The Members and Sponsors of the Korean War Project. Tanks were burning, trucks were burning. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. 10th Tank Corps was subsequently assigned to the 5th Guards Tank Army, but by April 1945 during the Battle of Berlin, the 10th Tank Corps was part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (RVGK). After the war, the 5th Guards Tank Army moved to the Belorussian Military District. A shard of metal had, unknown to me, entered my neck from the mortar. Korean War Project - P.O. This tenacity was ultimately rewarded with a hole in the Soviet line that led to the settlement of Cherkasskoe, 65 miles south of Kursk. 7th Armoured Division at Villers Bocage and Fifth Guards Tank Army at Kursk and they are excellent books. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. 5th Armored Division in World War II. Technician Fourth Grade Willie D. Aldy 10th Tank Battalion 03/31/1945 : Private First Class George F. Ballauf 81st Tank Battalion 09/19/1944 : Technician Fifth Grade Joseph A. Banville 34th Tank Battalion 08/10/1944 : Private Robert C. Benz 81st Tank Battalion 09/20/1944 : Private Roy D. Brewer 81st Tank Battalion 09/19/1944 Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2016, Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2017, Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2014, Excellent for a look at the opponents of the Germans at Kursk. Well worth adding to the collection. In the early 1950s, the 22nd Mechanized Division replaced the 15th Guards. Within minutes another great cloud of dust billowed skyward as Soviet T-34s and T-70s picked up speed. Panzer units excelled in the difficult circumstances, however, their crews working in harmony with their machines to out-think and outfight their more numerous opponents. Tread idlers! The combined strength of the Central and Voronezh Fronts alone was 1,337,166 men—and they also had twice the number of tanks and aircraft as the Germans, and four times the artillery. Only recently has a clearer and more balanced perspective come into view. On the 5th July 1943, the Wehrmacht launched Operation Citadel. We expected to be killed at any second and so were surprised after a couple of hours of battle that we were still fighting—still breathing!”. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. The battle raged all day, with German attack followed by Soviet counterattack. Despite this I can still recall the mixture of damp earth, cordite and blood which filled my nostrils as I assessed my situation. That mortar round knocked me unconscious and, in so doing, saved my life. Everything was burning. By this time, Rokossovsky's 2nd Belorussian Front had already broken through on Hossbach's right; the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army headed for the Baltic coast, cutting off most of East Prussia. Until the aftermath of the Vilnius Offensive in July 1944, it was commanded by Pavel Rotmistrov. Mykhailo Petrik was one of Cherkasskoe’s defenders, fighting for his life with a machine gun that ripped through huge quantities of ammunition. That evening, having gathered myself, I headed north through the German lines and into the arms of comrades where I was patched up, given a rifle and sent to a trench. Until the aftermath of the Vilnius Offensive in July 1944, it was commanded by Pavel Rotmistrov. Major General, since March 1943 Lieutenant-General, This page was last edited on 27 July 2019, at 16:34. First, let's examine the formation of these bridgeheads over the Don River and why they were so important. The army was formed in February 1943. While Rokossovky and Vatutin lost 177,847 men, 1,600 armored fighting vehicles, and 460 aircraft, Model and Manstein suffered 56,827 casualties, and lost 252 tanks and 159 aircraft. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. The T-34s were rolling forward toward us at high speed, carrying mounted infantry [standing on the engine compartment and clinging onto handles welded onto the hull]…. 5th Tank Army. The architect of the Soviet strategy, Red Army commander Georgy Zhukov, later wrote that the objective was “to wear down the enemy on our defense, destroy his tanks, and then, throwing in fresh reserves we go over to a general offensive and decisively defeat the basic concentration of the enemy.”. Its organisation varied throughout its history, but in general included two or more Guards Tank Corps and one or more Guards Mechanized Corps. This is a good book which explains the organization of the famous Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army. In that same instant I was knocked off my feet as though hit by a heavyweight boxer. Ships from and sold by Book Depository US. I instinctively yelled a warning, dropped to one knee and squeezed the trigger of my rifle. The result was a German tactical victory at Prokhorovka—a remarkable achievement considering their numerical inferiority. But the losses on the Kursk battlefield were not as strategically critical to Moscow as they were to Berlin. A small pile of casualties grew.