By 1941 Nazi forces had conquered just about all of Europe and those that were not conquered joined the Axis alliance. Then German forces threw all of their power at the Soviet Union. In just a few weeks over 4 million Soviet forces were killed and hundred of miles of land was taken. Soon after the offensive started it was stopped at the "The Gates of Moscow."(The Battle of Kursk)
By now the Soviet army was mad and hitting back anyway they could. Wave after wave of attacks was moving the German lines closer and closer to their motherland. Pushed back from "The Gates of Moscow" and annihilated in Stalingrad, the German army was metaphorically reduced to a lone puddle against the heat rays of the sun. Then after defeat after defeat Hitler, Germany’s leader demanded his Generals to bring up a plan for an offensive to drive the Soviet forces back. (John Keegan 464)
In 1943 the German army was preparing to attack the bulge with the city of Kursk in the middle. General Heinz Guderian was given the task of assembling and examining the Panzer tanks for the attacking forces. The plan was codenamed Citadel and was scheduled to start in June, but after German forces in Northern Africa lost against British forces Hitler was forced to send reinforcements to North Africa. But Hitler also delayed because he wanted to assemble as many tanks he could, including the new powerful Panther tank. Over 2,700 different tanks were assembled on the German side and over 3,600 tanks were assembled on the Soviet side, most were T-34s. Out of the two forces the Soviet Union had the advantage of speed, numbers, defensive positions, and maneuverability but, the German army had the advantage of bigger guns, faster turning turrets, and armor thickness. Before the attack on Kursk happened Soviet General told Stalin that the German armies will most likely attack the Kursk bulge and for that reason it should be fortified. Stalin agreed and thousands of Kursk’s population prepared hundreds of miles of anti tank ditches, buried anti tank mines, and dug defensive positions for troops and tanks. Altogether tanks of the Soviet Army were better than the German tanks because of how reliable the T-34 was and "how unreliable the Panther was."(George Parada) But despite the advantage of tanks the German army did have better trained troops with better weapons. (Keegan 464-467)
On July 5, 1943 at 4:30 am operation Citadel began with German artillery firing continuously on Soviet defensive positions. "Within twelve hours the clash of German and Soviet tanks was unlike any other seen in war."(Keegan 468) German engineers cleared paths through mine fields for tanks to travel and the German Luftwaffe bombed Soviet tank columns. Attacking from the north was General Model also from the south was Erich von Manstein and General Hoth, who put the plan together. Soviets hit back with massive air raids destroying about 50% of the German aircraft involved in the offensive. Rokossosky, one of the Soviet Union’s best generals counter-attacked Model’s advancing soldiers, but were rolled back. On the 7th of July the 18th, 19th, 2nd, and 20th Panzer Divisions approached Olkhovatka, which is 30 miles away from the starting point in which the Panzers attacked. The defenders were wiped out, but reserves from Siberia arrived in time to help the survivors stop the attack. In the south General Hoth and his three SS Panzer Divisions were making dogged progress. The Soviet artillery was hitting with such accuracy Hoth was forced to bring his tank reserves to maintain his slow progress. Then on the 11th of July General Popov was ordered to attack Model’s flank and on the 12th tank reserves were brought to General Konev in a counter offensive against Hoth’s Panzer Divisions. "In the area of Prokhorovka two great bodies of armor, Soviet and German, rushed into a huge swirling tank battle with well over a thousand tanks in action." (Keegan 469) The attack in the north and the south had been halted and even pushed back a little. Once Hitler received word of the offensive being stopped he said "That’s the last time I will heed the advice of my General Staff."(Keegan 471) Although defeat was going to happen Manstein believed that if he was allowed to use the last of the tanks reserves he could still cut of the bulge, but Hitler denied Manstein’s request. In terms of losses for the Soviets, they had lost nearly half of their tanks and for the Germans they had lost nearly two thirds of their tanks. On July 17, 1943 Hitler cancelled the attack and ordered forces to retreat and to form defensive lines to stop the Soviet counter offensives.
On August 3rd a new offensive by the Soviets began with devastating effect. After continuous bombardment, the 167th German infantry division was pulverized and blown right through when Soviet tanks attacked. All of the German defensive lines bordering the Kursk bulge were pushed back. This was the last German offensive in the eastern front which cost the German army twice of what they paid in the Battle of Stalingrad.
"The Battle of Kursk, July 1943. Contemplating this titanic battle, Hitler confessed that the prospect made his stomach turn over. Codenamed Citadel, this was the last great German offensive aimed at regaining the initiative after the disaster at Stalingrad. Guderian considered Kursk ‘a decisive defeat’. The armored divisions committed to the battle remained unfit for action for a considerable time."(Keegan 471)
