But the Wehrmacht – Germany’s unified military forces – chose to prepare for a later campaign along the Kursk Bulge instead so they lost their potential edge. In March 1943, after squashing Russian resistance in Belgorod and Kharkov near the south of the Kursk Bulge, German Field Marshal Erich von Manstein wanted to take advantage of the momentum and the battle-weary Russian army and attempt to seize Kursk. Desperate to fill the void, he recruited World War I veterans up to age 50 and young men from the Hitler Youth program previously exempt from serving on the front lines. Both Sides Prepare for a Larger-Than-Life Battleīy 1943, Operation Barbarossa (Germany’s invasion of Russia), the Battle of Stalingrad and other engagements had weakened Hitler’s army by almost two million men. He also wanted the tactical advantage of controlling Kursk’s railways and roads. Hitler needed to prove to his allies, the Axis Powers, and to the world that Germany was still a formidable enemy and in control of the Eastern Front. The salient became known as the Kursk Bulge and was a strategic location for Germany. It also showed the world they weren’t invincible and deeply humiliated Hitler, who in response planned a massive offensive attack to permanently solve his Soviet problem. It pushed the Germans back to southern Russia and left them weak and on the defensive. Germany’s defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad was a pivotal point in the war. Left with little choice, German General Friedrich Paulus went against Hitler’s orders and surrendered his weakened troops to Russia on February 2, 1943, an act which Hitler later called treason. The Germans were unprepared for Russia’s brutal winter and suffered freezing temperatures, starvation and disease. They saw the writing on the wall and had a chance to escape but Hitler commanded they “hold their positions to the last man and the last round…” He also promised additional provisions – provisions that never arrived. Ultimately, Germany’s plan to wipe out the Red Army once and for all failed, but not before both sides experienced heavy casualties.īy mid-November, the Germans found themselves outnumbered, outgunned, extremely low on food and medical supplies and surrounded by Russians. The battle was Germany’s last chance to regain dominance on the Eastern Front during World War II and would be their final blitzkrieg offensive.ĭespite a massive planned assault on Soviet troops using heavy tanks, artillery and air power, postponements by German dictator Adolf Hitler gave the Soviets ample time to prepare for the onslaught. The Battle of Kursk occurred in July 1943 around the Soviet city of Kursk in western Russia, as Germany launched Operation Citadel, Hitler’s response to his devastating defeat by the Soviet Red Army at the Battle of Stalingrad. The German Offensive Ends and Russia’s Begins.Both Sides Prepare for a Larger-Than-Life Battle.Germany’s Epic Defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad.5 Soviet armoured vehicles lost for every 1 panzer destroyed.Over 250,000 Soviets killed and over 600,000 incapacitated.Hoth’s Fourth Panzer Army reduced from 916 panzers to under 500 within a week. 100 Luftwaffe fighters and bombers shot down over the southern sector 7 July.Luftwaffe pilot Erich Hartmann shot down 7 Soviet aircraft on 7 July. Model’s Ninth Army lost 20,000 men and 200 tanks before 10 July.Tigers were adapted to carry 120 88 mm shells rather than 90.Over 2,000 Luftwaffe aircraft vs up to 3,500 Soviet aircraft.22 Soviet tanks allegedly immobilised in an hour by one SS commander.Approximately 5,000 Soviet tanks vs approx.575,000 initial reserve forces at the Steppe Front.Soviet defences were as deep as almost 200 miles in places.All other civilians within 25 miles of the front were evacuated.300,000 civilians used to construct eight lines of defences, including 9,000 km of trenches.German advance halted at 10 miles in the north and 30 miles in the south.Salient was 150 miles across and 100 miles deep into German-held territory.The battle was fought between 5 July to 23 August.The battle took place in July and August 1943, opening with a German offensive and culminating in a momentous Soviet victory. The Wehrmacht was outnumbered and deficient in weapons in comparison to the Red Army, thus the German attempt to retake the initiative by attacking the vulnerable salient around Kursk represented a real gamble. In a typical act of grandstanding, presumably to reassure the rest of the Axis as defeats began to mount up, Hitler announced on 15 April 1943 that victory in the Battle of Kursk would be “a beacon for the whole world”.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |