Operation Hannover or Operation Hanover (sources vary) was a German operation in April–June 1942 aimed at eliminating

Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...

airborne troops Airborne forces, airborne troops, or airborne infantry are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop or air assault. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in a ...

and encircling

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

soldiers near

Vyazma Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Throu ...

(

Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city of ...

). The operation was a complete success for the Germans.

Background

Soviet partisans had been disrupting the rear of

Army Group Center Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army fo ...

(and the German 4th Army in particular). In January 1942, they were strengthened by Soviet Airborne Troops (the Vyazma airborne desant operation, part of the

Battles of Rzhev The Battles of Rzhev (russian: Ржевская битва, Rzhevskaya bitva) were a series of Red Army offensives against the Wehrmacht between January 8, 1942, and March 31, 1943, on the Eastern Front of World War II. The battles took place ...

).Christopher Chant, ''The encyclopedia of codenames of World War II'', Routledge, 1986,
Google Print, p. 77
The Soviets hoped that the airborne troops and the partisans would be able to secure territory and disrupt the German logistics long enough for the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

offensive to reach them. However, the

offensive involving the 33rd Army and the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps failed to advance far enough and the Germans were able to concentrate on destroying Soviet troops in the rear. German forces from the 4th Army and the

4th Panzer Army The 4th Panzer Army (german: 4. Panzerarmee) (operating as Panzer Group 4 (german: 4. Panzergruppe) from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, when it was redesignated as a full army) was a German panzer formation during World War ...

, having stopped the Soviet offensive, engaged airborne troops and partisans. These airborne troops and partisans fought a conventional battle with German forces and sustained a major defeat.Gerhard L. Weinberg, ''A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II'', Cambridge University Press, 1995,
Google Print, p.430
/ref> The partisan forces in the area were so thoroughly decimated that the Soviets were unable to recreate any significant partisan activity in this region for the remainder of the war. Operation Hannover is seen as the most successful German anti-partisan operation ever; this is attributed primarily to the fact that the partisans decided to challenge the German forces in open battle. At the same time, Operation Hannover II, near

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, resulted in the elimination of encircled Red Army troops (the 39th Army and the 11th Cavalry Corps).

Background

References

Further reading