What is the detailed process of Kharkov's counterattack? What is the final result?

1 February, 9431day, the main force of the 6th Army of Stalingrad, surrounded by the Soviet Union, surrendered to the Soviet Union under the leadership of its commander Marshal paulus; The day before, paulus had just been promoted to marshal by Hitler. On February 2, the guns that roared in Stalingrad for more than 200 days finally stopped.

The Soviets who won in Stalingrad did not stop attacking. From the Caucasus to the upper reaches of the Don River, from southern Russia to Ukraine, the Soviets fought back fiercely.

At this time, the Soviet troops fighting in the south wing of the Soviet-German battlefield took the Southwest Army under the command of General Vaduddin and the Japanese army in Voroney under the command of General Gorikov as the main forces. The southwest army attacked from the lower reaches of the Donets River and rushed all the way to the Dnieper River, trying to recapture the Donbass industrial zone and cut off the ties between the Caucasian German army and the Ukrainian army. On the other hand, Voronezh's army attacked due west according to the "Star" plan formulated by Marshal zhukov.

On February 8, the 60th Army captured Kursk, and on February 9, it captured Belgorod. On February 16, the Japanese army in Voroney defeated the "Lanz" campaign cluster (including the Waffen-SS armored infantry "Routh" infantry) commanded by the original German mountain infantry division commander with three army troops, and captured the industrial town of Kharkov in Ukraine. Due to the fall of Kharkov, Hitler dismissed General Lentz and was replaced by General kempf. For the Soviet army, Kharkov is not only the sixth largest city in the Soviet Union, but also an important industrial base for the birth of T-34 tanks, and it is also a sad place that once humiliated them. Just nine months ago,1May, 942, the southwest army of the Soviet Union launched an attack on the German army in Kharkov, only to hit the powerful German "Kleist" army group. The Soviet army suffered heavy losses, and the Soviet Kharkov offensive campaign, which had high hopes, became the prelude to the German offensive campaign.

For Manstein, who fought in the Soviet-German battlefield for two years and rose from the commander of the motorized army to the field marshal, the situation he faced was unprecedented: the defense line of the southern army group (composed of the Don Army group) under his command was fragmented under the onslaught of the two Soviet army groups mentioned above, and the whole theater was crumbling. When the Soviet army occupied Kharkov, the Soviet army had approached the headquarters of manstein-Zaporoge, which was an important town at the corner of Dnieper River.

Hitler was furious with manstein for losing Kharkov, and he ordered manstein to recover Kharkov immediately. But Manstein rejected Hitler's plan and put forward a bolder plan; Ignore Kharkov's Voroney Japanese army for the time being and concentrate on eating the Soviet Southwest Army (that is, the approaching Soviet army outside the city). Then go back and defeat the Soviets in the direction of Kharkov and take back the territory.

Fang An's bold campaign, whether for Hitler or the Soviet army, came a little suddenly, and finally Hitler agreed to manstein's plan. On February 19, Hitler announced his decision to counterattack the southern army group, and claimed that the present and future fate of the German army would be decided in this place more than 0/000 kilometers away from the German border (it turns out that Hitler really had a strategic vision). Therefore, Hitler asked his men to be "brave, calm and loyal to national defense" in the counterattack.

Operation plan

On February 2 1 day, the Soviet Southwest Army occupied the headquarters of Zaporoge in manstein. Although the fall of this place is in danger of splitting the entire German front. But Manstein had a plan in mind; His counterattack has begun, and this Soviet army just fell into his trap.

Battle plan: First, the 4th Panzer Corps of the German army attacked the right wing of the 6th Army of the Soviet Army of the Southwest Army from Kela Si Nuo Gele, and then the 48th and 57th Panzer Corps attacked Bapnogle, cutting off the retreat of the Red Army. At the same time, the German First Army, with the 40th Panzer Corps, the "Viking Division" of the SS and the 333rd Infantry Division, launched an attack on the popov Cluster of the Rapid Corps of the Southwest Army. After the successful attack, the German Fourth Armored Army will turn around and go north, and together with the "Kampf" campaign cluster, it will eat the left-wing group of the Voronezh Army in the southwest of Charkov and recapture Kharkov.

Distribution of force

In order to strengthen its forces, the Germans not only tried their best to replenish ammunition and materials, but also transferred 72 divisions from the western front as reserves. The167th division applied for is in poltava, and the15th division is in dnipropetrovsk. According to the order, the two divisions must arrive at the designated place from February 20 to 22.

In the Battle of Kharkov, the German Fourth Panzer Corps served as a commando regiment. At that time, there were three armies: the 57th and 48th Panzer Corps of the Wehrmacht and the SS Panzer Corps originally belonging to the "Lanz" campaign cluster. Among them, the SS Panzer Corps with the SS Hitler Division, the German Division and the Skull Division is the most powerful.

Although these three divisions are nominally armored grenadiers, they have the same tank regiment as armored divisions, and also have a "tiger" heavy tank company that ordinary armored divisions dare not expect. In Kharkov's counterattack, another unit with a "Tiger" heavy tank company was the motorized infantry division of the German Defence Force "Great Germanic Division".

Activity start

1February 943 19, German Tiger heavy tanks began to turn to heavy armored turrets and fast moving tracks, leaving deep marks on the snow-covered land. There will be a fierce battle where the powerful 88mm tank gun points. On this day, the "German" armored infantry division and the "Skull" armored infantry division of the Waffen-SS Panzer Corps launched an unexpected and fierce attack on the weak flank of the Sixth Army of the Soviet Southwest Army. The dive bombers of the Fourth Air Force of the German Air Force bombed Soviet positions without air support, while the German armored cluster launched a fierce impact under the guidance of the "Tiger" tank.

In the tank battle between the two sides, the T-34 tank that once dominated the Soviet-German battlefield suffered heavy losses. The 76 mm tank gun equipped by this Soviet tank can't penetrate the front armor of the Tiger Tank 102 mm thick at all, and even the front armor of the German IV tank used for strengthening protection is almost helpless 400 meters away. The 88 mm gun of German Tiger tank and the 75 mm gun of IV tank can easily destroy the T-34 at a distance of 1000 m and 500 m.. As for the Soviet-made standard 45 mm anti-tank gun, it has nothing to do with German tanks.

With the absolute superiority of tank quality and excellent tactical application, the Germans won a one-sided victory. Their powerful armored forces quickly opened a gap of more than 30 kilometers in the position of the Soviet Sixth Army. Along this gap, the "German" division of the German SS defeated the Fourth Army of the Soviet Guards and advanced southward at a speed of 100 kilometers. On February 22nd, two other armies, the 48th and 57th Armored Forces, belonging to the German Fourth Armored Army, also launched an attack. Soon, they met the SS Panzer Corps in Pavlograd and cut off the communication line of the Soviet Sixth Army. Then, the 40th Panzer Corps of the German army dealt a fatal blow to the popov cluster of the Red Army, which had no oil.

After fierce fighting, the German army defeated eight armies, including the Sixth Army, the First Guards Regiment and popov Regiment, 10 Infantry Division and five special brigades, in the counterattack against the Soviet Southwest Army. On the other hand, due to the shortage of troops and the cold weather, the Germans did not have an absolute advantage over the Soviets, failed to form a very tight encirclement, and their actions were mostly confined to villages.

Soviet retreat

After being hit so hard, in the face of the German steel torrent, the Soviet Southwest Army had to retreat quickly from February 27th. By March 3, they had crossed the North Donets River, and the thin ice on the river facilitated the passage of the Red Army. But as a result, the Japanese army of Voroney, the Red Army fighting in Kharkov, was under the flank threat of German armored forces.

At first, neither the Soviet high command nor the Voronezh Japanese army flanking the Southwest Army paid enough attention to the sudden German attack on the Southwest Army. They still stubbornly believe that the German counterattack is only to cover the retreat from the Dnieper River. It was not until the southwest army was driven to the North Donets River by the German army that the Voronezh army found itself in a very dangerous situation: at this time, the German Fourth Armored Army, which had just defeated the southwest army, was heading north, ready to attack itself with the "Kampf" campaign cluster. The three army groups on the left of the Japanese army in Voroney (the third tank army, the 40th army and the 69th army) will be attacked by fourteen German divisions (including four armored divisions, three SS armored infantry divisions, one motorized infantry division and three infantry divisions). At this time, the Japanese army in Voroney can only use about 70 tanks in this direction, and the German tanks are not less than 350. At this time, the nearest supply base to the Japanese army in Voroney is also 200 kilometers away. Faced with this situation, General Gorikov hastily ordered on March 3rd that all fronts should be changed from offensive to defensive.

German onslaught

On March 4th, the German Fourth Panzer Corps stormed the Third Army of Japanese Tanks in Voroney, but the attack was not smooth. Although faced with the powerful German army, the Soviet army paid a huge loss (only 6 tanks were left in each tank brigade and only 16 to 20 people were left in each motorized infantry battalion), but the desperate resistance of the Soviet army made the German army advance only six to eight kilometers in two days. On March 6, manstein ordered the breakthrough to be changed to the junction of the Soviet 69th Army and the Third Tank Army. At the same time, the "Rouse" army belonging to the "Kemputz" campaign assembly group will be put into battle. In later battles, the "Great Germanic" division under the "Rouse" army played a great role together with the "Tiger" tank. In the battle from March 7 to 20, the division destroyed 269 Soviet tanks, and only lost 1 tiger tank, 12 type IV tank and 1 type III tank.

After investing such a powerful force, on March 10, the Germans finally opened a hole more than 60 kilometers wide on the Soviet defense line. The Japanese army in Voroney, which has insufficient troops and no strategic reserves, can't come up with any troops to plug the gap. In order to rescue the Japanese army in Voroney, Stalin ordered the Second Guards, the 18th Tank Corps and the 3rd Tank Corps of the High Command to send reinforcements. But far water can't put out a near fire. On March 1 1, the troops of the German Fourth Armored Army have approached Kharkov. At this time, Hitler himself once again came to the headquarters of the Southern Army Group to cheer for the frontline troops. On the same day, in order to win Kharkov, the SS Panzer Corps of the Fourth Armored Army, with the cooperation of the 320th Infantry Division, made a detour from the north of Kharkov, regardless of heavy casualties, cutting off the Soviet retreat; The 48th Panzer Corps attacked Kharkov from the east. In the direction of Belgorod, the 40th Army of the Soviet Union without artillery shells is now under the onslaught of the German "Rouse" army.

Take back a position

On March 12, SS troops invaded Kharkov, and fierce street fighting took place with the Soviet army. Two days later, the third army of Soviet tanks was surrounded, and the Soviet high command could only order the second army of aviation to supplement its troops by night flight.

After the war, it is a foregone conclusion that Germany won Kharkov. On March 15, the Soviet infantry brigades 17, 19 and 179, guarding the city, gave up unnecessary resistance and broke eastward. On March 16, the SS Panzer Corps re-entered Kharkov.

End of activity

After the fall of Kharkov, the Red Army broke through in the early morning of March 17. After losing a lot of soldiers and equipment, this exhausted Soviet army finally spread to the left bank of the North Donets River and was incorporated into the Southwest Army on the spot. The next day, the German "Great Germanic" motorized infantry division captured Belgorod. For Manstein, the biggest goal at present is to seize as much territory as possible from the Soviet army before the Soviet withdrawal, thawing period and season change period have begun. Since then, until March 22, Russian troops in Voronezh have been retreating under the pursuit of Germany.

However, on March 23rd, due to insufficient German troops, melting snow and muddy roads, three army groups (the first tank army, the second/kloc-0 army and the 64th army) newly reinforced by the Soviet Union had arrived. Germany had to stop catching up. Russian troops and Japanese troops in Voronezh, who had crossed the North Donets River, set up positions in Oboyan area along the river bank in the south of Kursk (this was later south of the projection of Kursk).

At this time, after several months of fighting, the Soviet and German armies, which won and lost each other, finally exhausted their physical strength in the Battle of Kharkov, and they were no longer able to organize large-scale attacks. Therefore, throughout the eastern front, the exhausted Soviet and German troops turned to defense. Before the two sides complete the rest and supplement, the Soviet-German battlefield will enter a short "truce period". Germany, which recaptured Kharkov, is busy rewarding meritorious deeds: Manstein won the Knight Cross of Oak Leaf, and Dietrich, the division commander of Hisler, added a double sword to the Knight Cross. Hitler also planned to transfer some regiments and company officers from the excellent Hitler divisions to form the new SS First Armored Division and the 12 SS Hitler Youth League Armored Division. The German divisions were also ordered to transfer some officers to form the SS Third Armored Division.

On the contrary, in the Soviet Union, Stalin was busy making personnel adjustments: General Gorikov, who had lost the battle, was relieved of his post as commander of the Voronezh Army and was replaced by General Vadudin, commander of the Southwest Army of the Soviet Union, who had also lost the battle.

War result

According to the data released by Germany, from the end of February to March, 1943, they killed 40 130 Soviet troops and captured 12430. Destroy the technical weapons of the Red Army, including 567 tanks and 1072 guns.

According to the information released by Russia 1993, the Battle of Kharkov finally ended on March 25th, with dead, missing and captured soldiers 100694, wounded and sick 139366, tanks and self-propelled artillery 1345, and artillery and mortars of various calibers 5296544. Among them, about 30 thousand people were killed, missing and captured, and about 200 tanks and self-propelled artillery were lost in the battle with the German Fourth Armored Army.

But from some sporadic data, Germany's losses are also very serious. In terms of technical weapons, at the end of the battle, the SS Panzer Corps could make less than 40% of the total tanks, of which only the "German" division lost 77 tanks and heavy artillery. 1943 At the end of February, the "Great Germanic" motorized infantry division had 95 tanks. By March 23rd, the division had only seven III tanks, 39 IV tanks and nine Spitfire tanks. In addition, all (nine) Tiger tanks were lost, and the total number of tanks dropped to 22.