Kursk and the Soviet advance to the Black Sea coast

Before Kursk, the Red Army concentrated immense quantities of equipment by rail where German forces had chosen to attack its strongest defenses. Hitler then called off Operation Citadel, with Allied success in the Mediterranean helping to hasten the decision. The reading distinguishes Stalingrad as a psychological turning point from Kursk as the military point after which Soviet forces drove westward. Its campaign summary reaches the maritime flank at Mariupol, Novorossiysk, the Taman Peninsula, and the approaches to Crimea, showing how the land offensive altered control around the Sea of Azov and Black Sea coast.