World War II

Battle of the Ardennes

From December 1944 to January 1945, during the Second World War, the German army carried out an offensive in the Ardennes region (southeast of Belgium) on the Western Front battle.

As the war progressed into the autumn of 1944, the Allied forces were approaching the German mainland from three sides (the Soviet Red Army on the eastern front, and the Allied forces led by Britain and the United States on the western and southern fronts). The German army was in a serious situation. In order to reverse the disadvantageous situation, During the war, Hitler decided to concentrate his forces on the Western Front to launch an offensive that caught the Allies off guard and regained the initiative. For this reason, from the end of September, Hitler and his Supreme Command secretly began to formulate a plan for the largest positional counterattack on the Western Front - the Ardennes Counterattack. The battle was codenamed "On the Rhine". The purpose was to defeat the American and British armies and reverse the situation in Western Europe in favor of Germany, so as to free German troops to fight the Soviet Union. The German army planned to break through the Allied defense lines in Monschau and Echternach, forcefully cross the Meuse River in Liege and Namur, and reach Antwerp before the seventh day of the battle to divide and annihilate the Allied forces in Belgium and the Netherlands. Army (Canadian 1st Army, British 2nd Army, US 9th and 1st Army).

The location Hitler chose for the counterattack was the rugged Ardennes area where the Germans broke through the French defenses four and a half years ago. This area is the junction of the U.S. 1st Army (commanded by Hodges) and the U.S. 3rd Army (commandered by Patton). Hodges is in charge of the north side and Patton is in charge of the south side. The distance between the two armies is approximately The 85-mile-wide defense zone was defended by six divisions of the 5th and 8th armies of the 1st Army. Hitler believed that this area was "a place where the existing troops can definitely break through...The defense line is thin, and they will not expect that we will launch a surprise attack. Therefore, we should take full advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and launch a launch in a climate where enemy aircraft cannot take off." With a sudden attack, we could count on a quick breakthrough." Hitler was "determined to pursue this plan regardless of the circumstances."

In order to implement this plan, the German government issued an order to establish the "People's Guards". The age of recruitment ranged from 16 to 60 years old. A large number of recruits were quickly recruited. After 6 to 8 weeks, After a short period of training, he was transferred to the Western Front and joined the attack force. In early December, the German Army assembled 25 divisions, including 7 tank divisions. It is commanded by Marshal Model, commander of Army Group "B". On the right is the 6th SS Army (Commander General Dietrich), which includes the 67th Army (272nd and 326th Volksgrenadier Divisions), the 1st Panzer Army of the SS (SS Army 1st "Adolf Hitler SS", 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Youth", 12th and 227th Volksgrenadier Division, 3rd Parachute Division), 2nd "SS Panzer Corps" ( 2nd SS "Reich", 9th SS "Hohenstaufen" Panzer Division). The *** has 4 armored divisions, 4 infantry divisions, and 1 paratrooper division. There are about 640 tanks; in the middle is the 5th Tank Army (commanded by General Mantefel), which includes the 66th Army (18th and 62nd Volksgrenadier Divisions, the Führer's Guard Armored Brigade), the 47th Armored Corps (2nd Armored Division, 26th Volksgrenadier Division, Armored Instructor Division, Führer Grenadier Armored Brigade), 58th Panzer Corps (116th Armored Division, 560th Volksgrenadier Division). It has 3 armored divisions and 4 infantry divisions. There are about 320 tanks; on the left is the 7th Field Army (Commander Brandenburg), which includes the 80th Army (212th and 276th Volksgrenadier Divisions), the 85th Army (352nd Volksgrenadier Division, 5th Parachute Division), which has 3 infantry divisions and 1 parachute division. Its mission is to cover the flanks of the 5th Armored Corps and ensure the central attack. The offensive group included 250,000 officers and soldiers, 900 tanks and assault artillery, 800 aircraft, and 2,617 artillery and pursuit guns. The German army concentrated a large number of troops and weapons to implement a breakthrough in the Ardennes region, but it was still not enough to achieve the campaign objectives. The fascist German command planned to deploy additional troops from other parts of the Western Front and Germany to the Ardennes region during the offensive. The assault group needed only enough fuel to cover half of the battle's depth.

The Allies have a total of 87 divisions on the Western Front, including 25 armored divisions. However, the American and British military headquarters believed that the Ardennes region was not suitable for a large-scale offensive. Therefore, the only ones confronting the fascist German Army Group on a 115-kilometer-wide area were the 12th Army Group (commanded by O. Bradley) and the 5 divisions (83,000 people, 242 tanks, 182 guns) of the US 1st Army. anti-tank self-propelled guns and 394 guns). This led to an unfavorable situation in the early stages of the campaign.

The German army implemented the "Kilin" combat plan before attacking. A small group of about 2,000 English-speaking commandos was organized, consisting of the SS Special Forces and the 150th Armored Brigade, led by SS Lieutenant Colonel Scholz (that is, in September 1943). A group of paratroopers, commanded by a man who raided a dangerous mountaintop in northern Italy by glider and rescued the former dictator Mussolini who was under house arrest by the Italian government. The commandos rode American jeeps deep into the Allied defenses. They divided into small groups and cut telephone lines everywhere. They reversed road signs to make the defenders' reserves go in the wrong direction. They hung red strips to indicate that there were landmines on the road. They did their best to create confusion. The U.S. military was disturbed by the activities of these few German soldiers.

In order to search for these German teams, many communication lines were impassable. 500,000 American soldiers questioned each other whenever they met on the road. Hundreds of soldiers were arrested for raising suspicion when answering questions. Even Bly, the commander-in-chief of the group army, Dre is no exception. On December 16, an officer of the German 66th Army was captured while driving from the military headquarters to the front line. Several combat orders of the plan he carried with him fell into the hands of the US military, which enabled the US military to respond in a timely manner. The second step of this plan, which was to use a complete armored brigade, driving American tanks and wearing American uniforms, to drive straight into and occupy the Maas River bridge failed to materialize.

The German army launched a sudden attack in three groups at dawn on December 16, 1944. Intense artillery bombarded almost all US military positions. The US military was suddenly attacked and suffered heavy losses. They retreated without being able to organize resistance. In the middle, Mantefel's 5th Armored Group made rapid progress. By the 17th, it successfully surrounded the two regiments of the US 106th Division with a pincer offensive and forced more than 7,000 people to surrender. This was the US military's first victory in the European battlefield. The most serious failure ever. On the 18th, the 47th Armored Corps, the vanguard of Mantefel's 5th Armored Army, arrived at Bastok, a road transportation hub. However, the 47th Armored Corps only left the 26th People's Grenadier Division to attack Bastok, while the 2nd Armored Division and the Armored Instructor Division moved forward, missing the opportunity to occupy Bastok without any effort; right Dietrich's 6th SS Panzer Army, which was attacking on the road, also arrived at a ferry on the Ambreve River and advanced about 30 miles. Its leading column "Pepper's Combat Team" arrived and occupied the Maas River crossing. However, when this column spent the night in Stavro City, it turned a blind eye to the nearby U.S. military's large fuel depot and important bridges containing 2.5 million gallons of gasoline, so that the U.S. reinforcements used it to set up obstacles (burning gasoline , blowing up bridges), blocking its way forward; the four divisions under Brandenburg's 7th Army on the left all crossed the Orr River, among which the 5th Parachute Division suddenly reached Wirz, 12 miles away. A barrier was built on the south side for the center troops, and there was little progress. By December 20, the German offensive force had formed a protrusion about 100 kilometers wide and 30 to 50 kilometers deep, and continued to advance.

It was not until the morning of the 17th that the main Allied commanders admitted that the German full-scale offensive had begun. Eisenhower urgently mobilized the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions to rush to the Bastok-St. Vitus line for reinforcements. , to prevent the German army from advancing westward. The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division commanded by General Gavin was sent to the St. Vitus Line of Defense, while the U.S. 101st Paratrooper Division commanded by General McAuliffe rushed to assist Bastok. On the 19th, Eisenhower held a meeting of senior generals in Verdun to discuss countermeasures. The meeting decided to adopt the policy of attacking from the south and defending from the north. The specific deployment is: Patton's U.S. 3rd Army moves north to attack the German salient; Devers' U.S. 6th Army moves north to protect Patton's right wing; Hodges' U.S. 1st Army must withstand the intrusion into Afghanistan from the north and south. The German troops in the Deng area seized the choke points heading west, held their positions, and prepared to counterattack from north to south, encircling the German troops with Patton's U.S. 3rd Army.

On December 23, the weather improved and became suitable for flying, and the Allied aviation began active operations.

From December 22 to 26, the U.S. Third Army carried out a counter-assault on the southern flank of the enemy's offensive group. The German army also demanded that the American troops surrounded at Bastok surrender that day, but McAuliffe only got a two-word answer: "Benevolent egg!" This American slang has a profound meaning and has since become a good talk in the history of World War II. On the same day, the German army launched an attack on Bastok, but the progress was slow and they failed to capture this important town until Christmas. On December 24, Patton's 3rd Army destroyed the barrier built by the German 7th Army on the left wing to protect the central attack. Immediately afterwards, Patton ordered General Garfield's 4th Armored Division to "run like crazy" to rescue Bastok, which was trapped by the German army. In the early morning of December 26, Garfield's 2nd Battle Group of the 4th Armored Division fought a bloody path, broke through the German siege of Bastok, and joined forces with the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army. The next day, large troops drove into the city along the opened road and strengthened the city's defense.

The 2nd Armored Division and the Armored Training Division of the 47th Armored Corps of the German 5th Armored Army spared Bastok and attacked the US 1st Army to the north. Selles was the culmination of the German advance, only five miles from the Meuse River. As a result, a salient was formed on the central front (the Battle of the Ardennes was therefore also called the Battle of the Bulge or the Battle of the Bulge). By this time, the weather had improved, and the U.S. military immediately dispatched a large number of aircraft to violently bomb the German armored forces, making them unable to move during the day and in trouble. On December 25, a fierce battle broke out between the German 2nd Armored Division and the 2nd Armored Division of the 7th Army of the US 1st Army. By the end of the day, the German 2nd Armored Division had suffered 2,500 casualties, 1,050 captured, and the loss of 81 tanks ( Original 88 vehicles). The U.S. 2nd Armored Division in service earned the title of "Activity Hell". On the 26th, the German army began to retreat.

By December 25, the German army group broke through the front and advanced more than 90 kilometers in depth. Its leading tank unit has arrived in the Dinant area, only 4 kilometers away from the Meuse River. The American and British military command took resolute measures to strengthen the army in the Ardennes region and transferred several divisions from other parts of the battlefield to here.

By the end of December, the German attack on the Maas River had been stopped. But the fascist German command did not give up its plan.

On the night of December 31, 1944, the German army began to attack the US 7th Army in the Strasbourg area of ??Alsace. On January 1, 1945, the German army dispatched more than 1,000 aircraft to conduct surprise attacks on airports in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, destroying 260 Allied aircraft. The fascist German aviation lost about 300 aircraft. But the situation for the Allies was still serious. German ground forces broke through the Maginot Line and launched an attack into northern Alsace. On January 3, the Allies shifted to a counterattack. Patton's 3rd Army attacked northeast from Bastok, and Hodges' 1st Army attacked from north to southeast. The German army also launched its most intense offensive in Alsace on this day, thus launching the most intense battle in the Ardennes Campaign. The two sides fought bloody battles for five days, but in the end the Germans still failed to capture the city.

On January 6, 1945, Churchill asked Stalin for help. The Soviet army was preparing a new strategic offensive at the time and was not yet ready. However, in order to fulfill their obligations to the Allies, the Soviet army launched the Vistula-Oder Battle on January 12, eight days ahead of schedule. Due to the Soviet offensive, Hitler's command was forced to reduce active operations on the Western Front and transfer troops from the Western Front to the Eastern Front. From the second half of January to the beginning of February 1945, 13 divisions with the strongest combat effectiveness were transferred to the Soviet-German battlefield, including 6 tank divisions and motorized divisions, 800 tanks, assault artillery and other technical weapons (this period of history has been shunned by Western countries, as evidenced by Churchill's letter to Stalin on January 6, 1945, and Stalin's reply to Churchill the next day, both of which are still preserved today).

On January 8, Hitler finally ordered the German troops to withdraw. On January 12, the Soviet army launched an offensive in advance on the Eastern Front to coordinate operations, and Hitler had to transfer troops from the Western Front to fight on the Eastern Front. The Allies quickly took advantage of the opportunity to advance. On January 16, Hodges's U.S. 1st Army and Patton's U.S. 3rd Army successfully joined forces. By January 28, they all retreated to their starting positions in the Ardennes under the pursuit of British and American troops. The losses of both sides in the Battle of the Ardennes (including dead, wounded and missing) were: approximately 77,000 Allied troops and approximately 82,000 German troops.

Comment: In this battle, the German army's battle plan is a very good plan. If it had enough manpower and material resources to back it up, it might be possible to succeed if it were not a two-front battle, but he did not. The failure of Germany's offensive in the Ardennes region meant that the risky attempt of Hitler's German leadership group to achieve a decisive military victory in Western Europe was bankrupt, and that their plan to force the US and British governments to refuse military and political cooperation with the Soviet Union to completely defeat fascist Germany was completely completed. Failed. The Battle of the Ardennes was the culmination of the campaign on the Western Front. A large number of German troops and weapons were forced to be transferred to the Soviet-German battlefield. They suffered losses in the Ardennes region and lacked reserves (from January 1945 to the end of the war, reserves were transferred to supplement the troops fighting the Soviet army) - ——All of this greatly weakened the German army on the Western Front, and promoted the victory of the American, British and French armies in subsequent offensive battles that were essentially chasing the retreating enemy. In this battle, the Germans suffered 81,834 casualties, 324 tanks, and 320 aircraft. The Allied forces suffered 76,890 casualties (including 10,000 dead, 47,000 injured, and 23,000 missing), and lost 733 tanks and 592 aircraft. Although the German losses were comparable to those of the Allies, the Allies could easily replace their losses, while the Germans could not, and the Germans had committed their last elite troops. After that, the Germans were no longer able to stop the Allied offensive on the Western Front.

The Battle of Kharkov

From February 2 to March 3, 1943, during the Soviet-German War in World War II, the Soviet Voronezh Front carried out an attack on the German army. The offensive campaign was part of the Soviet army's general offensive in the southwest in the winter of 1943. The purpose of the battle is to crush the basic strength of the German "B" Army Group in the direction of Kharkov and liberate the Kharkov Industrial Zone. The battle was codenamed "Star".

Since the Soviet army successfully carried out the Ostrogozhsk-Rososh battle and the Voronezh-Kastornoye battle in January 1943, the German army in the direction of Kursk and Kharkov A 400-kilometer gap appeared in the defense in the direction. In early February, the Voronezh Front Army (60th, 38th, 40th, 69th Army, 3rd Tank Army, 2nd Air Force Army; the commander was General Golikov) chasing the German army faced the German 2nd Army and the "Land Army". There are nearly 15 infantry divisions and tank divisions in the "Ci" campaign group (the commander is Field Marshal Manstein). Most of them have suffered heavy losses. The Voronezh Front immediately prepared and implemented the Kharkov offensive campaign without a break in the campaign. The battle was conducted under complex conditions. Before the battle began, the troops belonging to the front army had been engaged in offensive combat for nearly two and a half months, and there was a serious shortage of personnel and military technical equipment. The crew is exhausted and mud season has arrived again. The rear of the front army was engaged in a battle to encircle and annihilate nine German divisions.

According to the battle plan, the 40th Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Moskalenko), the 69th Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Kazakov) and the 3rd Tank Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Rybalko General) will carry out the main assault from the Novoskol and Valuiki areas to Kharkov, bypassing the city from the northwest and south; the 60th Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Chernyakhovsky) will be An auxiliary assault was carried out from the area west of Kastornoye towards Kursk. The 38th Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Chibisov) should launch an attack on Oboyan.

The 6th Army of the Southwest Front (commanded by General Vatutin) (commanded by Lieutenant General Kharitonov), which is carrying out the Donbass Campaign, should attack Balakleya and Krasnograd to ensure the success of the campaign from the south. implementation.

The battle began on February 2. The Voronezh Front's 3rd Tank Army, 69th Army and the 6th Army of the Southwest Front first carried out the assault. On February 3, the 60th and 40th Group Armies began their offensive. However, the Soviet offensive encountered great difficulties from the beginning. The German army relied on carefully constructed fortifications and carried out tenacious resistance. The Soviet frontal attacks were repeatedly repelled and suffered heavy casualties. The 60th Army cooperated with the 13th Army of the Bryansk Front (commanded by General Leuter) (commanded by Major General Pukhov, promoted to lieutenant general on February 14) to crush the German resistance on the Tim River. On February 6, they advanced towards Kursk, detoured the city from the north and south, liberated the city on the morning of February 8, and then launched an attack on Ligov. The 40th and 69th Group Armies crushed the German resistance in the Oskol River area and began to attack in the southwest direction, bypassing Kharkov from the northwest. The 40th Army Corps liberated Korocha on February 7, Belgorod on February 9, and advanced to the northern and northwest suburbs of Kharkiv on February 13. The 69th Group Army liberated Volchansk on February 9 and began fighting in the northeastern suburbs of Kharkov on February 14. The 3rd Tank Army bypassed Kharkov from the south, and finally advanced to the North Donets River in the Chuguyev area on February 5, but failed to forcibly cross the river during the march. The German army transferred the 1st SS Armored Division "Adolf Hitler's SS" from the Kharkov area (commanded by SS General Joseph Dietrich) to defend this area. However, because the German Kharkov Group was threatened by encirclement, it began to gradually withdraw its troops from the Northern Donets River area to Kharkov on the night of February 9. The 3rd Tank Army forcibly crossed the Northern Donets River and blocked the Soviet advance with excellent successive resistance along the way. On February 14, it entered the southern suburbs of Kharkov. On February 15, the Soviet 40th and 69th Armies and the 3rd Tank Army began to storm the city. Although the German army had a considerable advantage in tanks (200 tanks vs. 80 tanks) and fierce resistance, the armies still attacked the city on February 16. Kharkov was liberated at nearly 12 o'clock on the same day.

While developing the offensive, the Voronezh Front advanced to the lines of Rylisk, Sudja, Lebekin, Oposhnia, and Minkovka on March 3. However, the Soviet army has gradually fallen into the trap carefully laid by Manstein. The German army had concentrated a huge force before this and launched a counterattack against the Southwest Front on February 19. The Southwestern Front retreated toward the North Donets River, exposing the left flank of the Voronezh Front. On March 3, the Voronezh Front shifted to defense as it had no reserves and was unable to attack.

The Soviet Voronezh Front advanced 100-260 kilometers, and both sides suffered heavy losses. The characteristics of the Soviet army in this battle were that they made battle preparations while pursuing the enemy, started the battle with the strength of the previous battle without a break in the battle, and carried out attacks on a wide front. However, the results achieved in the offensive in the direction of Kharkov could not be consolidated because the Soviet army did not have a strong reserve force.

The Soviet army’s winter offensive at the turn of 1942-1943 and its advance to areas close to the cities of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporozhye in mid-February 1943 resulted in the division of the entire eastern front of the German army. threats. The German high command hoped to save the crisis by withdrawing the Donbas garrison, moving reserves from the west, and establishing assault groups for the counterattack. It plans to first crush the Southwest Front advancing towards the Dnieper River and drive it across the Northern Donets River, and then launch an assault on the Voronezh Front in the Kharkov area to retake Kharkov and Belgorod. After that, it is planned to carry out opposing assaults from Belgorod in the south and Orel in the north in the general direction of Kursk to severely damage the Soviet troops operating in this area.

Everything in the Soviet offensive in Kharkov is proceeding according to the Soviet plan, but the Soviet army has gradually fallen into the German trap. After the Soviet offensive began, Manstein began to plan the German counterattack. He decided to first lengthen the Soviet supply line by retreating. When the Soviet army's strength was lengthened, he would use the elite 1st SS Panzer Army as the main force, first defeat the Soviet Southwest Front (6th, 1st Guards, 5th Assault Army, 3rd and 5th Tank Armies, commanded by General Malinovsky), and then turn north. Defeated the Voronezh Front (commanded by General Golikov). In order to lure the enemy deeper, the German army gave up many places. In order to defeat the Soviet army one by one and to gain time to gather troops, the German army in the north will resist resolutely. As the Soviet army continued to attack, the Soviet army's front became longer and longer, but the German army took the opportunity to complete the concentration of troops. The Army Group "South" scheduled to be formed on February 13th (4th Army, 1st SS Uniformed Army - 1st SS "Adolf Hitler SS" and 2nd "Reich" Panzer Division, "Kemp" The "Husband" battle group and the "Hollett" battle group, commanded by Field Marshal Manstein), carried out counterattacks. By February 18, the army group had jurisdiction over 30 divisions, including 13 tank divisions and motorized divisions. The 4th Air Force provided support.

The German army continued to hold back the Voronezh Front with the 1st SS Armored Division "Adolf Hitler's SS" and the "Grossdeutschland" Panzergrenadier Division as the main force, while the 2nd SS "Reich" Armored Division and the 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division continued to hold back the Voronezh Front. The 3 "Skeleton" Armored Division is the northern group, and the 48th Armored Corps of the 4th Armored Army (7th and 11th Armored Divisions, 5th SS "Viking" Armored Division) is the southern group.

On February 19, the German army launched a counterattack on the right wing of the Southwest Front of Donbass, inflicting heavy losses on the Soviet Southwest Front. By March 2, the 5th Assault Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Popov) General) was destroyed, forcing the Southwest Front's corps, which had been weakened in previous offensive battles, to retreat to the other side of the Northern Donets River on March 3. This greatly worsened the battle situation of the Voronezh Front, which was conducting the Kharkov offensive with its left-wing army. Its left wing has become an exposed flank. The headquarters of the German "South" Army Group changed its army deployment. The 40th (commanded by Lieutenant General Moskalenko) and the 69th Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Kazakov) on the left wing of the Voronezh Front in the southwest area of ??Kharkov, 3rd Tank Army (commanded by Lieutenant General Rybalko). A powerful army group was established in person (the 4th Tank Army and the "Kempf" Battle Group). The regiments of the Voronezh Front also suffered heavy losses in the previous offensive battles. Each tank unit had a total of 70 tanks, no reserves, insufficient fuel, ammunition and weapons and equipment, and the rear range was stretched to 250-300 kilometers. The German army had twice as many personnel as the Soviet army, 1.6 times more artillery, 10.4 times more tanks, and more than twice as many aircraft.

In order to save the crisis, the Soviet Supreme Command Headquarters ordered the transfer of the 3rd Tank Army and the 69th Army on the left wing of the Voronezh Front to the Southwest Front Army. They continued to attack the German left wing from February 23, but Little progress has been made. After defeating the Southwest Front, the main force of the German army turned north, and the 3rd Tank Army, which bore the brunt, was immediately surrounded. In view of the situation created, the Soviet Voronezh Front stopped its offensive on March 3 and shifted to defense in the entire area. On March 4, the German 4th Tank Army launched an assault against the 3rd Tank Army, which had only 50 tanks in the total. Although the Soviet army put up tenacious resistance, they were unable to withstand the powerful German attack. By March 5, except for the 6th Guards Cavalry Corps, the 3rd Tank Army was basically eliminated. On March 6, the German army began its attack on Kharkov. The German army shifted its main assault direction to the junction of the 69th Army and the 3rd Tank Army, and launched the "Rouse" Army into battle here the next day. On March 10, a 60-kilometer gap appeared between the 69th Army and the 3rd Tank Army. The Soviet army was unable to close this gap due to insufficient troops. On March 10, the German army advanced towards Bogodukhov from the south and broke into Kharkov defended by the 3rd Tank Army from the north. On March 14, the German army surrounded the city. The Soviet army was forced to abandon Kharkov, broke through in the early morning of March 17, and retreated to the left bank of the Northern Donets River. The remnants of the 3rd Tank Army were transferred to the Southwest Front. Starting from March 17, the German army launched an attack on Belgorod from the west and south, and captured the city on March 18.

In order to prevent the complete collapse of the front, on March 6, the Soviet High Command headquarters suspended the planned offensive in Leningrad and moved the 1st Tank Army (commanded by Katukov Tank Corps) will) move south and concentrate in the Oboyan area. The 64th Army (transferred from the vicinity of Stalingrad, commanded by Lieutenant General Shumilov) and the 21st Army (transferred from the Central Front, commanded by Lieutenant General Chistyakov) were also transferred to these directions. Since these troops could only arrive in late March at the earliest, and at that time there was only one unit of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps east of Kharkov, but it was they who tenaciously carried out a three-day blocking battle that made the Soviet army Time was given to gather forces. In the next few days, the Soviet army was able to invest the reserves of the Southwestern Front and the Voronezh Front - the 2nd and 3rd Guards Tank Corps and the 203rd, 167th and 113th Infantry Divisions. At this time, the German army was exhausted after the concentration battle. Due to its limited strength and lack of reserves, the German army had to pursue it with the same troops that defeated the Soviet offensive force. As a result, the German army continued to fight, the troops were extremely tired, and the German army's attack became weaker and weaker. With the arrival of Soviet reinforcements and the beginning of the mud season, the German army's attack was forced to suspend.

Thanks to the measures taken by the headquarters of the Soviet Supreme Command, the direction leading to Kursk from the south has been reliably covered. After the Voronezh Front retreated 100-150 kilometers during the defensive engagement, on March 25, the German troops were blocked on the line between Krasnopolye and Belgorod and along the North Donets River to Chuguyev. This forms the southern front of the so-called Kursk salient. A massive battle is about to begin (see Battle of Kursk).

Comment: Throughout the entire Battle of Kharkov, the Soviet Army lost 240,030 people, 1,345 tanks and self-propelled artillery, 5,291 artillery pieces, and 417 aircraft. The German army also suffered heavy losses. Marshal Manstein of the German army used the method of luring the enemy deep into the enemy's territory and severely damaged the Soviet army, thereby temporarily stopping the Soviet army's attack and playing an important role in temporarily blocking and stabilizing the southern front. The commanders of the two Soviet fronts, Golikov and Malinovsky, misjudged the German intentions and overestimated the strength and capabilities of their own troops in the final stage of the campaign, which had a negative impact.

The role of the strategic reserve was particularly important in the battle. The Soviet army suffered a heavy blow because it did not have a strong strategic reserve. The German army also failed to completely annihilate the Soviet army because it did not have a strong strategic reserve. The Soviet Union's Western allies ignored the Soviet Supreme Command's request to step up operations and actually stopped active operations in North Africa in February and March. This allowed the German army to deploy troops from other theaters to the Eastern Front, which also had a lot to do with it.

Battle of Anzio

On the Italian battlefield in early 1944, the Allied forces were stopped in front of the German "Gustav" defense line. The 15th Army Group composed of the 8th Army and the British Independent 5th Army, commanded by General Alexander, totaled 19 divisions and 4 brigades, and was supported by nearly 4,000 aircraft, but it was unable to break through the German Army Group C This army group is commanded by Marshal Kesselring and has the 10th and 14th armies, 23 divisions, and 370 aircraft. Among them, 15 divisions of the 10th Group Army defended the front of "Gustav", and 8 divisions of the 14th Group Army were located in the north of the 10th Group Army. They served as backup and were responsible for eliminating the guerrillas in northern Italy, ensuring the smooth flow of communication lines, and at the same time providing vigilance. Northern Italian coast.

The famous "Gustavus" defense line runs across Italy from the Mediterranean coast more than 60 kilometers north of Naples to Ortona on the Adriatic Sea. The central point of the defense line is towering into the sky. Cassino Peak, at the foot of this steep mountain is the only way to Rome - Route 6. By occupying Cassino Peak, the German army can block Route 6 from above and cut off the Allied forces' access to Rome. . The entire defense line is full of cleverly constructed concrete fortifications and densely mined minefields. In addition, relying on the natural dangers, it is definitely easy to defend and difficult to attack. Therefore, the Allied forces carried out four operations from September 1943 to January 1944. In the middle of the month, despite the heavy casualties of tens of thousands of people, there was still no breakthrough.

General Alexander formulated a combat plan code-named "Pebble" in November, preparing to deploy one division to land on Anzio Beach north of the "Gustav" line of defense, and coordinate with frontal troops to break through the "Gustav" line. TAF" line of defence. However, because the Allied forces failed to launch two attacks on the "Gustav" line of defense in early December, and the Allies were making every effort to organize the upcoming Normandy landings in June 1944, some of the elite troops and equipment in the Mediterranean theater were destroyed. were successively transferred to the United Kingdom. In view of this, Clark, commander of the US 5th Army, suggested canceling the plan, and Alexander immediately approved it.

British Prime Minister Churchill, who had just concluded the summit between the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union in Tehran on December 1, felt that the Allies had assembled superior sea, land and air forces in the Mediterranean, and the Normandy landings would not take place until June of the following year. He was really unwilling to do nothing for half a year, so he strongly requested the Allied Mediterranean forces to take action to capture Rome, liberate all of Italy, and threaten southern Germany. He discussed with Eisenhower, Alexander, Cunningham and other Mediterranean theater generals, and the "pebbles" that had been shelved were brought up again. At Churchill's insistence, the strength of the plan was increased from 1 division to 2 divisions. Churchill compared it to a wild cat with sharp teeth and claws, tearing open the soft lower abdomen of the Germans and scratching their hearts in one fell swoop!

However, at that time, the Allied Mediterranean Theater did not have landing ships capable of transporting two divisions. At the same time, preparations for the Battle of Normandy were also in full swing. Landing ships were the top priority in battle preparations, and the Mediterranean The war zone must not affect preparations for the Normandy campaign. For a while, landing ships seemed to become an insurmountable difficulty. The British-American Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee carefully studied the use of landing ships, and Churchill also requested U.S. President Roosevelt to send additional landing ships. Under Roosevelt's personal intervention, the Allies carefully coordinated the use of landing ships, delaying the departure of 56 landing ships from the Mediterranean. In a matter of seconds, 87 landing ships were finally put together, barely able to transport 2 divisions. However, these landing ships could only be used in the Mediterranean theater for two days, and then they would be transferred to the United Kingdom. Churchill, who was eager to fight, accepted this harsh condition. .

On January 8, 1944, Churchill approved the "Cobblestone" plan, using 2 divisions to land in Anzio

Anzio, a small fishing port located in "Gus" It is 100 kilometers north of the "Taf" defense line and 45 kilometers south of Rome. It was a weekend vacation resort before the war. The beach has crystal soft gravel and is surrounded by trees, but it is about to become a bloody and cruel battlefield!

The commander-in-chief of the Allied campaign was Admiral Cunningham, who had just succeeded Eisenhower as commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Theater. The landing force was the 6th Army, which was drawn from the 5th U.S. Army. The commander was the U.S. Army Major General Lucas has 2 divisions, 1 parachute regiment and 5 Marine Corps battalions under his command, with an army of about 50,000 people. Among them, the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division is commanded by Truscott and Penny is the commander. The British 1st Infantry Division is an elite division of the Allied Forces and has experienced many battles. The US 3rd Division has experienced the Battle of Tunisia, Sicily and Salerno, while the 1st British Division has participated in the expedition to France and Dunkirk. retreat and the North African campaign, and both division commanders were deeply loved by their subordinates and generals with great military talents!

The navy is commanded by Rear Admiral Lowry of the U.S. Navy. It has more than 150 landing ships and 126 warships, divided into two formations. The southern landing formation is also commanded by Lowry and consists of 51 transport ships, 5 landing ships, 4 artillery landing craft, 34 infantry landing craft, 33 other ships and