Hand-to-hand combat by tanks

Kursk was a quiet, ordinary city, except for its small coal mine. Most people would have never heard of its name if there hadn’t been a bloody battle between Germany and the Soviet Union to secure the Kursk salient from July 5 to August 23 in 1943. However, with the bloody battle in which 800,000 German soldiers and two million Soviet soldiers were mobilized, it became a city that anybody interested in the history of war knows about. In particular, the large-scale hand-to-hand combat where over 1,500 tanks were used is known as the costliest and fiercest combat in the history of tank battles that would never happen again. A hand-to-hand tank battle may sound unfamiliar but it literally means a bloody battle between tanks. The tanks that couldn’t fire cannonballs or caught on fire barged into the tanks of their enemy. If robots are utilized in battles in the future, we may see something like this again.

Once a place known only to war history enthusiasts, Kursk is now on the global stage, attracting attention due to the potential for future conflict. The prospect of a battle between Russia and Ukraine in this historically significant city has piqued the interest of military analysts and history enthusiasts alike.

It has become the game of chicken. Ukraine mobilized its best troops, which Russia’s second-tier troops won’t be able to handle. Russia will have to mobilize its main force from the eastern front. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian force may earn time to secure a defensive formation or take a chance on the eastern front. If they hold up until October, rasputitsa will arrive, making the wet ground muddy. Kursk is a plain, which may seem disadvantageous for defense, but it is the opposite. The attacking forces are completely exposed, while hills, forests, and ditches create a great geography for defense. In 1943, the German forces entered into the Kursk salient, which was well fortified, and suffered irreparable damage.