![]() ![]() ![]() Initially the German were more successful than in the North. In the South the German attack began at dawn on July 5th. The Germans advanced in the first day 6 miles, but the Soviets put up strong resistance and the German offensive was halted. The full German attack began on the evening of July 4th. The Germans planned to attack from the North and the South of and capture the salient. When the battle began the Germans had 780,000 men and 2, 928 tanks while the Soviets had 1,910,000 men and 5, 128 tanks. ![]() The Germans delayed their offensive to receive their latest tanks. The Soviets were warned by the British about the German plans and prepared accordingly with defense in depth. The hope was that the offensive would show that the Germans were still able to defeat their enemies. They hope to break through the Soviet lines and capture large number of Soviet soldiers. The salient was 160 miles long North to South and 160 miles East to West. As events would show, after this battle Germany could not even defend successfully.The German planned a summer offensive against a Soviet Salient that was centered on Kursk. After Citadel Germany was unable to mount further major offensives against the Soviet Union. Citadel depleted what was left of the German strategic reserves. The significance of Citadel was that it destroyed the remaining German offensive strength. However, it would be more appropriate to say that Germany was defeated by the combined effects of the Battles of Moscow in 1941, Stalingrad in 1942, and Kursk in 1943. Citadel was the decisive battle on the Eastern Front in World War II because after this battle the initiative passed to the Soviets, who would never lose it again. The results are important because, with Citadel being the greatest tank battle of the war, it has many lessons that are still important to the conduct of todays Army operations. Sources include books, journals, articles, theses, and dissertations. This study used Soviet, Anglo-American, and German primary and secondary sources. However, many authorities consider Citadel the decisive turning point. Probably most Western historians believe that Stalingrad was the decisive battle on the Eastern Front. Unfortunately, there is a general lack of knowledge about this battle. ![]() This was the greatest tank engagement of World War II. Abstract: This is a study on the results of Operation Citadel, the Battle of Kursk. ![]()
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