Immense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence, the battle of kursk witnessed at prokhorovka one of the largest tank engagements in world. Learn from battle of kursk experts like major charles l. The latest supplement for the battlegroup world war two game is themed around the battle for tobruk in 194041 but also has some extra. Dec 17, 20 new on e23, drivethru rpg, and wargame vault is prochorovka. Just in case you didnt fancy cutting up your battlegroup. The salient was a bulge in the soviet lines that stretched 150 miles 240 km from north to south and protruded 100 miles 160 km westward into the german lines. A major german offensive had been stopped before it managed to break through the soviet lines of defense. However, it would be more appropriate to say that germany was defeated by the combined effects of the battles. Virtually the only thing holding bg back is the time needed to document a battlegroup, which significantly impacts preparation time. Another myth is that the battle of prokhorovka was the turning point not really, the northern attack had already failed and the germans had already lost more than they could afford. I had been looking forward to playing this set of rules since their release late last year and having played an earlier reincarnation kampfgruppe normandy.
These fast, fun and authenticfeeling rules, written by veteran games designer warwick kinrade author of kampfgruppe normandie, are designed to play at 15mm and 20mm 172nd scales. Discover the best battle of kursk books and audiobooks. You roll to activate units, which really breaks down into teams. Battle of kursk seventeen moments in soviet history. That lets me play a game to completion in 2 to 3 hours on a clubnight.
Battle group kursk charge of the death brigade there are some battles and operations that just defy translation into a wargameable scenario, not necessarily because of size, everything is scaleable, but because of the unbalanced odds and the sheer lunacy of the fighting. Battlefield air interdiction by the luftwaffe at the battle. Sporadic arrivals of new conscripts and equipment, especially for the mechanized units and the waffen ss, gave the german defenders the means. It is estimated that by the end of the battle around 350 german tanks were destroyed. Even without the warning, general zhukov had found plenty of time to. Unternehmen zitadelle, on 5 july, which had the objective of pinching off the kursk salient. Comparative strengths and losses in the battle of kursk. The absence of any real strategic capability cost not only german ground forces but also the luftwaffe dearly at the hands of the soviets. Even without the warning, general zhukov had found plenty of.
Abstract the battle of kursk on germanys eastern front in world war ii was one of the most important battles in world history and a major. Whenever i think of this attack, my stomach turns over. From its victory in the battle of kursk, the soviet red army went on to liberate most of ukraine in the autumn of 1943, marching into kiev on november 6. For the soviet union, the victory gave the red army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war. The battle of kursk was a second world war engagement between german and soviet forces on the eastern front near kursk 450 kilometres or 280 miles southwest of moscow in the soviet union, during july and august 1943. The battle of kursk facts and fiction historical articles. Mar 20, 2017 the biggest tank battle in history wasnt at kursk.
Battlegroup quickly became a favorite system with its high fun factor and plethora of historical options. Kursk 1943 wasnt the greatest tank battle of all times. Although originally planned as a german offensive, the soviet defense was so successful that they were able to turn it into a rout. Immense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence, the battle of kursk witnessed at prokhorovka one of the largest tank engagements in. After the battle of kursk, the war in the eastern front was a long russian advance, in which the russian army returned to all the territory it lost to the germans, conquered all of eastern europe, and reached all the way to germany and to berlin and won the war. Before summarizing the effectiveness of battlefield air interdiction by the luftwaffe at kursk, passing mention should be made of the lack of german strategic bombing.
David glantz 1999 book the battle of kursk is an example. It was armed with a 152 mm howitzer, with 20 rounds. The german offensive was codenamed operation citadel and led to one of the largest armoured clashes. The german army after the battle of kursk by walter s. Eyewitness accounts of the battle of kursk russia beyond. Koltunov, kurskaia bitva the battle of kursk moscow. Rating is available when the video has been rented. The maximum depth of the german advance was 812 kilometres 5. Battlegroup ww2 tactical wargame part one introduction.
Analysis and significance of the battle of kursk in july 1943. A study of the battle of kursk at prokhorovka, one of the largest tank engagements in world history, which led to staggering losses imncluding nearly 200,000 soviet and 50,000 german casualties within the first ten days of fighting. The dates covered are from july 4th 1943 to july 12th 1943. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else.
The battle of kursk is also known as the battle of the. Battlegroup kursk morale deck free download as pdf file. The german view offers readers an interesting new perspective on the oftwrittenabout 1943 battle. In the kursk saliant battle group kursk yesterday at the club we played a game of battlegroup kursk. Koltunov, kurskaia bitva v tsifrakh the battle of kursk in numbers, vizh 6 june 1968. Mar 24, 2014 kursk 1943 wasnt the greatest tank battle of all times. It saw action in the battle of stalingrad, with over 11,000 being produced by the time of kursk. Perhaps the most important battle of world war ii was a giant clash of tanks between germans and russians. The kursk defensive operation 1 july 1943 red army strengths. Despite the big loss the battle of kursk was a soviet triumph.
Battle of kursk, july 5august 23, 1943, unsuccessful german assault on the soviet salient around the city of kursk, in western russia, during world war ii. Just in case you didnt fancy cutting up your battlegroup kursk rulebook posted on december 5, 2012 by neil shuck in hobby news 1 comment if you have listened to epsiode 96 of the podcast, you will know that mike hobbs and i were both pretty impressed with battlegroup kursk, the new rules from plastic soldier company and iron fist. The series was subsequently picked up in the united states by the military channel, where it premiered on 5 january 2. Armor at kursk is a game depicting the largest tank battle in the history of warfare on july 12, 1943 between the german ss panzer korp and russian 5th guards tank army. These rules are ideal for quick battles, competitions, campaign games or even for new players to learn about. The battle of kursk was a decisive nazisoviet tank battle at prokhorovka, which went on for days, wreaked massive destruction on both sides, and turned the tides of the war from then on the nazi army was in retreat, with the soviets hot on their heels. On 18 february, hitler arrived at army group south headquarters at. Imho a slightly more user friendly version of the qrs for battlegroup. Battlegroup kursk morale deck naval mine ammunition scribd. Battlegroup kursk pdf only four detailedarmy lists included. On 18 february, hitler arrived at army group south headquarters at zaporizhia just hours before the soviets liberated kharkov, and had to be.
German panzer vitiger i tanks passing burning buildings during the battle of kursk in orel oryol, russia, midjul 1943 damaged and abandoned german panther tanks left on the battlefield at prokhorovka. It had lost 30 of its 50 divisions and up to 500,000 men killed, wounded or missing in action. Additional troops and tanks were redeployed to kursk, the battlefield was mined and honeycombed with antitank ditches. Forum for the discussion of battlegroup wargame rules plus battle reports and pictures of your armies. Also there were over 2 million infantry, and 4000 air crafts involved in this chaotic war. Exiso gui makes easier to extract multiple iso with a queue list and a little ftp browser. German orders of battle kursk july 1943 ww2 weapons.
Battlegroup is designed to give the feel of modern combat, taking into account all the latest technologies being fielded, yet still remain an enjoyable game. The wehrmacht was outnumbered and deficient in weapons in comparison to the red army, thus the german attempt to retake the initiative by attacking the vulnerable salient around kursk represented a real gamble. The battle of kursk represented the last german offensive on the eastern front. The battle took place in july and august 1943, opening with a german offensive and culminating in a momentous soviet victory. Its unclear how many tanks of the 1st panzer group were destroyed in the battle, but the. Most of your are aware im sure of warhammer historicals kampfgruppe normandy that are no longer avalible since that firm wound that operation up. The plastic soldier company now have the battlegroup kursk supplement minus the rules section and the battlegroup core rulebook for sale as pdf versions. Regarding the rules, i assume that i will need the battlegroup ruleset and the. Citadel was the decisive battle on the eastern front in world war ii because after this battle the initiative passed to the soviets, who would never lose it again.
Another used by the red army was the su152, sometimes given the nickname beast slayer. German orders of battle at the time of the tank battle of kursk and the allied invasion of sicily from july 7, 1943 the german orders of battle and distribution of the divisions of the german wehrmacht and subordinates units of allies at the time of the tank battle of kursk and the allied invasion of sicily in midsummer 1943. The battle of kursk was the first time in the second world war that a german strategic offensive was halted before it could break through enemy defences and penetrate to its strategic depths. As oriskany states, there is a mini rulebook in print or pdf available and. The name battle group gives a hint to what this family of rules is all about. Dyck was first published in world war ii history magazine september 2006 and republished on september 2016 at warfare history network. The day after as well as half of july 14 the tank battle shattered the earth. Read battle of kursk books like an operational level analysis of soviet armored formations in the deliberate defense in the battle of kursk, 1943 and kursk 1943 for free with a free 30day trial. Jan, 20 in the kursk saliant battle group kursk yesterday at the club we played a game of battlegroup kursk.
A new and innovative games system for recreating the epic battles around kursk in 1943 on the eastern front. For the germans, the battle represented the final strategic offensive they were able to mount in the eastern front. The battle began with the launch of the german offensive, operation citadel german. The map the map used for the battles of kursk scenarios is based off a section of the panzer campaigns kursk 43 map. Massed german panzers including captured t34s attack at kursk. While force selection is simple, filling out armor, movement, main gun, etc. Over 700 were built, and proved a valuable asset during the battle of kursk. The german offensive was codenamed operation citadel and led to one of the largest armoured clashes in history, the battle of prokhorovka. A player will roll a set number of dice to indicate the total units they can activate for that turn. On the other hand around 600 800 soviet tanks were destroyed, but there is no reliable data about it.
Last week i recieved my long awaited copy of battle group kursk bgk so i thought id share with you my impressions after a week of reading. It was both the largest armored clash and the costliest single day of aerial warfare in history. When only one condition is listed, then the box and contents are in the same condition. Apr 19, 2019 german orders of battle at the time of the tank battle of kursk and the allied invasion of sicily from july 7, 1943 the german orders of battle and distribution of the divisions of the german wehrmacht and subordinates units of allies at the time of the tank battle of kursk and the allied invasion of sicily in midsummer 1943. Mar 21, 2016 the germans planned their assault for july 5, 1943 but a defector warned the soviets and denied them the element of surprise. The germans planned their assault for july 5, 1943 but a defector warned the soviets and denied them the element of surprise. The reason why kursk is the biggest tank battle in history is because it consisted to over 6000 individual tanks manned by at least 23 people in each tank. Jul 12, 20 eyewitness accounts of the battle of kursk.
Zapotoczny the wehrmachts strength and combat effectiveness in the east after the battle of kursk entered a period of steady decline. Find highquality battle of kursk stock photos and editorial news pictures from getty images. Greatest tank battles is a military documentary series currently airing on history television and national geographic channel in canada, where it premiered on 4 january 2010. The salient was a bulge in the soviet lines that stretched 150 miles 240 km from north to south and protruded 100. The biggest tank battle in history wasnt at kursk medium. Their plan was to attack the germans after a successful defensive battle and to drive them back further. The battle of kursk was a decisive battle of world war ii.
Battle group kursk offers up a great game with a strong emphasis on command and control and on the historical character of the fight for the kursk salient in the summer of 1943. New on e23, drivethru rpg, and wargame vault is prochorovka. The book offers a combination of editorial commentary, primary sources, and original essays, all of which are skillfully organized by professor newton into a coherent and logical framework. The offensive action by army group south heeresgruppe sud was countered by the defence and ultimately offense of voronezh and steppe fronts. Battlegroup historical rules for wwii visit for the. The battle of kursk was a world war ii engagement between german and soviet forces on the eastern front near kursk in the soviet union during july and august 1943. The battle of kursk was a second world war engagement between german and soviet forces.
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