July 1943

Eastern Front

At Dawn German forces north of the Kursk salient assemble for their attack. Yet again the Soviets pre-empt the Germans, an arty barrage by the 13th Army of the Central Front causing similar confusion and casualties to 9th Army as suffered by 4th Panzer Army. Despite this ill wind Model duly launches his attack, aircraft of the 1st Air Division, together with the arty of the 9th Army, pound the 13th and 70th Armies as German armor and infantry move forward on a 25-mile front. Within the first half hour of fighting 13th Army is under intense pressure, but determined defense bogs down the attacks by 258th and 7th Infantry Divisions along the Orel highway. Model halts his forces and regroups, resuming the attack a couple of hours later on another narrow sector of the line. Throwing the 20th Panzer Division against the 13th Army's 15th Rifle Division, bitter fighting erupts as the Germans try to overpower 13th Army through sheer weight of numbers. Bobrik falls to 20th Panzer Division after costly fighting, while action on the flanks of the main attack rages as both 48th and 70th Armies resist furiously. However, numerical superiority does begin to tell as the day lengthens, Butyrki falling to the 6th Infantry Division and Panzer Abteilung 505 at midday. However, the new Elefant self-propelled guns of Panzer Jaeger Battalion 653, attacking alongside 292nd Infantry Division near Aleksandrovka, prove vulnerable to Soviet fire due to their lack of anti-personnel armament. Fighting at Alexandrovka sees the destruction of many Elefants as the Soviets separate the armore from their supporting infantry and then tank busting teams disable the lumbering giants with mines and anti-tank guns. The 86th Infantry Division attempts fo batter its waw through to Ponyri, supported by 78th Sturm Division and Panzer Jaeger Battalion 654 to its left. Despite the continued German attacks, the Soviets mount repeated counterattacks wearing down 9th Army from the very beginning of the battle.

The fighting which had begun on the afternoon of July 4 resumes today. Once again the 6th and 7th Guards Armeis begin a pre-emptive bombardment of the German lines, but the XLVIII Panzer Corps launches its own attack shortly after. The attack appears to develop well, but rain during the night has turned the banks of the small stream in front of the Germans into a morass. The Grossdeutschland Division has difficulty in moving into the attack, being shelled by Soviet arty as it flounders. Under heavy fire and having run straight into a minefield near Butovo, the Germans lose 36 of their new Panther tanks. German infantry then has to fend off ferocious counterattacks, suffering heavy losses during bloody fighting. The 3rd Panzer Division on the left wing is unable to break into Savidovka, despite repeated attacks. The Germans press slowly forward though. After hours of ferocious fighting, the XLVIII Panzer Corps secures Cherkosskoye, its infantry and armor suffereing crippling casualties in the minefields and under continual Soviet arty fire.

Hausser's II SS Panzer Corps resumes its attack but meets fierce resistance. The SS divisions manage to break through the Soviet lines and advance 15 miles by dusk. The SS Totenkopf Division succeeds in attacking the command post of 69th Army at Vosnesenski all falling to the German forces. The ferocious German attacks stretch the 6th Guards Army to breaking point, worrying Vatutin that the Germans might break through in this sector.

On the Donets flank, Army Detachment Kempf is unable to advance far due to strong resistance by the 7th Guards Army. Heavy fighting rages throughout the day as Breith's III Panzer Corps launches repeated attacks.

The first day of Operation CITADEL had been a failure for the Germans, both the 9th Army and 4th Panzer Army failing to smash the Soviet defenses on the wings of the salient. In the north the 9th Army was already becoming bogged down. The fierce fighting on the ground was accompanied by equally vicious battles above, the Luftwaffe and Red Air Force battling for control of the skies. Losses in these battles are equally severe.