The Battle of the Kursk (German code name: Operation Zitadelle) is widely recognized - not quite accurately - as the largest armored battle in World War II and the largest armored battle on the Eastern Front. It happened after the German defeat at Stalingrad in February 1943, but also after the successful German counter-offensive at Kharkiv in March of the same year. The German side, joining the battle, counted on the full acquisition of the strategic initiative, on the task of the Soviet side with the greatest possible losses, as well as on the nipple of the Soviet offensive expected in the summer of 1943. The Red Army adopted a defensive stance, trying to bleed the attacking Germans out of the blood in the initial phase of the operation, and then proceed to a counter-offensive. The battle on the Kursk arc began on July 5, 1943, and along with the Soviet Or³owo and Belgorod operations it lasted until August 23 of the same year. In its course, despite the involvement of significant forces by the German army and the newest Tiger and Panther tanks as well as the Ferdinand tank destroyers, the Soviets achieved victory, who prepared themselves very well for this battle, and despite suffering huge losses - they were able to go to the counteroffensive. The Battle of the Kursk region turned out to be one of the turning points in World War II. It is estimated that as a result (from July 5 to August 23), the German army lost approx. 240,000 soldiers - killed, wounded and captured, approx. 1,300 tanks and approx. 1,000 aircraft. The losses of the Red Army were undoubtedly greater.
The PzKpfw III (Panzerkampfwagen III) was a German medium tank from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were made in 1936, and serial production continued in the period 1937-1943, ending with the production of about 5,800 vehicles. The tank in the E version was powered by a single Maybach HL 120 TRM engine with a capacity of 300 HP. It was armed with one 37mm KwK 35/36 cannon and two 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns. placed in the tower.
PzKpfw III was the "workhorse" of the German armored forces during World War II and one of the most intensively developed and modernized Wehrmacht tanks. Its serial production started in 1936, and many variants of this tank were created in its course. Chronologically, the first version was the A version, armed with a 37mm gun and a 230hp engine. However, already in December 1938, the E version was created, which was the first version produced in large series. It had a new, significantly more powerful engine, a completely new suspension and stronger armor in the front part of the turret and hull. Later (from December 1940) it was also armed with a more powerful 50mm cannon. In March 1940, the G version began to be produced, in which the rear hull and turret armor was reinforced. Soon after, in October 1940, the production of the H version started, which from the very beginning was armed with the 50mm KwK 38 L / 42 gun and had reinforced frontal armor. One of the most produced was the J version, which had armor up to 50 mm thick (later reinforced with aplique plates), and after the experience gained from the clashes with the T-34 and KW-1 vehicles - it was intensively rearmed for the KwK 39 L / 60 cannon. cal. 50 mm. The last development version was the N version, which was to be a support tank for armored grenadiers and was armed with a 75mm KwK 37 L / 24 short-barreled cannon. Numerous other vehicles were built on the chassis of the PzKpfw III, such as the StuG III assault gun. PzKpfw III tanks were used on almost all fronts of World War II - from the September campaign in 1939, through the campaign in France in 1940, operations Barbarossa and Typhoon in 1941, the Battle of Kursk in 1943, to the last operations of the German army against The USSR and the Western Allies in 1944-1945.