Comments on: Kursk Recondsidered - Sidebar: February '98 World War II Feature http://www.historynet.com/kursk-recondsidered-sidebar-february-98-world-war-ii-feature.htm From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Sat, 25 May 2013 03:21:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: oracle http://www.historynet.com/kursk-recondsidered-sidebar-february-98-world-war-ii-feature.htm#comment-789518 oracle Sat, 25 Feb 2012 02:47:19 +0000 #comment-789518 "If the German ground offensive had been allowed to continue and had succeeded, the Luftwaffe would not have been caught in the Soviet counteroffensive. It would have been afforded a rest after the Soviet front stabilized. Thus, Hitler's July 13 decision doomed the Luftwaffe to fighting a war of attrition it could not win." I fail to see how this could have been true. The best case scenario for the Germans would have seen them take Kursk and encircle a fairly insignificant Russian force compared to the size of the red army forces waiting to counter attack. These counter attacks to the north and south of the salient were coming regardless of the outcome within the salient and they would not likely have been postponed had Manstein been able to reach Kursk. If anything had Manstein captured Kursk it probably would have put his forces in an even more tenuous position once these soviet counter offensives got underway. "If the German ground offensive had been allowed to continue and had succeeded, the Luftwaffe would not have been caught in the Soviet counteroffensive. It would have been afforded a rest after the Soviet front stabilized. Thus, Hitler's July 13 decision doomed the Luftwaffe to fighting a war of attrition it could not win."

I fail to see how this could have been true. The best case scenario for the Germans would have seen them take Kursk and encircle a fairly insignificant Russian force compared to the size of the red army forces waiting to counter attack. These counter attacks to the north and south of the salient were coming regardless of the outcome within the salient and they would not likely have been postponed had Manstein been able to reach Kursk. If anything had Manstein captured Kursk it probably would have put his forces in an even more tenuous position once these soviet counter offensives got underway.

]]> By: Hamilton http://www.historynet.com/kursk-recondsidered-sidebar-february-98-world-war-ii-feature.htm#comment-107799 Hamilton Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:26:30 +0000 #comment-107799 I think that the coments above don't present concrete historical facts and it is tendentious in favor to the Germans point of view. I think that the coments above don't present concrete historical facts and it is tendentious in favor to the Germans point of view.

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