Tigers and Panthers in the Battle of Kursk

The dedicated German tanks “Tigers” and “Panthers” were designed to become the Wunderwaffe, which would turn the course of the war in favor of the Third Reich. Although the heavy PZ.VI Tiger accepted combat baptism on the Eastern Front in September 1942 near Leningrad, the Germans had to wait for their massive use until the next summer. In the Operation Citadel, about one and a half hundred Tigers were first involved, which amounted to only 7.5% of the total number of German tanks on the Kursk arc, but the effect made by the new “pantians” was so great that the command of the Red Army was forced Take special measures to combat the Tigro -Bond. On the contrary, Panther"s debut in the Battle of Kursk was depressing: in a month of 212 battles, 156 were irrevocably lost, that is, three quarters! Unlike the “tigers”, the Soviet troops found the Panthers a much less dangerous enemy, very vulnerable in the lateral projection-not only 76-mm guns, but even “forty-firmly” pierced their side armor. “Panther type tanks did not justify hopes that were assigned to them: they could easily be set fire to them, and the crews did not have sufficient preparation ...”, “von Strakhvitz used“ panthers ”as an idiot ...”, this was what Pz.V Panther"s debut was evaluated .
What posed the greatest threat to tigers - Soviet tanks, artillery or minefields? Who is to blame for the fact that the Panther"s debut failed - their commanders who allowed