The Battle of Kursk was one of the defining moments of World War II. In
July 1943, German forces under Erich von Manstein--one of Germany's best
generals--launched a massive attack in an offensive code-named Citadel.
A week later, the Soviets counterattacked, sparking a huge clash of
tanks at Prokhorovka, the largest armor battle in history, pitting more
than 600 Soviet tanks against some 300 German panzers. Though the
Germans gained a tactical victory, destroying huge numbers of Soviet
tanks, they failed to achieve their objectives, and in the end the
battle marked a turning point on the Eastern Front. The Red Army gained
the strategic initiative and would not lose it.