The Battle of Kursk

(noun)

A battle during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, (450 kilometers / 280 miles south of Moscow) in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka, and the costliest single day of aerial warfare in history. It was the final strategic offensive the Germans were able to mount in the east. The resulting decisive Soviet victory gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war.

Related Terms

Examples of The Battle of Kursk in the following topics:

  • Slowing Momentum

    • The Battle of Stalingrad and setbacks in the North Africa Campaign represented a major defeat for the Axis forces.
    • The Battle of Stalingrad and setbacks in the North Africa Campaign represented a major defeat for the Axis forces.
    • The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943, and was marked by brutality and disregard for military and civilian casualties, which placed it among the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with the higher estimates of combined casualties amounting to nearly two million.
    • Soviet forces continued to push the invaders westward after the failed German offensive at the Battle of Kursk, and by the end of 1943 the Germans had lost most of their territorial gains in the east.
    • In Libya,the Afrika Korps (the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign) failed to break through the line at First Battle of El Alamein (July 1-27 1942), having suffered repercussions from the Battle of Stalingrad .

  • The Tehran Meeting

    • The Tehran Conference was the first of the World War II conferences held between all of the "Big Three" Allied leaders, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
    • Although all three of the leaders arrived with differing objectives, the main outcome of the Tehran conference was the commitment to the opening of a second front against Nazi Germany by the Western Allies.
    • Despite accepting the above arrangements, Stalin dominated the conference, using the Soviet victory at the Battle of Kursk and military might, as well as key positions on the German front, to get his way.
    • The Partisans of Yugoslavia should be supported by supplies and equipment and also by commando operations; it would be desirable if Turkey should come into war on the side of the Allies before the end of the year;
    • The Conference further took note of Marshal Stalin's statement that the Soviet forces would launch an offensive at about the same time with the object of preventing the German forces from transferring from the Eastern to the Western Front;

  • Converging Military Fronts

    • On 4 July, 1943, Germany attacked Soviet forces around the Kursk Bulge, but were defeated in a counter-offensive.
    • The Soviet victory heralded the downfall of German superiority, giving the Soviet Union the initiative on the Eastern Front.
    • From November 1943, during the seven-week Battle of Changde, the Chinese forced Japan to fight a costly war of attrition, while awaiting Allied relief.
    • On 6 June, 1944, known as D-Day, the Allies invaded northern France, leading to the defeat of the German Army units and the liberation of Paris on 25 August .
    • In the Philippines, American forces defeated the Japanese in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and soon after scored another large victory during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history .

  • The Battle of Britain

  • The Battle of Midway

  • The Battle of Stalingrad

  • Blitzkrieg

    • The word, meaning "lightning war," is associated with a series of quick and decisive short battles to deliver a knockout blow to an enemy before it can fully mobilize.
    • Despite the term blitzkrieg being coined by journalists during the Invasion of Poland of 1939, historians Matthew Cooper and J.
    • Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, involved a number of breakthroughs and encirclements by motorized forces.
    • In July 1943 the Wehrmacht conducted Operation Zitadelle (Citadel) against a salient at Kursk that was heavily defended by Soviet troops.
    • Many of the German participants who wrote about the operation after the war make no mention of blitzkrieg in their accounts. 

  • The Battle of Leyte Gulf

    • The Battle of Leyte Gulf is generally considered the largest naval battle of World War II and possibly the largest naval battle in history.
    • The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the Battles for Leyte Gulf, and formerly known as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.
    • The Battle of Leyte Gulf consisted of four separate major engagements between the opposing forces: the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle of Cape Engaño, and the Battle of Samar; there were also other lesser actions.
    • Kamikaze strikes were first used by the Japanese in the Battle of Leyte Gulf
    • Identify the notable facts and the four major engagements of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

  • The European Theater

    • The operations of the Luftwaffe against the Royal Air Force became known as the Battle of Britain (according to British historians: July 10 - October 31, 1940).
    • As the battle progressed, the Luftwaffe also targeted factories involved in World War II aircraft production and strategic infrastructure and, eventually, it employed terror bombing on areas of political significance and civilians.
    • The Eastern Front became the site of some of the largest battles, most horrific atrocities, and highest casualties for Soviets and Germans alike, all of which influenced the course of both World War II and the subsequent history of the 20th century.
    • On July 4, 1943, Germany attacked Soviet forces around the Kursk Bulge.
    • The Soviet victory at Kursk marked the end of German superiority, giving the Soviet Union the initiative on the Eastern Front.

  • The Battle of Bull Run

    • The Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle of the Civil War, demonstrated to the public that the conflict would not be resolved quickly or easily.
    • The first Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas by the Confederacy, was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the city of Manassas.
    • It was the first major land battle of the American Civil War, but is also significant for demonstrating to the wider public the inexperience of both armies and the intractable nature of the conflict given the inability of either side to achieve a quick or decisive victory.
    • Johnston arrived from the Shenandoah Valley by railroad and the course of the battle quickly changed.
    • This figure shows the direction of Union attack and Confederate reinforcement at the First Battle of Bull Run.