Cherkasy boiler

in Right-bank Ukraine completed destruction German group, surrounded during the Korsun-Shevchenko operation.

The offensive operation of the troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts, carried out with the aim of destroying the Korsun-Shevchenko enemy group, became part of the strategic offensive Soviet troops in Right-Bank Ukraine. It ended with the complete defeat of the encircled group and the death of more than a third of its personnel.

On January 12, 1944, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command issued an order to the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts to encircle and destroy enemy troops.

January 24 began Korsun-Shevchenko operation. At dawn, hundreds of guns opened fire on enemy positions. Powerful artillery fire destroyed defensive structures, filled up trenches and communications, destroyed manpower and military equipment enemy.

As soon as the artillery moved the fire into depth, the forward battalions of the 4th Guards and 53rd armies of the 2nd Ukrainian front went on the attack.

January 26 from opposite side Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge was struck by troops of the 40th, 27th and 6th tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front.

Having overcome the resistance of the enemy's 34th, 88th, and 198th infantry divisions in the first line, the troops of the front's shock group sought to develop a blow into the depth of defense. The enemy, relying on prepared lines in depth, fiercely resisted, especially in the zone of the 40th Army. Moreover, with the forces of the 16th and 17th Panzer Divisions, he persistently attacked the right flank of the 40th Army in the direction of Okhmatov. Here, together with units of the 40th Army (50th and 51st Rifle Corps), soldiers of the 1st Czechoslovak brigade, transferred here from under Belaya Tserkov, fought. To strengthen the troops in this direction, the front command regrouped the 11th tank corps of the 1st tank army. The corps was transferred to the operational subordination of the commander of the 40th Army.

The offensive of the right-flank formations of the 27th Army (337th and 180th rifle divisions) and units of the 6th Panzer Army interacting with them, and under these conditions, the front commander decided to transfer the entire burden of the main attack to the zone of the 6th Panzer and 27th armies. For this purpose, from 11 p.m. on January 27, the 47th Rifle Corps (167th, 359th Rifle Divisions) from the 40th Army was transferred to the 6th Tank Army.

January 31, the 27th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the 4th guards army and the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front met in the Olshany area, thus closing the encirclement.

Russian tanks T-34-76 on the march.

Fiercely resisting, the Germans launched repeated counterattacks in various directions, first with the aim of stopping the advance of the Soviet troops, and from the end of January, in order to cut off our mobile formations from the main forces.

By the end of February 3, Soviet troops had completed the complete encirclement of the entire Korsun-Shevchenko enemy grouping, establishing a solid front line. On February 4-5, the Nazi troops unsuccessfully repeated their attempts to break through the encirclement front with strikes in the direction of Shpola. Also unsuccessful were the enemy's attempts to break through the encirclement in the sector of the 1st Ukrainian Front from the Rizino region to Lysyanka.

The Soviet command, in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, proposed on February 8 fascist german troops capitulate. But, deceived by promises of help from Hitler, they refused to surrender and continued to resist. Soviet troops, squeezing the encirclement, continued to eliminate the enemy grouping. Until February 12, the destruction was carried out by the forces of both fronts, and then by the troops of one 2nd Ukrainian Front. On February 11, the enemy counterattacked great strength five tank divisions from the Yerki area and north of Buka in the general direction of Shanderovka.

On February 12, the troops of the encircled group went on the offensive from the Steblev-Tarashcha line in the direction of Lysyanka. At the cost of heavy losses, the advancing Nazi divisions managed to reach the Chesnovka-Lysyanka line by February 16. The German troops breaking through from the encirclement at the same time captured the Khilki-Komarovka and Novo-Buda area, but still failed to connect with the divisions advancing towards them. The enemy was first stopped, and then defeated and destroyed. On February 14, troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front captured Korsun-Shevchenkovsky with a swift blow.

In the rear of the Germans were active partisan detachments. The picture shows a group of demolitionists from the Khrushchev detachment at the bridge blown up by partisans.

The last attempt by the Germans to get out of the encirclement took place on February 17. There were three columns in the first echelon: the 5th SS Panzer Division "Viking" on the left, the 72nd Infantry Division in the center and Corps Group "B" on the right flank. In the rearguard were the 57th and 88th Infantry Divisions. The main blow fell on the 5th Guards. airborne, 180th and 202nd rifle divisions on the inner ring of encirclement and on the 41st Guards. rifle division on the outside. Basically, German troops broke through between the villages of Zhurzhintsy and Pochapintsy directly to October, but many, due to shelling from height 239, went south of it and even south of Pochapintsy and went out to Rotten Tikach, where there were no crossings. This led to the main losses both from hypothermia when trying to cross on improvised means, and from shelling of Soviet troops. During the breakthrough, the commander of the encircled German group was killed Artillery General Wilhelm Stemmermann.

Corpse of General Stemmermann

On February 17, 1944, the entire encircled group of Nazi troops ceased to exist. As a result of fierce fighting, the Germans lost 55 thousand killed and over 18 thousand prisoners. 40423 Germans managed to escape. Our irretrievable losses amounted to 24,286 people. Only the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front captured: 41 aircraft, 167 tanks and self-propelled guns, 618 field guns of various calibers, 267 mortars, 789 machine guns, 10 thousand vehicles, 7 steam locomotives, 415 wagons and tanks, 127 tractors and other trophies.

On February 17, 1944, the destruction of the encircled German group in Right-Bank Ukraine was completed.
In another way, it is also called the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky battle, the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky cauldron, the Korsun cauldron, the Cherkasy cauldron, the Cherkasy encirclement ...

At the end of December 1943, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of General of the Army Nikolai Fedorovich Vatutin, advancing from the Kyiv bridgehead, defeated the Zhitomir grouping of the enemy (see the Zhytomyr-Berdichev operation) and by the end of January 1944 advanced in the direction of Rovno-Lutsk up to 300 km from Dnieper. At the same time, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of General of the Army Ivan Stepanovich Konev, advancing from the Kremenchug bridgehead, captured Kirovograd on January 8, 1944. Thus, the so-called Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge that crashed into our front was formed, which was occupied by a large enemy grouping, which included the VII and XI army corps from the 1st tank army of Lieutenant General Hans-Valentin Hube and XXXXII army and XXXXVII tank corps from the 8th Army of General of Infantry Otto Wöhler.

This very Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge the Nazi command hoped to use to strike at the flank and rear of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, operating west of Kyiv, and recapture the Right-Bank Ukraine - in mid-January, the Germans still could not come to terms with the fact that "eastern defensive shaft "finally collapsed, and continued to count on the restoration of defense along the Dnieper.

January 12, 1944 Stavka Supreme High Command issued an order to the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts to encircle and destroy enemy troops.

On January 24, the Korsun-Shevchenko operation began. At dawn, hundreds of guns opened fire on enemy positions. Powerful artillery fire destroyed fortifications, covered trenches and communications, destroyed manpower and military equipment of the enemy.

As soon as the artillery moved the fire into the depths, the advanced battalions of the 4th Guards and 53rd armies of the 2nd Ukrainian Front went on the attack.
On January 26, from the opposite side of the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge, the troops of the 40th, 27th and 6th tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front struck.

On January 31, the 27th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the 4th Guards Army and the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front met in the Olshany area, thus closing the encirclement.

By the end of February 3, Soviet troops had completed the complete encirclement of the entire Korsun-Shevchenko enemy grouping, establishing a solid front line. On February 4-5, the Nazi troops unsuccessfully repeated their attempts to break through the encirclement front with strikes in the direction of Shpola. Also unsuccessful were the enemy's attempts to break through the encirclement in the sector of the 1st Ukrainian Front from the Rizino region to Lysyanka.

The Soviet command, in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, proposed on February 8 that the Nazi troops surrender. But, deceived by promises of help from Hitler, they refused to surrender and continued to resist. Soviet troops, squeezing the encirclement, continued to eliminate the enemy grouping. Until February 12, the destruction was carried out by the forces of both fronts, and then by the troops of one 2nd Ukrainian Front. On February 11, the enemy launched a heavy counterattack with five tank divisions from the Yerki area and north of Buka in the general direction of Shanderovka. On February 12, the troops of the encircled group went on the offensive from the Steblev-Tarashcha line in the direction of Lysyanka. At the cost of heavy losses, the advancing Nazi divisions managed to reach the Chesnovka-Lysyanka line by February 16. The German troops breaking through from the encirclement at the same time captured the Khilki-Komarovka and Novo-Buda area, but still failed to connect with the divisions advancing towards them. The enemy was first stopped, and then defeated and destroyed. On February 14, troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front captured Korsun-Shevchenkovsky with a swift blow.

The last attempt by the Germans to get out of the encirclement took place on February 17. There were three columns in the first echelon: the 5th SS Panzer Division " viking» on the left, the 72nd Infantry Division in the center and a corps group « B on the right flank. In the rearguard were the 57th and 88th Infantry Divisions. The main blow fell on the 5th Guards. airborne, 180th and 202nd rifle divisions on the inner ring of encirclement and on the 41st Guards. rifle division on the outside. Basically, German troops broke through between the villages of Zhurzhintsy and Pochapintsy directly to October, but many, due to shelling from height 239, went south of it and even south of Pochapintsy and went out to Rotten Tikach, where there were no crossings. This led to the main losses both from hypothermia when trying to cross on improvised means, and from shelling of Soviet troops. During the breakthrough, the commander of the encircled German group Artillery General Wilhelm Stemmermann.

On February 17, 1944, the entire encircled group of Nazi troops ceased to exist.

Operation results

Although the task of destroying the encircled group was not completely solved, the group was nevertheless defeated. The second Stalingrad did not happen, but two German army corps ceased to exist. On February 20, Manstein decided to send all the remnants of the released divisions to various training and formation points, to reorganize or to merge with other units.

For feats and courage shown in battles, 23 Soviet units and formations were given the honorary names "Korsun", 6 formations - "Zvenigorod". 73 servicemen were awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union, 9 of them posthumously. For the defeat of the enemy near Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, Army General I. S. Konev, the first of the commanders of the fronts during the war years, was awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union on February 20, and the commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army P. A. Rotmistrov on February 21 became the first, along with Fedorenko, Marshal Armor tank troops- this is military rank was only introduced by Stalin, and Zhukov recommended Rotmistrov to this rank, and Stalin also suggested Fedorenko.

The German side was also not deprived of awards. 48 people received the Knight's Cross, 10 people the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and 3 people Knight's Cross with oak leaves and swords, including Lieutenant General Lieb on February 7 and 18 received the first and second awards in succession.

Side losses

As a result of fierce fighting, the Germans lost 55 thousand killed and over 18 thousand prisoners. 40423 Germans managed to escape.

Our irretrievable losses amounted to 24,286 people. Only the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front captured: 41 aircraft, 167 tanks and self-propelled guns, 618 field guns of various calibers, 267 mortars, 789 machine guns, 10 thousand vehicles, 7 steam locomotives, 415 wagons and tanks, 127 tractors and other trophies.

Let's remember those hard days our Fatherland, and we will never allow destructive fascist ideas to live freely on our land. We will also make every effort so that our children, our youth do not grow up infantile and indifferent to the heroic history of Russia, so that in the hour of trials they can firmly say " No "to anyone who will try to encroach on our Motherland, on its integrity, on our faith ...

Lord, make our armed forces invincible, arrange for us to be strong in the Orthodox faith, do not allow pernicious trends in Holy Rus'! Cover our Russian country with Your Grace, strengthen and protect us from all troubles and enemies, visible and invisible!
And the souls of warriors, who laid down their heads on faith and the Fatherland in times of fierce trials, rest in Your Heavenly Villages!

With love,
RB Dmitry

Korsun-Shevchenko operation 1944

offensive operation of the 1st (commander General of the Army N.F. Vatutin) and 2nd (commander General of the Army I.S. Konev) Ukrainian Fronts on January 24 - February 17 during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. The idea of ​​the Soviet command was to deliver strikes by the troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts in the general direction of Zvenigorodka in order to encircle and destroy the group of Nazi troops in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge, which was formed during the preceding Zhytomyr-Berdichev and Kirovograd operations. By the beginning of the operation, Soviet troops had 27 rifle divisions, 1 mechanized and 4 tank corps (255 thousand people, 5300 guns and mortars, 513 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations), 772 combat aircraft. The enemy had 14 divisions (including 3 tank divisions) and a motorized brigade (170 thousand people, 2600 guns and mortars, 310 tanks and assault guns), 1000 combat aircraft. On January 24, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (4th Guards, 53rd Army, 5th Guards Tank Army), with the support of the 5th Air Army, went on the offensive with forward detachments, and on January 25 - with the main forces. Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front (40th, 27th Armies and 6th Tank Army), with the support of the 2nd Air Army, launched an offensive on January 26 and on January 28 joined forces in the Zvenigorodka area with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Up to 10 Nazi divisions and 1 brigade were surrounded total strength about 80 thousand people. To help the encircled troops, the fascist German command made attempts to break through the encirclement front in the areas of Novomirgorod and Tolmach (February 3) and Rizino (February 4), but was not successful. The encirclement ring was shrinking more and more. February 8 Soviet command invited the enemy divisions to lay down their arms, but this proposal was rejected. On the external front, the enemy continued to reinforce the grouping of troops, which by February 10 had 6 infantry, 8 tank divisions and various separate units (a total of over 110 thousand people, 940 tanks and assault guns). On February 11, the enemy again launched an offensive from the Rizino region, at the cost of heavy losses pushed the Soviet troops back and went to the Lysyanka region. On February 12, the surrounded Nazi troops managed to break through from the Steblev area to the Shenderovka area, the distance between them and German troops in the Lysyanka area decreased to 10-12 km. The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, in order to combine the efforts of all the troops allocated to destroy the enemy, on February 12 subordinated them to the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. On the night of February 17, the enemy in three columns, under the cover of a snowstorm, moved from Shenderovka to break through the encirclement, but only a small group of tanks and armored personnel carriers managed to break through to their troops in Lysyanka. As a result, K.-Sh. about. about 55 thousand were killed and wounded and over 18 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were taken prisoner. The liquidation of the enemy's Korsun-Shevchenko grouping created the conditions for the final liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine.

Lit.: History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. 1941-1945, v. 4, M., 1962; Grylev A. N., Dnieper - Carpathians - Crimea, M., 1970.

A. N. GRYLEV

Korsun-Shevchenko operation 1944

Big soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what the "Korsun-Shevchenko operation 1944" is in other dictionaries:

24.1 17.2.1944, during the Great Patriotic War. Soviet troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts (generals of the army N.F. Vatutin and I.S. Konev) during the battle for the Right-Bank Ukraine surrounded Shevchenkovsky St. in the Korsun region. 10 divisions from ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

KORSUN SHEVCHENKOV OPERATION, 24.1 17.2.1944, during the Great Patriotic War. The troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts (generals of the army N.F. Vatutin and I.S. Konev) during the battle for Right-Bank Ukraine surrounded in the Korsun region ... ... Russian history

This page is proposed to be merged with the Cherkasy encirclement. Explanation of reasons and discussion on the Wikipedia page: To unification / October 26, 2012 ... Wikipedia

January 24 to February 17, 1944, during the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts (General of the Army N.F. Vatutin and I.S. Konev) during the battle for the Right-Bank Ukraine surrounded Shevchenkovskiy in the Korsun region over ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

The operation to encircle and destroy the grouping of him. fash. troops from the Army Group South (commander General Feldm. E. Manstein) in the area of ​​the city of Korsun Shevchenkovsky during Vel. Fatherland. war of 1941 45 with the forces of the 1st (commander of the army general N. P. ... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Operation II World War"Ten Stalinist blows" (1944) 1. Leningrad 2. Korsun Shevchenkovskiy 3. Odessa Crimea 4 ... Wikipedia

Odessa Liberation Operation World War II ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings as well. Belarusian operation. This article is about the strategic offensive operation of the Red Army. For the computer game, see Operation Bagration ( computer game). Belarusian operation (1944) ... ... Wikipedia

Korsun - Shevchenko operation of 1944

Colonel Sergei GREBENIUK,
head of the history of World War II
Institute military history ministries defense of the Russian Federation,
Candidate of Historical Sciences

KORSUN-SHEVCHENKOVSKAYA FRONT OFFENSIVE OPERATION was carried out by the troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts from January 24 to February 17, 1944 in order to destroy a large enemy grouping and was part of the strategic offensive of the Soviet troops in Right-Bank Ukraine. The Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation had a large spatial scope and involved a significant number of troops and equipment on both sides. About 26 divisions, including nine armored divisions, large aviation forces, and a lot of artillery, participated on the external and internal fronts from the enemy's side. This entire group of Nazis during the fighting was almost completely defeated by the Soviet troops.

By mid-January 1944, as a result of the successful implementation of the Zhytomyr-Berdichev operation, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front (commander - General of the Army N.F. Vatutin) reached the area of ​​​​the city of Sarny on the outskirts of Shepetovka and Vinnitsa.

N.F. Vatutin

Troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (General of the Army I.S. Konev) captured a large bridgehead west and northwest of the city of Dnepropetrovsk and, after the Kirovograd offensive operation, threw the enemy back from the Dnieper by more than 100 km, reaching the line of Smila, Balandino, west of Kirovograd and Novgorodka. At the same time, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front (General of the Army R.Ya. Malinovsky), having liberated Zaporozhye, advanced from the Dnieper to the west up to 400 km. However, in the area of ​​​​the city of Kanev, the enemy managed to hold out.

I.S. Konev

Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge

As a result, the so-called Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge was formed, which the Wehrmacht command sought to keep at all costs. It was obvious that the Nazi command expected to use this ledge as a springboard for an offensive in order to restore the front line along west coast Dnieper. Hitler's headquarters hoped that in connection with the beginning of the spring thaw, the Soviet troops would not be able to advance at a high pace, so they expected to get a respite in the southern sector of their eastern front.

Hitler understood that the loss of the Right-Bank Ukraine would break the entire strategic front of the German troops.

Under these conditions, the enemy was in a hurry to create a stable defense in the area of ​​​​the Korsun-Shevchenko salient.

The Nazis created the strongest defense with a developed system of engineering structures and various kinds of barriers in the Kagarlyk-Moshny sector. On the site of Moshny, Smela cutting edge enemy defense passed through heavily swampy terrain. Therefore, the defense here consisted of separate strongholds intercepting the main roads. South of Smila, the German defense consisted of two lanes. Its front edge ran along the river bank. Tyasmin and heights. The main strip included strongholds and nodes of resistance, connected in places by trenches. Inside the strongholds there was a developed system of trenches and communications, a significant number of wood-and-earth firing points. Strongholds and centers of resistance from the front and flanks were covered by minefields and barbed wire.

The second line of defense was equipped at the turn of Tashlyk, Pastorskoe, Tishkovka, but its construction was not completed by the beginning of the offensive of the Soviet troops. Along the river Olshanka, on the Mleev, Topilno section, a cut-off position was passing with the front to the southeast. In the sector south of Ol'shany, the enemy's defense was less developed in terms of engineering. The enemy retreated to this line only on January 10-12, 1944, and therefore did not have time to strengthen it sufficiently. There were a number of strongholds, the gaps between which were covered with barriers. In the forests, the enemy made blockages and notches, mined them with anti-tank and anti-personnel mines.

In total, the enemy defense had a depth of 6-8 km and was built on holding strongholds and centers of resistance, interconnected by fire and in places connected by trenches. The low defense equipment in engineering terms was compensated by reliance on dense machine-gun and artillery fire. The strongest defense was in the northern part of the ledge, and the weakest was against the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front in the sector from Koshevatoe to the lower base of the ledge and against the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the sector south of Raigorod.

Enemy forces

Nine infantry and tank divisions defended directly on the ledge (the average strength of an infantry division was 8500 people), a motorized brigade, a tank battalion, six assault gun battalions, artillery and engineering units belonging to the 1st tank and 8th field armies of the enemy. The grouping consisted of 1640 guns and mortars, 140 tanks and assault guns. All these troops were mainly in the first echelon. The enemy did not have strong reserves on the ledge. However, in the area north of Uman and west of Kirovograd, he had up to eight tank divisions, which in a short time could be transferred to the directions of the offensive of the Soviet troops.

German tanksT- VI" Tiger "

"Surround and Destroy!"

On January 12, 1944, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command assigned the troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts the task of encircling and destroying the enemy grouping in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge by delivering strikes under its base. To assist in the encirclement and destruction of the enemy's Korsun-Shevchenko grouping, the Headquarters demanded that the main efforts of the aviation of both fronts be directed.

The troops of the left wing of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the right wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, which were against the enemy grouping on the ledge, included 27 rifle divisions and two fortified areas, 3979 guns and mortars, 376 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations (ACS ). Average population rifle division was 4700 people. The 2nd Panzer Army (372 tanks and self-propelled guns) was in the reserve of the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front in the area of ​​Belaya Tserkov. In addition, on January 20, 1944, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command issued a directive on the formation of the 6th Tank Army as part of the 5th Guards (Guards) Tank and 5th Mechanized Corps. Connections of the 5th Guards. tank corps took part in the battles until January 20, and the formations of the 5th mechanized corps were in formation, after which they were concentrated in the 40th army zone at a distance of 4-8 km from the front line.

In the reserve of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the Kirovograd area was the 5th Guards. tank army, and in the Znamenka area - the 5th Guards. cavalry corps.

The ratio of forces on the ledge was as follows: for infantry - 1.7: 1, for artillery - 2.4: 1, for tanks and self-propelled artillery installations - 2.7: 1 in favor of the Soviet troops.

In order to prevent the enemy from strengthening his defensive positions and strengthening the grouping of troops, the Soviet command had to begin the liquidation of the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge as quickly as possible. This forced the preparation of the operation in a short time. The fronts had to carry out a large regrouping of troops under difficult conditions. The main forces, including the 5th Guards Tank Army, operating on the left wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the Kirovograd region, where the fighting had just ended, had to be secretly and quickly transferred to the north and prepared for a strike.

Weather and terrain conditions for the preparation of the operation were extremely unfavorable. The sudden thaw and, in connection with it, the mudslide complicated the movement of troops and the supply of fuel and ammunition, which, first of all, hampered the maneuver of the troops (from January 27 to February 18, it rained and sleet for 10 days, and snow on the rest. Only five days were without precipitation.

The average daily temperature ranged from -5 to +5C°).

The 1st Ukrainian Front was supposed to break through the enemy defenses in the Tynovka, Koshevatoe sector, inflicting main blow forces of the troops of the adjacent flanks of the 40th and 27th armies, as well as the 6th tank army in the general direction to Zvenigorodka, by the end of the third day of the operation, reach the line of Zvenigorodka, Lisyanka and connect with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

G.K. Zhukov, K. Bogomolov, N.F. Vatutin (left - right)

The commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front created a strike force consisting of six rifle divisions and one tank army and provided for two strikes: on Zvenigorodka and on Boguslav. On the main (Zvenigorod) direction, the 6th Tank Army and the rifle formations of the 40th Army were to first break through the enemy defenses, and then develop the offensive and depth, and, joining with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, create an external encirclement front. On the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky direction, the rifle formations of the 27th Army, having joined with rifle troops 2nd Ukrainian Front, were to form an internal encirclement front. It should be noted that the strike force of the 1st Ukrainian Front had to be created in a difficult situation, since the troops of the front fought fierce battles, repelling the blows of the enemy advancing from the Vinnitsa and Uman region. This explains why six rifle divisions were initially allocated to the strike force for the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation, and then during the battle these forces were built up.

The 2nd Ukrainian Front was supposed to break through the enemy defenses with the troops of the adjacent flanks of the 4th Guards. and the 53rd Army in the Verbovka, Vasilivka sector (width -19 km) and, inflicting the main blow in the direction of Ositnyazhka, Shpola, Zvenigorodka, connect with the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front and complete the encirclement of the Korsun-Shevchenko enemy grouping.

P.A. Rotmistrov, I.S. Konev

The decision of the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front provided for the creation of a strike force consisting of 14 rifle divisions and three tank corps. Connections of the 4th Guards. and the 52nd armies, after breaking through the enemy's defenses, were to develop an offensive in depth and, together with the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, create an internal encirclement front, and formations of the 53rd and 5th Guards. tank armies - to strike at Zvenigorodka and, together with the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, form an external encirclement front.

Thus, the general plan of the Soviet command was to deliver strong blows from two fronts in converging directions in order to encircle and destroy the enemy. The blows were planned under the base of the ledge, along the most weak points in the defense of the enemy and in directions favorable to his encirclement. The leading role in achieving high rates was assigned to tank armies. The main forces were intended to create an external front of encirclement. 13 rifle divisions were allocated to the inner front of the encirclement, and 14 rifle divisions, two tank armies and most of the artillery were allocated to the outer front, which fully corresponded to the situation in which large enemy counterattacks could be expected on the outer front.

The beginning of the offensive was determined: January 26 for the 1st Ukrainian Front, January 25 for the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The difference in terms was due to the difference in the distances that the shock groups of the fronts had to overcome to Zvenigorodka, that is, to the point where they were supposed to connect.

The preparation of the operation was carried out within a limited time frame and took place in a tense atmosphere of ongoing hostilities, especially on the 1st Ukrainian Front.

In order to achieve surprise during the regrouping of troops in the direction of the main attack, the most stringent measures were taken for operational camouflage and disinformation. For example, false areas of concentration of tanks and artillery were created, false firing positions were created, false movements of troops and equipment were simulated. All this taken together greatly contributed to the success of the operation.

First - reconnaissance in battle

The beginning of the operation was preceded by reconnaissance in force. It was carried out one or two days before the offensive and made it possible to clarify the enemy's grouping and his defense system. The offensive of the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front began with the actions of reinforced forward battalions of the 4th Guards. and 53rd Army on the night of January 24th. Having the task of establishing the true front line of the enemy's defense, these battalions went over to the offensive after a short fire artillery and mortar raid. An unexpected attack for the enemy brought success.

On January 24, near Kirovograd, units of the 5th Guards went on the offensive. and 7th Guards. armies, who had the task of diverting the attention of the enemy from the Zvenigorod direction.

In connection with the successful reconnaissance of the battle, the front command believed that the enemy was not in a position to offer serious resistance to our troops. Therefore, artillery preparation for an attack in the direction of the main attack on the front of the entire strike force was reduced from 54 to 10 minutes.

In addition, the starting positions of the 5th Guards. of the tank army were brought closer to the combat formations of the infantry by 4-5 km and were occupied on the night of January 24-25.

January 25 at 07:46, after a 10-minute artillery preparation, the main forces of the 4th Guards. and the 53rd armies went on the offensive and began to slowly move forward. The enemy, not being sufficiently suppressed during the period of short artillery preparation, tried to resist with the fire of his artillery and counterattacks of small groups of infantry and tanks, but was forced to retreat under the blows of our troops.

To speed up the breakthrough, the commander of the 5th Guards. the tank army brought its first echelon into battle from the line of Kakhanivka, Burtki at a depth of 4-5 km from the front line along three routes: the 20th corps was introduced along two routes, and the 29th - one at a time.

As a result of joint battles between infantry and tanks, by 10 a.m., the enemy's main line of defense was broken through on the front of the 53rd Army. However, our troops failed to develop an offensive in depth at high rates, since as they advanced, enemy resistance increased. He put up especially great resistance in the settlement. Ositnyazhka, as well as in the forest west of Reimmentarovka and at an altitude of 215.9.

The actions of Soviet aviation during this period proceeded exclusively adverse conditions: all the airfields of the 5th Air Army were covered with fog, which greatly hampered the takeoff and landing of aircraft and made it difficult to support the combat operations of ground forces during the breakthrough.

Despite this, the troops stubbornly moved forward. During the day, they covered 9-12 km, having mastered the settlement. Ositnyazhka and Pisarevka and going out to Tishkovka and Kapitonovka.

Continuing hostilities at night, formations of the 20th and 29th tank and 26th guards. rifle corps by the morning took possession of these settlements.

Thus, the enemy defense was broken through by the troops of the shock group of the 2nd Ukrainian Front on the very first day of the offensive. On the morning of January 26, favorable conditions were created for the transition of the tank corps to the pursuit of the enemy.

Developing the offensive in the direction of Zvenigorodka, the 20th Panzer Corps liberated the city of Shpola on January 27, where it captured rich trophies, including a depot with a large supply of fuel. Having concentrated the main forces in Shpol and refueled the vehicles, the corps continued the offensive and on January 28, with the forces of the 155th, 8th Guards. and the 80th Tank Brigade, attacking from the east, southeast and south, broke into Zvenigorodka On the river. Rotten Tikich in the city center soldiers of the 155th brigade of the 5th guards. tank army united with units and subunits of the 233rd brigade of the 6th tank army.

By this time, the 29th Panzer Corps, developing the offensive, reached the line of Skotarevo, Tolmach, and the second echelon of the 5th Guards. tank army - the 18th tank corps - was brought into battle and repelled enemy counterattacks in the Zlatopol region. Troops of the 4th Guards. and the 53rd Army by January 28 expanded the breakthrough to 35 km and advanced to a depth of 22 km.

The enemy counterattacks

In an effort to eliminate the breakthrough and prevent the development of our offensive, the enemy began to launch counterattacks under the base of the formed ledge. By January 27, these counterattacks developed into counterattacks, for which the enemy transferred the 11th and 14th tank divisions from the Kirovograd region. At the same time went on the offensive tank division SS Viking, 57th Division and the remnants of the defeated units of the 389th Infantry Division. They struck in the direction of Ositnyazhka from the north. Enemy counterattacks were supported by large aviation forces.

As a result of fierce fighting, the enemy managed to capture Kapitonovka and Tishkovka and cut off the main forces of the 20th and 29th tank corps from their headquarters and from the main forces of the front. Initially, the communications headquarters of the 5th Guards. tank army and the 20th tank corps with brigades was supported by radio. But on the morning of January 28, due to the large detachment of troops, radio communications also failed to work. All attempts by headquarters to break through to the troops failed.

In this difficult situation, the commander showed useful initiative and great resourcefulness.

8th Guards tank brigade Colonel V.F. Orlov.

He took over the command of all four brigades, ensuring the completion of the task of capturing Zvenigorodka. Having organized the all-round defense of the city, Colonel Orlov began to seek to establish contact with senior commanders, for which he sent a communications officer to the 18th Tank Corps, and also reported the situation to the headquarters of the 5th Guards. tank army, using for this the radio communications of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Thanks to measures taken command of the troops was not lost.

Simultaneously with the development of success, the troops of the shock group of the 2nd Ukrainian Front conducted combat operations to clear the settlement from the enemy. Kapitonovka and Tishkovka and to clear the roads leading to Zvenigorodka. fighting were of a violent nature. These settlements changed hands several times. Only on January 30, when the enemy was finally driven back and the resulting corridor cleared, did the corps headquarters get the opportunity to pass to the troops in the Zvenigorodka area. By the morning of January 31, the headquarters of the 20th Panzer Corps, together with the corps and 32 T-34 tanks received by that time for replenishment, entered the defense lines of their brigades. In the period from January 31 to February 3, the enemy tried to break through to his encircled troops, for which the forces of the 3rd and 13th Panzer Divisions delivered a counterattack in the direction of Skotarevo, Shpola.

The outer front of the encirclement

In order to create an external encirclement front and repel all enemy attacks, the front commander assigned the task of defending the Zvenigorodka-Vodyanoye line to the 5th Guards. tank army, reinforcing it with the 49th rifle corps (three rifle divisions). To the left of it, the 53rd Army took up defense. The front and army mobile obstacle detachments hastily created anti-tank and anti-personnel minefields on the paths of movement of enemy troops. Only on the night of January 29, 9454 anti-tank and 1014 anti-personnel mines were laid at the Reymeytarovka-Tishkovka line. Destroyed and serviceable tanks dug in, field and anti-tank artillery were brought up. Thus, by February 3, a solid defense was created on the sector of the outer front of the encirclement of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

To speed up the formation of a section of the inner front of the encirclement, on the night of January 30, the front commander brought his reserve into battle - the 5th Guards. cavalry corps from the line of Zhurovka, Turiya at the front of 5 km. The entry was carried out in adverse conditions: under the influence of artillery and machine-gun fire of the enemy and under the blows of his aircraft. Despite this, on January 31, the formations of the corps went to the Burta area, where they connected with the left-flank units of the 4th Guards. army, and in the Olshan area met with units of the 27th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Thanks to this, the inner front of the encirclement was also closed. In the same period, in connection with the improvement of the weather, the actions of our aviation became more active. From January 29 to February 3, fighter aircraft of the 5th Air Army participated in 102 dogfights, while shooting down 94 enemy aircraft.

1st Ukrainian is coming

The offensive of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front began on January 26 at 09:40 after a 35-minute artillery preparation. Aviation, due to unfavorable meteorological conditions, almost did not operate that day.

In the offensive zone of the strike force of the 40th Army, the advance on the first day did not exceed 2-3 km. Parts of the enemy's 34th and 198th infantry divisions, weakly suppressed during the artillery preparation period, put up stubborn resistance. The strike force of the 27th Army achieved much greater success, advancing 10-11 km. This success was due to the fact that the main forces of the 198th Infantry Division, which opposed it, were pinned down in the zone of the 40th Army.

The commander of the 6th Tank Army, seeking to use the success of the 27th Army, decided to bring his reserve into battle - the 233rd Tank Brigade. The brigade was reinforced by the 5th mechanized corps with one motorized rifle battalion and the 1228th self-propelled artillery regiment. She was given the task of advancing to the Lisyanka area, after which the main forces attacked Zvenigorodka. The formed group was headed by the deputy corps commander, Major General of the Tank Forces M.I. Saveliev.

By 10 a.m. on January 27, the group entered the zone of the 180th Infantry Division and, having gone on the offensive two hours later, advanced to a depth of 12 km during the day of the battle. On the night of January 28, she went to the settlement. Li-syanka, bypassed it from the east and west, suddenly attacked and defeated the garrison located there with a force up to an infantry battalion and captured this point. Subsequently, without encountering strong resistance, the group advanced 22 km and at 11 a.m. on January 28 reached the northern and western outskirts of Zvenigorodka. In a short battle, the enemy who was here was defeated. Parts of the 233rd tank brigade captured the bridge across the river. Rotten Tikich, and by 12 o’clock in the city center, as already indicated, they connected with units of the 155th brigade of the 5th guards. Panzer Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

Formations of the 27th Army during January 27 and 28 advanced 16-20 km in the direction of the main attack, and in the auxiliary directions, the forces of the 159th and 54th fortified regions, as well as the 206th rifle division, slowly pressed the enemy and advanced to depth up to 5 km. Continuing to advance, on January 31 they reached the settlement. Olshana, where the 180th Infantry Division joined up with the 63rd Cavalry Division of the 5th Guards. Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

The advance of the troops of the 40th and 6th tank armies was less successful, since the enemy offered them stubborn resistance, and on the right flank of the 40th army even managed to push the troops to the north.

Feeling the threat of encirclement, the fascist German command began to transfer parts of the 43rd Army Corps and the 16th Panzer Division to the flanks of the breakthrough in order to stop the offensive of our troops. But, despite the resistance of the enemy, the shock grouping of the front continued its offensive during January 28 and achieved decisive success.

The 6th Panzer Army, having regrouped the 5th Guards. tank corps from the right flank into the zone of the 47th rifle corps, struck in the direction of Tikhonovka, freed our grouping, which was surrounded there, after which the 5th Guards. the tank corps took up defense on the outer front, and the 5th mechanized corps was temporarily transferred to the command of the commander of the 40th army in connection with the need to strengthen its defense on the right flank. On February 3, this corps returned to the command of the commander of the 6th Panzer Army.

By February 3, formations of the 40th and 6th tank armies formed a section of the outer front of the encirclement, which adjoined the section of the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The troops of the 27th Army by that time had created a section of the internal front of the encirclement, joining the section of the internal front created by the troops of the 52nd and 4th Guards. armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front.

Surrounded by over 80,000

Thus, by February 3, 1944, the Soviet troops completed the formation of continuous internal and external encirclement fronts. Nine infantry and tank divisions, a motorized brigade, the headquarters of the 11th and 42nd army corps of the 1st tank and 8th field armies, and a number of enemy reinforcement units were surrounded. The encircled enemy group numbered more than 80 thousand soldiers and officers.

Our aviation played an important role in encircling the enemy. From January 29 to February 3, the 5th Air Army made 1,708 sorties. Enemy aviation during this time made only 727 sorties in the zone of the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

Characteristic in the formation of the outer front of the encirclement was that it was created first by mobile troops, followed by combined arms formations. Moreover, our troops had to repel strong enemy counterattacks, which developed into counterattacks. This was the reason why a solid external front was created much later, after the mobile troops had joined forces in the Zvenigorodka area.

The distance between the outer and inner fronts of the encirclement in some areas did not exceed 15-30 km, and, consequently, the threat of the release of the enemy grouping was quite real. In this regard, along with the organization of a solid defense on the external front, it was necessary to take decisive measures to eliminate the encircled enemy.
By February 4, on the outer front of the encirclement, the 40th Army, 6th and 5th Guards took up the defense. tank armies, reinforced respectively by the 47th and 49th rifle corps, and the 53rd army. At that time, the 27th, 52nd and 4th Guards operated on the home front. army and 5th Guards. cavalry corps.

By this time, the enemy had created two groupings here, consisting of eight tank and seven infantry divisions, and from February 3 to 8 launched two strong counterattacks, hoping to break through to his troops and withdraw them from the encirclement.

As a result of a counterattack inflicted from the Rubanny Bridge area in the direction of Lisyanka, the enemy managed to penetrate the defenses of the 104th Rifle Corps of the 40th Army for 25 km, but its further advance was stopped. In this direction, in a short time, the 32nd anti-tank brigade, the 2nd tank army, which made a 100-kilometer march in the conditions of mud and went into battle, as well as three rifle divisions, were advanced from the front reserve in a short time. Opponent, incurring big losses On February 8, he went on the defensive and began regrouping his forces and means to transfer the strike to the zone of the 6th Panzer Army.

The second counterattack was delivered by the enemy at the junction of the 5th Guards. tank and 53rd armies in the direction of Lebedin by the forces of the 3rd, 11th, 13th and 14th tank divisions (up to 200 armored units) with the support of more than 100 aircraft. Our troops repulsed this blow as well.

The enemy is resisting...

On February 8, the Soviet command issued an ultimatum to the encircled troops, proposing to stop resistance in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. However, the enemy rejected this humane proposal. Therefore, from February 9, the blows of our troops against the enemy increased sharply. The enemy grouping was shrinking more and more, and its individual parts were cut off and destroyed. At the same time, our aviation forbade enemy aircraft from delivering ammunition and fuel to the encircled grouping.

Since the fighting unfolded both on the internal and external fronts of the encirclement, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, in order to ensure better management assigned the task of destroying the enemy grouping to the 2nd Ukrainian Front, including the 27th Army in its composition, and entrusted the 1st Ukrainian Front with repelling enemy counterattacks on the external front, in connection with which the 5th Guards. tank and 53rd armies.

By February 11, the encircled enemy grouping was heavily compressed. The territory occupied by it did not exceed 450 square meters. km and was shot through by artillery fire. The losses of the troops of the 11th and 42nd army corps increased every day. They suffered especially heavy losses when trying to get out of the encirclement.

On the external front, the Nazi command, having regrouped its forces from the Antonovka, Vinograd region to the Rizino region and pulled up the 1st Panzer Division, created a strike force consisting of three tank (1st, 17th and "Adolf Hitler") and infantry (198 -i) divisions. At 08:00 on February 11, the enemy went on the offensive, inflicting the main blow on the defenses of the 47th Rifle Corps of the 6th Tank Army in the direction of Lisyanka. At the same time, the 11th and 13th tank divisions of the enemy, regrouped from the Tolmach area to the Yerki area, launched an auxiliary attack on Zvenigorodka. The encircled grouping from the Steblev area to the southwest was to attack towards these divisions.

In the direction of the main attack, after strong artillery and aviation preparation, the enemy grouping, which had up to 110 tanks, attacked units of the 359th Infantry Division from the Tarasovka line, Rubanny Bridge to Bosovka, and up to 100 of its tanks and assault guns attacked units of the 167th Infantry Division from direction of Rizino to Yablonovka.

The enemy managed to break through the defenses of the 47th Rifle Corps, advance up to 15 km in depth, and by the end of the day reach the river. Rotten Tikich and take possession of Buzhanka. But the enemy infantry, following the tanks, was met by the fire of our rifle units located on the flanks, and stopped in front of the anti-tank strongholds. Divisions of the 47th Corps, which lost most their artillery, under pressure from the enemy, withdrew towards the flanks: the 359th division - to Bosovka, and the 167th - to Tikhonovka. Here they took up defensive positions and continued to offer organized resistance. Corps commander General I.S. Shmygo with the operational group moved from Buzhanka to Tikhonovka, on the flank of the breakthrough, from where he continued to lead his formations.

To prevent further advance of the enemy tank grouping in the direction of Chesnovka and Lisyanka, the commanders of the fronts and armies took a number of measures. On the 1st Ukrainian Front, two rifle divisions were advanced to the Lisyanka area. The formations of the 2nd Panzer Army also regrouped here.

The 2nd Ukrainian Front began to transfer units of the 20th and 29th tank corps to the breakthrough site. In addition, along the river Rotten Tikich in the area Lisyanka, Zvenigorodka deployed three rifle divisions of the 4th Guards. armies of this front.

On the morning of February 12, the enemy tank group, which had already decreased to 150 tanks, tried to develop a strike in the direction of Lisyanka. With heavy losses, she managed to capture this locality, but by the evening she was knocked out of it.

On February 11 and 12, the enemy grouping, which was breaking through from the encirclement, advanced 2-3 km in westbound and went to the Shanderovka area. Here she was stopped by our troops. By that time, this grouping consisted of more than 20 thousand soldiers and officers, 32 tanks and assault guns, 260 guns and mortars.

During February 13-16, fierce fighting continued. In order to strengthen the defense in the area of ​​​​Dzhurzhentsy, Pochapintsy and prevent the connection of enemy groups, the command of both fronts, at the direction of the Headquarters, transferred two rifle divisions to this area, the 18th and 29th tank corps of the 5th Guards. tank army, 5th Guards. a cavalry corps and several artillery and mortar regiments. During the fighting, the Nazis again managed to break into Lisyanka, but they could not develop their offensive to the northeast. The exhausted and bloodless enemy grouping on the outer front of the encirclement on February 16 finally abandoned the offensive. In repelling enemy tank attacks important role mobile detachments of obstacles played. On the 2nd Ukrainian Front, they planted 35,400 anti-tank and 5,785 anti-personnel mines, which blew up 37 tanks, 15 armored personnel carriers and 23 enemy vehicles.

On the internal front, the enemy was also stopped, but the distance between his groupings on the internal and external fronts in the Shanderovka area was reduced to 8-10 km.

On the night of February 17, when a heavy snowstorm arose, the remnants of the encircled group made a last attempt to break out of the encirclement. But this attempt of the enemy did not bring him success. During the night and day of February 17, Soviet troops defeated the remnants of the enemy's Korsun-Shevchenko grouping.

The enemy tank grouping, located on the outer front, was so bled dry that it could not provide any assistance to its encircled troops. During February 18-25, she was thrown back from the Lisyansky ledge to the starting line.

Thus, the Korsun-Shevchenko operation ended with the complete defeat and capture of the encircled enemy group.

Operation results

According to official data, during the fighting, the enemy lost 55 thousand soldiers and officers killed and wounded, more than 18 thousand prisoners, as well as a large number of military equipment and weapons. It should be said that this information does not fully reflect the losses of the enemy. So, when trying to break through the encirclement from the outside, the Germans lost only 20 thousand soldiers and officers killed and a large number technical means combat, in particular, 329 aircraft, more than 600 tanks, over 500 guns.

German prisoners of war

On February 18, Moscow, on behalf of the Motherland, saluted with 20 artillery salvos from 224 guns in honor of the new victory of the Soviet Armed Forces. The troops that participated in the defeat of the enemy grouping were thanked. thousands Soviet soldiers for courage and heroism in battles they were awarded orders and medals of the USSR, and dozens of the most distinguished were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

As a result of the operation, the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge was liquidated, which created favorable conditions for the implementation of new offensive operations and advancement to the Southern Bug.

The Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation is an outstanding operation to encircle and destroy a large enemy grouping, prepared in a short time and carried out in difficult meteorological conditions. She showed that the Red Army had completely mastered the highest form operational art - the art of surrounding and destroying the enemy.

In this operation, the Soviet command masterfully used surprise, devastating blows, extensive maneuvering, reaching the rear of the enemy, the speed of the troops, their regrouping, stubbornness in the defense and perseverance in the offensive.

The Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation acquired a large spatial scope and involved a significant number of troops and equipment on both sides. In total, about 26 divisions participated from the enemy's side on the external and internal fronts, including nine tank divisions, large aviation forces, and a lot of artillery. This entire group of Nazis during the fighting was almost completely defeated by the Soviet troops.

Memorial to the Korsun-Shevchenko operation

Ukrainian Stalingrad

Cannes on the Dnieper, Ukrainian Stalingrad, the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky massacre - as soon as they did not call the victory of the Soviet troops near Korsun at one time. Much time has already passed since that gloomy and changeable winter with snowfalls and thaws, when it was possible to finally and forever drive the Germans out of places glorious for the history of the Ukrainian people.

The birthplace of the Great Kobzar is in Morintsy and the place of his eternal rest in Kanev. Mecca of the Ukrainian people. An area of ​​strange beauty. Hills and deep ravines that create an almost mountainous landscape. Rapid rivers, granite rocks and rapids. Tikich and Ros curl almost as before. And in the wild and still impenetrable forests, it seems that contemporaries of Gonta and Zaliznyak can come out to meet you with knives and sticks.

This is where it was once written famous page our history. Bogdan Khmelnytsky in the so-called Battle of Korsun defeated the troops of the crown hetman Potocki in the Gorohov Dibrov tract. Unprecedented - the proud gentry ran under the blows of the Cossacks and ordinary peasants. Nearly 300 years later, another battle. This time with the Germans. Instead of the nobility - elite troops SS - 5th Panzer Division "Viking" and motorized brigade "Wallonia" - "guard" of the Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler.

White Viking boat on the Dnieper

"Viking" and "Walonia" are some strange, atypical names for the Germans. Soviet sources somehow do not focus on this. From childhood, the names "Reich", "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", "Dead Head" are mentioned. We were correctly taught that the most terrible executioners of the Nazis, who destroyed everything in their path, were the SS and Gestapo troops.

Today almost everyone a common person can remember (especially in the context of today's political battles in the vast former USSR) that there were "werewolves" from the SS divisions "Galicia" and "Estonia". At the same time, almost no one said and now they don’t remember that there were several parts of the SS, which were formed mainly not from Germans, but from the so-called volunteers of the German (Aryan) race. It was these units that were mentioned "Viking" and "Wallonia". For example, at the beginning of the war with the Soviet Union, the SS division "Viking" had 630 Dutch, almost 300 Norwegians and over 200 Danes, and then a battalion appeared, which included only Finns.

The motorized brigade "Wallonia" was formed by volunteers from the historical region (province) of Belgium with the same name. So, the guys from the quiet, so easily conquered Europe, willingly signed up for the SS troops. Who were looking for fame and adventure, who wanted to make a career. Were here, so to speak, and "ideological" fascists. And such fighters in the SS, according to German data, only from Norway, Holland and Belgium, there were tens of thousands.

Ternopil and Zhytomyr, Shakhty and Rostov, Kuban and the Caucasus - this is the "geography" that cheerful and blond fighters from the Viking division trampled with their boots. By the way, among other parts of the Wehrmacht, the SS men were distinguished by spotted camouflage, which has survived to this day in the armed forces of Germany.

In the winter of 1943-44, the smiles on the faces of the SS men begin to disappear and appear mainly only in propaganda photographs and newsreels. And indeed, what to rejoice, big losses among the volunteers and unjustified hopes. The hour of reckoning is coming for the mass executions of Jews and communists in the Ternopil and Zhytomyr regions, in which Viking fighters took part as part of the so-called "destruction teams".

Beginning of the End

The wave of the Soviet offensive rolls up to the right-bank Ukraine. German command uses depleted Waffen-SS divisions to patch up holes in its defenses in strategically important sectors of the front. Therefore, in January 1944, the "Vikings" with the "Valoons" found themselves on the banks of the Dnieper.

The last section of the "Eastern Wall", which still remained at that time for the Germans, was the so-called Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge. The right-flank formations of the 1st Panzer Army and the left-flank formations of the Eighth Field Army from Field Marshal Manstein's Army Group South, consisting of 9 infantry divisions and the mentioned Waffen-SS units, defended here.

To the south, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union Konev had already liberated Kirovograd. In the north and northwest, units of the 1st Ukrainian Front under General Vatutin fought near Sarny and Vinnitsa. Everything was clear to the German military strategists - it was necessary to withdraw troops from Kanev and Korsun and level the line of defense. But Hitler does not share the opinions of his generals and stubbornly believes that "things can still be improved." He dreams of a new German offensive against Kyiv. Therefore, he does not give the order to retreat.

At the same time, the Soviet command is making complex covert (night) regroupings of troops. In particular, the 5th Guards Tank Army, in difficult weather conditions (thaw and associated off-road conditions), is being transferred from Kirovograd to the north. Significant forces are being accumulated for the offensive.

The operation to eliminate the Korsun salient was attended by: part of the forces of the 40th and 27th armies, the 6th tank army and units of the 2nd air army of the 1st Ukrainian Front, 52nd, 4th Guards, 53rd Army, 5th Guards Tank Army, 5th Guards Cavalry Corps and 10th Air Defense Fighter Corps.

There were 205 tanks alone in the mentioned 5th Guards. By the way, in the SS Panzer Division "Viking", apart from self-propelled artillery, there were no more than 2-3 battalions of T-IV, T-V tanks. The mentioned German "armored vehicles" in their own way performance characteristics, especially the T-V "Panther", were almost as good as the Soviet T-34-76 and could practically fight them on an equal footing.

Marshal I.S. Konev, Commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front and General M.F. Vatutin, Commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front

The main tank forces of the Wehrmacht, and these were about 10 divisions, were kept by the Germans near Uman and Kirovograd. Yielding in manpower and tanks, did not have a strategic initiative and the 4th air fleet Luftwaffe (the advantage over the Soviet Air Force was only in daytime bombers).

So, on the night of January 24, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front go on the offensive. A day later, tank attack groups of the breakthrough begin to break through to meet them with battles. The Germans feel a serious threat to their entire grouping and are transferring several tank divisions from near Kirovograd to the flanks of the Soviet breakthrough. A simultaneous strike in the direction of Ositnyazhka was aimed at cutting off the advanced Soviet tank units from the main forces. The position of the 5th Panzer Army becomes almost critical. Small groups of fascist tanks with infantry even break through to the rear of the 20th and 29th tank corps. But the Germans do not have enough strength for more. The Soviet reserves and rifle units from the 4th Guards and 53rd armies repel the German counteroffensive and even expand the breakthrough front. At the same time, the 5th Guards Donskoy Cavalry Corps was brought into action.

Thus, with heavy fighting, parts of both fronts reach Zvenigorodka. The tank "ring" of the Soviet troops closed. To create an internal encirclement front, following the tank units, subunits of the 27th and 4th Guards Army advance along with the cavalry corps. In total, according to Soviet data, about 80 thousand enemy soldiers and officers, 250 tanks, up to 1800 guns and mortars were surrounded.

End of operation

The German command was shocked: "Is it really a new Stalingrad?" Panzer divisions, drawn up from other sectors of the front, rush into battle one after another. The supply of ammunition, fuel and food by air is being organized. At the same time, the Germans lose a large number (about 200) of transport aircraft, which, as on the banks of the Volga, became easy prey for Soviet fighters.

Finally, on February 11, the command of the Army Group "South" begins the last decisive offensive on the outer front of the encirclement. 8 divisions of General Hube strike in the Lisyanka area. In the first hours, having pressed the Soviet troops, the Germans stop again and go on the defensive. At the same time, the troops of the encircled group under the command of Lieutenant General Stemmerman, with their last strength, despite heavy losses, still break through to the village of Shenderovka. To the troops of General Hube, as they say, at hand, some 10-20 kilometers.

Devastated, tired, desperate with the only dream to break through to Lisyanka and not get into the "terrible" Soviet captivity the Germans are rampant in Shenderovka. A terrible blizzard makes it possible to "rest" a little - shelling and bombardment temporarily do not bother.

Descriptions (given in Soviet literature) of the last night of the Nazis is somewhat reminiscent of the actions of the retreating army of Napoleon after Smolensk. Hungry "okruzhentsy" take everything edible from the villagers. They roast meat even on bayonets right in the middle of the street. SS men begin executions of those who allegedly wanted to surrender. But "dinner" quickly ends. Night bombers U-2 (popularly "maize"), despite the snow, pour bombs on the heads of the Germans, and the crowd in the village is colossal.

General Stemmermann understands that Hitler will not forgive him for surrendering, and gives the order to break through towards Huba in two columns. Soviet commanders said that it was fatal mistake. In conditions of almost zero visibility on a blizzard night, it was necessary to break through from the encirclement in small maneuverable groups. There was no solid barrier in the way of the Nazis.

So the main strike force the left column of the Germans were thinned units of the already mentioned SS Panzer Division "Viking" and the SS "Wallonia" brigade. Also in this column, under the cover of tanks, all the generals and senior officers seemed to break through, who, in fact, abandoned the units entrusted to them in command. main force the right column was made up of the remnants of the 57th and 167th Infantry Divisions. In total, in both shock groups there were about 10 thousand people with 20 tanks and 5-7 artillery batteries.

In the rear of the columns, as usual, the rear men "sat out". A breakthrough strip 3-5 kilometers wide on the right was limited by the villages of Khilki, Petrovskaya Guta and Zhurzhintsy, and on the left - Komarovka and Pochapintsy.

Coming out of Shenderovka, the German shock groups immediately came under furious shelling and entered the battle. Army General Konev, to whom the Headquarters entrusted command of the units operating on the home front, decided to first hold back the reserves.

The Germans rushed about, looking for loopholes in the Soviet defense. Some surrendered. Some continued to put up stubborn resistance. Between Komarovka and Khilki, on the so-called Boykovo field, the entire unfinished mass of soldiers from both columns accumulated in a panic, looking for a saving path.

In order to break the last resistance, tanks and cavalry are brought into battle, which crushed, shot and chopped down the surviving Germans until the morning. The cavalry of the Don Cavalry Corps, pursuing the enemy, who could not organize an effective defense, mercilessly destroyed all life in its path.

According to one version, the German senior officers and generals, under the cover of the last surviving tanks, managed to escape from the encirclement even in the first hours of the battle on armored personnel carriers. With a high probability, it can be argued that part of the shock groups made their way to their own, the soldiers of which did not succumb to panic and were able to escape pursuit through forests and ravines.

General Stemmerman died on the battlefield, whose body was found near the village of Zhurzhintsy. It is not clear if the Germans saved their generals from captivity, then why didn’t they take out the lieutenant general?

So how many Germans broke through? In a three-volume Ukrainian SSR in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union of 1941-1945" (Kyiv, 1969), information is given that 2-3 thousand soldiers were taken out. And this despite the fact that weather were extremely difficult. BUT Soviet aviation constantly blocked the airfields in Uman and Vinnitsa where German transport aircraft were based (recall the data on 200 downed transport aircraft) ...

According to official (Soviet) data, the losses of the Nazis are estimated at 55,000 soldiers and officers killed and wounded, over 18,000 were taken prisoner. In total, as already mentioned, about 80 thousand people fell into the ring. That is, nevertheless, it was assumed that several thousand Germans fled.

Fascist propaganda generally hid real losses from the "German people" near Korsun. It seems that 35,000 Germans were saved! Field Marshal E. Manstein calls the figure 30 thousand people!

Today we are reminded of the heroic victory of the Soviet troops in the Battle of Korsun-Shevchenkovsky great amount monuments and memorials. So, for example, a 7.5-meter reinforced concrete ring was built near the village of Steblev - a symbol of the environment German units. And how many monuments-tanks in this area, it is even difficult to enumerate.

In the city of Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, in the palace of the princes Lopukhins-Demidovs, there is a museum of the history of the Korsun-Shevchenko battle. In it, in particular, you can see the diorama of the battle, a huge number of documents, weapons and equipment of those times.

Text by Andrey Volkov, modern photos Romana Malenkova