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Article: Engineer support of the defensive battle of Soviet troops in the Battle of Kursk.
- Article from:
- Military Thought
- Article date:
- October 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 East View Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Battle of Kursk is the central event of the summer-autumn campaign of 1943. As a result of the historic victories of the Soviet armed forces in the Battle of Stalingrad and in the winter offensive of 1942/43, strategic initiative went over to the Soviet command. Beginning in March 1943, the front stabilized along the Mga, Velikiye Luki, Rzhev, Kirov, Sumy, Belgorod, Taganrog line. The salient around the city of Kursk was a bulge in the Soviet lines that protruded 100-120 kilometers westward. Both sides were trying to take advantage of the strategic pause in fighting to prepare new operations for decisive objectives.
By the summer of 1943, the Soviet Union ...