Top 10 Biggest Air Battles in War History

The Battle of Kursk

The Battle of Kursk is often called the greatest battle in history. Around 3,000,000 people were involved. In a battle built on such a prodigious scale, one would rightly expect the associated air battle to be similarly grandiose. Nearly 5,000 aircraft took to the skies. In 1943, Germany launched an attack on the Soviet city of Kursk with two to one odds against them in terms of sheer power. However, they had supreme confidence in the ability of their equipment and tactics as a force multiplier. Germany’s Bf 109 was capable of flying circles around the much less maneuverable Soviet Yak-1, and had significantly more firepower. The Russians lost almost 2,500 planes, while the Germans lost fewer than 800. However, the Russians could easily afford to replace both aircraft and pilots, while the Germans were hard put to make up their losses. Russian air superiority allowed the Soviets to take the offensive and keep it for the remainder of the war. While a relatively unknown battle in the West, Kursk was one of World War II’s most significant turning points, as Germany never again seriously threatened to advance on the Eastern Front.