Prokhorovka: Largest Tank Battle in History
The Battle of Prokhorovka on July 12, 1943, pitted roughly 800 Soviet tanks against 300 German panzers in the largest armored engagement of the Kursk campaign. Soviet T-34s charged directly into German lines to negate the longer range of Tiger tanks, creating a point-blank melee where vehicles rammed each other at close quarters. Both sides suffered devastating losses, but Germany could not replace its destroyed tanks while Soviet factories were producing T-34s faster than they could be knocked out. The failure at Kursk ended Germany's last major offensive on the Eastern Front, permanently shifting the initiative to the Red Army and beginning the long westward push toward Berlin.
July 12, 1943
83 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Nazi Germany
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World War II
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Soviet Union
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tank
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Battle of Prokhorovka
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World War II
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Battle of Kursk
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Nazi Germany
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Soviet Union
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Battle of Prokhorovka
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Lithuania
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Prochorowka
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Unternehmen Zitadelle
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What Else Happened on July 12
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