July 1943

Eastern Front

On the eve of Operation CITADEL, Army Group North has the 16th and 18th Armies in the line. Their forces comprise the following corps.

Facing Leningrad and the Volkhov River is the 18th Army. Around Leningrad the Germans have considerable forces. West of the city, around the Oranienbaum pocket, is the III Luftwaffe Corps (2 divisions) and south of Leningrad are the L and LIV Corps. The L Corps has 3 infantry divisions and LIV Corps has 4 infantry divisions. The XXVI Corps, situated east of Leningrad at Mga has 7 infantry and 1 mountain division, the XXVIII Corps near Gruzino, south of Lake Ladoga, has 1 Luftwaffe and 5 infantry divisions and the I Corps, on the Volkhov, has 1 Luftwaffe and 1 infantry division. The XXXVIII Corps around Novgorod has a Luftwaffe division, an infantry division and an SS infantry brigade. A single infantry division constitutes the army reserve.

The southern wing of the army group is held by the 16th Army. At Staraya Russa it has the X Corps with 4 infantry divisions while Hoehne's VIII Corps holds the link between X and II Corps with 1 Luftwaffe divisionand 2 infantry divisions. The II Corps is around Kholm with 5 infantry divisions. In army reserve are 2 infantry divisions. Army Group North has a meager armored force of just 49 operational tanks and assault guns.

Facing the German forces is Govorov's Leningrad Front, with 2nd Shock Army near Lake Ladoga, 42nd Army west of Leningrad and the 55th and 67th Armies south of Leningrad. The 8th Army is also south of Lake Ladoga. Meretskov's Volkhov Front deploys 4th Army and 54th Army along the Volkhov and near Vovogorod the 59th Army. South of Lake Ilmen is Korochkin's Northwest Front with 1st Shock Army around Demyansk and Kholm, 22nd Army at Kholm and 34th Army at Staraya Russa.

Army Group Center fields the 3rd Panzer, 4th, 9th and 2nd Armies. The northern wing of the army group is secured by the 3rd Panzer Army with its II Luftwaffe Corps (with 3 Luftwaffe field divisions), the XLIII Corps with 1 panzer-grenadier and 1 infantry division and LIX Corps with 2 infantry divisions grouped around Nevel. The VI Corps is at Vitebsk with 3 infantry divisions.

The 4th Army holds the Smolensk-Moscow axis with the XII Corps with 3 infantry divisions, the XXVII Corps north of Yartsevo with 4 infantry divisions, XXXIX Panzer Corps before Yartsevo with 3 infantry divisions, LVI Panzer Corps at Bryansk with 3 infantry divisions and IX Corps at Dorogobuzh with 3 infantry divisions. 2 infantry divisions are held in army reserve.

On the northern face of the Orel bulge is the 2nd Panzer Army, comprising XXXV Corps near Mtsensk with 4 infantry divisions, LIII Corps at Bolkhov with 3 infantry division and 1 panzer grenadier division and LV Corps at Zhizdra with 4 infantry division. In reserve the army has 2 infantry divisions.

The southern face of the Orel bulge, comprising the northern arm of the German pincer at Kursk, holds the 380,000 men of Model's 9th Army. The XX Corps of this force holds the line at Ostrovskoye with 4 infantry divisions and XXIII Corps at Maloarchangelsk with 3 infantry divisions. The XLI Panzer Corps is near Ponyri with 18th Panzer Division (75 tanks) and 2 infantry divisions, while XLVI Panzer Corps is at Trosna with 4 infantry divisions. The XLVII Panzer Corps has 2nd Panzer Division (136 tanks), 20th Panzer Division (85 tanks), 4th Panzer Division (108 tanks) and 9th Panzer (111 tanks) and 6th Infantry Division near Bobrik. In reserve are the 10th Panzer-Grenadier Division and 12th Panzer Division (85 tanks). Model has the support of 1st Air Division with 730 aircraft, 21st Panzer Brigade with 90 Elefants, 66 Brummbars and 65 other tanks. In all the 9th Army has 821 tanks, including 30 Tiger tanks, 250 assault guns and 4,200 arty pieces, while Army Group Center fielded a total fore of 1,900 panzers and assault guns.

The army group has in reserve 2 infantry divisions, 2 panzer divisions (5th and 8th), 2 training and 3 security divisions, the VII Hungarian Corps with 4 infantry divisions and VIII Hungarian Corps with 6 infantry divisions.

The 2nd Army holds the southern wing of the army group. This army comprises the XIII Corps before Rylsk with 4 infantry divisions and VII Corps around Sumy with 5 infantry divisions. It has approximately 130,000 men.

Facing Army Group Center is the Kalinin Front with its 39th Army before Dukhovschina, 3rd Shock Army at Velikiye Luki, 43rd Army facing Yartsevo and 4th Shock Army before Velizh. To the south is the West Front with 10th Army at Kirov, 10th Guards Army and 68th Army in reserve, 11th Guards Army west of Belev, 31st, 33rd, 49th, 5th and 50th Armies on a line running north from Kirov to Dorogobruzh.

The northern face of the Orel bulge is held by the Bryansk Front. It holds the 11th Army in reserve, 3rd Army southeast of Mtsensk, 4th Tank Army also in reserve, 61st Army northwest of Mtsensk and 63rd Army around Novosil.

The southern wing of the central sector, and the target of the German offensive, comprises the 738,000 men of Rokossovsky's Central Front. This front deploys the 13th Army (4 rifle corps and a breakthrough arty corps) at Ponyri, 2nd Tank Army (2 tank and 1 mechanized corps) in reserve behind 13th Army, 48th Army (7 rifle divisions, 2 anti-tank brigades) on the right wing, 60th Army (2 rifle corps, 1 arty division, 2 tank brigades) on the left wing before Rylsk, 65th Army (4 rifle divisions and 1 rifle brigade) before Sevsk and 70th Army (1 rifle division and 1 rifle corps) between the 65th and 13th Armies. In reserve the Front holds 2 tank corps and has the support of the 16th Air Army with 1,030 aircraft.

In the south, the German forces are primarily massed fo the forthcoming Kursk offensive. Hoth's 4th Panzer Army holds the southern face of the Kursk salient with 230,000 men, 902 tanks and assault guns (including 56 Tigers and 104 Panthers) and 2,600 arty pieces. These forces are deployed between Hausser's II SS Panzer Corps from Tomarovka to Belgorod. It fields its 1st SS Panzer-Grenadier Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler with 117 tanks and 35 assault guns, 2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Division Das Reich with 129 tanks and 34 assault guns and 3rd SS Panzer-Grenadier Division Totenkopf with 148 tanks and 35 assault guns. The 10th Panzer Brigade has 200 Panthers and 31 assault guns and will operate in conjunction with these divisions. Knobelsdorf's XLVIII Panzer Corps holds the line between Tomarovka and Kryukovo with its 11th Panzer Division (121 tanks), 167th Infantry Division, 3rd Panzer Division (104 tanks) and Grossdeutschland Panzer-Grenadier Division (160 panzers and 35 assault guns). On the left flank at Kryukovo is the LII Corps with 3 infantry divisions.

Holding the Donets Front are the 160,000 men, 430 panzers and assault guns (including 45 Tigers) and 1,800 arty pieces of Army Detachment Kempf. Breith's III Panzer Corps is at Belgorod with 168th Infantry Division, 19th Panzer Division (82 tanks and 75 assault guns), 6th Panzer Division (124 tanks) and 7th Panzer Division (103 tanks). The XLII Corps holds the line at Volchansk with 3 infantry divisions while Raus' XL Corps is also at Belgorod with 2 infantry divisions.

The 1st Panzer Army has Nehring's XXIV Panzer Corps in reserve near Izyum with 17th Panzer Division and 23rd Panzer Division (72 tanks) and the 5th SS Panzer-Grenadier Divisin Wiking (52 tanks). In the line are XXX Corps at Lisichansk with 3 infantry divisions, XL Panzer Corps at Izyum with 3 infantry divisions and LVII Panzer Corps at Alekseyevka with another 3 infantry divisions.

To the south, on the extreme right wing of the main German combat front, is Hollidt's Army Detachment. This army has XVII Corps along the Mius River (3 infantry divisions0, XXIX Corps at Taganrog (3 infantry and 1 Luftwaffe field division), IV Corps at Lisichansk with 1 mountain and 2 infantry divisions. In army reserve is an panzer-grenadier division.

The 1,100 aircraft of VIII Air Corps, part of 4th Air Fleet, supporting the southern wing of the German attack upon Kursk. In total, Army Group South has 2,400 tanks and assault guns. Manstein has a limited reserve comprising a Rumanian infantry and 3 security divisions.

In the Taman, Army Group A has Ruoff's 17th Army with the XLIV Corps (1 Rumanian and 5 German infantry divisions), the XLIX Mountain Corps (2 German and 1 Rumanian infantry division) and V Corps with 2 Rumanian infantry and 1 mountain division, 1 German mountain division and 2 infantry divisions. In reserve the army group holds the 13th Panzer Division and the Kerch Corps (with just a single Luftwaffe field division). In the Crimea, in addition to the Kerch Corps, the Germans have the Crimea Army. This ad hoc force has 2 training, 1 infantry and 2 Rumanian divisions.

The southern sector of the Soviet front is covered by Voronezh, Southwest and South Fronts, with the Steppe Front in reserve and North Caucasus Front facing the Kuban peninsula. Vatutin's Voronezh Front, which will feel the weight of the German attack south of Kursk, deploys 1st Tank Army (3 tank and 1 mechanized corps) in operational reserve behind the 6th Guards, 38th Army (1 rifle corps, 1 rifle division, 2 tank and 1 anti-tank brigade) on the right wing before Sumy, 40th Army (4 rifle corps, 5 rifle divisions, 1 arty, 1 anti-tank and 1 tank brigade) to the left of the 38th, 69th Army (5 rifle divisions) in reserve behind the left wint, 6th Guards Army (2 rifle corps) facing Tomarovka and 7th Guards Army (4 rifle corps( on the left wing facing Belgorod to the north and along the Donets River. In reserve the front has 2 tank corps, Vatutin has at his disposal 534,000 ment and 913 aircraft of 2nd Air Army.

In reserve, behind the Voronezh and Central Fronts, is Koniev's Steppe Front with 27th Army (1 rifle and 1 tank corps), 47th Army (1 rifle corps, 1 mechanized corps and 6 rifle divisions), 4th Guards Army (1 airborne, 2 rifle and 1 tank corps), 53rd Army (8 rifle and 1 break through arty divisions) and 5th Guards Tank Army (3 tank and 1 mechanize corps). In support is 5th Air Army. Koniev can call upon 550,000 men, 7,000 arty pieces and in excess of 1,500 tanks. In reserve he holds the V Guards Cavalry Corps.

Malinovsky's Southwest Front deploys 12th Army in reserve, 1st Guards Army along the Donets between Izyum and Lisichansk, 3rd Guards Army between Lisichansk and Voroshilovgrad, 3rd Tank Army in reserve, 46th Army on the Donets south of Chuguyev, 57th Army on the extreme right wing north of Chuguyev, 6th Army, 8th Guards Army in reserve and 1st Air Army. South Front has 28th Army, 2nd Guards Army and 44th Army along the line of the Mius River, 51st Army on the northern wing near Voroshilovgrad and 5th Shock Army to its south.

Facing the 17th Army is Petrov's North Caucasus Front. This formation has 18th Army in the south at Novorossysk, 56th ane 58th Armies in the center and 9th Army on the northern wing.

In Finland the Germans have limited forces, but from Norway they deploy 20th Mountain Army. This formation has 2 corps (XVIII Mountain with 2 mountain divisions and XIX Mountain with 2 mountain and 1 infantry division). In central Finland, near Salla, the Germans have XXXVI Corps with 2 infantry divisions.

Against these forces the Soviets have Karelian Front under Gen Frolov. This forc has 14th Army before Murmansk, 23rd and 26th Armies north of Leningrad, 32nd Army in central Karelia and 7th Independent Army along the Svir.

In Stavka reserve the Soviets hold 3 mechanized corps, 2 Guards cavalry corps, 20th and 21st Armies, 37th, 41st and 52nd Armies.

German preparations in the run up to Kursk had been extensive. The Panzerwaffe, now under Guderian's ocmmand, had been comprehensively rebuild while the infantry divisions about to be committed to the battle were all close to full strength. Ne generations of German tanks had begun to enter the line in greater numbers but some, notably the Panther and Elefant models, had been rushed into service without thorough trials.

Meanwhile, the Stavka had decided to gamble and allow the Germans to take the lead this summer. Having so far failed to halt a major German offensive, the battle for Kursk would prove a watershed in Soviet military planning, confirming the Stavka's ability to coordinate its forces against the best the German Army could throw at it.

Having taken stock after the overwhelming losses of the winter, the Ostheer was poised to launch its next offensive, an effort to regain the initiative and begin the advance east once more. With growing nerve, Stalin and the Stavka had elected to absorb the German offensive before launching their own thrust, a strategy hitherto untried in the east.