introduction

"III. Pz Korps at Kursk", by the author Didier Lodieu is a useful item to have. The author spent ten years research time to bring this to print. The book, published in 2007 by Histoire & Collections of France, has a large array publications from books to magazines. The large size of the book at 12 1/2 in x 9 in, gives plenty of room for maps, color drawings and 282 photo's. The 144 pages are on quality paper and most photos are clear with no distortion. The book is hard cover, but the binding is weak, which caused me to scan only photos from the outside half of each page to lessen strain on the binding.

book contents

The book is divided into the following sections.

Role of III. Pz. Korps within the army group south
The first day July 5th 1943
The second day July 6 1943
The third day July 7 1943
The fourth day July 8 1943
The fifth day July 9 1943
The sixth day July 10 1943
The seventh day July 11 1943
The eighth day July 12 1943
How operations developed after Citadel

Review

The photos and color drawings are in general very good, only a few pictures are out of focus, and cover both German & Russian equipment with the majority being German of course. The book gives a detailed roster of German forces in III. Pz Korps which, of course, were only a part of the Kursk offensive but is the focus of this book. The use of infantry and pioneers was crucial to the offensive and it's also noted that to strengthen the panzers a platoon of Tiger tanks from sPz Abt 503 was added to 6th, 7th and 19th Pz division. Each day's action is chronicled by the author but there is no map each day to show direction of the battle.

conclusion

I commend the author for his work on this book and the ebb and flow of the battle is evident in the chronicle of events. The III. Pz Korps use of all assets was masterful and the photos show a wide variety of equipment and is a useful resource to the modeler. The book added to my knowledge of the battle of Kursk, however some sections were not translated from the original French, limiting the usefulness in that regard.