High Water Mark

The second night Totcnkopf spent in the PscI bridgehead was far from secure. It was spent taking the northern slopes of Hill 226.6 from it's tenacious defenders while the division’s panzer regiment drove 3km northeast to the edge of the highway linking Kartashevka to Beregovoc. Threatening this vital supply line...

1943-07-13

K08

The second night Totcnkopf spent in the PscI bridgehead was far from secure. It was spent taking the northern slopes of Hill 226.6 from it's tenacious defenders while the division’s panzer regiment drove 3km northeast to the edge of the highway linking Kartashevka to Beregovoc. Threatening this vital supply line, they now endured vicious and uncoordinated counterattacks throughout the night. By morning these attacks intensified in strength and coordination when Totenkopf was attacked by the full weight of two armored brigades. Intent on helping the XXXIII Guards Rifle Corps secure the left flank of the 5'*' Guards Army, as well as preventing a linking of Totenkopf with the rest of the II SS Panz.er Corps, the Russian armored brigades of the XXXI Independent Tank Corps launched incessant and skillful attacks against point and flanks of the SS thrust. The ferocity of these attacks inflicted heavy casualties and forced the II SS Panzer Corps to reappraise their battle plans. The failure of neighboring LAH in front of Prokhorovka and thus not secure Totenkopfs eastern flank would make the Totenkopfs own thrust impossible to sustain. Totenkopf was instead forced to puli back to Hill 226.6 to avoid the risk of being cut off. Ultimately, this highway would prove to be the high water mark for the farthest northern advance Army Group South would make during Operation Zitadelle.

Prokhorovka, Russia

The Battle of Prokhorovka was fought on 12 July 1943 near Prokhorovka, 87 kilometers (54 mi) southeast of Kursk in the Soviet Union, during the Second World War. Taking place on the Eastern Front, the engagement was part of the wider Battle of Kursk, and occurred when the 5th Guards Tank Army of the Soviet Red Army attacked the II SS-Panzer Corps of the German Wehrmacht in one of the largest tank battles in military history.

Wikipedia: Battle of Prokhorovka

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Russian