Battle of Kursk Video & Chronology

In the north, offensive Operation Kutuzov continued. The 50th Army of the Western Front forced its way 2 km into the enemy positions on that day. In the south, the shock troops of the left flank of the 4th Panzer Army attempted an offensive near the village of Berezovka. Four Soviet divisions of the right wing of the 69th Army were under threat of encirclement and, after a day of fighting, command decided to withdraw them from the pocket.

At the north of the Kursk salient, the troops of the Red Army's Central Front undertook the offensive, but it resulted in heavy fighting. Not only did the German troops fiercely resist, but they also counterattacked furiously. At the southern face of the salient, the 48th Rifle Corps that faced the threat of encirclement managed to escape with considerable losses.

The Red Army continued the offensive in the north. In the evening, the Soviet troops attempted to cross the Resseta River and started a battle for the crossing near Ktsyn.

In the south, the German command started gradual withdrawal of the 4th Panzer Army and Army Detachment Kempf under the cover of strong rearguard units, to the previously occupied frontier. Some of the Panzer Divisions were transferred to strengthen the Orel group.

In the north: All fronts of the Red Army that participated in the operation continued their offensive. The depth of their advance was 6-10 km here. The German troops fiercely resisted.

In the south: The opposing parties secured their previous frontiers; at the same time, the Germans conducted reconnaissance using small infantry and tank units in the direction of Belgorod.

In the north of the Kursk salient, the Red Army continued its advance toward Orel and Bolkhov. The German Army attempted to stop the breakthrough and slow down the Soviet advance with fierce counterattacks. In the south, the German troops held their ground in both directions. Especially furious battles took place in the Oboyan direction.

In the north, the Germans fiercely counterattacked and recaptured the position to the north-east of Bolkhov; however, the counterattacks near Somov were successfully repelled by the Red Army. In the southern face of the Kursk salient, the Red Army advanced south-west of Prokhorovka and fought offensive battles in the direction of Korocha using the forces of the Steppe Front.

In the north of the Kursk salient, forces of the Soviet troops of the 342nd Rifle Division of the Bryansk Front liberated Mtsensk and blocked the road between Mtsensk and Orel. In the south, the German troops retreated from the Oboyan direction, planting mines on the roads and in villages.

In the north of the Kursk salient, the troops of the Western Front continued to force their way toward Bolkhov. The Bryansk Front pushed the enemy to the other bank of the Oka River, and its forces reached the eastern bank. In the south, the 29^th Tank Corps advanced and secured positions in Bykovka. At the same time, the forces of the Steppe Front fought against the rearguards of the German troops.

In the north of the Kursk salient, the most furious battles took place at the Oka and Optukha rivers where the German troops repeatedly counterattacked. At the Central Front, the Germans drew reserves toward the Kromy, including Tigers of the 505^th Heavy Tank Battalion. In the south, the Voronezh Front forced its way to the line that the Soviet troops held on July 5, 1943.

In the north, over the course of battles at the left flank of the Western Front, the German troops reached the northern outskirt of Ktsyn. Forces of the 11^th Army fought to restore the status quo. The situation remained unchanged on other sections of the front.

In the north, the battle for Ktsyn continued; the forces of the German 707th infantry division joined the battle. Counterattacks near Balkhov followed one by one, but the Germans failed to stop the advance of the Red Army here and near Trosna. However, in the south, a German infantry regiment reinforced with 30 tanks pushed back the forces of the Red Army near Butovo and made them leave the town.

In the north of the Kursk salient, the Red Army fought for the ferries across the Resseta River, but withdrew to Khotynets after a powerful German counterattack. Urban warfare started at the outskirts of Bolkhov. The Soviet troops successfully crossed Oka and Optukha.

In the south, troops of the Steppe Front reached the western bank of the Seversky Donets River.

In the north of the Kursk salient, the Soviet Armies of the Bryansk Front forced their way forward. In the direction of Orel, 70 towns and villages were liberated from the Germans. On the same day, the German command made a decision to evacuate the troops in the Orel direction, starting on July 31.

In the south, the assault units of the 5Th Guards Army fought and captured several high grounds to the east of Kamenniy Log. The battle was approaching Belgorod.

In the north of the Kursk salient, reinforcements of the Red Army entered the battle in the Bolkhov direction; however, General Walter Model concentrated a significant group of troops there. The Soviet Army did not achieve a considerable success. At the south face, the fierce resistance of the Germans also stopped the Soviet advance. Their crossing of the Seversky Donets River failed, but battles at the western bank continued.

At the north face of the Kursk salient, the Soviet troops forced their way in all directions. The Red Army liberated a number of towns and villages, including the village of Stanovoy Kolodez. At the Central Front, the advance of the 3rd Guards Tank Army under General Rybalko resulted in no significant achievements. In the south, battles of the Steppe Front took place near Belgorod. Further south, the German troops (a hundred automatic riflemen) attempted to cross the river but failed.

At the north face of the Kursk salient, the Soviet troops continued to fight against the German rearguards. By the evening, Bolkhov was liberated at the Bryansk Front.

In the south, the German troops counterattacked and forced troops of the Red Army out of their positions to the north-west of Belgorod.

In the North: The Soviet troops continued advancing in the direction of Orel. The 4th Army of the Bryansk Front crossed the Nugr River. The strong German defense at the Central Front pushed the Red Army back to its initial positions.

In the south: Battles to the north of Belgorod continued, in particular on the western bank of the Seversky Donets River. To the south of Belgorod, German troops attacked twice during the day.

The attack of the Soviet troops at the Bryansk Front of the north face was fiercely resisted by the Germans: the advance was about a kilometer deep, counterattacks came one by one. At the south face of the Kursk salient, battles took place near Tomarovka. At the Steppe Front, the opposing parties fought for a foothold on the western bank of the Seversky Donets River. By this time, Army Group South had 625 tanks that were ready for battle.

In the north, the Soviet Troops of the Central Front advanced into the defense line of the XLVI Panzer Corps. The headquarters of Army Group Center realized that the Soviet command had attempted to break the front at the Orel section with their powerful attacks, which included tanks. Local battles continued in the south.

In the north, the German troops withdrew their main forces from the Bryansk Front to the prepared positions along the riverbanks and counterattacked. Fierce battles took place near Kromy. Hans Zorn, the commander of the XLVI Panzer Corps, was killed near Kromy. In the south, the Soviet troops regrouped and prepared for an offensive.

At the north face of the Kursk salient, the Red Army forced its way through the fierce resistance of the German troops. The day ended with an advance of the Soviet troops that stopped 10 km from Orel and 1 km from Kromy. The area around Orel was mined by the Germans.

In the south, the Soviet troops of the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts started the attack according to the plan of the Belgorod-Kharkov strategic offensive operation. The German defense was breached up to 25 km deep; the enemy drew troops from other sections of the front and actively counterattacked.

The Soviet troops forced their way to Orel. Battles already took place to the north-east of the city. The Germans near Orel used the 503rd Heavy Tank Battalion equipped with Tigers; they were low in number yet strong in defense against the Soviet Т-34s. Fierce battles took place along the Kroma River and its western bank.

In the south, the Germans started to withdraw their troops from Tomarovka to the south, and from Belgorod to Kharkov. To avoid a complete defeat, the Germans drew tanks to the point of the breach.

At the north face of the Kursk salient, the Soviet troops continued the offensive after releasing Orel in the morning. The German troops strengthened their defense of the riverbank, but the Red Army crossed the Kroma and Nezhivka rivers. In the south, after a large-scale offensive, the Soviet troops encircled Belgorod and then liberated it.

At the north face of the Kursk salient, the Soviet troops crossed the Oka and Kroma rivers, and forced the German troops to the north-west. Kromy was liberated. The Germans fiercely resisted, conducted reconnaissance and countered the Red Army’s reconnaissance with fire and counterattacks.

In the south, the German troops were forced out of Tomarovka, and Belgorod was completely cleared.

At the north face, the Soviet troops forced their way toward Khotynets and Goncharovka. The Germans left strong rearguard barriers on their way, continuously attacking and bombing the Soviet troops from air.

In the south, the German command urgently reinforced their troops near Bogodukhov. Troops were drawn from Poltava, Kharkov, and Stalino. At the same time, tank units from other front sections approached Bogodukhov. However, Bogodukhov was liberated by the Red Army. The commander of the 19th Panzer Division, Schmidt was killed in the battle. At the Soviet Steppe Front, the Germans withdrew in the south and south-west directions.

In the north, the Soviet troops continued their offensive. The Red Army approached Khotynets, and came to the north-east bank of the Orlitsa River to the west of Orel and liberated Naryshkino, an important railway node.

At the south face, the German troops regrouped, and tank units were drawn to Bogodukhov (in particular, the 3rd Panzer Division and Das Reich). Counterattacks followed one by one, but failed to stop the advance of the Soviet troops.

In the north: Soviet troops forced their way even closer to Khotynets. The Soviet troops of the Central Front continued their offensive; however, the German artillery fire and minefields slowed it down.

In the south: The Red Army captured tankers who belonged to the 4^th Panzer Division and Großdeutschland. In the south and south-west of Bogodukhov, the 3rd SS Totenkopf and2nd SS Das Reich divisions were spotted, and radio broadcasts of the SS panzer Division Wiking were detected in Kharkov. The Soviet offensive became a chase of the Germans in the direction of Kharkov.

At the Bryansk Front of the north face of the Kursk salient, the Soviet troops liberated the central region and the Khotynets station on the second day of battles. At other fronts, the German Troops attempted to hold the advance of the Red Army, conducting reconnaissance and artillery duels.

In the south, the Germans drew the SS Panzergrenadier Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, tank reinforcement of the 7^th and 11^th Panzer Divisions, and Großdeutschland toward Akhtyrka.

At the north face of the Kursk salient, the Soviet troops continued their offensive that made a breach in the German defense at the Bryansk Front up to 15 km deep, and up to 9 km at the Central Front. The Soviet troops liberated the central region of Soskovo.

In the south, the offensive was led by the 1^st Tank Army. Krasnokutsk was liberated and the railway Poltava – Kharkov was cut. In the middle of the day, forces of the 3rd SS Totenkopf and 2nd SS Das Reich divisions began a counterattack in the general direction toward Sharovka and reached the rear of the 1st Tank Army. By the evening, the three SS divisions had fewer than 174 tanks and self-propelled guns.

In the north, the Red Army continued their offensive toward Karachev and Shablykino. Troops of the Central Front liberated the city of Dmitrovsk-Orlovskiy; armies of the Western Front battled their way toward Spas-Demensk.

In the morning, the 3rd SS Totenkopf and 2nd SS Das Reich divisions began their attack, trying to cut off the Soviet forces of the Voronezh Front from Bogodukhov. In some areas, the Soviet troops were pushed back 3-4 km to the northwest. According to Marshal Zhukov’s personal order, the Soviet troops should have destroyed the Germans who had broken through.

The Steppe Front opposed five infantry and two tank divisions that were reinforced.

The advance in the direction of Karachev was taking place in the north. The Soviet forces successfully traversed the German mine fields and liberated Shablykino. On the same day, the town of Spas-Demensk and the railway station were liberated on the Western Front.

In the south, the German forces launched a counter-attack in the direction of Bohodukhiv. Two Soviet armies fought until the very last to repel this attack. Battles were also fought in the north of Kharkiv that day.

In the north, two Soviet armies were approaching Karachev and advancing to the southeast of Spas-Demensk.

In the south, the German forces were being ground-down, while trying to push through at Bohodukhiv. By the end of the day, the enemy attack had been stopped. In addition, the Soviet forces also fought urban combat in Okhtyrka, and managed to cross the Vorskla river.

The German forces received reinforcements and managed to fend off the Soviet Steppe Front.

After fierce battles, the Soviet forces managed to liberate Karachev in the north. In the center of the Orel salient, the German forces kept retreating, while fiercely resisting the regiments of the Red Army. The Soviet forces were also advancing in the direction of Elnya and Zhizdra, as well as to the southeast of Spas-Demensk.

On the southern front, in the morning, the Germans launched an attack in the direction of Krasnokutsk, and managed to push the regiments of the 6th Guards Army back to the Merla river. According to intelligence reports, the troops of the 16th Panzer Division were expected to arrive in Okhtyrka. On the western bank of the Vorskla river, battles were fought to extend the bridgeheads.

The Soviet forces were the most successful in the north, on the outskirts of the Orel salient. The troops on the left wing of the Western Front managed to advance 9 kilometers forward and liberated the city of Zhizdra.

In the south, there was only scouting and small skirmishes for better positions that day. The Soviet troops at the Steppe Front were ordered to capture Kharkiv, while the German general Werner Kempf left his position.

Severe clashes occurred on the northern front. From time to time, soldiers were engaged in melee combat. In the south, the German forces were advancing in the direction of Krasnokutsk, and they even managed to kick the Soviet troops out of some settlements. After artillery preparation, the armies of the Voronezh Front went on the offensive. The 27th Soviet Army occupied Belsk, which was lost the prior day.

The Germans tried hard to repel the advance on the Steppe Front in the south, and even launched counter-attacks in some areas, supported by tanks. Kharkiv was nearly surrounded. Army Detachment Kempf was designated as the 8th Army.

The large-scale Soviet advance in the north had finished. The German forces fortified their positions at the Hagen Line. They were evacuating the troops from the Orel salient.

However, the Germans successfully launched a counter-attack from the Okhtyrka area on the southern front. At the same time, they fought fiercely against the Steppe Front forces, so the Soviets did not manage to push further than 5 kilometers.

In the north, the Soviet troops liberated Luki and Skurynsk to the northeast of Bryansk, and occupied the captured positions in the center.

In the south, the Germans successfully launched a counter-attack from Okhtyrka, capturing Ivanovka. However, the German forces retreated by that evening. The Soviets broke through the regiments of the 4th Panzer Army making them vulnerable.

On the northern front, the German were holding a fierce and effective defense. The Soviet troops managed to push a little into the area of Spas-Demensk at the Western Front, however their offensive was repelled southeast of Elnya.

In the morning, the Panzer Division Totenkopf launched an offensive at the southern line, and captured several settlements south of Okhtyrka aiming to advance in the direction of Bogodukhiv. On the other hand, the Soviet forces managed to break through the German defenses at the Steppe Front.

In the north, the Germans launched a counter-attack to the West of Spas-Demensk, supported by artillery fire and air strikes, however, the attack was not successful.

In the south, two Soviet armies launched a powerful offensive in the direction of Okhtyrka, but the Germans held the line fiercely. The 7th and 11th Panzer Divisions, as well as the Großdeutschland Division kept counter-attacking.

In the north, the Soviet troops took positions across all fronts and were regrouping their forces. They successfully repelled the German attacks.

In the south, the Germans sent their new Panther tanks from the Das Reich Division into battle, and managed to stop the Soviet offensive in the direction of Okhtyrka. On that very day, the German command decided to leave Kharkiv.

The Belgorod-Kharkiv strategic offensive operation codenamed Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev, was complete when Kharkiv was finally liberated. The majority of the German troops managed to retreat from the city just before the offensive, but the Red Army kept chasing the retreating enemy. A total of 20 fireworks were launched from 224 guns in Moscow that day, celebrating the liberation of Kharkiv.

The Battle of Kursk had ended.