The largest tank battle in the history of mankind occurred from 5 July to 23 August 1943. The battle was the final strategic offensive the Germans were able to mount in the east, and the decisive Soviet victory gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war.

Germans: 2,928 tanks
912,460 men, 9,966 guns and mortars, 2,110 aircraft

Soviets: 7,996 tanks
2,501,779 men, 25,013 guns and mortars, 2,792 aircraft

The Germans hoped to shorten their lines by eliminating the Kursk salient created in the aftermath of their defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad. They envisioned pincers breaking through its northern and southern flanks to achieve a great encirclement of Red Army forces. The Soviets, however, had intelligence of the German Army's intentions, provided in part by the British. This and German delays to wait for new weapons, mainly the Tiger heavy tank and the first significant battlefield appearance of the new Panther medium tank, gave the Red Army time to construct a series of defense lines and gather large reserve forces for a strategic counterattack.

Advised months in advance that the attack would fall on the neck of the Kursk salient, the Soviets designed a plan to slow, redirect, exhaust, and progressively wear down the powerful German panzer spearheads by forcing them to attack through a vast interconnected web of minefields, pre-sighted artillery fire zones, and concealed anti-tank strong points comprising eight progressively spaced defense lines 250 km deep.

The preparation of the battlefield by Red Army military engineers was thorough. Reports indicate 503,993 anti-tank mines and 439,348 anti-personnel mines were laid. On average, 1,500 anti-tank and 1,700 anti-personnel mines were laid per kilometer of front. Further supporting the Soviet infantry were 6,000 76.2 mm anti-tank guns which were skillfully camouflaged. Gunners were instructed to concentrate their fire on the more vulnerable Panzer IV tanks, which formed a majority of the Panzer division strength.





The Battlefield: The Battle of Kursk (2008)

This episode is from the landmark television series Battlefield. Featuring fascinating archive footage from all over the world, the program includes a review of the political and military situation before the battle, portraits of leaders and commanders, an explanation of weapons and tactics, and the story of the battle itself. Vivid graphics place the battle into the context of the war as a whole.





Blood, Steel, and Myth: The II.SS-Panzer-Korps and the Road to Prochorowka

Author - George Nipe Jr.

The book covers in detail the daily progress of Operation Citadel. The author sets the record straight with all the conviction of an Eastern Front historian. With meticulous attention to detail the author illustrates the unfavorable circumstances and erroneous command decisions which doomed Germany's last major offensive in Russia irrevocably to failure.

Germany produced 49,777 tanks during the World War II time period of which 6,557 were Panthers.

The United States produced 88,816 tanks during the World War II time period of which 48,966 were M4 Sherman variants.

The Soviet Union produced 83,683 tanks during the World War II time period of which 57,339 were T34 variants.


Panther production started in 1943. There were already 14,914 of numerous other variants of German tanks fielded through 1942.


Panther production
1,849 in 1943
4,003 in 1944
705 in 1945
For a total of 6,557 Panther tanks.

Panzer IV production
3,822 in 1943
6,625 in 1944
1,090 in 1945
A total of 13,522 Panzer IV tanks.

Panzer III production
3,379 in 1943
4,752 in 1944
1,136 in 1945
A total of 15,747 Panzer III tanks.


If all the production would have been retooled to Panther tanks and the same number of tanks were produced:
11,601 in 1943 (numbers of total tanks per year from the source)
18,956 in 1944
4,406 in 1945
For a notional total of 34,963 Panther tanks for the last three years of the war.


Sources:
German armored fighting vehicle production during World War II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_a ... ction_during_World_War_II

American armored fighting vehicle production during World War II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American ... ction_during_World_War_II

Soviet combat vehicle production during World War II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_c ... ction_during_World_War_II

Germany produced 49,777 tanks during the World War II time period
The United States produced 88,816 tanks
The Soviet Union produced 83,683 tanks

New minister of Armaments and War Production in FEB 1942.
Civilian vehicle production was not set aside till 1943.
End of war 8 MAY 1945.

Panzer II production
803 in 1943
151 in 1944
A total of 954 Panzer II tanks. (2%)

P38t production
1,008 in 1943
2,356 in 1944
1,335 in 1945 [4,005]
A total of 4,699 P38t tanks. (11%)

Panzer III production
3,379 in 1943
4,752 in 1944
1,136 in 1945 [3,408]
A total of 15,747 Panzer III tanks. (37%)

Panzer IV production
3,822 in 1943
6,625 in 1944
1,090 in 1945 [3,270]
A total of 13,522 Panzer IV tanks. (31%)

Panther production
1,849 in 1943
4,003 in 1944
705 in 1945 [2,115]
A total of 6,557 Panther tanks. (15%)

Tiger production
649 in 1943
641 in 1944
A total of 1,290 Tiger tanks. (3%)

King Tiger production
1 in 1943
428 in 1944
140 in 1945 [420]
A total of 569 King Tiger tanks. (1%)

43,338 Total
[13,218 additional tanks] if production would have continued for the remainder of 1945