The Battle of Kursk: Why Did the German Army Not Collapse but Never Recover?

The Critical Role of Strategic Reserves

German military historian Karel aptly summarizes the turning points of the war on the Eastern Front: “Germany’s potential victory ended with Stalingrad, while its definitive defeat began with Kursk.” This interpretation nearly hits the mark.

Why, then, despite not facing a catastrophic defeat at Kursk akin to that at Stalingrad, did the German forces fail to regain their footing, ultimately leading to the collapse of the entire Eastern Front?

The key lies in the total depletion of the German strategic reserves.

This was also the primary reason why commanders such as Manstein and Kluge, along with the German General Staff, were opposed to Hitler’s launch of “Operation Citadel.”

These veteran commanders, after nearly two years of intense conflict with the Soviet forces, had a clear grasp of the Eastern Front’s dynamics: the only way to decisively weaken the Soviets and force a withdrawal or peace talks was to keep their strategic reserve intact and use it to preemptively strike at any potential Soviet offensive.

To appreciate Manstein’s strategic thinking, one must first understand the state of the Soviet-German front just before the Battle of Kursk…