Ninth Stalinist strike: East Carpathian operation

12
The military defeats of Germany in 1944 caused the collapse of the Hitler coalition. 23 August in Romania there was a coup, Antonescu was arrested. King Mihai I announced the end of the war against the USSR. After that, the Romanian troops took part in the war with Germany. The September 8 — September 9 communists and their supporters committed a coup in Bulgaria. The pro-Nazi government was curtailed and the government of the Fatherland Front was established, headed by Kimon Georgiev. October 28 The Moscow 1944 signed an armistice between Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. Bulgarian troops took part in the hostilities against the Wehrmacht on the territory of Yugoslavia, Hungary and Austria. September 19 The Moscow truce was signed in Moscow between Finland, the USSR and England in Moscow. Helsinki pledged to begin hostilities against the German troops in Finland.

Thus, only Hungary remained on the side of the Third Reich, as well as the puppet regimes of Slovakia, Croatia and Serbia. True, the Hungarian leadership also showed weakness. As the Soviet troops approached the Hungarian borders, the ruler (regent) of the Hungarian kingdom Miklos Horthy displaced the pro-German government in August 1944, and on October 15 announced a truce with the USSR. However, Hungary, unlike Romania, did not manage to withdraw from the Hitler coalition. In the Hungarian capital, a coup d'état supported by Berlin took place, Horthy’s son was kidnapped and taken hostage. Under pressure from Hitler, the dictator Horthy was forced to transfer power to the leader of the Nazi pro-German party "Crossed Arrows" Ferents Salash and move to Germany. Hungary remained an ally of Germany, and its territory became the scene of fierce fighting.

The beginning of the liberation of Czechoslovakia. Slovak uprising

The victories won by the Soviet forces in the Jassy-Kishinev operation (Stalin's seventh strike: Yassko-Chisinau Cannes), the liberation from the German troops of Romania and Bulgaria radically changed the military-strategic situation in the Balkan Peninsula. The strategic front of the German army was broken for hundreds of kilometers, the Red Army advanced southwestward to 750 km. The German group "Southern Ukraine" has ceased to exist. The Carpathian group of the Wehrmacht was deeply enveloped by the Soviet armies. In the Black Sea, the Soviet fleet received complete supremacy.

Soviet troops came close to the borders of Hungary, Slovakia and Yugoslavia. A favorable situation has developed for the liberation of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. It intensified all the more because of the success of the Red Army, the resistance movement in these countries intensified even more. Thus, in Czechoslovakia, the liberation movement, despite the bloody terror and mass repressions of the Nazis, was continuously growing. Especially widespread was the resistance movement in Slovakia.

Slovakia in this period was formally an "independent state", which was led by a puppet government headed by Joseph Tiso. Slovak troops took part in the war with the USSR against 22 June 1941. However, they were noted for low combat capability and were more used to fight partisans. In the future, the Slovak division suffered a series of heavy defeats in the battles in the southern strategic direction. Hundreds of soldiers went over to the Red Army (many of them took part in the formation of the First Czechoslovak Brigade as part of the Red Army), others joined the partisan detachments. As a result, the German command sent the remnants of the demoralized Slovak troops to Italy, Romania and Hungary, where they were used as builders. In addition, the Slovak troops began to use for the equipment of the defensive line in the Beskids (a system of mountain ranges in the northern and western part of the Carpathians).

When it became clear that the war was lost by Germany, Slovakia thought about how to get out of the war with the least losses. The resistance movement has become widespread. In the summer of 1944, partisan groups began to be transferred from the USSR to Slovakia, weapon, ammunition, medicines and other materials. In Slovakia, large partisan detachments began to be formed, which consisted of Slovaks, as well as Soviet groups, detachments and brigades that were deployed from outside. So, on the night of 25 in July 1944 in the Cantor Valley, near Ruzomberk, a group was dropped under the command of Senior Lieutenant Peter Alekseevich Velichko. She became the basis for the 1 th Slovak partisan brigade them. M.R. Stefanik. In total, until the end of the war 53 organizational groups were transferred to Slovakia.

Slovak troops were loyal to the partisans. So, 9 August 1944, the Slovak army received an order to begin hostilities against the partisans in the Low Tatras. But the soldiers warned the partisans and refused to fight with them. The partisans began to openly act in a number of settlements. In the city of Martin, they handed out weapons and recorded volunteers into their ranks.

Almost simultaneously, the uprising began to unite the Slovak army. Slovak Ground Forces Commander Jan Golian prepared an uprising plan that was approved by the Czechoslovak government in exile. However, the uprising began before it was planned. On August 27, partisans took Ruzomberok. Rebellious Slovak soldiers killed 22 German officers passing by at a train station who refused to surrender. It was a German military mission that was returning from Romania to Germany. In response, German troops began the occupation of Slovakia. They also had a legitimate reason. On August 23, the Tiso government asked Hitler to help in the fight against partisans. As a result, significant forces were sent to suppress the uprising - up to 30 thousand soldiers, including tank Tatra division.

29 August Golian ordered the beginning of the uprising. On the side of the rebels crossed soldiers t. East Slovak Army, which began to form in connection with the approach of the Red Army to the borders of Slovakia. The center of the Slovak uprising was the city of Banska Bystrica. By September 5 in the rebel army there were about 78 thousand soldiers and partisans who had 28 tanks and SPGs, 200 guns and 34 aircraft.

However, the Wehrmacht immediately blocked the Dukel Pass, through which the Red Army was to help. Taking advantage of the military experience and armament of the Wehrmacht, with the support of the Slovak units, which remained loyal to the Tiso regime, they began to crowd the rebels. In the west of the country, the Slovak military almost did not resist the Germans. 27 October 1944 Germans took the Banska Bistrita and the rebels switched to guerrilla actions, ceasing open resistance.


Slovak rebels

East Carpathian operation

Forces of the parties. During the pursuit of German troops after the end of the Lvov-Sandomir operation (Lviv-Sandomierz operation) The troops of the left wing of the 1 of the Ukrainian Front, commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Konev and the 4 of the Ukrainian Front, under the command of Colonel-General Ivan Petrov reached the foothills of the Eastern Carpathians. In the further offensive in this direction, the 38 Army KS Moskalenko, the 1 Guards Cavalry Corps of V. K. Baranov, the 25 Tank Corps of E. I. Fomin, and the Czechoslovak Army 1 of L. Svoboda took part. (left wing of the 1 of the Ukrainian Front). From the 4 of the Ukrainian Front in the operation participated: 1-I Guards Army A. A. Grechko, 18-I Army E. P. Zhuravleva and 17-i Guards Rifle Corps. A few days before the start of operation 4, the Ukrainian front was reinforced by the 3 body of the mountain rifle corps. The mountain arrows had experience in fighting the mountains of the Caucasus and the Crimea, and had special equipment. As part of the upcoming units was 246 thousand people (in the course of the battle, several more large units were thrown and the number of troops increased to 378 thousand people), more than 5 thousand guns and mortars, 322 tank and ACS, 1165 combat aircraft.

Soviet troops opposed the Heinrici Army Group. It consisted of: 1-I tank army commanded by Gothard Heinrici and part of the 1-I Hungarian army. The German army group numbered about 300 thousand people, 3250 guns, 100 tanks and SAU, 450 aircraft. German and Hungarian troops relied on powerful deep-echeloned (up to 60 km) defense in the highlands, the breakthrough of which required long and thorough preparation.

Plan of operation Initially, the Soviet Stavka did not plan to storm the powerful positions of the enemy in the Eastern Carpathians. 26 August Stake ordered the 4 of the Ukrainian front to go on the defensive and postpone the previously planned offensive. In connection with the successful movement of the troops of the 2 of the Ukrainian Front to the rear of the Carpathian Wehrmacht group, it was possible to free Slovakia without storming the enemy fortifications in the Eastern Carpathians, using a bypass maneuver from the south.

However, the situation was such that the USSR had to assist the Slovak national uprising. Back in December 1943, the Soviet-Czechoslovak Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance was signed in the Kremlin. 31 August 1944, the Czechoslovak ambassador in Moscow Fierlinger appealed to the Soviet government to help the uprising in Slovakia. Therefore, despite all the difficulties of overcoming the Carpathians by tired troops, the Soviet 2 Headquarters of September gave the order to conduct the East Carpathian operation. Political considerations were higher than the operational expediency of such an offensive.

They decided to launch an offensive at the junction of the 1 and 4 of the Ukrainian fronts. The main attacks were carried out from the Krosno and Sanok area through the passes of Duklinsky and Lupkovsky and further to Presov. Soviet troops were to enter Slovakia and unite with the Slovak forces. The 38 Army Moskalenko, reinforced by the Czechoslovak, tank and cavalry corps, was to break through the enemy defenses on the 8-kilometer stretch in the Krosno region. The 1-I Grechko Guards Army, supported by several tank, artillery, and mountain-rifle corps, was to crack the German defenses in the Sanok area. In addition, in the future, the troops of the 4 of the Ukrainian Front were to launch an offensive on the Uzhgorod, Mukachevo and Rakhov directions.

Thus, the Eastern Carpathian strategic operation consisted of two front-line operations: the Carpathian-Dukla operation, which was conducted by the 1 Ukrainian Front and the Carpathian-Uzhgorod operation in the offensive zone of the 4-Ukrainian Front.

Given the urgency of the situation, only a few days were spent on preparation. From that moment on, the USSR began large-scale military assistance to the insurgents. On the line of the Ukrainian headquarters of the partisan movement, 15 of organizing groups (more than 200 people) were transferred on airplanes. They began to ship weapons, ammunition and other military equipment on airplanes. September 17 The 1944 separate Czechoslovak Fighter Aviation Regiment (1 machines) was sent to Slovakia in 20, in the beginning of October the 2 Separate Czechoslovak Airborne Brigade.

A major role in the success of the operation was to play a sudden breakthrough of the Soviet troops through the mountains. The Czechoslovak military said they controlled the Carpathian passes. However, it soon became clear that the passes are in German hands. The rebels were cut off in Central Slovakia, to which the Soviet troops could not quickly get. Thus, the Soviet command had to decide on a risky operation - the troops needed to overcome 50-60 km to the Carpathians, then take well-fortified and hard-to-reach passes by storm.



Offensive

The Soviet offensive began at dawn on September 8. S. M. Shtemenko in his work “General Staff during the War” noted that the offensive had to be launched in bad weather conditions. Rain, blurred roads and poor visibility made it difficult to advance. 2-I and 8-I air armies could not act in full force. However, the Soviet troops were able to deliver a strong blow to the enemy on the approaches to the main ridge of the Eastern Carpathians. But the Germans acted skillfully and decisively. The German command, relying on advantageous positions in a mountainous and wooded area, sought to close the way to Slovakia and Transylvania for the Soviet troops. Slovak troops in this area, who supported the rebels, were quickly disarmed. The German command managed to withdraw large forces to all main directions, retaining passes and freedom of maneuver from the depths. As the Soviet troops advanced to the passes, the resistance of the German forces increased. By mid-September, Soviet troops penetrated the enemy’s defenses only on 12 — 23 km. Although the whole operation was planned to a depth of 90 — 95 km and a duration of 5 days.

The entire complexity of the operation is characterized by the environment of the cavalrymen of Baranov. During the September 10-11 heavy battles, Soviet troops broke through the first lane of the enemy’s defenses and in a narrow sector of the 1,5-2 km - the second lane. The command decided to throw the 1 th Guards Corps into this narrow gap. At night, the corps made a breakthrough to the rear of the enemy. However, on September 14, German troops closed the gap. All attempts to reestablish communication with Baranov’s corps were unsuccessful. The cavalrymen were in a difficult situation - small stocks of ammunition came to an end, exhausted food and fodder. Supply had to be organized from the air. The horses were tired, in the mountains the cavalry lost mobility. German troops gradually squeezed the noose around the guards. To help out the cavalry, the 4 th Guards Tank Corps of Poluboyarov and the 31 Tank Corps of Grigoriev taught the order to go to the rear of the enemy's Dukla group.

Army Moskalenko and Grechko literally gnawed at enemy lines. The fighting went with great tension. The German command pulled up to the dangerous area, additional troops and equipment, reserves. As a result, a situation developed where the German troops in the breakout areas initially surpassed the Soviet formations in tanks and self-propelled guns 2 times. The German command set up a powerful grouping in a dangerous direction, deployed infantry divisions to the 5, which were removed from relatively calm front sectors. The Soviet command had to additionally enter into battle two tank corps. However, the introduction of fresh forces in the battle could not turn the tide in favor of the Soviet troops.

To prevent the enemy from freely transferring troops from one front to another, and thereby alleviate the position of the assault force, September 18 received an order to go on the offensive part of the 18 Army and 17 Guards Rifle Corps of the 4 Ukrainian Front. As a result, the overall offensive front expanded to 400 km.

18-I army Zhuravleva, using the weakening of the battle formations of the enemy in secondary areas and applying deep roundabout maneuvers of its resistance centers and strong points, September 18 was able to overcome the main Carpathian ridge. The Soviet soldiers captured the Russian, Uzhoksky, Veretsky, Yablonitsky and other passes and continued their advance down the south-western and southern slopes of the Eastern Carpathians. The Zhuravlev army began to develop an offensive against Uzhgorod and Mukachevo. On the southern flank of the front 17-th Guards Rifle Corps was advancing from the area of ​​the Delyatin on Yasini.

In addition, the troops of the 2-th Ukrainian Front (40-I army) during the Debrecen operation occupied the part of the Hungarian plain adjacent to the Carpathians. Yes, and there was no strength to resist, 1-I of the Hungarian army was almost completely defeated. For the army group "Heinrici" there was a threat of a strike from the south-west direction and environment. Under this threat, the German-Hungarian troops began to retreat.

The commander of the 4-th Ukrainian Front Petrov was able to organize the pursuit of the enemy’s withdrawing forces. The Soviet troops, knocking the enemy's rearguards, 16 of October, captured the city of Rakhiv, and 18 of October, in cooperation with units of the 40 army of the 2 of the Ukrainian front, the city of Sighet. The troops of 4 of the Ukrainian Front broke through into the valley of the Tisza River and began to rapidly develop an attack on the city of Chop. October 26 was taken Mukachev, October 27 - Uzhgorod and October 29 - Chop. The further attack of the 18 army and the 17 Guards Rifle Corps was stopped at the turn of Chop - Snina. The troops were tired, the Slovak uprising was defeated, and the German command redeployed fresh forces and conducted a series of strong counterattacks.

On the right flank of the Soviet front, things were worse. The actions of the 38 and 1 of the Guards armies were not so successful. They continued to break through the powerful defenses of the enemy. It was not possible to fundamentally reverse the situation and the introduction into battle of two new mobile units: the 4 Guards Tank Corps of P. P. Poluboyarov and the 31 Tank Corps of V. E. Grigoriev. Only by the end of September, the advancing troops reached the Main Carpathian Range. The troops of the 38 Army captured the Dukel Pass and entered Czechoslovakia. Part of the 1 Guards Army broke through the enemy defenses in the area of ​​the Lupkov Pass and also reached the Czechoslovak border. Repeated subsequent attempts to move on were not successful. Until the end of October, Soviet and Czechoslovak troops fought stubbornly against the enemy, but could not break through his defenses. The Germans were pulling reinforcements and constantly going over to counterattacks. In late October, both Soviet fronts went over to the defensive.

Ninth Stalinist strike: East Carpathian operation

The commander of the 1 Guards Army A. A. Grechko (second from right) with officers of the army headquarters on the Arpad line. Carpathians. October 1944

Results

The objectives of the operation were not fully achieved. The Slovak uprising could not be helped. German troops broke the direct resistance of the Slovak forces, captured the leaders of the uprising. The remnants of the rebels switched to guerrilla actions. They fought until the liberation of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army. I must say that in fact it was the last serious victory of the Wehrmacht over the army of another state. This was largely due to the mistakes of the Czechoslovak military and political leadership, which overestimated its strength, underestimated the power and speed of the Wehrmacht. Slovaks clearly rushed. The Czechoslovak government in London was in a hurry to establish itself in Czechoslovakia, but it miscalculated.

As Konev noted in his memoirs, “dictated by political considerations, undertaken in support of the national antifascist uprising of the Slovak people, this operation cost us dearly, although it has taught us a lot.” The Soviet troops lost over 130 thousand people in this operation (irrevocable about 27 thousand people). German-Hungarian losses are estimated at 90 thousand.

However, there were positive results. The army group "Heinrici" suffered a serious defeat, was forced to retreat, losing an important defensive line. The 1-I Hungarian army was defeated. Soviet troops occupied an important strategic frontier - the Eastern Carpathians, liberated Transcarpathian Ukraine, part of Eastern Slovakia. Conditions emerged for the further liberation of Czechoslovakia, the northern flank was secured for the Soviet offensive on Budapest.


Monument at the site of the battle for Dukla Pass

To be continued ...
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12 comments
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  1. +8
    30 September 2014 10: 06
    ... Slovaks never once rebuked the USSR, Russia that the Red Army could not help the rebels ...
  2. +5
    30 September 2014 11: 45
    Army General Petrov commanded the 4-Ukrainian front. He was a very experienced military leader (the heroic defense of Odessa, Sevastopol and the Caucasus in 1942 was connected with his name) and, perhaps, the only specialist in the Red Army in the conduct of a mountain war. the command of the 4-Ukrainian front, whose theater was located in the Carpathian mountains, was entrusted. Before that, Ivan Yefimovich was removed from command of the North-Western Front, without actually beginning to command it. (During the war, General Petrov was removed from command of various fronts three times and even demoted ranks and all according to the tricks of Mehlis, a very odious and scandalous person, the former chief of the GlavPur KA and was restored three times). Army General Petrov ended the war as chief of staff of the 1st Ukrainian front (commander of the Soviet Union Marshal Konev) It’s a pity that this is very worthy and the military general is hardly remembered.
    1. +5
      30 September 2014 13: 04
      Quote: bistrov.
      Army General Petrov commanded the 4-Ukrainian front.

      About Petrov, you can add:

      From 9 of April 1945 of the year to 10 of June 1945 of the year, Army General I.E. Petrov - chief of staff of the 1-th Ukrainian front. In this post, he led the front forces in the Berlin and Prague offensive operations.

      For the skillful and initiative shown at the same time and dedication by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR of May 29 of 1945, Army General Ivan Yefimovich Petrov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Golden Star medal.

      Troops commanded by I.E. Petrov, for successful military operations in the Great Patriotic War 22 times were noted in the orders of the Supreme Commander I.V. Stalin.

      In the postwar period, Army General I.E. Petrov held positions: from July 1945 of the year - the commander of the troops of the Turkestan military district, from July 1952 of the year - first deputy chief inspector of the Soviet Army, from April 1953 of the year - head of the Main Directorate of combat and physical training of the Armed Forces of the USSR, from March 1955 of the year - first deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the USSR, since January 1956 of the year - chief inspector of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR. Since June 1957, he has been the chief scientific consultant under the Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. He was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Council of the USSR of the 2-4 convocation (1946-1958 years).

      Died 7 April 1958 year. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery (5 section).

      Awarded five orders of Lenin (24.07.1942, 21.02.1945, 29.05.1945, 16.01.1950, 1.10.1956), four orders of the Red Banner (..., 27.03.1942, 3.11.1944, 24.06.1948), Orders of Suvorov 1-th degree (9.10.1943) Kutuzov 1-th degree (8.02.1943) Labor Red Banner, Red Star (22.02.1941) Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the Turkmen SSR (23.02.1928) Order of the Red Banner of the Uzbek SSR (1931), medals, as well as foreign awards: the Order of the White Lion "For Victory" (Czechoslovakia), the "Military Cross of 1939) (Czechoslovakia), the orders" Grunwald Cross "3rd degree (Poland), Merit 1st degree (Hungary), the Distinguished Service Cross (USA), the Victory and Freedom medal (Poland).
    2. +4
      30 September 2014 13: 11


      Military ranks of Petrov Ivan Efimovich:

      brigade commander (26.11.1935), divisional commander (04.11.1939), major general (04.06.1940), lieutenant general (14.10.1942), colonel general (27.08.1943), army general (9.10.1943), colonel general (February 1944), army general (26.10.1944) .
      1. 0
        30 September 2014 18: 38
        Eternal memory, to one of the Worthy!
        Tell me if he has "Petrov Ivan Efimovich" memoirs? I would read it with pleasure!
  3. +3
    30 September 2014 11: 55
    And I saw this monument with tanks defeated and defeated!
    This is Memory! Thank!
    1. jjj
      +2
      30 September 2014 12: 35
      A good monument, he talks about everything
  4. Tyumen
    0
    30 September 2014 14: 36
    Cool monument!
  5. SSV
    +2
    30 September 2014 15: 56
    Most likely, the reason for the beginning of the uprising was dictated by political considerations, namely, the reluctance to let the Red Army into its territory and put the Czechoslovak government from London. The same story as with the Warsaw uprising, only the Poles reproach the USSR and Russia for the defeat of the uprising, although they themselves are to blame, but these are not, yet ....
    It is a pity for our people how many of them fell into the land there, and now the grateful descendants of the liberated are imposing sanctions.
    1. +1
      30 September 2014 21: 42
      The Soviet Union had quite good relations with the Czechoslovak government in London, not without difficulties, but much better than, for example, with the Polish one. The failure of the offensive in the Eastern Carpathians (if you remove the political component) is associated with the unpreparedness of the Slovak uprising and the indecision and betrayal of the Slovak command army, which allowed the Germans to take the Carpathian passes without a single shot. And my grandfather, a fighter of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps, went missing in the battles for Duklinsky Pass.
  6. +1
    30 September 2014 19: 40
    The Prague uprising, too, had no military meaning, except for the political .., but the desire to justify itself for the shock work on the military-industrial complex of Germany. So to speak, an attempt to jump into the last car of the winners .. The Germans retreated to the American zone to give up without going to Prague and without creating problems .. In the city there were mainly hospitals and service personnel .. And against this background, the Czechs decided to show heroism .. ( You see, it will be counted ..) .., they started the massacre .. And they raked .. from the (ungrateful) Germans .. they just turned and hung for their wounded .. That's when They screamed on the radio - Save Prague! .. Well ours and saved ..
  7. +2
    30 September 2014 23: 51
    Glory to Stalin and glory to the Soviet people !!! They certainly didn’t fight like the dib army of couch generals in the World of Tanks !!! Only a complete fuck and degenerate can be delighted with this MMM without physics and solid glitches !!! Besides pouring some water on the Geyropeysky and Geyrianskoy mill !!! This anti-Russian roulette disguised as tanks brings crazy revenues to overseas owners, and cleans the pockets of schoolchildren and dependent morons !!!
  8. 0
    3 October 2014 09: 10
    Eh, again they threw hats ... Deaths of soldiers, for the sake of politics :(
  9. 0
    3 November 2014 16: 46
    just a great article, Alexander! happy to try!
  10. 0
    12 October 2019 19: 21
    In his article, the author made a number of inaccuracies. By agreement with the leaders of the Slovak uprising, the fighters of the Slovak Corps were to occupy fortified areas on the Duklinsky and Lupkovsky passes, which were not completely protected by Slovakia and they had every opportunity to do so. However, as a result of the betrayal of the corps commander General A. Malar and the irresponsible behavior of his deputy colonel V. Talsky, from August 31 to September 4, German troops disarmed the troops of the Slovak corps (about 24 thousand soldiers). The Carpathian-Duklinsk front operation became meaningless, but no one canceled the order of the Stavka and on September 8, 1944, the troops of the 38th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps went on the offensive along the Dukla Highway - Duklinsky Pass. The German troops, not without the help of the "allies", already knew about the impending offensive, occupied all the mountain passes and prepared to repulse the offensive.
    The author further indicates that the party in the operation was the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps of L. Svoboda, but at the beginning of the operation, the corps commander was J. Kratohvil, who showed himself poorly in command and control, and was replaced by the front commander Konev with L. Svoboda.
    My father was a participant in this operation as part of the 76th separate motorcycle battalion of the 4th Guards Kantemirovsky Tank Corps, said that the battles for the Duklinsky pass were the hardest of all, in which he had to participate. Even nature in this military operation was not on the side of the soldiers of the Red Army. Autumn in the mountains came earlier than on the flat terrain. Autumn rains began. The weather in the Carpathians changed every half hour: first rain, half an hour later snow, then the sun and again rain. In addition, a piercing cold wind constantly blew in the mountains. There was no way to dry clothes. The roads in the mountains got lousy and it became almost impassable.
    He said that the tension from the fighting was such that there was no more fear, and sometimes there was indifference. There was a desire to simply rise to his full height and go to the German machine guns, if only it would all soon end.
    The situation with human forces and military equipment in the 4th tank corps can be found in the Combat Journal for September 23, 1944 after the battle near the village of Tylyava:
    “... Further actions to the south for the corps were difficult, since 12 and 14 GTBRs (approx. Guards Tank Brigade) included only 6 naval tanks, 3 GMBs (approx. Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade) infantry were almost gone.” (approx. 3212 people).
    Report of 27.09.1944/XNUMX/XNUMX:
    “Due to the small number of tanks in the tank brigades and the large loss of leadership, the commander of the BT and MV 1st UV ordered that all the tanks of the corps be reduced to one brigade.
    The corps commander decided: to replenish 12 GTBr with the remaining 13 and 14 GTBr tanks, and withdraw 12 and 13 GTBr to the rear, and replenish SMBs 3 GMBs with the rank and file of these brigades.
    Total tanks on the go: T-34 = 23 SU-85 = 5 IS-2 = 4 "
    Report of 07.10.1944/XNUMX/XNUMX:
    “... As a result of heavy fighting, parts of the corps suffered heavy losses. Not a single battalion commander, not a single adjutant of the senior battalion was left in the 3nd Main Naval Brigade; only one company commander and 2 platoon commanders remained from the sergeant. In total, the brigade has only 61 motorized riflemen. (approx. 3212 people).
    14 GTBr lost 9 armored units lined or burned. A total of 9 = T-34 and 2 = SU-85 were left in the brigade by the end of the day ”(approx. 65 tanks in the state).
    At the end of the article there is a photo "Monument at the site of the battles for the Duklinsky pass." In fact, the Duklinsky Pass is located 30 kilometers from this place high in the mountains, and this is a fork in the roads between the city of Svidnik and the villages of Kapishovo and Kruzhilova, there is a memorial complex "Valley of Death", where tanks are standing right in the field, on high-rise buildings, near ravines T-34-85, where death found them. The tanks of the 4th GKTK could not reach the monument shown in the photo 4 km.
    The article first published the results of losses: "The Soviet troops lost more than 130 thousand people in this operation (about 27 thousand irrecoverable people). German-Hungarian losses are estimated at 90 thousand people."
    It seems that these figures are more similar to the truth than those that I had met earlier, in which our losses were two or more times lower. My father could not know about the size of our losses, but said that our and Czech soldiers died much more than the Germans.
    According to the original plans of the Supreme High Command, it was not intended to storm the Carpathians, especially in the autumn-winter period, but only to surround and let those around wait for surrender. Example: The Courland group, Breslau (Wroclaw), which themselves surrendered after the surrender of Berlin. But politics comes first, and people ...?

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