WW2/Battles of WW2/Date-by-Date/Eastern Front • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
The largest tank battle in history — Germany's last major offensive in the east, blunted at the salient's shoulders and at Prokhorovka before the Red Army seized the strategic initiative for good. (5 July – 23 August 1943)
Chronological Storyline (20 Milestones)
Jul 5, 1943 CE
Soviet artillery preempts German attack
Soviet Central and Voronezh Front commanders fired massive counter-battery artillery barrages minutes before the scheduled German attack, disrupting enemy formations and delaying the assault. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kursk
Soviet artillery preempts German attack By Unknown author, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=593872
Jul 5, 1943 CE
Operation Citadel begins
German forces launched Operation Citadel, attacking the northern and southern shoulders of the Kursk salient with the 9th Army and 4th Panzer Army, aiming to pinch off the bulge and encircle Soviet forces. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Citadel
Why Germany Lost the Battle of Kursk 1943 (WW2 Documentary)Operation Citadel begins By Kipper - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5408303
Jul 6, 1943 CE
Model's 9th Army stalls in the north
General Walter Model's 9th Army made limited gains in the northern sector but faced heavily fortified Soviet defensive belts, suffering heavy tank losses to minefields and anti-tank guns of the Central Front. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Model
Photograph of German general, Walther Model. Image retouched using Photo Editor at https://www.befunky.com/create/ (Contrast:-48%, Highlights: +28%, Shadows: -57%) By Unknown author - Photographs available at www.audiovis.nac.gov.pl are public domain or the owner of the copyrights is the State Treasury of Poland, represented by the National Digital Archive and which grant free of charge licence for free use of the materials on all known exploitation fields., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=185896541
Jul 7, 1943 CE
Heavy fighting at Ponyri
The northern pincer bogged down in intense fighting around the strategically important railway junction of Ponyri, where German panzers were met by dug-in Soviet infantry and armor of the 13th Army. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponyri
Jul 9, 1943 CE
Southern pincer advances toward Oboyan
The 4th Panzer Army under Hoth broke through the first Soviet defensive belt south of Kursk, pushing toward the Oboyan highway with II SS Panzer Corps spearheading the assault. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_Panzer_Army
Southern pincer advances toward Oboyan By Rehor, Willy - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5475850
Jul 10, 1943 CE
Allied invasion of Sicily diverts Hitler
The Allied invasion of Sicily prompted Hitler to summon Kluge and Manstein to discuss scaling back Citadel and transferring forces to Italy, creating strategic uncertainty for German commanders. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Sicily
This is map of Allied army amphibious landing in Sicily, July 10th, 1943, as part of Operation Husky, it shows the frontline of both army from 12 July to 17 August 1943. By United States Military Academy - https://www.westpoint.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/academics/academic_departments/history/WWII%20Europe/WWIIEurope45.pdf, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=117073615
Jul 11, 1943 CE
Hoth shifts axis toward Prokhorovka
After meeting stiff resistance on the Oboyan road, General Hoth redirected the II SS Panzer Corps eastward toward Prokhorovka, seeking a weaker point in the Soviet defenses to flank the position. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prokhorovka
Jul 12, 1943 CE
Battle of Prokhorovka
The 5th Guards Tank Army under Rotmistrov clashed with II SS Panzer Corps near Prokhorovka in one of history's largest tank engagements, resulting in massive mutual armor losses and halting the German southern advance. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Prokhorovka
Drawn approximately to scale. Soviet and German units around Prokhorovka on the night of 11 July. All units are presented at only their divisional-level, except for Soviet tank corps. Works consulted: Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. (2004) [1999]. The Battle of Kursk. Lawrence, KS, USA: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1335-9. Pages: 165, 183–184. Clark, Lloyd (2012). Kursk: The Greatest Battle: Eastern Front 1943. London, UK: Headline Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-7553-3639-5. Page: 322. By EyeTruth - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42863512
Jul 12, 1943 CE
Soviet Operation Kutuzov launches
The Soviet Western and Bryansk Fronts launched Operation Kutuzov against the Orel salient north of Kursk, forcing Model to divert panzer divisions from Citadel to halt the new offensive. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Kutuzov
Tanks T-34 ride by Moskovskaya Street in liberated Orel. By military journalist - scan of cronicles from RGAKFD (Russian Archive), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26434637
Jul 13, 1943 CE
Hitler halts Operation Citadel
Confronted with the Allied landings in Sicily and the Soviet counter-offensive at Orel, Hitler ordered the cessation of Operation Citadel, effectively conceding strategic failure at Kursk. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Citadel
Hitler halts Operation Citadel By Kipper - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5408303
Jul 14, 1943 CE
Germans withdraw II SS Panzer Corps
The II SS Panzer Corps was pulled back from the Prokhorovka sector to regroup and prepare for redeployment, as the offensive momentum had been irretrievably lost in the south. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/II_SS_Panzer_Corps
Jul 15, 1943 CE
Soviet counterattacks intensify in the south
The Voronezh and Steppe Fronts launched localized counterattacks against the retreating German forces south of Kursk, applying continuous pressure on Manstein's depleted Army Group South. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppe_Front
Ivan Konev, date likely given insignia By Soviet photographer - Krasnaya Zvezda (a website of the Russian Ministry of Defense), CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64991137
Jul 16, 1943 CE
Manstein begins southern withdrawal
Field Marshal Manstein began pulling 4th Panzer Army back to its original start lines, marking the definitive end of the German southern pincer offensive. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_Manstein
For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Erich von Manstein Generalmajor Erich von Manstein, Kommandeur der 18. Division. [Erich von Manstein (Porträt)] Abgebildete Personen: Manstein, Erich von: Generalfeldmarschall, Ritterkreuz (RK), Heer, Deutschland (GND 11857731X) By Unknown. - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/or positive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by the Digital Image Archive., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5363523
Jul 20, 1943 CE
Soviet forces liberate Mtsensk
Soviet troops of the Bryansk Front recaptured the town of Mtsensk during Operation Kutuzov, further squeezing the German-held Orel salient from the north. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Kutuzov
Tanks T-34 ride by Moskovskaya Street in liberated Orel. By military journalist - scan of cronicles from RGAKFD (Russian Archive), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26434637
Jul 29, 1943 CE
Bolkhov liberated by Soviet forces
The Red Army liberated the city of Bolkhov, a key German strongpoint in the Orel sector, accelerating the collapse of the Orel salient during Operation Kutuzov. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolkhov
Bolhov - a view from the south bank of Nugr By Denis Zhilin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18281575
Aug 3, 1943 CE
Operation Rumyantsev launches at Belgorod
The Voronezh and Steppe Fronts launched Operation Rumyantsev, a massive counter-offensive targeting Belgorod and Kharkov, exploiting the exhaustion of Army Group South. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rumyantsev
Battle of Kursk, southern sector. Operation Zitadelle + Operation Rumanyantcev 5.7.43-23.8.43 By Blablaaa - Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9500272
Aug 5, 1943 CE
Belgorod and Orel liberated
Soviet forces liberated both Belgorod and Orel on the same day, achieving the dual objectives of Operations Kutuzov and Rumyantsev and forcing a general German retreat. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Belgorod
Wojska niemieckie podczas odpoczynku we wsi w okolicy Biełgorodu. Grupa żołnierzy obok wiejskiego domu, żołnierz pierwszy z lewej ma zawieszony u pasa pistolet sygnałowy Leuchtpistole LeuP 42, drugi z nich pije wodę, a 1. z prawej trzyma na ramieniu karabin maszynowy MG-34. By Lohse - https://audiovis.nac.gov.pl/obraz/1870/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79566014
Aug 11, 1943 CE
Soviet forces approach Kharkov
Advancing Soviet troops of the Steppe Front reached the outskirts of Kharkov, engaging German defenders of the 4th Panzer Army in fierce suburban combat. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Battle_of_Kharkov
Battle of Kursk, southern sector. Operation Zitadelle + Operation Rumanyantcev 5.7.43-23.8.43 By Blablaaa - Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9500272
Aug 18, 1943 CE
Germans encircled at Kharkov
Soviet armored spearheads bypassed and partially encircled Kharkov, threatening to cut off the defending German 8th Army and forcing Manstein to consider abandoning the city. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Battle_of_Kharkov
Battle of Kursk, southern sector. Operation Zitadelle + Operation Rumanyantcev 5.7.43-23.8.43 By Blablaaa - Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9500272
Aug 23, 1943 CE
Kharkov liberated, Battle of Kursk concludes
The Red Army fully liberated Kharkov, marking the end of the Battle of Kursk and confirming the permanent loss of German strategic initiative on the Eastern Front. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Battle_of_Kharkov
Battle of Kursk, southern sector. Operation Zitadelle + Operation Rumanyantcev 5.7.43-23.8.43 By Blablaaa - Own work, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9500272
![Drawn approximately to scale. Soviet and German units around Prokhorovka on the night of 11 July. All units are presented at only their divisional-level, except for Soviet tank corps. Works consulted: Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. (2004) [1999]. The Battle of Kursk. Lawrence, KS, USA: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1335-9. Pages: 165, 183–184. Clark, Lloyd (2012). Kursk: The Greatest Battle: Eastern Front 1943. London, UK: Headline Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-7553-3639-5. Page: 322.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Prokhorovka%2C_Battle_of_Kursk%2C_night_11_July.png/500px-Prokhorovka%2C_Battle_of_Kursk%2C_night_11_July.png)
![For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Erich von Manstein Generalmajor Erich von Manstein, Kommandeur der 18. Division. [Erich von Manstein (Porträt)] Abgebildete Personen: Manstein, Erich von: Generalfeldmarschall, Ritterkreuz (RK), Heer, Deutschland (GND 11857731X)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H01757%2C_Erich_von_Manstein.jpg/500px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H01757%2C_Erich_von_Manstein.jpg)
