🏅 On August 23, Russia celebrates the Day of Military Glory. #OnThisDay in 1943, the Red Army achieved a decisive victory over the Nazi invaders in the Battle of Kursk, which turned the tide of the Great Patriotic War.

This battle raged for long 50 days and nights and became one of the biggest combat operations in history, involving over 4 million people, over 69,000 artillery guns and mortars, more than 13,000 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, and up to 12,000 planes on both sides.

Ahead of the battle, Soviet commanders Konstantin Rokosovsky and Nikolai Vatutin received intelligence reports and knew when the German offensive would begin. They ordered all the weapons at their disposal to target the enemy positions just 30 or 40 minutes before the operation began, just as the Wehrmacht soldiers were taking their positions.

⚔️ On July 12, a major tank battle took place near Prokhorovka with the legendary Soviet #T34 tanks engaging the German machines in close combat. The Soviet artillery also played its part by launching 200 train car loads of shells against the enemy every day.

With the victory in the Battle of Kursk, the USSR seized the strategic initiative and did not lose it until the end of the war. The victorious operation on the Kursk Bulge enabled the Soviet forces to liberate Kharkov on August 23, followed by combat operations to liberate Ukraine.

🎖The Soviet forces demonstrated their courage, resilience and mass heroism in the Battle of Kursk. Over 100,000 of them received orders and medals, and 231 people received the Hero of the Soviet Union title.

📹 The Russian Military Historical Society