The Panzers of Prokhorovka

The Myth of Hitler’s Greatest Armoured Defeat

Dr. Ben Wheatley

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English

Osprey
03 October 2023

History; Military history; Second World War; Land forces & warfare; Battles & campaigns; Tanks & military land vehicles

Today the Russian state declares that there are three sacred battlefields in its Motherland where ‘victory’ changed the course of the nation’s history: The first is at Kulikovo. At this location Dmitry Donskoy’s troops defeated the Mongols in 1380. The second is at Borodino, where in 1812 Russian troops headed by Mikhail Kutuzov slowed Napoleon’s Grande Armée before Moscow. The third is at Prokhorovka. it was here on 12 July 1943 that the most critical tank battle of World War II took place. The battle saw the annihilation of Hitler’s elite Panzer force in the largest armoured clash in history, a defeat that left Hitler with no alternative but to halt Germany’s offensive against the Kursk salient (Operation Citadel). This victory at Prokhorovka allowed the Soviet troops to turn the tide of the war and ultimately march on Berlin. Thanks to numerous archival discoveries, this book will be the first to conclusively prove that this narrative is nothing but a myth.

By: Dr. Ben Wheatley
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781472859082
ISBN 10: 1472859081
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 03 October 2023
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1) Introduction Part I: The Historical Record 2) The Primary Sources: Documentary Evidence of the Ultimate Fate of German AFV 3) The German Procedure for Categorizing Damaged and Lost AFV Part II Prelude to Prokhorovka, January/February – 11 July 1943 4) February – 4 July 1943. The arrival of the SS Panzer Regiments and the origins of the battles of Kursk and Prokhorovka 5) Prokhorovka looms - The Southern Pincer of Operation Citadel 5-11.7.43 Part III: The battle of Prokhorovka 12.7.43 - The Statistical Battle 6) The importance of the 6th Army’s weekly panzer report of 1.8.43 7) Panzer, Assault Gun and Tank Destroyer Losses 8) Supporting Evidence 9) Reappraising Prokhorovka Part IV. The battle of Prokhorovka 12.7.43 - A True Narrative 10) The Opposing Forces 11) The Battle of Prokhorovka - 12 July 1943 12) Tiger Tank Losses at Prokhorovka, Myth versus Reality 13) Wasting firemen. Hitler’s influence on Post-Prokhorovka armoured strength prior to the defense of Kharkov Part VI: The death of the ‘Panzers of Prokhorovka’ September 1943 – April 1944 14) Retreat to the Dnieper, September – November 1943 15) Kiev‘s liberation and subsequent German counter-attacks, November - December 1943 16) Renewed Soviet Offensives: The crushing of the ‘Prokhorovka panzers’, December 1943 - April 1944 17) Conclusion

Ben Wheatley is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of History, University of East Anglia and a former Teaching Fellow at the Defence Studies Department, King’s College London.

Reviews for The Panzers of Prokhorovka: The Myth of Hitler’s Greatest Armoured Defeat

Ben Wheatley joins a very select crew of superb historians who have turned the received wisdom on its head. He has transformed what we thought we knew about history's greatest tank battle. This is a fearless commitment to scholarship, to analysing the evidence wherever it may lead. * Dan Snow * The Battle of Prokhorovka has attained an almost holy status in Russian narratives of the war, celebrated not only as a victory but as a monumental and decisive engagement. In this book and the underlying research Ben Wheatley provides wholly persuasive empirical evidence that the familiar story of the battle is wrong. His findings speak for themselves and his clear, calm prose and evident respect for the Red Army serve only to make them more compelling. * Oliver Moody, Berlin Correspondent for 'The Times' * Wheatley reveals the truth about the Battle of Prokhorovka in July 1943, the greatest armoured clash in history : it was indeed an operational victory for the Soviets, but it came at a huge cost and - contrary to popular belief - utterly failed to destroy Hitler's elite panzer force. * Saul David, historian, novelist and broadcaster * A remarkable new history of the largest tank battle of the Second World War and key moment in the 1943 Kursk campaign. This is fundamental reading for anyone wanting to understand operations on the Eastern Front, it will become a template for undertaking battlefield history. * Dr Marcus Faulkner, Department of War Studies, King's College London *