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From: ssc-vax!shuksan!major@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Mike Schmitt)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Kursk - Book on Tactics.
Message-ID: <27303@amdcad.AMD.COM>
Date: 17 Sep 89 10:05:34 GMT
References: <27138@amdcad.AMD.COM> <27189@amdcad.AMD.COM> <27207@amdcad.AMD.COM>
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From: ssc-vax!shuksan!major@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Mike Schmitt)

In article <27207@amdcad.AMD.COM>, hhm@ihlpy.att.com (Herschel H Mayo) writes:
 
> In a personal note. I interviewed two German survivors of the battle of
> Kursk. They stated that Soviet losses in the counter attack must have 
> been worse that the initial battle itself. Both stated that they had
> never seen such destruction of men and machinery on such a scale as they
> saw and participated in. They were astounded that the Russians could
> recover from such losses.  While such observations may be open to debate.
> I get an uneasy feeling that the true picture of the battle of Kursk
> lies somewhere between the recollections of the veterans and the claims
> of the Soviets. Maybe the true story will never be told.
> 
> Larry Mayo


Very true.  The TRUE STORY of any battle is only what each individual
observer sees, senses, is aware of.  In 1968, while stationed in Germany,
AFN Radio had a series of broadcasts with Cornelius Ryan interviewing
Marshal Konev (or Chuikov - I don't remember) - discussing the The Great
Patriotic War from the Russian Army perspective.  Obviously, the Marshal
put forth the Soviet claims of 'decisive victory' during Kursk - that 
both sides suffered terrible losses - but that Russia was better able to
absorb the losses.  


major