Waffen-SS losses

Controversy has surrounded German tank losses in this crucial battle, with Rotmistrov and other Soviet histories claiming the Waffen-SS lost more than 300 tanks, including 70 Tigers, during the action in front of Prokhorovka on 12 July. German records, however, paint a different picture. The Germans admitted to losing 70 to 80 tanks on that day, the majority of which were from the Totenkopf Division. The Das Reich's mechanics had already repaired scores of tanks damaged earlier in the offensive, so that on the morning of 13 July they actually had more tanks available than on the day before; while the Leibstandarte Division was only some 17 tanks down on the previous day's total.

When Hausser saw the tank kill claims coming from the battlefield, he could scarcely believe his eyes. The Leibstandarte Division alone claimed 192 Soviet tanks destroyed. The Waffen-SS general thought this was scarcely credible until he visited the battlefield and walked around the hulks, numbering them with chalk to confirm the kills. Rotmistrov's own admissions of his tank losses tally in many ways with German figures, indicating that his tank charge, when considered on its own, might be classed as one of the most disastrous actions in military history.

Citadel is abandoned

On 13 July, Hitler summoned his Eastern Front commanders to his East Prussian headquarters to issue new orders. Three days before, British and American troops had landed in Sicily, and the Ninth Army on the northern shoulder of the Kursk salient had been hit by a massive Soviet offensive that sent it reeling backwards in confusion. Hitler wanted to strip the Eastern Front of troops to shore up the Mediterranean. The Battle of Kursk was over

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