Maps of the Eastern Front
1943
Operation Citadel: German Plan for the Kursk Offensive
The objective of the German military offensive was to pinch off the Soviet held salient centered around Kursk. Attacks from north and south were intended to encircle the region.
German Offensive North of Kursk: July 4-10, 1943
The German attempt to break through the Soviet defenses in the north proved ineffectual. German Ninth Army continued the effort with heavy losses against the stubborn Soviet Central Front defenses.
German Offensive South of Kursk: July 4-15, 1943
German Army Group South forces had somewhat greater success breaking through. Soviet military reserves were ultimately employed to halt the offensive.
Soviet Counteroffensive in the Orel Salient: July 10 - August 18, 1943
Soviet attacks against the Orel salient held by German Army Group Center began before the German offensive in the south was called off. German armed forces holding the salient withdrew under pressure.
Soviet Counteroffensive South of Kursk: August 3-23, 1943
The critical situation of Soviet forces in the south delayed the launch of the counteroffensive. Resistance proved greater than around Orel and German counterattacks slowed the progress. Red Army forces recaptured Kharkov for the last time.
Red Army Advances to Kiev and Isolates the Crimea: August 18 - December 23, 1943
The Soviet follow-up offensive after Kursk carried the Red Army inexorably forward. Although it failed to encircle significant German forces, the Soviet armed forces trapped the German Army Group A in the Crimea and recaptured Kiev before the end of December 1943.