Battle for Velikiye Luki

The Battle of Welikije Luki (Russian Великолукская операция ) was an offensive operation of the Red Army, which lasted from November 24 1942 until January 20, 1943. Bodo Scheurig, the biographer Henning von Tresckow, she called " a Stalingrad in miniature", which was " also due to highest stubbornness " sacrificed.

Course

The Kalinin Front under Maxim Purkajew should advance against the group "from Chevallerie " ( nine divisions ).

On November 24, the advance units and the next day the main force (3rd Shock Army ) attacked. After bitter fighting in the area, with many forests and swamps, the German defense lines were broken, the German 83rd Infantry Division smashed and Welikije Luki included with about 7,500 members of the Wehrmacht.

Among the included associations (which the Army Group North were under ) there were the Grenadier Regiment 277, the thrower Regiment 3, the Army Flak Abteilung 286, the Artillery Regiment 70, the Artillery Regiment 183 and the Army Ordnance Department 736 and various rear services. The leadership of these enclosed units was Lieutenant Colonel of Sass, the commander of Grenadier Regiment 277 transferred.

For the 10th December, the Soviets were advancing 25 to 30 kilometers, reached in two places, the railroad that connected two German army groups (middle and north).

The OKW moved additional associations, trying to relieve the German troops in the city. After a month prolonged fighting they came up close to Welikije Luki, but their task could not fulfill. On January 17, the German troops were overwhelmed in the city. The Soviets took 3,944 prisoners (including 54 officers ), captured 113 guns, 97 mortars, 20 tanks and assault guns. The Red Army lost 104,000 men ( 23,000 of them dead and missing ).