Born to a poor peasant family from central Russia, Zhukov was conscripted into the Imperial Russian Army and fought in World War I. He served in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. Gradually rising through the ranks, by 1939 Zhukov had been given command of an army group and won a decisive battle over Japanese forces at Khalkhin Gol, for which he won the first of his four Hero of the Soviet Union awards. In February 1941, Zhukov was appointed as chief of the Red Army's General Staff.
Battle Academy 2 - Battle of Kursk key serial number
In 1914, Zhukov was conscripted into the Imperial Russian Army, where he served in the 10th Dragoon Novgorod Regiment, and was wounded in action against the Germans at Kharkiv. During World War I, Zhukov was awarded the Cross of St. George twice, and promoted to the non-commissioned officer ranks in recognition of his bravery in battle.
These events led to the strategically decisive battle of Khalkhin Gol. Zhukov requested major reinforcements, and on 20 August 1939, his Soviet offensive commenced. After a massive artillery barrage, nearly 500 BT-5 and BT-7 tanks advanced,[14] supported by over 500 fighters and bombers.[15] This was the Soviet Air Force's first fighter-bomber operation.[16]
This campaign had significance beyond the immediate tactical and local outcome. Zhukov demonstrated and tested the techniques later used against the Germans in the Eastern Front of the Second World War. His innovations included the deployment of underwater bridges, and improving the cohesion and battle-effectiveness of inexperienced units by adding a few experienced, battle-hardened troops to bolster morale and overall training.[17]
Evaluation of the problems inherent in the performance of the BT tanks led to the replacement of their fire-prone petrol (gasoline) engines with diesel engines. This battle provided valuable practical knowledge that was essential to the Soviet success in development of the T-34 medium tank used in World War II. After this campaign, veterans were transferred to untested units, to better spread the benefits of their battle experience.[18]
Zhukov was a Stavka coordinator at the battle of Kursk in July 1943. He was considered the main architect of the Soviet victory together with Vasilevsky.[44] According to Zhukov's memoirs, he played a central role in the planning of the battle and the hugely successful offensive that followed. Commander of the Central Front Konstantin Rokossovsky, said, however, that the planning and decisions for the Battle of Kursk were made without Zhukov, that he only arrived just before the battle, made no decisions and left soon afterward, and that Zhukov exaggerated his role.[45] A sense of the nature of the beginning of Rokossovsky's famous World War II rivalry with Zhukov can be gathered from reading Rokossovsky's comments in an official report on Zhukov's character:[46]
Appraisals of Zhukov's career vary. For example, historian Konstantin Zaleski claimed that Zhukov exaggerated his own role in World War II.[102] Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky said that the planning and decisions for the Battle of Kursk were made without Zhukov, that he only arrived just before the battle, made no decisions and left soon after.[45]
The onset of the winter freeze saw one last German lunge that opened on 15 November, when the Wehrmacht attempted to encircle Moscow. On 27 November, the 4th Panzer Army got to within 30 km (19 mi) of the Kremlin when it reached the last tramstop of the Moscow line at Khimki. Meanwhile, the 2nd Panzer Army failed to take Tula, the last Soviet city that stood in its way to the capital. After a meeting held in Orsha between the head of the OKH (Army General Staff), General Franz Halder and the heads of three Army groups and armies, decided to push forward to Moscow since it was better, as argued by the head of Army Group Center, Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, for them to try their luck on the battlefield rather than just sit and wait while their opponent gathered more strength.[80]
On 12 July the Red Army battled through the demarcation line between the 211th and 293rd divisions on the Zhizdra River and steamed towards Karachev, right behind them and behind Orel. The southern offensive, spearheaded by 4th Panzer Army, led by Gen. Col. Hoth, with three Tank Corps made more headway. Advancing on either side of the upper Donets on a narrow corridor, the II SS Panzer Corps and the Großdeutschland Panzergrenadier divisions battled their way through minefields and over comparatively high ground towards Oboyan. Stiff resistance caused a change of direction from east to west of the front, but the tanks got 25 km (16 mi) before encountering the reserves of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army outside Prokhorovka. Battle was joined on 12 July, with about one thousand tanks being engaged.
After the war, the battle near Prochorovka was idealised by Soviet historians as the largest tank battle of all time. The meeting engagement at Prochorovka was a Soviet defensive success, albeit at heavy cost. The Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army, with about 800 light and medium tanks, attacked elements of the II SS Panzer Corps. Tank losses on both sides have been the source of controversy ever since. Although the 5th Guards Tank Army did not attain its objectives, the German advance had been halted.
The Soviet multi-stage summer offensive started with the advance into the Orel salient. The diversion of the well-equipped Großdeutschland Division from Belgorod to Karachev could not counteract it, and the Wehrmacht began a withdrawal from Orel (retaken by the Red Army on 5 August 1943), falling back to the Hagen line in front of Bryansk. To the south, the Red Army broke through Army Group South's Belgorod positions and headed for Kharkov once again. Although intense battles of movement throughout late July and into August 1943 saw the Tigers blunting Soviet tank attacks on one axis, they were soon outflanked on another line to the west as the Soviet forces advanced down the Psel, and Kharkov was abandoned for the final time on 22 August.
In a lightning campaign, the Germans were pushed back from Leningrad and Novgorod was captured by Soviet forces. After a 120-kilometre (75 mi) advance in January and February, the Leningrad Front had reached the borders of Estonia. To Stalin, the Baltic Sea seemed the quickest way to take the battles to the German territory in East Prussia and seize control of Finland.[88] The Leningrad Front's offensives towards Tallinn, a main Baltic port, were stopped in February 1944. The German army group "Narwa" included Estonian conscripts, defending the re-establishment of Estonian independence.[89][90]
The huge death toll was attributed to several factors, including brutal mistreatment of POWs and captured partisans, the large deficiency of food and medical supplies in Soviet territories, and atrocities committed mostly by the Germans against the civilian population. The multiple battles and the use of scorched earth tactics destroyed agricultural land, infrastructure, and whole towns, leaving much of the population homeless and without food.
In Battle Academy 2, players will be able to take command of Soviet and German forces at the tactical level. While this sequel includes everything that made the previous game so absorbing and accessible, it also introduces new features for a deeper and richer strategy experience. With more than 130 units, a brand new skirmish mode, random map generator, 4 single players campaigns, versus and cooperative multiplayer modes and enhanced with new tactical tools, players are bound to fight some unforgettable battles in Mother Russia.
In July 1943 a massive tank battle took place between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union around the city of Kursk. The German army was hoping to achieve a victory following the defeat at Stalingrad the previous winter, and to destroy a large Soviet force in order to prepare for a renewed offensive. The Soviet army hoped to wear out the German attack, and in order to achieve this, they constructed a series of defensive positions, before they could turn on the attack themselves.
The German plan was hindered by delays in production, giving the Soviet army ample time to prepare. Ultimately the German attack was held off by the Soviet defenses, although both sides would see heavy losses in the engagement. The Battle of Kursk would come to be known as the largest tank battle in history, though it also resulted in the beginning of the end for the German army on the Eastern Front.
The battle of Kursk was a major defeat for the German army on the Eastern Front. It was the first summer time offensive that did not result in a breakthrough and the German defeat at Kursk would begin the retreat back to Berlin.
What does it take to turn the tides in a war? Often, it comes down to one pivotal battle. What it takes to win that battle, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. For the first part of World War II, Germany commanded pretty clear control. Most battles in these first years were defined by Germany on the offense and everybody else playing defense. However, in each of the fronts that Germany fought, eventually this changed. On the Russian front, the pivotal battle most responsible for turning the tides was the Battle of Kursk.
In 1942, Moscow was abandoned as the main objective, as mounting propaganda and a focus on the oil fields of the Caucasus brought the city of Stalingrad into focus for Hitler and the Soviet leader, Josef Stalin. Over the winter of 1942 to early 1943, the vicious battle of Stalingrad took place, leaving nearly 2 million killed or missing, and culminating in a German defeat.
The summer of 1943 would see the Battle of Kursk take place. Kursk was significant for a number of reasons. It is often cited as the largest tank battle in history, but perhaps more importantly, it dealt a final blow to German forces on the eastern front and decisively turned the tide of World War II.
Both the German and Soviet armies worked to train their troops for the upcoming battle. The German army prepared mock Soviet defensive positions to train their troops in shock tactics. The Soviet army focused on drilling the fear of tanks out of the Soviet troops. In order to achieve this, Soviet troops would be ordered into trenches, and tanks would be driven over them. 2ff7e9595c
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