Summer of Steel | The Tank Crews of Kursk (WW2 Song)

🔥 Summer of Steel In summer 1943, Germany attacked the Soviet bulge at Kursk. Operation Citadel was delayed to July, partly to bring in new Panther and Tiger tanks. The Red Army used the time to build belts of trenches, anti-tank ditches and minefields, helped by local civilians. The attack was stopped in the north within days. In the south, on 12 July near Prokhorovka, Soviet tank crews charged at full speed to close the range on the German guns. Losses were heavy, but the line held. Soon after, with the Allies landing in Sicily, Hitler called off the offensive. The initiative in the East passed to the Red Army. 📚 Sources: HISTORY.com, World History Encyclopedia, HistoryNet, The Dupuy Institute 🎧 Lyrics researched and written by me together with Claude. Music: Suno. Art: Google Flow. ━━━ 🎵 LYRICS ━━━ [Intro] Summer comes again Across the open land. Men in trenches facing west, Shovels in their hands. Men in steel facing east, Waiting for the dawn. Both of them know what summer brings — The fight is coming on. [Verse 1] Under the red star, all spring, They dug into the ground — Line after line of trenches, And guns on every mound. Mines beneath the fields, Ditches deep and wide, Whole villages with shovels Dug across the countryside. Twice the summer brought the storm, Twice the tanks broke through — To the gates of Moscow, To the Volga too. Now the days are growing long, The summer near its prime. The Motherland behind them, They pray the line will hold this time. [Verse 2] Under the black cross, all spring, Far from the Fatherland, They waited for the new machines, While enemies had time to plan. Then the order came at last: Forward, and break through! Mines beneath the tracks, Guns hidden from view. Every trench they take Has another dug behind, Every field another wall, Every hill with guns aligned. Burn one down, and more will come Through the smoke and flame. Better guns and better steel — But the numbers stay the same. [Pre-Chorus] Dawn beside the railway town, The engines catch and roar. Hatches slam, the heat sets in — Sealed inside the war. Two sides on one field, Coming head to head. The summer sun is rising, And the sky is burning red. [Chorus] SUMMER OF STEEL! (Summer of steel!) SUMMER OF FIRE! (Summer of fire!) Iron rolling through the dust, The black smoke climbing higher! One side fears the endless tide, One side fears the beast — Each one facing what he fears, And neither will retreat! SUMMER OF STEEL! Hold your nerve! No one turns away — Two armies and a single field, And one long summer day! [Verse 3] Now the ones who waited charge With the morning sun. They've heard about the Tiger And the horror of its gun: Armour that their shells can't break, Striking from afar — Long before they're close enough, It finds them where they are. So the order comes: full speed! Close in across the ground! Get beside it, get behind, Before it brings you down! Dust and smoke and point-blank fire, Muzzle flash and heat. Some get close enough to strike — Most never reach the beast. [Chorus] SUMMER OF STEEL! (Summer of steel!) SUMMER OF FIRE! (Summer of fire!) Iron rolling through the dust, The black smoke climbing higher! One side fears the endless tide, One side fears the beast — Each one facing what he fears, And neither will retreat! SUMMER OF STEEL! Hold your nerve! No one turns away — Two armies and a single field, And one long summer day! [Bridge] Behind the black cross, The air is thick with fumes. Out there, the endless numbers Charging through the gloom. Behind the red star, The same heat, the same dread. Out there, the beast no shell can stop, Waiting up ahead. Two crews in burning boxes, Watching through a slit. Each one the other's monster — Just men inside of it. [Verse 4] Evening on the battlefield, The smoke hangs low and black. Broken steel across the plain, And crews that won't come back. Both sides paid in blood, Both sides paid in steel. The ones who charged lie battered And burning on the field. The ones who came to break them Are running out of time. They never took the road ahead, They never broke the line. [Final Chorus] SUMMER OF STEEL! (Summer of steel!) SUMMER OF FIRE! (Summer of fire!) Halt the attack! The order came Down along the wire! One side feared the endless tide, One side feared the beast — And every fear came true that day, Until the storm had ceased. SUMMER OF STEEL! THE LAST STORM! The tide had turned to stay — Every summer after this Would march the other way! [Outro] Grass grows through the hatches, Rust runs down the side. The roots don't read the cross or star, Or ask who lived or died. Each the other's monster — Both of them just men. Now the field holds both together, And summer comes again. #WW2 #SymphonicMetal #BattleOfKursk #Prokhorovka #TigerTank #T34 #MilitaryHistory