The Wehrmacht prepares for 'Zitadelle'

6th June 1943: Hitler delays launching his 1943 campaign while he awaits new tanks and tank destroyers

A newly built Tiger I heavy tank being loaded onto a rail car at the Henschel factory in Kassel, Germany, 1942-1944. Hitler waited for more to be built before launching his last offensive.

A German tank commander surveying the field atop his Tiger I heavy tank, Russia, March 1943.

Hitler was preparing for his summer offensive in the East. In June 1941 he had launched the invasion of Russia - Operation Barbarossa - and in June 1942 he had launched ‘Fall Blau’ striking out to the southeast. Both had benefited from surprise and shock - and had clear objectives.

The plan to attack the Red Army’s lines bulging into the German positions in the centre of Russia - the Kursk salient - had been in preparation since March 1943.

But this time the assault would be no surprise to Stalin. Intelligence passed by the British, confirmed by his own spies and aerial reconnaissance, clearly indicated where the 1943 campaign would begin. The Red Army was busy digging thousands of miles of trenches and building hundreds of miles of new highways to support them - a vast area around Kursk was being prepared for battle.