The Panzers of Prokhorovka: The Myth of Hitler’s Greatest Armoured Defeat

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Even when the Cold War began, there was little desire on the part of Western historians to question any chapter in the history of the Red Army’s hallowed role in the Second World War. In any case, the Russian archives were closed or well-censored until after the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1989. Implications Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. (1999). The Battle of Kursk. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-0978-9.

Full article: Citadel, Prokhorovka and Kharkov: The Armoured

Newton, Steven (2002). Kursk: The German View: Eyewitness Reports of Operation Citadel by the German Commanders. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81150-2. As the Soviet tanks reached the ditch, which was 4.5m deep, many fell over and into it, while others turned aside to cross the bridge constructed by the Germans for their panzers, thereby exposing their flanks and becoming easy targets. Today in Russia there are three official sacred battlefields: Kulikovo,where the Mongols were defeated in 1380; Borodino, where Russiantroops slowed Napoleon’s Grande Armée before Moscow in 1812;the third is Prokhorovka. This is widely described as the most criticaltank battle of the Second World War, which saw the annihilation ofHitler’s elite Panzer force in the largest armoured clash in history andleft Hitler with no alternative but to halt Germany’s offensive againstthe Kursk salient. Expanding the battle beyond Prokhorovka, the total number of tanks fielded by the 2nd SS Panzer Corps and the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army at and near the battle amounted to 1,299, according to a statistical analysis published in 2000 by Niklas Zetterling and Anders Frankson. Whether the failure of Citadel was, as some historians have claimed, a turning-point in the war is also questionable, for the German position, not just on the Eastern Front, but in the war as a whole, was already parlous.The third is at Prokhorovka. it was here on 12 July 1943 that the most critical tank battle of World War II took place. The battle saw the annihilation of Hitler's elite Panzer force in the largest armoured clash in history, a defeat that left Hitler with no alternative but to halt Germany's offensive against the Kursk salient (Operation Citadel). This victory at Prokhorovka allowed the Soviet troops to turn the tide of the war and ultimately march on Berlin. This is a truly impressive undertaking…The book exudes great numerical dexterity…As soon as the analysis appears, you'll be pleased at the trouble he took to ferret out the numbers from the German sources. Impressive. Just impressive. Prokhorovka battle (July 1943)] (in Russian). 1998. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015 . Retrieved 17 July 2015. What’s all the more remarkable is that the Soviet corps had considerable numbers of heavier KV and T-34 tanks, tougher than the German army’s best tanks at the time.

The Panzers of Prokhorovka : Benjamin William Wheatley The Panzers of Prokhorovka : Benjamin William Wheatley

The book is also a masterclass in source analysis. In other words, the examination of a document not only for what it says, but for its own history. Who produced it? And for what purpose? Wheatley shows that hard work and diligence with a source – questioning whether it may be biased or simply false – is so vital to good history. There is a brilliant lesson here for aspiring academics.

Glantz, David (January 1991). Soviet Operational Art: In Pursuit of Deep Battle. London; Portland, OR: Taylor & Francis (Frank Cass). ISBN 0-7146-4077-8. Zetterling, Niklas; Frankson, Anders (2000). Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis. Cass Series on the Soviet (Russian) Study of War. London: Taylor & Francis (Frank Cass). ISBN 0-7146-5052-8. Wave after wave of T-34s, the greater part of the Soviet 25th Tanks Corps, now came down the hill, forming, in Ribbentrop’s words, ‘an unimaginable mass of armour approaching at top speed.’ All seemed lost for the panzer companies below.

The Panzers of Prokhorovka by Ben Wheatley | Waterstones

The 33rd Guards Rifle Corps was part of the 5th Guards Army, which was transferred from the control of the Steppe Front to the Voronezh Front on 8 July ( Glantz & House 2004, p.323). Of the army's two corps, only this one was present on the battlefield of Prokhorovka ( Glantz & House 2004, p.167). The other corps – the 32nd Guards Rifle Corps – was deployed further west, in the battlefield near Oboyan ( Clark 2012, p.230).Wasting firemen. Hitler's influence on Post-Prokhorovka armoured strength prior to the defense of Kharkov

The Panzers of Prokhorovka - Bloomsbury Publishing The Panzers of Prokhorovka - Bloomsbury Publishing

Wheatley reveals the truth about the Battle of Prokhorovka in July 1943, “the greatest armoured clash in history”: it was indeed an operational victory for the Soviets, but it came at a huge cost and – contrary to popular belief – utterly failed to destroy Hitler's elite panzer force. Today in Russia there are three official sacred Kulikovo, where the Mongols were defeated in 1380; Borodino, where Russian troops slowed Napoleon's Grande Armée before Moscow in 1812; the third is Prokhorovka. This is widely described as the most critical tank battle of the Second World War, which saw the annihilation of Hitler's elite Panzer force in the largest armoured clash in history and left Hitler with no alternative but to halt Germany's offensive against the Kursk salient. Victory, on 12 July 1943, at Prokhorovka over Hitler's vaunted SS troops has traditionally been described as a turning point in the Second World War. Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. (2004) [1999]. The Battle of Kursk. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1335-9. While the battle is generally considered a tactical success for the German side due to the high numbers of Soviet tanks destroyed, [203] in the wider perspective the Soviets successfully completed their defensive operation at Prokhorovka and created the conditions for their decisive counteroffensive, Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev, just as planned. [204] Ultimately there was no German breakthrough at Prokhorovka or elsewhere in the Kursk salient, becoming the first time in the Second World War that a major German offensive was halted before it could break through enemy defences and penetrate into their operational or strategic depths. [205] With the end of Operation Citadel, the strategic initiative permanently swung over to the Soviet Union for the rest of the war. [206] Misconceptions and disputes [ edit ] Size of the tank battle and German losses [ edit ]The 10th Tank Corps was transferred from the control of the 5th Guards Army to the Voronezh Front on 7 July, and to the 1st Tank Army on 8 July ( Glantz & House 2004, p.324). Only its 11th Motorised Rifle Brigade was in the battlefield of Prokhorovka on 12 July ( Glantz & House 2004, pp.166, 195, 417). Review of Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis". Archived from the original on 30 April 2015 . Retrieved 17 July 2015. Bauman, Walter (1998). Kursk Operation Simulation and Validation Exercise – Phase II (KOSAVE II) (Report). Bethesda, MD: US Army Concepts Analysis Agency. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. – A study of the southern sector of the Battle of Kursk conducted by the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency (under the US Army's Center for Strategy and Force Evaluation) and directed by Walter J. Bauman, using data collected from military archives in Germany and Russia by The Dupuy Institute (TDI).