In those terrible days, when heaven and earth burned during the offensive of the Nazis, fierce battles were fought for every piece of their native land. Almost in every village you can erect monuments to Soviet soldiers who, at the cost of their own lives, defended the Motherland. Much has been said about the significance of the Battle of Kursk: about tank battles on the southern face of the arc, and no less strategically important battles on the northern face.

A memorial sign in honor of the soldiers of the 19th Red Banner Perekop Tank Corps Tank "IS-2" was installed on August 6, 1988 on the initiative of veterans of the 19th Tank Corps under the leadership of the 1st Secretary of the RK CPSU V.V. Gukov, Chairman of the District Executive Committee I.S. Demidov ...

Turning to history

In ancient times, a pole road called Pakhnutsky Shlyakh passed in these places, which connected Moscow with the Crimean Khanate. The road passed through Kromy, Olkhovatka and Fatezh and connected Oryol with Kursk in the shortest way. A whole series of hills stretches here. From the heights, a grandiose view of the area opens, and in good weather, with binoculars, you can even see Kursk, located 65 kilometers to the south.

Not far from the villages of Molotychi and Olkhovatka is the highest place in the Kursk region - Teplovsky heights, which the Germans wanted to capture. The possession of these places gave the troops an undeniable strategic advantage. This was also understood by the German command, which had thrown huge forces here. By the summer of 1943, the Soviet-German front, stretching for more than 1,500 kilometers, was a straight line, with the exception of the Kursk ledge, the arc of which wedged 200 kilometers westward. This situation developed in 1943 during Operation Zvezda, when vast areas of the Voronezh and Kursk regions were liberated.

In 2013, the first memorial of the Teplovskie Heights complex, the Northern Face of the Battle of Kursk, was opened. The monument is made in the form of an anti-tank mine.

The Hitlerite command prepared huge forces with the aim of encircling and destroying Soviet troops and capture Kursk. The operation was called Citadel. The Germans carefully concealed the direction of the main attack. One thing was clear: if the Nazis launched an offensive, then simultaneously from the south and from the north. The commander of the Central Front, Konstantin Rokossovsky, a Soviet military leader, succeeded in uncovering the plans of the Nazis on the Northern Face. Konstantin Konstantinovich understood: in order to stop the German offensive, it was necessary to go on the defensive, literally hide the personnel and military equipment in the ground. Rokossovsky proved to be a brilliant strategist and analyst - based on intelligence data, he was able to accurately determine the area on which the Germans planned to deliver the main attack, create an in-depth defense there and concentrate about half of his infantry, artillery and tanks. The defense of Rokossovsky turned out to be so strong and stable that he was able to transfer part of his reserves to the commander of the southern flank of the Kursk Bulge, a hero Soviet Union Nikolay, when there was a threat of a breakthrough.

The construction of the temple was completed in the shortest possible time: a year and a half after the foundation was laid, the temple opened its doors.

However, at the mention of the Battle of Kursk, the associations take us to Prokhorovka. In Soviet times, a photograph taken after the battle where Soviet troops knocked out 21 Ferdinand self-propelled guns was often printed and shown. However, some photographs and a panorama were taken on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge, including in the village of Goreloye, and near Prokhorovka these very Ferdinands did not participate in the battles at all.

Colonel-General Model, the commander of the German waxes on the northern flank, called the Teplovsky heights "the key to the door to Kursk". Therefore, the enemy concentrated the main forces in the direction of the village of Olkhovatka. The model argued that the one who owns the heights will own the space between the Oka and the Seim. The huge field, located between the villages of Olkhovatka, Podsobarovka and Tyoploe, was very convenient for a tank battle. This gave the Germans a great advantage. After all, as it is known for certain, medium T-34-76 and light T-70, which were outdated by that period, took part in the Battle of Kursk. There were few heavy tanks of the KV-1 type. To preserve the strategically damp height 269, Rokossovsky orders the commander of the 13th army, N.P. Pukhov to inflict a counterattack, thanks to which the Soviet troops provoked the Germans to redirect their forces to the village of Ponyri. This, in turn, made it easier for our troops to defend Olkhovatka and Teploe.

During the construction of the memorial complex "Poklonnaya Height 269", an aerial bomb from the times of the Great Patriotic War, from among those with the help of which the Nazis sought to capture the height. They defused it not far from the memorial, and anyone who wants to can see the wound inflicted by such bombings on our native land.

The battles were terrible, divisions, battalions held out to the last soldier, to the last drop of blood, but did not give up their positions. So, the battery of Captain Igishev, holding back German tanks on the outskirts of the village of Samodurovka, destroyed 19 tanks in three days. The enemy dealt the main blow on July 8, this was another attempt to seize Hill 269. Two batteries of artillerymen under the command of Captains G.I. Igishev and V.P. Gerasimov were on the way of the Nazis. land. Captain Igishev was shell-shocked, but continued to control the fire of the battery, soon from which only one gun would remain. The entire crew will die, as soon as the gunner Puzikov continues to fight alone, destroying 12 tanks ...

Fortunately, the plans of the Third Reich were not destined to come true. After the victory at Kursk, Soviet troops went on the offensive, and this continued until the end of the war. And at the end of the Battle of Kursk, a monument to the artillerymen was erected at the site of the battle. The same gun from Igishev's battery was placed on the pedestal.

“A time capsule with an appeal to descendants is kept here. This capsule was laid on July 12, 2014 in the presence of the leaders of the Kursk region, benefactors, and beautifiers on the day of laying the foundation for the construction of the Angel of Peace monument of the Poklonnaya Vysota Memorial Complex. Open the capsule on July 12, 2043 ”- reads the inscription addressing the descendants on the memorial stone.

For the memory of descendants

There are many monuments to soldiers on the Kursk land. There are especially many of them north of Kursk on the former Northern face of the Kursk Bulge. Paying tribute to the memory of Soviet soldiers, two memorials were opened at once on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory: the Teplovsky Heights monument and the Angel of Peace memorial stele.

The memorial complex "Poklonnaya Vysota 269", which was established on the initiative and organization of the Regional Public Organization (Regional Public Organization) "Kursk Zemlichstvo" to perpetuate the feat of Soviet soldiers who did not allow the breakthrough of the Nazi invaders to Kursk in July 1943, is located near the village of Molotychi, Fatezhsky district of the Kursk region.

In November 2011, at the initiative of Vladimir Vasilyevich Pronin, at the height where the command post of the 70th NKVD Army was located, a bowing 8-meter cross was installed. “At the cost of their lives, the soldiers of the 140th Rifle Division did not allow the enemy to reach strategic heights,” Vladimir Vasilyevich, Colonel General of Militia, an honorary citizen of the Kursk region, the city of Fatezh and the Fatezhsky district, the head of the Kursk community, quotes the inscription on the monument.

The next stage in the creation of the monumental complex was the construction of a memorial stele and a temple. On July 19, 2013, Metropolitan German of Kursk and Rylsk, together with representatives of the Kursk community in Moscow, visited Molotyk Heights and gave his blessing for the implementation of the project.

The Monument to the Artillerymen at the Teplovsky Heights, erected on November 26, 1943, was the first monument of military glory in the USSR, unveiled during the Great Patriotic War.

The construction of the temple was carried out as soon as possible, a year and a half after the foundation was laid, the temple opened its doors . Builders from different parts of Russia took a direct part in the construction of the temple. For example, domes and crosses were made in Rostov, and specialists from Yaroslavl were responsible for the bell. Separately, I would like to note and design solutions in the decoration of the temple, which corresponds to all modern canons. The iconostasis is made "like malachite", there is Italian malachite tiles on the floor. By the way, most of the icons of the temple are directly related to the Kursk land, for example, an exact copy of the Kursk Korensk icon "Sign", the faces of Seraphim of Sarov and Luka.

On August 20, 2016, a cross was erected at the memorial complex in a solemn atmosphere on the dome of a church under construction in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Among the honored guests of the ceremony were the Governor of the Kursk Region Alexander Mikhailov, the head of the community Vladimir Pronin, the general director of the Management Company Metalloinvest Andrey Varichev and many other high-ranking officials, as well as veterans of the Great Patriotic War, a delegation of the Kursk community organization, youth, residents of nearby districts who came here to honor the memory of the fallen Soviet soldiers. Alexander Nikolaevich in his welcoming speech expressed the hope that the built temple will become a spiritual center for residents of Kursk and neighboring regions

From the heights, a grandiose view of the area opens, and in good weather, with binoculars, you can even see Kursk, located 65 kilometers to the south.

At the memorial complex Poklonnaya Vysota 269, His Eminence Benjamin, Bishop of Zheleznogorsk and Lgovsk, consecrated the bells and the main dome for the church in honor of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. It was unusual that to sprinkle the bells with holy water, Vladyka used special equipment to rise to a height, but the dome was consecrated on the ground.

On May 9, 2017, the first liturgy for the departed was held in the church of the First Apostles Peter and Paul, and now every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, the priests hold services.

Letter of gratitude from the President to the head of the regional public organization of the Regional Public Organization "Kursk Zemlyachestvo".

An angel soaring in the sky

The memorial complex on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge was approved and supported by the plenipotentiary of the President of Russia in the Central Federal District A.D. Beglov, the leaders of the Kursk region, and public organizations. One of the outstanding links in the artistic composition is the "Angel of Peace" monument. - The monument is a 35-meter sculpture. At its top is an eight-meter angel holding a wreath and releasing a dove, - says Vladimir Vasilyevich. - The elements of the monument were not chosen by chance: the crown symbolizes the memory of the fallen soldiers during the war years, and the dove, facing the west, calls for peace, because an angel stands on blood, at the place of the death of soldiers.

The composition is equipped with lighting, so at dusk it opens nice picture: creates the illusion of an angel floating in the sky. The authors of the idea of ​​the artistic composition are Vladimir Vasilievich Pronin, Mikhail Leonidovich Lytkin, a military engineer by education, and Alexander Nikolaevich Burganov, a world-famous sculptor who made a huge contribution to the development of the national school of monumental sculpture. Its monuments and large monumental ensembles are installed in largest cities Russia and abroad.

Registration sacred territory It is also no coincidence: the red color of the paths and the foundation of the temple symbolizes the blood shed by the soldiers in those terrible days. And the white walls of the church are a sign of the light and purity of Soviet soldiers, because the guys who died here were very young, most of them at the time of the battles were not even 23 years old.

Now, admiring the beauty of the memorial complex "Poklonnaya Vysota 269", it is difficult to imagine that six years ago there were only impenetrable thickets of grass. The Worship Cross, the Angel of Peace monument, the Temple and other objects of the Memorial Complex were built for future generations exclusively on donations from individuals and legal entities... The territory was improved: the access road was asphalted, benches installed, convenient parking. It is also planned to restore the dugouts of the army command post.

The construction of the memorial complex was marked by the President Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

In November 2011, an 8-meter worship cross was installed.

The biggest mine

In 2013, the first memorial of the Teplovskie Heights complex, the Northern Face of the Battle of Kursk, was opened. The monument is made in the form of an anti-tank mine. The monument is a three-level observation deck, the upper level is located at a bird's-eye view - 17 meters above the ground. There is an elevator inside the tower, which allows people with disabilities to go upstairs. The flag of the USSR flutters over the monument, and the calendar of the Battle of Kursk is placed on the railing of the observation deck. Looking around the neighborhood, you understand why there were such fierce battles for each height. From here, the area is visible at a glance. The view that opens from this hill is stunning: an unprecedented expanse, fields and woods stretch to the very horizon.

"Poklonnaya Hill 269" and "Northern Face of the Battle of Kursk" are part of a single memorial complex together with the monument "For Our Soviet Motherland", the Eternal Flame, a mass grave in which 2 thousand soldiers rest, a colonnade, and the name plates of the Heroes of the Soviet Union - the winners battles at the Kursk Bulge. Also, the names of the military units that took part in the hostilities are carved on the plates. This is the memorial "Teplovskie heights".

The construction of this complex is a tribute to the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland, who stood to their death on the battlefield. Then, in the terrible and bloody 1943, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers gave their lives for our peaceful sky overhead. And today it is our duty to pay with attention and care in memory of them.

The monument is a 35-meter high sculpture. At its top is an eight-meter angel holding a wreath and releasing a dove.

The material was prepared by: Olga Pakhomova, Nadezhda Rusanova.

Fact

On December 10, 2015, the Cultural Center of the FSB of Russia hosted a solemn ceremony of awarding the laureates and diploma winners of the competition of the FSB of Russia for the best works of literature and art on the activities of the federal security service. In the nomination "Fine Arts" the first prize was awarded to Alexander Burganov, sculptor, author of the "Angel of Peace" stele

The material was prepared with the support of CJSC "Avtodor" and JSC "Fatezhskoe DRSU No. 6"

Kursk Bulge(Battle of Kursk) - a strategic ledge in the area of ​​the city of Kursk. From July 5 to August 23, 1943, one of the most significant battles of the Great Patriotic War (06/22/1941 - 05/09/1945) took place here. After the defeat at Stalingrad, the German army wanted to take revenge and again get the offensive initiative. The General Staff of the Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces) developed Operation Citadel. Its goal was to encircle a huge group of Red Army troops in the area of ​​the city of Kursk. For this, it was supposed to strike from the north (Army Group Center from Orel) and south (Army Group South from Belgorod) towards each other. Having united, the Germans formed a cauldron for two fronts of the Red Army (Central and Voronezh) at once. After that, the troops of the German army were to send their forces to Moscow.

Army Group Center was led by Field Marshal Hans Gunther Adolf Ferdinand von Kluge (1882-1944), and Army Group South was led by Field Marshal Erich von Manstein (1887-1973). To carry out Operation Citadel, the Germans concentrated huge forces. In the north, the organizational shock group was led by the commander of the 9th Army, Colonel General Otto Moritz Walter Model (1891 - 1945), in the south, coordination and leadership of tank units was carried out by Colonel General Hermann Goth (1885 - 1971).

Scheme of the Battle of Kursk

The headquarters of the Supreme Command (the body of the highest military command, which exercised strategic leadership of the Soviet Armed Forces) decided to first conduct a defensive battle in the Battle of Kursk. Further, having withstood the blows of the enemy and exhausting his strength, at a critical moment to inflict crushing counterattacks on the enemy. Everyone understood that the most difficult thing in this operation would be to withstand the onslaught of the enemy. The Kursk Bulge was divided into two parts - the northern and south face NS. In addition, realizing the scale and significance of the upcoming operation, the reserve Steppe Front under the command of Colonel-General Ivan Stepanovich Konev (1897-1973) was located behind the ledge.

Northern face of the Kursk Bulge

The northern face is also called the Oryol-Kursk Bulge. The length of the defense line was 308 km. Here the Central Front was located under the command of General of the Army Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky (1896 - 1968). The front consisted of five combined-arms armies (60, 65, 70, 13 and 48). The front reserve was mobile. It included the 2nd Panzer Army, as well as the 9th and 19th Panzer Corps. The headquarters of the front commander was located in the village of Svoboda near Kursk. Currently, this site houses a museum dedicated to the Battle of Kursk. Here the dugout of K.K. Rokossovsky was recreated, from where the commander led the battles. The interior is very modest, the bare essentials. In the corner, on a nightstand, there is an HF communications apparatus, which can be used to contact the General Staff and Headquarters at any time. Adjacent to the main room is a rest room, where the commander could recuperate by resting his head on a traveling metal bed. Naturally, there was no electric lighting; simple kerosene lamps were on. At the entrance to the dugout there was a small room for the duty officer. This is how a man lived in combat conditions, in whose subordination were hundreds of thousands of people and a huge number of various equipment.

Dugout Rokossovsky K.K.

Relying on intelligence data and his combat experience, K.K. Rokossovsky. with a high degree of reliability determined the direction of the main attack of the Germans on the Olkhovatka - Ponyri sector. In this place, the 13th Army occupied positions. Its front section was reduced to 32 kilometers and reinforced with additional forces. To the left of it, covering the Fatezh-Kursk direction, was the 70th Army. Positions on the right flank of the 13th Army, in the Maloarkhangelsk area, were occupied by the 48th Army.

A certain role at the beginning of the battle was played by the artillery preparation conducted by the Red Army troops on the positions of the Wehrmacht on the morning of July 5, 1943. The Germans were simply discouraged by the surprise. In the evening, Hitler's parting message was read to them. Determined, in the early morning they were going to attack and crush the enemy to smithereens. And so, at the most inopportune moment, thousands of Russian shells fell on the Germans. Having suffered losses and lost offensive fervor, the Wehrmacht launched an attack only 2 hours after the scheduled time. Despite the artillery barrage, the power of the Germans was very strong. The main blow was dealt to Olkhovatka and Ponyri by three infantry and four tank divisions. At the junction between the 13th and 48th armies, to the left of Maloarkhangelsk, four more infantry divisions went on the offensive. On the right flank of the 70th Army, in the direction of the Teplovsky Heights, three infantry divisions piled up. There is a large field near the village of Soborovka, along which German tanks were walking and moving towards Olkhovatka. The gunners played an important role in the battle. At the cost of incredible efforts, they resisted the advancing enemy. To strengthen the defense, the command of the Central Front ordered some of our tanks to dig into the ground, thus increasing their invulnerability. To protect the Ponyri station, the surrounding area was covered with numerous minefields. In the midst of the battle, this was of great help to our troops.

In addition to the already well-known tanks, the Germans used their new self-propelled artillery systems (self-propelled artillery units) Ferdinand here. They were specially designed to destroy enemy tanks and fortifications. Ferdinand weighed 65 tons and had frontal armor twice that of the heavy Tiger tank. Our cannons could not hit the self-propelled guns, only if the most powerful and from a very close range. Ferdinand's gun pierced armor over 100 mm. at a distance of 2 km. (armor of the Tiger heavy tank). The self-propelled gun had an electric transmission. Two motors drove two generators. From them electricity transmitted to two electric motors, each rotating its own wheel. At the time, this was a very interesting decision. The Ferdinand self-propelled guns, made according to the latest technology, were used only on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge (they were not on the southern face). The Germans formed two heavy anti-tank battalions (653 and 654), 45 vehicles each. To see this colossus crawling at you through the sight of a gun, but nothing can be done is not a sight for the faint of heart.

The fighting was very fierce. The Wehrmacht rushed forward. It seemed that nothing could stop this German power. Only thanks to the talent of K.K. Rokossovsky, who created a deeply echeloned defense in the direction of the main attack and concentrated more than half of the front's personnel and artillery on this sector, was it possible to withstand the enemy's onslaught. In seven days, the Germans brought almost all of their reserves into battle and advanced only 10-12 km. They never managed to break through the tactical defense zone. Soldiers and officers fought heroically for their land. The poet Yevgeny Dolmatovsky wrote the poem "Ponyri" about the defenders of the Oryol-Kursk Bulge. It contains the following lines:

There were no mountains or rocks here,

There were no ditches or rivers here.

Here a Russian man stood,

Soviet man.

By July 12, the Germans were exhausted, and they stopped the offensive. Rokossovsky K.K. tried to protect the soldiers. Of course, war is war and losses are inevitable. It's just that Konstantin Konstantinovich has always had these losses many times less. He spared no mines or shells. Ammunition can be made more, but it takes a very long time to grow a person and make him a good soldier. People felt this and always treated him with respect. Rokossovsky K.K. before he had great fame among the troops, but after the Battle of Kursk his fame soared very high. They started talking about him as an outstanding commander. No wonder he commanded the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945, which was hosted by G.K. Zhukov. The country's leadership also appreciated him. Even I.V. Stalin himself. after World War II, he apologized to him for his arrest in 1937. He invited the marshal to his dacha in Kuntsevo. Passing with him past the flower bed, Joseph Vissarionovich broke a bouquet of white roses with his bare hands. Handing them over to KK Rokossovsky, he said: “Before the war we offended you very much. Forgive us ... ”. Konstantin Konstantinovich drew attention to the fact that the thorns of roses wounded I.V. Stalin's hands, leaving small droplets of blood.

On November 26, 1943, the first monument of military glory during the Great Patriotic War was unveiled near the village of Tyoploe. This humble obelisk celebrates the feat of the gunners. Then many more monuments will be erected along the line of defense of the Central Front. Museums and memorials will be opened, but for the veterans of the Battle of Kursk, this simple monument to the artillerymen will be the most expensive, because it is the first.

Monument to the gunners near the village. Warm

Southern face of the Kursk Bulge

On the southern front, the Voronezh Front held the defense under the command of General of the Army Nikolai Fedorovich Vatutin (1901 - 1944). The length of the defense line was 244 km. The front consisted of five combined-arms armies (38, 40, 6th Guards and 7th Guards - were in the first defense echelon, 69th Army and 35th Guards Rifle Corps - in the second defense echelon). The front reserve was mobile. It included the 1st Panzer Army, as well as the 2nd and 5th Guards Tank Corps. Before the start of the German offensive, an artillery barrage was carried out, slightly weakening their first onslaught. Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to determine exactly the direction of the main attack on the Voronezh front. It was inflicted by the Wehrmacht in the Oboyani area, on the positions of the 6th Guards Army. The Germans tried to build on their success by advancing along the Belgorod-Kursk highway, but they did not succeed. Units of the 1st Panzer Army were sent to the aid of the 6th Army. The Wehrmacht sent a diversionary strike to the 7th Guards Army in the Korochi area. Taking into account the current situation, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command ordered Colonel-General Konev to transfer two armies from the Steppe Front to the Voronezh Front - the 5th combined arms and the 5th tank. Not having advanced a sufficient distance near Oboyan, the German command decided to transfer the main attack to the Prokhorovka area. This direction was covered by the 69th Army. In addition to the "Tigers" on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge, the Wehrmacht used its new Pz. V "Panther" in the amount of 200 pcs.

Tank battle at Prokhorovka

On July 12, southwest of Prokhorovka, the Germans launched an offensive. The command of the Voronezh Front sent the 5th Guards Tank Army here with two attached tank corps and the 33rd Guards Rifle Corps a little earlier. One of the largest tank battles in the entire history of World War II (09/01/1939 - 09/02/1945) took place here. To stop the advance of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps (400 tanks), corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army (800 tanks) were thrown into a frontal attack. Despite the seemingly large superiority in the number of tanks, the 5th Guards Tank Army was losing in their "quality". It consisted of 501 T-34 tanks, 264 T-70 light tanks and 35 Churchill III heavy tanks with low speed and insufficient maneuverability. Our tanks could not compete with the enemy in the effective range of fire. To knock out a German Pz. VI "Tiger" our T-34 tank had to get closer to a distance of 500 meters. The very same "Tiger" with 88 mm. cannon effectively fought a duel at a distance of up to 2000 meters.

Fighting in such conditions was possible only in close combat. But it was necessary to shorten the distance in some incomprehensible way. In spite of everything, our simple Soviet tankers held out and stopped the Germans. Honor and praise to them for this. The price of such a feat was very high. Losses in the tank corps of the 5th Guards Army reached 70 percent. Currently "Prokhorovskoe Pole" has the status of a museum federal significance... All these tanks and cannons were installed here in memory of the Soviet people who, at the cost of their lives, turned the tide of the war.

Part of the exposition of the memorial "Prokhorovskoe field"

The end of the Battle of Kursk

Having withstood the onslaught of the Germans on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge, on July 12, the troops of the Bryansk Front and the left wing of the Western Front launched an offensive in the Oryol direction. A little later, on July 15, in the direction of the Kromy settlement, the troops of the Central Front struck. Thanks to the efforts of the attackers, the city of Oryol was liberated on August 5, 1943. On July 16, the troops of the Voronezh Front and then on July 19, the troops of the Steppe Front, also went over to the offensive. Developing a counterattack, on August 5, 1943, they liberated the city of Belgorod. On the evening of the same day, a salute was given in Moscow for the first time in honor of the liberation of Orel and Belgorod. Without losing the initiative, the troops of the Steppe Front (with the support of the Voronezh and Southwestern Fronts) liberated the city of Kharkov on August 23, 1943.

Battle of Kursk (Kursk Bulge) - one of the largest battles of the Second World War. It was attended by over 4 million people from both sides. A huge number of tanks, aircraft, cannons and other equipment were involved. Here the initiative finally passed to the Red Army and the whole world realized that Germany had lost the war.

Battle of Kursk on the map

12.04.2018

What is war? There are many definitions, but for those who have not seen it is difficult to understand. Especially young people. Remember the film "We are from the future!" Adult guys cynically talk about the Great Patriotic War and crave a bloody fee for the finds of the war. As a result, the "black diggers" faced mysticism and in an incredible way found themselves in the past, where they more than sipped a military hell. In fact, this does not happen, but each of us can feel the military reality. For example, dig a hole one and a half to two meters deep and try to stand there at night in the rain or frost. Let's add imagination: the whistle from shells, the earth is crumbling all around, tanks are moving right at you. Nowhere to run, hide too. And who to hide behind, if everyone around is the same as you ...

We learned about this and not only, having gone along the roads of front-line correspondents to the places of battles of the Battle of Kursk. And our first stop is the village of Ponyri. More precisely, the memorial "To the Heroes of the Northern Face of the Kursk Bulge" in its center, erected in 2013. The editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Znamya Pobedy VA Danilova met us at the end of the rally dedicated to the Day of Memory and Mourning. According to her and eyewitness accounts, a huge trench was dug in this place in the summer of 1943, in which, according to various sources, from 800 to 2000 Soviet soldiers and officers were buried. In modern times, commemorative signs were added to the Ingush, Ossetians, and Armenians who died in the battles on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge, which were installed by their fellow countrymen. A large arc framing the square is a memorial with portraits of thirty-three Heroes of the Soviet Union who received this title in battles on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge.

The square changed its appearance several times. The last time the reconstruction of the monument at the mass grave of Soviet soldiers and the square itself was carried out in 1993, to the 50th anniversary of the Victory in the Battle of Kursk. The need to build a memorial complex in Ponyri, which would worthily perpetuate the memory of the soldiers who heroically fought on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge, was spoken and written by veterans - participants in the battles, ethnographers, social activists, residents of the region. After all, it was here, on this land, as the poet and military commander E. Dolmatovsky wrote, "the blow from Orel to Kursk was shot down by a blow from Kursk to Oryol."

In 2013, to the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Battle of Kursk, this very memorial was erected in Ponyri, and two years later, to the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory, its second stage was built - the Teplovskie Heights monument. This, as noted by the governor of the Kursk region A. Mikhailov, was the restoration of historical justice: “I have great respect for the southern face of the Kursk Bulge, but the Northern one was undeservedly forgotten. We have eliminated this injustice, and the veterans supported me in this. "

The Ponyri railway station a hundred meters from the square - another symbol of Victory - is decorated with bas-reliefs and memorial plaques. One of its halls is a museum with portraits of commanders and reproductions of paintings that date us back to 1943.

According to Victoria Alexandrovna, a former employee of the Ponyrovsky Historical and Memorial Museum of the Battle of Kursk, the territory of the station was the arena of a fierce battle. Bloody battles unfolded for the school and the water tower. The latter was generally wiped off the face of the earth. How it was, the front-line soldiers told later. German snipers "worked" on the defenders of the village from the water tower. Ours answered. The enemy decided to use a psychological attack as well. From the loudspeaker, an appeal to the Soviet soldiers in Russian began: they say, do not destroy the station and the tower, you will have to restore all this for a long time. According to the legend, says Victoria Alexandrovna, ours responded to this first with an obscene Russian, and then with a fiery tongue - they deployed all the guns and demolished the tower to the foundation together with the Germans ...

The fighting in these places took place on July 6-7. German tanks marched along the railroad. According to museum employee Oleg Budnikov, up to 250 cars! Ours, as best they could, held back the attack. On the afternoon of July 7, street fighting broke out. The railway school was defended by a company of Lieutenant Ryabov. When the company was pushed back into the building, Ryabov, who at that time had no connection with the command, decided to take up a perimeter defense. He did not yet know that at school he and his fighters would have to defend themselves for two days. Without the supply of ammunition and the evacuation of the wounded and the dead ... When the cartridges ran out and the Germans climbed to the first floor, the commander and the surviving soldiers went down to the basement, and Ryabov fired a signal flare to cause fire on himself. Our artillery hit the building. After this hellish shelling, six fighters came out of the school basement, including the commander. The enemy was destroyed. For this feat Ryabov was awarded an order. However, a grimace of fate: having emerged alive from such a difficult battle, the lieutenant died a few months later during the liberation of the Bryansk region, where he was buried ...

The observation deck at Teplovskiye Heights - our next stop - was built with federal funds at an altitude of 274 meters above sea level. They say that in good night weather the lights of Kursk are visible from it and it is here that it becomes clear why the Germans were so eager to conquer it, advancing from the Simferopol highway ...

Pay attention to the cedar alley, which is unusual for our places. It turns out that three years ago, an employee of the Tomsk forestry, Sergei Nikolaevich Kuts, came here, in the Ponyrovsky district, in search of the place of death of his uncle. His uncle Mikhail rests on a memorial near the village of Olkhovatka. And in their family there was a tradition: when someone left for a long time, they planted a tree. Going to the front from Alma-Ata, my uncle planted a cherry. For two years of the war, it bloomed, and in 1943 it withered. So the family realized that something had happened to their uncle, and after some time a funeral was received ... In memory of their uncle, Sergei Nikolaevich and the participants of the school forestry in Tomsk planted 800 Siberian cedar seedlings. The trees have taken root, and this year the residents of Tomsk have planted another 500 cedars. Now it is a living memory that the 140th Siberian Rifle Division fought on the Teplovskiye Heights. Most of its fighters were residents of the Far East and Siberia.

A memorial of federal significance at one of the Teplovsky heights is called the "Monument to Soldiers-Artillerymen." It was built in November 1943. On a large pedestal there is a genuine gun from the battery of G. I. Igishev "ZIS-2242".

- For a long time it was believed that the entire battery was lost, - Victoria Alexandrovna continues her story. - But then the museum staff found out that the gunner of this gun, Andrei Vladimirovich Puzikov, was alive. He lived in Tula, came here for the last time in the late 90s. When I saw my gun, I recognized it and said then: “Lakhfet is the same, but the wheelchair has been replaced ...” A simple village peasant, he told about his last battle here: the sight was broken, he was left alone at the gun, everyone died. Andrei Vladimirovich knew where the German tanks were coming from, aimed through the barrel and fired. At some point in the battle, the fighter lost consciousness, and later, seriously wounded, he was found and sent to the hospital ...

Scorched earth

On the morning of July 5, 1943, three Soviet combined arms armies were located in the enemy's offensive zone. On the left flank - the 48th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Romanenko and the 13th Army under Lieutenant General Pukhov, on the right - the 70th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Galanin. In total, at the beginning of the fighting, these armies had about 270 thousand soldiers and officers. They were opposed by Walter Model's 9th field army with a total number of over 330 thousand soldiers and officers.
In the zone of the 13th Army on July 5, "control" prisoners were taken, who showed that at dawn on July 5 the Germans were planning to deliver a powerful blow in the direction of Kursk. To thwart this plan, counter-training was carried out in the zone of the 13th Army. In total, about 1000 barrels of guns and mortars took part in it. It lasted about half an hour, about a quarter to half of the available ammunition was used up. For comparison, these are 300 (!) Carriages loaded to the brim with shells and mines.
After the Soviet artillery barrage, the Germans undertook their own. 3.5 thousand guns fired along the front edge of the Soviet defense. This was followed by the main attack of the enemy in the direction of Olkhovatka. In one day of the battle, the Germans entered into battle more than 10 infantry and tank divisions, as well as a large number of parts of the gain. On the first day of the battle, the Germans wedged 6 km into the Soviet defenses. Then the commanders of the 13th and 70th armies brought in reserves into the battle, strengthening the front on both sides and preventing it from "crumbling" further. Here bloody battles began.
Both sides threw reserves, hoping to quickly turn the tide. This calculation was not justified on either side, which led to huge losses. The first day of the battle is rated as the bloodiest on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge.

One of the objects of the tourist route "Fiery Frontier", opened in 1989 - a place called Kurgan. There is a memorial sign to the war correspondent Konstantin Simonov. It was installed on the site of the former command post of the commander of the 75th Guards Rifle Division, Gorishny. From here Simonov wrote his immortal reports about the battles on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge, which were included in the book “ Different days war ". The memorial sign appeared here 18 years ago on the initiative and with the participation of volunteers from Zheleznogorsk - members of the children's television "Zerkaltse" and their leader Margarita Gavrilovna Vasilenko.

Why Kursk Bulge?

The Ponyrovsky district, like the entire Kursk region, was occupied by the Germans in October-November 1941. After the victorious Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet troops, previously on the defensive, went on the offensive. It lasted almost five months and stopped after a large-scale enemy counterattack in the Kharkov region.
“Naturally, the rear fell behind, the troops on both sides suffered heavy losses,” Oleg Budnikov tells us in the Ponyrovsky Museum of the Battle of Kursk. - People are tired, you must agree, it is very difficult to walk a thousand kilometers on foot in winter, and even without heating points and regular hot meals ...
And for the first time since the beginning of the war, from March to July 1943, there was a long respite on this front line near Kursk. Neither side was ready for another big battle. This pause went down in history as 100 days of silence. The front stood along the line (if you look at the map - in the form of an arc) practically unchanged until the start of the summer campaign of 1943. There are three protrusions: "Orlovsky" with a center in Orel, "Kursk" with a center in Kursk and "Kharkov" with a center in Kharkov.
“In the summer of 1943, the German command needed to rehabilitate itself for the defeat at Stalingrad,” explains our guide. - For this, it was supposed to inflict a major defeat on the Soviet troops in the course of a quick offensive operation near Kursk. The Germans hoped to cut off the Kursk ledge and defeat the Soviet troops located west of the city with a blow from the north from the direction of Orel and a blow from the south from Belgorod. If this plan were implemented, the enemy would have been able to defeat the troops of the Central Front under the command of General of the Army of the Rokossovsky and Voronezh Front - General of the Army Vatutin. In total, at the start of the fighting, these two fronts numbered about a million three hundred thousand soldiers and officers. Without exaggeration, the defeat of these fronts could be considered a real military disaster. And the Germans planned to do it all in record time. short time, close the encirclement in just one week.
Such a plan of operation was foreseen by the Soviet command in advance. Marshal Zhukov already on April 8 indicated that in the area of ​​the Central and Voronezh fronts, the Germans are likely to undertake a major offensive operation. It was proposed to strengthen the defense in these sectors and, at the same time, prepare for an offensive operation in the Kharkov and Orel region, in order to actually cut off the "Oryol" and "Kharkov" ledges.
As a result, it was precisely this development of events that took place in July 1943, when German troops tried to break through the Soviet defenses and close the ring in the Kursk region. As we know, the Nazis did not succeed and the Soviet counteroffensive began.

The Battle of Kursk was a turning point in World War II. Soviet troops defeated the Nazi army and went on the offensive. The Nazis planned to strike at Kursk from Kharkov and Orel, defeat the Soviet troops and rush south. But, fortunately for all of us, the plans were not destined to come true. From 5 to 12 July 1943, the struggle continued for every piece of Soviet land. After the victory at Kursk, the troops of the USSR went on the offensive, and this continued until the end of the war.

In gratitude to the Soviet soldiers for the victory on May 7, 2015, the Teplovskie Heights monument was unveiled in the Kursk region.

Description

The monument is made in the form The monument is a three-level observation deck. The upper level is located at a bird's-eye view (17 meters). From here you can see the battle arena. Teplovsky heights were the key to Kursk for the Nazis, but the Nazis failed to get this key.

The flag of the USSR flutters over the monument, and the dates of each day of the Battle of Kursk are posted on the railing of the observation deck. Soldiers and officers fought to death, but did not let the enemy into the city.

The Teplovskie Heights monument is installed on the northern face of the arc. Until recently, this area was not immortalized, although it had great importance in determining the outcome of the war.

Monument opening celebration

The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of United Russia, Governor of the Kursk Region Alexander Mikhailov, Senator of the Federation Council Valery Ryazansky, Plenipotentiary of the President of Russia Alexander Beglov, Head of the Ponyrovsky District Vladimir Torubarov, war veterans, members of public organizations, and caring citizens.

Speaking to the audience, A. Beglov noted that the erection of the Teplovskie Heights monument is a tribute to the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland who fell on the battlefield. The plenipotentiary also stressed the importance of the northern face during the hostilities and praised the regional officials for their worthy preparation for Victory Day.

After the speech of the plenipotentiary, the veterans went up to the observation deck. A resident of the village of Olkhovatka, Ponyr District, I. G. Bogdanov, thanked the regional leadership for preserving historical memory and wished the youth to follow the traditions of their ancestors. "Teplovskie heights" is a memorial that was created taking into account the wishes of the defenders of the Fatherland.

The spectacular part of the event included skydiving and a festive concert. The best athletes of Russia and the Kursk region dressed in the military uniform of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. The parachutists landed on the northern face exactly at the moment when the veterans ascended to the observation deck. The warriors heard words of gratitude for the world.

"Teplovskie heights": memorial

The monument erected on the northern face is part of a single monument together with the monument "For Our Soviet Motherland", the Eternal Flame, a mass grave in which 2 thousand soldiers rest, a colonnade, and the name plates of the Heroes of the Soviet Union - the winners of the battle on the Kursk Bulge. Also, the names of the military units that took part in the hostilities are carved on the plates. This is the memorial "Teplovskie heights".

Diving

The regional center Ponyri is known for the fact that the fate of the peoples of the Soviet Union, and perhaps of all mankind, was decided here. According to the German Citadel plan, the enemies were going to close the Kursk Bulge in order to gain access to Moscow. Thanks to intelligence, it became known that the Nazis chose the Ponyri as the point of attack. Here the battle began, during which the German tanks were stopped by living Soviet people ... In memory of the heroic deeds of the soldiers, a museum was opened in Ponyri.

The village is also famous for the memorial in honor of the defenders of the Motherland. Burning near the monument The railway station was of no less strategic importance, where reinforcements arrived and tanks were delivered. Also in Ponyri, monuments were erected to the warrior-liberator, hero sappers, signalmen and heroes of artillery.

Teplovskie heights (Kursk region) is a place of historical memory of the people about the war.

Angel carrying peace

In Fatezhskoe, in the village of Molotynichi, on May 7, the sculpture "Angel of Peace" was unveiled. An 8-meter angel rises on a 27-meter pedestal. The total length of the monument is 35 meters. The celestial is holding a wreath with a dove of peace.

The composition is equipped with lighting, so at dusk the illusion of an angel hovering above the ground is created. The Angel of Peace commemorates the feat of Soviet soldiers who gave their lives for Victory.

In honor of the seventieth anniversary of the Victory, an alley of memory was laid on the land of Fatezh and a geoglyph was created from pine seedlings. Wood also became a material for creating giant stars with the Kursk Antonovka in the center. The compositions can be seen from a bird's eye view and in space photographs.

The results of the Battle of Kursk made it possible to debunk the myth of the superiority of the Aryan race. The fascists broke down psychologically, and therefore could not continue the offensive further. And the invincible proved once again to the world that real strength is not in aggression, but in love. To the Motherland, relatives and friends.

4 In July 1943, at 16 o'clock, after air and artillery strikes on the positions of the outpost of the Voronezh Front, German troops up to an infantry division, supported by up to 100 tanks, conducted reconnaissance in force from the Tomarovka area to the north. The battle between the outposts of the Voronezh Front and the reconnaissance units of Army Group "South" lasted until late at night. Under cover of the battle, German troops took up the starting position for the offensive. According to the testimony of German prisoners captured in this battle, as well as defectors who surrendered on July 3-4, it became known that the general offensive of German troops in this sector of the front was scheduled for 2 hours 30 minutes on July 5.

To alleviate the situation of the outpost and inflict losses on German troops at their initial positions, at 22:30 on July 4, the artillery of the Voronezh Front conducted a 5-minute artillery attack on the identified positions of the German artillery. At 3 o'clock in the morning on July 5, counterpreparations were carried out in full.

Defensive battles on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge were distinguished by great ferocity and heavy losses on our side. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, the nature of the terrain was more favorable for the use of tanks than on the northern face. Secondly, A. Vasilevsky, a representative of the General Headquarters, who oversaw the preparation of the defense, forbade the commander of the Voronezh Front, N. Vatutin, to combine anti-tank strongholds in areas and attach them to infantry regiments, believing that such a decision would complicate control. And, thirdly, German air superiority in the air lasted here almost two days longer than on the Central Front.

The main blow was struck by the German troops in the defense zone of the 6th Guards Army, along the Belgorod, Oboyan highway, simultaneously in two sectors. Up to 400 tanks and self-propelled guns were concentrated in the first sector, and up to 300 in the second.

The first attack on the position of the 6th Guards. army in the direction of Cherkasskoye began at 6 o'clock on July 5 with a powerful raid of dive bombers. Under cover of the raid, a motorized infantry regiment with the support of 70 tanks went into the attack. However, he was stopped in minefields, being additionally fired upon by heavy artillery. An hour and a half later, the attack was repeated. Now the forces of the attackers have been doubled. In the front ranks were German sappers trying to make passes through the minefields. But the fire of the infantry and artillery of the 67th Infantry Division and this attack was repelled. Under the influence of heavy artillery fire, German tanks were forced to break formation even before they entered into fire contact with our troops, and the "insolent mining" carried out by Soviet sappers greatly impeded the maneuver of combat vehicles. In total, the Germans lost 25 medium tanks and assault guns here from mines and heavy artillery fire.

German tanks, supported by assault guns, attack the Soviet defenses. July 1943 The silhouette of a bomber is visible in the air.

To enlarge - click on the image

The "Mapder III" tank destroyer follows the exploded MZ "Li" medium tank.

A column of one of the motorized units of the German troops is moving towards the front. Oboyanskoe e.g., July 1943

Unable to take Cherkasskoe with a frontal attack, German troops struck in the direction of Butovo. At the same time, several hundred German planes launched their attack on Cherkasskoye and Butovo. By noon on July 5, in this area, the Germans managed to drive a wedge into the defense zone of the 6th Guards. army. To restore the breakthrough, the commander of the 6th Guards. army I. Chistyakov introduced anti-tank reserve - 496th IPTAP and 27th IPTABr. At the same time, the front command issued an order to the 6th t. advance to the Berezovka area in order to eliminate the imminent dangerous breakthrough of German tanks with a flank attack.

Despite the outlined breakthrough of German tanks, by the end of the day on July 5, the artillerymen managed to restore a precarious balance, albeit at the cost of large losses of personnel (up to 70%). The reason for this lay in the fact that the infantry subunits in a number of defense sectors withdrew in disorder, leaving the artillery in direct fire without cover. During the day of continuous fighting in the Cherkasskoye-Korovino area, the enemy lost 13 tanks from the IPTAP fire, including 3 heavy Tiger types. Our losses in a number of units totaled up to 50% of the personnel and up to 30% of the material part.

On the night of July 6, it was decided to strengthen the defensive lines of the 6th Guards. army with two tank corps of the 1st tank army. By the morning of July 6, the 1st Tank Army, with the forces of the 3rd Mechanized Corps and the 6th Tank Corps, took up defenses at the line assigned to it, covering the Oboyan direction. In addition, the 6th Guards. the army was additionally reinforced by the 2nd and 5th Guards. mk, which came out to cover the flanks.

The main direction of the attacks of the German troops the next day was Oboyanskoe. On the morning of July 6, from the Cherkasskoye area, a large column of tanks moved along the road. Hidden on the flank, the guns of the 1837th IPTAP opened sudden fire from a short distance. At the same time, 12 tanks were knocked out, among which only one Panther remained on the battlefield. It is interesting to note that in these battles the Soviet artillerymen used the tactics of the so-called "flirting guns", set aside as bait to lure enemy tanks. "Flirting guns" opened fire on the columns from a long distance, forcing the advancing tanks to deploy in minefields and expose their sides to the ambushed batteries.

As a result of the battles on July 6, the Germans managed to capture Alekseevka, Lukhanino, Olkhovka and Trirechnoye and reach the second defensive line. However, on the Belgorod-Oboyan highway, their progress was stopped.

Attacks by German tanks in the direction of Bol. The beacons also ended in nothing. Having met here the dense fire of the Soviet artillery, the German tanks turned to the northeast, where, after a long battle with units of the 5th Guards. they managed to capture Luchki. An important role in repelling the German strike was played by the 14th ISTBR, which was nominated from the front reserve and deployed at the Yakovlevo, Dubrava line, knocking out up to 50 German combat vehicles (the data was confirmed by the report of the trophy team).

The artillerymen of the SS unit are supporting the attack of their infantry with fire. Prokhorovskoe eg.

Soviet T-70 tanks of the Revolutionary Mongolia column (112 tank brigade) are moving forward for the attack.

Tanks PzKpfw IV Ausf H division "Grossdeutschland" (Great Germany) are fighting.

Field Marshal Manstein's headquarters radio operators at work. July 1943

German tanks "Panther" of the 10th tank brigade, PzKpfw IV Ausf G of the "Grossdeutschland" division and assault guns StuG 40 in the Oboyan direction. July 9-10, 1943

On July 7, the enemy brought up to 350 tanks into battle and continued attacks in the Oboyan direction from the Bol region. Lighthouses, Krasnaya Dubrava. All units of the 1st Tank Army and the 6th Guards entered the battle. army. By the end of the day, the Germans managed to advance in the Bol region. Beacons for 10-12 km. inflicting heavy losses on the 1st Panzer Army. The next day, in this sector, the Germans brought in 400 tanks and self-propelled guns into battle. However, the night before, the command of the 6th Guards. army transferred the 27th IPTABr to the threatened direction, whose task was to cover the Belgorod-Oboyan highway. By the morning, when the enemy broke through the defenses of the infantry and tank units of the 6th Guards. Army and 1st Tank Army and went out, it seemed, on an open highway, two "flirting" guns of the regiment opened fire on the column from a distance of 1500-2000 m. The column was rebuilt, pushing forward heavy tanks. Up to 40 German bombers appeared over the battlefield. Half an hour later, the fire of "flirting guns" was suppressed, and when the tanks began to rebuild for further movement, the regiment opened fire on them from three directions from an extremely small distance. Since most of the regiment's guns were on the flank of the column, their fire was highly effective. Within 8 minutes, 29 enemy tanks and 7 self-propelled guns were destroyed on the battlefield. The blow was so unexpected that the remaining tanks, not accepting the battle, quickly left in the direction of the forest. Of the damaged tanks, the repairmen of the 6th Panzer Corps of the 1st Panzer Army were able to repair and commission 9 combat vehicles.

On July 9, the enemy continued to attack in the Oboyan direction. The attacks by tanks and motorized infantry were supported by aviation. The strike groups managed to advance up to 6 km here, but then they came across well-equipped anti-aircraft artillery positions adapted for anti-tank defense, and tanks buried in the ground.

In the following days, the enemy stopped ramming our defenses with a direct blow and began looking for weak areas in it. This direction, according to the German command, was Prokhorovskoe, from where it was possible to get to Kursk by a roundabout route. To this end, in the Prokhorovka area, the Germans concentrated a grouping, which included the 3rd one, numbering up to 300 tanks and self-propelled guns.