Special: Battle of Kursk

Pilots,

The Battle of Kursk is regarded as the biggest tank battle in history, but it wouldn’t have happened without proper air support from both Allied and Axis forces. The Luftwaffe and the VVS (Soviet Military Air Forces) fought for air superiority and supported their troops on the ground during the battle.Discover the famous battle from a different perspective in our historical flashback and take advantage of all the offers and discounts that we have prepared for this special!

In-Game Offers

Triple XP for 1^st victory with every plane in your hangar

There’s XP a plenty this weekend, take advantage while you can!

Up to 30% discount on ammunition

Discounts on both standard and premium ammunition - Better restock that cache!

50% discount on the following planes:

				Messerschmitt Bf 110 E
				Junkers Ju 87 G Stuka
				Henschel Hs 129 B
				Ilyushin IL-2

30% discount on the following planes:

				Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5
				Messerschmitt Bf 109 F Friedrich
				Yakovlev Yak-9
				Lavochkin La-5
				Ilyushin IL-2 (t)
				Yakovlev Yak-1M
				Messerschmitt Bf 109 G Gustav
				Yakovlev Yak-9U

30% discount on the following Premium planes:

				P-39Q-15
				Fw 190 A-8

Soviet or German aircraft… With these discounts, why not have both?

Special Missions

Mission: Operation Citadel
Goal	Destroy one or more Soviet planes in a single battle Win one battle
Reward	1 x Manual Fire Extinguisher
Conditions	Available to all German aircraft (except Attack Aircraft) This mission is repeatable

Historical Flashback

From 1943 onward, the German army on the Eastern Front had been in retreat. By summer, another defeat would have proven to Germany's allies that the nation's offensive capabilities had been fatally wounded in the crushing defeat at Stalingrad. Hitler desperately needed a victory in order to rebuild the waning confidence of his troops in the East. He ordered his generals to mount 'Operation Citadel' - a huge offensive that was meant to halt Soviet advances and show that the Germans were still a force to be reckoned with. The biggest clash of this offensive took place from 5 July - 23 August in a series of engagements known as the Battle of Kursk.

The battle was truly epic. Germany amassed a huge army of some 900,000 soldiers, 10,000 artillery guns, 2,700 tanks and 2,000 aircraft in the area. The Soviets were equally well prepared, mustering almost 1.9 million men, 5,000 tanks, 20,000 guns and around 3,000 aircraft. While the battle is largely remembered for its tank combat, aircraft of both sides played a major role in the outcome of the encounter.

Before 5 July, the Soviets prepared themselves by raiding German air fields and thus managed to take out almost all of the German reconnaissance aircraft. In return, the Germans ordered heavy bombardment of the closest tank factories, knowing that their supplies would play a huge role in the upcoming battle. Despite heavy losses, the Soviet production lines didn't stop and quickly managed to replenish their forces, providing the Red Army with the essential T-34 tanks and La-5 aircraft.

Over the duration of the battle itself, the Luftwaffe and VVS (Soviet Military Air Forces) collided in some of the biggest air operations ever fought. The Germans mainly employed their newly delivered Focke-Wulf 190A in the air and used Junkers Ju 87 aircraft against Soviet tank forces. The Red Army, for its part, countered with their new Yak-9s and legendary IL-2s, flying multiple hundreds of sorties every day of the battle.

In the end, the Soviet strategy of letting the Germans wear themselves out against a strong defensive line worked. Confronted with a new front line due to the invasion of Sicily on 9 July by the Allies, the Germans saw themselves forced to withdraw resources from Operation Citadel and commit their tanks corps to Italy. Although the battle continued well into August, the Soviets would ultimately break through the German lines, pushing the enemy far back to the West in order to regroup.

See the Battle of Kursk from a different perspective in World of Warplanes, pilots.