Belgorod occupied Belgorod from 25 October 1941 to 9 February 1943. The Germans re-captured it on 18 March 1943 in the final move of the Third Battle of Kharkov. On 12 July 1943, during the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in world history took place near Prokhorovka, and Red Army definitively retook the city on 5/6 August 1943. The Belgorod Diorama is one of the World War II monuments commemorating the event. In 1954 the city became the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast. From this time the rapid development of the city as a regional center began. Belgorod is
Bombing of Gorky in World War II Bombing of Gorky in World War II The bombing of Gorky (now known as Nizhny Novgorod) by the Luftwaffe continued from 1941 to 1943 in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. The main purpose of the bombing was to destroy the industrial center of the city. Gorky Automobile Plant received the greatest damage. During the war, enemy bombers carried out 43 raids, 26 of which were at night. 33,934 incendiary bombs and 1,631 high-explosive bombs were dropped on the city. The bombings of Gorky were the most destructive blows by the Luftwaffe to the rear of the Soviet