Kurk Turning Point

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The battle of Kursk, in July 1943, was fought on the border of Russia and the German controlled country Ukraine during World War two. This tank battle held great significance and can be argued to be the turning point in the Second World War although some might say Stalingrad together with the battle of Kursk were the decisive turning points. The tension between Germany and the Soviet Union had been mounting for two years prior to 1943. The ground work for the battle of Kursk was set two years earlier prior to 1943, “Germany and the Soviet Union had been at war for two years” (Source 4). The Germans, prior to 1943, had many major offensives against the Soviet Union, “First came Barbarossa (1941) and then the southern offensive (1942). Both…show more content…
The German military was unable, after this battle, to recover or win another battle in the Eastern front for the total of two years. The battle of Kursk was the turning point in World War 2 as it halted and destroyed the German military once and for all till the end of World War 2. The largest German problem experienced at Kursk, came from their overextended strategy which the pincer attack required. Germany was running low on resources and was struggling to support and control territories while resources were scarce. Kursk was a major turning point in that it signalled the complete and final transition of the war in the east from a struggle for German supremacy over Eurasia into a struggle for German survival in Europe. After Kursk, not only was the German military unable to be revived and replenished itself due to the severe damage from the battle, but the morale and confidence supporters had in Hitler started to waver. The myth of German invincibility in summer campaigning died at Kursk and the Red Army emerged victorious and without the winter snows to aid them in the victory. The Wehrmacht suffered massive losses from which they could never begin to replace. The Soviets suffered substantially greater losses despite being in defensive positions. Official accounts for the loss of Russian lives versus German lives is still…show more content…
Now held by the Soviets, Kursk and the surrounding area created a ‘bulge’ which both sides knew would be the location for the next great battle, which indeed it was. The battle of Kursk is the turning point of World War Two as after the battle of Kursk, the Germans were in full re¬treat and were unable to recover their strengths and resources to a degree strong enough to launch an offensive. The Battle of Kursk was Germany’s last grand offensive on the Eastern Front and the largest ever tank battle the world’s ever seen. Germany wanted to recapture Kursk as early as March 1943 by pinching the salient with the aid of the new tanks and their newly added speed, thereby cutting it off from the rest of the Soviet territory. ‘Operation Citadel’ was meant to be an immediate morale booster following the German humiliation suffered at Stalingrad, but Hitler’s delay of the attacking date proved fatal. The Russian counter offensive was scheduled to crumble the Germans on the 12th of July which resulted in Hitler officially cancelling Operation Citadel on the 13th of July
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