In the 1920s and 1930s, the Red Army underwent intensive development, both in terms of increasing its number of jobs and saturation with technical weapons. One of the most dynamically developed types of weapons was artillery (both barrel and missile), which was considered to be one of the basic, if not crucial, types of weapons on the battlefield. At that time (i.e. in the 1930s) several successful types of guns were introduced into the service of the Red Army, and the 76.2 mm F-22 division cannon, the 122 mm M1931 / 37 corpse cannon or the 122 mm cannon deserve special attention. -haubica M1937 (M£-20) cal. 152 mm. They were weapons that were developed and modernized during World War II and which did not differ significantly from their counterparts in the German army. It is also worth mentioning that the Red Army was also developing very heavy artillery, as exemplified by the introduction to the armament of the 203 mm Br-4 howitzer, the production of which started in 1932. It is worth adding that in 1941, the Soviet rifle division had a total of 144 guns of various calibers and various purposes, and the division included an artillery regiment consisting of five cannon and howitzer squadrons. On the other hand, in 1945, 130 guns of various calibers and various purposes, as well as 12 self-propelled guns (very often SU-76), were in the reduced position compared to 1941 in the infantry division. In addition, Soviet infantry divisions were often supported in battle with separate artillery regiments.
The Battle of the Kursk (German code name: Operation Zitadelle) is widely recognized - not quite accurately - as the largest armored battle in World War II and the largest armored battle on the Eastern Front. It happened after the German defeat at Stalingrad in February 1943, but also after the successful German counter-offensive at Kharkiv in March of the same year. The German side, joining the battle, counted on the full acquisition of the strategic initiative, on the task of the Soviet side with the greatest possible losses, as well as on the nipple of the Soviet offensive expected in the summer of 1943. The Red Army adopted a defensive stance, trying to bleed the attacking Germans out of the blood in the initial phase of the operation, and then proceed to a counter-offensive. The battle on the Kursk arc began on July 5, 1943, and along with the Soviet Or³owo and Belgorod operations it lasted until August 23 of the same year. In its course, despite the involvement of significant forces by the German army and the newest Tiger and Panther tanks as well as the Ferdinand tank destroyers, the Soviets achieved victory, who prepared themselves very well for this battle, and despite suffering huge losses - they were able to go to the counteroffensive. The Battle of the Kursk region turned out to be one of the turning points in World War II. It is estimated that as a result (from July 5 to August 23), the German army lost approx. 240,000 soldiers - killed, wounded and captured, approx. 1,300 tanks and approx. 1,000 aircraft. The losses of the Red Army were undoubtedly greater.