Confronted with a new front line due to the invasion of Sicily on 9 July by the Allies, the Germans saw themselves forced to withdraw resources from Operation Citadel and commit their tanks corps to Italy. In the end, the Soviet strategy of letting the Germans wear themselves out against a strong defensive line worked.
The Red Army, for its part, countered with their new Yak-9s and legendary IL-2s, flying multiple hundreds of sorties every day of the battle. The Germans mainly employed their newly delivered Focke-Wulf 190A in the air and used Junkers Ju 87 aircraft against Soviet tank forces. Over the duration of the battle itself, the Luftwaffe and VVS (Soviet Military Air Forces) collided in some of the biggest air operations ever fought. Despite heavy losses, the Soviet production lines didn't stop and quickly managed to replenish their forces, providing the Red Army with the essential T-34 tanks and La-5 aircraft. In return, the Germans ordered heavy bombardment of the closest tank factories, knowing that their supplies would play a huge role in the upcoming battle. While the battle is largely remembered for its tank combat, aircraft of both sides played a major role in the outcome of the encounter.īefore 5 July, the Soviets prepared themselves by raiding German air fields and thus managed to take out almost all of the German reconnaissance aircraft. The Soviets were equally well prepared, mustering almost 1.9 million men, 5,000 tanks, 20,000 guns and around 3,000 aircraft. Germany amassed a huge army of some 900,000 soldiers, 10,000 artillery guns, 2,700 tanks and 2,000 aircraft in the area.
TANK BATTLES KURSK SERIES
The biggest clash of this offensive took place from 5 July - 23 August in a series of engagements known as the Battle of Kursk. He ordered his generals to mount 'Operation Citadel' - a huge offensive that was meant to halt Soviet advances and show that the Germans were still a force to be reckoned with. Hitler desperately needed a victory in order to rebuild the waning confidence of his troops in the East. By summer, another defeat would have proven to Germany's allies that the nation's offensive capabilities had been fatally wounded in the crushing defeat at Stalingrad. Must be flying U.S., Japanese or British planeįrom 1943 onward, the German army on the Eastern Front had been in retreat.Only base XP counts (bonuses for the first victory, premium account, etc., will not be counted).Įarn at least 700 combat XP in one battle flying the required aircraft.Can be accomplished up to three times per day.Only battles on aircraft of Tier III or higher count for the mission.A battle counts only if you are one of the top 10 experience earners on your team. Win 3 battles flying the required aircraft. Accomplish them all to get some Premium consumables for free! Mission 1: German Attack Our weekend-missions will put you right into the heat of the Battle of Kursk.
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