Tanky u Prochorovky - Mýtus o největší tankové bitvě dějin – Wheatley Ben (2025)

The tank battle at Prokhorovka represented one of the symbols of the heroism of the Red Army during World War II in the former Soviet Union (and in present-day Russia): an epic confrontation with numerous casualties on both sides, where hundreds of tanks fired at each other from close range, resulting in a victorious outcome for the Soviet tankers. There is no doubt about the significance of the battle in the Kursk salient in the summer of 1943. Likewise, the victory of the Red Army and the heroism of its soldiers cannot be disputed. However, there is one problem: the legendary confrontation at Prokhorovka happened quite differently, and the long-standing image of this battle is based on false claims.
British military historian Ben Wheatley, based on careful study of both known and newly discovered archival documents (primarily German reports on the status and repairs of combat equipment), presents a new picture of the battle, clearly indicating that the loss ratio at Prokhorovka was heavily unbalanced and that the existing image belongs to the realm of myths. The interpretation is supplemented by numerous statistical data, overview tables, period documents, and historical and contemporary photographs of the battlefield.

As soon as Stalin learned of the extremely high losses of armored vehicles that the 5th Guards Tank Army at...