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Battle of Belgorod

The Belgorod-Bogodukhov Oensive Operation (23


July 14 August 1943) was a combat operation executed
as part of Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev by the Red
Army against the Wehrmacht forces. It was one of the
operations that followed the Battle of Kursk.

antitank ditch, located a few kilometres in


front of the fortied line. Within a short time
massed Red Army tanks had crossed this ditch;
by noon they passed the corps command post
and poured into the depth of German positions,
all the while ring on our eeing trains. On
the following morning (6 August), after a
night time forced march, Russian spearheads
had reached the surprised headquarters of
the 4th Panzerarmee at Bogodukhov. Since
Colonel General Hermann Hoths army had no
reserves available to close the ten-kilometre gap
in his front between Tomarovka & Belgorod,
or even to stop the ood of enemy tanks that
had already broken through to a depth of
100 kilometres, Russian spearheads reached
the area north-east of Poltava and Akhtyrka
on 7 August.These illustrate the dangerous
situation into which this development thrust XI
Armeecorps which had been ghting with its
front to the east.On the very rst day of the
oensive, XI Armeecorps had been attacked
in the rear by enemy tank forces situated thirty
kilometres in the depth of our positions. These
tank forces exerted crushing pressure on our
unprotected left ank. At this critical moment,
XI Armeecorps had not only been left to its
own devices but also had been handicapped
by a direct fuehrer order, which had arrived
at the last minute & insisted that Belgorod
was to be held under all circumstances. The
Corps front now formed a deep salient into
enemy territory, which might have disintegrated
with complete encirclement as its nal destiny.
This would have meant a widening of the
existing BelgorodTomarovka gap from 25
to 80 kilometres and the immediate loss of
several divisions. With these considerations I
decided-Hitlers order notwithstanding-to ght
a delaying action in successive positions until
the withdrawal reached Kharkov and then
hold the city. During the night of 56 August,
I ordered the 168th Infantry Division (on the
corps left & resisting heavy pressure North
of Belgorod) to pivot 180 degrees around the
city. We evacuated the city after heavy street
ghting and occupied a new defensive line
prepared on the high ground immediately south
of Belgorod.[4]

Prelude

During the Battle of Kursk, German armored units


south of the Kursk salient failed to penetrate the defences between the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts in the
Belgorod sector. The Red Armys Operation Polkovodets
Rumyantsev followed Operation Citadel and included as
its objectives the immediate liberation of Belgorod, assigned to the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts. On July 23,
German forces of the XI Army Corps returned to their
old, well fortied positions on both sides of Belgorod.
Their combat strength had been reduced by as much as
50% following the Battle.[3]a

The Belgorod-Bogodukhov Offensive Operation

Early on 3 August 1943, the Forces of the Voronezh and


Steppe Fronts b advancing on a wide front between Sumy
and Volchansk (175 km), crossed the Vorskla river &
quickly penetrated the defences of the 332nd Infantry Division & 167th Infantry Division to a depth of 100 km[3]
between Tomarovka & Belgorod on the northern ank,
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:
On 3 August after Soviet artillery had
red heavily for one hour, the enemy oensive
began along the BelgorodKursk highway, with
the aim of pushing through the salient around
Belgorod where the boundary between the 4th
Panzerarmee & Armeeabteilung Kempf was situated and thereby dislocate the entire defensive
line. In this they succeeded completely. Their
heavy barrage hit the 167th Infantry Division,
which had taken up positions in a former soviet
1

REFERENCES

Germany had an initial strength of 60,000 men, including way was clear to concentrate forces for the liberation of
18,000 Hitlerjugend.[1] While the German intention was Kharkiv.
to pinch o the Red Armys oensive thrust at the base
of the penetration between Borisovka and Grayvoron
south of Vorskla river, the rapid tempo of the Steppe 4 Footnotes
and Voronezh Fronts oensive meant that by the time the
counter-attacks were executed the city had been evacu a XI Armeecorps suered the following casualties
ated on 6 August, and German forces were now defending
during the Battle of Kursk. 106th Infantry Division
Kharkov. The Wehrmachts Mobile Forces were head- 3,244 (forty-six ocers), 320th Infantry Division
ing into an encounter with the main thrust of the Soviet
- 2,839 (thirty ocers) & 168th Infantry Division Front tank armies. The German counter-attacks were
2,671 (127 ocers) a Total of 8,754 combat eeccarried out by the III Panzercorps of the Armeeabteilung
tive soldiers.
Kempf in the Olshany area, and the XLVIII Panzercorps of the 4th Panzerarmee in the two-pincer manoeu b Consisting of the 1st Guards Tank Army, 5th
[5]
vre of the Krasnokutsk and Akhtyrka areas. In the ghtGuards Tank Army, 6th Guards Army, 5th Guards
ing that took place on both sides of the Merla & Merchik
Army, 40th Army, 69th Army, 7th Guards Army,
rivers, the superiority of the German Panzer Divisions
27th Army.
was clearly evident, in spite of being involved in com c by the German 168th Infantry Division.
bat operations continuously since the 5th of July. Whilst
5th SS Panzer Division 'Wiking' & 3rd Panzer Division
conducted primarily defensive operations, 2nd SS Panzer
Division 'Das Reich', 3rd SS Panzer Division 'Totenkopf' 5 Citations and notes
repeatedly blunted attacks of Soviet elements south of
the rivers and Bogodukhov. As at Prokhorovka, the Rus- [1] Sajer (1967)
sians enjoyed tremendous numerical superiority in tanks.
Both 1st Tank Army & 5th Guards Tank Army began the [2] Nipe, Fedorowicz, p.376
operations with over 500 tanks each, while the SS Divi- [3] Newton, p.212
sions never had more than about 30-50 tanks each at any
time during August. in spite of this, all Soviet attempts to [4] Newton, pp.213-215
penetrate to the railroad line were repulsed with bloody
[5] Nipe, Fedorowicz pp. 259-330
losses in men and tremendous loss in tanks. Katukovs 1st
Tank Army thrusts south of the Merchik were repeatedly [6] Nipe, Fedorowicz, p.365
cut o & destroyed by III Panzercorps. The attempts by
Rotmistrovs 5th Guards Tank Army Army to penetrate [7] Nipe, Fedorowicz, p.264
to the rail line from east of Bogodukhov were frustrated
by 3rd Panzer Division & 'Wiking', with key defensive
ghting by elements of 'Das Reich'. 'Totenkopf' executed 6 References
a masterful attack that cut o elements of infantry and
armour from the 27th Army & 6th Guards Army south
Nipe, George M. Jr., & Fedorowicz, J.J., Decision in
of Krasnokutsk and then rolled down the line of supply
the Ukraine: Summer 1943, II SS & III Panzerkorps,
toward Kolomak, south of Konstantinovka. Subsequent
Publishing Inc., 1996 ISBN 0-921991-35-5
attacks encircled disorganized elements of several Russian Divisions and destroyed major portions of them af Newton, Steven H., Panzer Operations: The Eastern
ter brief ghting. Subsequently 'Totenkopf' drove to the
Front Memoir of General Raus 19411945, Da Capo
Merla & forced a crossing of that river and linked up with
Press, 2003 ISBN 0-306-81247-9
4th Panzerarmee spearheads at Parchomovka. However
Grodeutschland was forced to withdraw from that town
Sajer, Guy., The Forgotten Soldier, Editions Robert
by Soviet pressure on its Northern ank, & this success
Laont, S.A., 1967 ASIN: B001Q797JQ
could not be followed up.[6]

Aftermath

Combined deaths during the operation are over 72,000.


Germany lost about 20,000 men, among them were 6,000
Hitlerjugend.[1]
After Belgorod was retaken on 6 August 1943[7] by the
69th and 7th Guards Armies of the Steppe Front [7]c the

Ziemke, Earl F., Stalingrad to Berlin: The German


Defeat in the East, Dorset Press, 1968

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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Text

Battle of Belgorod Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Belgorod?oldid=669806674 Contributors: Wwoods, Ezhiki, Klemen


Kocjancic, Firsfron, BD2412, Rjwilmsi, Tim!, Goudzovski, Valentinian, Noclador, Welsh, Mole Man, Tony1, SmackBot, Roger Davies,
Nickst, Je5102, Colonies Chris, Andreas1968, Andrwsc, Karloman2, Hemlock Martinis, Rickyyeo2503, Basement12, RFerreira, Bluetooth954, Dodo19~enwiki, Buckshot06, The Anomebot2, MetsBot, Bad Night, Mrg3105, Warut, MisterBee1966, Monegasque, OKBot,
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