North of Kursk - The Kutuzov Offensive, July 12-21, 1943

NORTH OF KURSK was a key Russian offensive that extended from Orel to about 80+ miles north that occurred right after the more well known German Kursk Offensive that grinded to a halt by July 10. 1943. It was an offensive that involved several armies and numerous tank formations attacking from three different positions against two army corps that had not been involved in the Kursk offensive to the south of them. Beginning on the 12th, at first, the Germans were able to handle it east of Orel and farther north. However, by the 14th, the situation began to alarm the Germans as other Russian formations joined the attack. It was not long before some of the panzer divisions that had just finished the Kursk offensive were sent to seal off Russian penetrations and all in a weakened and tired state. It was not long before the northern attack had created a very wide 30 km gap threatening Orel. The attack east of Orel was also making serious advances. All in all, the Germans situation was
precarious by the 16th. As Orel became more and more threatened, the Germans were forced to retreat to the Hagen Line near Bryansk after the 18th. Orel fell by August 5th.