By the summer of 1943, fundamental changes had already taken place in the Great Patriotic War. The front line moved to the west. Almost directly, it rested at one end in Leningrad, the other in the Black Sea coast. Only in the area of Orel, Kursk, and Belgorod did this line form a bulge. In military history, it received the name of the Kursk Bulge. It was here that the Nazis concentrated large forces during the hot summer months. On July 5, 1943, the Soviet command countered the German offensive against the northern and southern flanks of the Kursk salient with a strong defense. The enemy, which was attacking Kursk from the north, was stopped after four days. Soviet troops, having largely drained the enemy of blood, launched a counteroffensive on July 12. Then, in the area of the Prokhorovka railway station, the largest tank battle of the Second World War took place (up to 1,200 tanks and self-propelled guns on both sides). Developing the offensive, the Soviet troops to 23 August otbresti enemy 140-150 km, liberating Orel, Belgorod and Kharkov. On this day, the Battle of Kursk ended. The following letters from fallen soldiers describe the details of the battles, during which the Wehrmacht's offensive strategy and its efforts to turn the tide of the war in its favor ultimately failed. "Hello, my dears, dear father, mother, Yulia, and Rita! I send you all a warm greeting from the front. I'm still alive and well. I'm participating in fierce battles with the enemy. The Germans are advancing again. The artillery and German mortars are firing. The front lines are engulfed in flames. Our soldiers are heroically repelling the enemy. They have deployed many tanks. I haven't seen the superiority of our aviation yet, but now our planes are constantly bombing his troops... There are even more difficult battles ahead. He wants to surround and destroy us. But we're more likely to do the same to him. In our sector... they're launching psychological attacks... The enemy will m ... Read more