MAJOR #KURSK ARTICLE/ARCHIVAL DISCOVERY! 20.7.43 & 1.8.43 II SS Panzer Korps armoured inventories reveal actual number of SS AFV lost during Operation #Citadel (41AFV+ PzI, 7.5% of 547 AFV) & the battle of #Prokhorovka (Max 16AFV 3.1% of 522 AFV) #SWW #WW2 doi.org/10.1080/161612… 
Soviet/Western Cold War era sources claimed II SS Panzer Korps lost between 300 AFV (57.5%) & 400 AFV (76.6%) during the battle of Prokhorovka. The commander of 5th GTA General Rotmistrov claimed the latter. Even in 2020 there were claims II SS Panzer Korps lost 75% of its AFV.
What the historiography of Citadel/Prokhorovka always lacked was a single stand-alone post-Prokhorovka (12.7.43) & post-Operation Citadel (5-16.7.43) II SS Pz Korps AFV inventory which could simply be compared with the pre-Operation Citadel & 10.7.43 II SS Pz Korps AFV inventory.
On 12.7.93 (50th anniversary of battle of Prokhorovka) Karl-Heinz Frieser gave a lecture in Moscow. He shocked the audience by declaring the records (unreliable AGS daily pz loss reports) state a maximum of 33 SS AFV were lost during Operation Citadel - only 3 at Prokhorovka.
In 2000 Zetterling and Frankson highlight a report sent to Fritz Darges (Hitler’s SS adjutant at FHQ) which stated the II SS Panzer Korps lost 38 AFV during Operation Citadel. Again although clearly in the correct ‘ball park’ the figures supplied to Darges were inaccurate.
In 2007 Frieser’s findings were updated by Alexander Tomzov who brought attention to the II SS Panzer Korps engineer’s loss report (44 AFV). This report has proven to be largely accurate in terms of LSSAH & DR armoured losses, but inaccurate regarding SS-T losses & DR T-34 losses
What was required to categorically dispel the historical inaccuracies on both sides was the SS ten-day armoured status reports for 20.7.43 (4 days after the end of Citadel - 8 days after the battle of Prokhorovka) & 1.8.43. For corroboration both were required. We now have these.
This discovery has a profound effect on the historiography of the battle of Prokhorovka (12.7.43) as it proves the II SS Panzer Korps suffered a maximum of 16 AFV losses between 11-20.7.43. Indeed, Totenkopf lost no panzers or assault guns during this period.
Even if the report is read in isolation, the document proves that on 20.7.43 the II SS Pz Korps possessed at least 351 (88%) of its original 399 pre-Operation Citadel complement of Pz. As the LSSAH & II SS Pz Korps HQ retained a further 18 Pz in reality 369 (92.5%) pz survived.
The 20.7.43 & 1.8.43 SS inventories are of equivalent importance to the Red Army’s 17.7.43 5th GTA’s loss report. At Prokhorovka on 12.7.43 the Soviets lost 192 tanks and assault guns as total write-offs, rising to 235 AFV by 17.7.43 chiefly as a result of post-battle destruction
However, the Red Army could still justifiably claim to have emerged victorious at Prokhorovka. It had halted the II SS Pz Korps advance and erected an almost impenetrable anti-tank screen around Prokhorovka. By 17.7.43 the 5 GTA was still capable of fielding 444 operational AFV.
Only the soldiers of the Red Army deserve our continuing respect at Prokhorovka.
Taken together the information gained enabled a new and detailed examination of Hitler’s strategy preceding the defence of Kharkov (3-23.8.43), including his decision to send the II SS Panzer Korps to the Mius Front (30.7–2.8.43).
This new article forms the final part of a trilogy on the subject. In recognition of this all three articles have been granted free access for a limited time. doi.org/10.1080/161612…
The first article ‘A Visual Examination of the battle of Prokhorovka’ gave a detailed description of the battle by presenting both original and freshly analysed Luftwaffe reconnaissance images of the battlefield when it was still in German hands (16.7.43) doi.org/10.1080/161612…
The second article ‘Surviving Prokhorovka: German Armoured longevity on the Eastern Front 1943–1944ʹ highlighted the fact that the majority of the German armour present with the main participants survived and could be traced into the winter of 1943/44 doi.org/10.1080/161612…
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