The counter-strike under Soltsy ( July 14 - 18, 1941 ) was one of the first successful counterattacks on German troops inflicted on them by Soviet troops near the town of Soltsy . As a result of a counterstrike, the German army was driven back 40 kilometers. This counterattack, as well as the subsequent defense of the Red Army near Luga, delayed the enemy’s attack on Leningrad for almost a month, which allowed the Soviet command to gain time to prepare the city for the upcoming defense.
| Counter Strike Soltsy | |||
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| Main conflict: Leningrad strategic defensive operation , The Great Patriotic War | |||
| date | July 14 - 18, 1941 | ||
| A place | Leningrad region [comments 1] , USSR | ||
| Total | Tactical victory of the USSR: the suspension of the German offensive on Leningrad | ||
| Opponents | |||
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| Commanders | |||
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| Forces of the parties | |||
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| Losses | |||
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Content
Prior Events
Having defeated the Soviet troops of the North-Western Front in a border battle on June 22–25, 1941, the German Army Group North, under the command of Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb, advanced on Leningrad [1] , passing an average of 26 kilometers a day [2] . Colonel-General Erich Goepner’s 4th Panzer Group , overcoming the resistance of the Soviet troops, occupied the island Island on July 5 [3] . On July 8, the main command of the German armed forces set the following task for the troops of Army Group North : cutting off Leningrad from the east and southeast with a strong right wing of the tank group from the rest of the USSR [4] . On July 9, after the seizure of Pskov , the tank and motorized formations of the German troops did not wait for the approach of the main forces of the 16th and 18th armies, but continued the offensive: by the 41st motorized corps of General Reinhardt on Luga , and the 56th motorized corps of General Manstein through Porkhov and Novgorod to Chudovo to cut the Moscow-Leningrad railway line [5] .
Forces of the parties
Germany
Divisions of the 56th motorized corps from the 4th tank group of Army Group North, under the command of infantry general Erich Manstein :
- 8th Panzer Division
- 3rd Motorized Division
- SS Division "Totenkopf"
USSR
At the turn from Lake Peipsi to Lake Ilmen , the Soviet 11th Army defended (Commander - Lieutenant-General V.I. Morozov ) of the North-Western Front (Commander - Major-General P. P. Sobennikov ):
- 41st rifle corps :
- 118th Infantry Division
- 111th Infantry Division
- 235th Infantry Division
- 90th Infantry Division
- 22nd Rifle Corps :
- 180th Infantry Division
- 182nd Infantry Division
- 183rd Infantry Division (3496 people) [6]
- The remnants of the 12th mechanized corps ( 28th and 23rd tank divisions , 10th motorcycle regiment ). By July 15, only 68 T-26 tanks remained in the corps; the hull is being converted to Soltsy.
- 1st mechanized corps :
- 3rd Panzer Division (only 22 tanks remained in the division: 4 T-28 tanks, 2 KV tanks and 16 BT-7 tanks) [7]
- 202nd Motorized Division (1103 people) [6]
In addition, in order to strengthen the North-Western Front, Directive No. 00260 of July 9, 41, ordered the commander of the Northern Front to immediately transfer to subordinate the commander of the North-Western Front one tank division from the 10th mechanized corps division ), as well as 70th (11,952 people) and 237th (14,963 people) rifle divisions [8] [comment. 2] .
The course of the fighting
The onset of the 41st motorized corps
On July 10, 1941, the German divisions of Army Group North, having crossed the line of the Great River, continued the offensive on Leningrad. The 41st motorized corps , consisting of two tank, motorized and infantry divisions, with the support of aviation, pushed the 118th rifle division back to Gdov [9] , and the 90th and 111th rifle divisions to Luga. On July 12, German troops encountered parts of the cover of the Luga defensive line near the Plyussa River and were stopped during stubborn battles [10] . Not being able to bypass the defending troops from the flanks due to the marshland [11] , Reinhardt left the 269th Infantry Division at Luga, and threw the main forces of the 41st corps around Luga from the north and by July 14 captured two bridgeheads on the right bank The Luga River near the village of Ivanovo and Bolshoi Sabsk in the Kingisepp region [12] [13] . On these positions, the German troops were stopped by the forces of the Luga task force and were able to continue the offensive only after a month [14] . Thus, there was a large gap between the corps of the 4th tank group, divided into two parts; it did not have a clearly defined direction of the main attack [quotation 1] , moreover, the marshy-wooded area of the Leningrad region seriously hampered the independent actions of tank divisions [5] .
The onset of the 56th motorized corps
Fulfilling the order of the command of the tank group - to develop successful actions of the 41st Corps, which operated in the direction of Luga [15] , on July 10, the 3rd motorized division from the 56th motorized corps occupied the city of Porkhov and continued the offensive in the direction of the Bottom . The 182nd Infantry Division fought against it, it successfully repulsed two attacks, and the 3rd Motorized Division lost about 400 soldiers and officers killed. In addition, the Soviet gunners destroyed and damaged 20 enemy tanks (most likely, they were self-propelled guns from the 559th battalion of tank destroyers). Despite this, by nightfall the Germans were able to move east from Porkhov by another three kilometers [16] .
On July 12, in the area of Porkhov, the SS division Totenkopf [comments. 3] , and the 3rd motorized division was directed along a side road to the north [5] . The 8th Panzer Division launched an offensive against Shimsk [quotation 2] , moving along the highway along the left bank of the Shelon River in the direction of Novgorod . They restrained the offensive of the Germans, moving from the line to the line, the remnants of the 3rd tank division of the 1st mechanized corps , only the 6th tank regiment (27 tanks) remained in the division [17] . All 88-mm anti-aircraft guns were attached to advanced German units to fight Soviet KV tanks [15] .
On July 14, the German units are occupied by the Soltsy and reach the line of the Mshaga river [18] . Despite the fact that the air reconnaissance reported a large concentration of Soviet troops and the approach from the north of fresh units, the immediate task of the 8th Panzer Division was to seize the bridge over Mshagu intact [19] . As of July 14, the uncovered right flank turned out to be 70 km long and the left flank 40 km long [19] . The corps command believed that its safety should be ensured by the speed of maneuver [5] .
Counterstrike Design
The Soviet command decided to take advantage of the fact that the 56th Corps of the 4th Tank Group, which had broken through to Shimsk, was left without cover. On July 13, 1941, the commander of the North-Western Front, Major-General P. P. Sobennikov , issued order No. 012 to the troops of the 11th Army, Lieutenant-General V. I. Morozov , reinforced by the formations of the Northern Front (21st Panzer, 70th and 237 rifle divisions), to carry out a counterstrike and restore the situation in the Soltsy area [20] .
P. P. Sobennikov , Major General, Commander of the North-Western Front | N.F. Vatutin , Lieutenant-General , Chief of Staff of the North-Western Front |
After coordination, in the evening of July 13, the commander of the 11th and 27th armies sent directive No. 010 on the start of a counterstrike. The development of the plan of the counterblow was conducted under the direction of the chief of staff of the North-Western Front N. F. Vatutin . The basis was information laid on a secret card that fell into the hands of the Soviet command. It marked the position of all six divisions of the Göpner tank group. After checking the intelligence data, the headquarters of the North-Western Front developed a plan for the offensive [21] .
Soviet Counter
By order of the headquarters of the North-Western Front, the commander of the Soviet 11th Army created two groups of troops for the counterattack — the northern and the southern. They had to cut off the German group that had broken through to the Msaga river .
From the northern grouping, two divisions (21st Panzer and 237th Infantry ) advanced from the Gorodishche and Utorgosh line in the south-western direction, on Baranovo and Sitnya , and the 70th Infantry Division advanced in the southern direction, on Soltsy . From the east, Soltsy was attacked by the 1st Separate Mining Rifle Brigade (1 GSFRB)
The divisions of the southern group (the 183rd Infantry Division of the 27th Army ) were to advance northwards, on Sitnia, and there to join up with units of the northern group.
On July 14, 1941, with the support of 235 aircraft, the Soviet 11th Army launched an offensive.
The sudden counteroffensive of the Soviet troops was a complete surprise to the German command. The main forces of the German 8th Panzer Division were surrounded. At the same time, the German 3rd Motorized Division was in a quandary.
E. von Manstein wrote in his memoirs:
It cannot be said that the position of the corps at that moment was very enviable. We have to ask ourselves if we didn’t take too much of a risk, underestimating under the influence of our previous successes of the enemy on our southern flank? .. In the current situation, there was nothing else left but to take the 8th TD through Soltsy to get away from threatening us ticks. 3rd md also had to temporarily break away from the enemy, so that the corps could again get freedom of action. The next few days were critical, and the enemy with all his strength tried to keep the circle of the environment ... Despite this, the 8th TD managed to break through Soltsy to the west and rejoin their forces. Yet for some time its supply was provided by air. The 3rd Motorized Division managed to break away from the enemy, only having beaten 17 attacks ...
On July 16, the Soviet 70th Infantry Division under the command of Major General A. E. Fedyunin took Soltsy. On the same day, the commander of the North-Western Front ordered the armies of the front to complete the defeat of the enemy in the Soltsy area and, firmly holding the line occupied by the center and left flank of the 27th Army, the rest of the forces went on the offensive.
However, defeating the German troops in the area of Porkhov and Soltsy failed. On July 16, the SS division “Dead Head” was transferred to the 56th motorized corps , which restored the situation on the Shelon River . Most of the 56th Motocapus managed to escape from the environment.
Implications
On July 19, 1941, the command of the German Army Group “North” halted the offensive of the 56th motor corps on Leningrad . The 8th Panzer Division , which suffered serious losses , was relegated to the rear.
On July 16, the 1st Army Corps was transferred to the 4th Tank Group. On July 18, he occupied the Bottom , while the command post of the 22nd rifle corps was stormed. Here only the 415th communications battalion under the command of Arnold Meri was able to resist stubbornly.
July 19, German troops captured the junction railway station Dno, July 22 - Soltsy . However, the Soviet counterattacks forced the Germans to leave a springboard on the Shelon River . On July 22, the attack of the German 21st Infantry Division on Shimsk was repulsed.
Only on July 27, the situation on the entire front between Narva and Lake Ilmen stabilized, so Army Group North could think about continuing the offensive on Leningrad.
Notes
- ↑ Moschansky, 2010 , p. 3
- ↑ Khomyakov, 2014 , p. 203.
- ↑ Shigin, 2004 , p. 15.
- ↑ 1 2 Halder, 2010 , p. 126.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Manstein, 1999 , p. 203.
- ↑ 1 2 Isaev, 2011 , p. 238.
- ↑ Mamonov, 2014 , p. 34
- ↑ Mamonov, 2014 , p. 10-11.
- ↑ Moschansky, 2010 , p. 78
- ↑ Shigin, 2004 , p. 41
- ↑ Khomyakov, 2014 , p. 120-121.
- ↑ Shigin, 2004 , p. 43.
- ↑ Moschansky, 2010 , p. 79.
- ↑ Khomyakov, 2014 , p. 186.
- ↑ 1 2 Isaev, 2011 , p. 235.
- ↑ Mamonov, 2014 , p. 20-21.
- ↑ Isaev, 2011 , p. 232.
- ↑ Shigin, 2004 , p. 39
- ↑ 1 2 Isaev, 2011 , p. 236.
- ↑ Mamonov, 2014 , p. 29.
- ↑ Mamonov, 2014 , p. 32.
Literature
- Halder F. Military Diary. - M: AST, 2010. - 704 p. - ISBN 978-5-17-067688-0 .
- David Glanz . Leningrad blockade. 1941-1944 = Leningrad. City under Siege. 1941-1944 / Trans. from English E. V. Lamanova. - M: CJSC Tsentrpoligraf, 2009. - 221 p. - ISBN 978-5-9524-4170-5 .
- Isaev A.V. Ina 1941. From the border to Leningrad. - M .: Yauza, Eksmo, 2011. - 416 p. - (War and we). - ISBN 978-5-699-49705-8 .
- Mamonov O. V. Stalin's First Counter Strike. Defend Leningrad! - M .: Yauza, Eksmo, 2014. - 384 p. - (War and We). - ISBN 978-5-699-71280-9 .
- Moschansky I. B. At the walls of Leningrad. - M .: Veche, 2010. - 304 p. - ISBN 978-5-9533-5209-3 .
- Khomyakov I. Luga frontier. Chronicle of the heroic days. - SPb. : Aurora-Design, 2014. - 264 p. - (Battlefield). - ISBN 978-5-93768-066-9 .
- G. Shigin. The Battle of Leningrad: Major Operations, “White Spots”, Loss, Ed. N. L. Volkovsky . - SPb. : Polygon, 2004. - 316 p. - (Military history library). - ISBN 5-89173-261-0 .
- Erich von Manstein . Lost victories. - M .: AST, 1999. - 896 p. - (Military history library). - ISBN 5-237-01547-6 .
Comments and quotes
- Comments
- ↑ In 1941, most of the modern Novgorod region , including Soltsy , was part of the Leningrad region . On July 5, 1944, the Novgorod Region was formed by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR .
- ↑ Despite the fact that the directive mentions the 177th SDL, the command of the North-Western Front was handed over to 237-SD.
- СС SS Division "Totenkopf" was withdrawn from the subordination of the 56th motorized corps to the reserve [5]
- Quotes
- ↑ The message on advancing the left wing of the Göpner tank group (Reinhard corps) in the direction of Narva is completely incomprehensible, while the right wing (Manstein corps) advances on Novgorod. As a result, the tank group is completely torn into two parts, not having a clearly defined direction of the main strike [4] .
- ↑ The 8th Panzer Division was to advance through Soltsy in order to capture the passage through the Msaga river, which is important for further advancement, as soon as possible at its confluence into Lake Ilmen [5] .
Documents
- Directive of the Headquarters of the Main Command of the USSR No. 00260 to the Commander of the Northern and North-Western Fronts on the resubmission and tasks of the troops dated July 9, 1941
- Battle Order No. 012 of the North-Western Front Headquarters, July 13, 1941
Links
- Journal of the hostilities of the Soviet 21st Panzer Division . mechcorps.rkka.ru. The appeal date is May 17, 2012. Archived on June 27, 2012.
- Counterstrike near Soltsy . lenbat.narod.ru. The appeal date is May 17, 2012. Archived on June 27, 2012.