The Battle of Kursk

      The Battle of Kursk lasted from July 5th, 1943 to August 23rd, 1943 and ended up being the last major German offensive on the Eastern Front as well as it represents a critical turning point in the war. The Germans launched the first attack, wanting to regain dominance on the Eastern Front after losing at Stalingrad. Unfortunately for the Germans, they were heavily out-gunned and out-manned at Kursk as they were at Stalingrad. And specifically at Stalingrad, the Russian winter was devastating for the ill-prepared troops, the battle resulting in a terrible defeat for the Germans and the demonstration that the German war machine could be beaten. And following this defeat, Hitler wanted to prove Germany was still dominant on the Eastern Front, thus the reason for their offensive to initiate the Battle of Kursk.

      To prepare for the battle, Germany put together over 500,000 men, 10,000 guns and mortars, 2,700 tanks and assault guns, and 2,500 aircraft to attack the Kursk Bulge and to take the Russian city of Kursk. The Red Army, however, dug in with 1,300,000 men, 20,000 guns and mortars, 3,600 tanks, 2,560 aircraft and another additional 500,000 more men and 1,500 tanks in reserves. Both sides would also draw more troops, tanks, guns, and aircraft to the area as the battle progressed, increasing these numbers. And by the time German was prepared to go on the offensive and initiate the battle, both sides were heavily armed and prepared for the battle, which at the time, was viewed as a battle that could change the course of the war.

      The battle was however delayed by Hitler, the battle was supposed to have started on May 3rd. Hitler wanted the new Panther and Tiger tanks to fight in the battle. However, Hitler's generals had advised against the battle entirely, believing that the Soviets were too prepared for victory to be possible. Furthermore, the delay enabled the Soviets to prepare even greater, setting up more fortifications such as tank traps, barbed wire, and almost 1,000,000 anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. Alongside this there existed an additional 2,500 miles of trenches dug by Kursk civilians. And even more, the British had cracked the German Wehrmacht code and were now able to readily send information to the Soviets. Nonetheless, the Germans launched the offensive on the 5th of July 1943 attacking the Kursk lines in a pincer from north and south.

      By the end of Germany's offensive, no where near the territory desired by the Germans had been taken. But perhaps the Germans could had pushed further, but the Allied landings in Sicily forced  Hitler to reroute his Panzer divisions to defend Italy. Following this the Soviets launched a counter-offensive and ultimately won the Battle of Kursk. The battle can be summarized as the last hope of Germany having any chance at conquering Russia, and the defeat the German's faced destroyed any remaining opportunity. While Germany did win the tactical battle, the overwhelming fortifications and number advantage that the Soviets had ultimate handed the Soviets victory. The Soviets did however face far greater causalities, the Soviets losing 800,000 men while the Germans only lost 200,000 men. Following the battle, Germany would never recover on the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war, permanently now being on the defensive.

 

Source(s):
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-kursk
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/history-through-viewfinder-37