Dance of the Totenkopfs

The 2nd SS Panzer Corps fights its way north to the Psel River to face the last defensive Soviet ring before Kursk. Elements of the 3rd SS PzGren Div ‘Totenkopf’ wheeled west towards Greznoye to encounter concentrated defense from the …

1943-07-09

SoS16

The 2nd SS Panzer Corps fights its way north to the Psel River to face the last defensive Soviet ring before Kursk. Elements of the 3rd SS PzGren Div ‘Totenkopf’ wheeled west towards Greznoye to encounter concentrated defense from the Soviet 31st Tank Corps. Desperate, the Soviets threw in all their area reserves, and soon the German Tigers and Panthers were fighting for their own survival. Larger formations broke r ranks in order to rescue fellow tankers suddenly alone. The death dance had begun.

Greznoye, Russia

The Battle of Kursk was a Second World War engagement between German and Soviet forces on the Eastern Front near Kursk in the Soviet Union, during July and August 1943. The battle began with the launch of the German offensive Operation Citadel, on 5 July, which had the objective of pinching off the Kursk salient with attacks on the base of the salient from north and south simultaneously. After the German offensive stalled on the northern side of the salient, on 12 July the Soviets commenced their Kursk Strategic Offensive Operation with the launch of Operation Kutuzov against the rear of the German forces in the northern side. On the southern side, the Soviets also launched powerful counterattacks the same day, one of which led to a large armoured clash, the Battle of Prokhorovka. On 3 August, the Soviets began the second phase of the Kursk Strategic Offensive Operation with the launch of Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev against the German forces in the southern side of the Kursk salient.

Wikipedia: Battle of Kursk

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