Quote Originally Posted by Mister D View Post
It was an inexcusable waste of equipment that would have been much better deployed on the defensive. The Germans managed to inflict significantly greater casualties than they took at Kursk but they simply did not have the resources that the Russians possessed. Any chance for a knockout was long gone so, IMO, this was a disastrous campaign that spelled doom from the get go.

I don't think Hitler wanted anything more than Russian territory for "living space". Had that been obtained I think the war would have been over.
Lebensraum on that fertile bread basket of the Ukraine. I think he wanted Germany to produce most of its own grains so it could be self sufficient.