Kursk: The Greatest Tank Battle 1943 - Tapa dura

The book begins with a study of the background to the battle, and a description of events on the Eastern Front before the opening of the offensive, including the decisive battle for Stalingrad that had finished only a few months beforehand. The strategic importance of the Kursk salient is considered, and the factors that caused the Germans to delay their offensive, even when the element of surprise had been lost. The extensive Soviet defensive preparations are covered in depth, as is the strength of both sides and the new equipment such as the Panther tank that the Germans were using for the first time. Kursk shows how a bitter struggle developed between the German and Soviet forces which sucked in huge numbers of tanks and men into a small area, so that it became the greatest armoured battle of the war. The Red Army of 1943 was very different from the force that reeled before the German onslaught in 1941, and its new-found professionalism and greater numbers wore down the attackers until all their momentum (and the battle) was lost. The final chapter discusses the full implications of the battle for the Germans and Russians.

M. K. Barbier is the Olin Postdoctoral Fellow at the department of International Security Studies at Yale University.