VISITING THE BATTLEFIELD

Although the Cold War has been over for quite some years it is still the case that you need a visa to visit Russia. That being said, it is now much easier to visit the battlefield of Kursk as the area corresponding to the salient lies fully within Russia with its southern border with the Ukraine beginning some 25 miles to the north of Kharkov (Kharkiv). Although it is possible for the individual traveller to make the journey, it is probably more convenient – assuming cost is not a paramount concern – to contact those companies now offering battlefield tours. There are quite a few and the Kursk battlefield is either taken in with a visit to Moscow and Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) or can be added on to the itinerary for an extra charge. Because of the sheer size of the salient it is not surprising that such tours focus on a visit to Prokhorovka. It is here that the former Soviet Union and now the Russian state have built monuments to commemorate the battle and the fallen.

For those unable to visit the site(s) there are many internet sources dealing with the battle. Some sense of the size of the battlefield can be gleaned by examining Google Earth, which has good photo coverage of the area corresponding to the salient. Many of the smaller hamlets and villages noted in the text and on maps in this book have disappeared or been renamed. A particularly good site is admjones.freeservers.com/prokhorovka/.htm.