An Operational Look at Kursk, 1943

Showalter, Dennis E.  Armor and Blood: The Battle of Kursk - The Turning Point of World War
        II.  New York: Random House, August 2013.  ISBN: 9781400066773.

In Armor and Blood,  Showalter synthesizes for the general reader the standard and more recent scholarship available on the greatest tank-on-tank struggle of World War II.  He provides an operational level (not a tactical or strategic) look at how the Germans and Russians fought to a bloody stand-still at Kursk.

Showalter lays the groundwork by briefly covering Barbarossa up to 1942.  He then examines the rationale that Model used to persuade Hitler to attack the Kursk salient while examining the Russian plans to counter a German attack and lay the groundwork for their own offensive.   The chapters that cover the attack are arranged chronologically with attention given to the relevant armies/fronts with both Russian and German units getting appropriate attention.  He then finishes with a look what came out of the battle and how it shaped the rest of the war, including the myths of the battle.

Showalter is not afraid to use a historian's 20/20 hindsight in regard to missed opportunities and pointing out mistakes made by commanders, soldiers and leaders while highlighting the fighting spirit of both the German and Russian soldiers.  He also does a very good job of explaining how the Germans repaired their armored vehicles overnight while Russians lacked that ability and the effect this had on various units fighting strength.

I found Armor and Blood an intriguingly detailed examination of the last great German offensive on the Eastern Front.  I encourage anyone with an interest in WWII and the Eastern front to read this book.