The Belgorod–Bogodukhov offensive operation (3 August 1943 – 23 August 1943) was a combat operation executed as part of

Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

against the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

forces. It was one of the operations that was launched in response to the German offensive

Operation Citadel Operation Citadel () was the German offensive operation in July 1943 against Soviet forces in the Kursk salient, proposed by Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein during the Second World War on the Eastern Front that initiated the Battle of ...

Prelude

During the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

, German armored units south of the Kursk salient failed to penetrate the defences between the

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

and

Steppe Front The Steppe Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War which existed from July to October 1943. History On 9 July 1943, Stavka designated a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, that had been effective since 30 April.G ...

s in the

Belgorod Belgorod (, ) is a city that serves as the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River, approximately north of the border with Ukraine. It has a population of It was founded in 1596 as a defensiv ...

sector. The Red Army's

followed

and included as its objectives the immediate liberation of Belgorod, assigned to the

and

s. On July 23, German forces of the XI Army Corps returned to their old, well fortified positions on both sides of Belgorod. Their combat strength had been reduced by as much as 50% following the battle.Newton, p.212

Offensive operation

Early on 3 August 1943, the forces of the

and

s, advancing on a wide front between

Sumy Sumy (, , ) is a city in northeastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Sumy Oblast. The city is situated on the banks of the Psel (river), Psel River and has a population of making it the 23rd-largest in the country. The city ...

and former Volchansk (175 km), crossed the

Vorskla river The Vorskla (; ) is a river that runs from Belgorod Oblast in Russia southwards into northeastern Ukraine, where it joins the Dnieper. Geography The river's source is on the western slopes of the Central Russian Upland north of Belgorod. Wit ...

and quickly penetrated the defences of the 332nd Infantry Division and 167th Infantry Division to a depth of 100 km between Tomarovka and Belgorod on the northern flank, and as far as Bogodukhov sweeping aside the weakened 19th Panzer Division. By 5 August, Belgorod which was defended by XI Armeecorps (Raus) was also being surrounded and isolated, requiring attempts by the German Armeeabteilung Kempf and 4th Panzerarmee Armies to relieve the garrison which was ordered by Hitler to defend the city. General Raus explains: While the German intention was to "pinch off" the Red Army's offensive thrust at the base of the penetration between Borisovka and

Grayvoron Grayvoron (, ) is a town and the administrative center of Grayvoronsky District in Belgorod Oblast, Russia. It is on the Vorskla river (a tributary of the Dnieper) and the Grayvoronka river. It was known as ''Grayvorony'' until 1838. History ...

south of

, the rapid tempo of the

Steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

and

Voronezh Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (), previously the Voronezh Front (), was a major formation of the Red Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Wartime ...

s offensive meant that by the time the counter-attacks were executed the city had been evacuated on 6 August, and German forces were now defending

Kharkov Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

. The Wehrmacht's Mobile Forces were heading into an encounter with the main thrust of the Soviet Front tank armies. The German counter-attacks were carried out by the III Panzercorps of the Armeeabteilung "Kempf" in the Olshany area, and the XLVIII Panzercorps of the 4th Panzerarmee in the two-pincer manoeuvre of the

Krasnokutsk Krasnokutsk (, ) is a rural settlement in Bohodukhiv Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Krasnokutsk settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: Krasnokutsk is located on the right bank of the Mer ...

and Akhtyrka areas. In the fighting that took place on both sides of the Merla and Merchik rivers, the superiority of the German Panzer Divisions was clearly evident, in spite of being involved in combat operations continuously since 5 July. Whilst 5th SS Panzer Division 'Wiking' and 3rd Panzer Division conducted primarily defensive operations, 2nd SS Panzer Division 'Das Reich', 3rd SS Panzer Division 'Totenkopf' repeatedly blunted attacks of Soviet elements south of the rivers and Bogodukhov. As at

Prokhorovka Prokhorovka () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Prokhorovka, Belgorod Oblast, a settlement in Prokhorovsky District of Belgorod Oblast ;Rural localities * Prokhorovka, Irkutsk Oblast, a village in Osin ...

, the Russians enjoyed tremendous numerical superiority in tanks. Both

1st Tank Army The 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army () is a tank army of the Russian Ground Forces (Military Unit Number 73621). The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st ...

and

5th Guards Tank Army The 5th Guards Tank Army (Russian: 5-я гварде́йская та́нковая а́рмия) was a Soviet Guards armored formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II. The army was formed in February 1943. Until the aft ...

began the operations with over 500 tanks each, while the SS divisions never had more than about 30-50 tanks each at any time during August. In spite of this, all Soviet attempts to penetrate to the railroad line were repulsed with bloody losses in men and tremendous loss in tanks. Katukov's 1st Tank Army thrusts south of the Merchik were repeatedly cut off and destroyed by III Panzercorps. The attempts by Rotmistrov's 5th Guards Tank Army to penetrate to the rail line from east of Bogodukhov were frustrated by 3rd Panzer Division and 'Wiking', with key defensive fighting by elements of 'Das Reich'. 'Totenkopf' executed a masterful attack that cut off elements of infantry and armour from the 27th Army and

6th Guards Army The 6th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought against Nazi Germany during World War II under the command of General Ivan Chistyakov. The Army's chief of staff was General Valentin Antonovich Penkovskii. The 6th Guards Army was ...

south of

and then rolled down the line of supply toward Kolomak, south of Konstantinovka. Subsequent attacks encircled disorganized elements of several Russian Divisions and destroyed major portions of them after brief fighting. Subsequently, 'Totenkopf' drove to the Merla and forced a crossing of that river and linked up with 4th Panzerarmee spearheads at Parchomovka. However, ''Großdeutschland'' was forced to withdraw from that town by Soviet pressure on its Northern flank, and this success could not be followed up.Nipe, Fedorowicz, p.365

Aftermath

After Belgorod was retaken on 6 August 1943Nipe, Fedorowicz, p.264 by the 69th and 7th Guards Armies of the

the way was clear to concentrate forces for the Soviet offensive on

Kharkov Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

Footnotes

*XI Armeecorps suffered the following casualties during the Battle of Kursk. 106th Infantry Division - 3,244 (forty-six officers), 320th Infantry Division - 2,839 (thirty officers) and 168th Infantry Division - 2,671 (127 officers) a total of 8,754 combat effective soldiers. *Consisting of the 1st Guards Tank Army, 5th Guards Tank Army, 6th Guards Army, 5th Guards Army, 40th Army, 69th Army, 7th Guards Army, 27th Army *by the German 168th Infantry Division

Citations and notes

References

* * Nipe, George M. Jr., ''Decision in the Ukraine: Summer 1943, II SS & III Panzerkorps'', J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing, 1996 * Newton, Steven H., ''Panzer Operations: The Eastern Front Memoir of General Raus 1941–1945'', Da Capo Press, 2003 * Ziemke, Earl F., ''Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East'', Dorset Press, 1968 {{DEFAULTSORT:Belgorod, Battle of Battles and operations of the Soviet–German War Conflicts in 1943 1943 in the Soviet Union Battles of World War II involving Germany History of Belgorod July 1943 in Europe August 1943 in Europe