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Demolishing the Myth: The Tank Battle at Prokhorovka, Kursk, July 1943: An Operationa

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    Demolishing the Myth: The Tank Battle at Prokhorovka, Kursk, July 1943: An Operationa

    Written by Valeriy Zamulin. Came out last year. Looks to be an excellent work on the subject. Perhaps the best from the Russian perspective. Has anyone read it?

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    "A groundbreaking book when first published in Russia in 2005, now Valeriy Zamulin's study of the crucible of combat during the titanic clash at Kursk - the fighting at Prokhorovka - is available in English. A former staff member of the Prokhorovka Battlefield State Museum, Zamulin has dedicated years of his life to the study of the battle of Kursk, and especially the fighting on its southern flank involving the famous attack of the II SS Panzer Corps into the teeth of deeply-echeloned Red Army defenses. A product of five years of intense research into the once-secret Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Zamulin lays out in enormous detail the plans and tactics of both sides, culminating in the famous and controversial clash at Prokhorovka on 12 July 1943. Zamulin skillfully weaves reminiscences of Red Army and Wehrmacht soldiers and officers into the narrative of the fighting, using in part files belonging to the Prokhorovka Battlefield State Museum. Zamulin has the advantage of living in Prokhorovka, so he has walked the ground of the battlefield many times and has an intimate knowledge of the terrain.

    Examining the battle from primarily the Soviet side, Zamulin reveals the real costs and real achievements of the Red Army at Kursk, and especially Prokhorovka. He examines mistaken deployments and faulty decisions that hampered the Voronezh Front's efforts to contain the Fourth Panzer Army's assault, and the valiant, self-sacrificial fighting of the Red Army's soldiers and junior officers as they sought to slow the German advance, and then crush the II SS Panzer Corps with a heavy counterattack at Prokhorovka on 12 July. The combat on this day receives particular scrutiny, as Zamulin works to clarify the relative size of the contending forces, the actual area of this battle, and the costs suffered by both sides. The costs to General P. A. Rotmistrov's 5th Guards Tank Army and General A. S. Zhadov's 5th Guards Army as they slammed into 1st SS Panzer Grenadier Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, 3rd SS Panzer Grenadier Division Totenkopf and a portion of 2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Division Das Reich were particularly devastating, and Zamulin examines the nuts and bolts of the counteroffensive to see why this was so.

    Zamulin does not exclude the oft-overlooked efforts of Army Group Kempf's III Panzer Corps on the right-wing of the Fourth Panzer Army, as it sought to keep pace with the II SS Panzer Corps advance, and then breach the line of the Northern Donets River in order to link up with its left-hand neighbor in the region of Prokhorovka. Zamulin describes how the Soviet High Command and the Voronezh Front had to cobble together quickly a defense of this line with already battered units, but needed to reinforce it with fresh formations at the expense of the counterstroke at Prokhorovka."

    #2
    Has anyone read this book? I'm surprised noone hasn't written a review.

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      #3
      The book is excellent. To be frank, I definitely preferred it to Nipe's Kursk book. There is a thorough review by a professional military analyst Robert Forczyck here: http://www.amazon.com/Demolishing-My...R2BBXLTLXQRNFI

      Comment


        #4
        It sounds like a refreshingly objective view based on comments like these;

        "It is an exciting time for those interested in the history of the war on the Eastern Front in 1941-45 right now, because Russian historians like Valeriy Zamulin are ripping the shroud off decades of misinformation and white-wash to reveal heretofore unavailable detail about well-known battles like Kursk. Zamulin set out to write an honest account of the action at Prokhorovka on 12 July 1943 - which most historians have long-regarded as the climax of the Battle of Kursk and the moment where Germany's best panzer divisions were shattered. Traditional historiography for years has told tales about "the largest tank battle in history" that "involved up to 1,500 tanks on both sides" and describes a vast meeting engagement with Soviet T-34s charging in to fight German Tigers at close range. Professional historians with access to German WW2 records have known that this version was incorrect for years, but the "myth" has developed a life of its own and continues to be touted as truth in secondary sources. Zamulin is in a unique position to bust this myth, since he likes in Prokhorovka and worked for the Battlefield Museum, giving him access to the terrain and Soviet unit records. This is a landmark book on many levels, including the degree of honest accounting of Soviet mistakes and fact-checking. For those wondering how Zamulin's book compares to David Glantz's earlier book on Kursk, I would say that Zamulin displays far more rigorous attention to detail (e.g. Glantz rarely bothered much about what kind of tanks were involved in a particular action) and critical eye, whereas Glantz often accepted Soviet-era claims at face value. Zamulin does include some German information and accounts as well, more than previous Soviet-era histories. This book, Demolishing the Myth, sets the standard for assessing the portion of the Battle of Kursk that it concerns - be advised, it only focuses on the southern portion of the battle and does not cover the struggle on the northern side of the Kursk salient. The translation by Stuart Britton is excellent - the book reads as if it were written in English. Also, the physical quality of the hardcover Helion edition is superb."
        Willi

        Preußens Gloria!

        sigpic

        Sapere aude

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          #5
          I saw this book on ebay. The title looks promising but as always with books - only the last sheet can do answer.....
          I'll try find a time and add it to my library.

          Bono

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            #6
            BTW the Florczyck's opinion looks interesting...

            Comment


              #7
              The myth about Prokhorovka was busted in 2002 by the two authors Anders Frankson/Niklas Sennerhag, "The Battle Of Kursk", 91-1301078-6.

              cheers
              Peter

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                #8
                Peter, as far as I know, the Kursk book you refer to by Anders Frankson & Niklas Zetterling was published only in Swedish, condemning it to obscurity (it has been translated in Finnish, I did not like the book, but perhaps the translation was no good). Frankson & Zetterlin did also another Kursk book for Frank Cass, but its price (at least then) was ridiculous.

                No "Sennerhag" involved.

                Comment


                  #9
                  My mistake, it should be Zetterling. As to the content of the book, it's in the eyes of the beholder. My point was to counter the actual title of this thread.

                  cheers
                  Peter

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by pasoleati View Post
                    Peter, as far as I know, the Kursk book you refer to by Anders Frankson & Niklas Zetterling was published only in Swedish, condemning it to obscurity (it has been translated in Finnish, I did not like the book, but perhaps the translation was no good). Frankson & Zetterlin did also another Kursk book for Frank Cass, but its price (at least then) was ridiculous.

                    No "Sennerhag" involved.
                    "Kursk 1943 A Statistical Analysis" by Niklas Zetterling and Anders Frankson, of which I have a paperback copy which I got at a really cheap price.

                    published 2000, I found the book excellent reading, provides short sharp analysis of the battle including the air battle, cost of the battle, analysis, and consequences. Covered the type of tanks involved the assembly and structure of the forces and some excellent tables and figures of losses and force strengths


                    Also Restayn and Moller's books Operation Citadel Volumes 1 and 2 although technically a photo album, also contained some very good information on battle losses (published 2002)
                    Last edited by TigerS04; 02-04-2014, 11:44 PM. Reason: wrong book

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                      #11
                      Forgot to add Healy's book "Zitadelle" also provided some "myth busters" published 2008

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                        #12
                        I am reading the book right now, almost half of it. The author did a great research and had organize the material very well. This allow the reader in keeping reading. If you are like me, checking with Google map the actual places, the experience turns out very emotional and impressive. Many times we do not take under consideration distances, with Google map you realize the shooting and fighting take place in very narrow locations.

                        My feedback ? so far so good

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by sunny59 View Post
                          I am reading the book right now, almost half of it. The author did a great research and had organize the material very well. This allow the reader in keeping reading. If you are like me, checking with Google map the actual places, the experience turns out very emotional and impressive. Many times we do not take under consideration distances, with Google map you realize the shooting and fighting take place in very narrow locations.

                          My feedback ? so far so good
                          Which book is this?

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Demolishing the Myth

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by sunny59 View Post
                              Demolishing the Myth
                              Ok, thanks

                              Comment

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