Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-43
Rollback: The Red Army’s Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942–43 covers the period from mid-December 1942 to mid-February 1943, one of the most critical periods of the war on the Eastern Front. It was here that following the encirclement of an entire German army at Stalingrad, the Soviets sought to take advantage of the ruptured Axis front in southern Russia to finish off the Germans’ Italian and Hungarian allies and liberate the economically vital areas of eastern Ukraine.

This study is drawn from a number of wartime and postwar articles, published by the General Staff’s directorate for the study of wartime experience. Also featured are documents relating to the operational-strategic conduct of the various operations, which were compiled and published after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Several articles deal with the preparation for and conduct of the Southwestern Front’s Middle Don operation of December 1942. Originally intended as an ambitious offensive to cut off the German forces in the North Caucasus by driving on to Rostov, the operation was later reoriented to meet the threat of the German effort to relieve Stalingrad. The offensive not only accomplished its objective of turning back the German attack, thus dooming the Stalingrad garrison, but also destroyed the Italian army in the East as well.

The Soviet Voronezh Front then struck further up the Don River, and in the Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh’ operation destroyed what remained of the Italian forces in the area, as well as the Hungarian army. This enabled the Red Army to capture Khar’kov and push nearly to the Dnepr River by mid-February, before being thrown back by a skillful German counteroffensive.

The territorial results of this operation set the stage for the front’s subsequent Voronezh–Kastornoe operation, which enabled the Soviets to push as far west as Kursk before exhaustion and growing German resistance brought the offensive to a halt. Further to the south, the Soviets were able to capture Voroshilovgrad and penetrate into the industrial Donets Basin.

The book also contains a detailed Soviet examination of the employment of tank and mechanized corps during the campaign. The conclusions reached here had a direct bearing on the restructuring of the Red Army’s tank armies in time for the summer campaign of 1943.
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Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-43
Rollback: The Red Army’s Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942–43 covers the period from mid-December 1942 to mid-February 1943, one of the most critical periods of the war on the Eastern Front. It was here that following the encirclement of an entire German army at Stalingrad, the Soviets sought to take advantage of the ruptured Axis front in southern Russia to finish off the Germans’ Italian and Hungarian allies and liberate the economically vital areas of eastern Ukraine.

This study is drawn from a number of wartime and postwar articles, published by the General Staff’s directorate for the study of wartime experience. Also featured are documents relating to the operational-strategic conduct of the various operations, which were compiled and published after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Several articles deal with the preparation for and conduct of the Southwestern Front’s Middle Don operation of December 1942. Originally intended as an ambitious offensive to cut off the German forces in the North Caucasus by driving on to Rostov, the operation was later reoriented to meet the threat of the German effort to relieve Stalingrad. The offensive not only accomplished its objective of turning back the German attack, thus dooming the Stalingrad garrison, but also destroyed the Italian army in the East as well.

The Soviet Voronezh Front then struck further up the Don River, and in the Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh’ operation destroyed what remained of the Italian forces in the area, as well as the Hungarian army. This enabled the Red Army to capture Khar’kov and push nearly to the Dnepr River by mid-February, before being thrown back by a skillful German counteroffensive.

The territorial results of this operation set the stage for the front’s subsequent Voronezh–Kastornoe operation, which enabled the Soviets to push as far west as Kursk before exhaustion and growing German resistance brought the offensive to a halt. Further to the south, the Soviets were able to capture Voroshilovgrad and penetrate into the industrial Donets Basin.

The book also contains a detailed Soviet examination of the employment of tank and mechanized corps during the campaign. The conclusions reached here had a direct bearing on the restructuring of the Red Army’s tank armies in time for the summer campaign of 1943.
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Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-43

Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-43

Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-43

Rollback: The Red Army's Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942-43

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Overview

Rollback: The Red Army’s Winter Offensive along the Southwestern Strategic Direction, 1942–43 covers the period from mid-December 1942 to mid-February 1943, one of the most critical periods of the war on the Eastern Front. It was here that following the encirclement of an entire German army at Stalingrad, the Soviets sought to take advantage of the ruptured Axis front in southern Russia to finish off the Germans’ Italian and Hungarian allies and liberate the economically vital areas of eastern Ukraine.

This study is drawn from a number of wartime and postwar articles, published by the General Staff’s directorate for the study of wartime experience. Also featured are documents relating to the operational-strategic conduct of the various operations, which were compiled and published after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Several articles deal with the preparation for and conduct of the Southwestern Front’s Middle Don operation of December 1942. Originally intended as an ambitious offensive to cut off the German forces in the North Caucasus by driving on to Rostov, the operation was later reoriented to meet the threat of the German effort to relieve Stalingrad. The offensive not only accomplished its objective of turning back the German attack, thus dooming the Stalingrad garrison, but also destroyed the Italian army in the East as well.

The Soviet Voronezh Front then struck further up the Don River, and in the Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh’ operation destroyed what remained of the Italian forces in the area, as well as the Hungarian army. This enabled the Red Army to capture Khar’kov and push nearly to the Dnepr River by mid-February, before being thrown back by a skillful German counteroffensive.

The territorial results of this operation set the stage for the front’s subsequent Voronezh–Kastornoe operation, which enabled the Soviets to push as far west as Kursk before exhaustion and growing German resistance brought the offensive to a halt. Further to the south, the Soviets were able to capture Voroshilovgrad and penetrate into the industrial Donets Basin.

The book also contains a detailed Soviet examination of the employment of tank and mechanized corps during the campaign. The conclusions reached here had a direct bearing on the restructuring of the Red Army’s tank armies in time for the summer campaign of 1943.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781912174591
Publisher: Helion and Company
Publication date: 01/19/2016
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 412
File size: 9 MB

About the Author

Richard W. Harrison earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Georgetown University, where he specialized in Russian area studies. He later earned his doctorate in War Studies from King’s College London. He also was an exchange student in the former Soviet Union and spent several years living and working in post-communist Russia. Harrison has worked for the US Department of Defense as an investigator in Russia, dealing with cases involving POWs and MIAs. He has also taught Russian history and military history at the college and university level, most recently at the US Military Academy at West Point.Harrison is the author of two books dealing with the Red Army’s theoretical development during the interwar period: The Russian Way of War: Operational Art, 1904- 1940 (2001), and Architect of Soviet Victory in World War II: The Life and Theories of G.S. Isserson (2010). He is also the translator and editor of The Battle of Moscow 1941-1942: The Red Army’s Defensive Operations and Counter-Offensive Along the Moscow Strategic Direction (2015). He is currently working on a history of the Red Army’s high commands during World War II and afterwards. Dr. Harrison lives with his family near Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

List of Maps ix

List of Tables x

Preface to the English-language edition xii

Part I The Soviet Counteroffensive along the Middle Don: Preparation 15

1 The Planning and Preparation of the Southwest Front's Offensive Operation in December 1942 17

2 The Disposition and Composition of the Romanian Third and Italian Eighth Armies on the Don 37

3 The Southwestern Front's Artillery in the December 1942 Operation 51

4 Some Conclusions on Employing Tank and Mechanized Corps for Developing The Breakthrough 62

Part II The Soviet Counteroffensive Along the Middle Don: Execution 93

1 The Breakthrough of the Enemy's Defense on the Don by the Southwestern Front's Forces and the Troops' Activities in the Operational Depth 95

2 Aviation Activities in the December Operation along the Middle Don 116

Part III The Voronezh Front's Osrrogozhsk-Rossosh' Offensive Operation (13-27 January 1943) 131

Introduction 133

1 The Situation by the Start of the Operation's Preparation 135

Part A Preparing the Operation 141

2 The Stavka of the Supreme High Command's Instructions and the Decisions by the Front Commander and the Army Commanders 142

3 The Plan for the Tank Troops' Combat Employment 153

4 The Organization of the Artillery Offensive 156

5 The Organization of the Air Offensive 163

6 Engineer Support for the Operation 165

7 Operational Support for the Operation 168

8 Organizing Control and Communications 173

9 The Combat Training of the Troops and Staffs 176

10 Materiel Support for the Operation 178

11 Political Support for the Operation 182

12 The Regrouping of Troops and the Correlation of Forces by the Beginning of the Operation 186

Part B The Conduct of the Operation 195

13 The Breakthrough of the Enemy's Tactical Defense (The First Stage of the Operation, 13-15 January) 196

14 The Encirclement and Destruction of the Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh' Enemy Group of Forces (The Second Stage of the Operation, 16-27 January) 214

Part IV The Voronezh-Kastornoe Operation by the Voronezh Front and Bryansk Front's Left Wing (24 January-17 February 1943) 247

1 Introduction 249

2 Operational Preparation 251

3 The Conduct of the Operation 284

Part V The Voroshilovgrad Operation 331

1 The Fighting for Voroshilovgrad 333

Part VI Documents 345

Index 397

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