Histoire & Collections

III Panzer Korps at Kursk

by  Didier Lodieu

Reviewed By  Kip Rudge, IPMS# 40597

MSRP: €39 (approx $55 US) ISBN: 978-2-915239-84-3 www.histoireetcollections.fr Anyone with more than a passing knowledge of armored warfare history knows about the titanic struggles that took place around Kursk in July of 1943. And that history is usually highlighted by the climactic battle south of Prokhorovka which signaled the end of the campaign. One of the lesser known aspects of the Kursk offensive is the southernmost korps of the southern prong. The 48th Panzer Korps was Von Manstein's hammer in the south and is accorded most of the ink when the histories of the Battle of Kursk are written. But 3rd Panzer Korps played a pivotal role in the battle by failing to protect the flank of the SS Panzer Korps which ultimately led to the battle of Prokhoravka. Lodieu has focused this book on that aspect of the eight days of operations at Kursk for 3rd Panzer Korps. For the slobbering German freak (and you know who you are) the 3rd Panzer Korps is a gold mine of modeling opportunities. Made up of the 6th, 7th and 9th panzer divisions along with s.Pz.Abt 503 and Stug. Abt 228. And that brings us to the book. My feelings about this book are really mixed. On the plus side this book is chock full of hard data. The three panzer divisions get full TO&E equipment so it's clear what tanks with which each started the campaign. In addition, the photos in the book are large and clear and, for the most part, well captioned. There are also some nice personality profiles and first person accounts. There are also several maps - but more on that later. On the minus side, the book is a translation and it appears it suffered a tad in some respects. Some of the descriptions get a little purple such as descriptions of decaying bodies or this - "The wind of terror seemed to blow over 19. Pz. Div. after the disappearance or Oberst Kohler..." Ummmm riiiight. The text is dense and often it's difficult to place units in the right location. The use of better maps, more often, would have been a great help. The text also suffers from a lack of balance in that there is no Russian counterbalance. Yeah I know the book is about the Germans, but this is a serious problem in that the descriptions often fall into the brave-grenadier-assault/repel-Russian-hordes trap. This leads me to my biggest beef with the book. Reading the text you don't quite get the flavor of what actually happened. In actuality, the Soviets ground this force down over several days and dissipated its power by diverting the units in directions that did not support the main thrust of Manstein's plan. In Lodieu's view, and what he states, is that protecting the SS Panzer Korps flanks was possible up to the last day of the offensive. In every other Kursk history I have read, the Soviets knew the 3rd Panzer Korps was dead in the water, thereby the release of 5th Guards Tank army against the SS was not delayed. There are also a couple of miscaptions but nothing that leads me to question the author's research qualifications. Also a few photos that have no place in the Kursk battle timeframe. Now that being said, I think the book is a good value for modelers. The pictures and charts are worth the price. The color plates are also a good value. The first person accounts are also informative. One facet of the battle that Lodieu did capture well was the absolute supremacy of the land mine in the opening stages of Kursk. Land mines appear to have virtually dictated the pace of the German advance in the first several days. The delay of armored units led to unsupported attacks by infantry that bled the Germans white before they could focus the full power of their Korps on the Russian defenses. Good value? Yes. Good history? Close, but no cigar. But the book is definitely worth purchasing. Thanks to Histoire & Collections for this review sample.

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