The last major victory of the Wehrmacht on the Russian front
SS Panzergrenadiers and Pz. Kpfw. IV in battle on the street of Kharkov
Command errors
Despite the perceived threatManstein strikes back), the Soviet command did not abandon the development of the offensive. Voronezh Front (VF) to provide assistance to the South-Western Front (SWF). The main forces of the 69th and 3rd tank armies were ordered to regroup and strike south into the flank of the enemy strike force. Soviet troops were to advance on Karlovka and Krasnograd. However, the blow did not reach the targets, since the SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS" dug in in the area north of Krasnograd.
Russian troops weakened themselves even more, wasting their already meager forces. On February 25, 1943, the offensive of the armies of Kazakov and Rybalko ran out of steam. But the front command did not want to admit it. A few days later, the 69th Army received an order to resume the offensive to the southwest, to Poltava. Given the presence of a strong enemy tank grouping on the flank of Kazakov's army, such a strike was dangerous.
The task of capturing Poltava was also assigned to Moskalenko's 40th Army. The task of taking the city of Sumy also remained. Although the 40th Army was advancing with unsecured flanks, and its offensive zone was already more than 200 km. The army could not succeed with the available forces and means. And in the face of increased enemy pressure from the south and southwest, this led to defeat. However, the front command still believed that the enemy in the Kharkov direction was withdrawing troops beyond the Dnieper. The 60th Army was advancing on Rylsk.
The defeat of the right flank of the SWF
While the Soviet command still believed in the illusion of defeating the Nazis and their retreat beyond the Dnieper, the German SS shock divisions on February 27, after fierce fighting, captured Lozovaya, a day later - Otradovo and Alekseevka. In these battles, one of the most cruel SS commanders, the leader of the SS division “Dead Head”, Obergruppenführer Theodor Eicke, formed from the camp guard units, died. On February 26, a reconnaissance aircraft flying in the direction of the village of Artelne was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. German Priss became the new division commander.
Also, the German army captured Krasnoarmeyskoye, again occupied Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. The 7th Panzer Division reached the Seversky Donets south of Izyum. To the left of the river came the 57th Panzer Corps.
The troops of the right wing of the South-Western Front, under continuous attacks by the German Panzerwaffe and Luftwaffe, rolled back to the left bank of the Donets. It was a defeat. 20 tanks remained from Popov's group, the 1st Guards Army suffered heavy damage. According to German estimates, in the battle between the Dnieper and Donets, the Red Army lost 23 thousand killed and 9 thousand prisoners, more than 600 tanks and 400 guns were captured.
The Seversky Donets was still ice-bound, and the Germans were unable to create a continuous encirclement front. This allowed the defeated Soviet troops, bypassing the settlements, to move to the eastern coast, where they organized defense.
Grenadiers of the division "Grossdeutschland" on a flamethrower tank Pz. Kpfw. III near Kharkov. March 1943
Kharkov operation of the German army
The withdrawal of the SWF troops worsened the operational situation of the VF armies, which operated 100–150 km west of Kharkov. The commander of the Army Group "South" Manstein did not develop an offensive to the east: spring came, ice drift and thaw, it was necessary to break the Kharkov group of Russians, which hung from the north. Therefore, on February 28, 1943, the commander ordered an attack on Kharkov. The 4th Panzer Army of Goth, reinforced by three divisions, and the Kempf task force were to take part in the offensive. In total, 10 infantry, 6 tank and 1 motorized divisions were used against the left wing of the VF.
It was planned to bypass Kharkov from the north with strikes from the SS Panzer Corps and the 48th Panzer Corps and, if it came out, from the east, encircle and destroy the troops of the VF. The army corps "Raus", supporting the offensive of mobile formations, developed an offensive against Bogodukhov - Belgorod. After the defeat of the Kharkov grouping of the enemy, the German command was going, if the situation and weather conditions allowed, to strike Kursk from the south with the forces of the South group, from the north - the Army Group Center.
During the continuous, almost two-month-long battles, the formations of the VF suffered heavy losses in personnel and materiel. So, in Rybalko's tank army there should have been 590 tanks, but more than 80 remained. Some of the tanks were knocked out by the enemy, some were out of action for technical reasons or were being repaired. Divisions and corps were replenished in a timely manner with personnel, but its combat quality fell. The formations were replenished with the mobilization of the local male population, which was thrown into battle almost on the move, without training.
The front command did not have operational reserves that could fend off enemy attacks. All troops were involved in the battle.
In addition, the rear of the front stretched for 250-300 km. The armies lacked ammunition, fuel and other materiel. In particular, due to the lack of gasoline, almost a third of the transport was idle. There were almost no cartridges for PTR, 37-mm anti-aircraft guns in the warehouses.
Self-propelled guns StuG III from the column of the SS division "Dead Head" during the attack on Kharkov
Defense
On February 28, 1943, the Soviet Headquarters transferred the 3rd Panzer Army of the South-Western Front. The task was the same: a flank attack on the enemy grouping. Rybalko formed a task force from tanks and infantry under the command of Major General Zinkovich, commander of the 12th Tank Corps. The group included two tank corps (without one brigade), 3 rifle divisions, 6 artillery regiments and one regiment of guards mortars. The group was concentrated on the left flank of the army and, in cooperation with the 6th Guards Cavalry Corps, on the morning of March 2, went on the offensive in the direction of Petrovskoye, Krasnopavlovsk, Grushevakha in order to cut the tip of the German shock wedge.
It was not possible to concentrate the group in time. The cavalry corps on the march collided with parts of the German Reich division and went on the defensive. Amplifiers were also delayed. There was no fuel and ammunition for the offensive. Tankers, artillery and infantry had from one to 0,2 ammunition, from one to 0,1 refueling.
As a result, two Soviet tank corps with fifty serviceable tanks and three rifle divisions, with an acute shortage of ammunition and fuel, climbed into the German trap themselves.
On March 2, the SS Panzer Corps intercepted the communications of the Zinkovich task force. The divisions "Leibstandarte" "Reich", having thrown back the 350th rifle division to the north, closed the flanks. On the evening of March 2, Zinkovich proposed to withdraw the group to join the main forces. At about 22:3 Rybalko agreed to break through to the north. All property, equipment that cannot be taken away due to lack of fuel must be destroyed. On the night of March XNUMX, three echelons moved to Mevedevka and Lozovaya, but they were occupied by battalions of the Reich division. They had to be bypassed. The enemy artillery fire put out of action most of the vehicles and guns of the group, some had to be destroyed due to lack of fuel.
The German column moves along the street of Kharkov past the wrecked Soviet tank T-34
Having assessed the situation, the command of the VF finally allowed to stop the offensive.
On March 2, the armies of the left wing of the front received a belated order to go on the defensive. The 3rd Panzer Army was returned to the VF and was supposed to stop the enemy’s advance on Kharkov from the south in defensive battles, the 69th and 40th armies from the west. The right wing of the front was still advancing: on March 3, the 60th Army liberated Lgov, the 38th Army - Sudzha.
Rybalko's army, having lost its strike potential, occupied the line from Zmiev to Novaya Vodolaga. By the morning of March 5, the remnants of Zinkovich's group got out to their own. The troops lost heavy weapons, materiel, were incapacitated and needed to be replenished. 12 tanks left the 12th tank corps, not a single one from the 15th corps. Therefore, the connections were taken to the rear. According to the Germans, the Russians lost 12 thousand people, 61 tanks, and more than 200 guns in the Krasnograd pocket. The commander of the 15th Tank Corps, Major General Vasily Alekseevich Koptsov, was killed.
In the 3rd Tank Army, 32 T-34 tanks remained (from repair), which were transferred to the 195th Tank Brigade, and 22 tanks were in the 179th Separate Brigade. Also in the army there were three guards rifle, one rifle division, 2 rifle brigades and the 6th Guards Cavalry Corps.
In Kharkov itself, a defense headquarters was created, headed by the deputy front commander, General Kozlov. The garrison included two rifle divisions, a brigade of the NKVD troops, the 86th tank brigade, three anti-tank regiments, etc. The 42nd special-purpose brigade of Colonel Krasnov prepared the city for defense. From March 3 to March 8, with the involvement of local residents, several hundred barricades were erected, and anti-tank ditches were prepared. Firing points were equipped in stone buildings, mines were placed on tank-hazardous directions, and bridges were being prepared for undermining. Captured mines were widely used, large stocks of which were found in the city.
The calculation of the Soviet anti-aircraft gun 61-K on Dzerzhinsky Square in Kharkov
Battle of Kharkov
On March 6, 1943, the SS Panzer Corps Hausser advanced along the highway towards Valki and Merefa in two shock groups. To the right, from Taranovka to Zmiev, the 11th Tank Corps advanced with the forces of the 6th and 48th Panzer Divisions. Knobelsdorff's corps will be delayed for five whole days by the heroic resistance of General Shafarenko's 25th Guards Rifle Division and the 179th Tank Brigade. On the other hand, the SS Panzer divisions, which struck at the junction of the 69th and 3rd Panzer armies, almost immediately achieved success. By evening, they reached the Mzha River, a day later they occupied Novaya Vodolaga and Valki. Rybalko's formations withdrew to the north coast. Two regiments of the 48th Guards Division were surrounded in the Znamenka area and died in battle.
The enemy overcame the defense of the 69th Army much easier. The Germans broke through to the west of the Rolls, creating a gap of 15 km. Hausser's SS moved through the breach to the north, bypassing Kharkov. March 8 launched an offensive army corps "Raus" (3 infantry divisions and motorized division "Grossdeutschland"). The Soviet command is trying to organize counterattacks by the forces of the VF and South-Western Front, but due to confusion and the lack of fresh formations - without success.
On March 9, the SS Panzer Corps moved north, occupied Lyubotin, Olshany and Solonitsevka. To the left, the Raus corps is aiming at Bogodukhov. The gap between the 69th and 3rd tank armies reached 45 km. Rybalko's army, holding the southern direction, had to move back and turn its right flank with the front to the west.
Soldiers of the SS division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" on the armor of a tank on the street of Kharkov
Given the difficult situation of the VF, the Soviet Headquarters handed over to him the 2nd and 3rd Guards and 18th Tank Corps. The real force was only the 2nd Guards Corps, other formations are the remnants of Popov's group. Thus, only 18 light tanks remained in the 6th tank corps. A tank brigade and a rifle division arrived to reinforce the 3rd Panzer Army.
March 10 German divisions supported by large forces aviation developed the offensive. The divisions "Leibstandarte" and "Dead Head" broke the resistance of the 6th Guards Cavalry Corps in the Dergachi area, turned east and cut off Kharkov from the north.
Rybalko's army is on the defensive in the western and northwestern outskirts of Kharkov. In fact, Rybalko heads the defense of the city. The troops of the 69th and 40th armies retreated to the northeast. On the night of March 11, Kazakov's headquarters left Bogodukhov and arrived in Cossack Lopan. Moskalenko's headquarters moved from Trostnyants to Grayvoron.
The Soviet high command understands that the enemy is trying to break through to Kursk through Kharkov and Belgorod in order to unite with the Oryol grouping and threaten the rear of the entire central front. Therefore, it was decided to send the 1st tank and 21st combined arms armies to the area north of Belgorod in order to eliminate a possible threat. The VF is reinforced by the 64th Army, which was near Stalingrad. But these troops arrived too late to influence the course of the battle for Kharkov.
Destroyed tank Pz. Kpfw. IV SS division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" on Kharkov street
City fall
On March 11, 1943, the Raus corps occupied Trostyanets, Akhtyrka and Bogodukhov. Tanks of the "Leibstandarte" broke into Kharkov from the side of the Belgorod highway, from the west the city was stormed by the "Reich" division. German attack aircraft made their way to the city center and occupied the Gosprom building. According to the Germans, "the Russians fought excellently." The 76-mm cannons installed in the basements and the T-34s standing at the crossroads held back the enemy with fire. Snipers knocked out commanders, sappers lurking in basements and porches used bundles of mines on cables to destroy enemy armored vehicles.
By the end of March 12, the defenders of the city retreat across the Lopan River, leaving the northern and northeastern parts of the city. However, the German divisions also suffered significant losses. The commander of the tank army, General Goth, recalling the experience of bloody and protracted street battles in Stalingrad, decided to withdraw the Reich division from the battle. The divisions "Reich" and "Dead Head" were sent to bypass Kharkov in order to close the encirclement. The Leibstandarte continued the assault. On March 13, German troops, moving clockwise, occupied Rogan, on March 14 - Ternovaya, Lizogubka and Vodyanoye, on March 15 - Chuguev, uniting with parts of the 48th Corps.
The 3rd Panzer Army, having lost the last communications, leaves Kharkov with the permission of the command. In the city itself, the troops of the 19th division, the 17th brigade of the NKVD, the 179th and 86th tank brigades and other formations and units were still fighting. At night, formations of Rybalko's army make a breakthrough towards Volchansk. By the end of March 17, the remnants of the army go to their own. About 62 soldiers remained in the 2nd Guards Rifle Division, 500 soldiers remained in the 48th Guards Division, 200 soldiers remained in the 17th NKVD Brigade, more than 1 bayonets remained in the 000rd and 303th Rifle Divisions, in the 19th division - units left. In the 1th and 000th tank corps, 350 and 12 people remained, respectively. Rybalko's army in March lost about 15 thousand people, over 3 thousand guns and mortars, there were no tanks left in it. In fact, the army perished.
Tank Pz. Kpfw. IV Ausf. G of the 1st Panzergrenadier Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". The vehicle was shot down by artillerymen of the 4th battery of the 595th anti-tank artillery regiment in the area of st. Sumy in Kharkov on the night of March 11-12, 1943. On the frontal armor plate, almost in the center, two inlets from 76-mm shells are visible.
Ending battle
Meanwhile, while the fighting for Kharkov was going on, the divisions of the 40th and 69th armies retreated to a new line of defense southwest of Belgorod. The Raus Corps advanced from Grayvoron to Borisovka and Tomarovka. On March 14, the Nazis, breaking the defense of Moskalenko's army, captured Borisovka, a day later - Tomarovka and turned to Belgorod.
On March 18, Goth's 4th Panzer Army joined the advance on Belgorod. The divisions "Reich" and "Leibstandarte" went north from Kharkov. The division "Dead Head" covered the right flank from Volchansk. Even further to the right, the 11th Panzer Division was advancing on Stary Saltov.
The 69th Army of Kazakov, reinforced by the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, could not fight for Belgorod. The Germans, because of the beginning of the thaw, were walking along the Belgorod highway. However, the army command and the front headquarters, located in Belgorod, could not organize the defense. The Nazis reached the southwestern outskirts of Belgorod. On entire bridges, the Germans crossed the Donets and occupied a bridgehead on the eastern bank. Kazakov's army retreated to the north and northeast, beyond the Seversky Donets.
There is a threat of a breakthrough of the German army to Kursk, reaching the rear of the central front. Worried, Stalin sends Marshal Zhukov to the VF. To the north of Belgorod, six rifle divisions of Chistyakov's 21st Army, reinforced by self-propelled artillery regiments, are deployed. Divisions are almost all Guards, with experience fighting in Stalingrad. Behind them, in the Oboyan area, Katukov's 1st tank army was concentrated - the 3rd mechanized, 6th tank corps, a separate tank brigade, 4 separate tank regiments (more than 600 tanks).
A Soviet GAZ-AA truck with a field kitchen burned down on the street of Belgorod, re-captured by German troops. March 1943
On March 18–19, the first German attempts to advance on Oboyan were repulsed by regiments of the 52nd Guards Division. The 21st Army closes the gap in the Oboyan direction. On March 23, the 64th army of Shumilov arrives on the eastern bank of the Donets. By March 25, the front line in the Kharkov direction was stabilized. Vatutin was appointed commander of the VF. Golikov was recalled to Moscow and was never sent to the front again. He became the chief of personnel of the Red Army. SWF accepted Malinovsky. Kazakov was removed from the post of commander of the 69th Army and appointed assistant commander of the Reserve Front.
The German command refused to continue the offensive - attempts to cut off the Orlovsky ledge with counter strikes from the Army Groups "South" and "Center". The commander of the Center group, Kluge, said that his troops were not ready for such an operation. In addition, thaw began, the equipment simply sank in the mud.
From our side it was the same picture. Terrible slush. It was possible to move by car only along the Orel-Kursk highway. Many formations and units were cut off from supply bases. There was not enough food. Therefore, the Soviet command postponed the upcoming offensive. The Battle of Kursk was postponed.
Thus, Manstein prevented the defeat of the German army in the south. Achieved victory. The Russians were driven back 100-150 km, lost Kharkov and suffered heavy losses. Army Group South reestablished contact with Group Center. The Germans retained the Donbass. The German press wrote about "revenge for Stalingrad."
This was the last serious victory of the Wehrmacht on the Russian front. However, the Germans failed to regain the strategic initiative.
A column of armored vehicles of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps moves along the street of Kharkov during the third battle for the city.
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