Blood, Steel,Myth II SS Panzer Korps and the Road to Prochorowka !

[hucks216]

The author's previous work - Decision In The Ukraine - is now available as a Stackpole softcover and is also available for Kindle. Again it centers on II SS-Pz.Korps and is about the fighting following on from Kursk, namely the heavy fighting on the Mius and at Bogodukhov which were very costly for the German Forces.

[don_kihotis7]

I have received my copy. Here is the cover.

[Paul D]

Paul can you do us a review of Lloyd Clarks book ?

[ironcross13]

just added "Waffen SS Armour in Normandy" to my wish list will get this looks good.

[hucks216]

This would seem to be the last word on the battle on the southern flank at Kursk - 1700 pages and weighing in at over 11lbs - the RZM webpage offers sample pages.

Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka by Christopher A Lawrence

Taken from the RZM website:

This book is unique in that it draws upon in-depth research in both the German and Russian archival records. This was research that was begun in the 1990s, after the Soviet Union had fallen, when The Dupuy Institute was able to gain access to the Russian military archives. The book is built from the actual unit records from both sides, as opposed to the sometimes distorted narratives and legends that have grown up over the battle. It then compares and contrasts those records with the stories and interviews collected from veterans. It is an attempt to cover the entire range of fighting, from the strategic decisions, the operational art, to the tactics and the personal stories. It is a detailed description of the battle, a quantitative analysis of the battle and personal description of the battle as seen through the eyes of the participants. Over hundred German and Russian participants on both sides were interviewed exclusively for this book. It is a unique body of research that will not be replicated.

The Battle of Kursk was the largest armor battle in history. On 5 July 1943, three German panzer corps, under command of German General Erich von Manstein, tore into the Soviet fortified defenses south of Kursk. Driving back the Soviet Voronezh Front’s desperate defense, under command of Soviet General Nikolai Vatutin and future Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev, the fight culminated in the famous tank battle at Prokhorovka. This book focuses on the German offensive in the south of the Kursk salient that was the high point of the Battle of Kursk. It addresses all units that fought in the battle, not just the Panther and Tiger tanks, not just the SS, not just the tank busting Stukas.

This is a large book. This is because the amount of unique material collected on the battle was unparalleled, first as part of a U.S. Army funded research project and then as an extended book project.

Approximately 6" thick and weighing in at 11.5 pounds. Premium white paper, deluxe, heavy cloth boards, deluxe sewn binding, top grade linen paper, top grade photo paper for maps and photos, heavy glossy dustjacket.

The book includes:
29 fold-out maps
94 maps in the text
41 charts, graphs and diagrams
166 tables
194 statistical sheets covering each engagement
100 separate sidebars of discussion
66 German and Soviet commander biographies, and
4 photo sections with 289 photos drawn from both German and Soviet sources.

Aberdeen Publishing - Coming Soon! Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka
RZM - RZM.com- Your online source for WWII books & more!

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[Paul D]

Just wanted to bump this thread re the above posted by Kevin , has anyone read it ? From the description it appears to be going down the old " Greatest Tank Battle in History " road !

[Martin Bull]

I'm very late to this party, but thought I'd add my recommendation for Nipe's 'Blood, Steel & Myth'. I'd dithered for a long time ( put off by the 'high' cost ) but noticed that this title is starting to get quite hard to find. Over the holiday period I treated myself to a copy from an Amazon Marketplace seller and, as the old expression goes, it's worth every penny.

Quite superb, beautifully produced and illustrated, and most importantly for uneducated dummies like me, very easy to follow.

RZM reprinted this book once in 2013 - if you're at all interested in this subject, don't miss out. This may be a very sought-after title in future.....