From 1939 to 1942, Hitler’s German war machine strung together a nearly undefeated campaign throughout Europe. In the time period between 1942 and 1945, the world witnessed some of the bloodiest and deadliest war campaigns in history.
The Battle of Kursk proved to be one of the bloodiest battles in human history. Combined, the total battle featured over 2,000,000 soldiers and an unprecedented 6,000 tanks. The staggering amount of tanks used in this battle had never been seen in combat up until this point in World History.
Despite the massive Russian casualties, the battle was a decisive victory for the Russians. Thanks to the more mobile Russian T-34 tanks, the German army suffered a catastrophic loss both physically and mentally following the battle. This would be the last major German offensive of the Eastern Front in World War II.
Although it is difficult to predict theoretical outcomes of historical events, one could argue that if the Germans had won this battle, they very well could have won the war. A Russian loss would have surrendered the oil-rich Caucasus to the Germans. With an added level of fuel, the German army could have possibly won World War II.