July 1943

U.S. Marine Raiders and a U.S. Army infantry battalion have landed in northern New Georgia in order to cut off the Japanese defending an airfield at Munda from resuply, reinforcement, and retreat.

In July 1943 the German Army launched what proved to be its last great offensive on the Eastern Front against the Kursk salient. Kursk: The Greatest Tank Battle Ever Fought 1943 is a comprehensive account of the last time that Germany held the strategic initiative in the war against the Soviet Union, which, once lost, would lead to the inevitable destruction of the Nazi state by the vengeful Red Army. The book begins with a study of the background to the battle and a description of the events on the Eastern Front before the opening of the offensive, including the decisive battle for Stallngrad that had finished only a few months beforehand. The strategic importance of the Kursk salient is considered, as are the factors that caused the Germans to delay their offensive, even when the element of surprise had been lost. The extensive Soviet defensive preparations are covered in depth, as are the strength of both sides and the new equipment, such as the Panther tank that the Germans were using for the first time. Kursk: The Greatest Tank Battle Ever Fought 1943 shows how a bitter struggle developed between the Soviet and German forces, which sucked in huge numbers of tanks and men into a small area, so that it became the greatest armoured battle of the war. The Red Army of 1943 was very different from the force that reeled before the German onslaught in 1941, and its new found professionalism wore down the attackers until all their momentum was lost. The final chapter discusses the full implications of the battle for the Germans and for the Russians. The book's authoritative text is complemented with detailed maps that explain the troop movements that took place during the battle. The book also includes appendices with information on orders of battle, losses and equipment.

Despatches in this volume include that on the Conquest of Sicily from 10 July 1942 to 17 August 1943 by Field-Marshall Viscount Alexander of Tunis; the despatch on the invasion of Sicily in July 1943…

One didn't dare to inhale for fear of breathing it in. It was the sound of eighteen hundred airplanes approaching Hamburg from the south at an unimaginable height. We had already experienced two hundred or even more air raids, among them some very heavy ones, but this was something completely new. And yet there was an immediate recognition: this was what everyone had been waiting for, what had hung for months like a shadow over everything we did, making us weary. It was the end.