The epic battles fought at Stalingrad and Kursk were pivotal events in the war on the Eastern Front. After the catastrophic failure of the German offensives of 1942 and 1943, the Wehrmacht was forced onto the defensive. Never again would it regain the initiative against the seemingly inexhaustible forces of the Red Army. But how did this decisive shift in the balance of military power on the Eastern Front come about? This question has intrigued historians ever since. In this original and thought-provoking new study Geoffrey Jukes reconstructs Soviet strategy and operations at Stalingrad and Kursk in vivid detail. He looks behind the scenes at the workings of the Soviet high command, at the roles played by the principal Red Army generals, and at the overriding influence of Stalin himself. There is an equally acute insight into German war aims and military planning as Hitler's armies geared themselves up to launch a sequence of massive offensives that would have a decisive impact on the outcome of the war. This authoritative and highly readable reassessment of the turning point in the war on the Eastern Front is a major contribution to the debate about the reasons for the military defeat of Nazi Germany.