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Citadel: The Battle of Kursk
It was the greatest armoured clash in the history of the world - and the decisive battle of World War II. Two vast armies engaged one another on land and in the air, in a conflict that included the most costly single day of aerial warfare of all time.
This was the battle of Kursk - a battle so terrible that even Hitler confessed it made his ‘stomach turn over’.
Citadel was the last great German offensive on the Eastern Front; its aim was to claw back the initiative after the surrender of the Sixth Army at Stalingrad in January 1943.
The location chosen by Hitler was the Kursk salient in the heartland of the Ukraine. The date was 5 July 1943, the codename ‘Citadel’. The Red Army, warned of the German plans by the ‘Lucy’ spy network in Switzerland, was prepared to defend the salient in massive strength and depth. Against its breakwaters Hitler launched his finest armoured divisions, only to see them mangled beyond repair.
No sooner had the German thrusts been contained, while within the tantalizing grasp of success, than the Red Army delivered a series of crushing counter-blows with were to drive the Wehrmacht back beyond the River Dnieper.
Characteristically, Hitler had gambled all on a throw of a single dice and had lost the initiative in the East - never to regain it.
'Citadel' provides a detailed picture of the Battle of Kursk, from the strategic tug-of-war waged within both high commands in the agonizing months which preceded the German offensive, to the first-hand experiences of the troops on the ground and the airmen flying over the blazing steppe as the battle reached fever pitch.
Robin Cross places the battle firmly within the wider strategic context of the spring and summer of 1943, months in which Hitler and Stalin steeled themselves to take decisions which would decide the course of the war and the shape of the peace which followed.
Praise for 'Fallen Eagle':
"Mesmerising account of those final, bloody weeks of war ... Cross's account of the final hysterical days in his Berlin Bunker is masterful." Sunday Express
Robin Cross is a distinguished journalist and military historian whose books include VE Day: Victory in Europe, The Bombers: Strategy and Tactics and The US Marine Corps.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
This was the battle of Kursk - a battle so terrible that even Hitler confessed it made his ‘stomach turn over’.
Citadel was the last great German offensive on the Eastern Front; its aim was to claw back the initiative after the surrender of the Sixth Army at Stalingrad in January 1943.
The location chosen by Hitler was the Kursk salient in the heartland of the Ukraine. The date was 5 July 1943, the codename ‘Citadel’. The Red Army, warned of the German plans by the ‘Lucy’ spy network in Switzerland, was prepared to defend the salient in massive strength and depth. Against its breakwaters Hitler launched his finest armoured divisions, only to see them mangled beyond repair.
No sooner had the German thrusts been contained, while within the tantalizing grasp of success, than the Red Army delivered a series of crushing counter-blows with were to drive the Wehrmacht back beyond the River Dnieper.
Characteristically, Hitler had gambled all on a throw of a single dice and had lost the initiative in the East - never to regain it.
'Citadel' provides a detailed picture of the Battle of Kursk, from the strategic tug-of-war waged within both high commands in the agonizing months which preceded the German offensive, to the first-hand experiences of the troops on the ground and the airmen flying over the blazing steppe as the battle reached fever pitch.
Robin Cross places the battle firmly within the wider strategic context of the spring and summer of 1943, months in which Hitler and Stalin steeled themselves to take decisions which would decide the course of the war and the shape of the peace which followed.
Praise for 'Fallen Eagle':
"Mesmerising account of those final, bloody weeks of war ... Cross's account of the final hysterical days in his Berlin Bunker is masterful." Sunday Express
Robin Cross is a distinguished journalist and military historian whose books include VE Day: Victory in Europe, The Bombers: Strategy and Tactics and The US Marine Corps.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
68 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 15, 2017
I found this book to be uneven. The opening section goes into great detail on the planning, the preparation and causes for delays as well as intelligence gathering for both sides. While not as painstakingly detailed as Glantz it does make an easier read.
But then the battle itself is written in such an offhand manner, the writing becomes confusing on whether one is dealing with the North or the South of the Bulge, seemingly you are supposed to remember which of the Russians are in command and the names are then enough for you to get that information. Well, I suppose if you can keep the names straight that works, but I found that wasn't quite the case with myself. Also, it has a severe lack of maps.
Generally speaking for a book about Kursk, it then goes on to spend about another third of the book talking about the counter-offensives, although in this case, it focuses primarily on the Soviet effort in the South.
A good book, that could have been so much more.
But then the battle itself is written in such an offhand manner, the writing becomes confusing on whether one is dealing with the North or the South of the Bulge, seemingly you are supposed to remember which of the Russians are in command and the names are then enough for you to get that information. Well, I suppose if you can keep the names straight that works, but I found that wasn't quite the case with myself. Also, it has a severe lack of maps.
Generally speaking for a book about Kursk, it then goes on to spend about another third of the book talking about the counter-offensives, although in this case, it focuses primarily on the Soviet effort in the South.
A good book, that could have been so much more.
January 21, 2015
Whenever I think of this attack, my stomach turns over (Hitler)
In his book "Citadel", Robin Cross the main theme of the book is Operation Citadel, which was the last major German offensive on the Eastern Front in 1943. It would result in a disaster and hand over the initiative to the Russians.
Before the actual start of the German offensive, Cross gives an excellent overview of the tactical situation of both Germany and Russia.
In 1943, on the Eastern Front there were 168 divisions (3.1 million men) fighting the Russians. But most divisions were at 50 percent of its original combat strength and had lost effectiveness. But the greatest cause for alarm was the state of the panzer divisions. At the end of January 1943 there were only 495 battleworthy tanks on the Eastern front, the majority of them being PzKw IIIs and IVs which needed to match the growing number of T-34's.
Since the disastrous summer of 1941 the Red Army had undergone a wholesale reorganization. In the summer of 1942, large and independent tank formations were formed, with the excellent T-34 as the backbone. Even after losing much of its land, the Soviet Union was able to preserve its industrial base to equip and sustain its army in the field. With the remaining industrial regions at its disposal, and with the support from the Allies, Stalin was able to posess the manufacturing resources that decided the outcome of the war.
In the summer of 1943, Germany still thought it could finish off the Russians. The debacle at Stalingrad the previous year meant that offensive operations on a large scale were out of the question, but Hitler thought it still could strike a decisive blow at the enemy one at a time.
However, the Battle of Kursk was destined to fail from the start. The actual start of the offensive was postponed multiple times, allowing the Russians to prepare and dig in, helped by the information delivered to them by the 'Lucy' spy ring in Switzerland.
Hitler had high expectations of the new tank designs, such as the Panther, Tiger and Elefant. But both the Panther and the Tiger were hampered by mechanical difficulties, and the Elefant was an outright failure. In the colossal melee, fought at practically point-blank range, the Tigers and Panthers lost all the advantages of armour and armament they enjoyed over the T-34s at longer range. After the attack lost its momentum, the Russians launched a counter attack. Parellel, in the Mediterenean theatre the Western Allies had landed in Sicily, the Italians not even attempting to fight and Hitler needed to send reinforcements to Southern Italy and the Western Balkans to stop their advance. Operation Zitadelle had to be cancelled.
The losses on both sides were enormous. However, the Russian losses were rapidly made good by the almost superhuman efforts of the Russian field-repair shops and in August the tank strength in the Kursk sector had risen again to pre-offensive figures. For the Germans however, the central armoured reserve on which the Ostheer had previously been able to draw in a crisis was now dissipated and could not be built out of the current production which was committed to the replacement of the normal losses.
Henceforth the Ostheer would be deprived of the means of seizing the initiative which has passed to the Soviet Union.
All in all, Robin offers a very detailed description of the prelude to the battle, the battle itself and its impact. Only drawback is the lack of maps that gives you an overview of the progress of the batlle. However if you want to read a detailed account on the batlle of Kursk, highly reccomended.
In his book "Citadel", Robin Cross the main theme of the book is Operation Citadel, which was the last major German offensive on the Eastern Front in 1943. It would result in a disaster and hand over the initiative to the Russians.
Before the actual start of the German offensive, Cross gives an excellent overview of the tactical situation of both Germany and Russia.
In 1943, on the Eastern Front there were 168 divisions (3.1 million men) fighting the Russians. But most divisions were at 50 percent of its original combat strength and had lost effectiveness. But the greatest cause for alarm was the state of the panzer divisions. At the end of January 1943 there were only 495 battleworthy tanks on the Eastern front, the majority of them being PzKw IIIs and IVs which needed to match the growing number of T-34's.
Since the disastrous summer of 1941 the Red Army had undergone a wholesale reorganization. In the summer of 1942, large and independent tank formations were formed, with the excellent T-34 as the backbone. Even after losing much of its land, the Soviet Union was able to preserve its industrial base to equip and sustain its army in the field. With the remaining industrial regions at its disposal, and with the support from the Allies, Stalin was able to posess the manufacturing resources that decided the outcome of the war.
In the summer of 1943, Germany still thought it could finish off the Russians. The debacle at Stalingrad the previous year meant that offensive operations on a large scale were out of the question, but Hitler thought it still could strike a decisive blow at the enemy one at a time.
However, the Battle of Kursk was destined to fail from the start. The actual start of the offensive was postponed multiple times, allowing the Russians to prepare and dig in, helped by the information delivered to them by the 'Lucy' spy ring in Switzerland.
Hitler had high expectations of the new tank designs, such as the Panther, Tiger and Elefant. But both the Panther and the Tiger were hampered by mechanical difficulties, and the Elefant was an outright failure. In the colossal melee, fought at practically point-blank range, the Tigers and Panthers lost all the advantages of armour and armament they enjoyed over the T-34s at longer range. After the attack lost its momentum, the Russians launched a counter attack. Parellel, in the Mediterenean theatre the Western Allies had landed in Sicily, the Italians not even attempting to fight and Hitler needed to send reinforcements to Southern Italy and the Western Balkans to stop their advance. Operation Zitadelle had to be cancelled.
The losses on both sides were enormous. However, the Russian losses were rapidly made good by the almost superhuman efforts of the Russian field-repair shops and in August the tank strength in the Kursk sector had risen again to pre-offensive figures. For the Germans however, the central armoured reserve on which the Ostheer had previously been able to draw in a crisis was now dissipated and could not be built out of the current production which was committed to the replacement of the normal losses.
Henceforth the Ostheer would be deprived of the means of seizing the initiative which has passed to the Soviet Union.
All in all, Robin offers a very detailed description of the prelude to the battle, the battle itself and its impact. Only drawback is the lack of maps that gives you an overview of the progress of the batlle. However if you want to read a detailed account on the batlle of Kursk, highly reccomended.
March 23, 2011
I read, at the same time, this and a fictional account of the events. It was very interesting seeing the fictional work in line with this historical review. I had no idea how the Battle of Kursk went down, this was really quite fascinating.
July 25, 2013
Not light reading. Cross delivers a competent, if sometimes dry, analysis of The Battle of Kursk. One or two of the contextual chapters, particularly the chapter on personalities of the dictators, could have been compressed or removed.
March 20, 2014
Not a bad book but in retrospect not the one I should have chosen to learn about Kursk. Much of what is here can be found in Alan Clark's Barbarossa, and more recent books have better access to Russian sources.
February 16, 2018
The Battle of Kursk was a war between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Which took place in Kursk eastern front Soviet Union (1943). The battle took place on ground. Where Hitler's sixth army tried to take over and tried to occupy to control the rest of the Soviet Union, but Hitler failed. The Battle of Kursk and Stalingrad were known as the turning pionts in the war. Over 1200 tanks were used in the battle of Kursk. Which was also known as "The Greatest Tank Battle Of World War II." Which The Soviet Union won the battle and pushed German forces out of Soviet Union and defeated Nazi Germany.
November 1, 2017
This is the largest tank battle in history. Aside from Stalingrad, the eastern front is not well known to westerners. The battle of Kursk was the last gasp for the German Army in the east. The author gives details and plans that are rarely available in histories such as this. Well written and enlightening for the WW2 buff.
April 21, 2024
One of the defining battles of the 2nd world war, one that finally halted the Nazi offensive against Russia. Almost 80 years later, battles still range, now between Russia and Ukraine, just a few hours drive away. Thoroughly researched with a lot of detail on troop formations, deployments etc. that will delight the detail oriented.
May 31, 2020
Every interested historian in WW11 must read this book.
The battle of Kursk is largely forgotten of its importance as a battle that has a major influence on our victory in the west.
The battle of Kursk is largely forgotten of its importance as a battle that has a major influence on our victory in the west.
September 25, 2018
An epic battle that is at the forefront of decisive game changers in WWII.
January 11, 2019
Very tactical. I would have appreciated a more strategic discussion and a greater selection of maps (which might have been due to my use of a Kindle)
August 1, 2021
Not bad. A little too detailed in spots.
July 20, 2015
This book answered a few questions about the technical details of battles in between Stalingrad and the Nazi's full retreat. I didn't learn anything new about the nature of war or the psychology of the leaders.
Battles are confusing and this book's maps and illustrations did not help the confusion much. I found myself reading the troop dispositions and movements over and over again and comparing them to maps on the internet to help get perspective. Until I read it several times, it seemed like the Germans won again and again but lost anyway because the Russians had more guys. This was kind of true, but the reality was that the Russians got better at fighting and had a few leaders that hadn't been executed by Stalin and once the Germans realized the Russians weren't going to give up, they fell back. The details of "this ridge" or "that town" really don't matter. The Germans advanced, could not protect their flanks, and then withdrew.
Even with the fine-grained details of the battles, Operation Citadel does not fill up a book. This book is filled with supporting material such as the personalities of the leaders involved, the technical details of the equipment, the history of the battles before and after Kursk, partisans and the effect of events elsewhere such as the invasion of Sicily. For example, there was a good read about how the Russians took apart all their tank and ammunition factories and put them on trains and moved it all east of the Ural mountains and reassembled them.
Battles are confusing and this book's maps and illustrations did not help the confusion much. I found myself reading the troop dispositions and movements over and over again and comparing them to maps on the internet to help get perspective. Until I read it several times, it seemed like the Germans won again and again but lost anyway because the Russians had more guys. This was kind of true, but the reality was that the Russians got better at fighting and had a few leaders that hadn't been executed by Stalin and once the Germans realized the Russians weren't going to give up, they fell back. The details of "this ridge" or "that town" really don't matter. The Germans advanced, could not protect their flanks, and then withdrew.
Even with the fine-grained details of the battles, Operation Citadel does not fill up a book. This book is filled with supporting material such as the personalities of the leaders involved, the technical details of the equipment, the history of the battles before and after Kursk, partisans and the effect of events elsewhere such as the invasion of Sicily. For example, there was a good read about how the Russians took apart all their tank and ammunition factories and put them on trains and moved it all east of the Ural mountains and reassembled them.
October 16, 2015
I have a hardback version from 1993 and have had it for some years. I picked it up for a quarter when I worked for Doubleday/Bookspan's warehouse in Hanover, Pa. This is an exciting account of history's greatest tank battle. There is never a dull moment on the pages of this book as it is history well-told. One particularly startling incident was Nikita Kruschev's involvement on page 199 helping to rally troops to attack. Strangely, Norman Friedman's 'Fifty Year War' implied he had no military experience which is clearly in error. Anyway, this book is worth reading for any student of World War II.
January 26, 2016
For afficionados of the second world war and armoured warfare the battle of Kursk is a prime topic of interest. This description covers the broader picture, including the lead-up and the aftermath, and this wider perspective makes for a dramatic account. This battle ultimately was a symmetrical battle of attrition warfare, where the Soviets fought the Germans to a standstill. After this the war in the east was basically lost to the Third Reich.
March 25, 2014
A comprehensive, if somewhat long-winded account of what is widely regarded to be the greatest tank battle in history. It is very detailed, but sadly the narrative degenerates into little more than a turgid recounting of unit movements and orders of battle in its description of the clashes between the opposing armies.
March 12, 2014
Admitedly this is only a book which will appeal to military history enthusiasts. It tells of a major tank battle which is largely ignored by Western history. The author has clearly done plenty of research on the matter, and the facts were supported by eye witness accounts from both sides.
July 15, 2009
A bit short and short of detail, but well researched and an easy read.
October 25, 2014
Quite informative about this titanic battle...
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews