1. Operation Citadel and the Red Army’s Western Advance
AM (B), O R-J(A), HW (B), and NL (A)

2. Thesis
Germany’s Operation Citadel was a last ditch effort to turn the tide of the Eastern Front in their favor, but failed due to Hitler’s poor military decisions. As a result, the Red Army was able to take the initiative and begin their westward advance, signifying Germany’s defeat in the East.

3. Setting the Stage
Following the Soviet victory at Stalingrad, the Red Army pushed the Germans back to Kursk and formed a bulge in the front
Operation Citadel aimed to capture the six Soviet armies at Kursk via a pincer attack, began on July 5, 1943
Hitler wanted to take Kursk because a victory could turn the tide in his favor, and eliminate the Soviet advantage
Both sides utilized armor heavily, resulting in history’s largest tank battle

4. Important People
Walter Model: German commander of 9th Army in the northern attack Group
Hermann Hoth: German commander of 4th Panzer Army in the southern attack group
Werner Kempf:
German commander of Army Detachment Kempf in the southern attack group
Konstantin Rokossovsky:
Soviet commander of forces at the Kursk salient, fought at the Battle of Kursk

5. Battle Plans
German Plan of Attack
Soviet Plan of Defense
Pincer attack from North and South
Punch through Soviet defenses with Blitzkrieg tactics
Surround and capture Kursk quickly
Stop the German advance
Use superior numbers to win a battle of attrition

6. Hitler’s “Fatal Mistake”
“failed due to Hitler’s poor military decisions”
Operation Citadel was initially planned to begin on May 4, but Hitler delayed it until July 5 to build up more forces for the attack
This allowed the Red Army to
form extremely fortified
defenses around Kursk
These defenses proved to be
effective, and were critical in
stopping the Germans
Hitler’s lack of military prowess had cost him another victory

7. NAZI SOVIET Map Ninth Army 4th Panzer Army
SOVIET
Map
Ninth Army
NAZI
4th Panzer Army

8. Forces Involved In The Operation
German
Soviet
750,000 troops
2,400 tanks and assault guns
1,800 aircraft
1.3 million troops
3,400 tanks and assault guns
2,100 aircraft
6 armies stationed at Kursk
(Axelrod)

9. The Battle of Kursk “Germany’s defeat in the East”
Took place in and around a small village known as Prokhorovka
Around 1200 tanks were involved in the battle
Germans destroyed more tanks than they lost, but due to Soviet’s advantage in numbers they still failed
German armor units were forced to retreat

10. Operation Citadel → Operation Abandoned
Soviets managed to stall the German advance on Kursk on July 12
The Allies had invaded Sicily on July 10, Italians needed reinforcements
German defeat at the Battle of Kursk marked the failure of Citadel
Hitler cancelled Citadel on July
13, diverting armor to Italy to
stop the Allied invasion
Red Army used Kursk as a
springboard to advance west to
Berlin
Marked the end of Germany’s
potency on the Eastern Front

11. Soviet Advance West
On August 3, the Red Army began their counteroffensive using the massive reserves they held in Kursk
They were able to rout the Germans, taking Kiev on November 3rd
Stalin now enacted his plan to isolate and destroy each German Army Group
He started by flanking Army Group South from the North and achieving many decisive victories
Germany was retreating from Russia and taking heavy casualties

12. Timeline
May 4, 1943: Initial date of Operation Citadel, postponed to amass more troops
July 5, 1943: Beginning of Operation Citadel’s first offensive
July 10, 1943: Allies invade Sicily, Italians desperately need reinforcements
July 11, 1943: Germans had pushed the Soviets back nearly 30 miles
July 12, 1943: The decisive Battle of Kursk results in a Soviet victory, German advance is halted
July 13, 1943: Hitler cancels Operation Citadel, sends troops away to reinforce Italy
August 3, 1943: Soviets launch counteroffensive, successfully drive Germans back
November 3, 1943: Soviets take Kiev, continue to advance west

13. Questions?

14. Works Cited
Axelrod, Alan. “Battle of Kursk.” Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 2, Facts On File, History Research Center,
online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId= Accessed 25 Apr
Watts, Tim. "Battle of Kursk." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2018, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/
Accessed 26 Apr
Axelrod, Alan, and Charles L. Phillips. “World War II on the Russian Front.” Wars in the Early 20th Century (1900 to 1950), Facts
On File, History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId= Accessed 29 Apr.
2018.

15. Who’s doing what Nico: Map , Operation Abandoned, Soviet Advance West
Ollie: Title, Hitler’s Fatal Mistake, Timeline
Harry: Thesis, Important People, Battle of Kursk
Garchomp: Setting the Stage, Plan of Attack, Forces Involved