Quote:
Originally posted by Kai-Petri:
when employed in its AT role Ferdinand proved to be a powerful defensive platform, capable of knocking out a T-34 on a 4,710 meters range. A Wehrmacht communicate on August 6th told that the two battalions had been credited for the destruction of 502 enemy tanks in the Orel sector!
And according to the book I mentioned above the Germans credited an enemy tank destroyed only if it was in flames by 1943!
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Here's another go at keeping this thread alive [img]smile.gif[/img] It's too damned good to simply let it go!
I say, that seems an enormous number of kills for two batallions, even Ferdinands. Is this figure substantiated? Of the 90 Fs. built, how many were operational at Kursk, and how many returned from battle?
Per what I've been reading on this thread and elsewhere, it's beginning to appear to me that the general impression some people wish to leave is that Kursk was more of a German victory than otherwise. I'm surprised von Manstein wasn't taking his supper in the Kremlin after Prokhorovka when in fact what happened was something else entirely! In fact, by mid September the Russians had reached the Dniepr and by the end of same month were going across it.
Are we simply being too focused in one German success, while forgetting about the big picture? Was this a Lost Victory, not because Hitler decided not to pursue it, as V.Manstein says, but because what was happening around it was so momentous that this Lost Victory simply was of not as much consequence as some may have wished? Are we looking too close at a particular tree and forgetting the forest?
I am reminded of von Mellenthin's memories of his feats with Gen. Balck on the attempted relief of Stalingrad. They fought brilliantly, but at the same time were entirely oblivious of the general disaster occuring around them.
Cheers,