Battle of Kursk
1943 CE · Soviet Union (Russia)
The Battle of Kursk was fought in 1943 CE in Soviet Union (Russia) between Soviet Union vs Germany; decisive Soviet victory; Germany's last major offensive on the Eastern Front failed.
Battle of Kursk: quick facts
- Date
- 1943 CE
- Location
- Soviet Union (Russia)
- Belligerents
- Soviet Union vs Germany
- Commanders
- Georgy Zhukov, Konstantin Rokossovsky and Nikolai Vatutin vs Erich von Manstein and Günther von Kluge
- Result
- decisive Soviet victory; Germany's last major offensive on the Eastern Front failed.
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Kursk?
Over 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft, and 2 million soldiers clashed in the largest armored battle ever fought. The Germans' Operation Citadel aimed to eliminate a Soviet bulge in the front lines but failed against prepared Soviet defenses in depth. After Kursk, Germany lost the strategic initiative in the East and would never launch another major offensive on the Eastern Front.
Did you know?
Soviet intelligence before Kursk was so thorough that they knew the exact date and time of the German attack. They even launched a massive preemptive artillery bombardment just hours before the assault began.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Kursk on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.