Kursk - The German View Military

592 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 25, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0306811502

Firsthand accounts of the German commanders who planned and executed the largest tank battle in history.
The battle of Kursk, fought in the summer of 1943, involved six thousand German and Soviet armored vehicles, making it the biggest tank battle of all time and possibly the largest battle of any kind. Students of military history have long recognized the importance of Kursk, also known as "Operation Citadel," and there have been several serious studies of the battle. Yet, the German view of the battle has been largely ignored.

After the war, U.S. Army Intelligence officers gathered German commanders' post-war reports of the battle. Due, in part, to poor translations done after the war, these important documents have been overlooked by World War II historians. Steven H. Newton has collected, translated, and edited these accounts, including reports made by the Chiefs of Staff of Army Group South and the Fourth Panzer Army, and by the Army Group Center Operations Officer. As a result, a new and unprecedented picture of German strategy and operations is made available. The translated staff reports are supplemented by Newton's commentary and original research, which challenges a number of widely accepted ideas about this pivotal battle.

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thanks!

This battle was the do-or-die for the Germans, if they failed, every change of victory in the East was lost, if they won, they had stabilized the entire Eastern front atleast until a bigger counter offensive could be launched (but with what forces one may ask??)

This book gives a good and fairly extensive overview of the Battle of Kursk from the German side which is also very nicely covered from the same viewpoint in Paul Carell's Scorched Earth posted earlier although this is more of a narrative and less comprehensive. To get a better balance one should also read books that give the Soviet side of the story or comprehensive coverage by leading experts such as David Glantz. He gives Kursk good coverage in the Clash of Titans How the Red Army stopped Hitler posted earlier. The battle is covered in Tim Ripley's Steel Storm Waffen SS Battles on the Eastern Front also posted on this site. For anyone interested in the pivotal battle of Kursk there is more that enough as this site to sink your teeth into and learn more.