So stupendous was the clash of armies around the Soviet city of Kursk in July 1943 that until recently historians focused almost exclusively on the actions of the famous Panzer groups and Red Guard units-German and Soviet tanks, artillery, and infantry-that fought the exhausting, weeks-long battle. But at the end of the first day of combat-July 5-Soviet premier Josef Stalin was focused on another contest that he knew would affect the outcome of the battle for Kursk. He called on one of his commanders, Konstantin Rokossovsky, for an account of the day's action, but before Rokossovsky concluded his report, Stalin interrupted: "Do we have control of the air, or not?" Rokossovsky could only promise that tomorrow they would.
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