Operation Citadel and the Red Army’s Western Advance AM (B), O R-J(A), HW (B), and NL (A)

Thesis Germany’s Operation Citadel was a last ditch effort to turn the tide of the Eastern Front in their favor, but failed due to Hitler’s poor military decisions. As a result, the Red Army was able to take the initiative and begin their westward advance, signifying Germany’s defeat in the East.

Setting the Stage Following the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, the Red Army pushed the Germans back to Kursk and formed a bulge in the front Operation Citadel aimed to capture the six Soviet armies at Kursk via a pincer attack, began on July 5, 1943 Hitler wanted to take Kursk because a victory could turn the tide in his favor, and eliminate the Soviet advantage Both sides utilized armor heavily, resulting in history’s largest tank battle https://cdni.rbth.com/rbthmedia/images/2018.02/article/5a746d7785600a37210db97e.jpg

Important People Walter Model: German commander of 9th Army in the northern attack Group Hermann Hoth: German commander of 4th Panzer Army in the southern attack group Werner Kempf: German commander of Army Detachment Kempf in the southern attack group Konstantin Rokossovsky: Soviet commander of forces at the Kursk salient, fought at the Battle of Kursk

Battle Plans German Plan of Attack Soviet Plan of Defense Pincer attack from North and South Punch through Soviet defenses with Blitzkrieg tactics Surround and capture Kursk quickly Stop the German advance Use superior numbers to win a battle of attrition

Hitler’s “Fatal Mistake” “failed due to Hitler’s poor military decisions” Operation Citadel was initially planned to begin on May 4, but Hitler delayed it until July 5 to build up more forces for the attack This allowed the Red Army to form extremely fortified defenses around Kursk These defenses proved to be effective, and were critical in stopping the Germans Hitler’s lack of military prowess had cost him another victory https://img.thedailybeast.com/image/upload/c_crop,d_placeholder_euli9k,h_1439,w_2560,x_0,y_0/dpr_2.0/c_limit,w_740/fl_lossy,q_auto/v1492724047/articles/2013/08/31/wwii-s-greatest-battle-how-kursk-changed-the-war/130831-battle-kursk-tease_mico9s

NAZI SOVIET Map Ninth Army 4th Panzer Army http://en.academic.ru/pictures/enwiki/69/Eastern_Front_1943-02_to_1943-08.png SOVIET Map Ninth Army NAZI 4th Panzer Army

Forces Involved In The Operation German Soviet 750,000 troops 2,400 tanks and assault guns 1,800 aircraft 1.3 million troops 3,400 tanks and assault guns 2,100 aircraft 6 armies stationed at Kursk (Axelrod) https://www.nolimitszone.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/b684169483c577055cb1b6cfd6d80697.jpg http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/ww2_Soviet_Tanks.php

The Battle of Kursk “Germany’s defeat in the East” Took place in and around a small village known as Prokhorovka Around 1200 tanks were involved in the battle Germans destroyed more tanks than they lost, but due to Soviet’s advantage in numbers they still failed German armor units were forced to retreat https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-0bf56229b22bc8af06d0b6b2e771d47a

Operation Citadel → Operation Abandoned Soviets managed to stall the German advance on Kursk on July 12 The Allies had invaded Sicily on July 10, Italians needed reinforcements German defeat at the Battle of Kursk marked the failure of Citadel Hitler cancelled Citadel on July 13, diverting armor to Italy to stop the Allied invasion Red Army used Kursk as a springboard to advance west to Berlin Marked the end of Germany’s potency on the Eastern Front https://donaldray.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/the-retreat-hitlers-first-defeat-michael-jones1.jpg

Soviet Advance West On August 3, the Red Army began their counteroffensive using the massive reserves they held in Kursk They were able to rout the Germans, taking Kiev on November 3rd Stalin now enacted his plan to isolate and destroy each German Army Group He started by flanking Army Group South from the North and achieving many decisive victories Germany was retreating from Russia and taking heavy casualties https://cdn3.img.sputniknews.com/images/102147/84/1021478479.jpg

Timeline May 4, 1943: Initial date of Operation Citadel, postponed to amass more troops July 5, 1943: Beginning of Operation Citadel’s first offensive July 10, 1943: Allies invade Sicily, Italians desperately need reinforcements July 11, 1943: Germans had pushed the Soviets back nearly 30 miles July 12, 1943: The decisive Battle of Kursk results in a Soviet victory, German advance is halted July 13, 1943: Hitler cancels Operation Citadel, sends troops away to reinforce Italy August 3, 1943: Soviets launch counteroffensive, successfully drive Germans back November 3, 1943: Soviets take Kiev, continue to advance west

Questions?

Works Cited Axelrod, Alan. “Battle of Kursk.” Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 2, Facts On File, 2013. History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId=264945. Accessed 25 Apr. 2018. http://online.infobase.com/Article/Details/264945?q=operation%20citadel Watts, Tim. "Battle of Kursk." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2018, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/309509. Accessed 26 Apr. 2018. https://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/309509?terms=operation+citadel&sType=multi Axelrod, Alan, and Charles L. Phillips. “World War II on the Russian Front.” Wars in the Early 20th Century (1900 to 1950), Facts On File, 2015. History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId=208115. Accessed 29 Apr. 2018. http://online.infobase.com/Article/Details/208115?q=eastern%20front

Who’s doing what Nico: Map , Operation Abandoned, Soviet Advance West Ollie: Title, Hitler’s Fatal Mistake, Timeline Harry: Thesis, Important People, Battle of Kursk Garchomp: Setting the Stage, Plan of Attack, Forces Involved