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Germany had invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. At first 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. The Battle of Stalingrad reversed the tide of the war against for Germany and was resulted in a disastrous catastrophic mistake. The entire German 6th army was annilated annihilated at Stalingrad during the winter of 1943-1943.

The Germans managed to stabilize the situation after Stalingrad and had even managed to inflict a heavy defeat on the Soviets at Kharkov. By the spring of 1943, the German’s felt confident enough to plan for another offensive in the Easteven though they were still losing ground to the Soviets.<ref> Bellamy, p. 178</ref> Still, they were losing ground to the Soviets. Germany wanted to prove to Soviets and the western allies that they were not fatally weakened after Stalingrad. <ref>Antill, Peter, ''Stalingrad 1942'' (Osprey Publishing, London, 2007), p. 18</ref>. By the summer of 1943, the Russians had advanced west and retaken 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 their lines. They 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 plan 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 expected the ‘’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>