What caused the battle of kursk?

Answer 1

The Battle of Kursk, a series of engagements in July and August 1943, included the largest tank battle and the bloodiest day of air combat in history. It was the final German strategic offensive on the Eastern Front, and marked the point where the Soviets were able to go on the attack for the rest of the war.

Following the victory at Stalingrad, the Soviet lines contained what is called a "salient", or a bulge, around Kursk. The Kursk area jutted into German lines, making them longer and presenting the possibility of Soviet pincer attacks. The Germans decided to eliminate the salient, which would shorten the line, and protect against having large units encircled and destroyed. The salient also presented an opportunity to trap the powerful Soviet Voronezh and Central Fronts, wiping out around 15% of total Soviet manpower.

In the end, the Soviets had good intelligence on the German plan, and were able to use the long delays while the German forces got ready (particularly while waiting for the new Tiger tank to arrive), to build some of the most extensive fortifications ever constructed, which were able to destroy the massive German assault. (German Blitzkrieg relied heavily on the element of surprise; when the Soviets knew where the attack was coming, it was easy to place enough anti-tank guns to decimate approaching tanks.)