Losses suffered by the Panzer-Divisions during die very long campaign during the lasl part of 1943 and the turn of 1944 were ery high, higher in fact than during Operation 'Citadel'. Retreating from Russia, the Panzer-Divisions lost not only those vehicles totally written off in combat, but also most of the damaged ones that could not be retrieved and repaired as the battlefield belonged to the enemy. On the Italian Front, the controlled withdrawal situation made recovery easier than on the Eastern Front as massive Soviet attacks often resulted in German positions being overrun.