Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943 (Stackpole Military History Series) [Paperback]

Jr. Walter S. Dunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2008

The story of history's largest armored battle

Descriptions of Tigers, Panthers, and T-34s in combat

Based on declassified Russian documents and captured German records

A significant turning point of World War II, the battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 was the Germans' last major offensive on the Eastern Front. Marked by pitched clashes between German Tiger tanks and Soviet T-34s, the engagement began well enough for the Germans, but the Soviets delayed them long enough to bring their reserves forward, counterattack, and force Hitler to call off the attack. Hundreds of thousands lay dead or wounded on both sides, but the Soviets won the battle and seized the initiative for the rest of the war.

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10 b/w photos

About the Author

Walter S. Dunn Jr., a recognized authority on the Soviet Union in World War II. He lives in Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (August 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811735028
• ISBN-13: 978-0811735025
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,352,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Proficient Tactical Overview of the Offensive, July 21, 2009

By 

Dave Schranck "Dave" (Anaheim Ca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943 (Stackpole Military History Series) (Paperback)

I gave this book four stars for I'm very interested in the topic and enjoyed the ground covered by the author but I'll concede the rating may be a little generous for some readers.
If you are looking for a "short version" of the offensive or you find reading the full length books by Mark Healy's "Zitadelle" or David Glantz's "The Battle of Kursk" too intimidating then Mr Dunn's book is a very good choice. The book is written for the tactical or operational aspects of the battle; there will be no personal experiences included. If you have read any of Mr Dunn's other books you will know that even though there are only 200 pages devoted to the battle, this is a relatively serious review of the battle. I say relative because the author highlights certain aspects of the battle and while those areas covered provide good information, the book is not comprehensive. However, in Chapters four and five, the Order of Battle is the equal of the other two books mentioned. This is the chapter that contains the only map in the book. It shows the starting deployments for both sides. It clearly shows the superior forces the Russians had in defending the salient but its too bad the author didn't provide a series of maps to reflect German progress before the Operation was canceled.

Besides the deployment coverage, the author did a good job of describing the defense lines the Soviets had built as well as informing the reader where the current German advance was in regards to which defense zone was being assaulted. Other features that were liked include: The author frequently stressed the difference between counting completely destroyed panzers from ones that could be recovered and repaired. The Germans had an efficient system of recovering damaged vehicles from the battlefield and many of those panzers the Soviets claimed were destroyed were actually repaired and back on the field in days. A descriptive timetable of when and where Soviet reinforcements entered the battle was also helpful. It must have looked to the Germans that they were fighting an enemy of inexhaustable supplies of men and tanks. This battle also shows the Soviets had improved their tactical planning and execution as well as their logistics. Another interesting point discussed is that Manstein and Hoth believed the key to victory was a quick rolling up of the front defenses before the Soviets could regroup and reinforce. While this is true to a small degree, it was not entirely true for the Soviets were prepared much better than the Germans imagined but if the Germans believed it why didn't Hitler allow the 24th PzC with 17th PzD and Wiking to enter the fray on day two ( not on day nine as Manstein intended) when they were already behind schedule. One key issue regarding the impact of no reserves was Kempf's Group was always behind the 2nd SS PzC in their drive north which forced Tokenkopf to devote much of their resources to protecting the east flank instead of fully assisting Das Reich and LAH in driving forward. It would be interesting to play "What if" scenarios if the German weakened 24th PzC was brought up early in the operation.

A brief chapter outline follows:
The Strategic Position, April 1943: The author explains Operation Uranus and the Kharkov counteroffensive by Manstein in how the salient was formed. He also covers AGA's withdrawal from the Caucasus as well as the Rzhev offensive. The author has accumulated a wealth of information over his lifetime and includes many statistics that will help you get an understanding of casualties, number of tanks, the disposition of units and more. Its quite impressive.
Rebuilding the Red Army: In addition to mobilization of troops, the most pertinent area discussed is the reorganization and enhancement of tank brigades and tank destroyer brigades
The German Rebuild: After losing 6th Army, Germany did everything possible to put 800,000 men into uniform and to improve their weapon production. Women were put to work as well drafting men from other countries or to work the assembly line.
The German Order of Battle: A detail discussion of which units and exact deployment on the Kursk salient.
The Soviet Order of Battle: Through intelligence sources the Soviets knew that the coming offensive would be led by panzers and in this chapter the deployment of Soviet assets is discussed.
The Soviet Defense System: is an extension of the previous chapter, describing in greater detail the extraordinary efforts made to counteract the armored offensive.
Breaking through in the South: The battle begins and describes how the first defensive belt is penetrated in the south. Three quarters of the battle action pertains to the southern boundary where most of the panzer corps were deployed.

This completes the first phase; the introduction and setup for the coming battle. It takes up half of the book and it was very informative and interesting. It explains why Hitler chose to attack the salient and why he thought it could be captured. It explains Hitler's concern when the Allies attacked North Africa. It explains the restoration of forces and the preparations made on both sides. It explains why Hitler moved forces from Western Europe to take part in Citadel. A general observation of the tank battles near Prokhorovka and much more was presented. The rest of the book covers the offensive to July 15th.

Cracking the Second Defense Line: Breaking through the second line on their way to Oboyan and Prokorovka.
Fighting for the Third Defense Line: This involves the 2nd SS PzC's tank battle at Prokorovka.
Stalemate in the South: Against Manstein's wishes, Hitler calls off the offensive.
The North Shoulder: This is an overview of Model's offensive on the northern salient.
Conclusion: Discusses how this was Germany's last offensive and that the initiative was now with the Soviets. It also discusses how Manstein wanted to use the 2 panzer divisions in reserve to close and liquidate the pocket of the two Soviet armies that were between the 2nd SS PzC and 3rd PzC near the Donets River.

A Notes section, a few photos and a helpful Index complete the book.

This book is dry and contains a few typos but if you're a Kursk buff and interested in the tactical aspect of war, you will enjoy and learn from it. Its also a book in a series by Mr Dunn that not only describes a campaign but also includes the Soviet's attempts in improving their Armed Forces and their battle technique. Though its not the overall equal of "The Battle for Kursk" or "Zitadelle", it has tactical coverage the others don't have and would make a good supplement for those who want to know all their is about the campaign. Mr Dunn has studied the war on the Eastern Front for decades and many of us could probably learn from his dedication. Its highly recommended for the operationally minded.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Insufficient graphics, March 29, 2009

By 

Robert Berke - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943 (Stackpole Military History Series) (Paperback)

The author gives an extremely detailed account of the preparation, planning, and final execution of this monumental battle. His work would have been much more useful if he had included maps and graphics to a greater extent. The sheer volume of information would be better served with use of visual aids due to the geographic nature of the material.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Prokorovka or Bust, April 10, 2009

By 

Michael L. Shakespeare (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943 (Stackpole Military History Series) (Paperback)

For only 192 pages, Walter Dunn's "Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1943" is a exhausting, dense work. The author puts the armies that fought at Kursk under the microscope in an accurate and precisely detailed examination of the greatest tank battle in history. The Battle of Kursk took place in the wide open steppes of Russia in the summer of 1943. By then the war was four years old, Russia's war industries were reaching full output, and the front lines were log jammed into an ugly bulge near the railroad town of Kursk.

Despite Dunn's caution against trusting German and Russian historians who misstated the scale of the battle for modern political reasons, one cannot avoid tallying up the loses. On the very first day of a struggle that was to last fifteen days, some 90 German tanks were out of action. Add to this the losses in armor suffered by the Russians, multiply them over the course of the battle, not to mention the number of killed and wounded on all sides that easily exceeded a quarter of a million, according to most sources.

The mind staggers in trying to comprehend this cold fact. Here is the ultimate message of "Kursk." If one reduces the story to mere statistics, as Dunn has done, you will discover the truth about the battle. If there is any fault in this book, it is an understandable one. In 192 pages of narrative, the author admirably analyzes the German and Russian sides of the battle, but the voices of the soldiers on the battlefield are missing.

The Eastern Front author of Stalin's Keys to Victory: The Rebirth of the Red Army in World War II (Stackpole Military History Series), Soviet Blitzkrieg: The Battle for White Russia, 1944 (Stackpole Military History Series), and Hitler's Nemesis: The Red Army, 1930-45 (Stackpole Military History Series), Dunn is uniquely positioned to scrutinize both armies. However, one needs time to study this intense book. I suggest it be taken in small doses. To do otherwise, invites shell shock.