In all, Colonel General Hoth’s Army could mount some 925 tanks and 170 assault guns, of which 200 were PzV Panther and 48 Tiger I. It mustered no less than 180 tanks, including eighty brand new PzV Panthers, commanded by an experienced tanker, Colonel Meirad von Lauchert with a strong artillery regiment under its command. Although nominated ‘mounted infantry’, it was virtually the strongest outfitted armored unit that fought at Kursk. In this formation, were two panzer divisions and the elite panzer grenadier division “Gross Deutschland” (greater Germany), one of the strongest formations in the 1943 Wehrmacht. His force was to advance and guard the northeastern flank for the main drive. Operating on its right flank, was Army Detachment Kempf, commanded by General Werner Kempf a seasoned panzer officer. The latter were PzGrenadier units but with armored assault gun battalions. Also included were 2 nd SS Panzer and 3 rd SS Panzer Divisions, the latter infamous due to its insignia, the death Head. The latter was a very strong force, under its command were three elite SS armored formations, 1 st SS Leibstandarte Division, the so-called Hitler’s Body Guard, equipped with 12 Tiger Is, 72 Panzer IVG a number of older types, but with a unit of the latest assault guns, the turretless Sturmgeschütz III, one of the most successful self-propelled guns of the war, mounting the 75mm/L70. which were very effective weapons, due to their low silhouette. His army was to be the armored spearhead for Manstein’s Army Group South, forming the southern pincer, attacking on both sides of Tomarovka, by 48 th Panzer and 2 nd SS Panzer Corps. Hoth’s 4th Panzer Army had been massively reinforced, and contained more tanks than any other German Army of the war – a total of 700, including a strong detachment of PzVI Tigers. Hoth, born 1885 son of an army doctor, fought in WW1 with a distinguished record. The main thrust was to be made by 4 th Panzer Army commanded by General Hermann “Papa” Hoth, one of the top Panzer experts. Subscribe to get the full version of this study and more… German soldiers of SS-Panzer Grenadier Division ‘Das Reich’ advance through the southern Voronezh Front during Battle of Kursk, covered by Panzer VI Tiger I tank.
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