THE SOVIET RECONQUEST OF WESTERN RUSSIA JULY, 1943

EERICH Von MANSTEIN GGEORGI ZHUKOV KKONSTANTIN ROKASSOVSKY NNIKOLAI VATUTIN

 STALINGRAD DEFEAT (FEB. ‘43)  FORCES WITHDRAWAL OF GERMAN ARMY WESTWARD  REMOVES THREAT TO CASPIAN OILFIELDS  PROBLEM?  GERMAN ARMY IS STILL POWERFUL  GERMANS INTEND TO CREATE NORTH- SOUTH DEFENSIVE LINE; PURPOSE?  BLEED RUSSIANS WHITE  ALLOW GERMAN ARMY TO REGROUP FOR 1944 OFFENSIVE  MOST GERMAN MILITARY LEADERS AGREE

 ERICH Von MANSTEIN ARGUES FOR SUMMER OFFENSIVE  MANSTEIN’S PLANS, HOWEVER, CALL FOR ATTACK FURTHER SOUTH  GERMAN HIGH COMMAND DECIDES ON ATTACK AGAINST KURSK “SALIENT”  WHY THERE?  SUCCESS WOULD SHORTEN GERMAN LINES  KURSK WAS A VITAL RAILWAY CITY  CUTTING OFF THE SALIENT WOULD TRAP 1/5 OF RED ARMY’S MANPOWER  ATTACK MUST BE IN SPRING/SUMMER – WHY?  MASSIVE BLITZKRIEG TACTICS WILL BE NECESSARY  VISIBILITY / MOBILITY ARE CRITICAL

 SOVIET INTELLIGENCE IS ALREADY AWARE OF POSSIBLE GERMAN OFFENSIVE  HOW? W. EURO. SPY RING  SOVIET HIGH COMMAND HAD PREDICTED AN ATTACK AT KURSK  ZHUKOV ADVISES STALIN TO ALLOW GERMANS TO ATTACK FIRST  WHY?  IT WILL EXHAUST GERMAN FORCES  IT WILL THEN ALLOW RUSSIAN COUNTERATTACK  RESULT?  SOVIET PLAN CALLS FOR DEFENSIVE STRATEGY FOLLOWED BY COUNTERATTACK  MASSIVE DEFENSE-IN-DEPTH NETWORK IS CREATED  EXAMPLE?  1 MILLION LAND MINES  TRENCHWORKS TO A DEPTH OF 95 MILES  3600 TANKS  20,000 ARTILLERY PIECES  1 MILLION + TROOPS  2700 AIRCRAFT

GGERMANS: 8800,000 MEN (approx.) 33,000 TANKS (approx.) 110,000 ARTILLERY PIECES (approx.) 22,000 AIRCRAFT SSOVIETS: 11,000,000 (approx.) 55,000 TANKS (approx.) 225,000 ARTILLERY PIECES (approx.) 22,800 AIRCRAFT (approx.) GGERMAN BATTLE PLAN: AATTACK RUSSIANS ON NORTH & SOUTH FLANKS FOR SALIENT UUSE ARMORED THRUSTS TO CUT OFF SALIENT TTRAP RUSSIANS INSIDE SALIENT (total of 60 Divisions)

 GERMAN ASSAULT BEGINS ON JULY 5 TH  SIMULTANEOUS ASSAULTS ON NORTH AND SOUTH FLANKS OF THE SALIENT  SOVIETS ARE PREPARED FOR ATTACK  RED ARMY HAS PLACED MORE ARTILLERY UNITS THAN INFANTRY UNITS IN NSALIENT  ZHUKOV HAS MASSED LARGE ARMOURED RESERVES EAST OF SALIENT  DEFENSE-IN-DEPTH LINES ARE WELL DEFENDED  INITIAL GERMAN ATTACK ENJOYS SUCCESS  Ex. –SOUTHERN ATTACK PENETRATES UP TO 12 MILES  PROBLEM:  SOVIET DEFENSES ARE EFFECTIVE  RED ARMY HAS TOO MANY RESERVES  GERMANS CANNOT REPLACE HEAVY CASUALTIES

 JULY 10: GERMAN ATTACK IN NORTH HAS STALLED  JULY 12: SOUTHERN FLANK  PROKOROVKHA : MASSIVE 8-HOUR TANK BATTLE  GERMANS TANKS SUPERIOR, BUT OUTNUMBERED  SOVIET DEFENSES PREVENT GERMAN INFANTRY FROM SUPPORTING TANKS  GERMAN TANKS FACE SOVIET TANKS & ARTILLERY ALONE  JULY 16: SOUTHERN ATTACK STOPS  GERMANS ARE FORCED BACK TO STARTING POSITIONS  BATTLE OF KURSK IS EFFECTIVELY OVER

 KURSK IS LAST MAJOR GERMAN OFFENSIVE ON THE EASTERN FRONT  GERMANS CANNOT REPLACE LOSSES  CASUALTIES:  SOVIETS:  177,000 KIA (approx.)  1600 TANKS DESTROYED  GERMANS:  55,000 KIA (approx.)  325 TANKS DESTROYED  AFTER KURSK:  GERMAN ARMY IS IN SLOW RETREAT TO GERMANY  RUSSIAN ARMY BEGINS OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS THAT CONTINUE FOR REMAINDER OF WAR