Korsun-Shevchenko operation

As a result, the Zhytomyr-Berdichev operation of the 1st Ukrainian Front ( Army General N.F. Vatutin ) and the Kirovograd Operation of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (Army General I. S. Konev ) formed a deep protrusion that was defended by a large enemy grouping that included VII and XI army corps from the 1st tank army and XLII army and XLVII tank corps of the 8th army of Army Group South ( Field Marshal E. Manstein ).

While holding the ledge, the enemy did not allow the front to close adjacent flanks, hindered their advancement to the Southern Bug . With the directive No. 220006, on January 12, the Supreme Command set the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts with the directive to surround and destroy the enemy grouping in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky ledge.

The intention of the command was to deliver two strikes by the troops of the two fronts under the base of the protrusion and unite in the area of ​​the cities of Shpola and Zvenigorodka . Part of the forces of the 40th, 27th armies, the 6th Panzer Army and part of the forces of the 2nd Air Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the 52nd, 4th Guards, 53rd armies, the 5th Guards Tank Army, 5th Air Army and 5th Guards Cavalry Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, as well as the 10th Fighter Aviation Corps of the country. The operation was prepared in a difficult situation, especially for the 1st Ukrainian Front, whose troops at that time reflected the fierce strikes of the enemy in the region north of Uman and east of Vinnitsa . The early thaw and spring thaw in Ukraine, which had begun early, hampered the maneuver of troops, the supply of materiel and the use of ground airfields by aviation.

USSR

1st Ukrainian Front (Army General NF Vatutin )

• 27th Army ( Lieutenant General S. G. Trofimenko )
  • 180th Infantry Division
  • 206th Infantry Division
  • 337th Infantry Division
  • 54th Fortified Area
  • 159th fortified area
  • 28,348 people, 887 guns and mortars, 38 self-propelled guns.
• left wing of the 40th Army (Lieutenant-General F. F. Zhmachenko )
  • 47th Rifle Corps (Major General I. S. Shmygo )
    • 167th Infantry Division
    • 359th Infantry Division
  • 104th Rifle Corps (Lieutenant-General A.V. Petrushevsky )
    • 58th Infantry Division
    • 133rd Infantry Division
  • 33,726 people, 883 guns and mortars, 26 tanks, 27 self-propelled guns.
• 6th Panzer Army (Lieutenant-General A. G. Kravchenko )
  • 5th Mechanized Corps (Lieutenant-General MV Volkov )
  • 5th Guards Tank Corps (Lieutenant-General V.M. Alekseev )
  • 24,423 people, 179 guns and mortars, 192 tanks, 52 self-propelled guns. There are other data on the number of armored vehicles in the army - 107 tanks and self-propelled guns ^[11] ; 282 tanks and self-propelled guns ^[12] ; 160 tanks, 59 self-propelled guns ^[13] .
• 2nd Air Army (part of the forces, Lieutenant-General Aviation S. A. Krasovsky )
  • 2709 people, 164 fighters, 92 attack aircraft, 43 day and 192 night bombers, 12 scouts.

2nd Ukrainian Front (Army General I. S. Konev )

• 52nd Army (Lieutenant-General KA Koroteev )
  • 73rd Rifle Corps (Major General S. A. Kozak )
    • 254th Infantry Division
    • 294th Infantry Division
  • 78th Rifle Corps (Major General G. A. Latyshev )
    • 373rd Infantry Division
  • 15 886 people, 375 guns and mortars.
• 4th Guards Army (Major General A. I. Ryzhov )
  • 20th Guards Rifle Corps (Major General N. I. Biryukov )
    • 5th Guards Airborne Division
    • 7th Guards Airborne Division
    • 62nd Guards Rifle Division
    • 31st Infantry Division
  • 21st Guards Rifle Corps (Major General P. I. Fomenko )
    • 69th Guards Rifle Division
    • 94th Guards Rifle Division
    • 252nd Infantry Division
    • 375th Infantry Division
  • 45,653 people, 1083 guns and mortars, 15 tanks, 3 SPGs.
• 53rd Army (Lieutenant-General I.V. Galanin )
  • 78th Guards Rifle Division
  • 214th Infantry Division
  • 26th Guards Rifle Corps (Major General P. A. Firsov )
    • 1st Guards Airborne Division
    • 25th Guards Rifle Division
    • 6th Infantry Division
  • 48th Guards Rifle Corps
    • 14th Guards Rifle Division
    • 66th Guards Rifle Division
    • 89th Guards Rifle Division
  • 75th Rifle Corps (Major General A.Z. Akimenko )
    • 138th Infantry Division
    • 213rd Infantry Division
    • 233rd Infantry Division
  • 54 043 people, 1094 guns and mortars, 14 tanks.
• 5th Guards Tank Army (Colonel-General of T.P. Rotmistrov )
  • 18th Tank Corps (Major General KG Trufanov )
  • 20th Tank Corps (Lieutenant-General I. G. Lazarev )
  • 29th Tank Corps (Major General I. F. Kirichenko )
  • 22 301 people, 311 guns and mortars, 207 tanks, 10 self-propelled guns. There are other data on the number of armored vehicles in the army - 205 tanks and self-propelled guns ^[11] ; 242 tanks and self-propelled guns ^[12] ; 156 combat-ready tanks and self-propelled guns and 80 tanks and 11 self-propelled guns under repair as of 01/21/44 ^[14] .
• 5th Air Army (Lieutenant-General Aviation S. K. Goryunov )
  • 7618 people, 241 fighters, 93 attack aircraft, 126 day and 74 night bombers, 17 scouts.
  • 1st Assault Air Corps
  • 1st Bomber Air Corps
  • 4th Fighter Aviation Corps
  • 7th Fighter Aviation Corps
  • 312nd night bomber aviation division
  • 511th Independent Aviation Regiment
• Front reserves
  • 5th Guards Don Cossack Cavalry Corps (Major General A. G. Selivanov )
  • 20 258 people, 354 guns and mortars, 6 tanks, 8 self-propelled guns.

Germany

Army Group South (Field Marshal E. von Manstein )

1st Panzer Army (right wing, general of tank troops G.-V. Hube )

• 42 Army Corps (Lieutenant-General T. Lieb)
  • Corps Group "B"
  • 88th Infantry Division
  • 30,000 people, 147 guns and mortars, 5 self-propelled PT guns.
• VII Army Corps (General of Artillery E. Hell )
  • 34th Infantry Division
  • 75th Infantry Division
  • 198th Infantry Division
  • 25,000 people, 225 guns and mortars, 23 assault guns, 5 self-propelled PT guns.

8th Army (left wing, infantry general O. Wöhler )

• XI Army Corps (General of Artillery V. Stemmerman )
  • 5th Panzer Division SS "Viking"
  • 5th Volunteer Assault Brigade SS "Wallonia"
  • 57th Infantry Division
  • 72nd Infantry Division
  • 389th Infantry Division
  • 35,000 people, 319 guns and mortars, 12 self-propelled guns, 55 tanks and assault guns, 7 self-propelled PT guns.
• 47 tank corps (Lieutenant-General N. von Vormann)
  • 3rd Panzer Division
  • 11th Panzer Division
  • 14th Panzer Division
  • 106th Infantry Division
  • 320th Infantry Division
  • 50,000 people, 300 guns and mortars, 17 self-propelled guns, 158 tanks and assault guns, 10 self-propelled PT guns.
• For the de-blockade, the command of Group A additionally transferred to the 1st tank and 8th armies and participated in the attempts of the de-blockade from February 1 to February 16, 5 tank divisions ( 1st , 13th , 16th , 17th tank , 1st I tank SS division "Leibshtandart SS Adolf Hitler" , 2 heavy tank battalions (503rd, 506th), 8th tank battalion of the 20th tank-grenadier division (part of the 11th tank division ). In their composition on February 1, there were about 60 thousand people, about 550 tanks and self-propelled guns (of which up to 50 are Tigers and 150 Panthers). Also in February, they were additionally transferred to the 1st Tank Army and the 8th Army Jun 10th Tank Grenadier and 376th Infantry Divisions.

Actions on the 2nd Ukrainian Front sector January 24-28

January 24

On the German 3rd Tank and 389th Infantry Divisions, the forward battalions of the 4th Guards and 53rd armies of the 2nd Ukrainian Front launched an offensive. During the fighting, they pushed the enemy by 2-6 km.

The 25th of January

At 7 hours 46 minutes in the morning, the main forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front went over to the offensive. The 389th Infantry Division was hit by six rifle divisions (31st, 375th, 69th guards. Sd of the 4th guards army and 25th guards., 66th guards sd, 1st guards The airborne division of the 53rd Army) and its southern flank soon collapsed. At 14 o'clock in the battle were introduced the 20th and 29th tank corps of the 5th Guards. tank army, which by the end of the day advanced to 18-20 km, coming to Kapitanovka and Tishkovka. To the aid of the 389th division, it was decided to send first the 676th regiment of the 57th infantry division, and then the entire division. Actions against the 3rd Panzer and 106th German Infantry Divisions were less successful. Four Soviet divisions (14th Guards., 138th, 213rd and 233rd of the 53rd Army) with minimal tank support could advance only in the zone of the 3rd tank division by 5 km.

January 26

In the morning, the 20th Tank Corps continued the offensive, drove the German troops out of Kapitanovka and continued moving towards Lebedin, which he reached late in the evening, where he was met only by a group of rear units of the 389th division. The 29th Tank Corps occupied Rossohovatka, dropping the fighting group of Langkate to the west (36th Tank Regiment, 1st Battalion of the 103rd Tank-Grenadier Regiment, 1st Division of the 4th Artillery Regiment from the 14th TD). The von Breze battle group (the 108th tank-grenadier regiment, the 14th reconnaissance battalion, the 2nd division of the 4th artillery regiment, anti-aircraft artillery from the 14th TD) was surrounded to the west of Ositnyazhka. At 13 o'clock the first serious counterattacks of the German troops began - units of the 11th tank division, which managed to occupy the southern part of Tishkovka, launched an attack from Kamenovka.

January 27

At 10 am, after moving all night, the advanced units of the 8th Guards. and the 155th tank brigades of the 20th tank corps liberated Shpola. The 29th Tank Corps operated south-east of Shpola and freed Vodyanoe, Lipyanka and Mezhygorka. Meanwhile, in the early morning at 5:30, the 11th Panzer Division resumed its operations and at 9:10 it established contact with the surrounded von Breze group northeast of Kapitanovka. Thus, the supply lines of the advanced Soviet connections were cut. The task of restoring contact with tank corps that had gone ahead was assigned to the 18th tank corps from the 5th Guards. TA and the 5th Guards. cavalry corps, which until now were in the army and front reserves, respectively. 4th Guards. the army continued to push the German 389th and 72nd divisions, to which parts of the 57th division began to approach, as well as the tank group from the tank-grenadier division of the SS Viking. The 53rd Army put pressure on the 3rd Tank Division, which nevertheless managed to send a tank group to the aid of the 14th Tank Division, which was trying to recapture Rossohovatka, which, however, failed.

28 January

In the morning, the 20th Tank Corps resumed its movement to Zvenigorodka and in the middle of the day it united with the 233rd Tank Brigade from the 6th Tank Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front. At the same time, German troops continued to try to take control of the Kapitanovka area. Strong reinforcements arrived in the 11th tank division — the 1st battalion of the 26th tank regiment, which had 75 Panthers, including 61 combat-ready. However, it was not possible to use its strike force. As a result of the unsuccessful actions of the battalion in isolation from parts of the 11th tank division, he lost 44 tanks, including 10 permanently.

Actions of the 1st Ukrainian Front January 26-28

January 26

In the morning, after a 40-minute artillery preparation, the troops of the 27th, 40th and 6th tank armies went on the offensive in two areas. The first of them, where the main attack was struck, was in the area of ​​Tynovka, units of the 40th army attacked here with the support of the 5th mechanized and 5th Guards. tank corps. The offensive developed slowly, tank units suffered serious losses (the German VII Corps declared the destruction of 82 tanks). By the end of the day, advancement in the 34th Infantry Division under Tynovka was insignificant; more serious results were achieved in the strip of its northern neighbor, the 198th Division, the first line of defense was overcome, the depth of advance was 8-10 km. However, the most significant success was achieved in the offensive zone of the 27th Army (180th and 337th SDL), where it managed to break through the defenses of the 88th Infantry Division to a depth of 18 km with minimal support from armored vehicles.

January 27

The offensive resumed early in the morning, but, as on the previous day, in the zone of the main group it developed slowly. The 6th Panzer Army, for example, advanced only by 10-15 km, while suffering significant losses in men and equipment. Vatutin, in view of the unexpected success of the minor group, decides to shift the main effort to the north. To this end, the 47th Rifle Corps from the 40th Army was transferred to the subordination of the 6th Tank Army. At the same time, the 5th Mechanized Corps was withdrawn from the 6th Tank Army, which was to go 100 km south-east to the right flank of the 40th Army to repel the alleged German offensive from the Vinnitsa region. By order of the military council of the front, a mobile group was formed on the basis of the 233rd tank brigade, giving it a 1228th self-propelled artillery regiment, a motorized rifle battalion and an anti-tank battery - a total of 39 tanks, 16 self-propelled guns, 4 anti-tank guns and 200 machine gunners. Her task was to break into Zvenigorodka through Lysyanka and connect with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Near Tikhonovka, the group freed from the encirclement the 136th Infantry Division and the 6th Guards. motorized rifle brigade, in which they were from 10 January. By midnight, the group occupied an important operational point of Lysyanka.

28 January

At 8 o'clock in the morning, the mobile group resumed its offensive towards Zvenigorodka and by 13 o'clock in the afternoon managed to get through to it from the north-west and engage in street fighting. At the same time, units of the 155th tank brigade of the 5th Guards approached from the southeast. tank army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Tankers of both fronts occupied the all-round defense with firm determination to hold the city until the main forces approached. 5th Guards. The tank corps was deployed to advance after the mobile group to develop success.

Formation of the external and internal fronts of the environment

To close the inner front of the encirclement, the forces of the 27th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the 4th Guards were brought. Army and the 5th Guards. Cavalry Corps 2nd Ukrainian Front. On January 31, units of the 180th division of the 27th army and the 5th guards met in the Olshany area. caviar corpses. On February 3, the main forces of the 4th Guards came here. army and formed a solid internal front environment. In total, these troops (including the 52nd Army) had 13 rifle and 3 cavalry divisions, 2 fortified areas, and also means of reinforcement. Of heavy weapons was approx. 2,000 guns and mortars and 138 tanks and self-propelled guns ^[15] . To form the external front of the environment, the 6th and 5th guards were used. tank armies. To increase the stability of the defense, they were given rifle formations. The 6th Panzer Army received the 47th Rifle Corps, and the 5th Guards. Tank Army - 49th Rifle Corps (6th Guards Airborne Division, 94th Guards. and 84th SD). In addition, the 5th Guards. the tank army was reinforced by the 34th anti-tank brigade (54 guns) and the 5th engineering and security brigade of the RGK. Later on February 3, the 375th SD, as well as a number of artillery units — the 11th anti-tank, the 49th light artillery and the 27th separate heavy cannon artillery brigades ^[16] were deployed. The 40th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the 53rd Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front adjoined the flanks of the tank armies.

Combat and strength of the surrounded German group

The number of groups was about 59 thousand people, 313 artillery guns (including 23 self-propelled without mortars and infantry guns), about 70 tanks and assault guns ^[17] .

The grouping consisted of two army corps (XLII and XI) consisting of six divisions (corps group “B”, 88th, 57th, 72nd and 389th reg, 5th TD of the SS “ Viking ”) and one brigade (5th IG Walloon Tgrbr). A number of units that were called in Soviet sources often included organizationally in the above-mentioned divisions. For example, in the 88th PD of three native regiments (the 245th, 246th and 248th) only 248th were available. The 245th was sent to the 68th PD, and from the 246th the battalion was formed in the 248th regiment, the 2nd battalion of which, in turn, was renamed the divisional fusilier battalion. The 323rd divisional group of two battalions (591st and 593rd regimental groups) became the second full-fledged regiment of the division. Also the divisions were assigned the 417th Infantry Regiment of the 168th infantry division (the size of a battalion) and two battalions of the 318th guard regiment of the 213rd guard division. 389th PD were given two battalions of the 167th PD. The regiment 198th PD on January 28 was temporarily surrounded by Bosovka-Dashukovka, but managed to break through to the south ^[18] .

Soviet troops on the inner front of the encirclement sought to dismember and destroy the enemy’s surrounded grouping with attacks from all directions. German troops tried to retreat to the frontiers advantageous for defense. On the night of January 29, the 88th Infantry Division was ordered to withdraw beyond the Ros River and take up positions east and north of Bohuslav. On the morning of January 29, the Soviet infantry from the 337th Infantry Division started a battle to capture Bohuslav, but was thrown back after the arrival of seven assault guns from the 239th battalion of assault guns. In the second half of January 29, corps group “B” (in which, by that time, after all withdrawals, only 3 infantry battalions remained) began to withdraw to the line of the Rossava River. On February 2, units of the 27th Army forced Rossav on the Sinyavka-Pilava section and formed a bridgehead 10 km along the front and several kilometers in depth. In the evening, the commander of the 42nd Corps, Lieb, decided to begin the withdrawal of troops from the Dnieper. On the afternoon of February 3, four Soviet machine-gun battalions, with tank support, broke through the German position between Mironovka and Bohuslav, forcing the German units from the 332th divisional group and the 88th division to move slightly east. Under the threat of encirclement from the north, Bohuslav was abandoned by German troops that evening. After these battles, the northern and western parts of the front of the 42nd Corps remained calm for several days.

On January 28, the 180th Infantry Division, reinforced by a tank brigade, attacked the German garrison in Steblev, which consisted mainly of a reserve field battalion of the Viking SS division. During the fighting, a number of German positions were surrounded, and in the morning of January 29, Soviet tanks broke into Steblev himself, but were destroyed. In the evening of the same day, reinforcement in the form of two battalions of the 255th divisional group from the corps group “B” and part of the 239th division of assault guns approached the city. January 28, the German command also decided to strengthen another important point for him - Olshana. In Olshana itself there were only parts of the supply of the Viking SS division. First of all, a company from the Estonian battalion Narva was sent to reinforce. It was followed by a group of four reconstructed assault guns. The latter arrived in the village at 18 o'clock in the evening and within an hour counterattacked the Soviet units from the 136th Infantry Division, which broke through into the village from the north, and knocked them out, announcing the destruction of five self-propelled units ( SU-76 ) at the cost of losing one assault guns. On January 29, the fighting for Olshana flared up with a new force and new heavy losses for both sides. On January 30, the 63rd Cavalry Division of the 5th Guards came and went into battle. cavalry corps, but the Germans finally received reinforcements in the person of the company from the Narva battalion. The rest of the battalion arrived on January 31, along with a sapper company and tanks from the Viking. In the evening of January 31, Olshana was completely surrounded by Soviet troops, but a decisive assault was postponed until the approach of the larger infantry forces of the 4th Guards. army. February 2, with the arrival of the 5th Guards. airborne and the 62nd Guards. rifle divisions, the attacks were resumed. By February 3, despite the serious superiority of the Soviet troops in numbers, the city was occupied only by a quarter. Meanwhile, German troops created a new defensive line 10 km north of the village with the forces of the Viking, 57th and 389th divisions. The defense of Olshany was no longer needed, and on the night of February 6, German troops left her and broke through to the northeast, where they joined Petropavlovka with an infantry regiment of the 389th division. During the breakthrough, the Estonian battalion, which was in the rear guard and was ambushed, suffered serious losses.

On January 30, units of the 180th rifle division occupied Kvitki, which were only 10 kilometers south of Korsun and 12 kilometers west of the Settlement . Lieb ordered to take Kvity again, for which the 110th regimental group was allocated (the size of a battalion). On January 31, the group began its advance southward, in the direction of Kvitkov, and took Petrushka 5 kilometers to the north. Late in the evening of February 1, the group launched an attack on Kvitki and took the Soviet units by surprise, quickly capturing the northern part of the village. On the morning of February 2, the Schenk group continued their offensive, but there was no longer enough strength to complete the mission, despite the arrival of three assault guns for help. Over the next few days, both sides received reinforcements. The 337th Infantry Division arrived from Bohuslav, and the Schenk group was reinforced by the remaining units from the 112th Divisional Group, as well as from the Viking Division. In the course of further battles, the German troops were forced to leave the center of the village and retreat to its northern part, and by February 9 they retreated to Petrushki, from where they began eight days earlier.

The XI Corps, consisting of the 57th, 72nd and 389th divisions, which held the protrusion of the boiler in the area of ​​Gorodishche, from February 2 to 5, underwent strong attacks by the divisions of the 4th Guards. army, which, however, had little success. February 6, Soviet troops by the 5th Guards. cavalry corps and parts of four rifle divisions from the 4th Guards. the army tried to cut Valyavu (the village between Gorodishche and Korsun) to cut off the Gorodishche group of German troops and thereby cut the cauldron. The stubborn resistance of the German troops did not allow this, but after the capture of Valyava on February 7 and the holding of it by the Soviet troops, despite the enemy’s counterattacks, the Germans were forced to withdraw from the ancient settlement. The Settlement itself was liberated on February 9. On the same day, Stemmerman ordered to temporarily disband the 389th division, whose combat strength dropped to 200 infantry and three artillery batteries, and include its remnants in the 57th division. By February 8, the territory occupied by German troops was completely swept by Soviet artillery. In order to avoid bloodshed, the Soviet command on February 8 presented an ultimatum to the command of the surrounded group demanding surrender. The answer was expected on February 9 to 12 o'clock, but the German command rejected it, as it was preparing for a breakthrough through Shenderovka.

On the same days, the command structure of the surrounded German grouping changed. On February 6, Stemmerman sent a secret radio message to Vehler asking him to appoint someone as commander of the surrounded troops, as the situation required. On the morning of February 7, the headquarters of the 8th Army issued an order appointing Stemmerman to the commander of all the surrounded troops, including the 42nd corps. Surrounded by troops received the name of the group Shtmermermana. By February 9, they suffered serious losses - Stemmerman reported to the headquarters of the 8th Army that the average number of infantry infantry regiments had fallen to 150 people, about 10% of their full-time strength. Only on February 8, the losses amounted to 350 people and 1,100 wounded awaited evacuation by air.

The first attempt of the German troops to free the encircled ones

By February 3, the group of Soviet troops on the outer front of the encirclement had the following appearance. In the area from Tinovka to Zvenigorodka, the forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front occupied the defenses: the 104th Rifle Corps of the 40th Army (58th, 133rd, 136th detachment), 47th rifle (167th, 359th I), the 5th Guards Tank and 5th Mechanized Corps of the 6th Panzer Army (the latter was returned a few days after departure). From Zvenigorodka to Kanizh, the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front defended themselves: the 49th Infantry (6th Guards Airborne Division, 84th, 94th Guards., 375th SD), 18th, 20th and 29th 4th tank corps of the 5th Guards. tank army, the 53rd army in the 1st Guards. airborne division, 6th, 14th guards, 25th guards, 66th guards, 78th, 80th guards, 89th guards, 138th, 213rd and 214- y sd . A total of 22 rifle divisions, 4 tank and a mechanized corps, with approx. 150 thousand people, 2 736 guns and mortars, 307 tanks and self-propelled guns ^[19] .

Army Group Field Marshal Manstein , commander of Army Group South, having at his disposal 20 tank formations (1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 14 16th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 24th. 25th, “Great Germany”, “Leibstandart Adolf Hitler”, “Reich”, “Dead Head”, “Viking” ), planned not only to save the two German corps from the environment, but also to surround and destroy the 5th Guards and 6th Tank armies. The 13th Panzer Division was transferred to lane 47 of the 8th Army Corps ^[20] . The 11th tank division of the same corps was reinforced by a number of units — the 8th tank battalion ^[21] of the 20th tank-grenadier division, the 905th ^[22], and the 911th ^[23] assault gun divisions. To release the 11th and 14th tank divisions, they were replaced by the 320th Infantry Division, the defense sector of which, in turn, was occupied by the 10th Tank-Grenadier Division. The approach of the 24th Panzer and 376th Infantry Divisions was expected. On January 28, the 17th Panzer Division began to be deployed to the area of ​​action of the 7th Corps of the first ^[24] . On January 29, the 16th Panzer Division ^[25] and the control of the III Panzer Corps ^[26] followed it. A little later, the 1st Panzer Division of the SS "LAS" ^[27] and the heavy tank regiment Beke ^[28] began to move. From the 4th Tank Army, the 1st Tank Division ^[29] , whose approach was expected later, began its transfer. The 3rd Panzer Corps was to begin the offensive on February 3 by the forces of the 16th and 17th Panzer Divisions and the Beke Regiment, the next day the Leib Shtandart SS division was to join it. The operation received the code name "Wanda".

On February 1, the 11th and 13th Tank Divisions launched an offensive to the north and captured a bridgehead at the Sincere on the River Shpolka. On February 2, the 3rd and 14th tank divisions also began to approach the bridgehead. On February 3, attacks from the bridgehead resumed, but were very low-intensity, as the commander of the 47th Corps decided to wait until February 4, when the 24th Panzer Division was to come up and launch an offensive simultaneously with the III Panzer Corps. However, at the last moment, the 24th Panzer Division, on Hitler's orders, was sent south to the 6th Army. On February 4, the offensive from the bridgehead resumed and the 11th Panzer Division occupied Water, and the 3rd Panzer Division advanced to Lisyanka. On February 5, a large part of Lisyanka, except for its district, was captured by the forces of the 3rd and 14th tank divisions. The further advance of the German troops was stopped by the stubborn resistance of the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. On February 8, it was decided to renew the offensive actions on the left flank of the 47th Corps in a few days, for which new regroupings were required. For the offensive from Verbovtsa to Zvenigorodka, the 11th, 13th and 14th tank divisions should have been involved.

III tank corps was forced to postpone its offensive for one day due to delays in the concentration of forces. On February 4, the German grouping from the 16th and 17th Panzer Divisions and the Beke heavy tank regiment launched an offensive. The 16th tank division was additionally reinforced by the 506th heavy tank battalion "Tigers" ^[30] , and the 17th by the 249th division of assault guns ^[31] . In total, the grouping consisted of 126 capable tanks and assault guns (41 Pz.IV, 48 "Panthers", 16 "Tigers" and 21 StuG III). On February 6, the advance units of the 1st Tank Division began to arrive in the area, and the whole of it was fully concentrated on February 10.

The powerful tank fist created by the German command did its job and, despite the resistance of the 104th rifle corps (58th and 133rd detachments), the strike force of the 1st tank army was able to penetrate into its defense, taking on 4 February Votylevka, Tynovka and the southern part of Kosyakovki on Rotten Tikiche. On the morning of February 5, the 16th Panzer Division fully occupied Kosyakovka, but the bridges across the Rotten Tikich were blown up. Diving was left by parts of the Beke regiment due to lack of ammunition. On the same day, Soviet troops launched their first counterattacks against the 16th Panzer Division, which resulted in the cutting off of its forward group in Kosyakovka. By evening, the 17th Panzer Division again occupied Votylevka, the Soviet troops managed to hold only in the eastern part of the village. The 198th Infantry Division, with the support of jet mortars, broke into Vinohrad and occupied its southern part, its further advance was stopped by a Soviet tank counterattack. Vatutin, in order to localize and eliminate the enemy that had broken through, ordered the introduction of the 2nd tank army, which had recently arrived from the Stavs reserve, into battle. The strength of the army on January 25 was as follows: the 3rd Tank Corps - 208 T-34-76, 5 "Valentine IX", 12 SU-152, 21 SU-76M; 16th Tank Corps - 14 T-34-76; 11th Separate Guards. tbr - 56 T-34-76; The 887th Separate Motorcycle Battalion - 10 "Valentine IX" ^[32] .

On the morning of February 6, the 2nd Tank Army attacked the enemy in the direction of Chervonoi Zirka, Tynivka and Votylevka, but was not successful. The German side on the same day reestablished contact with the group in Kosyakovka and brought into battle the Huppert battle group from the 1st Tank Division, which, together with the 198th Infantry Division, occupied Vinohrad, except for its eastern part. On February 7, units of the 2nd Tank Army continued their actions against the enemy and, after intense battles, knocked him out of the Kosyakovka. The 16th Panzer Division fully occupied Tatianovka that day. The 17th Panzer Division cleared Votylevka from the Soviet troops that had penetrated the village. The 198th Infantry Division, together with a group of Hoopert, attempted to advance east of Winograd, but without success. On February 8, the 8th Guards was launched in the area of ​​Lysyanka to occupy a solid all-round defense. tank brigade from the 20th tank corps of the 5th Guards. the tank army together with the 1895th self-propelled artillery regiment and one regiment of the 31st Iptabr and by 4 o'clock in the morning on February 9 they were in positions. In addition, the 20th Tank Corps received the task of covering the roads leading north and south from the Cossack and Tarasivka station (15–18 km north-east of Zvenigorodka), the 18th Panzer Corps — the roads in the Topilno area (12 km north-west of Shpola), the 29th Tank Corps is in the Serdegovka area (15 km north-east of Shpola). On February 9, Huppert’s combat group occupied the Thick Rogues, and the 17th Panzer Division - Repki. Further progress of the latter was stopped by the lack of fuel. Also, due to the lack of fuel, the 16th Panzer Division ceased its offensive. Due to the slow advance in the headquarters of the 1st German Tank Army, it was decided to change the direction of the offensive, redeploy the assault force to the Rizino area and then step on Lysyanka.

The second attempt of the German troops to free the encircled ones

At 11 am on February 11, German troops again launched an offensive on the external front of the encirclement. In the area of ​​Yerki, the 47th Tank Corps, with the forces of the 11th, 13th and 14th Tank Divisions (slightly more than 30 tank-capable tanks) and the Khaak battle group (made up of guardsmen of encircled units), displacing the outposts of the 375th Rifle Division, took Romanovka, Yerki and the bridge over Špolku in the direction of Maly Ekaterinopol. On the morning of February 12, units of the 20th Tank Corps attacked the German bridgehead at Yerkov, but the Haack group repulsed them. By evening, the 11th and 13th Panzer Divisions occupied Skalevatka and Yurkovka, and a little later the latter, with the support of the Haak group and the dive bomber from the 2nd Immelman Squadron, captured the commanding heights five kilometers south of Zvenyhorodka, including a height of 204.8 . Further advance of the German troops was stopped by stubborn resistance and counterattacks of the 49th rifle corps and units of the 20th tank corps.

In the lane of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the 3rd German Tank Corps at the expense of a stronger grouping (1st, 16th, 17th, 1st SS tank divisions with reinforcements totaled at least 155 capable tanks and assault guns) and more success. The 16th Panzer Division, reinforced by Beke's regiment, went to the offensive at 7 am on February 11, after a few hours, overcoming 8–10 km, and went out to Buzhanka and Frankivka. In the latter, they managed to capture the intact bridge over the Rotten Tikich. The 1st Panzer Division, which was to the south, went on the offensive at 6:30 and after 6 hours, after passing 15 km, also went out to Buzhanka and captured the bridgehead on the other side of Rotten Tikich by infantry. Then, Frank's battle group from the 1st Tank Division ^[33] in the evening, with a surprise attack, captured the southern part of Lysyanka, but the main target of the attack, the bridge, was destroyed by Soviet troops. Vatutin responded by striking the positions of the 34th Infantry and 1st Panzer SS divisions, but this did not lead to any success.

Continuing the fight around the "boiler"

Meanwhile, in the boiler, actions were taken for oncoming traffic. In the area south of Steblev, forces gathered to strike at Shenderovka and Novaya Buda. The first came the regiment "Germany" from the SS division "Viking" and in the evening he managed to capture Shenderovka. The main attacking forces comprised units of the 72nd Infantry Division, which conducted the night attack and occupied New Buda, the northern part of Khilek and Komarovka. Before the advanced parts of III tank corps remained less than 20 km.

Successful actions of the German troops caused a crisis in the Soviet military leadership. According to G. K. Zhukov, Konev, having learned about Vatutin’s failures in the area of ​​the 27th Army, called Stalin, informed him about this and offered to give him a guide on eliminating the entire surrounded group. In this case, the 1st Ukrainian Front remained the defense of the external front of the encirclement. Despite the objections of Vatutin and Zhukov, this decision was made. According to the version of I. S. Konev, Stalin called him himself, since the Stavka had information about a breakthrough in the zone of the 27th Army, and inquired about the situation and the decisions made. A little later, Stalin called again and suggested the above. In addition, a telegram from Headquarters was sent to Zhukov and Vatutin, indicating the reasons for the situation ^[34] : “Firstly, there was no general plan for the destruction of the enemy’s Korsun group by the joint efforts of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts.

Secondly, the 27th Army, weak in its composition, was not strengthened in time.

Thirdly, no decisive measures were taken to comply with the instructions of the Stavka to destroy, first of all, the stalk protrusion of the enemy, from where most likely one could expect attempts at its breakthrough. ”

This was followed by the Stavka directive, which referred to the transfer of the entire 27th army under the command of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Zhukov was tasked with coordinating the interaction of fronts on the outer front of the encirclement.

After these events, the commanders of both fronts took measures to prevent the further breakthrough of the enemy and the speedy destruction of the encircled grouping. The 27th Army was strengthened by the 202nd Infantry Division, in the area of ​​Maydanovka (10 km southeast of Lysyanka) the 27th separate TPR of the 5th Guards was concentrated. tank army with the task of preventing a breakthrough from Lysyanka to the encircled grouping with the simultaneous reassignment of its 4th Guards. army. A little earlier, the same army was transferred to the 80th tank brigade from the 20th tank corps to reinforce rifle formations involved in the destruction of the encircled. Instead, the 20th Tank Corps received the 110th Tank Brigade (today, October, 4 km north-east of Lysyanka) from the 18th Tank Corps.

February 13, the 29th Tank Corps on the orders of the commander of the 5th Guards. tank army went on the offensive to destroy the enemy in the area Steblev. Corps in conjunction with parts of the 5th Guards. On February 14, the cavalry corps liberated Novaya Buda from the enemy and pressed it in the region of Komarovka by 1.5-2 km. On the same day, Konev ordered the redeployment of the main forces of the 5th Guards. tank army from the area of ​​Zvenigorodka in the area of ​​Steblev and Lysyanka. By 4 pm on February 14, the redeployment was basically complete. Since the regrouping in the conditions of the thaw was complicated by considerable difficulties, by order of Rotmistrov, the 20th and 18th tank corps left all the faulty tanks in place and went into new areas, having 5-14 tanks per brigade. The 49th Rifle Corps was transferred from the 5th Guards. tank army in the 53rd Army and additionally strengthened the 110th Guards. and the 233rd infantry divisions.

“Agony” of the Breit Corps’s efforts and breakthrough of the Stemmerman’s group

The February 16th Panzer Division was practically inactive on February 12 due to a shortage of fuel and ammunition, not counting the two local attacks that were repulsed by Soviet troops. The 17th Panzer Division had only a small advance. The 398th Infantry and 1st Panzer SS divisions were attacked by the Soviet troops and were forced to leave most of the Grapes and Repki, respectively. The battle group of Frank of the 1st Tank Division, located in Lysyanka , did not advance either, since its supply routes were under Soviet artillery fire.

On February 13, the main shock ram of the III Tank Corps was Beke’s heavy tank regiment, which received fuel and ammunition through the air at night. During the morning battle with units of the 2nd Panzer Army, the Beke regiment and the 16th Panzer Division captured Dashukovka and Chesnovka . The German side announced the destruction of 70 tanks and 40 anti-tank guns at the cost of losing five Tigers and four Panthers. Later, 239.8 heights were successively taken, 5 kilometers north of Lysyanka and Khizhintsy . Another 12 km was covered, only 10 km remained to the Stemmerman group. The 1st Panzer Division crossed the Rotten Tikich on that day and completely captured Lysyanka. The 198th Infantry Division regained control of Vinograd again.

On February 14, the Beke group had no advance due to the difficult terrain to the east of Hizhintsy and the stubborn resistance of the Soviet troops. The 1st Panzer Division managed to occupy a bridge over the stream that separated the October Farm a couple of kilometers north of Lysyanka. On February 16, the last attempt was made to crush the Soviet troops north-east of Lysyanka, but it was only possible to occupy the farm October. The existing forces of the III Tank Corps were completely exhausted. From the group of Stemmerman it was separated 7 km.

By February 12, the perimeter of the ringed group was only 35 km. On February 14, the 294th SD and part of the forces of the 206th SD of the 73rd rifle corps of the 52nd army liberated Korsun-Shevchenko.

On the morning of February 15, at the meeting of Stemmerman and Liebe, it was decided to break through late at night on February 16. The breakthrough plan envisaged that the Liebe Corps would be in the forefront as part of the Corps Group "B", the 72nd Infantry Division and the SS Viking division. Cover it will be the body of Stemmerman in the 57th and 88th Infantry Divisions. From the Komarovka-Khilki area, the Lieba corps should break through the shortest route to October, where the III tank corps was waiting for it. During February 15, surrounded by German troops fought fierce battles for the possession of important for breakthrough settlements - Khilki, Komarovka and New Buda. The night attack of the 105th regiment from the 72nd division was completely captured and, despite the Soviet counterattacks, the next day, Hilki was retained. To the south, there was a struggle for Komarovka and New I will, with them themselves.

On the night of February 17th, a breakthrough from the boiler began . At the front of 4.5 kilometers in the first echelon there were three columns: the 5th Panzer SS Viking Division (11,500 men, including the Wallonia Brigade) on the left, the 72nd Infantry Division (4,000 men) in the center and the corps "B" (7430 people) on the right. The 57th (3534 men) and 88th (5150 men) infantry divisions were on the rearguard. Headquarters XI Corps estimated the number of people remaining in the boiler who could go into battle at 45 thousand people. In addition, there were 2,100 more wounded, of whom almost a half thousand incapable of moving independently, it was decided to leave in Shenderovka under the supervision of medical volunteers. The main blow came on the 5th Guards. the airborne, 180th and 202nd infantry divisions on the inner ring of the environment and on the 41st Guards. rifle division on the outside. Mostly German troops broke through between the villages of Zhurzhyntsi and Pochapintsy directly to October, but many because of the shelling from a height of 239 went south of it and even south of Pochapintsev and went out to Rotten Tikich, where there were no crossings . This led to major losses both from hypothermia when attempting to cross using available means, and from the shelling of the Soviet troops.
During the breakthrough, the commander of the German group, General Stemmerman, died.

To preserve the necessary combat readiness, the surrounded parts had to receive at least 150 tons of cargoes daily. Flights to deliver everything necessary to the surrounded began almost immediately after the closure of the ring. On the morning of January 29, the first 14 transport aircraft took off from Uman, having 30 tons of ammunition on board. They landed on the landing site in Korsun, which will play an important role in the coming weeks. First of all, the wounded were sent on their way back, by January 29 there were already over 2,000. For the delivery of goods used aircraft Ju-52 of the 3rd transport squadron. Initially there was no fighter cover for the transports and they were forced to fly at low altitude to avoid Soviet fighters, although they suffered losses from shelling from the ground. However, on February 1, when they returned from Korsun, the Ju-52 flew high and were intercepted by Soviet fighters. As a result, 13 aircraft were shot down, two made an emergency landing and one crashed at the airfield. After this incident, airplanes from the 52nd Fighter Squadron were used to cover up. An average of 36 Ju-52 transports covered 3 Bf-109 fighters , but they were usually enough to drive away Soviet aircraft. From January 29 to February 3, an average of 120–140 tons of cargo was delivered and 2,800 wounded were evacuated. In the following days, the weather worsened and day flights temporarily stopped due to the impossibility of landing. February 10 was a record for the delivery of goods - 250 tons, and 431 wounded were taken back. February 12 was the last day when landing on the airfields inside the boiler. After that, all cargo was delivered by parachute.

In total, for all the time, 2,026 tons of cargo were delivered by landing method or dropped, including 1,247 tons of ammunition, 45.5 tons of food, 38.3 tons of weapons and medicines and 695 cubic meters of fuel ^[35] . 1536 flights were made, including 832 Ju-52 , 478 He-111 , 58 FW-190 and 168 Bf-109 ^{[36] [37]} . Lost for all reasons, primarily because of Soviet fighters, 50 aircraft, including 32 Ju-52, another 150 were damaged ^[38] . According to other sources, 32 Ju-52, 13 He-111 and 47 fighters were lost ^[35] . It was announced 58 shot down Soviet aircraft.

Although the task of destroying an encircled grouping was not completely resolved, the group was nevertheless crushed. The second Stalingrad did not happen, but two German army corps ceased to exist ^[39] . On February 20, Manstein decided to send all the remnants of the divisions to various training and forming points, for re-formation or to join other units.

For feats and courage shown in the battles, 23 Soviet units and formations were given the honorary titles “Korsunskiye”, 6 units - “Zvenigorodskie”. 73 soldiers received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 9 of them posthumously. For defeating the enemy under Korsun-Shevchenkovsky, General of the Army I. S. Konev, the first of the commanders of the fronts during the war, on February 20 was given the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, and on February 21, the commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army P. along with Fedorenko , Marshal of the Armored Forces - this military rank was only introduced by Stalin, and Zhukov recommended Rotmistrov for this title, and Stalin also suggested Fedorenko.

The German side, too, was not deprived of rewards. 48 people received the Knight's Cross , 10 people the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and 3 people the Knight's Cross with oak leaves and swords ^[40] , including Lieutenant-General Lieb on February 7 and 18 received the first and second awards ^[41] .

For all reasons during the operation, Soviet troops lost 80,188 people, including 24,286 killed, dead and missing. Losses in armored vehicles are estimated from 606 ^[42] to 850 ^[43] tanks and self-propelled guns. From January 20 to February 20, the 1st Ukrainian Front lost 1711 guns and 512 mortars, while the 2nd Ukrainian Front lost 221 guns and 154 mortars ^[44] , but not all of these losses (especially the 1st Ukrainian) belong to Korsun -Shevchenkovskoy operations.

The losses of the encircled German troops were about 30 thousand people, including about 19 thousand killed and captured ^[45] . The combat losses of units and formations of the 1st Tank Army for February 1-20 amounted to 4,181 people (804 killed, 2,985 wounded, 392 missing) ^[46] . The casualties of the VII Army Corps for January 26-31 were about 1,000 ^[47] . The losses of the 8th Army on the external front of the encirclement on January 20 - February 20 amounted to approximately 4,500 people ^[48] . According to Frankson and Zetterling, the losses in armored vehicles amounted to about 300 tanks and assault guns, of which about 240 were on the outer front of the encirclement, and about 50 inside the boiler ^[49] . However, the latter number contradicts the number of tanks and assault guns inside the boiler listed above. Accordingly, according to the Russian researcher A. Tomzov, the losses were higher, namely, about 320 cars ^[50] .

The result of the work of the Mattenclott group on accounting for those who left the environment ^[51] :

In the city of Korsun-Shevchenkovsky , the Museum of the History of the Korsun-Shevchenko Battle was opened, in the places of the most fierce battles there are monuments that made up the Korsun-Shevchenko Memorial Complex .

• Documentary film “ Victory in Right-Bank Ukraine ” ( 1945 ), screenwriter - A. P. Dovzhenko ^[52]
• Feature film " If the enemy does not give up ... " (1982, dir. T. V. Levchuk)
• Essay "Stalingrad on the Dnieper", the author - Sergey Sergeevich Smirnov

• Votan Line
• Battles, operations and battles of the Great Patriotic War
• Day of the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazi invaders

• Glantz, David M .; Orenstein, Harold S. The Battle for the Ukraine: The Red Army's Korsun'-Shevchenkovskii Operation, 1944. London, 2003;
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• Ninov V. Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya battle / S.M. Shtemenko // General Headquarters during the war: Liberation of Europe. - M., 2005. - P. 421—480.
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• Tereshchenko N. Korsun-Shevchenkovskaya operation in numbers // Military-Historical Journal. - 1969. - № 7. - p. 49;
• Vogel G. Victims. The Germans in the Korsun "boiler" = (translation of the edition: The German Army in the East 1944. Havertown, PA, 2008). - M, 2010.

• Korsun-Shevchenko offensive operation on the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense
• d / f "Korsun-Shevchenko Operation" (Ukrainian)
• d / f "Korsun-Shevchenko operation" // 1tv.com.ua ("66 anniversary of the great Victory")