A detachment of the division fought its way to the southern approaches of the city, cutting off the road to Merefa. This allowed the Das Reich to advance to the city's main railway station, which would be the farthest this division would advance into the city. By the end of the day, the entire city was declared to be back in German hands. This scenario represents the … At the same time, Peiper's forces were able to breakout south, suffering from bitter fighting against a tenacious Soviet defense, and link up with the division's left wing at the Volchansk and Chuhuiv road junction. Although the majority of Das Reich had, by now, disengaged from the city, a single Panzergrenadier Regiment remained to clear the southwestern corner of the city, eliminating resistance by the end of the day. Thus ended the Third Battle of Kharkov, during which Manstein overcame severe difficulties, securing a victory and capturing his objective. Third Battle of Kharkov and similar military conflicts | Frankensaurus.com Military conflicts similar to or like Third Battle of Kharkov Series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February and 15 March 1943. Ultimately, the 3rd SS was able to pierce the 15th Tank Corps' lines and link up with other units of the same division advancing north, successfully encircling the Soviet tank corps. [74] Between 8–9 March, the SS Panzer Corps completed its drive north, splitting the 69th and 40th Soviet Armies, and on 9 March it turned east to complete its encirclement. The scale of the crisis that the Wehrmacht faced in February 1943 cannot possibly be overstated. [37] It was unusual for a Panzer Division to field more than 100 tanks, and most averaged only 70–80 serviceable tanks at any given time. [55] The 1st and 4th Panzer Armies were also ordered to attack the overextended Soviet 6th Army and 1st Guards Army. However, the Germans were not immune to military losses, and they struggled with a shortage of … Hausser’s SS Panzerkorps retook the city of Kharkov after fierce fighting, however, the Third Battle of Kharkov left the city only temporarily in Axis hands. By 17 March, it is estimated that the SS Panzer Corps had lost around 44% of its fighting strength, including around 160 officers and about 4,300 enlisted personnel. 86. To ease the transition, the 3rd Tank Army gave two rifle divisions to the 69th Army, and attacked south in a bid to destroy the SS Panzer Corps. The Germans were soon driven out once again (4th Battle of Kharkov) – this time for good. Attacking again the next, they secured the remainder of the city. [75], On 9 March, the Soviet 40th Army counterattacked against the Grossdeutschland Division in a final attempt to restore communications with the 3rd Tank Army. Over the next two days, it endured brutal urban fighting as German troops cleared the city house-by-house. The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov (or Kharkiv) between 19 February and 15 March 1943. On Feb. 16, Soviet troops liberated Kharkov. Conducted by Colonel General Filipp Golikov's Voronezh Front, the goals of the operation were the capture of Kursk and Kharkov. The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov (or Kharkiv) between 19 February and 15 March 1943. The Wehrmacht, while also understrength, flanked, encircled, and defeated the Red Army's armored spearheads south of Kharkov. The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich advanced in a northeastern direction, while the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf was put into action on 22 February, advancing parallel to the Das Reich. Despite his efforts, a German panzer division could only count on an estimated 10,000–11,000 personnel, out of an authorized strength of 13,000–17,000. [47], As the SS Panzer Corps began to emerge from the city, they engaged Soviet units positioned directly southwest of the city, including the 17th NKVD Brigade, 19th Rifle Division and 25th Guards Rifle Division. Third Battle of Kharkov 16 Feb 1943 - 15 Mar 1943 Contributor: C. Peter Chen In Feb 1943, the Soviets recaptured the city of Kharkov, Ukraine. [73] The Grossdeutschland Panzergrenadier Division had also returned to the front, and threw its weight into the attack, threatening to split the 69th Army and the remnants of the 3rd Tank Army. The Third Battle of Kharkov was a major battle that occurred between the Soviets and the Germans. The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov (or Kharkiv)Kharkov is the Russian language name of the city (Kharkiv the Ukrainian one); both Russian and Ukrainian were official languages in the Soviet Union (Source: & by Routledge) between 19 February and 15 March 1943. [97] Following the German success at Kharkov, Hitler was presented with two options. Historical name is Third Battle of Kharkov, not Kharkiv. [16] Oh yes it was. The Battle of Kursk was a colossal engagement which would witness the largest clash of armour ever seen in the history of warfare. The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov (or Kharkiv) between 19 February and 15 March 1943.Known to the German side as the Donets Campaign, and to in the Soviet Union as the Donbas and Kharkov operations, the German counterstrike … The Germans were soon driven out once again (4th Battle of Kharkov) – this time for good. [80], On 12 March, the LSSAH made progress into the city's center, breaking through the staunch Soviet defenses in the northern suburbs and began a house to house fight towards the center. [76] That same day, the 4th Panzer Army issued orders to the SS Panzer Corps to take Kharkov as soon as possible, prompting Hausser to order an immediate attack on the city by the three SS Panzer divisions. [23] On 20 February, the Red Army was perilously close to Zaporizhia, signaling the beginning of the German counterattack,[30] known to the Germans as the Donets Campaign. [34], The Germans were able to amass around 70,000 men against the 210,000 Red Army soldiers. Months of continuous operations, however, had taken a heavy toll on the Soviets and some divisions were reduced to 1,000–2,000 combat effective soldiers. Hickman, Kennedy. What was known to the Germans as the Donets Campaign took place between 19 February and 15 March 1943. The house-to-house fighting in Kharkov was also particularly bloody for the German SS Panzer Corps, which had lost approximately 4,300 men by the time operations ended in mid March. The scale of the crisis that the Wehrmacht faced in February 1943 cannot possibly be overstated. [14] On 15 February, two fresh Soviet tank corps threatened the city of Zaporizhia on the Dnieper River, which controlled the last major road to Rostov and housed the headquarters of Army Group South and Luftflotte 4 (Air Fleet Four). The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov (or Kharkiv) between 19 February and 15 March 1943. World War II: Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, World War II: The Battle of the Seelow Heights, World War II: Battle of the Falaise Pocket, World War II: Operation Cobra and Breakout from Normandy, World War II: Colonel General Heinz Guderian, World War II Database: Third Battle of Kharkov, M.S., Information and Library Science, Drexel University, B.A., History and Political Science, Pennsylvania State University. [25] While the Soviet 14th and 48th Armies attacked the Second Panzer Army's right flank, making minor gains,[26] Rokossovsky launched his offensive on 25 February, breaking through German lines and threatening to surround and cut off the German Second Panzer Army and the Second Army, to the south. The first, known as the "backhand method" was to wait for the inevitable renewal of the Soviet offensive and conduct another operation similar to that of Kharkov—allowing the Red Army to take ground, extend itself and then counterattack and surround it. [83], The next day, the LSSAH struck southwards towards the Kharkov River from Peiper's bridgehead, clearing Soviet resistance block by block. [25] These were positioned in such a way that Reiter's Briansk Front was on the northern flank of Army Group South, while Voronezh was directly opposite of Kursk, and the Southwestern Front was located opposite their opponents. After penetrating into the city's Zalyutino district, the advance was stopped by a deep anti-tank ditch, lined with Soviet defenders, including anti-tank guns. [2] The German Wehrmacht was understrength, especially after continuous operations between June 1942 and February 1943, to the point where Hitler appointed a committee made up of Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Martin Bormann and Hans Lammers, to recruit 800,000 new able-bodied men—half of whom would come from "nonessential industries". These enterprises returned to Kharkiv after the war, and continued to produce tanks. [35] However, the effects of this recruitment were not seen until around May 1943, when the German armed forces were at their highest strength since the beginning of the war, with 9.5 million personnel. But Kursk is another story for another time. 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