Kursk, acorazados en el infierno
Fernando Díaz Villanueva
33,942 views
During the summer of 1943, the largest tank battle in history was fought on the steppes of the Kursk province in southwestern Russia. It was a crucial victory for the Soviet Union and the decisive turning point that tipped the scales of the war in favor of the Allies on the Eastern Front. The defeat was devastating for the Germans, as months earlier the German Sixth Army had capitulated at Stalingrad. From that moment on, the Third Reich would not launch another offensive in Russia, and the westward retreat accelerated, culminating in the Battle of Berlin between April and May 1945.
The Battle of Kursk began as a small German offensive called Operation Citadel, whose objective was to flatten the front line by eliminating the Kursk salient, which was controlled by the Soviets. Hitler was convinced that this was a weak point and that he could achieve a low-cost victory that would somewhat compensate for the Stalingrad disaster, for which he was largely responsible for having divided the forces advancing towards the Caucasus. If Nazi propaganda worked, they could exploit the victory to convince the Germans that they still held the upper hand and that final triumph was near. They would also capture a considerable number of prisoners of war who would then be sent to slave labor camps to keep the war industry running.
But the Wehrmacht failed in its attempt and was surprised by a brutal Soviet counterattack, Operation Kutuzov, which aimed to encircle the Germans by directly attacking their rear. From that moment on, tanks became the protagonists of the battle. The Germans deployed more than three thousand tanks, the Soviets more than five thousand. This time, Hitler had not been able to enjoy the element of surprise. The Red Army was waiting for them. British intelligence, which had access to a large number of encrypted German transmissions, informed Stalin of the German plans to attack through the Kursk salient. To contain it, they deployed a deep defensive line designed to hold off the Wehrmacht's battleships. Once they managed to halt the initial onslaught, the counter-offensive began, forcing the Germans to retreat.
The defeat at Kursk was not the only bad news to reach the Chancellery that summer. Simultaneously with the fighting on the steppe, the Western Allies landed in Sicily, forcing Hitler to send troops to Italy. This depleted the reserves intended to sustain the war effort in the east and forced the Germans to reorder their priorities. A new front opened up for them on the European continent, which began advancing across the Italian peninsula, simultaneously taking Fascist Italy out of the war. The Battle of Kursk would ultimately result in a Soviet victory. It was the first time since the start of Operation Barbarossa two years earlier that the Red Army had managed to stop a German offensive before it could advance and gain momentum. The Germans, despite still possessing a formidable offensive force, were unable to break through the Soviet defenses, which bore no resemblance to those at the beginning of the war.
For some German generals, such as Heinz Guderian, Kursk was the decisive defeat, even worse than Stalingrad, as it completely nullified the Wehrmacht's ability to regain the initiative. The die was cast. The German army would continue fighting for almost two more years in the east, but after the Battle of Kursk, they lost all hope of winning the war.
At El ContraSello:
The Misfortune of Louis XVII
The Fall of the Roman Empire: "The Eagle and the Ravens" by José Soto Chica - https://amzn.to/45p3t0u
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela: work by Alberto Otero - https://issuu.com/do_eixo/docs/pedras_2
Bibliography:
"The Battle of Kursk" by Dennis E. Showalter - https://amzn.to/44o1Q1J
"Kursk 1943: The Biggest Battle of World War II" by Roman Töppel - https://amzn.to/3shqAvh
"The Battle of Prokhorovka" by Javier Ormeño - https://amzn.to/47JOvDX
"Operation Barbarossa" by Christian Hartmann - https://amzn.to/47NXK6c
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20 Comments
Ademas de la red "Lucy" que operaba en Suiza antes actuo la red del espia Sorge que operaba en Japon y que le permitió a Stalin desplazar tropas desde Siberia para combatir a los alemanes en la seguridad de que no serian atacado por los nipones, ademas del grupo "Orquesta Roja" que estaba formado por importantes miembros de las fuerzas armadas alemanas.
Estas redes fueron mantenidas en secreto por los soviéticos hasta los años sesenta cuando sus miembros fueron reconocidos y condecorados póstumamente, pues la Gestapo se encargo de desarticular a estas redes y ejecutar a la mayoria de sus miembros
Desconozco las razones que te han llevado a escribir tu TFG en gallego, pero si quieres que tu trabajo tenga difusión y llegue a mucha gente no creo que ayude escribirlo en una lengua que no deja de ser minoritaria. Por mucho que un castellanohablante sea capaz, con un poco de esfuerzo, de entenderlo, es un esfuerzo que muchos potenciales lectores igual no están dispuestos a hacer.
Un abrazo y suerte.
La batalla en sí fue una locura. Los alemanes se metieron en una trampa pero aunque Model parece que lo sabía, Manstein no. La pinza norte (Model) tenía suficiente infantería pero iban justos de acorazados así que no pudo y/o noquiso penetrar y la sur (Manstein) se metió de hoz y coz con escasa infantería.
Los soviéticos lo hicieron muy bien. Consiguieron su victoria de verano y aplastaron la moral alemana.
Kursk, acorazados en el infierno
Fernando Díaz Villanueva
33,942 views
During the summer of 1943, the largest tank battle in history was fought on the steppes of the Kursk province in southwestern Russia. It was a crucial victory for the Soviet Union and the decisive turning point that tipped the scales of the war in favor of the Allies on the Eastern Front. The defeat was devastating for the Germans, as months earlier the German Sixth Army had capitulated at Stalingrad. From that moment on, the Third Reich would not launch another offensive in Russia, and the westward retreat accelerated, culminating in the Battle of Berlin between April and May 1945.
The Battle of Kursk began as a small German offensive called Operation Citadel, whose objective was to flatten the front line by eliminating the Kursk salient, which was controlled by the Soviets. Hitler was convinced that this was a weak point and that he could achieve a low-cost victory that would somewhat compensate for the Stalingrad disaster, for which he was largely responsible for having divided the forces advancing towards the Caucasus. If Nazi propaganda worked, they could exploit the victory to convince the Germans that they still held the upper hand and that final triumph was near. They would also capture a considerable number of prisoners of war who would then be sent to slave labor camps to keep the war industry running.
But the Wehrmacht failed in its attempt and was surprised by a brutal Soviet counterattack, Operation Kutuzov, which aimed to encircle the Germans by directly attacking their rear. From that moment on, tanks became the protagonists of the battle. The Germans deployed more than three thousand tanks, the Soviets more than five thousand. This time, Hitler had not been able to enjoy the element of surprise. The Red Army was waiting for them. British intelligence, which had access to a large number of encrypted German transmissions, informed Stalin of the German plans to attack through the Kursk salient. To contain it, they deployed a deep defensive line designed to hold off the Wehrmacht's battleships. Once they managed to halt the initial onslaught, the counter-offensive began, forcing the Germans to retreat.
The defeat at Kursk was not the only bad news to reach the Chancellery that summer. Simultaneously with the fighting on the steppe, the Western Allies landed in Sicily, forcing Hitler to send troops to Italy. This depleted the reserves intended to sustain the war effort in the east and forced the Germans to reorder their priorities. A new front opened up for them on the European continent, which began advancing across the Italian peninsula, simultaneously taking Fascist Italy out of the war. The Battle of Kursk would ultimately result in a Soviet victory. It was the first time since the start of Operation Barbarossa two years earlier that the Red Army had managed to stop a German offensive before it could advance and gain momentum. The Germans, despite still possessing a formidable offensive force, were unable to break through the Soviet defenses, which bore no resemblance to those at the beginning of the war.
For some German generals, such as Heinz Guderian, Kursk was the decisive defeat, even worse than Stalingrad, as it completely nullified the Wehrmacht's ability to regain the initiative. The die was cast. The German army would continue fighting for almost two more years in the east, but after the Battle of Kursk, they lost all hope of winning the war.
At El ContraSello:
The Misfortune of Louis XVII
The Fall of the Roman Empire: "The Eagle and the Ravens" by José Soto Chica - https://amzn.to/45p3t0u
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela: work by Alberto Otero - https://issuu.com/do_eixo/docs/pedras_2
Bibliography:
"The Battle of Kursk" by Dennis E. Showalter - https://amzn.to/44o1Q1J
"Kursk 1943: The Biggest Battle of World War II" by Roman Töppel - https://amzn.to/3shqAvh
"The Battle of Prokhorovka" by Javier Ormeño - https://amzn.to/47JOvDX
"Operation Barbarossa" by Christian Hartmann - https://amzn.to/47NXK6c
· Telegram Channel: https://t.me/lacontracronica
• “Hispanics: A Brief History of Spanish-Speaking Peoples”… https://amzn.to/428js1G
• “The Counter-History of Spain: Rise, Fall, and a New Beginning in 28 Episodes”… https://amzn.to/3kXcZ6i
• “Luther, Calvin, and Trent: The Reformation That Never Was”… https://amzn.to/3shKOlK
• “The Counter-History of Communism”… https://amzn.to/39QP2KE
Support La Contra on:
• Patreon… Patreon: diazvillanueva
• iVoox… https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-contrac...
• Paypal… https://www.paypal.me/diazvillanueva
#FernandoDiazVillanueva #kursk #secondworldwar