The Battle of Kursk

by David M. Glantz, Jonathan M. House

Overview

Immense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence, the Battle of Kursk witnessed (at Prokhorovka) one of the largest tank engagements in world history and led to staggering losses—including nearly 200,000 Soviet and 50,000 German casualties—within the first ten days of fighting. Going well beyond all previous accounts, David Glantz and Jonathan House now offer the definitive work on arguably the greatest battle of World War II.

Drawing on both German and Soviet sources, Glantz and House separate myth from fact to show what really happened at Kursk and how it affected the outcome of the war. Their access to newly released Soviet archival material adds unprecedented detail to what is known about this legendary conflict, enabling them to reconstruct events from both perspectives and describe combat down to the tactical level.

The Battle of Kursk takes readers behind Soviet lines for the first time to discover what the Red Army knew about the plans for Hitler's offensive (Operation Citadel), relive tank warfare and hand-to-hand combat, and learn how the tide of battle turned. Its vivid portrayals of fighting in all critical sectors place the famous tank battle in its proper context. Prokhorovka here is not a well-organized set piece but a confused series of engagements and hasty attacks, with each side committing its forces piecemeal.

Glantz and House's fresh interpretations demolish many of the myths that suggest Hitler might have triumphed if Operation Citadel had been conducted differently. Their account is the first to provide accurate figures of combat strengths and losses, and it includes 32 maps that clarify troop and tank movements.

Shrouded in obscurity and speculation for more than half a century, the Battle of Kursk finally gets its due in this dramatic retelling of the confrontation that marked the turning point of the war on the Eastern Front and brought Hitler's blitzkrieg to a crashing halt.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700613359
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	10/29/1999
Series:	Modern War Studies
Pages:	492
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

List of Maps, Tables, and Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Prologue: Munich, 3 May 1943

Part I. Background

1. Barbarossa to Donbas: The German Army in the East, 1941-1943

2. The Red Army in 1943

Part II. The German Assault

3. Preparations

4. Frontal Assault, 5-9, July

Part III. Stopping the Blitzkrieg

5. Prokhorovka, 10-15 July

6. The Germans Halt

Part IV. Counteroffensive and Conclusions

7. Soviet Counteroffensives

8. Conclusions

Appendixes:

-German Order of Battle, 1 July 1943

-Red Army Order of Battle, 1 July 1943

-Comparative Strengths and Losses in the Battle of Kursk

-Comparative Armor Strengths at Kursk

-Key German Orders

-Key Soviet Documents

Notes

Selective Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

An outstanding work on one of the most significant battles of World War II.”—Journal of Military History

“A good read. Looks at the traditional approach to Kursk and provides another well-founded interpretation of the battle.”—Parameters

“The definitive analysis of Kursk. Ranks among the decade’s most distinguished works of military history.”—Dennis Showalter in the History Book Club Review

“The most detailed, authoritative, and thorough analysis of the massive battle that led to the final victory of the Red Army over the Germans. This outstanding book deserves the highest praise.”—Malcolm Mackintosh, author of Juggernaut: A History of Soviet Armed Forces

"The Battle of Kursk combines the authors’ encyclopedic knowledge of their subject with a panoramic narrative of military operations to challenge the ‘myths of Kursk.ⅅ Drawing heavily upon hitherto classified Soviet material, as well as German sources, the work is both original and revisionist, making it a major contribution to our understanding of one of the most important operations of the Second World War."—John Erickson, author of The Road to Stalingrad

"At last we have an account of the battle of Kursk from the Soviet perspective. And what an account! It is meticulously researched, persuasively argued, full of new and important findings, and written with verve and pathos. This is operational history at its best."—Joel S. A. Hayward, author of Stopped at Stalingrad

From the Publisher

Shrouded in obscurity and speculation for more than half a century, the Battle of Kursk finally gets its due in this dramatic retelling of the confrontation that marked the turning point of the war on the Eastern Front and brought Hitler's blitzkrieg to a halt. Glantz is founder and former director of the US Army's Foreign Military Studies Office. House is professor of history at Gordon College. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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