforcements in the form of artillery and air fire support. That is why the "Dead Head" managed to break through the defenses of two Soviet rifle divisions and reach the farms of Polezhaev and Vesely.

Enemy tanks attempted to reach the Prokhorovka-Kartashovka road, but they were nevertheless stopped by the 95th Infantry Division. Only one heroic platoon, commanded by Lieutenant P. I. Shpetnoy, destroyed seven Nazi tanks. In battle, he was seriously wounded, but despite this, he took a bunch of grenades and rushed under the tank. For his feat, Lieutenant Shpetnoy was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.

The tank battle near Prokhorovka, which took place on July 12, led to significant losses in both the SS division "Totenkopf" and "Adolf Hitler", thereby causing great damage to their combat capabilities. But, despite this, no one was going to leave the battle or retreat - the enemy resisted furiously. The Germans also had their tank aces. Once, somewhere in Europe, one of them managed to single-handedly smash a whole convoy consisting of sixty vehicles and armored vehicles, but he died on the Eastern Front. This proves that Hitler sent selected soldiers here to fight, from which the SS divisions "Reich", "Adolf Hitler" and "Totenkopf" were formed.

Retreat

By evening, the situation in all sectors became difficult and the Germans had to bring into battle all available reserves. During the battle, a crisis ensued. In opposition to the enemy, the Soviet side also brought into battle its last reserve - a hundred heavy armored vehicles. These were KV tanks ("Klim Voroshilov"). That evening, the Nazis still had to retreat and later go on the defensive.

It is believed that it was on July 12 that the turning point of the famous Battle of Kursk, which the whole country was waiting for, came. This day was marked by the offensive of the Red Army units that are part of the Bryansk and Western fronts.

Unfulfilled plans

Despite the fact that the Germans lost the tank battle near Prokhorovka on July 12, the fascist command still intended to continue the further offensive. It planned to encircle several Soviet divisions that were part of the 69th Army, which were defending in a small area located between the Lipov and Seversky Donets rivers. On July 14, the Germans sent part of their forces, consisting of two tank and one infantry divisions, to capture the previously lost villages - Ryndinki, Shchelokovo and Vypolzovka. Further in the plans was an advance in the direction of Shakhovo.

The Soviet command unraveled the plans of the enemy, so P. A. Rotmistrov ordered the combined detachment of N. I. Trufanov to stop the breakthrough of German tanks and prevent them from reaching the desired line. Another fight ensued. In the next two days, the enemy continued to attack, but all attempts to break through were unsuccessful, since Trufanov's group went over to a firm defense. On July 17, the Germans decided to withdraw their troops, and the heroic consolidated detachment was transferred to the reserve of the army commander. Thus ended the greatest tank battle near Prokhorovka.

Losses

It should be noted that none of the opposing sides fulfilled the tasks that were assigned to them on July 12, since the Soviet troops could not encircle the German group, and the Nazis failed to capture Prokhorovka and break through the enemy’s defenses.

In this difficult battle, both sides suffered not only significant casualties, but also a great loss of equipment. On the Soviet side, about five hundred tanks out of eight that took part in the battles were disabled. The Germans, on the other hand, lost 75% of their armored vehicles, that is, three out of four hundred vehicles.

After the defeat, the commander of the German tank corps, Paul Hausser, was immediately removed from his post and blamed for all the failures that befell the Nazi troops in the Kursk direction. In these battles, the enemy lost, according to some sources, 4178 people, which amounted to 16% of the entire combat strength. Also, 30 divisions were almost completely defeated. The largest tank battle near Prokhorovka broke the warlike spirit of the Germans. After this battle and until the end of the war, the Nazis no longer attacked, but only fought defensive battles.

According to some reports, there is a certain report by the Chief of the General Staff, A.M. Vasilevsky, which he provided to Stalin, which outlined the figures characterizing the outcome of the tank battle near Prokhorovka. It said that in two days of fighting (meaning July 11 and 12, 1943), the 5th Guards Army, as well as the 9th and 95th divisions suffered the greatest losses. According to this report, the losses amounted to 5859 people, including 1387 killed and 1015 missing.

It is worth noting that all the above figures are highly debatable, but we can say with confidence: it was one of the hardest battles of the Second World War.

It was opened in 2010 just 35 km from Belgorod and is dedicated to all the heroes who died and survived in that largest and most terrible tank battle, which has gone down in world history forever. The museum was named "The Third Military Field of Russia" (the first - Kulikovo, the second - Borodino). In 1995, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was erected on this legendary site. The soldiers who died near Prokhorovka are immortalized here - seven thousand names are carved on marble slabs covering the walls of the church.

The symbol of Prokhorovka is a belfry with an alarm bell hanging from it, which weighs about three and a half tons. It is visible from everywhere, because it is located on a hill, on the outskirts of the village of Prokhorovka. The center of the memorial is a truly grandiose sculptural composition consisting of six tanks. Its authors were the monumentalist F. Sogoyan and the Belgorod sculptor T. Kostenko.

The battle continued. The Oryol-Kursk section of the Central Front successfully resisted the Wehrmacht soldiers. On the Belgorod sector, on the contrary, the initiative was in the hands of the Germans: their offensive continued in a southeast direction, which posed a threat to two fronts at once. The place of the main battle was to be a small field near the village of Prokhorovka.

The choice of the area for hostilities was carried out on the basis of geographical features - the terrain made it possible to stop the German breakthrough and inflict a powerful counterattack by the forces of the Steppe Front. On July 9, by order of the command, the 5th combined arms and 5th tank guards armies moved to the Prokhorovka area. The Germans were advancing here, changing the strike direction.

Tank battle near Prokhorovka. Central battle

Both armies concentrated large tank forces in the area of ​​the village. It became clear that the oncoming battle could no longer be avoided. On the evening of July 11, German divisions began to attack the flanks, and our troops had to use significant forces and even attract reserves to stop the breakthrough. On the morning of July 12, at 8:15, she launched a counteroffensive. This time was not chosen by chance - German aimed shooting was difficult as a result of blinding by the rising sun. An hour later, the Battle of Kursk near Prokhorovka acquired a colossal scale. In the center of a fierce battle were approximately 1000-1200 German and Soviet tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts.

For many kilometers, the rattle of colliding combat vehicles, the rumble of engines was heard. The planes flew in a swarm, resembling clouds. The field burned, more and more explosions shook the ground. The sun was covered with clouds of smoke, ash, sand. The smell of hot metal, burning, gunpowder hung in the air. Suffocating smoke spread across the field, pinched the fighters' eyes, did not let them breathe. The tanks could only be distinguished by their silhouettes.

On this day, battles were fought not only in the main direction. South of the village, a German panzer group made an attempt to push our forces into the left flank. The advance of the enemy was stopped. At the same time, the enemy sent about a hundred tanks to capture the hill near Prokhorovka. Soldiers of the 95th Guards Division opposed them. The battle lasted three hours, and in the end the German attack failed.

What ended the battle of Prokhorovka

At about 1300, the Germans once again tried to turn the tide of the battle in the central direction and delivered a blow to the right flank with two divisions. However, this attack was also neutralized. Our tanks began to push the enemy back and by the evening were able to push him back 10-15 km. The battle of Prokhorovka was won, the enemy offensive was stopped. The Nazi troops suffered heavy losses, their attacking potential on the Belgorod sector of the front was exhausted. After this battle, right up to the Victory, our army did not let go of the strategic initiative.

After five days of defensive battles south of Kursk, the command of the Voronezh Front reported to the Headquarters that the German offensive was running out of steam and the time had come to move on to active operations.

In the evening, the command of the Voronezh Front received an order from the Headquarters to conduct a counterattack against a large group of German searchers. Accumulated in the Mal. Beacons, Ozerovsky. To conduct a counterattack, the front was reinforced by two armies, the 5th Guards, under the command of A. Zhadov, and the 5th Guards Tank, under the command of P. Rotmistrov. transferred from the Steppe Front. The plan for the counterattack, developed at the headquarters of the Voronezh Front with the participation of the representative of the Stavka A. Vasilevsky VI, the commanders of the armies, was as follows. The main core of the 5th Guards Tank Army, reinforced by two breakthrough tank regiments, with the support of two self-propelled artillery regiments and a regiment of guards rocket launchers and all available assault aircraft, was supposed to cut in two the SS tank corps, whose forces seemed to have dried up in previous laziness. At the same time, it was planned to reach the Pokrovka-Yakovlevo line. then turn to the East and West, cutting off the retreat routes for the German troops and encircling the resolvable groups with the assistance of units of the 5th Guards Army, as well as the 2nd Tank Corps and the 2nd Guards Tank Corps.

However, the preparation of a counterattack, which began on July 10-11, was thwarted by the Germans, who themselves inflicted powerful blows on our defense in this section of the bottom. One - in the direction of Oboyan, and the second - to Prokhorovka. The first strike, according to the Germans, was more of a distraction, and yet, its strength and surprise led to the fact that some units of the 1st Tank and 6th Guards Armies retreated 1-2 km in the direction of Oboyan.

In different sectors, an offensive began in the direction of Prokhorovka, when the II battalion of the SS tank regiment "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH), together with the III battalion under the command of I. Peiper, captured a height of 252.2, dominating the Teterevino-Prokhorovka road. After 10 minutes, the "Tigers" company of the "Dead Head" (Totenkopf) division began to force the Psel River, trying to expand the bridgehead between the villages of Krasny Oktyabr and Mikhailovka.

Southwest of Prokhorovka in the direction of the village. Yasnaya Polyana led the offensive of the SS division "Das Reich" (Das Reich). Due to the sudden unorganized withdrawal of some infantry units of the 5th Guards Army and the 2nd Tank Corps, the artillery preparation of the Soviet counteroffensive, which began on July 10, was disrupted. Many batteries were left without infantry cover and suffered losses both in deployment positions and on the move. The front was in a very difficult position.

Only the rapid entry into battle of the 42nd Infantry Division, as well as the transfer of all available artillery to direct fire, made it possible to stop the advance of German tanks.

The Kempf group consisted of the 6th and 19th Panzer Divisions, which included about 180 tanks, which were opposed by 100 domestic tanks. On the night of July 11, the Germans launched a surprise attack from the Melehovo region to the north and northwest in order to break through to Prokhorovka. The infantry units of the 9th Guards and 305th Rifle Divisions, which were defending in this direction, did not expect such a powerful blow, withdrew. To cover the exposed section of the front, on the night of July 11-12, 10 IPTABr were transferred from the Stanki reserve. In addition, the 1510th IPTAP and a separate PTR battalion were involved in this area. These forces, together with the infantry units of the 35th Guards Rifle Corps, did not allow the development of the offensive in the direction of Art. Prokhorovka. In this area, the Germans managed to break through only to the Sev River. Donets near Novo-Oskonnoe.

July 12, 1943. Decisive day.

Opponents' plans for the decisive day.

The commander of the SS Panzer Corps, Paul Hausser, assigned the following tasks to his three divisions:

LSSAH - bypass the village. Watchtower from the north and go to the line of Petrovka - st. Prokhorovka. at the same time strengthening their positions at a height of 252.2.

Das Reich - push back the opposing Soviet troops to the line east of Ivanovka.

Totenkopf - conduct an offensive along the Prokhorovka-Kartashovka road.

It was an offensive in the direction of Art. Prokhorovka from three directions, in order to overcome the last line of Soviet defense and prepare the "gates" for entering the reserves of Army Group "South" into the breakthrough.

At the same time, the Command of the Voronezh Front, considering the German offensive thwarted and the crisis overcome, was about to launch the planned counteroffensive on Luchki and Yakovlev. By this time, the 5th hectare, tank army began to concentrate two tank corps, which included about 580 tanks, P. Rotmistrov chose the line of deployment of the first echelon of the army to the west and southwest of st. Prokhorovka at the front 15 km. Units of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps and the 5th Guards Tank Corps also prepared for the ular.

By 5 o'clock in the morning. German distraction from the south.At this time, the German troops of the Kempf group, trying to develop their offensive in a northerly direction, struck in the defense zone of the 69th Army. By 5 o'clock in the morning, units of the 81st and 92nd Guards Rifle Divisions of the 69th Army were driven back from the defensive line near the river. Northern Donets - Cossack and the Germans managed to capture the villages of Rzhavets, Ryndinka, Vypolzovka. There was a threat to the left flank of the unfolding 5th Guards Tank Army, and by order of the representative of the Stavka A. Vasilevsky, the front commander N. Vatutin ordered to send the mobile reserve of the 5th Guards Tank Army to the defense zone of the 69th Army.

At 8 a.m.The reserve group under the command of General Trufanov in a counterattack on the broken units of the German troops of the Kempf group.

Thanks to the staunch defense of the Red Army units, the Germans' 3rd Panzer Corps (300 tanks and 25 assault guns) failed to break through to Rotmistrov's positions from the south.

At 7:45.Just after dawn on July 12, light rain began, which slightly delayed the start of the German offensive on Prokhorovka, but did not prevent the Soviet 18th Tank Corps of General Bakharov, with the help of one tank brigade, from launching an attack by the II LSSAH battalion on the outskirts of the Oktyabrsky state farm. Up to 40 Soviet tanks launched an attack on the village of Mikhailovka, but were repulsed by an assault gun battalion and retreated.

From 8 o'clock in the morningLuftwaffe aircraft began an intensive bombardment of Soviet positions near Prokhorovka.

AT 8.30 AMthe main forces of the German troops as part of the tank divisions "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", "Das Reich" and "Totenconf". numbering and singing up to 500 tanks and self-propelled guns (including 42 Tiger tanks), went on the offensive in the direction of st. Prokhorovka in the strip of highway and railway. This grouping was supported by all available air forces. However, only up to half of the armored forces available to the German troops were involved in the first hit of this offensive - one battalion of the LSSAH and Das Reich divisions, two Tiger companies and one T-34 company, totaling about 230 tanks. 70 assault guns and 39 Marder anti-tank self-propelled guns.

At 9:00after a 15-minute artillery preparation, the German group, in turn, was attacked by the main forces of the 5th Guards Tank Army. The 18th tank corps of General Bakharov broke into the Oktyabrsky state farm at high speed, and despite heavy losses, captured it. However, near the villages of Andreevka and Vasilievka, he met an enemy tank grouping, in which there were 15 Tiger tanks and a battalion of assault guns. Two platoons of "Tigers" (H. Vendarf and M. Wittmann) opened fire on Soviet tanks from a distance of 1000-1200 m. Assault guns, maneuvering, fired from short stops. Having lost about 40 tanks, parts of the 18th since. they were able to capture Vasilievka, but they were not able to develop the offensive further and at 18 o’clock went on the defensive. From their fire, the Germans lost one Tiger and seven assault guns, as well as three Tigers *, six medium tanks and up to 10 self-propelled guns, destroyed and damaged.

Around 11:30The 29th Panzer Corps began the battle for Hill 252.5, where it was met by the tanks of the SS Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler". Throughout the day, the corps fought a maneuverable battle, but after 16 hours was pushed back by the approaching tanks of the SS division "Totenkopf" and after dark went on the defensive.

At 14.30The 2nd Guards Tank Corps, advancing in the direction of Kalinin, suddenly collided with the advancing SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" for the command. For the reason that. that the 29th Panzer Corps was stuck in battles for Hill 252.5. the Germans delivered a blow to the 2nd Guards Tank Corps on the exposed flank and forced it to withdraw to its original position. During these battles, the 2nd Guards Tank Corps lost 24 of the 41 tanks put into battle, knocked out and damaged. Of these, 12 cars burned down.

The 2nd Tank Corps, which provided a junction between the 2nd Guards Tank Corps and the 29th Tank Corps, was able to somewhat push the German units in front of them, but came under fire from assault and anti-tank guns pulled up from the second line, suffered losses and stopped.

12 a.m. German attack from the north.

By noon on July 12, it became clear to the German command that the frontal attack on Prokhorovka had failed. Then they decided, after Psel was forced, to withdraw part of the forces north of Prokhorovka to the rear of the 5th Guards Tank Army, for which the 11th Tank Division and the remaining units of the tank superfluous SS Totemkopf * were allocated (96 tanks and self-propelled guns. Regiment of motorized infantry, up to 200 MOTORCYCLISTS). The grouping broke through the battle formations of the 52nd Guards Rifle Division and by 1300 captured Hill 226.6.

But on the northern slopes of the height, the Germans stumbled upon the stubborn resistance of the 95th Guards Rifle Division, Colonel Lyakhov. The division was hastily reinforced with an anti-tank artillery reserve, consisting of one IPTAP and two separate divisions of captured guns (one division was equipped with 88-mm anti-aircraft guns). Until 18:00, the division successfully defended itself against the advancing tanks. But at 20:00. after a powerful air raid, due to the lack of ammunition and heavy losses of personnel, the division, under the blows of approaching German motorized rifle units, withdrew beyond the village of Polezhaev. Artillery reserves were already deployed here and the German offensive was stopped.

The 5th Guards Army also failed to complete its tasks. Faced with massive fire from German artillery and tanks, the infantry units moved forward a distance of 1-3 km, after which they went on the defensive. In the offensive zones of the 1st Tank Army, 6th Guards Army. The 69th Army and the 7th Guards Army did not achieve any decisive success either.

From 13 to 15 JulyGerman units continued to conduct offensive operations, but by that time they had already lost the battle. On July 13, the Fuhrer informed the commanders of Army Group South (Field Marshal von Manstein) and Army Group Center (Field Marshal von Kluge) that he had decided to abandon the continuation of Operation Citadel. This decision was also influenced by the successful landing of the Allies in Sicily, which took place during the days of the Battle of Kursk.

CONCLUSIONS:

The battles near Prokhorovka and the post-war years were declared "the largest tank battle of the Second World War." At the same time, most authors, describing it, agreed that "on a small field near Prokhorovka, more than 1,000 tanks 'came together' in hand-to-hand combat." Today, this field is even shown to passing tourists, but an analysis of even domestic wartime documents proves that this legend correlates with them, to put it mildly, very approximately.

The so-called "tank battle near Prokhorovka" did not take place on any separate field, as was commonly believed. The operation was carried out on a front with a length of more than 35 km (and, taking into account the southern direction, even more) and was a series of separate battles with the use of tanks by both sides. In total, according to the estimates of the command of the Voronezh Front, 1500 tanks and self-propelled guns from both sides participated here. Moreover, the 5th Guards Tank Army, which operated in a strip 17-19 km long, together with attached units, by the beginning of the fighting, consisted of 680 to 720 tanks and self-propelled guns. and the German group - up to 540 tanks and self-propelled guns.

The main events here took place on July 12, which accounted for the maximum loss of materiel and personnel on both sides. In the battles of July 11-13, the Germans lost to the west and south-west of Prokhorovka, according to reports from the front command, about 320 tanks and assault guns (according to other sources - from 180 to 218) knocked out, abandoned and destroyed, the Kempf group - 80 tanks, and the 5th Guards Tank Army (excluding the losses of General Trufanov's group) - 328 tanks and self-propelled guns (see table). For unknown reasons, the report of the front does not contain accurate information about the losses of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps and the 2nd Tank Corps operating here, which are estimated at 55-70 vehicles knocked out and destroyed. Despite the large concentration of tanks on both sides, the main losses were inflicted on them by no means by enemy tanks, but by enemy anti-tank and assault artillery.

The counterattack of the troops of the Voronezh Front did not end with the destruction of the wedged German grouping and therefore immediately after completion was considered a failure, but since it allowed the German offensive to bypass the city of Oboyan to Kursk to be thwarted, its results were later recognized as a success. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the number of German tanks participating in the battle and their losses, given in the report of the command of the Voronezh Front (commander N. Vatutin, member of the military council - N. Khrushchev), are very different from the reports of the commanders of their subordinate units . And from this we can conclude that the scale of the so-called "Prokhorov battle" could be greatly inflated by the front command. to justify the heavy losses of personnel and materiel of the front units during the failed offensive.

West of Prokhorovka. Map

On July 5, 1943, the Battle of Kursk began. The troops of the Army Group "South" of the Wehrmacht dealt a severe blow to the southern front of the Kursk salient. Initially, the Germans, with the forces of the 4th Panzer Army, sought to advance in a northerly direction along the Belgorod-Kursk highway. The troops of the Voronezh Front under the command of Nikolai Fedorovich Vatutin met the enemy with a stubborn defense and were able to stop his advance. On July 10, the German command, trying to achieve success, changed the direction of the main attack to Prokhorovka.

Three panzergrenadier divisions of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps advanced here: "Dead Head", "Leibstandarte" and "Reich". They were opposed by the troops of the Voronezh Front, to reinforce which the 5th Guards Tank and 5th Guards Armies were transferred from the Stavka reserve.

On July 12, N. F. Vatutin decided to launch a powerful counterattack on German positions in order to stop the enemy’s advance and defeat his formations. The main role in this was given to two new armies. The main blow in the area west of Prokhorovka was to be delivered by the 5th Guards Tank Army.

By the evening of July 11, the 5th Guards Tank Army, taking into account the two tank corps attached to it (2nd Guards and 2nd Tank), had more than 900 tanks and self-propelled guns. However, not all of them could be used in the battles west of Prokhorovka - the second tank corps was putting itself in order after participating in intense battles on July 11 and could not take an active part in the upcoming counterattack.

The change in the situation at the front also left its mark on the preparations for the counterattack. On the night of July 11-12, the divisions of the German 3rd Panzer Corps managed to break through the defenses of the 69th Army and reach the Prokhorovka direction from the south. In the event of success, the German tank divisions could go to the rear of the 5th Guards Tank Army.

To eliminate the threat that had arisen, already on the morning of July 12, a considerable part of the forces, including 172 tanks and self-propelled guns of the 5th Guards Tank Army, had to be allocated and sent to the breakthrough site. This scattered the forces of the army and left its commander, General Pavel Rotmistrov, with an insignificant reserve of 100 tanks and self-propelled guns.

On July 12, by 8:30 am - the time the counterattack began - west of Prokhorovka, only about 450 tanks and self-propelled guns were ready to go on the offensive, of which about 280 were in the area between the Psyol River and the railway.

From the side of the 5th Guards Army on July 12, two divisions had to support the actions of the tankers. Two other divisions of the army of A. S. Zhadov were going to attack parts of the “Dead Head” division on the northern bank of the Psyol River.

The 2nd SS Panzer Corps, despite the losses suffered in previous battles, still remained strong enough and was ready for active operations, both for defense and for the offensive. As of morning, two divisions of the corps had 18,500 men each, and the Leibstandarte had 20,000 men.

For a whole week, the 2nd Panzer Corps had been incessantly involved in fierce battles, and many of its tanks, having received damage, were under repair. Nevertheless, the corps still had a significant amount of combat-ready armored vehicles and was ready for active operations, both for defense and for the offensive. On July 12, the divisions of the corps could use about 270 tanks, 68 assault guns and 43 Marders in battle.

The corps was preparing to deliver the main blow from the bridgehead on the Psyol River. The “Dead Head” division, using most of its 122 combat-ready tanks and assault guns as a ram, with the support of aviation, was supposed to capture the bend of the Psyol River and reach Prokhorovka from the northwest. The Leibstandarte division, which was located on the site between the Psel River and the Storozhevoye farm, was to hold its positions on the left flank and in the center, capture Storozhevoye with an attack on the right flank, and then be ready to support the actions of the Dead Head division to capture Prokhorovka with a blow from the south -west. The Reich division, located south of the Leibstandarte, was given the task of holding its positions in the center and on the right flank and advancing on the left flank.

On July 12, the troops of the Voronezh Front carried out a counterattack. This event was the culmination of the Prokhorov battle.

The main fighting west of Prokhorovka took place in the following areas:

• in the area between the Psyol River and the railway, on our side, the main forces of the 18th, 29th tank corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army, as well as the 9th and 42nd Guards Divisions of the 5th Guards Army, took part in them, and from the German part of the divisions "Lebstandarte" and "Dead Head";


• on the site south of the railway in the Storozhevoye area, on our side, the 25th Tank Brigade of the 29th Tank Corps, units and subunits of the 9th Guards and 183rd Rifle Divisions, as well as the 2nd Tank Corps, and from the German part of the division "Leibstandarte" and "Dead Head";


• in the area of ​​Yasnaya Polyana and Kalinin, Sobachevsky and Ozerovsky, brigades of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps participated from our side, and from the German part of the Reich division;


• to the north of the Psyol River, formations and units of the 5th Guards Army participated from our side, and from the German side, units of the "Dead Head" division.

The main goal of the counterattack that day did not reach - the enemy's strike forces were not defeated. At the same time, the advance of the troops of the German 4th Panzer Army in the direction of Prokhorovka was finally stopped. Soon the Germans stopped carrying out Operation Citadel, began to withdraw their troops to their original positions and transfer part of their forces to other sectors of the front. For the troops of the Voronezh Front, this meant victory in the battle of Prokhorov and their defensive operation.

A detailed picture of the battles west of Prokhorovka on July 12 is shown on the map:

Fighting in the area of ​​the Oktyabrsky state farm and heights 252.2

It was assumed that the forces of the Soviet troops would cover the area of ​​the Oktyabrsky state farm with simultaneous attacks from the north and south. After that, with quick and decisive actions in this place, our tanks, together with the infantry, were to break through the enemy defenses and continue the offensive. But the events that followed looked somewhat different.

The two tank corps of the Red Army included 368 tanks and 20 self-propelled guns. But it was not possible to launch them at the same time, bringing down an avalanche of steel machines on the enemy. The terrain made it difficult to deploy a large number of armored vehicles in the area. Blocking the way for tanks, in front of the Oktyabrsky state farm, a deep gully stretched from the river towards Prokhorovka, supplemented by several spurs. As a result, the 31st and 32nd tank brigades of the 29th Corps advanced on a section up to 900 meters wide between the railway and the beam. And the 25th tank brigade attacked the enemy to the south, separated from the corps by the railway line.

The 181st Panzer became the forward brigade of the 18th Panzer Corps, advancing along the river. The beam prevented the deployment of the 170th brigade, and it had to be sent to the railway area, placing it behind the 32nd brigade. All this led to the fact that the tanks of the brigades were brought into battle in parts, in groups of 35-40 vehicles, and not simultaneously, but at intervals of 30 minutes to an hour.

On the site between the Psyol River and the railway, units of the German Leibstandarte division were located. At an altitude of 252.2, an infantry battalion was entrenched on armored personnel carriers from the 2nd Panzergrenadier Regiment. At the same time, the German infantrymen were placed in trenches, and the armored personnel carriers were concentrated behind the height. A division of self-propelled howitzers took up positions nearby - 12 Vespes and 5 Hummels. At the very height and on its reverse slopes, anti-tank guns were installed.

Two other battalions of the 2nd Panzergrenadier Regiment, reinforced with assault and anti-tank guns, took up defensive positions near the Oktyabrsky state farm. Behind the height of 252.2 and the state farm, most of the combat-ready tanks from the tank regiment of the division were located: about 50 Pz IV with a long-barreled 75-mm cannon and several other tanks of other types. Part of the tanks was allocated to the reserve.

The flank of the division between the river and the state farm was covered by a reconnaissance battalion, which had ten Marders. In the depths of the defense in the area of ​​​​height 241.6 there were positions of howitzer artillery and six-barreled rocket mortars.

24 T-34 tanks and 20 T-70 tanks from the 181st brigade advanced from the north towards Oktyabrsky. As at Hill 252.2, our tanks were met with heavy fire and began to suffer losses.

Soon the remaining tanks of the 32nd brigade appeared in the area of ​​height 252.2. The commander of the 1st tank battalion, Major P. S. Ivanov, seeing the burning tanks of the brigade, decided to bypass the dangerous area. With a group of 15 tanks, he crossed the railway and, moving south of it, rushed to the Komsomolets state farm. As the group of our tanks appeared, the main forces entered the battle for the Oktyabrsky state farm, and part of the forces tried to bring down the Germans from a height of 252.2.

By 10 o'clock in the morning, tanks of four of our tank brigades and 12 self-propelled guns were already participating in the battle near the state farm. But it was not possible to quickly take Oktyabrsky - the Germans resisted stubbornly. Assault, self-propelled and anti-tank guns of the enemy fired heavily at numerous targets on the battlefield. Our tanks maneuvered away from the state farm and approached it, stopping from time to time to fire. At the same time, the number of destroyed Soviet tanks in the area of ​​the state farm and height 252.2 increased. The Germans also suffered losses. At 11:35, the tanks of the 181st brigade were able to break into the Oktyabrsky state farm for the first time, but since the German defense was not suppressed, the battle continued.

By 10 o'clock, German tanks began to pull up to the front line and engage in battle with our tanks. During the reflection of our first attacks at a height of 252.2, several German “fours” were hit and burned. German tankers, having suffered losses, were forced to retreat to the reverse slopes of the height.

In addition, the Germans carried out counterattacks with the participation of their tanks. Parts of our troops, who took up defensive positions in the area of ​​the state farm, repelled several enemy counterattacks in the afternoon.

Both sides suffered heavy losses during the battle in the area, especially in equipment. About 120 tanks and self-propelled guns of the 18th and 29th tank corps were hit and burned in the area of ​​the Oktyabrsky state farm and height 252.2. The Germans lost 50% of the tanks that took part in this battle, destroyed and burned out, as well as two Grille self-propelled guns, five Vespes, one Hummel, more than 10 armored personnel carriers, and about 10 anti-tank guns. There were losses among other types of weapons and equipment.

No less fierce battles unfolded near Prokhorovka and in other sectors of the front.

Fighting near the Storozhevoye farm

At 8:30 am, the 25th tank brigade of the 29th tank corps of the Red Army went on the offensive. In addition to the existing 67 tanks, she received eight self-propelled guns as reinforcements, of which 4 SU-122 and 4 SU-76. The actions of the brigade were supported by the infantry of the 9th Guards Division. According to the task, the brigade had to advance in the direction of the farms Storozhevoe and Ivanovsky Vyselok, go into the depths of the enemy’s defense, and then be ready for the further development of the offensive.

The first to go on the attack were about 30 "thirty-fours" with an infantry landing on board. Already at the very beginning of the movement, our tanks came under aimed and dense fire from the Marders and anti-tank guns of the 1st Panzergrenadier Regiment.

At 10 a.m., the attack resumed, this time with the forces of the entire brigade. The battalion was advancing ahead on T-34s and 4 SU-122s. They were followed by 36 T-70s and 4 SU-76s. When approaching Storozhevoe, the tanks and self-propelled guns of the brigades were again met with heavy fire from the eastern outskirts of the forest. The crews of the German anti-tank guns and the crews of the Marders, hiding among the vegetation, fired devastating fire from ambushes. In a short time, many of our tanks and self-propelled guns were hit and burned.

Part of the combat vehicles still managed to break through into the depths of the enemy’s defenses, but here they were in for failure. Coming to the area of ​​the Ivanovsky Vyselok farm, the units of Volodin's brigade were met by the fire of tanks of the Reich division. Having suffered significant losses and having no support from their neighbors, the tankers were forced to retreat.

By noon, the 6 T-34s and 15 T-70s remaining on the move concentrated southeast of Storozhevoy. All self-propelled guns that supported the brigade had been hit or burned by this time. In this unsuccessful battle for themselves, the crews of our tanks and self-propelled guns acted courageously and desperately, as episodes of the battle speak eloquently.

One of the self-propelled guns under the command of Lieutenant V. M. Kubaevsky was hit and caught fire. Her crew continued to shoot at the enemy until the shells ran out, after which the self-propelled gun, enveloped in flames, went to ram a German tank. At the time of the collision, the self-propelled guns exploded.

Another self-propelled gun under the command of Lieutenant D. A. Yerin, as a result of German shells, had a caterpillar killed and a sloth broken. Despite fierce fire on the self-propelled gun, Yerin got out and repaired the caterpillar, after which he took the damaged vehicle out of the battle and sent it to the location of the repairmen. After 4 hours, the sloth was replaced with a new one, and Erin immediately went back to battle.

Lieutenants Vostrikov, Pichugin, Slautin and junior lieutenant Shaposhnikov, who fought on the T-70, died in battle, continuing to shoot at the enemy from burning tanks.

A small area in the Storozhevoye area turned out to be the only one on which, during the day of July 12, units of the two German divisions "Leibstandarte" and "Reich" managed to move forward during the attacks.

Fighting in the area of ​​the farms of Yasnaya Polyana and Kalinin

The rapidly changing situation made changes in the preparation of the corps for the offensive. At night, divisions of the German 3rd Panzer Corps south of Prokhorovka managed to break through the defenses of the 69th Army and reach the area of ​​the village of Rzhavets. To block the German breakthrough, formations and units of the 5th Guards Tank Army, which were in reserve or preparing to advance west of Prokhorovka, began to be used.

At 7 am, one of the three tank brigades was withdrawn from the 2nd Guards Corps and transferred to counter the German 3rd Tank Corps. Of the 141 tanks, only about a hundred remained at Burdeiny's disposal. This weakened the combat capabilities of the corps and deprived him of the reserve commander.

Part of the forces of the Reich division took up defensive positions, while the other part was in a state of waiting. The armored group of the division, which consisted of tanks, self-propelled guns and infantry in armored personnel carriers, was withdrawn from the front line and was in readiness to act depending on the situation.

Understanding the complexity of the situation, Burdeiny asked to postpone the start of the transition of the corps to the offensive and received permission for this. Only at 11:15 two tank brigades of the corps, numbering 94 tanks, began to attack the Reich division.

The 25th Guards Tank Brigade struck in the direction of Yasnaya Polyana. Having met strong enemy resistance, our tankers were able to capture only the forest south of the village. Further advance of the brigade was stopped by anti-tank guns.

Having passed in the attack from the Belenikhino area through the positions of the infantry of the 4th Panzergrenadier Regiment, 28 T-34s and 19 T-70s from the 4th Guards Tank Brigade entered the battle for Kalinin. Here our tankers encountered about 30 tanks of the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd SS Panzer Regiment. Among the enemy tanks there were eight captured "thirty-fours" used in the "Reich" division. After the loss of several tanks, the commander of the Red Army brigade stopped the attack and ordered his tankers to take up defensive positions 600 meters southeast of Kalinin.

The transition to the attack of the "Reich" units on the right flank of the division and the capture of the Watchtower by them seriously affected the position of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps. The 25th brigade was the first to receive an order to retreat and cover the right flank of the corps that turned out to be open. And after a message about the capture of Storozhevoy by the Germans at 18:00, Burdeyny ordered the guards 4th tank and 4th motorized rifle brigades to retreat to their original positions. By the end of the day on July 12, the 2nd Guards Tank Corps was forced to go on the defensive at the Belenikhino-Vinogradovka line it had previously occupied.

By their actions during the day, the brigades of the Burdeyny corps fettered and diverted the attention of a number of units of the Reich division. Thus, they did not allow the use of the larger forces of the Reich division to carry out the offensive and help the neighbor, the Leibstandarte division, which repulsed the attacks of our two tank corps.