How do you believe a mobile defense would have done instead of the static defense? As was shown the Russians where susceptible to mobile counterattacks even with a vast superiority of men and tanks. Such as Mansteins counterattack against the Russain assault at the beginning of 1943. The division ratio was, I believe something like 8:1. Yet the Germans destroyed almost 700 tanks and captured 1,000 guns. Is it possible had they been allowed to give ground that the German forces could have withdrawn and counterattack to bleed the Russian forces white? Would this have changed the outcome or just delayed it?