The Battle of Kursk

Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M.

ISBN 10: 0700613358 / ISBN 13: 9780700613359

Published by University Press of Kansas, 1999

Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0700613358I5N10

Synopsis:

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 losses - including nearly 200,000 Soviet and 50,000 German casualties within the first ten days of fighting. Going well beyond all previous accounts, David Glantz and Jonathan House now offer the definitive work on arguably the greatest battle of World War II. Drawing on both German and Soviet sources, Glantz and House separate myth from fact to show what really happened at Kursk and how it affected the outcome of the war. Their access to newly released Soviet archival material adds unprecedented detail to what is known about this legendary conflict, enabling them to reconstruct events from both perspectives and describe combat down to the tactical level. The Battle of Kursk takes readers behind Soviet lines for the first time to reveal what the Red Army knew about the plans for Hitler's offensive (Operation Citadel), relive tank warfare and hand-to-hand combat, and tell how the tide of battle turned. Its vivid portrayals of fighting in all critical sectors places the famous tank battle in its proper context. Prokhorovka here is not a well-organized set piece but a confused series of engagements and hasty attacks, with each side committing its forces piecemeal. Glantz and House's fresh interpretations demolish many of the myths that suggest Hitler might have triumphed if Operation Citadel had been conducted differently. Theirs is the first account to provide accurate figures of combat strengths and losses, and it includes 32 maps that clarify troop and tank movements. Shrouded in obscurity and speculation for more than half a century, the Battle of Kursk finally gets its due in this dramatic retelling of the confrontation that marked the turning point of the war on the Eastern front and brought Hitler's blitzkrieg to a crashing halt.

About the Author: David M. Glantz is the author of The Battle for Leningrad, 1941-1944, Stumbling Colossus: The Red Army on the Eve of World War, Zhukov's Greatest Defeat: The Red Army's Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, and When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler, all published by Kansas. Jonathan M. House is professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and the author of Towards Combined Arms Warfare and Military Intelligence, 1870-1991. Glantz and House also coauthored When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Battle of Kursk
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Publication Date: 1999
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Fair
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket