Battle Of Prokhorovka Essay

In the winter of 1942-1943, the Soviets won the battle of Stalingrad and Germans suffered in a disastrous defeat. After losing about 400,000 casualties in the battle, Germans seeked revenge and launched an offensive force against Soviet Union called Operation Citadel. Their initial goal was to take over a salient in the Eastern Front that extended 70 miles toward the west. The salient was a bulge in the Soviet lines that stretched 150 miles from north to south and extend 100 miles westward into the German lines. This battle came to be known as the largest tank battle in history. This battle was also Germany's last grand offensive on the Eastern Front and it took place from July and August of 1943.

Germany had two plans to approach the taking off the lands from the city of the Kursk. The two plans were supported by different German field commanders. The first plan was supported German field commanders; Gudarian and Manstein. Their goal was to pinch off a large salient in the Eastern Front of the Soviet Union then cut off the rest of Soviet territory. He wanted
The Soviet command a counterstroke with the forces of the Fifth Guards Tank Army under General Pavel Rotmistrov. This marked the beginning the battle of Prokhorovka, one of the best-known of the many battles on the Eastern Front in WWII. A total of 500 to 700 German tanks, including dozens of Mark V Panther medium tanks with 75mm guns and Mark VI Tiger heavy tanks with deadly 88mm cannons, launched forward while hundreds of nimble Soviet T-34 medium tanks raced into the midst of the battleground which threw the Germans into confusion. The Germans were attacked from various spots with powerful self-propelled, tank-killing destroyers. The 4th Panzer Army was so close to being destroyed completely. By the end of it all, the exhausted Germans were in retreat and the Soviet Army could lay claim to this decisive