Yet another battle anniversary
Jul. 5th, 2013 07:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
necturusWednesday was the 150th anniversary of the third and decisive day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
150 years ago yesterday, the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi fell to the forces of General Ulysses S. Grant.
And seventy years ago today, on the other side of the world, the greatest tank battle in history began, arguably the decisive battle of World War II. In "Operation Citadel", a German army group under Field Marshal von Kluge, striking from the north, and another under Field Marshal von Manstein from the south, attempted to cut off a bulge in the front line near the Russian city of Kursk.
The Soviet high command, anticipating this move, resolved to let the German wave break upon well prepared defenses in depth. In the words of Marshal G.K. Zhukov: "we intended to meet the expected advance of the German forces with powerful defensive measures to defeat them, and first of all to destroy the enemy's armored formations; then, going over to the counteroffensive, we would crush the enemy decisively."
Crush them they did.
150 years ago yesterday, the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi fell to the forces of General Ulysses S. Grant.
And seventy years ago today, on the other side of the world, the greatest tank battle in history began, arguably the decisive battle of World War II. In "Operation Citadel", a German army group under Field Marshal von Kluge, striking from the north, and another under Field Marshal von Manstein from the south, attempted to cut off a bulge in the front line near the Russian city of Kursk.
The Soviet high command, anticipating this move, resolved to let the German wave break upon well prepared defenses in depth. In the words of Marshal G.K. Zhukov: "we intended to meet the expected advance of the German forces with powerful defensive measures to defeat them, and first of all to destroy the enemy's armored formations; then, going over to the counteroffensive, we would crush the enemy decisively."
Crush them they did.
