Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!pacbell!amdahl!amdcad!military
From: m1b@rayssd.RAY.COM (M. Joseph Barone)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: The death of mobile war
Keywords: Kursk
Message-ID: <27048@amdcad.AMD.COM>
Date: 31 Aug 89 09:39:42 GMT
References: <26786@amdcad.AMD.COM> <26827@amdcad.AMD.COM> <26913@amdcad.AMD.COM> <26937@amdcad.AMD.COM> <26962@amdcad.AMD.COM>
Sender: cdr@amdcad.AMD.COM
Organization: Raytheon Company, Portsmouth RI
Lines: 49
Approved: military@amdcad.amd.com



From: m1b@rayssd.RAY.COM (M. Joseph Barone)

In article <26962@amdcad.AMD.COM> zenon@chopin.llnl.gov (Maciej Zenon Pindera)
writes:
> >As long as the tanks had the open terrain to maneuver in.
> 
> Would it not depend on the degree of artillery concentration and the
> amount of terrain? For example, during the battle of Kursk, the
> Russian artillery concentration was somewhere on the order of
> 10-20 guns/kilometer.  I don't have my sources handy, but I don't
> think the Germans were able to make much more than a 20 mile dent in
> the Russian defences. I think that when one has a _lot_ of room for
> maneuver, artillery will not have much difficulty grinding down an
> armored motorized assault.

	This is a common misconception of the Battle of Kursk.  This
"strong defense in depth" strategy ultimately proved tactically wrong
but other political and strategic factors came into play to vindicate
it.  It should also be noted that the Soviets had rather accurate
information on the Germans intentions, thanks, in no small part, to
the Lucy spy ring.

	The Soviet positions were six belts of defense, consisting of
dug-in anti-tank, mortar, and machine-gun strongpoints well sited behind
intensely dense minefields.  In the southern pincer, the Germans used
the "panzerkeil" concept -- massive armored wedges followed by the
infantry.  In the north, the Germans sent in the infantry first to
clear out the anti-tank gun nests, followed by the Panzers.  Both methods
proved effective and the first line of defenders were dislodged.  When
the Soviets finally launched their counter-offensive eight days later,
the largest tank battle in the war took place.  The Soviets forces
withdraw first after eight hours of armored battle at point-blank ranges.

	Though the German losses were heavy, the Soviet losses were
much worse.  Unfortunately for the Germans, the Allies had landed in
Sicily and Hitler was vasillating on continuing the offensive.  He
finally decided to withdraw and even pulled the 1st SS Panzer division
and sent it to Italy.  Operation "Zitadelle" was over.

	Despite the Soviets' elaborate preparations, with their
heavy concentration of artillery, the Germans managed (though not
easily) to dislodge the defenders.

-- 
Joe Barone ------------------------> m1b@rayssd.RAY.COM
{gatech, decuac, sun, necntc, ukma, uiucdcs}!rayssd!m1b
Owl be back.