Thunder at Prokhorovka: A Combat History of Operation Citadel, Kursk, July 1943 by Schranck David

Author:Schranck, David
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War II
ISBN: 9781910294352
Publisher: Helion and Company
Published: 2014-01-18T16:00:00+00:00

15

July 10th on the Northern Salient

See Map 6

The Germans were stopped far short of cutting the Orel-Kursk railroad line but Model did not have reserves to make another attempt at the important rail line. zzz101m. dgk87m. dgk122m.

In the predawn hours, the 15th VA attacked airfields near Orel but were unsuccessful and lost a few planes in the process. Destroying German planes on the ground would not only help Rokossovsky defeat 9th Army, it would also make it easier to defeat 2nd PzA when Operation Kutuzov began. cbk71. dgk122m. cbk12m.

In the 4th PzD sector near Teploe where the Germans were being pushed back, Kahler’s 33rd PzR regrouped and resumed its attack, reaching Hill 260. In tough hand-to-hand combat, the 33rd PzR was able to crest the hill but under heavy shelling the Soviets immediately counter-attacked. In this engagement alone the regiment had over 100 casualties. For the day the entire division suffered 500 casualties while it expended 200 tons of ammo. The costs of reopening the gap toward Olkhovatka were high and the return was miminal. fkk68. dgk87m. dgk122m. lck116m.

While the 47th PzC made no gains, the 46th PzC with the 258th ID, 7th ID and 31st ID in the lead, attacked the east flank of 70th Army. The 258th ID attacked the 280th RD but were repulsed and then were counter-attacked. The 7th ID made a little progress but then the 175th RD counter-attacked and the Germans had to retreat. Both divisions failed in their objective of reaching the Kursk-Orel highway. Six T34s were reported lost. In the early hours on the east flank, the 74th RD and 148th RD, with support from tanks and planes, attacked the 78th AD of 23rd IC at Protasovo. The Soviets lost 12 tanks but did gain some ground. Throughout the whole day, the 78th AD and 216th ID received heavy shelling from the 12th AD. Despite this, elements of the 78th AD with the help of Ferdinands took a hill near Trosna and another group took the town by 1300 hrs, capturing 824 POWs. wdk182. dgk87m. dgk122m. lck116m.

The 41st PzC’s 86th ID and 10th PzGD suffered heavy shelling from the 5th Artillery Division and the Soviet AF before being attacked by the 307th RD at Ponyri PC. At 1800 hrs, a small raiding squad of eight T34s took a hill near Ponyri PC but were then hit by Stukas and driven off. According to Soviet POWs, they had suffered heavy casualties during this operation. wdk182. dgk87m. dgr199m. dgk122m. lck116m.

After a brief pause, the 47th PzC which had the most panzers, resumed its attack with the objective of traveling through Teploe and traveling three miles to gain control of the high ground near Molotyschi. The Burmeister Brigade which included 2nd PzD, 4th PzD and 20th PzD, after initiating the attack, were to remain behind at Samodurovka north of Teploe in reserve until needed. The terrain north of Teploe was difficult and the 47th PzC had a tough time in advancing through it against heavy artillery shelling.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.