Following the near-total annihilation of Germany's panzer forces during the winter of 194243 and the fall of Stalingrad in February 1943, these armored units underwent a radical reorganization and modernization to meet the challenges that lay ahead. This study employs original methodological approaches to examine the subject in an innovative manner. The first volume of a two-part series, this book covers the Tunisia Campaign, the battles for Italy, three of the four battles for Kharkov, the Siege of Leningrad, the defense of the Kuban region, the Battle of Kursk (encompassing both the German offensive and the massive Soviet counteroffensives), the German withdrawal from Ukraine and Central Russia, and the collapse of the southern sectors of the Eastern Front in the spring of 1944. Historian Ben Wheatley argues that the heavy losses Germany sustained during this period led to the strategic decision to reinforce the Eastern Front while neglecting the Western Fronta choice that ultimately resulted in the squandering of German panzer formations on the battlefields of Normandy. Drawing upon primary sourcesincluding contemporary aerial photography, cartographic materials, and detailed inventories of armored strengththis book deepens our understanding of some of the most renowned battles in military history.
