Author Description

The battle of Kursk was the greatest tank battle of World War II and possibly in all history. Now, seventy years later, this new publication commemorates this battle. The text follows the course of operations of the Das Reich division, but also the other formations of the SS-Panzer-Korps. The narrative is based directly on German war diaries and from Otto Weidinger's previous historical researches on the division. The hundreds of photographs, taken by German war correspondents following the SS units - Max Büschel, Cantzler, Grönert, King, Friedrich Zschäckel and many others - allow an intimate view of those tragic and terrible events. Photos of men, weapons and vehicles, taken on the battlefield, before, during and after the engagements, during the rare moments of rest, 'frozen' on rolls of film, are a true testament to military history. An exceptional photographic documentation of use not only to historians and military history students but also modeling enthusiasts. While some photos have previously been published, many are previously unpublished, gleaned from the principal public and private archives.