III. Pz. Korps at Kursk [Hardcover]

Didier Lodieu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2007

This book is the first in a new series devoted to German armored formations of World War II.

Packed with full color images and a large amount of previously unpublished material, it is custom designed to appeal to modelers, AFV enthusiasts, and readers interested in Second World War technical history.

The book traces the battle of Kursk and the involvement of the German Panzer Units, through first hand records. Many hitherto unpublished photos, plus recently discovered memoirs from veterans combined with color profiles of AFVs, contribute to make this book a real reference bible for the enthusiast.

Didier Lodieu is a dedicated specialist on the German Army of World War II. In more than thirty years of research. he has learned how to find the most interesting photos and historical sources.

REVIEWS

"...full of hard data... photos are nice and large and clear...a good value for modelers"IPMS 02/08

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author is a dedicated specialist in the history of the German army in World War II. This book is the product of 30 years research.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Histoire and Collections (April 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2915239843
• ISBN-13: 978-2915239843
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,276,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Text & Photo Album of III.Pz. Korps at Kursk, July 20, 2007

By 

W. B. Smith (Auckland New Zealand) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: III. Pz. Korps at Kursk (Hardcover)

This book focuses on the role of III Panzer Korps (including 198 I.D., 7.Pz.D, 19.Pz.D, 6.Pz.D, 168.I.D., S.Pz.Abt.503 & the relevant regiments within these divisions) in the battle of Kursk. The author covers the movements, intentions and fighting engagements in each of the above divisions sectors, including the stiff Soviet opposition on a day-by-day analysis over the eight days 5th July to 12th July 1943. The author also draws on the personal experiences from the men that fought there that helps recreate a feel for the battle and conditions that they went through. There are many photos throughout the book that are well researched and captioned in detail including some biographies of individuals. Many of the photos are from two German reporters who were present at the battle and have captured some superb real life images. Also included are several colour profiles of the fighting armour (both German & Russian) that participated in the battle. The author also makes some use of maps, however I found some of them not to be detailed enough to accompany the sometimes detailed text. E.g. the text may describe the fighting for a specific Hill or Village, but these are not located on the map. In conclusion the author shows the Germans were able to inflict tank losses on the Russians in III Pz Korps sector of 7:1. All in all this is a fine book and photo album and the introduction by Guy Sager (author of "The Forgotten Soldier") is a nice touch.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars III Pz Korps At Kursk, December 17, 2007

By 

K. Becker (Gosford, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: III. Pz. Korps at Kursk (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book, full of day to day text and photos on IIIPz Korps (6, 7 and 19 Pz Divs) at Kursk. This Korps held the southern wing of the SS Korps and if they hadn't met such hard resistance they would have been able to protect the SS divisions flank and let the SS drive deep into Soviet territory but such is war and the SS were forced to cover their own flank. Most of the photos I have never seen before. Printed on glossy paper for ultimate quality and in hardback but unfortunately for myself only about 140 pages. Some of the photos are excellent for you modelers out there. The writing is also clear and full of detail on this little written about subject (IIIPz Korps not Kursk itself)If your interested in the battle of Kursk add this to your list.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for All Kursk Buffs, June 25, 2009

By 

Dave Schranck "Dave" (Anaheim Ca) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: III. Pz. Korps at Kursk (Hardcover)

If you have read a number of books on Kursk including the fine books by Mark Healy and David Glantz but always suspected their coverage to be incomplete when it came to the 3rd PzC which was deployed east of the Donets River, you should consider this book. The other books would provide sufficient coverage to show the 3rd PzC was behind schedule and was too far behind to adequately support the right flank of 2nd SS PzC or to directly assist in the tank battle near Prokhorovka but comprehensive coverage seemed lacking. This book, while awkward in spots, improves that situation. It has good coverage of the tactical and personal experiences of the Korp and its attachments but it too doesn't have complete coverage and is meant to be a supplement to those other books. Quite a few personal experiences, with photos of the men, are described to add to the experience of the tactical coverage. The primary sources for this book are the daily logbook entries of all the divisions under Kempf and the many interviews of the survivors after the war. The biggest contributor was Richard von Rosen, a young tank commander in the Pz Abt 503 who devoted much time and documentation to the author.

The book is broken down by day and by division which makes it easy to follow. The coverage begins on July 5th and ends on July 12th. The primary coverage is given to the 6th, 19th, 7th PzDs along with the Pz Abt 503 and the 198th, 168th IDs. The smaller attachments are only incidentally mentioned. The book closes with a list of daily entries of casualties as well as panzer strengths by division. According to the logbooks, the 3rd PzC lost more panzers than was publicly announced by many books.

There are over 200 fine photos, taken by reporters attached to the 6th PzD, of the men and battle scenes which adds value to the narrative. The weakest link in this book would be the maps. First off there are only 7 colored maps. Its adequate but having a few more maps that show greater detail in shorter timeframes of the German advance would be better. There are many villages in their assault zone that are missing, making it a little difficult to follow some of the action. Even though the 3rd PzC was not directly involved in the immediate Prokhorovka area, the town should have been included on some of the maps as a reference point to allow readers to understand better the progress being made by the Korp in relation to the SS Korp. This book is highly German-centric and the Soviet deployments were inadequate.

Even if you have books by Glantz, Healy and Newton, reading Lodieu will add to your overall understanding of this key campaign and is recommended to all Citadel fans.