What is the reason for the delay of the attack?

The most important factor is the shortage of tanks, especially heavy tanks. Although the Germans were at a disadvantage in the number of tanks in the early days of the invasion of the Soviet Union, they could still defeat the Soviet Union with excellent crew and new tanks. However, with the development of the war situation, new changes have taken place: 194 1 at the end of the year, the Soviet army developed a new type of T-34 tank, which was superior to the German tanks in firepower, protection and power. Germany's demand for new tanks is imminent.

To this end, the Germans also developed new types of leopard tanks and tiger tanks. Among them, Tiger tank is a heavy armored tank with 88 mm anti-tank gun, which is deeply loved by Hitler. Hitler even thought that a tiger tank battalion was equivalent to the fighting capacity of a tank division, so he insisted on waiting until there were enough tanks before launching an attack. However, at this time, the monthly output of Tiger and Leopard tanks is only 25.

This embarrassment was quickly improved. 1943 In February, General guderian, the "father of German armored forces", became the director of German armored forces, shouldering the task of rebuilding the armored forces. In addition, Hubeia took over as Minister of Munitions, unifying and strengthening German munitions production. Thanks to the continuous efforts of these two men, the German armored forces gradually recovered their vitality.

1943 In May, 250,000 Axis troops in North Africa surrendered to the Anglo-American Coalition forces, which was undoubtedly another heavy blow to Hitler. Moreover, after clearing the obstacles in Africa, the Anglo-American Coalition forces are likely to attack Italy in the near future, which is also a potential threat. On the eastern front, more and more information shows that the Soviet army has strengthened its troops in Kursk. The longer the German attack was delayed, the stronger the Soviet fortifications became. Moreover, at this time, the Soviet Union was producing T-34 tanks at a rate of nearly 1,000 vehicles per month. Modeller, commander of the 9th Corps, the main attack of the German army in the north, had to ask for more troops in the face of the increasingly powerful Soviet army.

All these factors made Hitler postpone the launch date of the attack again and again. It was not until the beginning of July that the Germans completed their preparations for the attack, and the time originally planned by manstein had long gone.