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==Introduction==__NOTOC__[[File: Kursk 1.jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|German troops fighting at Kursk in 1943]]The Battle of Kursk took place in July 1943 and was one of the largest and most crucial important battles fought on the Eastern Front, during World War II. Kursk was the biggest largest tank battle in WWII history, and it represented was the last attempt by the German army to inflict a telling defeat on slow down the Soviet UnionMilitary. Kursk was the last throw of the dice for Germany on the Eastern Front. The failure of the German offensive at Kursk dealt a severe blow to the Nazi army and afterwards . After the Germans battle, Germany adopted a defensive posture on the Eastern Front. The article will discuss the reasons why the German’s failed Why did Germany fail to achieve their objectives on at the Battle of Kursk. ?

====Background====Germany had invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. At firsfirst,t they had driven the Red Army back to the gates of Moscow. However, winter and a Soviet counterattack prevented them from capturing Moscow.<ref> Bellamy, Chris, ''Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War '' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf & Random House.2007), p. 23</ref>. The following year , the Germans launched an offensive in the south of Russia, aimed at the oil fields in the Caucuses. Hitler diverted some forces to take Stalingrad, which was a disastrous mistake and it ultimately led to the annihilation of the 6th army at Stalingrad, in the winter of 1943-1943. The Germans managed to stabilize the situation after Battle of Stalingrad and had even managed to inflict a heavy defeat on reversed the Soviets at Kharkov. By the spring tide of 1943, the German’s felt confident enough to plan war for another offensive Germany and resulted in the East <ref> Bellamy, pa catastrophic mistake. 178</ref>. They had recently lost some ground to the Soviets and they wished to demonstrate to them and the western allies that the The entire German 6th army had not been fatally weakened after the defeat was annihilated at Stalingrad Antill, Peter, Stalingrad 1942 (Osprey Publishing, London, 2007), p. 18</ref>. By during the summer winter of 1943, the Russians had advanced to the west and retaken some territory in the Ukraine. Hitler was determined to reverse the recent Soviet gains and to push them back to the east. On the Eastern Front, there was a bulge in the front line between Orel and Kharkov. Right at the heart of this bulge was Kursk. This bulge meant that the Soviets could possibly outflank the Germans and this could lead to the collapse of their front line. The German High Command was very concerned about the bulge and believed that it needed to be removed. The German generals decided to destroy the bulge in the lines and it was intended to cut-off the Soviet Troops occupying the bulge and inflict a devastating defeat on the Soviet Union <ref>Bellamy, p. 156</ref>. This persuaded the Nazi High Command to launch Operation Citadel, an offensive to retake the bulge on the Eastern Front. Hitler backed the plan in April 1943 and he wanted the expected ‘’victory at Kursk will be a beacon for the whole world.” <ref> Victor, George, Hitler: Pathology of Evil (Washington, DC: Brassey's Inc.2008) p. 208</ref> [[File: Kursk 1.jpg|thumbnail|200px|Fighting at Kursk]]

==The reasons for Kursk==A successful German offensive would have greatly improved Germany’s strategic position on the Easter Front. The Germans believed that the Soviet leadership had become increasingly disenchanted with their western Allies<ref> George, p. 167</ref>. Despite constant demands, managed to stabilize the British situation after Stalingrad and the Americans had failed even managed to open a ‘second front’ in western Europe. If the Nazi forces inflict a devastating heavy defeat on Stalin’s armies, then the Soviets would be more likely to enter into peace negotiations with at Kharkov. By the Germans and end their alliance with Britain and spring of 1943, the United States. This could have allowed the Germans German’s felt confident enough to keep many of their gains plan for another offensive in the east and East even though they were still losing ground to concentrate on their war with the western alliesSoviets.<ref> Bellamy, p. Then the 178</ref> Germany was becoming increasingly confident, despite wanted to prove to the recent setbacks on the Eastern Front Soviets and in North Africa. This was because, by the spring of 1943, the German armed forces western allies that they were better armed than ever beforenot fatally weakened after Stalingrad. Hitler had appointed Albert Speer as head of the armaments industry and he had massively increased production. Germany, despite constant air attacks and limited natural resources, increased the number of munitions and weapons, greatly<ref> BarbierAntill, Mary KathrynPeter, Kursk: The Greatest Tank Battle''Stalingrad 1942'' (Osprey Publishing, London, 1943 (Zenith Imprint 20022007), p. 113.18</ref>.By the summer of 1943, the Russians had advanced west and retaken territory in Ukraine. Hitler was determined to reverse the recent Soviet gains and to push them back to the east. In 1943 On the Nazi armaments sector produced almost 12Eastern Front,000 tanks there was a bulge in the front line between Orel and had increased by 100% Kharkov. Right at the number heart of planes made by manufacturersthis bulge was Kursk. Not only did This bulge meant that the Soviets could outflank the German industrial sector produce more Germans, which could lead to the collapse of everything, but also they produced more advanced weaponrytheir front line. The Germans had developed new tanks such as German High Command was very concerned about the Tiger, King Tiger, bulge and the Panther tanksbelieved that it needed to be removed. The Luftwaffe (German air force), had generals decided to destroy the new Fokkerbulge in their lines. They intended to cut-Wolfe 190A fighter off the Soviet Troops occupying the bulge and inflict a devastating defeat on the Herschel 129Soviet Union. <ref> BarbierBellamy, p. 117156</ref>. The Germans since the loss of North Africa meant that they could concentrate the majority of their army on the Eastern Front. The failure of the allies to open up a second front, allowed Hitler to station two-thirds of backed the German Army plan in Russia, by the Spring of April 1943. However, the new weapons and extra manpower caused he expected the German High Command to engage in over-optimistic planning. Based on their new weaponry they assumed that they could inflict ‘’victory at Kursk would be a serious defeat on Stalin and led them to underestimate beacon for the enemywhole world. [[File” <ref> Victor, George, ''Hitler: Kursk 2Pathology of Evil''(Washington, DC: Brassey's Inc.2008) p.jpg|thumbnail|200px|German infantry at Kursk]]208</ref>

==German failures before the Battle. ==Hitler decreed that “there must be no failure” during Operation Citadel. Learning from their mistakes from Stalingrad when poor intelligence had proven to be disastrousGermany, they collected all the intelligence that they could get. Reconnaissance planes photographed all the defensive systems that the Soviets had established in the Kursk despite constant air attacks and Oriel bulge. Despite the vast efforts spent on this intelligence gathering information the Germans had failed to establish the size limited natural resources, increased their number of the Russian forces in the area. Even though the Germans had acquired a great deal of informationmunitions and weapons, they interpreted it incorrectly greatly<ref> Barbier, Mary Kathryn, Kursk: The Greatest Tank Battle, 1943 (Zenith Imprint 2002), p. 113.</ref>. This misled In 1943 the Germans into overestimating their chances of success in the coming offensive. HoweverGerman armaments sector produced almost 12, Russia’s military leaders 000 tanks and had suspected that there would be an attack on increased by 100% the bulge between Kursk and Orielnumber of planes made by manufacturers. They believed that Not only did the German industrial sector produce more of everything, but also they produced more advanced weaponry. The Germans had to attempt to remove developed new tanks such as the Tiger, King Tiger, and the bulge at KurskPanther tanks. Soviet intelligence was excellent- they The Luftwaffe (German air force) had firstthe new Fokker-hand accounts of German armor send to Wolfe 190A fighter and the Oriel-Kharkov regionHerschel 129<ref> Zhukov, Georgiĭ Konstantinovich & Harrison E., Salisbury, Marshal Zhukov's Greatest Battles (New York: Harper & Row, 1969)Barbier, p. 116117</ref>. Since the loss of North Africa, the Germans could concentrate most of their army on the Eastern Front. The Soviets had even captured some allies' failure to open up a second front allowed Hitler to station two-thirds of the German officers who during interrogation divulged that Army in Russia by the offensive would be in Spring of 1943. However, the Kursk area new weapons and even gave extra manpower caused the date of the coming German attackHigh Command to engage in over-optimistic planning. The better Soviet intelligence meant Their new weaponry assumed that they had could inflict a decided advantage even before the battle had started <ref> Zhukov, p 234</ref>. [[File: Kursk Soviet machinegunsserious defeat on Stalin and led them to underestimate their enemy. jpg|thumbnail|200px|Soviet Soldiers at Kursk]]==German and Russian Strategies==

Hitler was not his overbearing self during the planning stages of ====German failures before the Battle of ====[[File:KurskSoviet machineguns. He jpg|thumbnail|255px|left the planning to his generals and they develop a highly detailed plan. |Soviet Soldiers at Kursk]]Hitler decreed that “there must be no failure” during Operation Citadel called for a tactic known as the double envelopment. This would allow the Germans to surround the Soviet defenders in the bulge in the Eastern Europe and cut them off from the rest of the Soviet Union. General Walter ModelAfter Stalingrad's 9th would attack the north of the bulgeintelligence failures, driving south to the east of Kursk and it would seize German High Command collected all the railwayintelligence that they could get. securing Reconnaissance planes photographed all the rail line from Soviet attack <ref> Barbier, p 124.</ref>. A Panzer Army, led by General Hoth, would attack the southern part of the salient. This force was expected to drive north and meet Model at Kursk and achieve defensive systems that the objective of cutting off the Soviet units. The Soviets well-aware that an attack was coming decided to adopt a defensive strategy. The Stavka, the Soviet High Command placed a huge number of men and equipment had established in the Oriel-Kursk region. Russian and Ukrainian civilians were conscripted to build defenses in the areaOriel bulge. They laid hundreds of thousands of mines and dug miles of trenches and anti-tank traps. The Red Army also had a huge force of reserves under Despite the command of Marshall Zhukov. They were to either reinforce any area where vast efforts spent on this intelligence gathering information, the Germans threatened to break through and also to launch a counterattack. The Germans had failed to take in establish the defensive preparations of the Soviets and they placed too much faith on their new weapons<ref> Dunn, Walter, Kursk: Hitlerarea's Gamble, 1943 (Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1997), p. 115</ref>Russian forces' size.==Battle of Kursk== On the eve of the Battle of Kursk, Even though the Germans had almost ¾ quarters of acquired a million men, 3000 tanks, and some 10,000 artillery pieces. The Red Army had almost 2 million men, 5000 tanks, and 20,000 heavy guns. The Germans had anticipated that they would be outnumbered but they believed that their superiority in training and equipment would allow them to succeed. On the night great deal of July 5th, to pre-empt the attack, the Russians launched a massive artillery bombardment. This initially threw the Germans into disarray and it delayed the attack for three hours. The Germans attacked in the early morning, they attacked the north of the salient with 500 tanks. After 24 hoursinformation, they had lost thousands of men and many tanks <ref>Clark, Lloyd. Kursk: The Greatest Battle: Eastern Front 1943. London: Headline Publishing Group, 2012), p. 78</ref>. Germany started her attack at dawn with an artillery barrage. A tank and infantry attack started at 05.30 once air cover had arrived. The main thrust contained 500 tanks; heavy tanks at the front, supported by medium ones behind with infantry behind these. They only gained a few miles<ref> Clarke, p. 195</ref>. The German attack was ferocious but misinterpreted it had not been successful. Repeated German attacks were resisted by the stubborn Red Army defenders <ref>DunnBarbier, p. 145113</ref>. One German armored division had lost two-thirds of its tanks. The Soviets quickly adapted to This misled the threats posed by the new tanks, even the fearsome Tiger tanks. They Soviet gunners learned to aim at the lightly armored sides of the tank. The German faith in Germans into overestimating their wonder-weapons, was misplaced and this led them to make poor decisions and to suffer unnecessary casualties. The German Generals continued with the offensive. Some 50th kilometers south chances of Kursk, the greatest tank battle success in WW II, took place. The Germans tried to capture Kursk with 1,5000 tanks on July 12th. Despite infecting heavy losses on the Red Army tank formations, they did not advance to Kursk. Within two weeks the Germans had been pushed back to where they had started on the southern side of the Kursk salient. However, the divisions under Model had made real progress<ref> Clark, p. 119. The Soviet overall-chief Marshall Zhukov ordered a counter attack and this pushed Model’s units back some 45 miles. Model was forced to retreat to the Hagen Line, an existing line of defense. He persuaded Hitler to allow the German forces to end the coming offensive and to retreat before they became encircled by the Red army and to avoid another Stalingrad. The Germans during their retreat came under constant attack from partisans. They destroyed many miles of railway lines and caused massive disruption in the German rear. The Soviets took advantage of the German retreat to capture the city of Kharkov. The liberation of this city is usually seen as the end of the Battle of Kursk <ref>Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. The Battle of Kursk. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1999), p. 256</ref>.

==Air Battle over Kursk==One aspect of the Battle However, Russia’s military leaders had suspected that is often overlooked by historians was there would be an attack on the aerial battle bulge between Kursk and Oriel. They believed that the Luftwaffe and Germans desperately needed to remove the bulge at Kursk. Soviet air forceintelligence was excellent- they had first-hand accounts of German armor sent to the Oriel-Kharkov region.<ref> BergströmZhukov, ChristopherGeorgiĭ Konstantinovich & Harrison E. Kursk — The Air Battle: July 1943. (Hersham, Salisbury, ''Marshal Zhukov's Greatest Battles''New York: Chervron/Ian AllenHarper & Row, 20021969) , p. 78 116</ref>. By 1943 the position of the Luftwaffe had started to weaken and it was beginning to lose the superiority it had over the Soviet air force since Operation Barbarossa. This was because more and more of its resources The Soviets had been diverted to the west and to the defense of even captured some German cities against officers who during interrogation divulged that the Allies bombing campaign. The Luftwaffe could only achieve air superiority offensive would be in local areas. By 1943, less than 40% of the Luftwaffe was stationed on the Easter FrontKursk area. During They even gave the Battle date of Kursk, it was expected by the coming German High Command attack. The better Soviet intelligence meant that the Luftwaffe would play they had a key role in decided advantage even before the battlehad started. They were persuaded of this by the Luftwaffe’s new planes, that they believed to be much superior to the Russian planes<ref> BergströmZhukov, p. 156234</ref>. However, the Luftwaffe was unable to achieve air superiority and as the battle progressed it lost the initiative to the Soviet Air force. This meant that the Germans could not use the Luftwaffe to secure its objectives at Kursk. Indeed, in the closing days of the battle, for the first time in the war on the Easter Front, the Russian air force came to control the skies and inflict terrible damage on the retreating Germans tanks and vehicles. The German military’s failure to secure air superiority over Kursk was one of the main reasons why the battle resulted in a German defeat. This was another example of the unrealistic expectations of the Germany army before the Battle of Kursk.

====German and Russian Strategies====Hitler was not his overbearing self during the planning stages of the Battle of Kursk. He left the planning to his generals, and they develop a highly detailed plan. Operation Citadel called for a tactic known as the double envelopment. This would allow the Germans to surround the Soviet defenders in Eastern Europe's bulge and cut them off from the Soviet Union. General Walter Model's 9th would attack the north of the bulge, driving south to Kursk's east and seize the railway. securing the rail line from Soviet attack <ref> Barbier, p 124.</ref>. A Panzer Army, led by General Hoth, would attack the southern part of the salient. This force was expected to drive north and meet Model at Kursk and achieve the objective of cutting off the Soviet units.  The Soviets, well-aware that an attack was coming, decided to adopt a defensive strategy. The Stavka, the Soviet High Command, placed a huge number of men and equipment in the Oriel-Kursk region. Russian and Ukrainian civilians were conscripted to build defenses in the area. They laid hundreds of thousands of mines and dug miles of trenches and anti-tank traps. The Red Army also had a huge force of reserves under the command of Marshall Zhukov. They were to reinforce any area where the Germans threatened to break through and launch a counterattack. The Germans had failed to take in the defensive preparations of the Soviets and placed too much faith in their new weapons.<ref> Dunn, Walter, ''Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943''(Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1997), p. 115</ref> <dh-ad/> ====Battle of Kursk==== On the eve of the Battle of Kursk, the Germans had almost ¾ quarters of a million men, 3000 tanks, and some 10,000 artillery pieces. The Red Army had almost 2 million men, 5000 tanks, and 20,000 heavy guns. The Germans had anticipated that they would be outnumbered but believed that their superiority in training and equipment would allow them to succeed. On the night of July 5th, to pre-empt the attack, the Russians launched a massive artillery bombardment. This initially threw the Germans into disarray, and it delayed the attack for three hours. The Germans attacked in the early morning. They attacked the north of the salient with 500 tanks. After 24 hours, they had lost thousands of men and many tanks.<ref>Clark, Lloyd. ''Kursk: The Greatest Battle: Eastern Front 1943.'' London: Headline Publishing Group, 2012), p. 78</ref> Germany started its attack at dawn with an artillery barrage. A tank and infantry attack started at 05.30 once air cover had arrived. The main thrust contained 500 tanks; heavy tanks at the front, supported by medium ones behind with infantry behind these. They only gained a few miles.<ref> Clarke, p. 195</ref> The German attack was ferocious, but it had not been successful. The stubborn Red Army defenders resisted repeated German attacks. <ref>Dunn, p. 145</ref> One German armored division had lost two-thirds of its tanks. The Soviets quickly adapted to the threats posed by the new tanks, even the fearsome Tiger tanks. The Soviet gunners learned to aim at the lightly armored sides of the tank. The German faith in their wonder weapons was misplaced, which led them to make poor decisions and suffer unnecessary casualties. The German Generals continued with the offensive.  Some 50th kilometers south of Kursk, the greatest tank battle in WW II took place. The Germans tried to capture Kursk with 1,5000 tanks on July 12th. Despite infecting heavy losses on the Red Army tank formations, they did not advance to Kursk. Within two weeks, the Germans had been pushed back to where they had started on the Kursk salient's southern side. However, the divisions under the Model had made real progress.<ref> Clark, p. 119</ref> The Soviet overall-chief Marshall Zhukov ordered a counter-attack, which pushed Model’s units back some 45 miles. General Model was forced to retreat to the Hagen Line, an existing line of defense. He persuaded Hitler to allow the German forces to end the offensive and retreat before they became encircled by the Red army and avoid another Stalingrad. The Germans, during their retreat, came under constant attack from partisans. They destroyed many miles of railway lines and caused massive disruption in the German rear. The Soviets took advantage of the German retreat to capture the city of Kharkov. The liberation of this city is usually seen as the end of the Battle of Kursk.<ref> Glantz, David M. House, Jonathan M. ''The Battle of Kursk.'' Lawrence, Kansas: University Press,1999),p.256</ref> ====Air Battle over Kursk====One aspect of the Battle that historians often overlooked was the aerial battle between the Luftwaffe and the Soviet air force<ref> Bergström, Christopher. Kursk — The Air Battle: July 1943. (Hersham: Chervron/Ian Allen, 2002) p. 78 </ref>. By 1943, the Luftwaffe position had started to weaken, and it was beginning to lose its traditional air superiority over the Soviet Air Force. This shift was Due to the dramatic diversions of resources to the western front west. The Luftwaffe was forced to defend German cities from the intense Allied bombing campaign. The Luftwaffe could only achieve air superiority in local areas.  By 1943, less than 40% of the Luftwaffe was stationed on the Eastern Front. During the Battle of Kursk, it was expected by the German High Command that the Luftwaffe would play a key role in the battle. They were persuaded of this by the Luftwaffe’s new planes, which they believed to be superior to the Russian planes. <ref> Bergström, p. 156</ref>. However, the Luftwaffe was unable to achieve air superiority, and as the battle progressed, it lost the initiative to the Soviet Air force. This meant that the Germans could not use the Luftwaffe to secure its objectives at Kursk. Indeed, in the closing days of the battle, the Russian air force came to control the skies and inflict terrible damage on the retreating Germans tanks and vehicles for the first time in the Eastern Front war. The German military’s failure to secure air superiority over Kursk was one of the main reasons why the battle resulted in a German defeat. This was another example of the unrealistic expectations of the German army before the Battle of Kursk. ====Results of the Battle of Kursk====Both sides at the Battle for Kursk suffered terrible casualties. The Germans are estimated to have lost some 200,000 men killed or missing in action. They lost some 2000 tanks and thousands of pieces of artillery. They also lost some 700 planes. The Soviet Soviets lost some 250,000 men, killed or missing in action. Some 6000 tanks <ref> Dunn, p. 217</ref>, 3000 guns , and one thousand planes are lost during the battle. The Soviet’s Soviets had the capacity to replace the men and equipment, but the Germans could not replace the losses. This weakened their position on the Eastern Front.  The Battle of Kursk was the last major offensive they launched in Russia. The material damage done to the German Army was massive. The campaign was a strategic Soviet success, despite the fact that the although they suffered more casualties. For the first time, a major German offensive had been stopped before achieving a breakthrough<ref>Zhukov, p. 117</ref>. The defeat at Kursk was to prove in many ways more decisive than Stalingrad. Winston Churchill, argued that the defeat at Kursk ‘heralded the downfall of the German army on the Eastern Front’<ref> The Times of London, 4 August, 1943, p 4</ref> ====Conclusion====The Battle of Kursk was a turning point in the war on the Eastern Front. The Germans had failed to reach their objectives , and they had suffered huge losses. The German air force , after the battle, began to lose the control of the skies. After Kursk , the Germans in the East were on the defensive. They had lost the battle for several reasons, overoptimistic over-optimistic planning, a failure to appreciate that the Soviet air force had improved , and they underestimated the Soviet defenses around Kursk. Significantly, they also believed that their new weapons would earn them a victory , and this overreliance over-reliance on new and untested military technologies, such as the Tiger Tanks, played a critical role in their defeat in the most famous tank battle in history.<div class="portal" style="width:85%;">====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====*[[Causes of World War II Top Ten Booklist]]*[[How did Joseph Stalin react to the German invasion during WWII?]]*[[Why was France defeated in 1940?]]*[[Why did Germany lose the Battle of Stalingrad?]]</div> ====References====<references/>[[Category:Wikis]][[Category:Russian History]] [[Category:Military History]][[Category:World War Two History]][[Category:European History]] [[Category:20th Century History]] [[Category:German History]]{{Contributors}}