After defeat at Kursk . German`s retracted to Krakow in defensive position`s – haunted by the Soviet`s – who thought , they just needed to finish the German`s of . They didn’t expect the German`s could muster so heavily a counter strike , as they did on 19 Feb 1943 and 15 Mar 1943 . The German counterstrike led to the destruction of approximately 52 Soviet division`s , and the recapture of the citie`s of Kharkov and Belgorod . Kharkov Oblast Ukraine Soviet Union April 1943
