THIRD BATTLE OF KHARKORV 1943

The Third Battle of Kharkov is generally considered to be the last
German victory on the Eastern Front. It stands as a classic example of
armored man-oeuvre tactics executed under difficult conditions against
a well-prepared and numerically superior enemy.

When Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, he did not envisage a long war. There was a time when a knockout blow might have been achieved, but the Soviets averted defeat long enough for the weather to close in. This granted some time to prepare and allowed renewed German offensives to be halted. The German army tried again in 1942 and then 1943, but decisive victory proved elusive and all the time Soviet strength was increasing. The odds became slimmer each year, but there was no choice: Germany had to attack and defeat the enemy its leader had chosen. By the beginning the tide was turning against Germany. Defeats in North Africa had dealt a serious blow to German prestige. Her allies were reconsidering their position and there seemed little prospect of persuading other - such as turkey - to join the fight. Meanwhile at home there were economic problems and social unrest.

SOVIET SUCCESSES

The fall of Stalingrad after months of bitter fighting was a serious blow to German morale and prestige while their opponents were riding a wave of success. The Red Army began advancing, urged on by a jubilant Stalin, who believed that he could sweep the invaders out of Russia with a headlong offensive. Leningrad was relieved and the threat to Moscow greatly diminished. In the south, Soviet troops were making gains against the tired and depleted Germans. There was a danger that the German Army Group South might be cut off and forced to surrender and matters were not helped by a catastrophic defeat in Stalingrad. However, the German commander Field-Marshal Von Manstein ignored his orders to die in place and organized a fighting retreat that not only got his army out of the trap in condition to fight on but also bought time for reinforcements to arrive. the soviets were running ahead of their logistics capability and beginning to falter, but were forced to push on by Stalin's urgings. the Soviet high command did not believe that the battered German army could do anything but retreat westwards, putting up local resistance. A counterattack was obviously out of the question.

T-34/76: THE GREATEST TANK OF WORLD WAR II?

The T-34 was among the most important weapons systems in the red Army in World War II. At the time it was first fielded in 1940, It was easily the finest tank design in the World. Individually, T-34s were workmanlike rather than excellent combat vehicles. They were well protected, mobile, and possessed a good gun that could knock out enemy tanks at a respectable range. However, they were also prone to mechanical problems, especially with the transmission. One for on, German tanks were generally better, but the phrase all things being equal never applies in warfare. Tanks did not fight one on one but as par of a military industrial partnership in which the fighting capabilities of the vehicle were only one aspect. The ability to repair or replace breakdowns and get tanks back into the fight was also critical, as was the capacity to manufacture them in large enough number to make a difference. It was in the context that the T-34 Was world-beater,

AFTERMATH
Hitler remained angry at Hausser for ignoring his orders and refused to decorate him even though his troops had performed brilliantly in the battle for the city. His command did receive considerable replacements and much of its artillery was upgraded to self-propelled guns. The formation was re-designated II SS Panzer Corps. In the wake of the victory at Kharkov, plans were formulated to launch a new offensive in the summer, Code-named Operation Citadel, it would smash the Soviet forces facing Army Group South and tip the balance of the war back in the direction of Germany-if it succeeded. The stage was thus set for the Battle of Kursk: the greatest armored clash of all time.