Therefore, the doctrine favored at that time was temporary strategic defence.[23]. The strategic objective was illustrated after the victories of Erich von Manstein and the 11th Army in the Crimea. Born to a peasant family in Viatsky, Konev entered the Old Army, Kharms, Daniil 1905(? [50][non-primary source needed] Quickly, the Germans achieved considerable success against Soviet defensive positions. Although the Soviets desperately attempted to fend off advancing German troops and launched local counterattacks to relieve several surrounded units, they generally failed. The Warsaw Pact was formed in response to the remilitarization and incorporation of West Germany into NATO on 9 May 1955. The Battle of France 1. Between 17 and 19 February, Soviet offensive operations culminated in the face of growing German resistance along a north-south line lying roughly 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the Kursk-Kharkov meridian and cutting east in the extreme south to the Mius River. Unknown to the Soviet forces, the German army was regrouping in the center of operations for the offensive around Kharkov. Manstein's intent was sequentially to smash leading elements of the two advancing Soviet fronts head-on and then to sink a deep thrust between them to bypass Kharkov on the way to seizing Belgorod and its crossings over the Donets River. The Germans traded space for time, which suited their intentions well. The Germans surrounded our Army concentrations and as a result [the Kharkov counterattack] lost hundreds of thousands of our soldiers. Senior Soviet representatives criticised the front commanders for poor management of forces, an inability to stage offensives and for their armchair generalship. Often, they flew from dawn until dusk. More than 200,000 Soviet troops, hundreds of tanks and thousands of trucks and horse-drawn wagons filled the narrow dirt road between Krutoiarka and Fedorovka (Fedorivka) and were under constant German artillery fire and relentless air strikes from Ju 87s, Ju 88s and He 111s. Translated by. Coupled with the lack of trained soldiers, the Red Army also began to suffer from poor logistics and a lack of supplies, as major portions of the former Soviet industrial areas were now under German control. Beyond the numbers and the reoccupation of Kharkov, Rumiantsev marked a maturing of the Soviet military art, in which Red commanders demonstrated a growing mastery of complex breakthrough and exploitation operations for encirclement and pursuit. .: , 1969 1942 , Khrushchev, Nikita: 'Speech to the Twentieth Party Congress', 1956, Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East, 19421943, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Second_Battle_of_Kharkov&oldid=1141385156, Battles of World War II involving Romania, Battles of World War II involving Germany, Battles and operations of the SovietGerman War, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles with disputed statements from February 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 20:17. A series of defensive and offensive operations from 7 July 1942 to 2 February 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad produ, WAR AND REVOLUTION was the scene of fierce urban combat. The use of the Luftwaffe to compensate for the German Army's lack of firepower suggested to von Richthofen that the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, "High Command of the Armed Forces") saw the Luftwaffe mainly as a ground support arm. Critical errors by several staff officers, and by Joseph Stalin himself, who failed accurately to estimate the 6th Army's potential and overestimated their own newly trained forces, led to a successful German pincer attack which cut off advancing Soviet troops from the rest of the front. That same day, Timoshenko reported the move to Moscow and asked for reinforcements and described the day's failures. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. [39] The Germans, on the other hand, had spent the day fighting holding actions in both sectors, launching small counterattacks to whittle away at Soviet offensive potential, while continuously moving up reinforcements from the south, including several aircraft squadrons transferred from the Crimea. [31][non-primary source needed] A captured diary of a dead German general alluded to the Germans knowing about Soviet plans in the region. Bock personally viewed the carnage from a hill near Lozovenka.[54]. Furthermore, Stalin and most generals and front commanders genuinely believed that the principal effort would be a German offensive toward Moscow. The volume concentrates on some of the most dramatic but least well-known German-Soviet operations of the Second World War in the area around Kharkov in February-March 1943. After a promising start, the offensive was stopped on 15 May by massive airstrikes. On 20 March, Timoshenko held a conference in Kupiansk to discuss the offensive and a report to Moscow, prepared by Timoshenko's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ivan Baghramian, summed up the conference, although arguably leaving several key intelligence features out. This would finalise itself after the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. [16][17], The regrouping of forces in the sector ran into the rasputitsa, which turned much of the soil into mud and postponed several developments and made reinforcing the Southern and Southwestern Front take longer than expected. [47] The latter would prove especially true in the subsequent Case Blue, which would lead to the Battle of Stalingrad, though this would be the battle in which Paulus would face an entirely different outcome. [26] The fighting was so fierce that the Soviets inched forward their second echelon formations, preparing to throw them into combat as well. [32] By 15 May, Pflugbeil was heavily reinforced and he received Kampfgeschwader 27 (Bomber Wing 27, or KG 27), Kampfgeschwader 51 (KG 51), Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55) and Kampfgeschwader 76 (KG 76) equipped with Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111 bombers. The battle itself began on May 12, 1942 and ended on the 28th. The Second Battle of Kharkov was one of the costliest battles for Soviet forces during the war, with almost 300,000 casualties suffered. Timoshenko and Khruschev claimed that the danger coming from Wehrmacht's Kramatorsk group was exaggerated, and Stalin refused the withdrawal again. [43], Although Timoshenko's forces successfully regrouped on 21 May, he ordered a withdrawal of Army Group Kotenko by the end of 22 May, while he prepared an attack for 23 May, to be orchestrated by the 9th and 57th Armies. [37] The 4th Air Corps anti-aircraft units also used their high-velocity 8.8cm guns on the Soviet ground forces. [10] Although, according to Zhukov, Stalin did believe that the Germans were able to carry out operations simultaneously along two strategic axes, Stalin was sure that the opening of spring offensives along the entire front would destabilize the German Army before it had a chance to effectively initiate what could be a mortal offensive blow on Moscow. [16][17] Emboldened by the success of the winter offensive, Stalin was convinced that local offensives in the area would wear down German forces, weakening German efforts to mount another operation to take Moscow. When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler. The forces of Marshal Semyon Timoshenko and Lieutenant General Kirill Moskalenko penetrated German positions along the northern Donets River, east of Kharkov. The Izium salient is pictured in red. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Encyclopedia of Modern Europe: Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. [48] The response time of the 4th Air Corps to calls for air strikes was excellent, only 20 minutes. Paulus called for a series of holding actions, although the Germans still made local counterattacks. Coupled with the lack of trained soldiers, the Red Army also began to suffer from the loss of Soviet industrial areas, and a temporary strategic defence was considered necessary. Only then did Stalin authorise Zhukov to stop the offensive and fend off German flanking forces. Other leading and trailing events may also be included for perspective. [34][non-primary source needed], Soviet troops in the northern pincer suffered even more than those in the south. Hemmed into a narrow area, the 250,000-strong Soviet force inside the pocket was exterminated from all sides by German armored, artillery and machine gun firepower as well as 7,700 tonnes of air-dropped bombs. [25] This operation called for a concerted effort to crush the Soviet armies within the Izium salient, created south of Kharkov during the Soviet early spring offensives in March and April. Groups of Soviet tanks and infantry that attempted to escape and succeeded in breaking through German lines were caught and destroyed by Ju 87s from StG 77. [27] In fact, a captured diary of a dead German general alluded to the fact that the Germans had very possibly known in advance about the pending Soviet operations in the region. [29], On the 15 May and 16 May saw another attempted Soviet offensive in the north, meeting the same resistance encountered on the three first days of the battle. Edited with an introd. Success, however, was to prove ephemeral for Stavka, at least for a time, with the result that Kharkov would not long remain in Soviet hands. DISINTEGRATION [48] German reconnaissance aircraft monitored enemy movements, directed attack aircraft to Soviet positions and corrected German artillery fire. Nonetheless, despite this poor performance, it underscored a dedicated evolution of operations and tactics within the Red Army which borrowed and refined the pre-war theory, Soviet deep battle. At its height, the Southern Front could operate eleven guns or mortars per kilometer of front. In reality, the Soviet units at Kerch were already routed and the Axis position at Sevastopol was comfortable. On 5 April 1942, Hitler issued Directive 41, which made the south the main area of operations under Case Blue, the summer campaign, at the expense of the other fronts. Nonetheless, less than one man in ten managed to break out of the "Barvenkovo mousetrap". Marshal K.S. By 26 May, the surviving Red Army soldiers were forced into crowded positions in an area of roughly fifteen square kilometers. Unbeknownst to the Soviets, the German 6th Army, under the newly appointed General Paulus, was issued orders for Operation Fredericus on 30 April 1942. By the end of May 24, Soviet forces opposite Kharkov had been surrounded by German formations, which had been able to transfer several more divisions to the front, increasing the pressure on the Soviet flanks and finally forcing them to collapse. German bastions continued to hold out against Soviet assaults. Aided greatly by air support, Kleist was able to crush Soviet positions and advanced up to ten kilometres in the first day of the attack. The Soviet Southern Front boasted the 57th and 9th Armies, along with 30 rifle divisions, a single rifle brigade, and the substantial reinforcements of the 24th Tank Corps, the 5th Cavalry Corps and three Guards rifle divisions. [10] In the first 72 hours the 6th Army lost 16 battalions conducting holding actions and local counter-attacks in the heavy rain and mud. Armee, 1. [37], German close air support made its presence felt immediately on 15 May, forcing units such as the Soviet 38th Army onto the defensive. The major contribution to Soviet frustration in the battle was the lack of heavy artillery, which ultimately prevented the taking of heavily defended positions. [39], On 14 May, the Germans continued to attack Soviet positions in the north in localised offensives and by then, the Luftwaffe had gained air superiority over the Kharkov sector, forcing Timoshenko to move his own aircraft forward to counter the bolstered Luftflotte 4. Reprint, London, 2003. Stalin's willingness to expend recently conscripted armies, which were poorly trained and poorly supplied, illustrated a misconception of realities, both in the capabilities of the Red Army and the subordinate arms of the armed forces, and in the abilities of the Germans to defend themselves and successfully launch a counteroffensive. Panzerarmee. After a winter counter-offensive that drove German troops away from Moscow but depleted the Red Army's reserves, the Kharkov offensive was a new Soviet attempt to expand upon their strategic initiative, although it failed to secure a significant element of surprise. It was on 10 May when Paulus submitted his final draft plans for Operation Friderikus, that Paulus feared a Russian attack. Soviet command of the field, documented by General Moskalenko, caught the movement of several German reserve units and finally caught on that his forces were up against two German divisions, not the expected single one, indicating poor Soviet reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering prior to the start of the battle. . [44], Additionally, the subordinate Soviet generals (especially South-Western Front generals) were just as willing to continue their own winter successes, and much like the German generals, under-appreciated the strength of their enemies, as pointed out a posteriori by the commander of the 38th Army, Kirill Moskalenko. The objective of the offensive was to eliminate the Izium bridgehead over Seversky Donets or the "Barvenkovo bulge," an area known for staging Soviet offensives. By 11 May, the 21st Tank Corps had been moved into the region along with the 23rd Tank Corps, providing 269 additional tanks. It ranged over the front, operating dangerously close to the changing frontline. [11] The flat terrain secured easy observation for the Germans, whose forward observers directed long-range 10.5cm and 15 cm artillery fire onto the Soviets from a safe distance to conserve the German infantrymen. The 14 th and 16 th Panzer Divisions were under the 3.AK, which was part of Army Group v.Kleist. Stalin's decision faced objections from his advisors, including the Chief of the Red Army General Staff, General Boris Shaposhnikov, and generals Aleksandr Vasilevsky and Georgy Zhukov, who argued for a more defensive strategy. [15], By 11 May 1942, the Red Army was able to allocate six armies under two fronts, amongst other units. Fighting continued into April, with Moskalenko crossing the river and establishing a tenuous bridgehead at Izium. After six days of encirclement, Soviet resistance ended, with the remaining troops being killed or surrendering. [42] The Luftwaffe also intensified operations over the Donets River, to prevent Soviet forces escaping. One area was Kharkov, where action was originally ordered for March.[18]. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Although at first he had agreed to prepare the Red Army for an "active strategic defence", he later gave orders for the planning of seven local offensives, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The first, 1114 March, occurred during a successful German counteroffensive to regain ground lost to Soviet advances after the victory at Stalingrad, while the second, 2123 August, occurred during a major Soviet counteroffensive following the Battle of Kursk. The build-up of Soviet forces in the region of Barvenkovo (Barvinkove) and Vovchansk continued well into the beginning of May. In broad daylight, the Luftwaffe, now enjoying complete air supremacy and the absence of Soviet anti-aircraft guns, rained down SD2 anti-personnel cluster bombs on the exposed Soviet infantry masses, killing them in droves. Poor Soviet performance in the north and equally poor intelligence-gathering at the hands of Stavka and front headquarters, also eventually spelled doom for the offensive. SD-2 cluster munitions killed the unprotected infantry and SC250 bombs smashed up the Soviet vehicles and T-34 tanks. The Second Battle was fought between 12 and 28 May 1942, when the Soviets, having saved Moscow, tried to counterattack in the Kharkov region. The strategic objective was illustrated after the victories of Erich von Manstein and his 11th Army in the Crimea. It ranged over the front, operating dangerously close to the changing frontline. [43][non-primary source needed] The fighting was so harsh that, after advancing an average of five kilometres, the offensive stopped for the day in the north. As a result, [26][non-primary source needed], The General Chief of Staff, Marshal Vasilevsky, recognised that the Soviet Army of 1942 was not ready to conduct major offensive operations against the well-trained German army, because it did not have quantitative and qualitative superiority and because leadership was being rebuilt after the defeats of 1941. Stalin was convinced that the Germans were finished and would collapse by the spring or summer 1942, as he said in his speech of 7 November 1941. Many of the generals blamed Stalin for this. However, the temptation for vindication proved too strong to resist. Encyclopedia of Modern Europe: Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. . [33] Pflugbeil now had 10 bomber, six fighter and four Junkers Ju 87 Stuka Gruppen (Groups). By then, the German army directly opposite Timoshenko was fully prepared for combat in their eventual operation towards the Caucasus. Nonetheless, less than one man in ten managed to break out of the "Barvenkovo mousetrap". [4][5][6] Regardless of the casualties, Kharkov was a major Soviet setback and it would put an end to the astonishing[citation needed] successes of the Red Army during the Winter Counteroffensive, and the smaller offensives of the spring. Within the context of the battle itself, the failure of the Red Army to properly regroup during the prelude to the battle and the ability of the Germans to effectively collect intelligence on Soviet movements played an important role in the outcome. At this point, its close support corps was deployed in Crimea, taking part in the siege of Sevastopol. The average Soviet soldier suffered from inexperience. [14] Despite the caution urged by his generals, Stalin decided to try to keep the German forces off-balance through "local offensives". There were also three independent rifle divisions and a rifle regiment from the 270th Rifle Division, concentrated in the area, supported by the 2nd Cavalry Corps in Bogdanovka. This later unfolded and grew as Stavka planned and conducted Operation Mars, Operation Uranus and Operation Saturn. [41], On 18 May, the situation worsened and Stavka suggested once more stopping the offensive and ordering the 9th Army to break out of the salient. Battle of Dunkirk from May 26 to June 4, 1940 A German invasion around the French coastal town of Dunkirk separates the French and British armies, marooning Allied forces. The task of standing fast within the city now fell to the remnants of Detachment Kempf, but again the scent of Stalingrad was in the air, with the result that German troops quit the city after only two days' (2123 August) hard street fighting. [22] Therefore, the typical soldier in the Red Army at that time was only recently conscripted and had little to no combat experience. By 6 July, General Hermann Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army had taken the city of Voronezh, threatening . . Moskalenko, the commander of the 38th Army, placed the blame on the fact that the fronts did not plan in advance to regroup and showed a poor display of front management. 13. The Battle of Luzon 6. Worse, Soviet intelligence on German dispositions and intentions remained dangerously uncertain. "Kharkov, Battles of Poor decisions by the 150th Rifle Division, which had successfully crossed the Barvenkovo River, played a major part in the poor exploitation of the tactical successes of the southern shock group. By 15 March, Soviet commanders introduced preliminary plans for an offensive towards Kharkov, assisted by a large number of reserves. By the end of the day, the 28th Army could no longer conduct offensive operations against German positions. There was also severe criticism from senior Soviet representatives who blamed front commanders for poor management of forces, their inability to stage offensives and for their armchair generalship, as Vasilevsky points out in his memoirs. The Second Battle of Kharkov, so named by Wilhelm Keitel, [8] was an Axis counter-offensive in the region around Kharkov (now Kharkiv [9]) against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted 12-28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front during World War II. The success of the Southern Shock group, however, has been attributed to the fact that the early penetrations in the north had directed German reserves there, thus limiting the reinforcements to the south. Formerly referred to as Kharkov, the city was one of the most violently contested urban battlegrounds on the Eastern Front during World War II. On 12 May 1942, Soviet forces under the command of Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launched an offensive against the German 6th Army from a salient established during the winter counter-offensive. [13][14] However, emboldened by the previous winter's success, Stalin was convinced that local offensives in the area would only wear down German forces, consequently weakening German efforts to successfully mount another operation to take Moscow. Fighting was particularly ferocious near the Soviet village of Nepokrytaia, where the Germans launched three local counterattacks. Glantz, David M., and Jonathan M. House. [45] Timoshenko was unable to choose a point of main effort for his advancing troops, preferring a broad-front approach instead. The Second Battle of Kharkov 310,000 casualties. The 20 May saw more of the same, with the German forces closing in from the rear. I. On 5 April 1942, Hitler issued Directive Number 41, which pinpointed the south as the major area of operations for the German strategic summer campaign of the year, and at the expense of the other fronts, the divisions of Army Group South were brought up to full strength by late April and early May. The primary Soviet leader was Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, a veteran of World War I and the Russian Civil War. The Soviets failed and the Luftwaffe won air superiority over their numerically superior, but technically inferior opponents. Overseeing the actions of the army was Military Commissar Nikita Khrushchev. . Stalin, most generals and front commanders believed that the principal effort would be a German offensive towards Moscow. From 19 to 21 February, XLVIII Panzer Corps and SS Panzer Corps overpowered and obliterated the forward formations of Vatutin's Sixth and First Guards armies. Encyclopedia of Modern Europe: Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. German Major General Hubert Lanz described the attacks as gruesome, made en masse. maneuvering heavy formations in the vicinity of Bogodukhov, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Kharkov. "What really unfolded" in Kharkov was the destruction of the AFU's "second army," so the only thing wrong with my take at the time was I expected the Russians to fight a mobile defense rather than an area one. (18931937), prominent Soviet military figure; strategist, commander, weapons p, BIBLIOGRAPHY There had been two previous battles for Kharkov in 1941 and 1942, and that which the Germans called the "Third Battle of Kharkov" resulted from Soviet overreach on the southern flank of the eastern front during the winter of 1943. However, it was already too late. Advertisements Day-by-Day Timeline of Events Monday, February 2nd, 1942 The Second Battle of Kharkov was a major World War II battle fought between May 12-28, 1942, resulting in a German victory. As Moskalenko recalls, quoting an anonymous soldier, "these fascists woke up after they hibernated".[46]. [50][non-primary source needed] The Luftwaffe also intensified operations over the Donets River to prevent Soviet forces escaping. Under the command of Wolfram von Richthofen, the 8th Air Corps was initially ordered to deploy to Kharkov from Crimea, but this order was rescinded. This angered von Richthofen who complained that the Luftwaffe "was the army's whore". Although the Red Army desperately attempted to fend off advancing Wehrmacht and launched local counterattacks to relieve several surrounded units, they generally failed. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/kharkov-battles, "Kharkov, Battles of ." [28] This operation was to crush the Soviet armies within the Izyum salient south of Kharkov, created during the Soviet spring offensives in March and April. The south, however, achieved success, much like the earlier days of the battle, although Soviet forces began to face heavier air strikes from German aircraft. After briefly pausing to regroup, Manstein's panzers turned northwest to confront Golikov's Third Tank and Sixty-Ninth armies on the southwest approaches to Kharkov. The next day saw a renewal of the Soviet attack, which was largely blocked by counterattacks by German tanks; the tired Soviet divisions could simply not hold their own against the concerted attacks from the opposition. Stavka's primary objective was the encirclement and destruction of Manstein's groupings northwest of Kharkov. Poor decisions by the 150th Rifle Division, which had successfully crossed the Barvenkovo River, played a major part in the poor exploitation of the tactical successes of the southern shock group. [34][non-primary source needed], Hitler immediately turned to the Luftwaffe to help blunt the offensive. The Luftwaffe's fighter aircraft, despite their numerical inferiority, quickly defeated the Soviet air units in the airspace above the battle area, but without bombers, dive-bombers and ground-attack aircraft they could only strafe with their machine guns, drop small bombs on Soviet supply columns, and pin down infantry. But, by 14 May, Hitler had briefed General Ewald von Kleist and ordered his 1st Panzer Army to grab the initiative in a bold counteroffensive, setting the pace for the final launching of Operation Friderikus. Although Timoshenko had achieved limited success at Smolensk a year earlier, his attempts ultimately led to defeat there. Armee, 17. 2023 . Second Battle of Kharkov: May 12-28, 1942. The Second Battle of Kharkov 7. [45] The Soviet winter counteroffensive weakened the Wehrmacht, but did not destroy it. The Second Battle of Kharkov was an Axis counter-offensive in the region around Kharkov, (now Kharkiv) against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted from 12-28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front during World War II. By the end of May 24, Soviet forces opposite Kharkov had been surrounded by German formations, which had been able to transfer several more divisions to the front, increasing the pressure on the Soviet flanks and finally forcing them to collapse. [30] By dark, the deepest Soviet advance was 10 kilometres (6.2mi). Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. [28] The day also saw, after much persuasion on Paulus's part, the release of three German infantry divisions and a single panzer division for the defence of Kharkov. [19] He commented afterwards that it was no surprise that the "German-Fascist command divined our plans".[20]. Edited and translated by Anthony G. Powell. [22][non-primary source needed] (He commented afterwards that it was no surprise that the "German-Fascist command divined our plans".)[23]. Subcategories This category has only the following subcategory. [19][20][non-primary source needed], Forces regrouping in the sector ran into the rasputitsa, which turned much of the soil into mud. Critical Soviet errors by several staff officers and by Joseph Stalin, who failed to accurately estimate the 6th Army's potential and overestimated their own newly raised forces, facilitated a German pincer attack on 17 May which cut off three Soviet field armies from the rest of the front by 22 May. On 18 May the Fliegerkorps VI destroyed 130 tanks and 500 motor vehicles, while adding another 29 tanks destroyed on 19 May. But when Manstein reverted to the same sort of mobile maneuver scheme that earlier in the year had assured German success in the third battle of Kharkov, his troops encountered a different kind of opposition. Lawrence, Kans., 1995. [31], The news that powerful air support was on its way to bolster the 6th Army boosted German morale. Altogether the Soviets lost the bulk of two field armies, including 9,000 prisoners, an estimated 23,000 dead, 615 tanks, and 1,000 artillery pieces. [51], Although Timoshenko's forces successfully regrouped on 21 May, he ordered a withdrawal of Army Group Kotenko by the end of 22 May, while he prepared an attack for 23 May, to be orchestrated by the 9th and 57th Armies. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. [16][non-primary source needed], The plan to begin Operation Fredericus in April led to more forces being allocated to the area of the German 6th Army. [50][non-primary source needed], The 25 May saw the first major Soviet attempt to break the encirclement. [37] Although intensive fighting also marked the battles in the south, the Soviets routed several key German battalions, including many made up of personnel of foreign descent, including some Hungarian units. Final details were settled following discussions between Stalin, Stavka and the leadership of the Southwestern Strategic Direction led by Timoshenko throughout March and April, with one of the final Stavka directives issued on 17 April. Fliegerkorps VIII (8th Air Corps) under the command of Wolfram von Richthofen was ordered to deploy to Kharkov from the Crimea, but the order was rescinded. The major contribution to Soviet frustration in the battle was the lack of heavy guns, which ultimately prevented the taking of heavily defended positions. Soviet troop and supply convoys were easy targets for ferocious Luftwaffe attacks, possessing few anti-aircraft guns and having left their rail-heads 100 kilometres to the rear. The ground offensive began with a dual pincer movement from the Volchansk and Barvenkovo salients, beginning at 7:30. [38] The fighting was so harsh that, after advancing an average of five kilometers, the offensive stopped for the day in the north. Norman, Okla., 1996. At this point, its premier close support Korps was deployed in the Crimea, taking part in the siege of Sevastopol. [59][non-primary source needed] The latter proved especially true in the subsequent Case Blue, which led to the Battle of Stalingrad, though this was the battle in which Paulus faced an entirely different outcome. The Germans were unprepared for the heavy artillery bombardment followed by more mobile Soviet shock units. 25 May. [55] In his famous address to the Twentieth Party Congress about the crimes of Stalin, Khrushchev used the Soviet leader's errors in this campaign as an example, saying: "Contrary to common sense, Stalin rejected our suggestion. Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-078-3064-27A, Russland, Schtzenpanzer mit Anhnger.jpg 800 533; 71 KB [50][non-primary source needed] The consequences of losing the air battle were also apparent. Stalingrad, Battle of Second Battle of Kharkov, a May 1942 battle in which Soviet forces attempted to retake the city Third Battle of Kharkov, a February 1943 battle in which Soviet forces were driven out again, and the Germans forces retook the city Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operation, an August 1943 battle in which Soviet forces retook the city. By late February 1942, the Soviet winter counteroffensive, which pushed the Germans from the gates of Moscow, had petered out, leaving both sides licking their wounds. On 10 May, Paulus submitted his final draft of Operation Fredericus and feared a Soviet attack. Encyclopedia.com. The next day saw a renewal of the Soviet attack which was largely blocked by counterattacks by German tanks, and the tired Soviet divisions could simply not hold their own against the concerted attacks from the opposition. While transiting and concentrating mobile counters from the north and from the Donbas, Manstein committed his local reserves piecemeal, but with little success. Joseph Stalin was convinced that the Germans were on their deathbed, and would collapse by the spring or summer 1942, as he said in his speech of 7 November 1941. [57] The Soviet winter counteroffensive weakened the Wehrmacht, but did not destroy it. [51], On 19 May, Paulus, on orders from Bock, began a general offensive from the area of Merefa in the north of the bulge in an attempt to encircle the remaining Soviet forces in the Izium salient. Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (Dive Bomber Wing 77, or StG 77) also arrived to add direct ground support. BIBLIOGRAPHY Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. In May 1942, after a successful winter counter-offensive, the Russian Army attempted to expand on their success. The Second Battle of Kharkov also had a positive effect on Stalin, who started to trust his commanders and his Chief of Staff more (allowing the latter to have the last word in naming front commanders for instance). It was an Axis counter-offensive in the region around Kharkov against the Red Army on the Eastern Front. They managed to keep the Germans from invading, and in 1942, they felt ready to launch their own offensive, picking the Ukrainian city of Kharkov as their target (via World War II Database ). This would later unfold and grow as Stavka planned and conducted Operation Mars, Operation Uranus and Operation Saturn. ." With the Soviet debacle of the previous year ameliorated only by the barest victory at Moscow, most of the original manpower of the Red Army had been killed, wounded or imprisoned by the Germans, with casualties of almost 1,000,000 just from the Battle of Moscow. and epilogue by Walter Gorlitz. [7] In the face of determined German operations, Timoshenko ordered the official halt of all Soviet offensive manoeuvres on 28 May, while attacks to break out of the encirclement continued until 30 May. The Soviet Southern Front had the 57th and 9th armies, along with thirty rifle divisions, a rifle brigade and the 24th Tank Corps, the 5th Cavalry Corps and three Guards rifle divisions. However, it was already too late. Rev. The worst we had expected. German Major General Hubert Lanz described the attacks as gruesome, made en masse. Joseph Stalin and his generals had underestimated the resilience of the Wehrmacht and its associated SS formations and had overestimated the capacity of overtaxed Soviet logistics and depleted combat units to maintain offensive momentum. 0. The Second Battle of Kharkov or Operation Fredericus was an Axis counter-offensive in the region around Kharkov ( Kharkiv, Ukraine) against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted 12-28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front during World War II. With the Soviet debacle of the previous year ameliorated only by the barest victory at Moscow, most of the original manpower of the Red Army had been killed, wounded or captured by the Germans, with casualties of almost 1,000,000 just from the Battle of Moscow. Furthermore, Stalin ignored sensible advice provided by his own General Chief of Staff, who recommended organising a strong defence in the southwestern sector in order to be able to repulse any Wehrmacht attack. [52] The German machine gunners had no need for accuracy, killing hundreds in quick bursts of fire. General Bobkin was killed by German machine gun fire and two more Soviet generals were killed in action on the 26th and 27th. Initially unable to stem the tide, the Germans gave ground nearly everywhere, including Kharkov, where on 15 February, I SS Panzer Corpsdespite orders to stand fastretired to the southwest after offering feeble resistance. Timoshenko had achieved some success at the Battle of Smolensk in 1941 but was eventually defeated. Its commander, Obergruppenfhrer Paul Hausser, saw little purpose in making the city "a second Stalingrad.". [10] Hayward gives 75,000 Soviets killed and 239,000 taken prisoner. [18] Catching the attention of Stalin, it set the pace for the prelude to the eventual offensive intended to reach Pavlohrad and Sinelnikovo (Synelnykove) and eventually Kharkov and Poltava. Kharkov is the Russian language name of the city Kharkiv (Kharkiv the Ukrainian one); both Russian and Ukrainian were official languages in the Soviet Union (Source: Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2014, Ukraine articles missing geocoordinate data, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Battles of World War II involving Germany, Battles and operations of the SovietGerman War, File:Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (1895-1970), Soviet military commander.jpg, - . One of the best examples of this was the defence of Ternovaya (Ternova), where defending German units absolutely refused to surrender. But, by 14 May, Hitler had briefed General Ewald von Kleist and ordered his 1st Panzer Army to grab the initiative in a bold counteroffensive, setting the pace for the final launching of Operation Friderikus. This battle can be seen as one of the first major instances in which the Soviets attempted to preempt a German summer offensive. On 20 February, the First Panzer Army and XL Panzer Corps joined in the fray to begin destruction of another of Vatutin's advancing tentacles, Mobile Group Popov. Logistical difficulties meant that only 54.5 per cent were operational. For losses of around twenty to thirty thousand men, the German Field Marshal Fedor von Bock punished Marshal Timoshenko's forces terribly, which suffered over 170,000 killed and over 106,000 wounded. [21][non-primary source needed] Because the regrouping was done so haphazardly, the Germans received some warning of Soviet preparations. The Battle of Kursk 4. Under the command of the Soviet Southwestern Front fought the 21st Army, the 28th Army, the 38th Army, and the 6th Army. [12] By 15 May, Pflugbeil was reinforced and received Kampfgeschwader 27 (Bomber Wing 27, or KG 27), Kampfgeschwader 51 (KG 51), Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55) and Kampfgeschwader 76 (KG 76) equipped with Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111 bombers. Moskalenko, commander of the 38th Army, placed the blame on the fact that the fronts did not forge a plan previous to the decision to regroup, and thus demonstrated what would be a poor display of front management. Instead, he allowed Richthofen to take charge of all operations over Sevastopol. [25] The typical soldier in the Red Army was a conscript and had little to no combat experience, and tactical training was practically nonexistent. The battle was an overwhelming German victory, with 280,000 Soviet casualties compared to just 20,000 for the Germans and their allies. Soviet (sovet ) is the Russian word for "council" or "advice." At its height, the Southern Front could operate eleven guns or mortars per kilometre of front. Many of the Soviet units were sent to the rear that night to be refitted, while others were moved forward to reinforce tenuous positions across the front. But the toll on crews was hard. [40] The air battles depleted the Soviet fighter strength, allowing the German strike aircraft the chance to influence the land battle even more. The Second Battle of Kharkov was fought from May 12 to 28, 1942. Fighting erupted that month, as Marshal Semyon Timoshenko and Lieutenant General Kirill Moskalenko penetrated German positions along the northern Donets River, east of Kharkov. The Battle of Monte Cassino The battle resulted in the German defense of the city and also the encirclement of numerous Soviet troops. [10] So he decided to exploit this perceived weakness on the Eastern Front by launching a new offensive in the spring. In an unusual move, Hitler kept it in Crimea, but did not put the corps under the command of Luftflotte 4 (Air Fleet 4), which already contained 4th Air Corps, under the command of General Kurt Pflugbeil, and Fliegerfhrer Sd (Flying Command South), a small anti-shipping command based in Crimea. As Moskalenko recalls, quoting an anonymous soldier, "these fascists woke up after they hibernated".[58]. In the south, the Soviet 6th Army had limited success defending against German forces, which managed to keep a bridgehead of their own on the east bank of the river. However, in just 20 days, the Soviet army, which had lost the winter bonus, suffered a disastrous defeat in the Second Battle of Kharkov due to command errors and underestimated the strength of the German army, losing nearly 260,000 people. There, in an exercise of maneuver virtuosity between 1 and 5 March, German armored formations repeatedly outflanked and relentlessly pursued Golikov's defenders, levying the loss of an additional forty-five thousand troops on the Soviets. On 5 August, once having effected the breakthrough operation, Zhukov inserted his primary mobile groups, the First Tank Army (General Mikhail Katukov) and the Fifth Guards Tank Army (General Pavel Rotmistrov), into the resulting gap for deep exploitation. On 18 May the Fliegerkorps IV destroyed 130 tanks and 500 motor vehicles, while adding another 29 tanks destroyed on 19 May. However, in the face of continued resistance and local counterattacks, the Soviet attack ebbed, especially when combined with the invariably heavy air raids. Stalin's willingness to expend recently conscripted armies, which were poorly trained and poorly supplied, illustrated a misconception of realities, both in the capabilities of the Red Army and the subordinate arms of the armed forces, and in the abilities of the Germans to defend themselves and successfully launch a counteroffensive. The Second Battle of Kharkov, so named by Wilhelm Keitel,[8] was an Axis counter-offensive in the region around Kharkov (now Kharkiv[9]) against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted 1228 May 1942, on the Eastern Front during World War II. DECLINE In consequence, on 3 August, when the Soviet Voronezh (Vatutin in place of Golikov) and Steppe (General Ivan Konev) fronts commenced offensive operations from the southern shoulder of the Kursk salient, Manstein was caught off guard. OUTCOME BIBLIOGRAPHY There were two significant battles for Kharkov (now Kharkiv, Ukraine) in 1943, during which this Donets Basin (Donbas) city, the Soviet Union 's fourth largest, was the scene of fierce urban combat. [12], After the conclusion of the winter offensive, both Stalin and Stavka (the Soviet Armed Forces General Staff) believed that the eventual German offensives would aim for Moscow, with a major offensive to the south as well, mirroring the previous year's Operation Barbarossa and Operation Typhoon. By day's end, the greatest penetration by Soviet forces was ten kilometers. ed. The Battle of Narva 5. The Germans had undergone a massive effort to reinforce Army Group South, transferred to the control of Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, former commander of Army Group Center during Operation Barbarossa and Operation Typhoon. This is what it cost us. . Still, Hitler was pleased with the progress there and content to keep von Richthofen where he was and withdraw air support from Fligerkorps VIII in order to prevent a Soviet breakthrough at Kharkov. Prior to the f, Soviet Many prominent military leaders were killed in combat or committed . [33], On 15 and 16 May, another attempted Soviet offensive in the north met the same resistance encountered on the three first days of the battle. Although the Soviet Union had dodged a fatal blow when the Red Army, and its ally, General Winter, stopped the vaunted Wehrmacht at the gates of Moscow in December 1941, the Soviet brass knew that the Axis were not finished, and when spring came, the offensive would be renewed. But with Adolf Hitler. [29] Although by 14 May the Red Army had made impressive gains, German actions in certain areas had taken their toll, and several shaken Soviet divisions were forced to withdraw from their attacks. A Soviet army group, cut off inside the Barvenkovo pocket, was exterminated from all sides by German firepower. Encyclopedia of Modern Europe: Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. Its objective was to eliminate the Izium bridgehead over Seversky Donets or the "Barvenkovo bulge . Its political usage began during the Revolution of 1905 when it was applied to, KONEV, IVAN STEPANOVICH [34], On 14 May, the Germans continued to pound Soviet positions in the north in localised offensives and by then, the Luftwaffe had gained air superiority over the Kharkov sector, forcing Timoshenko to move his own air assets forward in order to effectively counter the bolstered Luftflotte 4. Although only two of the three were victories, it still offers concise and telling evidence of the ability of the Soviets to turn the war in their favor. As German exploitation continued, Hausser's SS Corps remained under orders to bypass Kharkov. Second Battle of Kharkov Documentary WW 2 Documentary 130 subscribers Subscribe 317 Share Save 39K views 7 years ago The Second Battle of Kharkov, so named by Wilhelm Keitel, was an Axis. In the meantime, Fliegerkorps VI under the command of Pflugbeil, was forced to use every available aircraft to stem the tide. With the German Fourth Air Fleet commanding the skies for the last time over German counteroffensive operations on the eastern front, the last week of February witnessed a merciless German pursuit of jumbled Soviet formations in full flight back to the Northern Donets River. Stalin was blamed for not knowing how strong the German . [49][non-primary source needed], On 18 May, the situation worsened and Stavka suggested once more stopping the offensive and ordered the 9th Army to break out of the salient. More German divisions were committed to the battle that day, shattering several Soviet counterparts, allowing the Germans to press forward. [40], On 17 May, supported by Fliegerkorps VI, the initiative was successfully taken by the Germans, as Kleist's 3rd Panzer Corps and 44th Army Corps began a counterattack on the Barvenkovo bridgehead from the area of Aleksandrovka in the south. Moskalenko, commander of the 38th Army, discovered the movement of several German reserve units and realised that the attack had been opposed by two German divisions, not the one expected, indicating poor Soviet reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering before the battle. German bastions continued to hold out against Soviet assaults. THE AGE OF STALIN Heavy fighting continued into April, with Moskalenko successfully crossing the river and establishing a tenuous Izium bridgehead, while in the south, the Soviet 6th Army had limited success defending against German forces, which managed to keep a bridgehead of their own on the east bank of the river. Therefore, unknown to the Soviets, the German Army was also undergoing a major regrouping effort in the center of operations for the upcoming offensive around Kharkov. (May 13, 2022) This week 80 years ago, the Second Battle of Kharkov (Kharkiv in Ukrainian) began. [48] Many of the Soviet units were sent to the rear that night to be refitted, while others were moved forward to reinforce tenuous positions across the front. This battle can be seen as one of the first major instances in which the Soviets attempted to preempt a German summer offensive. The German defences were knocked out by air raids, artillery-fire and coordinated ground attacks. Air interdiction and direct ground support damaged Soviet supply lines and rear areas, also inflicting large losses on their armoured formations. The Battle of Berlin 2. Nonetheless, despite this poor performance, it underscored a dedicated evolution of operations and tactics within the Red Army which would borrow and refine the pre-war theory, Soviet deep battle.[4]. The second battle went from May 12, 1942 to May 28, 1942. Instead, he allowed von Richthofen to take charge of all operations over Sevastopol. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. In anticipation of a German counterstroke from the southwest, Zhukov reinforced Voronezh Front with the Fifty-Seventh Army and the Fifth Guards Tank Army. [34] Not only did the Luftwaffe attack the enemy, it also carried out vital supply missions. Over 1,000 Soviet tanks were destroyed during this battle, as well as the loss of 57,000 horses. Hitler was pleased with the progress there and content to keep Richthofen where he was, but he withdrew close support assets from Fliegerkorps VIII in order to prevent a Soviet breakthrough at Kharkov. .: , 1969 1942 , Language Policy in the Soviet Union by L.A. Grenoble, Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The Battle of Moscow was a definite success for the Soviets in late 1941. 1942 battle in the Eastern Front of World War II, Romanian military actions in World War II, - . [42][non-primary source needed] The Red Army routed several key German battalions, including many with Hungarian and other foreign soldiers. After initial promising signs, the offensive was stopped by German counterattacks. Vasilevsky's attempts to gain approval for a general withdrawal were rejected by Stalin. [60][non-primary source needed] After the great purge in 1937, failing to anticipate the war in 1941, and underestimating German military power in 1942, Stalin finally fully trusted his military. This task was given to the 6th Army, and the final directive issued on 30 April declared a probable start on 18 May. It was only on 11 August that Manstein had laboriously assembled four infantry and seven motorized or panzer divisions to halt the expanding Soviet torrent. [30] The Soviet air force could do very little to stop Pflugbeil's 4th Air Corps. [37] It not only attacked the enemy but also carried out vital supply missions. Although the Soviet high command had argued that the Germans had been defeated at Moscow, the seventy divisions which faced Moscow remained a threat. [41] Nonetheless, the Soviet forces pushed on, disengaging from several minor battles and changing the direction of their thrusts. Moskalenko (Commander of the 38th Army). By 15 March, Soviet commanders introduced preliminary plans for an offensive towards Kharkov, envisioning a heavy buildup of reserves. The primary Soviet leader was Timoshenko, a veteran of World War I and the Russian Civil War. On 12 May 1942, Soviet forces under the command of Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launched an offensive against the German 6th Army from a salient established during the winter counter-offensive. Lost Victories. The Battle of Stalingrad The infamous Battle of Monte Cassino 10. between 11 and 14 March, Kharkov was the scene of savage house-to-house fighting, during which Hausser's SS troops reclaimed their honor at the cost of 11,500 casualties. [30], Hitler immediately turned to the Luftwaffe to help blunt the offensive. However, in the face of continued resistance and local counterattacks, the Soviet attack ebbed, especially when combined with the invariably heavy air raids. Bock had warned Paulus not to counterattack immediately without air support, although this was later reconsidered when several Soviet tank brigades broke through General Walter Heitz's VIII Corps in the Volchansk sector, which was only 12 miles away from Kharkov, constituting a grave threat to the Germans. 05 Jun 2023 01:55:06 The main difference was that now the Soviets retained predictable command of the air and substantial reserves in manpower, armaments, and equipment. Although meeting more numerous Soviet air forces, he succeeded in winning air superiority and limited the German ground forces' losses to Soviet aviation. The Second Battle of Kharkov also had a positive effect on Stalin, who started to trust his commanders and his Chief of Staff more (allowing the latter to have the last word in naming front commanders for instance). 223K views 3 years ago Ukraine 1942 Second Battle of Kharkiv Kharkov Charkow / Isjum Slawjansk (May 12-30, 1942) Army Group South Heeresgruppe Sd / 6. Meanwhile, other Soviet offensive operations targeted German Army Group Center, in part to disguise Stavka's intent and objectives in the south. BIBLIOGRAPHY With the Wehrmacht clearly now on the defensive, this major Soviet strategic counteroffensive, code-named Rumiantsev (for a Russian military hero of the eighteenth century), recaptured Belgorod and Kharkov, inflicted heavy losses on the Germans, and set the stage for the liberation of left-bank Ukraine. Many authors have attempted to pinpoint the reasons for the Soviet defeat. Situation Maps - Second Battle of Kharkov. The ground offensive began with a dual pincer movement from the Vovchansk and Barvenkovo salients at 7:30am. In the meantime, Fliegerkorps IV, was forced to use every available aircraft. [49] On the other hand, Hitler became increasing distrustful of his officers, and finally dismissed Franz Halder, his Chief of Staff, in September 1942. Overseeing the actions of the army was Military Commissar Nikita Khrushchev. The Luftwaffe won air superiority over their numerically superior, but technically inferior opponents. The main objective remained the Caucasus and its oil fields, and as a secondary objective, the city of Stalingrad. Glantz, David M. & House, Jonathan (1995). Bombers dropped supplies to encircled German units, which could continue to hold out until a counter-offensive relieved them. Soldiers of Destruction: The SS Death's Head Division, 19331945. They achieved spectacular success the first three days of combat, with a deep penetration of German positions. Elaborate local Soviet deception measures had enabled Marshal Georgy Zhukov, the coordinator of front operations from Stavka, to concentrate dense infantry formations and artillery fire power across a narrow frontage to facilitate penetration of the five successive German defensive belts protecting Kharkov. The result was mayhem for the overextended Soviets. As a result of the so-called Second Battle of Kharkov, the Soviets lost around 270,000 troops killed, wounded and taken prisoner. [8][non-primary source needed], .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}495933N 361352E / 49.99250N 36.23111E / 49.99250; 36.23111. Army commanders, such as Paulus and von Bock, placed so much confidence in the Luftwaffe that they ordered their forces not to risk an attack without air support. The Crimea, taking part in the spring time was temporary strategic defence. [ 54 ] bibliography,... Saw the first major instances in which the Soviets lost around 270,000 troops killed, wounded and taken.. A definite success for the heavy artillery bombardment followed by more mobile shock! 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