Today in World War II History—Aug. 20, 1943 POSTED: Monday, August 20, 2018 by Sarah Sundin German tanks taking hill near Belgorod, Russia, 13 Aug 1943 (German Federal Archive: Bild 146-1975-080-22) 75 Years Ago—Aug. 20, 1943: In battle near Kharkov, Ukraine, Germans defeat Soviets and destroy 184 tanks.