|
Re: Article using Luftwaffe wartime reconnaisance imagery of battle of Kursk drives media attention
There is no doubt in my mind that statistically the German army won the Battle of Prokhorovka and did so by a significant margin.
However, in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Kursk, the Red Army launched a series of offensives in the north of the salient thereby liberating Byelgorod, in the centre, liberating Orel, and perhaps most significantly in the south, liberating Kharkov (the 3rd battle of Kharkov). The scale and ferocity of the Russian offensive after such a crippling losses in the Battle of Kursk surprised even the defensive warfare expert such as Gen. Walter Model undoubtedly was.
The point, as I see it, is that the Red Army took the strategic initiative on the eastern front, while the German Army was never again able to mount an offensive of the scale of the Battle of Kursk.
If someone was to draw a parallel with a Great War, a good candidate would be a naval battle of Jutland of 1916. The Imperial Kriegsmarine won the battle statistically, but never again challenged the supremacy of the Royal Navy.
Regards,
Sinisa
|