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The Battle of Kursk

David M. Glantz and Jonathan M. House

New in Paperback: June 2004
xiii, 472 pages, 45 photographs, 32 maps, 6 x 9
Modern War Studies
Paper ISBN 978-0-7006-1335-9, $17.95 (t)

Also available in cloth:
ISBN 978-0-7006-0978-9, $34.95 (t)

Main Selection of the History Book Club

Book Cover ImageImmense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence, the Battle of Kursk witnessed (at Prokhorovka) one of the largest tank engagements in world history and led to staggering losses--including nearly 200,000 Soviet and 50,000 German casualties within the first ten days of fighting. Going well beyond all previous accounts, David Glantz and Jonathan House now offer the definitive work on arguably the greatest battle of World War II.

Drawing on both German and Soviet sources, Glantz and House separate myth from fact to show what really happened at Kursk and how it affected the outcome of the war. Their access to newly released Soviet archival material adds unprecedented detail to what is known about this legendary conflict, enabling them to reconstruct events from both perspectives and describe combat down to the tactical level.

The Battle of Kursk takes readers behind Soviet lines for the first time to reveal what the Red Army knew about the plans for Hitler's offensive (Operation Citadel), relive tank warfare and hand-to-hand combat, and tell how the tide of battle turned. Its vivid portrayals of fighting in all critical sectors places the famous tank battle in its proper context. Prokhorovka here is not a well-organized set piece but a confused series of engagements and hasty attacks, with each side committing its forces piecemeal.

Glantz and House's fresh interpretations demolish many of the myths that suggest Hitler might have triumphed if Operation Citadel had been conducted differently. Theirs is the first account to provide accurate figures of combat strengths and losses, and it includes 32 maps that clarify troop and tank movements.

Shrouded in obscurity and speculation for more than half a century, the Battle of Kursk finally gets its due in this dramatic retelling of the confrontation that marked the turning point of the war on the Eastern front and brought Hitler's blitzkrieg to a crashing halt.

“An outstanding work on one of the most significant battles of World War II.”--Journal of Military History

“The definitive analysis of Kursk. Ranks among the decade’s most distinguished works of military history.”--Dennis Showalter in the History Book Club Review

“The most detailed, authoritative, and thorough analysis of the massive battle that led to the final victory of the Red Army over the Germans. This outstanding book deserves the highest praise.”--Malcolm Mackintosh, author of Juggernaut: A History of Soviet Armed Forces

“A good read. Looks at the traditional approach to Kursk and provides another well-founded interpretation of the battle.”--Parameters

"The Battle of Kursk combines the authors' encyclopedic knowledge of their subject with a panoramic narrative of military operations to challenge the 'myths of Kursk.' Drawing heavily upon hitherto classified Soviet material, as well as German sources, the work is both original and revisionist, making it a major contribution to our understanding of one of the most important operations of the Second World War."--John Erickson, author of The Road to Stalingrad

"At last we have an account of the battle of Kursk from the Soviet perspective. And what an account! It is meticulously researched, persuasively argued, full of new and important findings, and written with verve and pathos. This is operational history at its best."--Joel S. A. Hayward, author of Stopped at Stalingrad

DAVID M. GLANTZ is the author of The Battle for Leningrad, 1941–1944, Stumbling Colossus: The Red Army on the Eve of World War, Zhukov’s Greatest Defeat: The Red Army’s Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, and When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler, all published by Kansas.

JONATHAN M. HOUSE is professor of history at Gordon College and the author of Towards Combined Arms Warfare and Military Intelligence, 1870–1991. Glantz and House also coauthored When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler.