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

The Forgotten Battle of Kursk

What made the experience of listening to Armor and Blood the most enjoyable?

The narration

What was one of the most memorable moments of Armor and Blood?

Learning how over 12 million men and 9 thousand tanks actually engaged in a hell on earth

Have you listened to any of Robertson Dean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but I would..yes

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Forgotten Kursk Dante's Inferno

Any additional comments?

A must read for all WWII interests.

non biased account with both German and Soviet

Contains both German and Soviet views. Good account on Prokarovka but takes a while to get there. Actually probably one of the better books on this battle.

great read

war is not black or white its more complex then good or evil, right or wrong. kursk showed what world mechanized warfare looks like and can be found today on the battlefield I found this to be great book would recommend this to anyone I mean anyone

Lost for the trees

As a history buff, especially WWII, I am familiar with the Battle of Kursk. My recollection is that it was one of the, if not the, most horrific tank battles of WWII. I idd not even come close to that conclusion from this book. The author does a magnificant job of explaining the battle orders, what units were involved, how they moved, what they did but in the end, after all this detail, it is hard to grasp the significance of it all. The "seminal" battle gets lost in detail. I asked myself: is this the battle I read about where tanks were muzzle to muzzle and blasting each other at point- blank range? This is a book that should be read with a detailed map of the area, a plastic overlay and a grease pencil so the reader can plot all the units movements and see what it all means. I read this book while driving. At times I turned it off in mid sentence and it made no difference because the tale did not flow. I was listening to words and most often they were interchangable with the words before and after. I couldn't keep up with the individual battles and soon it made no difference. It's like watching a game (football, boxing, basketball, poker, chess, etc) and not knowing the rules and not being able to appreciate the tactics and strategies. People gasp in appreciation and you wonder what was missed. It's a shame given all the research the author has apparently put into this book. What would have made it better? Some sense of what the soldiers went through. More personal recollections, i.e. diary entries, letters home, etc, before, during and after. Some are given but it's more an after thought. Another thing that frustrated me was when a general was described as a staff officer and not a field officer. No description of the difference or how it may have impacted the battle. We know Hitler played a decision making role but his input is merely a passing reference. The best parts for me was the descriptions of how both the Russian and German soldiers were trained. How they felt towards each other and their adversaries. The best part for me was the conclusion...it lasted less than 30 minutes. It helped bring the battle into perspective; something the main test sorely misses.

Rich got ot right

Where does Armor and Blood rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Thanks to Rich for his "spot on" review. Also, his plea for more books like this instead of the drivel I scroll through every day as I look for new titles.

The exact detail I was looking for!

Would you consider the audio edition of Armor and Blood to be better than the print version?

Don't know

What other book might you compare Armor and Blood to and why?

Lost Battles - they reference this in the book, but take the personal side out of it.

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

Great delivery

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no,but i was very interested in understanding the terrain and how the defense lines really were.

Any additional comments?

listen to this!

good research

excellent detail, well done. explains the battle in terms of people, equiptmemt and other. factors.

Read way too fast.

The narrator read so fast that there was no way to keep up with what he was saying. Particularly bad for a book on a military battle. I am going to have to purchase either the kindle or the book and go back and re-read this book in order to fully understand it.

A Gettysburg writ large.

The historiography of the Soviet-German War, 1941-45, much like that of the American Civil War, 1861-65, struggles for a consensus on a turning point battle or campaign. I read in Blood And Armor of wars decided by numbers of catastrophic events referred to as "victories" for one side or another. July 13 found the Germans having pushed from the field, but the next found all German formations in mindless states of despair. Similarly, the Soviets. They have, however, resources, art of war, strategy, and effective allies, but this has more or less true since summer 1941. This book makes that all perfectly clear. Further reading: David Glantze on: Barbarosa, Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, and operational art.

Great book

What else do you need to know,, very good Ann well read. If you like details, this is the book