tank battle at Prokhorovka long period is depicted as the largest tank battle of World War II, as well as the brilliant victory of Russian arms.Today, the most actively battle rises to shield all sorts of accusers of the Soviet regime and "bloody" Marshals of the Great Patriotic.
history battle
Traditional historiography known for this event, probably every compatriot.The opposing army concentrated its forces near the village of the same name.July 11 evening began tank battle of Prokhorovka.The first attack was carried out by the Germans.The Soviet army kept the offensive and moved to the counter in the morning on 12 July.Battle acquired colossal scale, within a few hours the field was covered with fire and smoke.About 13 hours of German forces to make another attempt to break through the center of the Soviet forces by attacking two divisions.However, this attack was neutralized.By the evening of July 12 the German panzer divisions were driven back by 10-15 km.The battle was won, and the Nazi attack at Prokhorovka was the last of the strategic initiative in the Great Patriotic War.
Broken spears around Prokhorovka
a long time in the mass consciousness of compatriots thought, yes, perhaps, and now it is believed that the great tank battle of Prokhorovka was the largest such episode in the war.However, this is clearly not so.Even bold estimates of Soviet historians in the battle attended by about 1,500 armored vehicles on both sides.However, in the same war on the eastern front there were two other significant battle, which should therefore be given.For example, in the battle of Senno 6-10 July 1941 both sides were used about a thousand tanks.The total number of cars and four days of battles make this battle more ambitious than the tank battle of Prokhorovka.Unfortunately, the battle in the second week of the war was devastating played almost was not honored even detain enemy forces.Moreover, this defeat the Nazis opened the way to Moscow and marked the most difficult period of the war the Red Army.But even the battle of Senno was not the largest tank battle of World War II.Such was apparently the battle between the cities of Western Ukraine Lutsk - Dubno, Brody.And it happened even earlier, all in the first days of Blitzkrieg - June 23 - June 30.In this encounter was attended by about 3200 tanks.More than three times higher than in Prokhorovka.During the battle the Red Army divisions were literally crushed, and the enemy was open for an attack on Kiev and Kharkov.It is not surprising that two such defeat would like to forget and not remember even after May 1945!
second myth
There is another large-scale exposure of which actively accompanies today tank battle of Prokhorovka.Photo of broken as a result of this battle tanks stretched across the field, and today can be found in the Media Library, impressed with her scales.Here are just a machine, these are mostly Russian, and not German.Where is the enemy machines, if they were defeated in these fields?In fact, there were only a few Nazi tanks that have been irrevocably withdrawn from the system and left.Most of them simply were evacuated, but also to act against Soviet attack after only a couple of months.But many domestic tanks forever remain in this field.Today it is possible to delve into the infinite numbers, proving wrong data about the battle of Prokhorovka, but in this context it should be remembered that the Soviet people in 1945, and later, it is essential to know the history of success in the war.Absolutely unacceptable was to overshadow the joy of victory, thus definitively breaking the people, and so who bore a heavy burden.In addition, this battle has become part of the most important for the national victory offensive of Kursk.And smasher tank battle is hardly fit to the overall success of the Red Army offensive.After the war the real figures were essential only for a number of specialized historians and tank battle of Prokhorovka overgrown with myths and remained in people's memory the biggest battle tanks.
