What is war? There are many definitions, but for those who have not seen it is difficult to understand. Especially the youth. Remember the movie "We are from the future!" Adult guys cynically talk about the Great Patriotic War and crave a bloody fee for wartime finds. As a result, the "black diggers" faced mysticism and incredibly ended up in the past, where they more than drank the military hell. In fact, this does not happen, but each of us can feel the military reality. For example, dig a hole one and a half to two meters deep and try to just stand there in the rain or frost at night. Let's add fantasies: the whistle from the shells, the earth is crumbling all around, tanks are moving right at you. There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. And who to hide behind, if everyone around is the same as you ...

We learned about this and not only when we went along the roads of front-line correspondents to the battlefields of the Battle of Kursk. And our first stop is the village of Ponyri. More precisely, the memorial "To the Heroes of the Northern Front of the Kursk Bulge" in its center, erected in 2013. Chief Editor of the local newspaper Znamya Pobedy, V. A. Danilova met us at the end of the rally dedicated to the Day of Memory and Sorrow. According to her and eyewitness accounts, a huge trench was dug in this place in the summer of 1943, in which, according to various sources, from 800 to 2000 Soviet soldiers and officers were buried. In modern times, commemorative signs were added to the Ingush, Ossetians, and Armenians who died in the battles on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge, which were installed by their fellow countrymen. A large arc frames the square with a memorial with portraits of thirty-three Heroes Soviet Union who received this title in the battles on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge.

The area has changed its appearance several times. The last time the reconstruction of the monument on the mass grave of Soviet soldiers and the square itself was carried out in 1993 for the 50th anniversary of the Victory in the Battle of Kursk. The need to build a memorial complex in Ponyri, which would worthily perpetuate the memory of the soldiers who fought heroically on the Northern face of the Kursk Bulge, was discussed and written by veterans - participants in the battles, local historians, social activists, and residents of the area. After all, it was here, on this earth, as the poet and military commissar E. Dolmatovsky wrote, "the blow from Orel to Kursk was shot down by a blow from Kursk to Orel."

In 2013, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Battle of Kursk in Ponyri, this same memorial was erected, and two years later, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary Great Victory, its second stage was built - the Teplovskie Heights monument. This, as the governor of the Kursk region A.N. Mikhailov noted, was the restoration of historical justice: “I have great respect for the southern face of the Kursk Bulge, but the northern one was undeservedly forgotten. We eliminated this injustice, and the veterans supported me in this.”

The railway station "Ponyri" a hundred meters from the square - another symbol of the Victory - is decorated with bas-reliefs and memorial plaques. One of its halls is a museum with portraits of military leaders and reproductions of paintings dating back to 1943.

According to Victoria Alexandrovna, a former employee of the Ponyrovsky Historical and Memorial Museum of the Battle of Kursk, the territory of the station was the scene of a fierce battle. Bloody battles unfolded for the school and the water tower. The latter was completely wiped off the face of the earth. As it was, the front-line soldiers later told. German snipers"worked" on the defenders of the village from the water tower. Ours answered. The enemy decided to use a psychological attack as well. From the loudspeaker came an appeal to the Soviet soldiers in Russian: they say, do not destroy the station and the tower, you will have to restore all this for a long time. According to the legend, says Viktoria Alexandrovna, our people answered this first with Russian obscene, and then with fire language - they deployed all the guns and demolished the tower to the foundation along with the Germans ...

The fighting in these places unfolded on July 6-7. Along the railroad went German tanks. According to museum employee Oleg Budnikov, up to 250 cars! Ours, as best they could, held back the attack. On the afternoon of July 7, street fighting broke out. The railway school was defended by Lieutenant Ryabov's company. When the company was pushed back into the building, Ryabov, who at that time had no connection with the command, decided to take up all-round defense. He did not yet know that at school he and his fighters would have to defend themselves for two days. Without the supply of ammunition and the evacuation of the wounded and the dead ... When the cartridges ran out and the Germans climbed to the first floor, the commander and the surviving soldiers went down to the basement, and Ryabov fired a signal flare to cause fire on himself. Our artillery hit the building. After this hellish shelling, six fighters, including the commander, came out of the school basement. The enemy was destroyed. For this feat, Ryabov was awarded the order. However, a grimace of fate: having come out alive from such a difficult battle, the lieutenant died a few months later during the liberation of the Bryansk region, where he was buried ...

The observation deck at the Teplovskie Heights - our next stop - was built with federal funds at an altitude of 274 meters above sea level. They say that in good night weather, the lights of Kursk are visible from it, and it is here that it becomes clear why the Germans were so eager to conquer it, advancing from the Simferopol highway ...

We pay attention to the cedar alley, unusual for our places. It turns out that three years ago, an employee of the Tomsk forestry, Sergey Nikolaevich Kuts, came here, to the Ponyrovsky district, in search of the place where his uncle died. His uncle Mikhail rests on a memorial near the village of Olkhovatka. And in their family there was a tradition: when someone left for a long time, he planted a tree. Going to the front from Alma-Ata, my uncle planted a cherry. It bloomed for two years of the war, and in 1943 it dried up. So the family understood that something had happened to the uncle, and after some time a funeral was received ... In memory of his uncle, Sergey Nikolaevich and the participants school forestries 800 seedlings of Siberian cedar were planted in Tomsk. The trees took root, and this year Tomsk residents planted another 500 cedars. Now it is a living memory that the 140th Siberian Rifle Division fought on the Teplovsky Heights. Most of its fighters were residents Far East and Siberia.

The memorial of federal importance on one of the Teplovsky Heights is called the "Monument to Soldiers-Artillerymen". It was erected in November 1943. A genuine gun from the battery of G. I. Igishev "ZIS-2242" is installed on a large pedestal.

“For a long time it was believed that the entire battery was dead,” Victoria Alexandrovna continues her story. - But then the museum staff found out that Andrei Vladimirovich Puzikov, the gunner of this gun, was alive. He lived in Tula, came here in last time in the late 90s. When he saw his cannon, he recognized it and then said: “Lahfet is the same, but the wheelchair was replaced ...” A simple village peasant, he told about his last battle here: the sight was broken, he was left alone at the gun, everyone died. Andrei Vladimirovich knew where the German tanks were coming from, aimed through the barrel and fired. At some point in the battle, the fighter lost consciousness, and later, seriously wounded, he was found and sent to the hospital ...

Scorched earth

On the morning of July 5, 1943, three Soviet combined-arms armies were located in the enemy's offensive zone at once. On the left flank - the 48th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Romanenko and the 13th Army of Lieutenant General Pukhov, on the right - the 70th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Galanin. In total, at the beginning of the fighting, these armies had about 270 thousand soldiers and officers. They were opposed by the 9th field army of Walter Model with a total number of over 330 thousand soldiers and officers.
In the zone of the 13th Army on July 5, "control" prisoners were taken, who showed that at dawn on July 5 the Germans were planning to deliver a powerful blow in the direction of Kursk. In order to frustrate this plan, counter-barrage preparation was carried out in the 13th Army zone. In total, about 1000 barrels of guns and mortars participated in it. It lasted about half an hour, and about a quarter to a half of the available ammunition was used up. For comparison, this is 300 (!) Wagons loaded to the top with shells and mines.
After the Soviet artillery preparation, the Germans undertook their own. 3.5 thousand guns fired along the front line of the Soviet defense. Then followed the main blow of the enemy in the direction of Olkhovatka. In one day of battle, the Germans brought into battle more than 10 infantry and tank divisions, as well as a large number of reinforcement units. On the first day of the battle, the Germans wedged into the Soviet defense for 6 km. Then the commanders of the 13th and 70th armies brought reserves into battle, strengthening the front on both sides and preventing it from "crumbled" further. Here bloody battles began.
Both sides were throwing in reserves, hoping to turn the tide quickly. This calculation was not justified on either side, which led to huge losses. The first day of the battle is estimated as the bloodiest on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge.

One of the objects of the Fiery Frontier tourist route, opened in 1989, is a place called Kurgan. Here is a memorial to war correspondent Konstantin Simonov. It was installed on the site of the former command post of the commander of the 75th Guards Rifle Division Gorishny. From here, Simonov wrote his immortal reports about the battles on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge, which were included in the book Different Days of the War. The commemorative sign appeared here 18 years ago on the initiative and with the participation of volunteers from Zheleznogorsk - members of the children's television "Zerkaltse" and their leader Margarita Gavrilovna Vasilenko.

Why the Kursk Bulge?

Ponyrovsky district, like the rest Kursk region, was occupied by the Germans in October-November 1941. After the victorious Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviet troops, who had previously defended themselves, went on the offensive. It lasted almost five months and stopped after a large-scale enemy counterattack in the Kharkov region.
“Naturally, the rear fell behind, the troops on both sides suffered heavy losses,” Oleg Budnikov tells us in the Ponyrov Museum of the Battle of Kursk. “People are tired, you see, it’s very difficult to walk a thousand kilometers on foot in winter, and even without heating points and regular hot meals ...
And for the first time since the beginning of the war, from March to July 1943, a long respite formed on this front line near Kursk. Neither side was ready for a new big battle. This pause went down in history as 100 days of silence. The front stood along the line (if you look at the map - in the form of an arc) with virtually no changes until the start of the summer campaign of the 43rd year. There are three ledges here: "Orlovsky" with the center in the city of Orel, "Kursky" with the center in the city of Kursk and "Kharkovsky" with the center in the city of Kharkov.
“In the summer of 1943, the German command needed to rehabilitate itself for the defeat at Stalingrad,” our guide explains. - For this, it was supposed to inflict a major defeat on the Soviet troops during a quick offensive operation in the Kursk region. The Germans expected to cut off the Kursk ledge and defeat the Soviet troops stationed west of the city with a strike from the north from Orel and a strike from the south from Belgorod. If this plan had been implemented, then the enemy would have been able to defeat the troops of the Central Front under the command of Army General Rokossovsky and the Voronezh Front - Army General Vatutin. In total, at the time of the start of the fighting, these two fronts numbered about one million three hundred thousand soldiers and officers. Without exaggeration, the defeat of these fronts could be considered a real military catastrophe. And the Germans planned to do all this in record time, literally in one week to close the encirclement.
Such a plan of operation by the Soviet command was foreseen in advance. As early as April 8, Marshal Zhukov pointed out that the Germans would most likely launch a major offensive in the region of the Central and Voronezh fronts. It was proposed to strengthen the defenses in these areas and in parallel to prepare for an offensive operation in the area of ​​​​Kharkov and Orel, in order to actually cut off the "Oryol" and "Kharkov" ledges.
As a result, it was precisely this development of events that occurred in July 1943, when German troops tried to break through the Soviet defenses and close the ring in the Kursk region. As we know, the Nazis did not succeed and the Soviet counteroffensive began.

It was the second Stalingrad ... So the veterans of the Great Battle of Kursk spoke about Patriotic War and historians.

What is seventy years? For space - just a moment, but for man - whole life, but what is there - an era. Today, rye is growing peacefully in these places, chamomile and cornflowers are blooming, forest strawberries are raging, or, in a simple way, berries, larks are flooded - beauty! It’s hard to believe that just seven decades ago everything here was dug up by trenches, mangled by exploding shells and bombs, covered with the bodies of the dead and broken abandoned equipment. Ponyrovskaya land - the northern face of the Kursk Bulge - at what a difficult price it went to the fighters of the Red Army! After all, for every piece of it, a small village, station, hill, entire divisions perished. To clearly understand this, you need to visit Ponyri. This is exactly what we did last week as part of the press tour "With a watering can and a notepad" organized by the Information and Press Committee of the Kursk Region.

Awaited my time

The village of Ponyri greeted us with fuss, which is not surprising, because there are only a few days left before the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kursk, which will take place on July 19. The craftsmen also put in order memorable signs - to the Heroes-sappers, artillerymen on the Teplov Heights and others. The village streets were improved. But the main work was carried out on the central Ponyri Square, where a memorial dedicated to the memory of the heroes of the Northern Front of the Kursk Bulge is being erected. The monument will be installed in the form of a colonnade with arched ceilings. On each of the columns there are granite tables with the numbers of military units and fronts - participants in the Battle of Kursk and the names of the fallen heroes.

As it turned out, this memorial sign is one of the parts of the whole complex that will be based on the Ponyrovskaya land. Its second part will be installed in the year of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory near the village of Olkhovatka - it will be an observation deck at an altitude of 274.5.

By the way, funds for the memorial complex, which is 77 million rubles, were allocated from the federal and regional budgets.

Together with a sense of pride and joy for the Ponyrovka land, the question arose - why the Southern front of the Kursk Bulge - Prokhorovka was so well known for so long and because of what the Northern front, where no less, and, as history has proven, even more fierce battles, so How long have you been in the shadows?

There are several versions. One of them is connected with Konstantin Rokossovsky, the commander of the Central Front and led the actions of the troops of this front in the great defensive and then counter-offensive battle on the Kursk Bulge. It is no longer a secret that before the start of World War II the commander was arrested and imprisoned in the famous "Crosses", from which he was released in the spring of 1940. How far-sighted and smart was Konstantin Konstantinovich, we realized by visiting the branch of the Kursk Museum of Local Lore in Ponyry, dedicated to the Battle of Kursk.

It was clear from intelligence reports that in the summer of 1943 the Germans were planning a major offensive in the Kursk area. The commanders of some fronts offered to develop the successes of Stalingrad and conduct a large-scale offensive, but Konstantin Rokossovsky had a different opinion. He believed that an offensive needed a double, triple superiority of forces, which the Soviet troops did not have in this direction. To stop the enemy, the commander offered to go on the defensive, literally hiding personnel and military equipment in the ground.

Preparations for the great battle, the most terrible battles of which took place on Ponyrovskaya land from July 5 to 17, 1943, were very serious on both sides.

In the Red Army, every soldier not only knew the weak points of German tanks, he was also taught not to be afraid of these vehicles. As for the gunners, each calculation was interchangeable, it was very useful during the battles.

The Germans did not show the direction of the main attack for a long time, - said Olga Kushner, a senior researcher at the Ponyrov Museum, - it finally became clear that this was the village of Olkhovatka. Locality chosen for three reasons. Firstly, the shortest route to Kursk through the city of Fatezh ran through Olkhovatka. Secondly, to the west of this village stretches a ridge of heights (they are known as Teplovskie), and this is a huge advantage for all branches of the military. Thirdly, between the villages of Podsoborovka, Olkhovatka and Teply there was a huge field, which was very convenient for conducting a tank battle. When Konstantin Rokossovsky realized this, he did everything possible to prevent the plans of the Germans from coming true. On July 6, the commander ordered the left wing of the 13th Army to launch a counterattack and forced the enemy to redirect their forces to the village of Ponyri. The losses were colossal, but Olkhovatka and the famous Teplov Heights remained impregnable.

There is also a legend that after the Battle of Kursk, the head of the "Crosses" sent a telegram to Rokossovsky with congratulations, and the commander seemed to even answer him that he was glad to try. Despite all the merits, Konstantin Konstantinovich after the war still remained "in disgrace."

A confirmed fact is also the story of how, after the battle in the village of Goreloy, where Soviet troops shot down 21 Ferdinands, with the permission of Konstantin Rokossovsky, a panorama of the battlefield was photographed and published in newspapers with the caption that this place was filmed near Prokhorovka. Although later it will become known that there were no Ferdinands at all on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge.

The version that in the nineties our famous fellow countryman Vyacheslav Klykov proposed to the regional authorities to build a belfry on Ponyrovskaya land also fell into the category of unconfirmed facts, to which he received no answer. But the sculptor was supported in Prokhorovka - on the southern front of the Kursk Bulge, and now she flaunts there.

Alas, whether it was or not, now it does not matter. The main thing is that the Northern Front still waited for its happy hour, which would not have happened without the participation of Governor Alexander Mikhailov.

Here a Russian man stood...

Listening to the guide's story, we were more and more imbued with the idea that we were in a truly unique place, otherwise it could not be! Here, not only divisions and brigades - almost every fighter could be awarded the high rank of Hero.

A rather impressive number of tanks took part in the Battle of Kursk. Among the combat units that entered the fight against them was the 1st Guards Engineer Brigade special purpose under the command of Mikhail Ioffe. It was a mobile barrier detachment, consisting of fighters hardened in Battle of Stalingrad. How did they act? When a column of tanks separated, they crawled as close as possible to them and placed a charge under the caterpillar. It seems that everything is simple, but it was necessary to overcome the fear of such a colossus as a tank, in addition, the weight of each mine was 25 kilograms, and the sapper fighter took two on his back. The task was one - by all means to stop the practically "indestructible" car. On the Kursk Bulge, more than one soldier rushed with such mines under the tracks of a tank and, at the cost of his life, complied with the order. After the Battle of Kursk, this brigade was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War for its exploits.

No less impressive was the history of the battery of Captain Georgy Igishev, which was part of the 3rd anti-tank artillery brigade. She took up defense near the village of Samodurovka, Ponyrovsky district, and in just three days destroyed 19 enemy tanks!

On July 8, when the crew died, only gunner Andrey Puzikov survived. The gun sight was shot down, one of the wheels was lost. But this did not frighten the fighter - he replaced the wheel with a box of shells and one continued to load, aim "by eye" and shoot at enemy tanks.

It was believed that all the Igishevites died, their names were even carved on the famous monument to artillerymen, built immediately after the Battle of Kursk - in November 1943. But what was the surprise of the Ponyrovites when, in 1995, Andrei Puzikov himself came to the village as part of the Lipetsk delegation.

For a long time, the veteran stood silently at the monument, looking at gun No. 2242, mounted on a pedestal, and then said: "The carriage is the same, but the wheel has been replaced."

And how not to say about the first guards battalion, which was part of the 9th regiment of the 4th airborne division under the command of the guard captain Alexander Zhukov, who in in full force died July 10, 1943 in Ponyry. It so happened that the Germans surrounded him with a dense ring. At the same time, the paratroopers had only one way out - to fight to the last bullet, which they did. The division destroyed a German artillery battery, capturing its guns, and directed them against enemy vehicles, knocking out seven tanks, almost the same number of armored personnel carriers, while killing about 700 German soldiers and officers.

And the paratroopers also left an inscription made with their own blood: "We die, but we do not give up. Farewell." Not a single person from this battalion surrendered.

When thinking about all this, you understand how true the words from Yevgeny Dolmatovsky's poem "Ponyri" are, by the way, carved on the monument to the Heroes-sappers:

"There were no mountains, no rocks,

There were no ditches, no rivers,

Here a Russian man was standing…"

But the memory was not enough ...

I would like to talk about memorial signs separately. On the territory of the Ponyrovsky district there are 28 mass graves. Those that are located near the village are in good condition, which cannot be said about the distant mass graves. One of the laws is to blame, according to which monuments and burial places were transferred to the balance municipalities. Alas, some villages are so poor that they don’t even have money for a can of paint, so it turns out that almost no one takes care of the graves.

We encountered a no less sad sight at the monument to the Heroes-sappers. The fact is that the Eternal Flame does not work near it. The reason is banal - there are no gas cylinders "feeding" it.

However, in one of the reports of the commanding subjects of the Ponyrovsky district, it was said that it was 100 percent gasified. But the treasured fuel was not enough for memory ...

And reached the governor

At the same time, there are more positive examples in Ponyri. We were sincerely struck by the story of nine-year-old Davitkhan Belalov. Even before his birth, the boy's family moved to Ponyrovskaya land and fell in love with this place to the core.

The boy was interested in the fate of the divers who received the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union. Among them is Vasily Gorbachev, a native of 2 Ponyri.

Davitkhan was struck by the fact that no one in his native village knows about this Hero! Nine year old boy with help social networks found relatives of the Hero - a son who lives in Yakutia, and a niece. He learned that Vasily Semenovich was very ill and in the last years of his life, being in a frenzy, which was the result of a front-line concussion, left home and disappeared without a trace.

Davitkhan was so touched by this story that he wrote a letter to Governor Alexander Mikhailov with a request to install a memorial plaque to the Hero in his native village and, possibly, name a street and a school in his honor.

We have Veselaya Street in Ponyri, - the boy wrote, - and what kind of fun can we talk about on earth that does not remember and does not know about its countrymen heroes!

And the boy has already achieved that a memorial plaque in honor of Vasily Gorbachev, Hero of the Soviet Union, appeared in his native village.

Drops of blood on the Teplovsky Heights

The last point of the press tour was height 268.9 - one of the ridges located near the villages of Teploye, Samodurovka and Olkhovatka, on which residents of the neighboring Fatezhsky district erected a bow cross. A stunning view opens from a high hill, and it is all overgrown with meadow strawberries. One of the veterans who visited this place, seeing a raging berry plant, wept and said: "These are drops of soldier's blood shed for every piece of Ponyrovskaya land."

Nadezhda Glazkova

(eng. FAS, free sheep alongside - free along the ship) front

one of the basic conditions that determine the procedure for the delivery and payment of goods in international trade. Under this condition, the seller is obliged to deliver the goods to the ship, and the recipient bears the costs of loading the goods onto the ship.

Glossary of financial terms

FAS

commercial conditions that determine the procedure for the delivery and payment of goods in international trade. The term is formed from the initial letters of the English words "Free Along Ship" (free along the ship). The purchase and sale of goods on the terms of the FAS means the obligation of the seller to deliver the goods to the ship's board at the expense of his own forces and means. The buyer is obliged to timely charter the vessel, he bears all the costs of loading the goods on board. The risk of accidental loss or damage passes from the seller to the buyer at the time of the actual delivery of the goods alongside the vessel. When goods are delivered on FAS terms, the selling price includes the price of the goods itself, as well as transportation and other costs.

Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, Vladimir Dal

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov

face

face, m. (French face - face).

The front side of something. (book). The front of our corps ... overlooked the Neva. Leskov.

A straight section of a fortress fence or field fortification with a certain direction of fire (military).

Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova.

face

A, m. (special) Front view, from linden, full face. Take a photo in f.iv profile. Turn face.

adj. face, th, th.

New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

face

FAS (from the French face - face) in fortification - a straight section of a trench, communication, non-explosive anti-tank and anti-personnel barriers.

face

FAS (eng. fas, abbr. from free alongside ship - freely along the side of the ship) is a type of foreign trade contract of sale associated with the delivery of goods by water, when the price of the goods includes the cost of delivering it to the ship.

Big Law Dictionary

face

international trade term, one of the free delivery terms in commercial transactions (remained unchanged in the 1990 edition of Incoterms). Literally means "free along the side of the ship". According to this condition, the seller is deemed to have fulfilled his obligations when the goods are placed along the side of the ship on the berth or on lighters. From this point on, all costs and risks of loss of or damage to the goods must be borne by the buyer. As with the ex-factory condition, the buyer clears the goods from export duties and customs formalities - in contrast to the FOB condition, where this operation is entrusted to the seller. The FAS condition is applicable only for transportation by sea or river transport.

Fas (face)

face- the side of something facing the viewer (see full face). In military affairs: the front is the side of the fortification facing the enemy.

Faces are also called straight sections of wire obstacles, trenches and anti-tank ditches.

Fas (disambiguation)

• face- front side.
• face- dog training team.

FAS

FAS (football club)

"FAS"- Salvadoran football club from the city of Santa Ana. Plays in the El Salvador Premiere, the strongest division in El Salvador. The club was founded on February 16, 1947, and plays home matches at the Estadio Oscar Cuiteno, which can accommodate 15,000 spectators. " FAS» The most titled club in El Salvador, and one of the most titled clubs in CONCACAF.

Examples of the use of the word face in the literature.

With such large forces in front of the southern face Barvenkovsky bridgehead, the Nazi command intended them to deliver two strikes - on Barvenkovo ​​and in the direction of Dolgenkaya, where the auxiliary command post of the 9th Army was located.

Most importantly, Bayazet was taken, the Russian flag fluttered over faces ancient fortress.

The height and width of the nose, the length of the back of the nose, the depth of the bridge of the nose, the protrusion of the nose, the contour of the back in profile, the width and shape of the back in face, the position of the base of the nose in profile, the position and shape of the tip of the nose, and the shape of the alae.

Let's try to develop a mysterious phenomenon - domestication, but not in face, but in profile.

Approaching the police station house, which overlooked face out into the street, Turkevich winked merrily at his companions, threw up his cap and announced loudly that it was not the chief who lived here, but his own, Turkevich's father and benefactor.

Push the cigarat to the brim, to the very mouth, opari behold face and send two terns to kill.

From high face the redifs, trained by British instructors, could be seen digging trenches: the earth flew up from their shovels high above the parapet, and the rifle fire threatened to become especially dense and dangerous.

First of all, it represents the reverse side of the large canvas depicted on the left, rather, not even the reverse side, but the front side, since it shows in face what is hidden by the position of this canvas.

This was the southern face Kursk ledge, where the defense was headed by the field administration of the Voronezh Front.

Meanwhile, during November 12 and 13, the front commander, in accordance with the instructions of the Headquarters, assigned the troops the task of defending the southern face bridgehead on the front of Zhytomyr, Fastov, Tripoli.

She occupied part of the western face Kursk ledge - to the junction with the troops of the Central Front.

By this time we had moved our headquarters to the northern outskirts of Oboyan, deep into the southern face arcs.

On the evening of the same day he left for Peterhof, in order to congratulate those lined up at three face midshipmen with the production of midshipmen.

This is confirmed by the fact that in the southern facet On the first day of the Kursk Bulge, the enemy struck with the forces of five corps, and on the northern one - three.

Suddenly the girl turned her head to the window, and Sergei simultaneously saw her profile and face already from the depths of the dark running pool of wagon glass, and her face now looked at Sergei from there attentively and sadly.

A small German heavy self-propelled gun Panzerjäger Tiger (P), better known asFerdinand, left a noticeable mark in historical memory and in Soviet tank building. In itself, the word "Ferdinand" became a household word: the Red Army men "noticed" these self-propelled guns in various sectors of the Soviet-German front, and right up to the end of the war. In practice, only 91 such machines were built, but in a truly massiveFerdinand were used only in the summer of 1943 during Operation Citadel on the Kursk Bulge. In this battle, the Germans lost more than a third of all vehicles of this type.

Despite the fact that SAUFerdinand (later known asElefant) were used rather limitedly, they proved to be a very effective anti-tank weapon. The command of the Red Army to the brainchildPorsche K. G. andAlkett taken very seriously. AppearanceFerdinand at the front directly affected the development of Soviet tanks, tank guns and anti-tank artillery.

Impact force on the northern face

The fact that the German industry created such an impressive combat vehicle was not even suspected in the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army (GBTU KA) until its appearance at the front. The allies in the anti-Hitler coalition did not know about it either. The explanation is simple: the fact is that the Panzerjäger Tiger (P) were built in the spring of 1943, and went into battle in early July. For that a short time that preparations were underway for Operation Citadel, information about Ferdinand did not have time to leak through the front line. At the same time, even about the Panther, for which the battle on the Kursk Bulge also became a combat debut, at least some information was received by the allies, albeit inaccurate.

The study of the German novelty began on July 15, that is, even during the Battle of Kursk. A group of officers from the NIBT Polygon arrived at the Central Front, consisting of engineer-colonel Kalidov, senior technician-lieutenant Kzhak and technician-lieutenant Serov. By that time, the fighting in the area of ​​the Ponyri station and the state farm on May 1 had died down. In addition to a direct inspection of German vehicles, German prisoners of war were interrogated by experts. Information was also shared by Soviet soldiers and officers who took part in the battles against German combat vehicles. Finally, German instructions for Ferdinand fell into the hands of the Soviet military.

A survey of prisoners made it possible to obtain a large amount of information, including on the organization of anti-tank divisions, which were armed with Ferdinand self-propelled guns. Additionally, specialists from the NIBT Polygon received information on other units that participated in the battles together with the 653rd and 654th divisions, which were armed with heavy tank destroyers.

Ferdinand with tail number 501, which was delivered to the NIBT Polygon in September 1943

The information received made it possible to reconstruct the picture of the combat use of divisions with Ferdinands and their neighbors, who used StuH 42 and Sturmpanzer IV self-propelled guns. The Ferdinands, which had thick armor, acted as a ram, moving at the head of the combat formations of the strike group. According to the information collected, the cars were moving in a line. Thanks to powerful weapons capable of hitting Soviet tanks at long distances, the crews of the Ferdinands could open fire at a distance of up to 3 kilometers. If necessary, German vehicles retreated backwards, leaving thick frontal armor under enemy fire. So they could, retreating, continue to fire on Soviet tanks. Shooting was carried out from short stops.

The shell mark on the left side is clearly visible. The same mark is also on board the car in Patriot Park.

Against well-protected German self-propelled guns, Soviet tank guns were almost useless. Of the 21 vehicles examined by GBTU specialists, only one, with onboard 602, had a hole in the port side. The hit fell on the gas tank area, a fire broke out, and the self-propelled unit burned down. The tactics of the German self-propelled gunners could well have worked if not for one “but”: they had to attack an echeloned defense line, in which there were far from only tanks. The most terrible enemy of the Ferdinand was the Soviet sappers. 10 vehicles were blown up by mines and land mines, including self-propelled guns with tail number 501. This self-propelled gun with serial number 150072 turned out to be the vehicle of Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Wilde, commander of the 1st battery (5./654) of the 654th heavy division tank destroyers.

5 "Ferdinands" were hit by shells in the undercarriage and were put out of action. 2 more vehicles received hits both in the chassis and in the guns. The car with tail number 701 became a victim of Soviet artillery. The projectile, which hit the roof of the cabin along a hinged trajectory, pierced the hatch and exploded inside the fighting compartment. Another car was hit by an aerial bomb, which completely destroyed the wheelhouse. Finally, the vehicle with tail number II-01 from the headquarters of the 654th division was destroyed by the Soviet infantry. A well-aimed hit with a Molotov cocktail caused a fire, the crew burned inside.

The letter N indicates that it was a vehicle from the 654th Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, commanded by Major Karl-Hans Noack

In fact, the losses of the divisions that were armed with the Ferdinands turned out to be even higher. In total, during the operation "Citadel" 39 self-propelled units of this type were irretrievably lost. The results of the battle near Ponyry clearly showed that the Red Army had learned to fight with significantly superior enemy forces, because there was an undeniable advantage on the side of the German tank forces in this battle. The Soviet tank industry was able to give a full answer to the new generation of German tanks and self-propelled guns only in the spring of 1944, when the T-34-85 and IS-2 entered the troops. However, the Germans lost the Battle of Kursk. As the Ponyri battles showed, the advantage in tanks was far from always the most important factor. "Ferdinands" could not break through the northern face of the Kursk salient.

To Kubinka for experiments

The first group of specialists from the NIBT Polygon left the combat area on August 4th. On August 24, the second group arrived here, consisting of Major Engineer Khinsky, Senior Technician Lieutenant Ilyin and Lieutenant Burlakov. The task of the group, which operated on the Central Front until September 8, was the selection of the most complete captured German vehicles and their delivery to the NIBT Polygon. Two cars were selected. In addition to the already mentioned self-propelled guns with tail number 501, it was also a self-propelled gun with serial number 15090. It also blew up on a mine. One machine was used for direct study and fire tests, the second was fired from domestic and foreign guns.

On the right side, damage was minimal.

The study of captured vehicles began even before they were at the NIBT Test Site. The first firing tests of the wrecked Ferdinand were carried out on July 20-21, 1943. It turned out that the side of the German vehicle was being penetrated by a 45-mm anti-tank gun at a distance of 200 meters. It pierced the German armor at a distance of 400 meters and the 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon with a sub-caliber projectile. For the 85 mm 52-K gun and the 122 mm A-19 hull gun, the side armor of the German self-propelled guns was also not a serious problem. It is worth noting that the armor of the Ferdinands, especially for vehicles with serial numbers up to 150060, was worse than that of the Pz.Kpfw.Tiger Ausf.E. For this reason, in the future, the firing tests of the vehicle with serial number 150090 differed somewhat in results.

"Ferdinand" with tail number 501 was a victim of Soviet sappers

The trophy documents were also studied. By July 21, the Red Army had accurate data on the performance characteristics of the German self-propelled gun. Moreover, it was known exactly how many Ferdinands were built. The data was gleaned from a summary instruction for the armament of the German army, captured among other documents:

“In terms of its armor and armament, it is an exceptionally strong weapon for fighting tanks and for supporting an offensive in the face of strong enemy resistance. Heavy weight, low speed on the battlefield, low cross-country ability limit the possibilities of combat use and require especially careful reconnaissance before entering into battle.

90 pieces were produced, consolidated into a heavy anti-tank regiment consisting of two divisions of 45 guns each.

Selected by a group of specialists from the NIBT Polygon, self-propelled guns arrived in Kubinka in September 1943. Immediately after arrival, the study of the sample with tail number 501 began. There was no talk of sea trials at that time, there was not enough time. Instead, the testers compiled a brief description of the German self-propelled gun, which they called "Ferdinand (Tiger P)". Thanks to the already available materials, it was possible to accurately indicate the characteristics of the machine.

This self-propelled gun had an escape hatch dropped. On a museum car, it was welded to the roof so that it would not get lost.

The assessment of the German novelty was, to put it mildly, ambiguous. The obvious advantages of the car were armor protection, as well as powerful weapons. At the same time, even the armament of the tank raised questions. A study of the 88 mm Pak 43 gun showed that the aiming speed with the help of its rotary mechanism is low. Conducting aimed fire was possible only from a place or from short stops. The visibility of the car was recognized by Soviet experts as poor. These conclusions were indirectly confirmed by German designers. During the modernization of Ferdinand, which began in the fall of 1943 (at about the same time the vehicle changed its designation to Elefant), the vehicles received a commander's cupola. True, this did not improve the situation much.

Another significant drawback of the German self-propelled guns was a small ammunition load, consisting of only 38 rounds. The crews independently corrected the situation: in self-propelled units they found wooden stacks, handicraft built in the field.

Dismantled installation during the shelling. NIBT Polygon, December 1943

Compiling a description, however, was not the most important task for the specialists of the NIBT Polygon. It was much more important to determine where and how the German novelty could be hit. After the battle of Ponyry, the threat posed by the Ferdinand was taken very seriously. The car made an indelible impression on the Soviet infantry and tankers. A steel colossus, which is almost impossible to break through in the frontal projection, seemed to be in different parts of the front. For this reason, it was necessary to know exactly which systems and at what distance were capable of hitting a heavy German tank destroyer.

For a sub-caliber projectile of a 45-mm anti-tank gun, the sides of the German self-propelled gun turned out to be completely pierced

The shelling test program for the Ferdinand hull was signed on September 29, 1943. But it was possible to start the tests themselves only on December 1. During this time, the range of weapons that were planned to fire at the trophy was expanded. In addition to domestic, German artillery systems and allied guns, the NII-6 anti-tank grenade was also used, later adopted as the RPG-6. As tests showed, the cumulative grenade confidently pierced the side of the self-propelled gun, after which the jet pierced the shield of inch boards installed inside the hull.

The next on the list was the 45-mm gun installed in the T-70 tank. Her armor-piercing projectile did not penetrate the German car at a distance of 100 meters, which turned out to be quite expected. But the sub-caliber projectile at the same distance coped with both the side of the hull and the side of the wheelhouse. At a distance of 200 meters, a sub-caliber projectile managed to break through the side, the cabin turned out to be stronger.

The results of shelling a car from a 6-pounder tank gun

The 57-mm tank gun installed in the Churchill tank turned out to be able to break through the side of the German self-propelled gun. From a distance of 500 meters, armor 80 (85) mm thick made its way confidently. Fire was fired from the 43-caliber version of the gun, the Valentine XI/X and Churchill III/IV of 1943 deliveries had longer guns.

For tank guns of 75 and 76 mm caliber, the side of the German vehicle turned out to be a difficult obstacle

Things were worse with the shelling of a German self-propelled gun from a 75-mm M3 cannon mounted in an American M4A2 medium tank. The M61 armor-piercing projectile could not penetrate the side of the cabin even from a distance of 100 meters. True, two hits on the weld connecting the frontal and left side cutting sheet led to its cracking. However, the same projectile pierced the side of the Ferdinand hull already at a distance of 500 meters. The armor-piercing projectile of the Soviet 76-mm F-34 tank gun behaved even worse, which, however, was not news.

D-5S board "Ferdinand" broke through at a distance of almost a kilometer

The results of firing at the side of the German self-propelled gun from the D-5S gun installed in the SU-85 were not surprised either. At a distance of 900 meters, she confidently pierced both the side of the hull and the side of the wheelhouse. When a shell hit from the inside of the sheet, the armor broke off, the fragments did not leave the calculation of the fighting compartment a chance of survival. However, by the time the SU-85 appeared on the front, and then other Soviet combat vehicles equipped with 85-mm guns, the chances of meeting the Ferdinand on the battlefield had noticeably decreased.

This penetration from the D-25T was not counted. But if it happened in a real situation, the Ferdinand calculation would not care

All of the systems listed above were not used to shell a self-propelled gun from the frontal part, which is understandable: it would hardly have been possible to break through 200 mm armor with their help. The first gun that was used to fire at the front of the hull was the 122-mm D-25 gun installed in the prototype of the IS-2 tank. The first projectile, fired from a distance of 1400 meters on the frontal hull plate, pierced the screen and ricocheted. The second projectile, fired at the same distance into the cabin, left a dent 100 mm deep and 210 × 200 mm in size. The third shell was stuck in the armor, but still partially entered it. The penetration was not counted, but in practice such a defeat would have put the gun's crew out of action. At shorter distances, shooting was not carried out this time, but, as subsequent events showed, hits at a distance of 1200 meters or less ended in penetration. The testers considered the distance of 1000 meters as the maximum distance for penetration.

The Panther's cannon pierced the self-propelled unit in the forehead of the hull from 100 meters

This was followed by shelling from the 75-mm KwK 42 L / 71 cannon mounted on the German tank Pz.Kpfw.Panther Ausf.D. At a distance of 100 meters, the forehead of the hull was pierced. But the cabin from 200 meters failed to break through.

These results were affected by damage from previous hits. But the meeting with the ML-20 did not bode well for Ferdinand

The most terrible test was the shelling from the 152-mm howitzer-gun ML-20, installed in the prototype ISU-152. The second hit in the frontal part of the hull led to the fact that both the screen and the sheet were broken in half. Last but not least, this result was obtained due to the unwelded embrasure of the course machine gun, which was again installed on the Elefant.

A clear demonstration of why another car was sent to the trophy exhibition in Moscow

At this test shelling, it was decided to stop. ML-20 turned the Ferdinand into a pile of rubble. It was supposed to send the shot car to a trophy exhibition in Moscow, but later the decision was changed. Another car was taken for the demonstration, which was also fired upon (it was most likely the Ferdinand, which was fired upon in the summer of 1943). Together with her, a whole self-propelled unit went to the exhibition. The car with tail number 501 remained at the NIBT Polygon.

Catalyst for an arms race

The appearance of a new German self-propelled gun on the Kursk Bulge was taken very seriously by the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army (GBTU KA). In part, the start of new developments provoked the combat debut of the Panthers. Of course, with the activity that began after the appearance of the "Tiger", what happened cannot be compared. Nevertheless, already at the beginning of September 1943, a letter was sent to Stalin signed by the head of the GBTU KA, Lieutenant General Fedorenko. In connection with the appearance of new models of German armored vehicles, he proposed to begin the development of promising tanks and self-propelled guns.

A direct consequence of the appearance of the Ferdinand was the start of the development of the Object 701 heavy tank, the future IS-4. In addition, work on the 122-mm D-25T gun, which had begun as early as May 1943, accelerated. Moreover, it was supposed to replace it with an even more powerful gun with an initial projectile velocity of up to 1000 m/s. Work began on the creation of more powerful 85 and 152 mm caliber guns. Finally, the issue of developing a 100-mm gun with naval gun ballistics appeared again on the agenda. Thus began the history of the D-10S, the main armament of the SU-100 self-propelled gun.

Schematic of the cooling system prepared by NIBT Polygon

All this is just a part of the activities that were launched or restarted in connection with the appearance of the Ferdinand. Thanks to the German heavy self-propelled guns, it was "resurrected" and Soviet program for the development of electric transmission. They have been engaged in it in the USSR since the beginning of the 30s, it was supposed to use such a transmission on the KV-3. A serial German heavy machine with electric transmission forced Soviet specialists to return to this work again. However, our engineers did not copy German developments. The program, which was related to the famous science fiction writer Kazantsev (and part-time military engineer of the 3rd rank and chief engineer of plant No. 627), developed independently.

Specification for the armor plates of the Ferdinand chassis, prepared by NII-48 in 1944

The design of the German car aroused great interest in the USSR. The hull and cabin were studied at NII-48, the leading enterprise dealing with armor issues. As a result of the study, several reports were prepared. NII-48 engineers created the armor and hull of the optimal shape - with good protection and relatively low weight. The result of these works was a more rational form of hulls and turrets, which began to be introduced from the second half of 1944, first on heavy, and later on medium tanks.

Influenced these developments and the study of the guns installed on the Ferdinand. In 1944, the creation of armor protection capable of withstanding this gun became a priority for Soviet designers. And they coped with it much better than their German counterparts. By the end of 1944, the first experimental tanks appeared, the protection of which made it possible to confidently resist the German gun. Tanks IS-3 and T-54 "grew" just from such developments.

Other elements of the Ferdinand were also studied, for example, the suspension. In the Soviet industry, this development did not find application, but aroused some interest. A report on the study of the Porsche suspension was compiled at the request of the British.

Suspension scheme "Ferdinand" from the album of torsion bar suspensions prepared by NIBT Polygon in 1945

The most important result of the study of the German machine was the emergence of means for effectively combating it. The IS-2 heavy tank and the ISU-122 self-propelled gun were adopted by the Red Army. There are at least two cases of collision between the IS-2 and the Elefant in the summer of 1944. In both cases, the crew of the IS-2 under the command of Lieutenant B.N. Slyunyaeva came out the winner. The most notable was the battle on July 22, 1944: a column of the 71st Guards Heavy tank regiment was walking towards Magerov when fire was opened on heavy tanks from an ambush. Slyunyaev's tank, under the cover of a second car, advanced to the crossroads. After observing the ambush for 10-15 minutes, the IS-2 approached it at a distance of 1000 meters and returned fire. As a result, the "Elephant", 2 anti-tank guns and an armored personnel carrier were destroyed.

Three weeks later, the same regiment was the first to fight the latest German heavy tanks Pz.Kpfw. Tiger Ausf.B. It was then that it turned out that the measures taken by the Soviet designers turned out to be very helpful. The Royal Tiger had more resistant frontal armor than the Ferdinand, which did not prevent Soviet tankers from winning a duel with the latest German tanks dry. Preparing to fight the Ferdinands, the Soviet tank industry also prepared for the emergence of a new generation of German heavy tanks. As a result of such a powerful qualitative superiority in tanks, which the Wehrmacht received on the eve of the Battle of Kursk, the summer of 1944 did not happen. And for other serious attempts to change the existing balance of power, the German tank industry did not have time.

There is between Kursk and Orel
Train station and one station.
In the distant past
There was silence here.

And finally July came
And the fifth at dawn
Shells thunder and squeals of bullets
And the tanks rushed at us.

But still no one ran
The orders of the mouth did not flinch.
And every dead person lay here
Facing the enemy, facing forward.

There were guns on the hills
Almost at the Ponyri.
Remain in their places
Lying battery calculations.

Evgeny Dolmatovsky.

In times of great wars, it often happens that some unremarkable earlier place becomes pivotal for the fate of the world and the course of history. This will be the small Ponyri railway station in the battles of the Battle of Kursk. Today this station has been forgotten, but in 1943 the whole world knew about it.

After successful battles near Moscow and Stalingrad, Soviet troops made a breakthrough in the Kursk direction. A giant ledge 550 km long was formed, which later became known as the Kursk Bulge.

The German army grouping "Center" was opposed by the central front under the command of Rokossovsky. On the way of the army "South" stood the Voronezh front under the command of Vatutin. The Germans, holding the occupied territories, were preparing the decisive operation "Citadel". Its essence was a simultaneous attack from the north and south, getting the opportunity to connect in Kursk, forming a giant cauldron, striving to break up our troops and move on Moscow. Our goal was to prevent a breakthrough at all costs and correctly calculate the probability of the main blow of the German armies.

Spring 1943. A strategic pause arose in the Kursk direction - 100 days of silence. Sovinformburo reports invariably contained the phrase: "Nothing significant happened at the front." Intelligence worked carefully, our troops were preparing, the Germans were preparing. The success of the future operation these days was decided by providing the front with ammunition, equipment and new reinforcements. The main burden in this difficult matter fell on the shoulders of the railroad. 100 days of silence for them were 100 days of fierce battle. On June 2, 1943, the most powerful Nazi air raid was carried out on the Kursk railway junction. It went on without interruption for exactly 22 hours. 453 aircraft dropped 2,600 bombs on the Kursk station, practically destroying it. Perhaps it was easier at the front than here in the rear. And people worked, restored steam locomotives, did not leave the depot for weeks in order to provide military cargo transportation.

On July 5, 1943, one of the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War began on the northern face - Battle of Kursk. Rokossovsky accurately calculated the direction of the main blow. He realized that the Germans would launch an offensive in the area of ​​the Ponyri station through the Teplovsky heights. It was the shortest route to Kursk. The commander of the central front took a big risk by removing artillery from other sectors of the front. 92 barrels per kilometer of defense - such a density of artillery was not in any defensive operation throughout the history of the Great Patriotic War. And if there was the greatest tank battle near Prokhorovka, where iron fought with iron, then here, in Ponyri, about the same number of tanks moved to Kursk, and these tanks were stopped by PEOPLE. The enemy was strong: 22 divisions, up to 1,200 tanks and assault guns, a total of 460,000 soldiers. It was a fierce battle. "Both sides seem to be aware of the meaning that history will give her in the future," writes Paul Carrel in Scorched Earth. Only purebred Germans took part in the Battle of Kursk, they did not trust anything to others. They didn't have 17 year olds. 20-22 years old - these were experienced and trained personnel officers. Fierce fighting continued near Ponyri on 6 and 7 July. On the night of July 11, the bloodless enemy made the last attempt to push our troops and was able to advance 12 kilometers in 5 days of fighting. But this time, the Nazi offensive bogged down. One of the German generals later said that the key to our victory was forever buried under Ponyri. July 12, when there was a fierce battle near Prokhorovka on southern face, where the enemy advanced 35 kilometers, on the northern face the front line will return to its positions, and already on July 15 Rokossovsky's army will go on the offensive against Orel.

The whole world knows about the tank battle near Prokhorovka - the largest in the history of the war. But few have wondered how Soviet troops managed to quickly transfer such a mass of tanks to Kursk. From March to August, only 1410 echelons with military equipment were delivered to the Kursk Bulge. This is seven times more than near Moscow in 1941. Tanks went straight from the platforms into battle.

The battle of Kursk ended with the complete defeat of the enemy, access to the Dnieper and the capture of Kharkov. The first train arrived there already on the 5th day after the liberation of the city. The main task now, having secured the offensive, is to keep up with the advancing units. After leaving, the Germans left a scorched desert behind them. Behind the locomotive, a heavy hook caught on one of the sleepers, it goes and tears all the sleepers in half. That's it, the path has become disconnected, you can't go along the path. There is a track destroyer, tearing sleepers. A joint, a link is undermined. The rails at that time were 12.5 meters long. At each junction and in the middle of the junction, after 6 meters, a stick of dynamite was placed, blown up and the rails all failed. So there are no sleepers and no rails. All this created a general background when it was almost impossible to work. But everything was done.

There was a victory. The commander of the central front, General of the Army Rokossovsky, wrote: “The railroad workers of the Kursk Knot showed exceptional heroism, restoring the destruction under the explosions of enemy bombs. Remember railroad! A Russian soldier will pass everywhere if every 20 minutes we ensure the delivery of 30 wagons with troops, ammunition, weapons and food to the front. One hundred thousand soldiers of the Red Army will pass where the deer will not pass.” Our railroad workers did not leave a single locomotive, not a single wagon, not a single railroad switch to the invaders. Everything that could not be evacuated was blown up and destroyed. It was very scary to drive on this section of the train because of the constant air bombing. Railroad workers are very modest, simple toiling soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Without them, there would have been no victory, not only at Stalingrad, not only on the Kursk Bulge, there would have been no victory at all.

Every old soldier has a secret dream to once again visit those places where the war threw him. What do they want to see, what else to remember, what to experience? They know that there are no frames in any newsreel of the world that their memory keeps. No one can ever measure their pain. No one but them will smell gunpowder, sweat, dry dust and warm blood. And so they come back.

Go ahead, fight, burn
Ever after the war
Come back to your native Ponyri,
Where did the victorious path begin?

Thundered in the valleys and forests
Fighting from dawn to dusk.
Eagle and Kursk, as on the scales,
And in the middle - Ponyri.

Evgeny Dolmatovsky.

Based on the films The Trains That Won the War (written and directed by Valery Shatin) and The Kursk Bulge. Iron Frontier (author and director Daria Romanova).