It was therefore decided to try and sever the lines at the base of the salient with a pincer movement. If the salient could be cut off from the rest of the Russian frontline, however, the troops inside would be quickly forced to surrender, much like the German 6 th Army at Stalingrad. The bulge in their lines required more troops to secure while also making it harder to traverse and communicate across the front. Pushing deep into their lines the Kursk salient was both an opportunity and a hindrance for the German forces. They soon set their sights on a bulge in the Eastern Front around the city of Kursk.
At Hitler’s insistence German High Command searched for an offensive that would regain the initiative and momentum in the east. Hitler, however, was still convinced that an iron will to win would defeat the supposedly weak Slavs and refused any backward step. In the face of a much larger and fresher Russian force many of the senior German military staff advocated a withdrawal to a more favourable position around the Ukraine and the adoption of a defensive posture in the region. Russian anti-tank rifle in use during fighting
Furthermore, the allies had been closing the gap in technological development. While the Germans had begun the war with undoubtedly the best army, three years of fighting had worn away a great part of their veteran fighting force.
A brief lull in fighting followed, allowing the armies to take stock of the new frontline and their current situation. The advance was finally halted at the city of Kharkov after Field Marshal Eric von Manstein launched a counter-offensive against the Soviet Army’s overextended lines.
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