Kharkov battle. February-March 1943 of the year. The liberation and surrender of Kharkov
Plans and condition of forces of the warring parties
In fact, the forecasts of the Soviet command were far from reality, the German troops had not yet lost their power, the German command controlled the situation and considered options for stopping the Soviet offensive and counterattacking them.
The commander of the Army Group Don (later South), Manstein saw the main danger in the possibility of cutting off the southern group of troops from the Dnieper to the Sea of Azov and believed that it was necessary to strengthen the Kharkov group and withdraw the southern group to a new defensive line along the Mius River.
Stalin approved on January 23 the plan proposed by the General Staff for the operations of the Star and the Leap. Operation "Star" was carried out by the forces of the left wing of the Voronezh Front under the command of Golikov in cooperation with the 6 Army of the South-Western Front under the command of Vatutin and provided for a massive tank attack in the direction of Kharkov and further Zaporozhye in order to liberate the Kharkov industrial region and create favorable opportunities for offensive in the Donbass.
Operation "Jump" was carried out by the forces of the South-Western Front and provided for the encirclement and destruction of German troops in the interfluve of the Seversky Donets and Dnieper, the liberation of Donbass, access to the Dnieper in the Zaporozhye region and the liquidation of the southern German group.
The main blow was delivered by the troops of the Voronezh Front by the forces of the 38th, 60th and 40th armies and the 18th separate rifle corps. On the left flank, the 6th Army of the Southwestern Front, reinforced by the 3rd tank Army of Rybalko, 6th Cavalry Corps, three rifle divisions and other formations and units from the reserve of the High Command. The general objective of the operation was the capture of Kursk, Belgorod, the breakthrough of tank and cavalry formations in the rear of the enemy's Kharkov group and its surroundings. It was planned to advance the Voronezh Front by about 150 km, followed by an attack on Poltava.
The troops of the Voronezh Front were opposed by the German 2 Army (7 infantry divisions against the Soviet 38 and 60 Army) and the Lants Army Group. Soviet troops advancing on Kharkov numbered up to 200 thousand people, the German army group “Lants” of up to 40 thousand people opposed them, which achieved significant superiority over the enemy, especially almost three times in tanks.
At the same time, the Soviet command did not give due importance to the information that the 40, 48 and 57 German tank corps were not defeated and that a fresh SS tank corps was sent from Kharkov to France under the command of the Obergruppenführer Hausser, consisting of the elite tank divisions Leibstandart Adolf Hitler ”,“ Dead Head ”and“ Reich ”.
Start of operations "Star" and "Jump"
The first operation began on 29 on January 1943 of the year, Operation Leap Forward, by the offensive of the 6 Army against the right wing of the Lants army group in the Kupyansk area. By the 6 of February, the Oskol River was forced and the troops left on the right flank of the Seversky Donets River, Kupyansk, Izyum and Balaklea were taken, and the 6-I army advanced 127 kilometers.
Operation Star began on February 2 with the advance of the Voronezh Front, the 3 Panzer Army (2 Panzer Corps, 5 Rifle Divisions, 2 Tank Brigades, 2 Cavalry Divisions) attacked from the east to Kharkov, (69 Army (from the northeast) 4 rifle divisions) and 40-I army (1 tank corps, 6 rifle divisions, 3 tank brigades) advanced through Belgorod. North of the 38-I army was advancing on Oboyan, and the 60-I army on Kursk.
The troops of the 40 and 60 Army took Kursk and Belgorod by February 9 and rushed from the north to Kharkov, the 69 Army broke through the Volchansk to the city from the east, the 3 Tank Army moved from the southeast to Kharkov Fishing in interaction with the 6 m cavalry corps. However, the advance to Kharkov of the 3th Panzer Army was stopped on February 5 in the 45 km east of Kharkov by the SS Reich tank and grenadier division.
The troops of the Voronezh and Southwestern fronts received an order, not taking into account the rear support, to break through the battle formations of the retreating enemy and go to the Dnieper before the spring thaw. The implementation of such an order often led to tragic consequences. So, near the village of Malinovka on the eastern shore of the Seversky Donets, a rifle unit was thrown into battle without the support of tanks and artillery. The Germans pinned it to the ground with artillery fire and did not allow them to move forward and retreat. In the 20-th degree frost, more than a thousand fighters simply froze in the trenches with weapons in the hands and could not be saved. After supporting the tanks, Seversky Donets was nevertheless forced and on February 10 captured Chuguev.
The liberation of Kharkov
Soviet troops continued to develop the offensive, bypassing Kharkov from the north and south. In general, the 40 Army carried out an operation to encircle Kharkov, advancing from the north and at the same time bypassing it from the north-west and west. Having felt a weak spot in the German defenses, they broke through it from the south, and the uncontrolled 6 Cavalry Corps was introduced into the breakthrough.
Lanz regrouped his units for the defense of Kharkov from the east and north-east, ordered the units of the Reich division to retreat to the western shore of the Seversky Donets and created a mobile group for a counterattack on the 6 cavalry corps that broke through Kharkov.
Kharkov faced a real threat of surrender. Hitler issued an order prohibiting the surrender of the city and February 6 personally flew to Zaporozhye and demanded from Field Marshal Manstein to strengthen measures for the defense of Kharkov.
Manstein completely differently assessed the situation in this sector of the front. He objectively believed that it was impossible to keep Kharkov, that in the south it was necessary to withdraw troops to a new line of defense along the Mius River, to allow Soviet troops to advance west and southwest as far as possible, strike them on the flank and destroy them. He hardly convinced Hitler of his innocence, and he approved the "Manstein plan."
To the south and southeast of Kharkov, the troops of the 3-th tank army received the task of capturing the initial positions for the assault on the city. Units of the 3-th Panzer Army on 11 in February fought on the eastern approaches to the city, the 6-th cavalry corps was tasked with forming a barrier to the west of the city with interception of roads leading from Kharkov to the west and south-west.
The launch of the 12th Panzer Corps of Kravchenko on February 5 in February significantly accelerated the advance of the 40 Army and on February 13 its units liberated Dergachi and entered the outskirts of Kharkov. The corps of General Kravchenko burst into an extensive gap and quickly reached the Olshan region, north-west of Kharkov. By February 14, the advance detachments of the corps had already reached the Lyubotin and Bogodukhov areas, bypassing Kharkov deeply. The corps continued its offensive and on February 23 freed Akhtyrka, the farthest point in the west.
The two Soviet fronts continued their successful offensive, continuing to climb further into the "bag" prepared by Manstein. Soviet intelligence did not work and did not reveal a threat to the troops. By mid-February, the German command finally convinced that the main blow of the Soviet troops was conducted in the direction of Zaporozhye through the gap between the 1-th tank army in the south and the Lants group in the north in order to capture the crossing on the Dnieper. German troops completed preparations for the implementation of the "Manstein Plan" and were ready to strike at the flank.
Lants tried to defeat the 6th cavalry corps south of Kharkov, but the activity of the 40th army of Moskalenko did not allow him to eliminate the threat of circumventing the right flank of the army group. While heavy battles were taking place on the streets of Kharkov, a significant part of the Reich division continued to fight against the 6 Cavalry Corps south of the city. The advance of the cavalry corps was finally stopped in the area of Novaya Vodolagi and on February 13 the cavalry corps was knocked out of this region.
The situation in Kharkov by noon on February 14 for February became critical for the Germans, the city’s environment was almost complete. Groups of Soviet tanks broke through defensive orders from the north, north-west and southeast and reached the outskirts of the city. The supply route Kharkov - Poltava was shot by Soviet artillery. On February 15, the troops of the Soviet 3th Tank Army, 40th and 69th Armies (in total - 8 Tank Brigades, 13 Rifle Divisions) launched an assault on Kharkov from three directions. The Soviet forces were opposed by two German SS divisions - the Reich and Adolf Hitler. In the ring around the city there was only one small passage in the southeast.
Hitler continued to insist on keeping Kharkov. Under the threat of encirclement, the commander of the SS Panzer Corps, Hausser, not inclined to participate in the new "Stalingrad", ordered his units to leave the city, despite Hitler's categorical ban.
It was almost impossible to stop the departure that had begun. Despite the order to keep Kharkov “to the last man,” parts of the Hausser corps left Kharkov, making a breakthrough to the southwest. Tanks paved the way for the grenadiers, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and sappers covered the flanks, ensuring the withdrawal of the group in the region of the Uda River. Towards the end of February 15, troops of the 40 Army cleared the southwestern, western, and northwestern parts of the city from the enemy. From the east and southeast, Khar¬kov included units of the divisions of the 3 Tank Army. According to the recollections of Kharkiv survivors of the occupation, Soviet troops entered the city exhausted and tired, there were few equipment, not only horses, but even oxen, dragged artillery.
After receiving a report that the SS Panzer Corps did not obey his orders, Hitler became furious. A few days later, the commander of the Kharkov group of forces, General Lants, was replaced by the general of the tank forces Kempf and this group of forces received the official name "Kempf Army Group".
Manstein's counterattack
Hitler flew to Manstein’s headquarters in Zaporozhye on 18 on February. As a result of the two-day meetings, it was decided to abandon attempts to return Kharkov. Hitler gave Manstein the green light to carry out an operation to encircle the Soviet 6 Army and Popov’s tank group. The Führer authorized a significant strategic retreat and agreed to surrender the eastern Donetsk region to Mius.
The task force "Hollidt" with battles retreated from the Seversky Donets to a less extended Miuss position, where it was supposed to provide a continuous front. Units of the 1 Tank Army under the command of General Mackensen were transferred to Seversky Donets to strengthen the northern wing of the army group. From the Lower Don, the 4-I Goth tank army was transferred north to the western wing of Army Group Don to the area between the Seversky Donets and the bend of the Dnieper. Manstein was preparing a grouping of troops for a counterattack in order to exclude the exit of Soviet troops to the Dnieper in the Kremenchug region, which opens the way for them to Crimea itself.
Stalin and the highest Soviet command were convinced that Manstein’s armies were retreating all along the front and the withdrawal of the Hollidt task force from the Seversky Donets was regarded as direct evidence of this and nothing could prevent the German catastrophe between the Seversky Donets and the Dnieper rivers. Moreover, all intelligence data indicated that the enemy was being evacuated from the Seversky Donets region and was withdrawing troops beyond the Dnieper.
Manstein saw through Stalin’s plan with his risky operation to cut off the southern Wehrmacht group and decided to play along with him, creating the illusion of a mass retreat and concentrating troops for a flank attack.
Meanwhile, the advanced units of Popov’s tank group, as a result of a raid on Krasnoarmeyskoye, cut the Dnepropetrovsk-Stalin railway and ended up about sixty kilometers from Zaporozhye, threatening the industrial heart of the Donetsk basin.
Mannstein, on February 19, gives the order of the 4th Tank Army on a counterattack in order to destroy the 6th Soviet Army, advancing through Pavlograd to Dnepropetrovsk and the Kampf Army Group to block the advance of Soviet troops to the Dnieper from the north through Krasnograd and Kremenchug. At the dawn of February 20, units of the 1 SS Panzer Corps and 48 Panzer Corps launched an offensive against the forces of the Southwestern Front and the SS Reich division delivered a deep blow to the flank of the 6 Soviet Army.
Supported by aviation tank corps are rapidly advancing, and on February 23, parts of the 1st SS Panzer Corps and the 48th Panzer Corps are connected in Pavlograd and reliably surround two tank and one cavalry Soviet corps that went to Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye.
General Popov, on the night of 20 on 21 of February, asked Vatutin to authorize the withdrawal of his tank group, but he did not receive consent and now it was not possible to save the encircled troops. Only on 24 of February Vatutin finally realized the full measure of error and understood Manstein’s plan, which enabled the Soviet troops of two fronts to engage in battles, to remain without reserves and only then launched a counterattack. Now Vatutin hastily ordered the army group to suspend the offensive and go on the defensive. But it was too late, Popov’s tank group was completely defeated, and the 6 Army was in a desperate situation, large parts of it were cut off and surrounded. Popov’s group tried to break through to the north, but they only had a few tanks without fuel and ammunition, there was also no artillery and the Germans stopped this attempt.
To alleviate the situation of his armies, Vatutin requested the Stavka to intensify offensive operations in the southern sector of the front on Mius. But these operations also ended in complete failure, parts of the 4th mechanized corps that broke through the Germans' positions at Matveyev Kurgan were surrounded and almost completely destroyed or captured, and parts of the 8th cavalry corps breaking through the front line were also surrounded by Debaltsev , defeated and captured.
The advanced units of the German troops, suppressing the last hotbeds of resistance in the Krasnoarmeysky area, on February 23, on a broad front, flowing around Barvenkovo, moved north and west and pursued the retreating Soviet units. The initiative finally passed to the Germans and the Soviet troops were not able to establish a new line of defense. On February 25, the Reich and Totenkopf divisions occupied Lozova during fierce battles.
Rapidly advancing, Goth's tank corps pursued the retreating Soviet troops, they were surrounded and destroyed before they reached the Seversky Donets. As a result of the breakthrough of the Soviet front, the German command had a chance to once again take control of the border along the Seversky Donets and enter the rear of the Soviet group in the Kharkov region.
On the evening of February 28, the 40th Panzer Corps was already on a wide front in the area of the Seversky Donets south of Raisins, at the positions that it left in January during the winter offensive of the Soviet troops. Popov’s tank group, a powerful advanced front-line force, simply ceased to exist. She left 251 tank, 125 anti-tank guns, 73 heavy guns and thousands of dead on the battlefield between the Krasnoarmeysky and Raisins.
Three divisions of the SS Panzer Corps were reassigned by 28 on February against 3 TA Rybalko. By converging blows, they took the Soviet group in pincers in the triangle Kegichevka - Krasnograd - the Berestovaya river. The 6-th cavalry corps, the 12 and 15-th tank corps, the 111-I, 184-I, 219-I rifle divisions numbering about 100 thousand people were surrounded. Already surrounded, they received an order to leave and at dawn 3 on March they went on a breakthrough to the north in the direction of Taranovka. Having suffered heavy losses in people and equipment, part of the troops escaped from the encirclement, and the remaining 5 of March surrendered. After leaving the encirclement, they were sent to the rear for reformation, as they suffered heavy losses. Having defeated the 3-th tank army, the Germans opened their way to Kharkov.
By March 3, the troops of the Southwestern Front had completed the withdrawal to the eastern bank of the Seversky Donets River, formed a strong front at the Balakley-Krasny Liman line and stopped the enemy’s offensive operations.
For three weeks of fighting, the Soviet command suffered terrible losses, the 6 and 69 I Soviet armies, the 3 I tank army and Popov’s tank group were practically defeated. Six tank corps, ten rifle divisions and half a dozen separate brigades were liquidated or suffered heavy losses. It was a fantastic victory for Manstein. The biggest threat to the German Eastern Front since the start of the campaign in 1941 and the threat of the complete destruction of the southern group were averted. The consequences of the German defeat in Stalingrad were also eliminated.
Delivery of Kharkov
The most tempting strategic goal for the Germans was Kharkov and they decided to implement it. German troops launched an attack on Kharkov 4 March from the south. The tank corps of the SS Hausser (3 divisions) and the 40 tank corps (69 tank and 3 motorized divisions) attacked the remnants of the 48-th tank army and the 2 and 1 armies. Under the onslaught of the Germans, Soviet troops began on March 7 a withdrawal to Kharkov. After the defeat of the strike group of the 3th Panzer Army, the SS Hausser tank corps was aimed at bypassing the city from the west and on March 8 went to the western outskirts.
Manstein 9 March ordered to take Kharkov. The Leibstandart division was to attack the city from the north and northeast, the Reich division from the west. The Totenkopf division should cover the offensive sector from Soviet attacks threatening from the north-west and north. The task was also to cut the Kharkiv-Chuguev road and prevent the receipt of reinforcements.
By order of Hausser, Kharkov was blocked from the west and north by the Leibstandart and Reich divisions, which began with heavy fighting to move to the railway station to dismember the defense of the city. They decided not to take the city with a frontal offensive, but cut off the defenders of the city from the possibility of receiving reinforcements from the north and east. In Kharkov, on 14 of March, three rifle divisions were surrounded, the 17-I NKVD brigade and two separate tank brigades.
Since March 12, fierce street fighting has begun in the city, lasting four days. Soviet soldiers offered stubborn resistance, especially at intersections, meeting German armored vehicles with anti-tank rifles. Snipers hit the roofs of houses, inflicting heavy losses of manpower. By the end of March 13, two-thirds of the city was in the hands of German troops, mainly the northern quarters, while the resistance of the defenders to the cities did not weaken.
During the 15 of March, the fighting in the city was still going on, the Leibstandart Division cleansed the city mainly in its southeastern regions. The SS Totenkopf division broke into Chuguev on the night of March 14 and, despite active resistance, cleared the city on March 15.
Vatutin ordered on March 15 to leave Kharkov, by this time the garrison of the city was divided into two separate parts. General Belov, who led the defense of the city, decided to break through to the southeast, between Zmiev and Chuguev. The breakthrough was generally successful, breaking out of the city and marching 30 kilometers with fights, the defenders crossed the Seversky Donets and joined the front troops by March 17.
General Hausser, who left the city four weeks ago in defiance of Hitler’s categorical order, won this battle for Kharkov in six days and captured it again. This allowed the SS Panzer Corps to turn north and launch an offensive on Belgorod, which there was no one to defend and it fell on 18 of March. The Soviet units were unable to repulse Belgorod with counterattacks, and with the 19 of March on the whole front there was a pause associated with the spring thaw.
According to the results of the battles from 4 to 25 on March, the troops of the Voronezh Front retreated to 100-150 km, which led to the formation of the “Kursk ledge”, where a gigantic battle took place in July 1943. The third attempt to liberate Kharkov also ended tragically, the city remained under the Germans and the rout of the Soviet troops overshadowed their defeat at Stalingrad. This victory returned the Wehrmacht’s troops confidence in their own capabilities, and the Soviet troops were now anxiously awaiting the upcoming summer campaign, taught by the bitter experience of previous battles on this sector of the front.
- Yuri Apukhtin
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