Historical memory: July 12 - a memorable date in the military history of Russia - the tank battle near Prokhorovka on July 12, 1943 on the day of the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paultranslated

July 12, 2026 · 1 min read

One of the largest tank battles of World War II took place during the Kursk defensive operation. In this battle in the area of the Prokhorovka railway station, Belgorod region, Soviet military leaders surpassed the enemy in the art of war, the personnel showed high military skill and heroism, and military equipment showed excellent combat qualities. On July 9, 1943, German troops, at the cost of heavy losses […]

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Василий Орлов

My grandfather told how his T-34 tank burned near Prokhorovka on the very day of Peter and Paul. It’s good that our Germans outplayed the Germans in tactics, although the losses were terrible. I wonder how many of our guys died there exactly?

Gabriela Popescu

My grandfather on my mother's side was a mechanic on a T-34 and he told me that on that day of St. Peter and Paul the smoke was so thick that they could barely see two meters away. He escaped with his life, but lost two friends from the village just outside Prohorovka. How many victims were ours, we really don't know exactly?

Sophia Walker

My uncle Pete was a mechanic on a T-34 too, same as Gabriela’s grandfather. He never talked much about the smoke or the friends he lost that day under Peter and Paul, but he always said the way our commanders switched the attack caught the Germans flat-footed. The exact numbers still make my stomach turn, though.

Світлана Мороз

My uncle also fought on a T-34 near Prokhorovka on the very day of Peter and Paul. He said that nothing could be seen from the smoke, and our tanks burned like matches. I wonder how many of ours were killed, as Vasyl writes.

Radu Gheorghiu

My grandfather from Sibiu was also a mechanic on the T-34, but on the western front. He always said that the thick smoke from Prohorovka was the worst, just like Gabriela and Svitlana say. How many casualties were ours on that day of St. Peter and Paul, I really don't know exactly, but it's good that our tactics turned the Germans back.

Paul Taylor

My uncle Pete sounds like a proper laconic type, same as my old neighbour who crewed a T-34 at Kursk. The bit about the commanders switching the attack rings true; Dad always reckoned that sudden shift on the 12th threw the Germans off their timing completely. Did your uncle ever mention what it was like keeping those engines running in all that July heat and dust?

Irina Dumitrescu

Your grandfather from Sibiu was lucky to escape that inferno of smoke and dust from Prohorovka, Radu. I read that our losses on that day of St. Peter and Paul were about 250 tanks destroyed, but the Germans lost even more and were stopped. Do you know if he told anything concrete about the engine of the T-34, how it behaved in that mud?

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