Kursk Screenplay
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15. INT. (1500) SOVIET CENTRAL FRONT HQ (NORTH)
Shaking his head in consternation, Rokossovsky continues
to study a map on a table and motions for the other
officers to take a look.
[Russian]
ROKOSSOVSKY
I had originally thought the main
thrust would be through
Ponyri...here...Recent events,
however, have led me to believe the
focus is more to the west between
Olkhovotka and the Svana. We’ve been
lucky so far as the enemy was not
quick enough to exploit their initial
successes.
Following Rokossovsky’s finger to the area between
Butyrki and Bobrik, the others seem to concur.
ROKOSSOVSKY
General Pukhov’s moving into that area
right now to restore the first
defensive line. The 15th and 81st have
been decimated and won’t hold up to
much more and 13th Army’s left flank
is beginning to buckle...That concerns
me...General Malinin. See what air
support is available for 13th Army.
Also I want a listing of Central
Front’s available reserves.
MALININ
Yes, Comrade General.
ROKOSSOVSKY
The Fascists do not want this struggle
to become one of prolonged attrition.
Now we shall see this spring’s war
games pay dividends...General Rodin.
You’ve got over 450 tanks...I want
your 3rd and 16th Tank Corps to
support 17th and 18th in an advance
tomorrow morning. Speed of deployment
and reaction is paramount. The 19th
Separate Tank Corps will be under your
operational subordination and the 9th
will be brought up from our reserve
near Kursk.
RODIN
Yes, Comrade General.
PUKHOV
Model’s offensive has penetrated to a
maximum depth of about eight
kilometers.
More than one-hundred enemy tanks have
been knocked out along my front and
6000 new mines have been laid
today...The hardest hit sector’s
between Gnilets and Ponyri, but I feel
the enemy’s attack is being eroded
against our layered defense.
ROKOSSOVSKY
Nevertheless, I want a full
reconnaissance report as soon as
possible. The counter-attack will move
off at 0350 tomorrow morning.
16.
NARRATOR
With an impressive complement of
armor, the elite II SS Panzer Corps
advances along cleared minefield lanes
and into the inferno of the Soviet
first defensive belt. The tough fight
put up by 23rd Guards Rifle Corps’
veteran 52nd Guards and 375th Rifle
Divisions eventually gives way before
the ferocious German attack. Due to
Stavka’s initial assumption that the
greater danger lay with Ninth Army in
the north, the less tightly-organized
Soviet defenses in the south allow
Manstein’s forces to push much deeper
into that zone. By the end of the
first day, II SS Panzer Corps pushes
20 kilometers into the deeply
echeloned enemy territory. For both
sides the advance is exhausting and
costly, but for the Germans a clear
breakthrough is never completely
achieved.
EXT. (1600) GERMAN 3RD SS PANZER GRENADIER DIVISION
TOTENKOPF NEAR GREMUCHII (SOUTH)
Relays of swooping Stuka’s and Hs-129’s continue to blast
a corridor through the Soviet positions as SS grenadiers
quickly disembark from half-tracks and fan out. In
support, groups of low-flying Fw-190’s demolish enemy
trenchworks with machine guns and specialized cluster
bombs with devastating effect.
Through the humid and shimmering air, a small group of SS
infantry leapfrog to a burning village’s outskirts and
throw themselves down in a sunflower-covered depression.
Overhead, a Fieseler Storch drops a small, metal
container to the ground and receives enemy ground fire in
return. Moving toward the first group of burnt-out
houses, interconnecting trenchworks, and bunkers the
grenadiers are suddenly caught in an artillery and mortar
barrage.
With alert looks to their surroundings, the muddy
troopers quickly take drinks from canteens and try to
catch their breath. Around their position, dead Soviet
infantry, personal effects, food, and weapons lay
scattered and charred the Germans shoot the better
looking bodies in confirmation.
Huddled against the dark soil, a veteran sergeant
examines a small map before peering over the embankment
for a look. In response a series of machine gun bullets
spray the depression’s crest and the men instinctively
drop to the ground.
[German]
SERGEANT
(over the noise)
Gremuchii! Another fortified area.
(under his breath)
I’m getting too old for this...
PRIVATE #1
All these names sound the same,
anyway.
(sniffing)
Mahorka...kascha! Damn stuff stinks.
This whole place stinks.
To the side, more half-tracks and mounted infantry move
forward as SS flamethrower units clear trenches and
fortified houses. Exploding hand grenades and the dull
thud mortar rounds echo noisily the tired troopers pass a
container of pills between each other. Around the tree-
line dead Soviet snipers grotesquely dangle from
makeshift harnesses and the ground is covered with
cluttered heaps of charred and mangled bodies.
PRIVATE #2
(hissing)
Scharführer! Enemy infantry. Just
inside the tree-line.
The sergeant follows the man’s gaze as the troopers
spring into action and open fire on the hunched, moving
targets.
PRIVATE #2
(chuckling)
C’mon! Beats two more month’s of
training...Dinner in Kursk, tonight?
PRIVATE #3
Wish I could-
A strange whirling quickly precedes two mortar rounds
that land in rapid succession and the troopers are
showered with dirt.
PRIVATE #3 (cont’d)
Wish I could share your optimism,
Edmund! Everywhere, Ivan seems
prepared! Nowhere is he soft...Very
odd...
PRIVATE #2
You never-
SERGEANT
Knock it off!
(quickly sizing up the
situation)
Schack! Deichmann! Move off along the
balka. Try and work the angle.
(to the trooper with the
MG34)
Get that 34 up and lay down
surpressing fire!
With well-rehearsed precision, the MG34 is rapidly set up
and firing into the treeline. Several ragged, Soviet
soldiers perish in the hail of bullets, dirt fragments,
and flying brush.
A moment later the remaining Soviets start putting up
their arms in surrender while displaying “free passage”
papers. The German fire ceases to the accompaniment of
“come over” hand gestures and shouts of “ruki vverkh”
(hands up). The mood remains tense as both sides look for
any hint of treachery.
When the Soviets emerge from their positions, artillery
rounds suddenly fall along the tree-line and shift into
“no-man’s land”.
The surrendering group disperses in a cloud of smoke and
fire and before the Germans can react, shells begin
landing in their position as well. The sun disappears
behind violent eruptions of ground and dust and shouts of
terror as the grenadiers frantically find cover.
As quickly as the shelling has begun, it stops. Dazed,
but relatively unharmed, the troopers extract themselves
from the debris and survey the terrain now a tangle of
uprooted trees and charred shell craters. Further off,
the nearby village is on fire.
In the dispersing smoke one prone trooper writhes from an
eye wound and a passing medic is flagged down to help.
After a quick examination the man pulls a small magnet
from his tunic and deftly removes several small bits of
shrapnel from the trooper’s eyes before applying
bandages. Impressed by this ingenious solution the
squad’s attention returns to the situation by the
sergeant’s gruff voice.
SERGEANT
He’ll be fine, lads. The field
hospital over at Bessenovka will fix
him up. Anyone else hurt?...Good!
Alright. Let’s go! Move off down the
balka and work our way just inside the
treeline to the right...No more
surprises.
While the wounded man is led back the rest move
assertively into the ruined village as nearby Tiger tanks
fire their main guns with a roar.
17. “...THE WOLF BY THE EARS...”
(TUESDAY, JULY 6)
EXT. (0400) GERMAN 13TH COMPANY, 1ST SS PANZER GRENADIER
DIVISION LIEBSTANDARTE SOUTH OF IAKOVLEVO (SOUTH)
An obliterated landscape is partially obscured by light
fog as the company of Tiger tanks takes on ammunition and
fuel. In a smooth, rehearsed manner the crews and support
personnel finish their tasks and continue with their
business.
Glancing to the sounds of nearby battle, the commander of
vehicle #1301 leans down from his cupola to talk to a
lieutenant.
[German]
KLING
(shouting above the engine
noise)
Ready for another go, Wittmann? I hear
the female battalions Ivan has are
fighting as ferociously as the men.
WITTMANN
(smiling)
Of course, Hauptsturmführer.
Nodding, the commander scans the obscured and smoking
terrain to the front as his Tiger’s engine fires up with
a smoky growl.
KLING
Remember. There is to be no halting-
for any reason. Keep moving...I’m
sending Wendorff of to your right.
WITTMANN
Covering “Axel’s” ass again, eh?
KLING
...Good hunting.
Anxious to move on, Wittmann salutes and moves toward a
mist-shrouded Tiger #1331. A moment later, Kling gives
the “move out” sign and the tanks rumble forward; each
commander’s head barely visible in their cupolas.
KLING
Panzers march!
As the mist gives way to the morning sun, the flat, wide
open spaces stretching up beyond the initial Soviet
defenses become apparent. Platoon-sized wedges of Tiger
tanks roll irresistibly forward to lead an assortment of
half-tracks, Mark III’s, and IV’s that fan out to the
sides and rear.
Suddenly, the relative calm is shattered as one of the
lead Tigers takes a series of antitank shells to the
turret and hull, but it emerges unscathed. The other
vehicles quickly move into advantageous positions as more
rounds fall among the group advancing along the Belgorod-
Oboyan road.
18. INT. GERMAN TIGER TANK (SOUTH)
The mood inside the tank is tense as the vehicle zigzags
up a small hill’s crest. With a quick jerk, the sweating
loader shoves a round into the breech while the commander
scans his periscope for a target.
[German]
LOADER
What a waste putting the heavies up
front. Our Tigers should be placed
back. The range of our guns easily
outdistances anything the-
KLING
Enemy armor! Two o’clock. 1200
meters...Driver halt! Lötzsch?
Höflinger? You picking them up?
The lumbering vehicle halts amid a hail of antitank
shells and small arms fire and the driver flinches as his
periscope mirror is shattered.
KLING (cont’d)
Damn!...Come right. Ten
degrees...There’s a command tank with
them. Take it out and the others will
be confused- no transmitters.
With his headset pulled back from one ear Kling peers
over the cupola’s open top when another shell crashes
into the hull sending flakes of interior paint onto the
uneasy crew. The driver calmly throws the vehicle into
neutral, revs the engine, and the turret swings into
position.
KLING
(focused and even-tempered)
Glucks Treffer!...Not even a scratch
at this range...
GUNNER
AP round ready...
KLING
...Fire!
After a slight pause and a great jerk, the main gun fires
its round which explodes in the T-34’s side a second
later. The Tiger’s crew watches as the target’s turret is
blown skyward to land several yards away from its
smoldering hull. To Kling’s right the loader shoves
another round into the breech.
GUNNER
AP round ready...
KLING (cont’d)
A direct hit. Straight to Red Army
heaven, eh...
19. EXT. GERMAN OUTSIDE THE TANK (SOUTH)
The Tiger reverses several meters while other Tigers fire
and move forward. A cat-and-mouse game develops as each
side tries to get the better and quicker shot amid a
maelstrom of fire and shrapnel.
Before long several Soviet and German vehicles lay in
flames as groups of German ground attack aircraft dive in
for support. This air/ground combination proves too much
for the remaining Soviet armor which maneuvers wildly
toward the protection of a nearby wooded area. Taking
advantage of the situation, the advance elements of
Liebstandarte burst among the enemy groups and continue
pushing forward.
20. INT. (1200) GERMAN MANSTEIN’S RAILROAD COMMAND CAR
(SOUTH)
The rail car/command post teems with activity as
situation reports flood in from several phones. Storming
into the darkened main room, Manstein is immediately
handed a report. A small group of officers wait patiently
as the field marshal scans the note before going to a map
table showing the southern sector.
[German]
MANSTEIN
...Kempf is only now breaking beyond
his Donets bridgehead near Batrazkaja
Datscha, and the attack is in danger
of falling behind schedule.
III Panzer’s essentially smashed the
initial enemy formations, but thick
minefields- and now three more rifle
divisions were just sent up to
strengthen Shumilov. Corps Rauss and
XXXXII are essentially stalled as
well.
BUSSE
What about II SS? They’ve split 6th
Guards and are already 20 kilometers
into their rear areas. That at least
should draw some attention away from
Army Detachment Kempf.
MANSTEIN
Still, Obergruppenführer Hausser’s
rapid advance continues to expose his
right with each leap forward...And it
wouldn’t surprise me to know the enemy
is concentrating additional units in
just that area.
(pointing to a map)
The 168th is anchored around Belgorod
and now the T-Division’s been forced
from the point of the attack to cover
that distance and act as its own flank
protection...Very dangerous. An enemy
penetration along the base would meet
little resistance and severely disrupt
Hausser’s supply...We must find a way
to seal it.
(agitated)
Each Rollbahn (main logistic road) is
dependent on an abysmal road system
and thirty percent of our available
armor is tied up in flank
protection...
Manstein’s attention drifts to another map displaying the
northern sector of the bulge.
MANSTEIN
I’ve ordered Colonel General Hoth to
break into by the enemy’s second
defensive line by today, but the
newest reports are indicating 1st Tank
Army is being moved into 6th Guards’
sector. It’s imperative that Kempf get
back on schedule so they may be joined
with our center units.
That would create a combined force of
roughly 700 tanks and assault guns
which would blast through the final
enemy defenses and crush any
additional reserves coming down from
Steppe front.
(looking at the officers)
The rest would be open country...We
have at most six days...
21.
NARRATOR
Rokossovsky’s counterattack against
Ninth Army is unexpectedly bogging
down within its own mine fields as
well as those recently placed by the
Germans. The summer’s limited hours of
darkness have prevented an adequate
ground reconnaissance and the attack
stalls within a few kilometers of its
start.
The German 2nd and 9th Panzer
Divisions, with the supporting 505th
Heavy Panzer Detachment, eventually
push the Soviet 13th Army back into
its second defensive belt. While the
XXXXI Panzer Corps’ assault against
Ponyri to the east is halted, the
XXXXVII Panzer Corps continues driving
a wedge between the Soviet’s 13th and
48th Armies. In an effort to stem the
advancing tide of German armor
Rokossovsky orders 2nd Tank Army to
use its tanks from static, hull-down
positions while the 17th Guards Rifle
Corps holds its ground. Additionally
Soviet units from “quiet” sectors of
the front continue to funnel in, but
are thrown in piecemeal and their
effect is less than expected.
EXT. (1300) GERMAN XXXXVII PANZER CORPS (NORTH)
Under a scorching sun, Nebelwerfer and Katyusha rockets
arc across the battlefield as German infantry and
engineers make slow progress through the rye-covered mine
fields and trenches.
Several Tiger tanks lead the main assault, but are
repeatedly pushed back while Stukas and Shturmoviks
intermingle overhead. To the rear, Hummels lob shell
after shell into the Soviet trenches.
A ridge of low hills behind the Soviet line at Olkhovotka
seems to be the German’s focus as nearly 1,000 tanks and
assault guns choke a six mile stretch in front of the
village. The Soviets counter with multiple pak-fronts,
artillery firing over open sights, tank-hunter units, and
lines of dug-in T-34’s. Before long dozens of destroyed
armored vehicles litter the battlefield including several
Tiger tanks.
For the rest of the day, wave after wave of German
attacks wither under the intense enemy fire and little
progress is made beyond the first defensive line. The
Soviet positions, between the Svana river and Ponyri,
bend but do not break
22. “THE SECOND LINE”
(WEDNESDAY, JULY 7)
EXT. (0100) NEAR THE GERMAN LINES (NORTH)
Exhausted, German tank crews catch what sleep they can
under and around their vehicles as mechanics perform
maintenance and repairs. Sounds of continued fighting
echo across the darkened, pre-dawn landscape occasionally
illuminated by star shells arcing lazily over “no-mans
land”.
In an overgrown trench, the Soviet tank-hunter party
sleeps as well while one of the men silently keeps watch.
Shaking off the night chill, the sentry grins toward a
nearby, burnt-out Elefant then fingers his weapon with a
look to the German lines. Startled by the sound of
rustling bushes, he grabs his rifle and steps up to
investigate.
A moment later, a short burst of sub-machine gun fire
ripples across his chest and he crumples to the ground as
several Germans rush forward from the darkness. The
startled Soviets make for their weapons, but are quickly
dispatched by short bursts of fire and rifle butts.
Wasting little time, the Germans loot the bodies before
continuing down the smoky trench and into the darkness;
another group of Germans following close behind.
23.
NARRATOR
In an attempt to gain more favorable
ground and keep the offensive going,
the Germans focus their attacks on the
low hills behind Olkhovotka and in
particular Hill 274. Model believes
that if this section is opened by the
infantry, the panzers of Ninth Army
could break into enemy rear areas and
the open territory beyond. Unknown to
the Germans, Olkhovotka is one of the
strongest stretches of Rokossovsky’s
front being continually fed armor and
men into the series of low ridges
around the town. German advances are
further hampered by Soviet mine fields
that funnel the panzers into waiting
pak-fronts of multiple antitank guns.
EXT. (1000) SOVIET 70TH GUARDS RIFLE DIVISION NEAR
OLKHOVOTKA (NORTH)
On a narrow front, 300 German tanks lead a bold attack
aimed at Olkhovotka’s southern hill. Reinforced with dug-
in T-34’s, Soviet artillery fire is called in as self-
propelled guns from the 1441st Self Propelled Regiment
take up positions near the village.
Before long an enormous and decimating tank battle
develops as both sides send in additional reserves.
24.
NARRATOR
Attacking along a 10 kilometer section
of front, over 1,000 tanks and 3,000
guns intermingle as the 2nd, 9th and
18th Panzer Divisions push forward at
considerable cost to take Hills 272,
274 and 253.5, respectively. Even the
attacks by the 505th Heavy Panzer
Detachment’s Tigers are eventually
whittled down and blunted under heavy
enemy antitank and artillery fire.
German air superiority is now reduced
to tactical support as the Soviets
overcome setbacks encountered at the
beginning of the offensive. For the
remainder of the battle they are able
to provide continual air cover to the
ground troops and essentially keep the
Luftwaffe at bay.
As Ninth Army looks for a breakthrough
in the enemy’s defenses, its focus
shifts eastward to the small,
agricultural center of Ponyri. Since
its opening day capture of the
village’s northwestern railway
embankment, the German 292nd Infantry
Division’s progress is stalled as
additional Soviet units are thrown in
to bolster the Soviet 307th Rifle
Division. Even with the aid of the
86th Infantry and 9th and 18th Panzer
Divisions, the German offensive
rapidly degenerates into savage hand-
to-hand and close-order combat; a
sight which will be repeated around
the “miniature Stalingrad” of Ponyri
for the next several days.
EXT. (1200) SOVIET 307TH RIFLE DIVISION NEAR PONYRI
(NORTH)
As the fighting gravitates around Ponyri’s railway-
station, school, tractor depot, and water tower, both
sides throw in more and more units causing an intense
deadlock in the fighting. Wave after wave of German
infantry and tanks converge in a sea-saw battle of
limited advances and withdrawals from heavy
counterattack.
Katyusha fire enfilades the German positions with fiery
explosions and huge clouds of smoke while Soviet bombers
and Shturmoviks attack overhead. Eventually, the
Shturmoviks form up and fly in a huge circular formation,
destroying large numbers of German armor and other
vehicles as one plane after another makes an attack run.
25. EXT. (1500) GERMAN LIEBSTANDARTE ADVANCED COMMAND
POST (SOUTH)
Amid the swirling dust of advancing assault guns and
support vehicles, hundreds of Soviet prisoners are herded
to the rear by SS field police. They look to the sky as
several, low flying Fw-190’s zoom past and out of sight
over the open terrain.
Further ahead, SS-Obergruppenführer Hausser discusses the
situation with some senior Liebstandarte officers.
[German]
WISCH
My Tigers have opened a limited gap
and 1st Panzer and 1st Panzer
Grenadier Regiments are advancing on
Teterevino. They repelled a tank
attack before Iasnaia Poliana about an
hour ago and Prokovka fell earlier
this morning. Reich’s 2nd Panzer
Regiment’s been working closely with
our right and 5th Guards is falling
back to the south of the road into
Prokhorovka...Flank protection’s an
increasing problem the farther we
advance, herr Obergruppenführer.
HAUSSER
Very hard going. Grossdeutschland and
11th Panzer are pulling even with
us on the left. Enemy action in that
sector’s winding down, but their
losses are troublesome...XXXXVIII
panzer’s poised to take Syrtsevo and
advance across the Pena as we speak.
With any luck we’ll be into the
enemy’s third line sometime
tomorrow...
Through the dust, a lieutenant trots up to hand Wisch a
report then salutes and disappears back the way he came.
Wisch shakes his head as he scans the paper before
handing it to Hausser.
HAUSSER
Intelligence indicates large enemy
forces continue to move down from
their strategic reserves towards
Prokhorovka along our right
front...General Hoth and I agree on
that danger being dealt with first
before any attack is made to clear the
way to Oboyan. Even before this the
issue of the Corps’ thinning right
flank needs to be addressed as its
protection is peeling off units needed
to keep the attack going. And with
Kempf lagging behind schedule, the
problem will continue to
deteriorate...
The group barely takes notice as a few low-flying German
Me-109’s buzz past and out of sight.
26.
NARRATOR
Acting as right flank of the southern
thrust, III Panzer Corps abandons its
initial objective of Korocha to wheel
north to support II SS Panzer Corps’
future attack towards the northeast.
Sustained Soviet pressure from 7th
Guards Army and a series of extensive
mine fields force the German corps
commander, General Breith, to focus
subsequent attacks toward Prokhorovka
and hopefully get back on Hoth’s
carefully organized timetable. Once
the Donets is recrossed and Belgorod’s
northeast heights are cleared of
Soviet forces, the immediate crisis to
II SS Panzer Corps’ open right flank
should be alleviated as well.
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