tedrick@ernie.berkeley.edu (Tom Tedrick) (03/11/86)
[From "Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1960] [refering to the Kursk offensive, the last German attempt to seize the initiative in the east, in July 1943. The Soviets were fully informed of the plans for this attack thru information lost via use of Enigma, and prepared a defensive zone 100 miles deep to break the attack. They also accumulated reserves so as to launch an overwhelming counterstroke when the force of the German attack had been broken in the defensive zone, and the German armies were off balance. The Germans put everything they could spare, including thousands of tanks, into this attack, and never were able to recover from its failure.] Page 791Z: " ... the Germans had suitable flank positions for a pincer stroke against the big salient in which the Russians were left around Kursk." " ... Hitler concentrated all efforts on that offensive without regard to the risk that the cost of an unsuccesful attack would leave him without reserves to maintain any subsequent defense of his long front." [that isn't really so clear, Hitler was worried sick over the Kursk offensive.] " ... 3 months' pause followed the close of the winter campaign." [during which time the Germans prepared their gigantic attack, while the Soviets, knowing the German plans, prepared an incredibly deep and thorough defensive zone in the area where the attack was to take place.] " ... the Russians ... waited to let the Germans lead off and commit themselves deeply, while they kept themselves well poised to exploit the Germans loss of balance in lunging." [the fact that the Soviets knew the German plan of attack made such a policy possible.] "The German offensive was at last launched on July 5, and into it Hitler threw 17 armoured divisions, almost all he had. The pincers got entangled in the deep minefields which the Russians had laid, forewarned by the long preparation of the offensive ..." [really, they were forewarned by leaks of information from Enigma] " and [the Germans] failed to secure any large bag of prisoners, since the Russians had withdrawn their main forces out of reach." [since they knew what was coming] "After a week of effort the German armoured divisions were seriously reduced." "On July 12, as the Germans began to pull out, the Russians launched their own offensive, which thus had the recoil-spring effect of a counter-stroke. ..." [and it was on to Berlin for the Soviet armies, which were never really halted from then on until the end of the war ...] [I still have to give evidence that the Soviets knew about German plans ahead of time, and that the source of their information was Enigma at the root.]