Blood, Steel and Myth

George Nipe, author of Last Victory in Russia and Decision in the Ukraine, has written a revealing and unprecedented re-analysis of the II. SS-Panzer-Korps' operations during the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943. Unlike all previous books on the subject, which refer almost exclusively to Russian accounts of the battle, Blood, Steel and Myth makes extensive use of original German source material. The author convincingly exposes the conventional wisdom, which through its constant repetition over the years has assumed mythic status, as being fundamentally flawed and patently untrue.

Based principally on Heer and Waffen-SS combat and intelligence reports from the southern sector of the Kursk salient, as well as the individual accounts of veterans, the book covers in detail the daily progress of Operation Citadel. With meticulous attention to detail the author illustrates the unfavourable circumstances and erroneous command decisions which doomed Germany's last major offensive in Russia irrevocably to failure.

The personal notes, conversations and official orders of generals Hausser, Hoth, and Manstein are all closely scrutinised to shed new light on this much celebrated but incorrectly recounted clash of arms, with particular attention being paid to the "greatest tank battle in history" at Prochorovka. Nipe sets the record straight with all the conviction of an Eastern Front historian whose veracity and impeccable scholarship have been proven time and again. Blood, Steel and Myth is heavily illustrated with hundreds of rare photos and numerous maps to provide a strong visual component to this unique account of the Kursk Offensive's southern front.