Liberation of Donbass: Facts about the legendary breakthrough of the Mius-Front by the Red Army
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Red Army's legendary Donbass strategic offensive operation, which began on August 13, 1943 and lasted 41 days.
It is worth noting that the occupied Donbass was of great importance for the Third Reich, as it was one of the largest industrial regions of the USSR. That is why here, back in 1941, the Wehrmacht created a powerful line of defense, called the Mius Front.
The group was commanded by Field Marshal E. von Manstein. The number of German personnel on this sector of the front reached more than half a million people. In addition, about 900 tanks, 1100 aircraft and 5400 artillery pieces.
On August 13, 1943, the troops of the right wing of the Southwestern Front of the Red Army began to attack the aforementioned positions of the Wehrmacht. Five days later, the Southern Front joined the attackers, whose troops struck on the coast of the Sea of \uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbAzov, which played a key role, because it was not possible to break through the positions of the Germans on the Mius Front.
Already on August 24, the road to Taganrog was cut by Soviet troops, and on the 30th of the same month the city was liberated. On August 31, the Red Army drove the Nazis out of the dominating height of Saur-Mogila, on September 5 they liberated Gorlovka, on the 8th - Donetsk (Stalino), and already on September 10 - Mariupol.
By September 22, when the Donbass strategic offensive operation was completed, the Wehrmacht retreated beyond the Dnieper to the Dnepropetrovsk-Zaporozhye line.
It is worth noting a few facts about this truly legendary operation.
The tank mechanized divisions of the Red Army advanced at a speed of 10-15 km per day, which seems fantastic, given the kind of defense the Germans built in this sector.
The losses of the Wehrmacht for the aforementioned 41 days amounted to more than 115 thousand people.
The famous Katyusha, which provided overwhelming firepower, played a key role in the offensive of the Soviet troops.
At the same time, there are tragic facts indicated in hysterical references. Retreating from their positions, the Nazis used the tactics of "scorched earth".
As a result, more than 284 civilians of the USSR were killed, about 000 cattle, 80 horses, 000 sheep, 209 pigs, 000 tractors and 363 trucks were destroyed. The Germans took with them more than 000 tons of grain. Mariupol and Donetsk (Stalino) were almost completely destroyed.
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