Kursk

In the 19th-century Prussian military philosopher Carl von Clausewitz wrote that of all the methods of fighting the defence was the strongest. In the following battle it will be seen how Operation Citadel, aimed at the city of Kursk in central Russia near the Ukrainian border, was thwarted by formidable Red army defences, which paved the way for a series of massive counterstrokes. The German high command decided to mount its spring offensive in the area of Kursk, in the centre of the Eastern Front. Once the Soviets discerned the scale and intention of Operation Citadel, they would quickly transfer large numbers of reserves to the Kursk area. The delays in mounting Citadel gave Soviet military intelligence time to identify the build-up of enemy armoured forces north and south of the Kursk salient. Late on 4 July, General Rokossovsky obtained intelligence from a German prisoner that the attack would begin at 3.30 am the following day.