Osprey's examination of the Kursk campaign of World War II (1939-1945).
In the summer of 1943 the German army stood poised for a major
offensive. The attack was aimed at the Kursk salient, which the Germans
intended to isolate, trapping large numbers of Russian troops and paving
the way for the decisive campaign to knock the Soviet Union out of the
war. By the time of the attack, the Russians had turned the salient into
a mass of defensive positions. In the following decisive clash, the
Soviets bled Germany's vital Panzer forces white and finally took the
initiative. The counter-offensive which followed began an advance that
would end in the ruins of Berlin.