On 6 July 1943, we estimate that the Das Reich SS Division lost 30 tanks damaged and destroyed. We have them starting the battle on the evening of 4 July with the following:
Pz I Command:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1
Pz II:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0 (and 1 in repair)
Pz III short (Command):Â Â 8
Pz III short:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1
Pz III long:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 52 (and 11 in repair)
Pz III Observation:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9 (not counted)
Pz III Command:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1
Pz IV long:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30 (and 2 in repair)
Pz VI:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12 (and 2 in repair)
StuG III:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 33
Marder II:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2 (and one in repair)
Marder III 76.2mm:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8
T-34:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18 (and 9 in repair)
Total                              166 (and 26 in repair)
This is from the Kursk Data Base (KDB).
Tank status report for 5 July from 4th PzA files (T313, R366, page 2209), no time given. It records:
Pz III short: 1
Pz III long: 45
Pz IV: 27
Pz VI: 12
Command: Not reported
StuG: 32
This file was not used. There are some errors in other parts of this report. The file we did use was 5.7.43 19:40 hours from the army files (T313, R368. page 4282), which states:
Pz III short: 1
Pz III long: 52
Pz IV long: 27
Pz VI: 11
T-34: 16
Command: 8
StuG: 21
It took me a while to find all these files, which is why this blog post was so late today.
The next report from Das Reich is at 0235 on 7 July. Not sure why the delay, as the other division’s in the corps were submitting daily reports. They report:
Pz III short: 1
Pz III long: 47
Pz IV: 16
Pz VI: 7
Command: 6
StuG: 14
Total losses: 1 Pz IV.
We assume that this report at 0235 on 7 July is the end of the day report for July 6. That gives us a count of at least 47-48 tanks lost since the start of the offensive. One will note that they claim only one tank completely lost, yet there are six tanks listed destroyed in the gully SSW of Luchki. Is this an indication that they may have been lost on subsequent days and towed there?
The Kursk Data Base records 19 tanks damaged/destroyed on the 5th and 30 tanks damaged/destroyed in the 6th. These counts include T-34 losses. On the 6th this includes 2 Pz III short (Command), 5 Pz III longs, 11 Pz IV longs (one listed as destroyed), 4 Pz VIs, 7 StuG IIIs, and 1 T-34.
The status report for 7 July is probably in the message of 8 July dated at 0830, which list tank status from 6.7.43. This could be a 7 July report and was used as such in the Kursk Data Base. It is from 4th Panzer Army files (T313, R366, page 2251):
Pz III: 43
Pz IV: 25
Pz VI: 6
Command tank: 7
T-34: 14
Stug: 7 (!)
Status report for 8 July (from 4th Panzer Army files, T313, R366, page 2247):
Pz III long: 31
Pz IV long: 14
Pz VI: 0Â (hard to read)
Command Tank: 7
T-34: 12
StuG: 21
Report does have a handwritten figure of 45 next to it (31+14 = 45)
The next report of tank status we have for Das Reich is for 9 July. They report:
                           Division      Corps (1830)    Corps (1905)  4th PzA Report (2300)
Pz III short:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0
Pz III long:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 31Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 33Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 31Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 38 (31)
Pz IV:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 15Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 13
 Pz VI:                  1                    1                      1                     1
Command tank:Â Â Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â (7)
T-34:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7
Stug:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 26Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 26Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 26Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 26
For the Kursk Data Base, these were the nuts and bolt calculations we did for all nine German panzer and panzer grenadier divisions for all 15 days of the operation. We also did the same for all 10 Soviet tank and mechanized corps. While we may have made a error here and there on a given day, we did try to count and track tank strengths and losses for every single day, even when the records were not cooperating. I believe the KDB is the most accurate accounting of tank losses at the Battle of Kursk.
Anyhow, this is related to this previous post, as I am still trying to sort out what might of occurred near the village of Luchki on 6 July, 1943:
With six tanks reported destroyed to the SSW of Luchki, perhaps all on 6 July, and the Das Reich SS Division losing around 30 tanks on 6 July, there may have been a major fight there that is not otherwise documented.
“I believe the KDB is the most accurate accounting of tank losses at the Battle of Kursk.”
Compared to what (other database)?
Well, there are no other databases. Ours is the only effort I am aware of that systematically looked at the changes in the ready-for-action tank strengths for each unit for each day.