When I somewhat hesitantly raised the idea of heading far off the beaten track, she surprised me with the enthusiasm of her response. Joining me on the journey was my Mexican lady-friend Griselda. So when the long dreamt-of opportunity to travel through post-Soviet Russia on the Trans-Siberian Express became a reality, I knew I would have to depart from the east-west axis and make a pilgrimage to Prokhorovka in the deep south of the country, not far from the Ukrainian border. I had long been fascinated by the sheer scale and intensity of the Nazi-Soviet clash, not to mention its unparalleled importance to twentieth-century history. In Russia itself, Prokhorovka has attained mythic status - perhaps not quite as prominent as the siege of Leningrad, or the heroic defense of Stalingrad, but a defining moment nonetheless. The name is obscure outside Russia, but to military historians it signifies the largest and most destructive encounter in the greatest series of tank battles ever waged. Instead, its decisive clash was fought well to the southwest, on the outskirts of the small town of Prokhorovka. It signifies a turning point in history, or at least the point where a historical shift was sealed.īut the “Battle of Kursk” never came within range of Kursk city itself. For anyone familiar with the Second World War on the eastern front - and it was in the east that the war was won and lost - the name is as evocative as they come. Pilgrimage to Prokhorovka - Text and Photos by Adam Jones
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