Stalinist first strike: Leningrad-Novgorod strategic operation
prehistory
When planning military operations for the winter campaign of 1944, the Soviet high command planned to launch offensive operations from Leningrad to the Black Sea, focusing mainly on the flanks of the Soviet-German front. In the south, liberate the Right-Bank Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula, go here in spring to the USSR state border. In the northern strategic direction, crush Army Group North, completely lift the blockade from Leningrad and go to the Baltic States.
Sovetskaya Stavka was planning powerful sequential operations — strategic strikes. They will enter history as "ten Stalinist blows". To break through the enemy front in the direction of the strike, powerful groups of troops were created, stronger than those of the Germans. The groupings were shock due to the concentration of armored, artillery and aviation connections. Large masses of reserve troops were also being prepared to create a decisive advantage in the chosen directions and quickly develop the first success. To disperse the enemy's reserves, the operations alternated in time and in distant regions. The enemy transferred forces from one direction to another, including to the distant flanks, and wasted his reserves.
The first such blow was struck in the northern strategic direction. Since at the same time, in January 1944, the Soviet troops were advancing in the area of Kiev, the Red Army’s strike in the north caught the Germans by surprise and did not allow quickly to transfer reserves from the south.
The siege of Leningrad, the second capital of the USSR-Russia, the most important cultural, historical and industrial center of the country, was broken through in January 1943. However, the partial blockade was preserved, the Germans stood at the walls of the city and subjected it to artillery shelling. To do this, the Germans formed two special artillery groups consisting of 75 heavy batteries and 65 light artillery batteries. Here the Red Army was opposed by the 16 and 18 armies from the Army Group North. The Germans occupied positions around Leningrad, the Volkhov River, Lake Ilmen, Staraya Russa, Kholm and Nevel for a long time. They created a powerful, well-prepared in engineering defense. It consisted of a system of strong resistance nodes and strong points that had a fire connection between them. The Germans equipped not only machine-gun bunkers, but also reinforced concrete pillboxes, anti-tank ditches, dolbyb, etc. Wehrmacht had a particularly strong defense south of Pulkovo heights and north of Novgorod. The total depth of the operational defense of the Wehrmacht reached 230 - 260 kilometers. In this case, the offensive was complicated by woodland and marshy and lake terrain. When moving to the west, northwest and south, the Soviet troops needed to overcome many water obstacles. The railways were destroyed, there were few dirt roads and they were in unsatisfactory condition. The thaw that began during the operation also impeded the offensive.
The operation to defeat Army Group Sever, completely eliminate the blockade of Leningrad and free the Leningrad Region from the invaders was to be carried out by the troops of the Leningrad Front (commander of the Army General L.A. Govorov), the Volkhov Front (commander of the Army General K.A. Meretskov), 2 of the Baltic Front (commander of the army general M. M. Popov) in cooperation with the Baltic fleet (Admiral V.F. Tributs) and long-range aviation.
Soviet soldiers raise a red flag over liberated Gatchina, January 26, 1944
Battle
Leningrad front. On January 14, 1944, the 2nd strike army of Fedyuninsky struck from the Oranienbaum bridgehead, and on January 15, from the Pulkovo region, the 42nd Army of Maslennikov. The troops of the Leningrad Front (LF) carried out the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsky operation in order to encircle and defeat the German group (3rd tank SS corps and the 50th Army Corps) in the Peterhof, Krasnoe Selo and Ropsha areas. Subsequently, it was envisaged by the main forces to develop an attack on Kingisepp, and part of the forces on Krasnogvardeysk and MGU. The Germans, relying on strong defense, showed fierce resistance. During the three days of the offensive, Soviet troops advanced no more than 10 km, gnawing through the enemy’s defenses and incurring heavy losses. The mistakes of command and the lack of experience of the troops in breaking through a well-prepared enemy defense affected it.
Only after three days of stubborn fighting, the 2 shock army broke through the enemy’s tactical defenses south of Oranienbaum. In the following days, our troops developed an offensive. The German command threw tactical and then operational reserves to eliminate the breakthrough, but failed to remove the threat of the encirclement of the troops of the 18-th field army. 17 January, the Germans began to withdraw troops from the area of Red Selo.
The Soviet command, in order to develop success, threw into battle the mobile groups of the 2 shock and 42 armies. However, in the 42 Army band, our troops did not complete the breakthrough of the enemy’s tactical defense zone, so the mobile group (two reinforced tank brigades) came under strong mortar and artillery fire and was subjected to counterattacks by German forces. Our troops lost most of the equipment during the day of the fighting - before the 70 tanks and ACS, after which the mobile group of the 42 army was withdrawn from the battle. On January 19, the command of the 42 Army threw in the attack the second echelon of the army (reinforced rifle corps) and again the mobile group. As a result, the defense of the Germans was broken. The Germans began to retreat under the guise of the rearguards.
By January 20, the troops of the 2 shock and the 42 armies united and freed Ropsha and Krasnoe Selo from the enemy. The German units that did not have time to retreat (the Peterhof-Strelninsky group) were destroyed or captured. For years, the siege machinery accumulated in the Leningrad region became Russian trophies. 21 January, the German command began the withdrawal of troops from the Muginsky ledge. Having discovered the retreat of the Hitlerites, the 67 Army of the LF and the 8 Army of the WF launched an offensive and by the evening of January 21 occupied the MGU. Also soon established control over the Kirov railway. But to advance further in this area did not work right away. The Nazis entrenched at the time line and put up strong resistance.
Soviet soldiers fight in the town of Pushkin, January 21 1944
In the current situation, the LF command decided to change the plan for the further operation and abandon the plan for the environment of the enemy's MGinsk group (the Germans had already withdrawn the troops). The main task of the front was the liberation of Krasnogvardeisk. Then it was planned by the forces of the 2 shock and the 42 army to develop an offensive in the direction of Kingisepp and Narva. January 24 Soviet troops occupied the cities of Pushkin and Slutsk, January 26 - Krasnogvardeisk. Parts of the 67 Army captured the 28 in January by the Wyrczea, and in January the 30 of the Siversky. By the end of January, 1944, the main LF forces operating in the Kingisepp sector, advanced 60 – 100 km from Leningrad, reached the line of the r. Meadows, in some areas, overcame it and captured bridgeheads on the other side. Leningrad was completely liberated from the enemy blockade. 27 January 1944 was given a salute in the second capital of the USSR in honor of the valiant Soviet troops who liberated Leningrad from the Nazi blockade.
Volkhov front. Simultaneously with the troops of the Leningrad Front, the troops of the 14 Army of Korovnikov of the Volkhov Front (VF) launched an offensive on 59 in January. The VF troops began the Novgorod-Luga operation with the aim of destroying the Novgorod group of Wehrmacht and liberating Novgorod. Then it was planned, developing success in the western and south-western directions, to liberate the city of Luga and cut off the enemy's troop withdrawal routes to Pskov. The 8-I and 54-I armies of the WF were to divert German forces in the Tosno and Lyuban sectors and prevent their transfer to Novgorod.
Troops of the VF also met with strong resistance from the enemy. In the face of bad weather, aircraft failed to support the advancing troops, and the artillery could not keep sighting fire. A sudden thaw interfered with the movement of the tanks, the ice fields turned into a sea of mud. The main forces of the 59 Army were bogged down in the defense of the enemy. More successfully attacked the auxiliary southern group of troops, forcing Lake Ilmen across the ice. The Soviet troops under the command of General Sviklin, using total darkness and blizzard on the night of January 14, forced a water barrier and a sudden attack captured several enemy strongholds. The commander of the 59 Army Korovnikov brought additional forces into battle on this sector.
On January 16, in the area of Chudovo-Lyuban, units of Roginsky's 54 Army launched an offensive. The army could not penetrate the enemy defenses and advanced slightly, but its strike allowed to tie down significant forces of the German army and put the 26 Army Corps at risk of encirclement. The Germans began to withdraw troops from the Mginskaya ledge.
For several days, stubborn fighting was in full swing. The troops of the 59 Army, supported by artillery and aviation, gnawed at enemy positions. The slow pace of the attack (5 - 6 kilometers per day) did not allow the enemy to quickly break into the defenses and surround the German grouping. The Germans had the opportunity to maneuver forces, to transfer them from unattached areas. On January 18, the second echelon of the 59 Army, the reinforced rifle corps, was introduced into the battle. The Germans, seeing the senselessness of further resistance and fearing the encirclement of the Novgorod group, began to withdraw troops from the Novgorod region to the west. As a result, it was possible to crack the main line of defense of the Germans, both north and south of Novgorod. On January 20, units of the 59 Army liberated Novgorod, surrounded and destroyed several separate enemy groups to the west of the city.
Soviet soldiers at the destroyed monument "Millennium of Russia" in liberated Novgorod
Monument "Millennium of Russia" in Novgorod, destroyed by invaders
Soviet soldiers and commanders in the liberated Novgorod. The commander of the 1258 Infantry Regiment of the 378 Infantry Division, Colonel Alexander Petrovich Shvagirev and the Chief of Staff of the Regiment, Colonel V.A. Nikolaev set up a banner. source of photos: http://waralbum.ru
After the liberation of Novgorod, the VF troops continued their offensive on Luga by the forces of the 59 army, the troops of the 8 and 54 armies on the right flank were to occupy the area of the October Railway. On the left flank, Soviet troops attacked Shimsk. The German command was able to quickly strengthen the Luga grouping (including with the help of the 12-th tank division), saving significant forces of the 18-th army from encirclement. The Germans suffered serious losses, especially in technology, but managed, moving away from one frontier to another, successfully using the rear guards, were able to save the army from the environment and save most of its combat potential. Therefore, the units of the 59 Army could not by the end of January take the move to Luga, as it was planned by Bid. The left-flank units of the 59 Army intercepted the Leningrad-Dno railway and the Luga-Shimsk highway, and also cleared the northern coast of Lake Ilmen from the Nazis and reached the outskirts of Shimsk. The right flank of the VF freed Mgu, Tosno, Lyuban, Chudovo, cleared the October railway and the Leningrad highway from the Germans.
Thus, by January 30, the WF army, having overcome 60-100 km with heavy fighting, faced the enemy’s strong defensive line on the r. Meadows At this point, the first stage of the Novgorod-Luga operation was completed.
2 Baltic Front. The troops of the 2 of the Baltic Front (2PF) attacked the 16 of the German army with another 12 of January 1944 of the year. The front command poorly prepared for the operation, the enemy’s defenses were not studied. So, they organized artillery preparation as in the continuous line of enemy defense. The Germans did not have a solid line of defense here, it consisted of separate defense units and strong points. The Soviet infantry attacked the empty space and fell under the flank fire of German strongholds, which were not suppressed by artillery from the air. The armies were advancing in poorly familiar, wooded and marshy areas. And the 10-I Sukhomlin Guards Army (from January 21 - Kazakov), which had just begun to arrive on the left flank of the 2PF at the time of the operation was on the march and was brought into battle in parts. All this predetermined the low rates of advance.
As a result, the attack of the 3 th shock, 6 th and 10 th Guards and 22 th armies developed extremely slowly and with great difficulty. The command of the 10 Guards Army was replaced. The command of the front suggested to the Headquarters not to continue the operation on the site of the 10 Guards Army offensive, but to concentrate all the efforts of the 2ПФ in the direction of Nasva-Novorzhev for quick connection with the HF forces. The front troops halted the offensive and began a regrouping of forces. On the other hand, the unsuccessful 2PF offensive constrained the forces of the German 16 th army, which contributed to the success of the LF and the WF near Leningrad and Novgorod.
German soldiers on a halt during a retreat near Leningrad in January 1944
German tank PzKpfw IV moves to the position, Army Group North, February 1944
Second stage of the battle
In early February, 1944, the Soviet troops continued their offensive in the direction of Narva, Gdov and Luga. On February 1, the troops of the LN 2 Shock Army forced Luga and took Kingisepp. Developing success, our troops reached the r. Narva and captured on the opposite bank two bridgeheads. Then there were fights for their expansion.
February 11 The 2 shock army, reinforced by the 30 Guards Rifle Corps, continued the offensive. The German command, considering Narva as a strategic point, also strengthened this direction with reinforcements. The Soviet forces were opposed by the Feldkhernhalle tank-grenadier division and the Norland SS, 58 and 17 infantry divisions. A few days went extremely fierce battles. The Germans stopped the rush of the Red Army. Narva failed to take. February 14 The Stavka ordered the LF command to take Narva by February 17.
The troops of the 2 shock army were reinforced by the 124 rifle corps from the reserve of the front and regrouping their forces, again went on the attack. The fierce battles continued until the end of February 1944, but our troops only managed to expand the bridgehead. Break through the German defense and take Narva failed. At the end of February, in addition to the 2 shock army, the LF command decided to transfer the 8 th and 59 th army, and the 3 th Guards Tank Corps from the Headquarters reserve to the Narva direction. The stubborn battle in the Narva region was continued in March - April 1944.
Soviet officers near the downed German tank Pz.Kpfw.VI "Tiger" in the village of Skvoritsy Gatchina district of the Leningrad region. February 1944
Wounded "Panthers", destroyed by A. Pegov's T-70 tank. In February, the X-Numx T-1944 light tank, noticing two approaching German tanks PzKpfw V Panther, disguised itself in a bush and took them to the sight. After the Panthers approached 70-150 meters and put the boards under attack, T-200 suddenly opened fire from an ambush and destroyed the Panthers faster than they were able to detect it. Crews to get out of the "Panther" could not. The commander of T-70, Junior Lieutenant A. Pegov, was presented to the rank of Hero of the Soviet Union
In addition, in early February, the 42-I army LF forced the river. Luga and went to the area Gdov. 4 February was released Gdov and the Red Army reached the Lake Peipsi. On February 12, after stubborn fighting, our troops (units of the 67 and 59 armies) liberated Luga, and by February 15 had overcome the enemy’s Luga defensive line. The Leningrad Region was liberated, the Germans were driven back to the Baltic. After that, the Volkhov Front, at the direction of the Stavka, was disbanded. His armies from 15 February were transferred to the LF and 2PF.
At the same time, the 2PF troops conducted offensive operations south of Lake Ilmen in order to capture the crossings to the r. The great and together with the left wing of LF defeat enemy troops in the area of the Island. February 18 The Korotkov shock army 1 took Old Russ. 22-I army Yushkevich, going on the offensive February 19, wedged into the defense of the enemy. By the end of February 26, the Soviet armies cleared the Luga-Dno-Novosokolniki railway from the Nazis. On this day, part of the 10-th Guards and 3-th shock armies of Kazakov and Chibisov went on the offensive, but they could only achieve tactical successes.
Thus, in the second half of February 1944, the Red Army offensive zone was increased south of Lake Ilmen to the Novosokolniki and Pustoshka regions. By the end of the month, our troops marched on the Pskov and Novorzhev directions to 180 km and reached the Pskov-Ostrovsky fortified area and south of it - on the Novorzhev and Pustoshka line. But for the further development of an offensive operation, the Soviet armies no longer had the necessary forces and means.
The Germans were able to withdraw the main forces of the 16 Army and part of the 18 Army to a previously prepared line of defense, to tighten reserves. They offered powerful and skillful resistance, repelling Soviet blows, constantly counterattacking. The Soviet command made a number of mistakes: intelligence, organization, control, interaction. Our troops spent a month and a half in continuous, bloody battles, suffered serious losses. The forest and marshland interfered, there were few roads, the spring thaw began, the weather conditions were unfavorable - constant thaws, snowstorms, fogs. It was necessary to tighten the rear, replenish and regroup the troops.
Therefore, at the direction of the 1 Bid March 1944, the Leningrad and 2 Baltic Fronts went over to the defensive and began to prepare new offensive operations. As a result of the Leningrad-Novgorod strategic operation, the Red Army broke through the powerful defense of the enemy, and threw him from Leningrad to 220 - 280 km. Soviet soldiers liberated almost the entire Leningrad and Novgorod regions, part of Kalinin, from the Nazis, and entered the territory of the Republic of Estonia. The conditions were created for the beginning of the liberation of the Baltic states and Karelia, the future defeat of fascist Finland.
The German army group "North" suffered a serious defeat: it was defeated before the German divisions 30. The first Stalinist strike did not allow the German command to use the troops of Army Group North to the south, where the Dnieper-Carpathian strategic operation was developing at that time.
The “Broken Ring” is a memorial entering the Green Belt of Glory. Two reinforced concrete arches symbolize the blockade ring, the gap between them - the Road of Life
Information