Did the Germans introduce the Panther tank then or before the historical battle?

What happened to the civillians during the famous battle? Did they move out, or stay there.

Thanks!

~Chip :-)

Chip, I am not sure about the Panther but I think most of the civilians were relocated out of the salient. They did, however, dig miles of anti tank ditches before they left. I'll check some references and let you know for sure...

the panther tank was introduced just before the offensive started, early production D model panthers were used, dragon has a nice model it.
most of the vehicles suffered from mechanical problems as the engines and transmissions were unreliable and often caught fire.
many broke down on route to the front.
but the main gun had impressive penatrative performance, and could easily destroy T34s and KV1sv at up to 2000m
some panthers fell into russian hands during the battle but were later abandoned due to mechanical failures

joe

I found a fairly comprehensive Kursk battle website. It has a decent summary of the battle and an OOB for both sides. Can't vouch for the accuracy... http://www.geocities.com/armysappersforward/kursk.htm

Thank you gentlemen! It was helpful.

~Chip