What is the best and most accurate book on the battle of kursk. May 03, 2011 in battle of the tanks, lloyd clark seeks to provide the overview that places the battle of kursk in the context required to do justice to its pivotal position in the course of fighting on the eastern front p xviii. From my search it seems these come up as the definitive books on the topic. Even though i have read many books on the battle of kursk, i learn something when i read another account. Jul 12, 20 seventy years ago, on july 12, soviet soldiers managed to wreak havoc on the german forces morale in the battle of the prokhorovka, a very important moment of the battle of the kursk and the. This book is unique in that it draws upon indepth research in both the german and russian archival records. It turns out that prokhorovka is not the biggest tank battle of ww2, or of all time. Immense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence, the battle of. Armor and blood is an account of the battle of kursk written with panache, wit, and eloquence, and based on uptodate research into the soviet and german archives.
This volume makes extensive use of german archival documents as well as various russian books and articles. Kursk was to be the biggest tank battle of world war two and the battle resulted in a severe crisis for nazi germanys war machine in russia. Over 700 were built, and proved a valuable asset during the battle of kursk. Aug 23, 2017 it turns out that prokhorovka is not the biggest tank battle of ww2, or of all time. Jun 09, 2019 since youre looking for the most accurate, i assume youre not looking for an entertaining read, but rather for the best research out there. The greatest battle of the second world war by roman toppel the battle of kursk by david m. The battle of kursk 97807006359 by glantz, david m house, jonathan m. In this book, noted historian of the battle of kursk valeriy zamulin, the author of multiple russianlanguage books on the battle of kursk and destroying the myth. More accessible than george nipes very good work on kursk, this is probably the best book on the definitive battle of the russian front. Zamulin, a russian author who had worked excessively with th. Immense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence, the battle of kursk witnessed at prokhorovka one of the largest tank engagements in world history and led to staggering lossesincluding nearly 200,000 soviet and 50,000 german casualtieswithin the first ten days of fighting.
Driving back the soviet voronezh front s desperate defense, under command of soviet general nikolai vatutin and future soviet leader nikita khruschev, the fight culminated in the famous tank battle at prokhorovka. The battle of kursk occurred in july 1943 around the soviet city of kursk in western russia, as germany launched operation citadel, hitlers response to his. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read armor and blood. The climax of operation citadel, the battle of kursk, involved as many as 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft and 2 million fighting men and is remembered as the greatest tank battle in history. It is 75 years since the huge kursk tank battle when, as a university of melbourne expert writes, russias larger means of destruction turned. Ive only read the first few pages but it is pretty good so far. The veteran historian dennis showalter, whose many excellent books on the war form a remarkable canon of military history writing.
Its vivid portrayals of fighting in all critical sectors place the famous tank battle in its. This is both a great read and a fundamental reconsideration of the battle. The greatest battle of the second world war modern military. The battle of kursk was the first time in the second world war that a german strategic offensive was halted before it could break through enemy defences and penetrate to its strategic depths. Perhaps the most important battle of world war ii was a giant clash of tanks between germans and russians.
Our cheap used books come with free delivery in australia. Students of military history have long recognized the importance of kursk, also known as operation citadel, and there have been several serious studies of the battle. In part the disastrous decision to launch the battle of kursk grew out of the increasingly confused german command structure, combined. Hi guys i am looking to get a good reference book meaning lots of pictures or two on the battle of kursk. In this video well look at the numbers, and also the only. Its really hard to know when youre buying online if a book is going to be good or not. Kursk is the santa claus and easter bunny of world war ii battles, whose popular history was constructed from german and soviet propaganda. It was armed with a 152 mm howitzer, with 20 rounds. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Im hoping that those in the know can recommend some titles to me. The salient was a bulge in the soviet lines that stretched 150 miles 240 km from north to south and protruded 100 miles 160 km westward. An operational narrative takes a fresh look at several controversial and neglected topics regarding the battle and its runup. Immense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence. Kursk the tank battle of kursk, 1943 arcturus publishing.
Code named operation citadel, the german offensive would cut through the bulge in the eastern front that had been created following germanys retreat at the battle of stalingrad. Battle of kursk, july 5august 23, 1943, unsuccessful german assault on the soviet salient around the city of kursk, in western russia, during world war ii. The greatest battle of the second world war modern. This epic confrontation between german and soviet forces was one of the most important military engagements in history and epitomised total war. The greatest battle of the second world war and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Prokhorovka at kursk is not the biggest tank battle of the. Buy the battle of kursk modern war studies by david m. House have finally defined the battle of kursk in a thoughtful, engaging and methodical approach. The highwater mark of the battle was the massive armor engagement at prochorovka also spelled prokhorovka, which began on july 12.
But the battle of kursk, fought in july and august l943, truly was the decisive battle in the eastern front. The greatest tank battle in world history, known as operation citadel, opened during the early hours of 5 july 1943, and its outcome was to decide the. Eyewitness accounts of the battle of kursk russia beyond. The battle at kursk in 1943 is often referred to as the greatest tank battle in the history of warfare. Operation citadel 1943 by robin cross, in very good condition. Battle of kursk project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The battle of kursk order of battle is a list of the significant units that fought in the battle of kursk between july and august 1943 units smaller than division size and soviet aviation divisions are not shown in this order of battle. The battle of kursk takes readers behind soviet lines for the first time to reveal what the red army knew about the plans for hitlers offensive operation citadel, relive tank warfare and handtohand combat, and tell how the tide of battle turned. On july 5, 1943, the greatest land battle in history began when nazi and red army forces clashed near the town of kursk, on the western border of the soviet union. The battle of kursk takes readers behind soviet lines for the first time to discover what the red army knew about the plans for hitlers offensive operation citadel, relive tank warfare and handtohand combat, and learn how the tide of battle turned. Aside from my books on the entire barbarossa campaign, i have no books that focus solely on kursk. It saw action in the battle of stalingrad, with over 11,000 being produced by the time of kursk.
The battle of kursk was a world war ii engagement between german and soviet forces on the eastern front near kursk 450 kilometres or 280 miles southwest of moscow in the soviet union during july and august 1943. Yet, the german view of the battle has been largely ignored. It was also one of the most bloody, characterised by hideous excess and outrageous atrocities. The turning point of world war ii ebook written by dennis e. Another used by the red army was the su152, sometimes given the nickname beast slayer. The battle of kursk the turning point of world war ii by dennis e. It was certainly the greatest tank battle in history. The history and legacy of the biggest tank battle of world war ii audiobook by charles river editors. A novel of the battle of kursk 9780553583120 by robbins, david l. Feb 29, 2016 the kursk region also played to the soviets advantage in russia. A study of the battle of kursk at prokhorovka, one of the largest tank engagements in world history, which led to staggering losses imncluding nearly 200,000 soviet and 50,000 german casualties within the first ten days of fighting. With kursk, col glantz uses both soviet and german military archives to give a complete picture of the greatest tank battle of world war ii.
The battle of prokhorovka is the first definitive account of the largest tank battle in history. While many books have been written on this allegedly most decisive battle of the. Army intelligence officers gathered german commanders postwar reports of the battle. The author uses, at the time the book was written, recent access to the soviet archival material to show light on the red armys plans and decision making. On the wwii subject of the battle at kursk in 1943, what are the best books on the subject. Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from penguin random house. David glantz wrote a book called the battle of kursk which i just recently received in the mail. The battle of kursk was a second world war engagement between german and soviet forces. This book focuses on the german offensive in the south of the kursk salient that was the high point of the battle of kursk. While the battle of kursk has long captivated world war ii aficionados, it has.
Kursk the battle of prokhorovka aberdeen bookstore. Seventy years ago, on july 12, soviet soldiers managed to wreak havoc on the german forces morale in the battle of the prokhorovka, a very important moment of the. One of americas most distinguished military historians offers the definitive account of the greatest tank battle of wor. The books is very nicely written and done with a lot of maps, charts etc. A successful german offensive had obvious military consequences for the germans. The battle of kursk audiobook by charles river editors.
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