After the Donets Campaign – known as the Third Battle of Kharkov

Adolf Hitler with Joseph Goebbels on the terrace of the Berghof in 1943

Pz.Kpfw. Tiger n°832 of SS-Pz.Gren.Div. Das Reich

Pz.Kpfw. Tiger n°911 of SS-Pz.Gren.Div. Totenkopf

Pz.Bef.Wg. III n°556 of SS-Pz.Gren.Div. Leibstandarte SS

After the fall of Kharkov the Soviet defense of the Donets had collapsed, but a combination of mud and exhaustion brought military operations to a halt on the Eastern Front in mid-March 1943. The successful counterattack on Kharkov had cemented Feldmarschall Erich von Manstein's reputation and that of the Waffen-SS. Both sides now needed to reorganize and re-equip for forthcoming campaign season, despite von Manstein's ambitions to also attack the Kursk salient which had been created as a result of the recapture of Kharkov and Belgorod. Following the German victory at Kharkov, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler became convinced that he needed a significant operational victory in the East in 1943 in order to retain the strategic initiative. He was presented with two options. The first, known as the backhand method was to wait for the inevitable renewal of the Soviet offensive and conduct another operation similar to that of Kharkov - allowing the Red Army to take ground, extend itself and then counterattack and surround it. The second, or the forehand method, encompassed a major German offensive by Heeresgruppe Süd and Mitte against the protruding Kursk salient. Ultimately, Hitler chose the forehand method, which led to the Battle of Kursk. Between April and July 1943, the Red Army took its time to rebuild its forces in the area and prepare for the German offensive. Credit: Wikipedia inter alia. Top image: Adolf Hitler with Reichsminister Dr. Joseph Goebbels on the terrace of Berghof in Berchtesgaden in 1943. Photo by film producer Oberleutnant Walter Frentz. Frentz would stay with Hitler in the Führerbunker until April 24 1945. He died on July 6 2004 aged 96 in Überlingen. Credit: Pavel Golovkin. FU. Second image: Tiger n°832 of SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich in the outskirts of Kharkov in early spring of 1943. The 88mm gun has its travel cover on and the turret is reversed. Commons: Bundesarchiv. Third image: a newly-arrived Tiger of SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf required for the upcoming offensive at Kursk. This is the Tiger of company commander SS-Untersturmführer Walter Köhler. The photo was taken after its arrival in Budy southwest of Kharkov in May 1943. The tank still needs markings and camouflage paint; it would become Tiger n°911. Köhler himself was killed in it on July 12 1943 near Kljutschi at the south bank of the Psel during the Battle of Kursk. Commons: Bundesarchiv. Bottom image: Panzerbefehlswagen III n°556 of SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 of SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Leibstandarte SS. The photo is said to show Panzer commander Rudolf von Ribbentrop near Belgorod in late spring of 1943. Photo by photographer Franz Grasser. Grasser is reported to have died on November 13 1944 aged 32 in Russian captivity in Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. Commons: Bundesarchiv.