THE BATTLE OF KURSKTHE SOVIET RECONQUEST OF

WESTERN RUSSIA JULY, 1943

KEY INDIVIDUALS

ERICH Von MANSTEIN GEORGI ZHUKOV KONSTANTIN ROKASSOVSKY NIKOLAI VATUTIN

STRATEGIC SITUATION, RUSSIA - JULY, 1943

STALINGRAD DEFEAT (FEB. ‘43) FORCES WITHDRAWAL OF GERMAN ARMY

WESTWARD REMOVES THREAT TO CASPIAN OILFIELDS

PROBLEM? GERMAN ARMY IS STILL POWERFUL

GERMANS INTEND TO CREATE NORTH-SOUTH DEFENSIVE LINE; PURPOSE? BLEED RUSSIANS WHITE ALLOW GERMAN ARMY TO REGROUP FOR

1944 OFFENSIVE MOST GERMAN MILITARY LEADERS AGREE

KURSK: ORIGINS ERICH Von MANSTEIN ARGUES FOR SUMMER

OFFENSIVE MANSTEIN’S PLANS, HOWEVER, CALL FOR

ATTACK FURTHER SOUTH GERMAN HIGH COMMAND DECIDES ON ATTACK

AGAINST KURSK “SALIENT” WHY THERE?

SUCCESS WOULD SHORTEN GERMAN LINES KURSK WAS A VITAL RAILWAY CITY CUTTING OFF THE SALIENT WOULD TRAP 1/5 OF RED

ARMY’S MANPOWER ATTACK MUST BE IN SPRING/SUMMER – WHY?

MASSIVE BLITZKRIEG TACTICS WILL BE NECESSARY VISIBILITY / MOBILITY ARE CRITICAL

SOVIET SITUATION

SOVIET INTELLIGENCE IS ALREADY AWARE OF POSSIBLE GERMAN OFFENSIVE HOW? W. EURO. SPY RING SOVIET HIGH COMMAND HAD PREDICTED AN ATTACK AT KURSK

ZHUKOV ADVISES STALIN TO ALLOW GERMANS TO ATTACK FIRST WHY?

IT WILL EXHAUST GERMAN FORCES IT WILL THEN ALLOW RUSSIAN COUNTERATTACK

RESULT? SOVIET PLAN CALLS FOR DEFENSIVE STRATEGY FOLLOWED BY

COUNTERATTACK MASSIVE DEFENSE-IN-DEPTH NETWORK IS CREATED

EXAMPLE? 1 MILLION LAND MINES TRENCHWORKS TO A DEPTH OF 95 MILES 3600 TANKS 20,000 ARTILLERY PIECES 1 MILLION + TROOPS 2700 AIRCRAFT

SOVIET DEFENSE IN DEPTH,

KURSK, 1943

ORDER OF BATTLE GERMANS:

800,000 MEN (approx.) 3,000 TANKS (approx.) 10,000 ARTILLERY PIECES (approx.) 2,000 AIRCRAFT

SOVIETS: 1,000,000 (approx.) 5,000 TANKS (approx.) 25,000 ARTILLERY PIECES (approx.) 2,800 AIRCRAFT (approx.)

GERMAN BATTLE PLAN: ATTACK RUSSIANS ON NORTH & SOUTH FLANKS

FOR SALIENT USE ARMORED THRUSTS TO CUT OFF SALIENT TRAP RUSSIANS INSIDE SALIENT (total of 60

Divisions)

OPERATION CITADEL,

UNIT DISPERSAL, JULY 1943

FIELD MARSHALL ERICH Von MANSTEIN,

COMMANDING OFFICER,

ARMY GROUP DON, ARMY GROUP

SOUTH

Von Manstein studying battle maps prior to

Battle of Kursk

ERICH Von

MANSTEIN,

RUSSIA, 1943

MARSHALL GEORGI ZHUKOV, DEPUTY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, SOVIET HIGH COMMAND

GEN. NIKOLAI VATUTIN, COMMANDING OFFICER, 1st UKRANIAN FRONT

GEN. KONSTANTIN

ROKASSOVSKY,

COMMANDING OFFICER,CENTRAL

FRONT ARMY

THE KURSK

SALIENT, JULY 5-12,

1943

BASIC BLITZKRIEG PRINCIPLES

GERMAN “TIGER” TANK

GERMAN “PANTHER” TANK

WAFFEN-SS TIGER TANK UNIT MOVING INTO ASSAULT POSITIONS, KURSK, JULY 5, 1943

WAFFEN-SS PANZERGRENADIERS PREPARE FOR KURSK ASSAULT, JULY 5, 1943

WAFFEN-SS MOVE TOWARDS ATTACK POSITIONS

WAFFEN-SS TIGERS & APC MOVE INTO KURSK ASSAULT POSITIONS

GERMAN TIGERS

ADVANCE TOWARDS

SOVIET POSITIONS,

5:00am, JULY 5, 1943

THE BATTLE – “OPERATION CITADEL” GERMAN ASSAULT BEGINS ON JULY 5TH

SIMULTANEOUS ASSAULTS ON NORTH AND SOUTH FLANKS OF THE SALIENT

SOVIETS ARE PREPARED FOR ATTACK RED ARMY HAS PLACED MORE ARTILLERY UNITS THAN

INFANTRY UNITS IN NSALIENT ZHUKOV HAS MASSED LARGE ARMOURED RESERVES EAST

OF SALIENT DEFENSE-IN-DEPTH LINES ARE WELL DEFENDED

INITIAL GERMAN ATTACK ENJOYS SUCCESS Ex. –SOUTHERN ATTACK PENETRATES UP TO 12 MILES

PROBLEM: SOVIET DEFENSES ARE EFFECTIVE RED ARMY HAS TOO MANY RESERVES GERMANS CANNOT REPLACE HEAVY CASUALTIES

TIGER TANK WEAKNESSES

ARMOURED CLASH - KURSK

STUKA “TANK KILLERS” IN ACTION - KURSK

DESTROYED GERMAN ARMOUR - KURSK

THE BATTLE JULY 10: GERMAN ATTACK IN NORTH HAS

STALLED JULY 12: SOUTHERN FLANK

PROKOROVKHA: MASSIVE 8-HOUR TANK BATTLE GERMANS TANKS SUPERIOR, BUT OUTNUMBERED SOVIET DEFENSES PREVENT GERMAN INFANTRY

FROM SUPPORTING TANKS GERMAN TANKS FACE SOVIET TANKS & ARTILLERY

ALONE JULY 16: SOUTHERN ATTACK STOPS GERMANS ARE FORCED BACK TO STARTING

POSITIONS BATTLE OF KURSK IS EFFECTIVELY OVER

AFTERMATH KURSK IS LAST MAJOR GERMAN OFFENSIVE

ON THE EASTERN FRONT GERMANS CANNOT REPLACE LOSSES CASUALTIES:

SOVIETS: 177,000 KIA (approx.) 1600 TANKS DESTROYED

GERMANS: 55,000 KIA (approx.) 325 TANKS DESTROYED

AFTER KURSK: GERMAN ARMY IS IN SLOW RETREAT TO GERMANY RUSSIAN ARMY BEGINS OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS

THAT CONTINUE FOR REMAINDER OF WAR

WAFFEN-SS TANK CREW AFTER BATTLE OF KURSK

SOVIET VICTORY POSTER,

BATTLE OF KURSK

THE SOVIET RECONQUES

T OF WESTERN RUSSIA, 1943-44

VICTORY MONUMENT,

PROKOROVKHA, KURSK, RUSSIA