Battle of Brody (1941)

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Battle of Brody (1941)
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II
Movements of the 11th Panzer Division during the Battle of Brody
Date 23–30 June 1941 Location Brody, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union Result Tactical German Victory
Belligerents
Germany	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Ewald von Kleist Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz	Mikhail Kirponos Maksim Purkayev Nikolai Vashugin † Ivan Muzychenko Mikhail Potapov
Strength
750 tanks[1][2]	3,500 tanks[1]
Casualties and losses
	Heavy (forces rendered non-operational)

The Battle of Brody (other names in use include Battle of Dubna, Battle of Dubno, Battle of Rovne, Battle of Rovne-Brody) was a tank battle fought between the 1st Panzer Group's III Army Corps and XLVIII Army Corps (Motorized) and five mechanized corps of the Soviet 5th Army and 6th Army in the triangle formed by the towns of Dubno, Lutsk and Brody between 23 and 30 June 1941. It was one of the most intense armored engagements in the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, and some say that it may surpass the more famous Battle of Prokhorovka.^[3] It is by far the battle with the largest number of tanks participating (incorrectly, the Battle of Prokhorovka, part of the Battle of Kursk, is seen as the biggest tank battle).^[4] It is known in Soviet historiography as one of the "border defensive battles". Although the Red Army formations inflicted heavy losses on the German forces, they were outmanoeuvred and suffered enormous losses in tanks. Poor Soviet logistics, German air supremacy and a total breakdown in Red Army command and control ensured victory for the Wehrmacht despite overwhelming Red Army numerical and technological superiority.