This fully illustrated book explains the composition and qualities of the Soviet tank forces that confronted the powerful German panzers in the largest tank battle in history. In the summer of 1943, Hitler's army had reconstituted its panzer forces after the defeat at Stalingrad and the retreat from the Caucasus. New types, such as the Panther, Tiger, and Elefant, offered technical superiority to the tactical superiority maintained by the panzer units. The plan included launching offensive operations with attacks from the north and south to encircle the Soviet forces in the Kursk salient. In the book, Soviet military expert William E. Hiestand explores the tanks that faced this panzer force, in the largest tank battle of the Second World War. The Soviets had benefited from their productive capacities, but the tanks at Kursk presented great variety. Even with a shortage of tanks, the Soviets used the weak T-60 and T-70, along with the increasingly outdated KV-1. Significant numbers of Lend-Lease tanks participated in the battle, such as the M3 Lees, Valentines, Stuarts, Churchills, and the first Shermans that joined the Red Army. The Soviets also benefited from the artillery of the first generation of Soviet self-propelled guns – the SU-76, SU-122, and SU-152. With carefully researched tank illustrations and rare ancient photographs, this is a comprehensive literary account of the Soviet tank forces in the climactic confrontation on the Eastern Front.