10/28/2022 0 Comments Battle group kurskOn 18 February, Hitler arrived at Army Group South headquarters at Zaporizhia just hours before the Soviets liberated Kharkov, and had to be hastily evacuated on the 19th. Manstein inherited responsibility for the massive breach in the German lines. Directly to the north, Army Group B was dissolved, with its forces and areas of responsibility divided between Army Group South and Army Group Centre. To the south, Army Group Don was renamed Army Group South and placed under Manstein's command. On 12 February 1943, the remaining German forces were reorganised. He received an approval from Hitler for a counteroffensive against the Soviet forces advancing in the Donbass region. On 6 February 1943, Manstein met with Hitler at the headquarters in Rastenburg to discuss the proposals he had previously sent. Since December 1942 Field Marshal Erich von Manstein had been strongly requesting "unrestricted operational freedom" to allow him to use his forces in a fluid manner. By February 1943 the southern sector of the German front was in strategic crisis. The Soviet Bryansk, Western, and newly created Central Fronts prepared for an offensive which envisioned the encirclement of Army Group Centre between Bryansk and Smolensk. Kursk was retaken by the Soviets on 8 February 1943, and Rostov on 14 February. Army Group Center came under significant pressure as well. By January 1943, a 160-to-300-kilometre-wide (99 to 186 mi) gap had opened between German Army Group B and Army Group Don, and the advancing Soviet armies threatened to cut off all German forces south of the Don River, including Army Group A operating in the Caucasus.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |