Kursk: Hitler’s Gamble, 1943

This work provides an account of the Soviet victory at Kursk, the signal for the transfer of the initiative to the Soviets in World War II. The battle of Kursk was the last major German offensive on the Eastern front. The battle began well for the Germans, but the Russians delayed them long enough for reserves to come forward. Soon the defenders outnumbered the attackers, and Hitler called off the attack. The Russian victory at Kursk resulted from massive rebuilding of the Red Army in 1943, which included new unit organizations and weapons designed to counter the German Tiger and Panther tanks. The German defeat signalled the transfer of the initiative to the Russians and demonstrated to the Western allies that the Soviet Union could defeat the Germans without a second front. Based on now declassified information about the Russians and an analysis of captured German records, this work gives a comprehensive description of both the German and Soviet forces involved and evaluates the quality of the units on both sides.