ebooks The Battle of Kursk: The Red Army’s Defensive Operations and Counter-Offensive; July-August 1943 by Richard W. Harrison in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Summary Coverage of the Northern and Southern Salients as well as coverage in the Orel; Kharkov sectors.By Dave SchranckThere are good and bad aspects to this book. The good includes the overall breadth: background information prior to the German offensive; the failed attempt of the Germans and then the Soviet counter offensive in the Orel and Kharkov regions. The timeframe is from March through August 1943.The book begins in late March 1943 after von Manstein's successful counter offensive with the battle conditions and overall situation of the two sides. The introduction will also explain the terrain and extensive defensive preparations made by the Soviets for the expected attack in the coming months. The German offensive is then covered and as the German attack peters out by mid July the attack of the Orel salient by the Soviets begin. Toward late July the attack south and west toward Kharkov launches in earnest. This coverage is wider than some accounts of this epic struggle and a positive point in reading this book. Though I prefer a narrative format; this summary format had the virtue of being easy to follow and is another point in favor of reading this book.Mr Harrison has taken a strict translation of the original Soviet material and because of that decision Soviet mistakes; exaggerations and propaganda have been duplicated into this book. That’s the reason for three stars. The numerical mistakes and vagueness; which are relevant on the German side also show up on the Soviet side but to a far lesser degree. New readers to the campaign who accept this book without hesitation will have a somewhat limited or distorted view of the campaign.There are many instances where panzer numbers and types are exaggerated or wrong. If you believe the Soviet propaganda the Germans had two or three times the armor they actually had; including hundreds of Tigers. Its frequently stated throughout the campaign that groups of 100; 200 or even 500 panzers attacked a particular objective; winning the objective by sheer numbers and not determination or skill. While in the opening days elements of German divisions joined forces to attack certain sectors; later in the campaign when the battlefield had expanded and with heavy attrition those armor groups were lucky to have 40 or 50 panzers attacking a single objective like a village; key hill or woods yet those high numbers were quoted right up to the end of the offensive.Another issue that’s of concern is the vague description of the German forces and actions. Occasionally a German corps is mentioned but naming of individual divisions was virtually non existent. Not knowing who was attacking a certain objective or the details of capturing or not capturing that position is disappointing. Even commanders; including the Soviet side; are never mentioned. Unless you are extensively read on the campaign; only a general understanding of the campaign will be achieved.On the Soviet side the operational coverage is a little better. Soviet corps and divisions are mentioned along with their deployments and movements in this daily summary. You will learn in this summary some of the key hills; rivers and villages that were fought over and captured but the coverage is not exhaustive and the reader will not sense the true brutality and determination that was displayed by both sides.IMO the author taking a strict translation of the Soviet material may have made writing the book easier but it reduced the value of it. Adding material like German divisions and commanders of both sides would have increased the book's value. Checking on casualty statistics - men and armor - and correcting the errors of the Soviet material would also improve the reading experience.If you're a collector of this campaign and are well read on it then this book has certain merits and should be added to your library but if you want just one or two books then books by Glantz; Nipe or Zamulin should be considered first.0 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Madcatthx.