The Battle of Krusk: Operation Citadel 1943 Operation Citadel 1943

by Cross, Robin

• ISBN13: 9780141391090
• ISBN10: 014139109X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-16
• Publisher: Penguin Global

Summary

This is the dramatic story of Hitler's disastrous gamble on the Eastern front. & lt;br/ & gt;'Citadel', the codename for the German attack at Kursk in 1943, was the last major German offensive to be launched in the East. The greatest clash of armoured forces in history, Kursk was the decisive land battle of the Second World War. & lt;br/ & gt;The aim was to claw back the initiative after the surrender of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad. The location, chosen by Hitler, was in the heartland of the Ukraine. But forewarned of German plans, the Red Army prepared to defend the Kursk salient in massive strength and depth. & lt;br/ & gt;Robin Cross gives a detailed picture of the Battle of Kursk, from the intense cat-and-mouse game waged by both high commands in the agonizing months leading up to the German offensive, to the first-hand experiences of troops on the ground and airmen flying over the blazing steppe.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Crisis in the South	1	(20)
The Dictators	21	(26)
The Vanishing Army	47	(10)
Red Army Rising	57	(26)
The Tug of War	83	(32)
Digging In	115	(32)
The Dogfight	147	(42)
Prokhorovka	189	(30)
Retreat to the Dnieper	219	(46)
Appendices
Key to Map Symbols	255	(2)
Notes on Personalities	257	(4)
Select Bibliography	261	(2)
Picture Acknowledgements	263	(2)
Index	265