Operation Zitadelle, July 1943

Unternehmen Zitadelle (Operation Citadel) was the last chance for the German forces in the east to wrest supremacy from the Red Army by cutting off substantial numbers of their forces inside the Kursk salient. The battle developed into a titanic struggle as the Germans repeatedly mounted ferocious attacks and the soviets defended tenaciously. The culmination of the offensive was the large armored engagements at Prochorowka (Prokorovka) on 12 and 13 July, 1943-the largest action of its type in the history of warfare. There are detailed accounts of the armored clash from the viewpoint of the 3 SS divisions involved.

The author, Franz Kurowski, has interviewed many of the German participants of the battle and numerous dramatic personal accounts are featured most of which are published here for the first time.

All aspects of the battle are covered, including the operations of both air forces. Also included is an account of the Soviet counteroffensive against the German-held Orel salient, a kind of "Russian Kursk", where the Soviets attempted to cut off a large number of German forces. This book is an exciting account of one of the most crucial battles of World War II.

Franz Kurowski
Hardcover, small format (6"x9"), 442 pages with 44 pages of black and white photographs, 22 mostly full-page maps and 18 pages of appendices 2001