The first summer victory in the Great Patriotic War is reflected in the Presidential Library materials

In the spring of 1943, the Germans shouted from their trenches in broken Russian: "Winter is yours, summer is ours!" And that was not an empty boast...

"Indeed, in the summer of 1941 and 1942 the Wehrmacht successfully approached, occupying large territories. In winter campaign, the Red Army only recouped. It did not have any experience of major successful summer campaigns", - says Aleksey Isaev, the author and anchorman of the documentary film "The Kursk Bulge: Our Summer", which is available on the portal of the Presidential Library.

Thus, there is a kind of myth about the seasonal successes of the Soviet military. Like, they can successfully fight only in winter, when the enemy, not accustomed to prolonged cold, is heavier.

But the victory in the Battle of Kursk, the 75th anniversary of which will be celebrated on August 23, showed that this was not like that, that the Soviet soldier can no less successfully act in summer.

J. V. Stalin spoke about dethronement of the "seasonal myth" in the order given on the front page of the newspaper "Belevskaya Pravda" for July 29, 1943 (a selection of the press of the times of the Great Patriotic War on the portal of the Presidential Library). This was the time of the most intense battles near Kursk.

"July 23, 1943 it was finally eliminated the July German offensive from areas south of Orel and north of Belgorod in the direction of Kursk ... Thus, the legend is exposed that the Germans in the offensive in the summer always succeed, and the Soviet troops are forced to retreat" , - the document said.

"Memory of the Great Victory" is reflected in a large collection on the portal of the Presidential Library, which includes more than 2 thousand electronic materials: official documents, photo and newsreel, wartime newspapers, books, propaganda publications, collections of articles, biographies, participants' testimonies battles and workers of the rear. The collection highlights the section "The Power of Russian Arms: Combat Operations during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", where for 1943 a separate collection is devoted to the Battle of Kursk.

Perhaps a special interest in this array is the collection of articles and memoirs "The Battle of Kursk" edited by P. M. Beldiev and S. M. Philippov, which is available in the electronic reading room of the Presidential Library (St. Petersburg, Senate Square, 3 ). Here are collected memories of the commanders of the ground forces, tank units, aviation, sappers, etc. And the very first chapter is written by "Marshal of Victory" Georgy Zhukov, where he also mentions the opposition of summer German successes with winter Soviet:

"The whole world followed the great battle with bated breath ... Will the Germans succeed in organizing the summer offensive by the experience of the first two years of the war with the USSR - that's what the peoples were worried about ..."

Further the marshal tells about an episode with the German sapper captured on the eve of the beginning of the battle. The latter told that the fascists are preparing a powerful offensive called "Operation “Citadel” and everything should begin at 3 am on July 5, 1943.

"K. K. Rokossovsky asked me:

- What do we do? Report to the Headquarters or give an order to conduct counter preparation?

"Don’t’ let us waste time, Konstantin Konstantinovich", - I told Rokossovsky. "Give the order, as it was stipulated by the plan of the front and the Stavka, and I will now call Stalin and report on the data received", - Zhukov recalled.

"From the conversation with Stalin, I realized that he was in a tense state. Yes, and we all, in spite of the fact that we now had powerful means to strike at the German troops, felt more excited. It was night, but the dream as a hand took off ... "- adds the marshal.

At 2:20 am on July 5, according to Zhukov, "everything around was spinning and turning, a powerful symphony of the greatest battle began in the Kursk region, in which the sounds of heavy artillery and ruptures of M-31 rockets were especially prominent".

Stalin called again:

«‒ So…started?

‒ We did…» – recalls Zhukov.

The book “The Battle of Kursk” by N. M. Zamyatin, P. S. Boldyrev, F. D. Vorobyov, N. F. Artemyev and I. V. Parotkin, available on the portal of the Presidential Library, reflects that "during the battle actions near Kursk, Orel and Kharkiv, the defectiveness of the German strategy, based on the constant reassessment of its forces and underestimation of the forces and capabilities of the Red Army, was demonstrated once again before the whole world".

To understand how our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought at Kursk, becomes possible through the fragments of newsreels "The Battle of Kursk (July-August 1943)", presented in the Presidential Library's collections.

Nevertheless, but lasted 50 days, from July 5 to August 23, 1943, the Battle of Kursk became one of the most ambitious during the Great Patriotic and World War II and ended in the unconditional victory of the Soviet Army. As a result, the Germans were forced to move from offensive to strategic defence.

"If the Battle of Stalingrad foreshadowed the decline of the German fascist army, then the Battle of Kursk put it before a catastrophe", -  J. V. Stalin told on November 6, 1943.

More than 4 million people were involved in the Battle of Kursk on both sides. Over 69,000 guns and mortars, more than 13,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, and up to 12,000 combat aircraft took part in the battles.

In the Battle of Kursk, 30 enemy divisions were defeated, including seven tank divisions. Over the military feat more than 100 thousand soldiers were awarded orders and medals, more than 180 people were awarded the main award of the country - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In accordance with the Federal Law of March 13, 1995 "On days of military glory (victorious days) of Russia", the day of the defeat of the Nazi troops by the Soviet troops in the Battle of Kursk on August 23 is fixed as the Day of Russia's military glory.