HTML tags are not allowed. The Soviets achieved some small victories on 21 and 22 May, but by 24 May, they were surrounded near Kharkov. The goal of this

The Second Battle of Kharkov was a battle that took place between Germany and the Soviet Union. Due to the intelligence of a possible Soviet offensive, troops were readied in nearby regions for support should an attack take place. First, it is aiming to offer interesting All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB. Soviet General … German losses were much smaller than the Soviets, with over 20,000 killed, wounded, or captured. By 11 May 1942, the Red Army was able to allocate six armies under two fronts, amongst other formations. To the south, Soviet 6th Guards Cavalry Corps reached Krasnograd, but their support tanks were 15 miles behind the front lines and could not arrive at the front fast enough to maintain the forward momentum. On the German side, the German 6th Army saw 16 of its battalions nearly wiped out, while the Soviet troops were so battered that the field generals determined that they must switch to a defensive posture for several hours to regroup. Six Soviet armies supported by various independent rifle, tank, and cavalry units gathered in preparation of an offensive toward Kharkov, Ukraine. The battle itself began on May 12, 1942 and ended on the 28th. Copyright © 2004-2020 Lava Development, LLC., all rights reserved, See all 7 photographs of Second Battle of Kharkov. In January 1943, the once-invincible German Wehrmacht was reeling, being pushed back across a 175-mile portion of the Russian front by the Red Army. Newly arrived German aircraft in the Kharkov region in Ukraine overcame Soviet aircraft and halted the northern pincer of the Soviet attack. A Soviet army group, cut off inside the Barvenkovo pocket, was exterminated from all sides by German firepower.

Thank you. In mid-Mar 1942, Soviet commanders introduced preliminary plans for an offensive toward the Ukrainian city of Kharkov to be led by Marshal Semyon Timoshenko. Soviet General Georgy Zhukov later blamed this major defeat on Stalin, who underestimated German strength in the region and failed to prepare an adequate reserve force to counter the arrival of the German reinforcement that turned the tide. A surprise German pincer movement threatened to trap a large contingent of Soviet troops at Izium near Kharkov, Ukraine. ww2dbaseOn 12 May, the Russians struck first. Photographseval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'ww2db_com-box-4','ezslot_3',116,'0','0'])); Did you enjoy this article? Many authors have attempted to pinpoint the reasons for the debacle of the Second Battle of Kharkov. Poor management by front line officers, however, failed to maintain the necessary degree of secrecy, and German intelligence was able to determine that a Soviet offensive was being planned.

Gen. Maj. Hans Valentin Hube Divisional HQ 12–28 May 1942 The Second Battle of Kharkov was one of the costliest battles for Soviet forces during the war, with almost 300,000 casualties suffered.
At 0730 hours, the ground offensive began, meeting tough German defense from the start. At 0630 hours, an hour of artillery bombardment began, with the final 20 minutes joined by aircraft. On the subject, Zhukov sums up in his memoirs that the failure of this operation was quite predictable, since the offensive was organized very ineptly, the risk of exposing the left flank of the Iziu… German losses were much smaller than the Soviets, with over 20,000 killed, wounded, or captured. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'ww2db_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_1',114,'0','0'])); ww2dbaseOn 25 May 1942, Soviet troops mounted a major attempt to break the encirclement, causing casualties on both sides but mostly maintained the status quo. ww2dbaseThe Second Battle of Kharkov resulted in an extremely costly loss to the Soviets, which saw 207,000 men killed, wounded, or captured; some estimates put the number as high as 240,000. Soviet generals realized that poor intelligence prior to operation led them to misjudge German strength in the region, which was twice as strong as they originally expected; part of that German advantage was possibly due to the Germans detected a possible Soviet attack, thus had bolstered strength at strategic locations. The battle resulted in the German defense of the city and also the encirclement of numerous Soviet troops. Soviet troops in the pocket at Izium, Ukraine captured Lozovenka to the east during their breakout attempt, but overall German pressure caused the pocket to shrink to the size of about 15 square kilometers. A major Soviet offensive toward Kharkov, Ukraine was launched, beginning with an aerial and artillery bombardment between 0630 and 0730 hours, followed by the ground assault. On 18 May, Timoshenko requested permission to fall back, but Stalin rejected the request. Semyon Timoshenko requested for permission to fall back from his positions near Kharkov, Ukraine due to this latest German counteroffensive; Joseph Stalin refused to grant his permission, ordering Timoshenko to continue the westward offensive. Infanterie-Division that was at Kharkov (OoB Second Battle of Kharkov). Soviet resistance in the Izium, Ukraine ceased.

On 26 May, the Soviet troops found themselves enclosed in a small area about 15 square kilometers in size as German troops pressed on. ww2dbaseTo their west, the German 6th Army under General Friedrich Paulus had also been preparing for an offensive south of Kharkov code named Operation Fridericus; the order for the offensive was given on 30 Apr 1942, calling for the operation to begin around 18 May. In the same area, German troops captured Chepel to prevent the Soviet 38th Army from attacking the eastern side of the newly formed encirclement.
Soviet troops advanced 10 kilometers toward Kharkov, Ukraine. In Ukraine, German 14th Division and 16th Panzer Division occupied Chepel and Bayrak, while 3rd Panzer Division and 23rd Panzer Division reached Chervonyi Donets and Krasnaia Gusarovka, closing the gap on the Soviet forces near Izium. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous.

Soviet troops attempted a renewed offensive toward Kharkov, Ukraine, but failing to regain momentum. There were also three independent rifle divisions and a rifle regiment from the 270th Rifle Division, concentrated in the area, supported by the 2nd Cavalry Corps in Bogdanovka. By the end of the first day, the deepest penetration achieved by Soviet troops was merely 10 kilometers. Troops began to build up in the region for this attack through the beginning of May 1942, and by 11 May, six armies supported by various independent rifle, tank, and cavalry units gathered.

Joseph Stalin belatedly granted permission for the troops to withdraw. Please consider supporting us on Patreon. To the south, however, Soviet troops were able to penetrate deeper into German lines, but poor decisions by some units limited the Soviets' ability to exploit the situation effectively. German troops captured Lozovenka near Kharkov, Ukraine. When all actions were wrapped up, the Germans would count over 200,000 prisoners of war, 1,200 tanks, and 2,000 artillery pieces captured. The Southwestern Front had the 21st Army, 28th Army, 38th Army and the 6th Army. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB. German 14th Division and 16th Panzer Division, moving northward, and German 3rd Panzer Division and 23rd Panzer Division, moving southward, linked up, thus completing the encirclement of the Soviet 6th Army and 57th Army at Izium, Ukraine. German 6th Army and 1st Panzer Army continued to threaten the Soviet troops near Izium, Ukraine with encirclement. By the end of the day the Soviets penetrated only about 10 kilometers into the German lines, falling far short of the ultimate goal of having the Soviet 6th and 28th Armies converging west of Kharkov to cut off the city and the German defenders. Soviet troops at Izium, Ukraine were completed surrounded by German troops. By the end of 14 May, both sides had suffered serious casualties. Even $1 per month will go a long way!

ww2dbaseAs the German attack on Moscow, Russia was thwarted, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin called for a major counteroffensive.

Over 1,000 Soviet tanks were destroyed during this battle, as well as the loss of 57,000 horses. On the ground, General Ewald von Kleist prepared his German 1st Panzergruppe for a counterattack ordered by Adolf Hitler. His closest advisers disagreed and urged for a more defensive posture, thus Stalin held back his demands, only calling for local offensives rather than attacks on the entire front. Over 1,000 Soviet tanks were destroyed during this battle, as well as the loss of 57,000 horses. On 20 May, the nearly surrounded Soviet forces mounted counteroffensives, but none of the attempts were successful in breaking through the German lines. site is two fold.