Prokhorovka
Prokhorovka is a battle map in World of Tanks. In my opinion it is one of the more enjoyable maps. It seems to have something for everyone. Open, undulating plains for the light and medium tanks to race around and do what they do. Two high speed avenues of approach, road to the west and railroad to the east, a hill so snipers can get there and hit targets half way across the map, a small village that allows the street brawlers to do their work, and a place for artillery to hide. As I said, something for everyone.
But in real life, Prokhorovka was a major battlefield during the Battle of Kursk, and may very well be the one of the key battles of WWII.
The German launched the Kursk Offensive, Operation Zitadelle (Citadel), on July 5th, 1943. Unfortunately for them, the Russians, with help from US and British intelligence, knew what they were planning and had months to prepare, and prepare they did. Prior to the attack the Soviets moved over 20,000 pieces of artillery, 3,000 tanks, and 2,000 planes in to the Kursk area. In addition, they completed over 6,000 miles of trenches.
After 6 days of heavy fighting, the Germans had reached Prokhorovka. This was a vital objective, it controlled key road and railroads in the area and was necessary for both sides if they were to continue the offensive. The Soviets had assembled two armies, the 5th Guards Tank Army and the 5th Guards Army, 850 tanks (T-34 and KV-1). The Soviets estimated the Germans had over 700 tanks, but in reality the Germans had only about 300 tanks operationally ready.
During the Kursk Offensive, Hitler had demanded that two new vehicles be sent to the front. They were the PzKW V Panther and the Elefant (Ferdinand) Tank Destroyer. Neither had finished their acceptance trails, but Hitler insisted they be tested in combat. Initially, the Ferdinand performed admirably, but over time its complex engine and transmission caused numerous breakdowns, resulting in lost and captured vehicles. In addition, it had no machine guns, making it vulnerable to enemy ground troops. The Panther was a problem from the start. It suffered from engine fires and was liable to ignite, even when not in combat. many were left beside the road enroute to battle, already a flaming hulk.
After 12 hours of some of the heaviest fighting of WWII, the Soviets were able to stop the finest of the German armored forces. It came at a heavy loss for both sides. The Soviets lost over 400 tanks, the Germans over 150, or each side losing about 50% of their tanks destroyed.
Both sides were ready to halt the offensive action and resort to defensive actions. Neither side had the resources to continue any offensive actions and so Prokhorovka marked the high point of the German advance and the start of the Soviet push to drive the Germans from their territory.
The Soviets had planned to lure the Germans into a trap, then counterattack and destroy their army. But the heavy fighting left both sides depleted in resources. The Soviets had to move their counterattack plans to a different section and a different time.
An example of the destruction caused by the Tiger tanks involved would be that of Michael Wittman, a recognized and highly decorated German Panzer Ace. On the first day he destroyed 8 Soviet tanks. On day 5, he destroyed 30 T-34 tanks, 28 anti-tank guns, and 2 batteries of artillery, and action for which he received the Knights Cross.
While the Kursk Offensive is recognized as the largest tank battle in history, Prokhorovka doesn’t always get its reward as key to that battle. Especially not by those of us playing World of Tanks on the small battle map.
