Germany was dominating Europe. It had taken control of France, much of Italy, Poland, and Hungary. Hitler was determined to take over the world but failed largely because he could not take over Russia.
On this day July 12th, in 1943, the Soviet and German armies squared off in Kursk. Kursk was both a transportation and communication hub, and vital to both sides. Russia had turned back the Germans the previous winter, and was now fortifying as Germany prepared a counteroffensive.
The German offensive at Kursk was stopped a week after it got under way. An all-out effort to throw the Red Army back into retreat failed, in part because Russian intelligence unveiled some German strategies. This battle was one of the largest clashes in history, with over 2 million men fighting, half of which were killed in less than two months of war.