Armor and Blood

The Battle of Kursk: The Turning Point of World War II

By: Dennis E. Showalter

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

While the Battle of Kursk has long captivated World War II aficionados, it has been unjustly overlooked by historians. Drawing on the masses of new information made available by the opening of the Russian military archives, Dennis E. Showalter at last corrects that error. This battle was the critical turning point on World War II's Eastern Front. In the aftermath of the Red Army's brutal repulse of the Germans at Stalingrad, the stakes could not have been higher. More than 3,000,000 men and 8,000 tanks met in the heart of the Soviet Union, some 400 miles south of Moscow, in an encounter that both sides knew would reshape the war.

The adversaries were at the peak of their respective powers. On both sides, the generals and the dictators they served were in agreement on where, why, and how to fight. The result was a furious death grapple between two of history's most formidable fighting forces - a battle that might possibly have been the greatest of all time. In Armor and Blood, Showalter recreates every aspect of this dramatic struggle. He offers expert perspective on strategy and tactics at the highest levels, from the halls of power in Moscow and Berlin to the battlefield command posts on both sides. But it is the author's exploration of the human dimension of armored combat that truly distinguishes this book.

In the classic tradition of John Keegan's The Face of Battle, Showalter's narrative crackles with insight into the unique dynamics of tank warfare - its effect on men's minds as well as their bodies. Scrupulously researched, exhaustively documented, and vividly illustrated, this book is a chilling testament to man's ability to build and to destroy. When the dust settled, the field at Kursk was nothing more than a wasteland of steel carcasses, dead soldiers, and smoking debris. The Soviet victory ended German hopes of restoring their position on the Eastern Front, and put the Red Army on the road to Berlin. Armor and Blood presents listeners with what will likely be the authoritative study of Kursk for decades to come.

©2013 Dennis Showalter (P)2013 Tantor

Great book, but print a map!

What did you love best about Armor and Blood?

The thorough description of all dimensions of the battle - preparation, people, equipment, tactics, intelligence, air superiority - nothing was left out.

Any additional comments?

Print out a map to follow the action. The book gets very confusing without some idea of the relative position of various landmarks.

Numbers of armies and corpses and names of places.

No technical details, hardly any impressions of the fighting as experienced by the soldiers. Dry textbook

Great history.

I really enjoyed this book. It is straightforward history, without the usual personal vignettes that bog down many modern historical books. The author provided plenty of detail, but not so much that it became a confusing slog. Sure, the unit names and numbers started to run together a bit, but I never lost sight of the big picture. Very good book, and the narrator was fine.

Great Insight

Tremendously insightful to read of Stalin's machinations during the war. Yes he was a monstrous human, but he made some wise decisions in WWII which helped the US immensely. Great read and perspective of the Eastern theater of war.

dense and engaging

having read many WW2 histories, this is exactly the sort of book I look for: thoughtful commentary and engaging narrative

Maybe It wasn't All Tigers Burning

Any additional comments?

Excellent narrator. New archive documents show a different point of view from the past published accounts on the Battle Of Kursk. Very interesting and fast paced.

The title says it all

In combination with "battle of the tanks," one gets a complete picture of this fantasmagorical battle.

Narration is clear and holds one's attention.

Great book

exactly the kind of book you need if you want to know more about the battle of Kursk.

An impressive view on a great battle.

If you could sum up Armor and Blood in three words, what would they be?

A fresh outlook.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to say honestly.

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent narration.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

A must-have for anyone interested in the Kursk operations.

Big Ups to Prof. Showalter and Audible

If you could sum up Armor and Blood in three words, what would they be?

Leibstandarte uber alles!

What did you like best about this story?

Prof. Showalter's account of the Battle of Kursk is military history at its best. He presents a thorough narrative of the respective operational histories of the combatants during this early July, 1943 battle. Also, the author shows his deep understanding of the psyche and motivations of the opposing sides.

Try to imagine: It is dawn on July 8, 1943. You are a 20 year old SS panzergrenadier riding with your squad in the back of a halftrack on your way to try to gain a few more kilometers north towards Oboyan, towards Kursk. As you and your commrades scan the sky for apprtoaching Sturmoviks you get that dreaded feeling once more in your gut about what awaits you in a mere handful of minutes in that clearing up ahead. Belts of buried mines, T-34's buried up to their turrets; manned by condemned crews sealed inside who know they must fight to the end and probably already consider themselves dead, batteries of camoflaged 76 mm "Rach Bum's" zeroed in on the treeline your APC is about to emerge from...... What an absolutely surreal, incredible (insert any superlaive you deem appropriate), situation. The Battle of Kursk is one of those human events that can only be understood by the participants themselves. Prof. Showalter understands and respects this unalterable truth and it shows in his writing.

Armor and Blood underlines the fact that Kursk was a bloody, mechanized maelstrom unlike any battle before or since. Nothing on the Western Front even came remotely close to Kursk in sheer weight of men, materiel and utter bowel loosening terror.

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A understated yet authoritative narration that provided a sense of solemnity to the author's work. Mr. Dean was a good choice for this book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The part describing the situation facing IISS Panzer Korps on the morning of the battle at Prokhorovka. It is hard to relate in words, but Prof. Showalter's writing about those few hours transported my mind so that I felt I was standing on a tall scaffolding just behind the mass of men watching and hearing this incredible human drama unfold before me. I was spellbound. As I type these words I remember the feeling I had listening to that part. That, my friends, is what a exceptional audio book can do.

Any additional comments?

Kudos to Audible for providing this book for us listeners. Less drivel about yet another shirtless, pouting, Highland bif romance and more quality writing about things / events that actually matter is always the right way to go.