Jack Kruse, Author

One of the key battles on the Eastern Front between Germany and the Soviet Union was the Battle for the Kursk Salient.

Dawn comes early on the Ukrainian Steppes in July. On 10 July, 1943, at 0330 hours the 11th Panzer Division resumed its attack up the Oboyan Road with Gross Deutschland fighting on the left flank west of Werchopenje. Supported by heavy Luftwaffe effort Gross Deutschland took two hills west of the village despite Soviet counter attacks along the Pena River.

Leibstandarte, on II SS Panzer Corps’ left flank, during the night hours of 9/10 July, crossed behind Totenkopf heading for their new concentration points near Teterevino for their attack up the Prokhorovka Road south of the Psel River. Totenkopf, scheduled to kick off at dawn by crossing the Psel River to the north shore to provide flank support for Leibstandarte, found their attack stalled by Soviet opposition, causing General Hauser to delay Leibstandarte’s attack until 1000 hours. Leibstandarte received the go-ahead finally at 1045 hours and Totenkopf finally crossed the Psel River at noon.

By 1300 Leibstandarte cleared the Komsomolets State Farm and, amid scattered thunderstorms, continued east of the farm against dug-in Soviet tanks .

Das Reich, on II Panzer Corps’ right flank, made limited advances, crossing the rail line to Prokhorovka and taking a small village to the south of the city.

Late on 10 July General Hauser ordered the continuation of the attack on Prokhorovka for 11 July.

Shortly after nightfall Vatutin’s 9th Guards Airborne Division entered defensive positions east of Prokhorovka. 33rd Rifle Corps was positioned along the Psel River. General Rotmistrov’s 5th Guards Tank Army reinforced by the 2nd Tank and 2nd Guards Tank Corps backed up this defensive line. These forces included 500 tanks and self-propelled guns.

Vatutin’s rearrangement of his forces was not completed by the morning of 11 July, when Leibstandarte began their advance up the Prokhorovka Road, backed up by the Luftwaffe, which gained a tenuous air superiority over the front. On the left flank Totenkopf expanded its bridgehead over the Psel river, but Das Reich failed to penetrate Vinogradovka, leaving Leibstandarte’s right flank uncovered.

The Soviet 9th Guards Airborne Division brought the German attack to a halt before an immense anti-tank ditch southeast of the Oktiabr’skii State Farm. Leibstandarte captured a hill in the midst of the Soviet defensive lines at 1310 hours, but their efforts reduced their forces to 60 tanks, 10 assault guns, and 20 tank destroyers.

Soviet attacks continued into the evening, but Leibstandarte smashed 2 Tank Corps’ defenses and drove a deep salient into the 9th Guards Airborne Division’s defenses by taking the Oktiabr’skii State Farm.

As evening fell both sides issued their orders for 12 July. 48th Panzer Corps was to take the Psel River crossing south of Oboyan. Army Group Kempf was to continue moving north along the Donets River while II SS Panzer Corps was to move the last few kilometers to Prokhorovka.

General Vatutin ordered General Rotmistrov to attack at 0300 hours on 12 July. 100 tanks were to attack southeast between the Psel River and the Oktiabr’skii State Farm toward the Komsomolets State Farm. An additional 191 tanks mustered in the southern suburbs of Prokhorovka were to attack between the Oktiabr’skii State Farm and Storzhevoe and 120 tanks were to attack Das Reich east of Belenikhino along the rail line.

The scene was set for the climax of the largest tank and air battle of the Second World War.

Sources: Geoffrey Jukes, Kursk: The Clash of Armour, Ballantine Books, Inc., New York, 1969;
David M. Glantz & Jonathan M. House, The Battle of Kursk, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence KS, 1999

Author: Jack Kruse writes military historical fiction set in World War II. He is currently completing a novel, tentatively titled Cauldron, about the aerial battle of the Kursk Salient, a key confrontation on the Russian front in which German and Soviet fighters and bombers engaged in an intensive series of engagements over the steppes of the Ukraine.

The Soviet flank attacks across the Pena River against Syrtzewo and Werchopenye attracted German attention. On 8 July the 6th Panzer Regiment was ordered to cross the Pena River and, using assault and anti-tank guns, turn south behind the Soviet 71st Guards Rifle Division. To prepare for this attack German pioneers repaired the bridge over the Pena River at Werchopenye on 9 July.

Meanwhile, the 48th Panzer Corps advanced up the Oboyan Road with Grossdeutschland west of the road and 11th Panzer Division east of the road. All available air power was ordered to provide close support. The attack met very strong Soviet resistance provided by the 6th Tank Corps with the support of the infantry of the 9th Guards Rifle Division. By noon the 48th Panzer Corps reached the high ground south of Oboyan, however, they were not able to take Novoselovka by the end of the day.

Thirteen kilometers to the east II SS Panzer Corps continued to attack north toward Kursk with Totenkopf in the van, Leibstandarte on the west flank and Das Reich holding the east flank assisted by the 167th Infantry Division. By this time General Rotmistrov’s 5th Guards Tank Army had positioned itself in front of the German attack holding the line between Oboyan and just northeast of Prokhorovka, harassing Das Reich on the Prokhorovka Road with the assistance of the 2nd Tank Corps.

By the end of 9th July Totenkopf had reached the Psel River and captured Krasnyi Octiabr. Leibstandarte had crossed the Solotinka River and linked up with the 11th Panzer Division. Army Detachment Kempf, assigned to protect II SS Panzer Corps right flank was now held up nearly 45 kilometers to the southeast by the Soviet 7th Guards Army holding well dug in positions in the Belgorod area.

Soviet General Vatutin shifted forces to his right flank to hold Grossdeutschland’s drive toward Oboyan, depending on the 5th Guards Tank Army and the 69th Army to hold the left flank.

At this point, late on the afternoon of July 9, German General Hoth decided to alter the heading of the II SS Panzer Corps from north toward Kursk to the northeast toward Prokhorovka. He felt that, with the SS Corps and concentrated air support, he could smash the armored threat to his east flank, unlock III Panzer Corps of Army Detachment Kempf and break through the Soviet defenses. With that breakthrough Model’s 9th Army of the northern pincer could resume its attack to complete the encirclement of the Kursk Salient.

Author: Jack Kruse writes military historical fiction set in World War II. He is currently completing a novel, tentatively titled Cauldron, about the aerial battle of the Kursk Salient, a key confrontation on the Russian front in which German and Soviet fighters and bombers engaged in an intensive series of engagements over the steppes of the Ukraine.

On the evening of 6 July General Vatutin, commander of the Voronezh front, requested four fresh tank corps and two aviation corps. Stavka, the Soviet high command told Vatutin he needed to use his existing forces. However, they authorized two tank corps for his use, to be available on 8 July.

In the meantime, Stalin ordered Gerneral Konev, commander of the Steppe Front to move the 5th Guards Tank Army forward to the Staryi Oskol area to protect Kursk. They would also be in position by 8 July.

Using the existing second line of defense previously prepared, Vatutin positioned the First Tank Army’s 31st Tank Corps on II SS Panzer Corps right flank, while the 2nd and 5th Guards Tank Corps would be positioned on the left flank. He depended on the 6th Tank and the 3rd Mechanized Corps to stop 48th Panzer Corps’ drive on Oboyan. Voronezh Front’s air power would be used to protect Oboyan while the Southwest Front’s air power would be used against German forces east of Belgorod.

Early on 7 July Hoth’s II Panzer Corps resumed its attack on the Pena and Lukhanino Rivers. The German tanks forced Vatutin to make a second request that Stavka allow him to dig in his tanks into the defensive positions, rather than launch an armored attack. This time Stavka allowed him to do so.

Leibstandarte’s First SS Panzer Regiment, First Panzergrenadier Regiment, and SS Das Reich pushed up the Prokhorovka road, peeling off two panzer grenadier regiments to cover their extended flanks.

On 8 July 500 German tanks with supporting infantry and artillery struck toward Oboyan. With Luftwaffe support Grossdeutschland broke into Syrtzewo just after noon, then continued their attack toward Werchopenye.

A Soviet counter attack from the flank near Werchopenye allowed the Soviets to reach the Pena River at Syrtzewo and Werchopenye by evening. As a result, Vatutin ordered his forces to prepare new defenses north of Werchopenye and across the Oboyan road to the Psel River.

In the east II SS Panzer Corps reoriented its attack away from Prokhorovka and toward Kursk, unaware that Vatutin had already commanded his forces to fall back in that area, while setting up an attack down the Prokhorovka road against II SS Panzer Corps. Vatutin’s attack went in piecemeal against SS Totenkopf’s and Das Reich’s advances. As the day progressed, with assistance from Hs 129 anti-tank aircraft armed with 30 mm cannon, Vatutin’s attack was blunted.

Orders for Grossdeutschland  for 9 July were to take the high ground south of Oboyan and wheel to the west to drive the Soviet forces out of Werchopenye. In the east Hausser’s II SS Panzer Corps was to continue its drive north toward Kursk, spearheaded by 283 tanks and assault guns.

Source: The Battle of Kursk, David M. Glantz & Jonathan M. House, University Press of Kansas, 1999

Author: Jack Kruse writes military historical fiction set in World War II. He is currently completing a novel, tentatively titled Cauldron, about the aerial battle of the Kursk Salient, a key confrontation on the Russian front in which German and Soviet fighters and bombers engaged in an intensive series of engagements over the steppes of the Ukraine.