Fought during 5 July – 23 August 1943, the Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle in history. Beginning with a German offensive called Operation Citadel, the battle would ultimately involve thousands of tanks and aircraft as well as millions of soldiers. Kursk became a famous Soviet victory that gave them the military initiative. From that point on, the Germans were only able to react in a limited way to Soviet advances and were never again able to launch a major offensive on the Eastern Front.
To understand why Kursk was such a large battle, it is important to understand the planning that took place beforehand. Speaking ahead of his new book The Panzers of Prokhorovka: The Myth of Hitler’s Greatest Armoured Defeat, Dr Ben Wheatley of the University of East Anglia discusses the intense preparations in the build up to the battle. He reveals the strength and weaknesses of German and Soviet armoured forces, Hitler’s personal involvement and the myth about British intelligence’s role in the Soviet victory.
What conditions were the German and Soviet armoured forces in on the Eastern Front by mid-1943?
The nadir of German armoured forces on the Eastern Front was reached in April 1943 (following the monumental battles of the previous winter – Stalingrad, etc) when the Germans could only call on a paltry 612 operational tanks on the entire Eastern Front. This was from a sparse pool of 1,336 tanks. By contrast, the Germans estimated they were still facing an enemy with over 6,000 tanks and assault guns at its disposal. Consequently, the Germans embarked on a major armoured rebuilding programme between April to July. However, it is often overlooked that so did the Soviets.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 121-utgaven av History of War.
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THE RUHR POCKET
The world's largest industrial complex, the Ruhr was where Nazi Germany's war machine was forged. If the Allies could capture it the conflict in Europe would effectively be over
HITLER'S 'ALPINE FORTRESS
With the Rhine crossed and the Ruhr taken, Allied Supreme Commander Dwight D Eisenhower had to decide what came next. His orders would help shape the fate of Europe for decades to come
BLUNTING THE SULTAN'S SPEAR
During his 1532 invasion, Suleiman the Magnificent faced a seemingly simple obstacle in the small fortress of Koszeg, Hungary. What ensued was a bloody struggle between Ottoman firepower and imperial grit
BATTLE OF THE NILE NELSON vs NAPOLEON
In 1798, Britain's most celebrated admiral pursued the French across the Mediterranean, attempting to thwart General Bonaparte's mission to Egypt. The pursuit culminated in what was arguably the most strategically important naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars
FREDERICKSBURG
The Confederate invasion of the north had been repulsed in Maryland by the Army of the Potomac. President Abraham Lincoln now urged his military to seize the initiative and crush the Confederates in the east and capture their capital Richmond. It would culminate in another catastrophic defeat
REMAGEN GATEWAY TO THE REICH
On 7 March 1945 the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine at Remagen was still standing - capturing it intact was vital to the Allied advance into Nazi Germany
A13 MK III CRUISER COVENANTER TANK
Plagued with mechanical issues, the Covenanter was envisioned as an improved cruiser design but never deployed for overseas service
INSIDE PICKETT'S CHARGE
On 3 July 1863 a Confederate regiment – the 19th Virginia Infantry – marched into the jaws of Hell in one of the most infamous events in American military history
Heroes of the Victoria Cross: MILTON FOWLER GREGG
On 28 September, 1918, this Royal Canadian Regiment officer led his men through uncut barbed wire into enemy trenches
MARCH 1945
To commemorate 80 years since the Second World War, History of War will be taking a look at some of the key events taking place during each month of the conflict
