User:Ryan.opel/Chernigov-Pripyet Offensive

ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Черниговско-Припятская_операция

Chernigov-Pripyet Offensive
Part of the Eastern Front of World War II
Date 26 August 1943 - 30 September 1943 Location Left-bank Ukraine Result Decisive Soviet victory
Belligerents
Soviet Union	Germany
Casualties and losses
141,401 total 33,523 dead or missing 107,878 sick or wounded

Chernigov-Pripyat operation (August 26 - September 30, 1943) - Frontline Offensive Soviet troops of the Central Front in World War II , part of Chernigov and Poltava strategic operation - the first phase of the Battle of the Dnieper . During the operation, the opposing forces were defeated by the Wehrmacht , was boosted Dnepr , provided substantial assistance to the troops of the Voronezh Front and the Steppe Front .

idea of the operation and power of the parties

The Soviet Supreme Command has sought to make the most of the victory in the Battle of Kursk . The troops of the Red Army had to deploy offensive at the front of the Great Bow to the Sea of Azov , including Army Central, Voronezh and Steppe Fronts had to vacate the Left Bank Ukraine stepping on the front from Cherkasy to Poltava , go to the Dnieper , to force it and grab a foothold on the right bank the river, creating the conditions for the release of the Right-Bank Ukraine . Unified plan of operation consisted of applying several powerful blows at the same time the forces of three fronts to dissecting the German defense and avoid fixing the enemy with the external border of the rivers Desna and Dnieper .

By the beginning of the operation of the Central Front (commanded by General of the Army KKRokossovsky ) were 13th Army (Lieutenant General NP Pukhov ), 48th Army (commander, Lieutenant-General PL Romanenko ), 65 Army (Lieutenant General P. Baht ), 60th Army (Lieutenant General Chernyakhovsky ), 61th Army (transferred to the front of the Reserve Supreme Command on September 6, commanded by Lieutenant General P. A . Belov ) and the 70th Army (Lieutenant General IV Galanin ), 2nd Panzer Army (commander, Lieutenant-General of Tank Troops S. Bogdanov ), 16th Air Army (Lieutenant General C. Rudenko ), 9th Armored Corps . They included 35 infantry and 3 airborne divisions , Division 1 fighter anti-tank rifles, 1 and 3 armored mechanized corps , 3 infantry and tank brigades, 3), the total number of the troops amounted to 579,600 persons. After the completion of the Orel offensive troops occupied the front line of defense on Dmitrovsk-Orel - Ryl'sk and quickly brought myself up, preparing for a new offensive. Task forces were set directive of the Supreme Command on 22 August 1943 and contained: main attack forces of the 2nd Panzer, 65th and part of the 48th and 60th Armies in the Novgorod-Seversky direction, secondary attack - the other forces 60th Army on Konotop direction and go to the middle reaches of the Dnieper . Period for the preparation of the operation was negligibl.

The troops confronted the front 2nd Field Army (commanded by infantry Walter Weiss ) and the part of the troops of the 9th Field Army (commanded by Colonel Walter Model ) from the German Army Group "Center" (commander Field Marshal Gunther von Kluge Hans ) and the southern section - part of the troops of the 4th Panzer Army (commander Colonel General Gotthard Heinrici ) from the Army Group "South" (Field Marshal Erich von Manstein ).

Start of the Operation

August 26th Front's forces went on the offensive. On the main line, they met stubborn resistance. Only 27 August, Soviet troops repulsed 12 enemy counterattacks . With great difficulty of the 2nd Tank Army and the 65th Army on Aug. 27 seized Sevsk . The German command had brought to the area Sevsk 2 infantry and 2 armored divisions, which have caused the west flank Sevsk strong counter-attack and stopped the advance of the Soviet troops on the next defensive line. By the end of August 31, Soviet troops were able to drive a wedge here in the German defense by only 20-25 kilometer.

On the auxiliary direction the Soviet offensive was a complete surprise to the enemy, the German command had prepared there is not a reliable defense and a reserve. Using these factors, the compounds of 60th Army I. Chernyakhovsky quickly broke through the enemy defenses, and on August 30 released the city Gluhov . By August 31, they were fought for 60 miles and entered the territory of the Ukrainian SSR . K. Rokossovskii immediately flew to the area of occurrence and estimated conditions made ​​the bold decision to move the direction of the main blow to the band of the 60th Army. On Konotop direction immediately transferred 2nd Panzer and 13th Army, the 4th Artillery Corps breakthrough , the other parts. There also has been reoriented the bulk of aircraft of the 16th Air Army . he redeployment was made ​​at an extremely fast pace without stopping battles across the front zone to frustrate the enemy's response.

The result of this maneuver was the rapid Soviet advance 3 September, Soviet troops reached the south of Novgorod-Seversky to the gums , then the run crossed the river Seim , September 6 released Konotop , September 9 - Bakhmach , September 15 - Nizhin . In this area at least 20 days advance to 230 kilometers. The German command to realistically assess the threat to its troops, the army Chernyakhovskogo outburst at the intersection of Army Group "Center" and "South" and put into battle tank 2, 3 infantry divisions and large numbers of aircraft. However, the introduction of these compounds into battle carried out separately and these forces are not large enough to have any impact on the course of the battle: they were defeated by Soviet forces alone. The right wing of the front on the former main effort, using the success Konotop direction, also came to the gums, and forcing her to move, was released on September 16 Novgorod-Seversky . The fall of this powerful host defense opened up and out here to the operating room, the rate of occurrence have also risen sharply. The opposing organized defense of the enemy ceased to exist. The troops of the front across the offensive zone is rapidly advancing to the Dnieper.

Further Development Operataions

However, this was not a huge success in the proper use of the Soviet Supreme Command. Directive I. Stalin September 28, the Central Front was refocused from Kiev to Gomel area. The task of taking Kiev was charged with the advancing south of Voronezh Front N. Vatutin . However, the Voronezh front so far behind the Central Front, that the southern flank of the Central Front was opened at 100-120 kilometers. Rokossovsky had to pass there are more and more troops, providing the main action group. This had a negative impact on the offensive capability of the front. However, in the actual collapse of the front of the opponent did not have sufficient forces in September for the defense of Kiev . Rokossovskii before his death he was convinced that his troops would be able to liberate Kiev in September 1943, and estimated the decision of Stalin about retargeting fronts as a big mistake. Continuing the offensive, the forces of the left wing of the front crossed the Desna River southwest of Chernihiv , 21 September captured the city and went to the Dnieper. After them came to the Dnieper and the rest of the troops of the front. September 22 the troops of the 13th Army crossed the Dnieper on the move, a day on Sept. 23, they moved through the area between the Dnieper and Pripyat and seized a bridgehead on the right bank of the river Pripyat depth of 35 kilometers and a width of 30-35. Then crossed the Dnieper connections 60th (its foothold near the mouth of the river grouse a day already had a depth of 15 and a width of 20 kilometers) and 61 minutes (in the area Loyeva ) armies. The crossing was carried out by means of improvised, makeshift rafts, fishing boats. It cost the Soviet troops of large losses, but has provided a foothold. The Germans were unable to stop the Soviet advance at the turn of the Dnieper, and were forced to carry heavy fighting on its western shore, suffering heavy losses in the counter. Great help troops had guerrillas who seized several crossings of the Dnieper and Pripyat. The 48th and 65th army also seized two small bridgehead on the right bank of the river Sog the Gomel area. By the end of September, the Central Front forces occupied for 7 bridgeheads repelled the first attack the enemy on them and provided them with a secure hold. The enemy could not eliminate any of these bridgeheads. The date of completion of the transaction is Sept. 30, from this point on the front of the main efforts have been focused on expanding the bridgehead. The loss of the troops were 33,523 people sunk and 107 878 ​​people sanitation (total losses - 141 401 people).

Results of the Operation

Chernigov-Pripyat operation was the biggest success of the first phase of the Battle of the Dnieper . The advancing Rokossovskogo was up to 300-320 kilometers in 30 days, as high and stable rates of the Soviet offensive, completely stunned opponent. Front Command has demonstrated initiative and skill in the management of troops and personnel - a substantially higher level of training and ability to act on the battlefield. Was also extremely high and the morale of the troops.

Thanks to the success of the Central Front, to the end of September, the command of the Voronezh Front also managed to increase the rate of advance of his troops, and get out of the Dnieper and force it. Seized a bridgehead north of Kiev were important for subsequent operations on the liberation of Belarus. The enemy suffered heavy losses. Hundreds of soldiers who distinguished themselves during the crossing of the Dnieper, were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union , especially a lot of them were in the 13th Army, the first to cross the Dnieper - 201 people, including its commander. Many of the units and received honorary name "Sevsk", "Chernigov", "Bakhmachskiy", "KONOTOP", "Nezhinskoye", "Novgorod-Seversky,".

References

• Chernigov-operation Pripyat 1943 / / Soviet Military Encyclopedia / ed. A. Grechko . - M .: Military Publishing , 1976. - T. 8. - 690 p. - (In 8 m). - 105,000 copies.
• Russian archives. The Great Patriotic War 1943. Vol 5 (3). - M: "TERRA", 1999. - Documents 303, 312, 314, 332, 337, Annex - documents 37, 38.
• KK Rokossovsky Soldier's Duty. chapter "Throw the Dnieper."