From the Soviet point of view, the Battle of Kursk, even more than Stalingrad, was the turning point of the war against the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Victory at Kursk allowed the Red Army to seize the initiative, after which the German invaders were on the defensive for the remainder of the war.

The winter campaign of 1942-43 created a westward bulge in the front surrounding Kursk, a principal rail and road junction about 500 miles south of Moscow. Within this great bulge were five Soviet armies. Confronting them were the German Army Group Center (under Gunther Von Kluge) on the northern side of the bulge and, on the southern side, Erich von Manstein's Army Group South. On April 15, 1943, Adolf Hitler ordered Kluge and Manstein to prepare for the launch of Operation Citadel on May 4, which was intended to pinch off the bulge and thereby envelop the Soviet armies. At the last minute, Hitler blinked, however, and postponed Operation Citadel.

The delay was fatal. Joseph Stalin and his top military commanders intended to expand the bulge into a wedge between the two German army groups and thereby seize the initiative in the war. Concerned that the Germans might be planning their own surprise attack, however, the Soviets reinforced the already vast forces holding the bulge. This put Hitler in position to make the first move, and Operation Citadel was launched on July 5 with Ninth German Army under Walther Model in the north and, in the south, the Fourth Panzer Army under General Hermann Hoth and Army Detachment "Kempf" commanded by Lieutenant General Werner Kempf. In all, the Germans had nearly three-quarters of a million troops, 2,400 tanks and assault guns, and 1,800 aircraft. The Red Army fielded 1.3 million troops, 3,400 tanks and assault guns, and 2,100 aircraft. Moreover, the Soviets had prepared elaborate defenses around the bulge, including six trench lines of three to five trenches each. Additionally, six Soviet armies were held in reserve to the east. . .

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