PREPARING FOR KURSK

Dr Ben Wheatley of the University of East Anglia reveals the huge German and Soviet preparations for the largest tank battle in history

- Dr Ben Wheatley

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.