Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh Offensive
1941 Białystok -Minsk - Dubno - Lutsk - Rovno - Smolensk - Uman - Kiev - Odessa - Leningrad - Wjasma - Bryansk - Rostov - Moscow 1942: Rzhev - Kharkov - Operation Blue - Operation Braunschweig - Operation Edelweiss - Stalingrad - Operation Mars 1943: Voronezh - Kharkov - Operation Iskra - North Caucasus - Kharkov - Operation Citadel - Smolensk - Dnieper 1944 Dnepr -Carpathian operation - Leningrad - Novgorod - Crimea - Vyborg - Petrozavodsk - Belarus - Lviv - Sandomierz - Iasi - Chisinau - Belgrade - Petsamo - Kirkenes - Baltic - Carpathian - Budapest 1945: Vistula-Oder - East Prussia - West Carpathians - Lower Silesia - East Pomerania - Balaton - Upper Silesia - Vienna - Berlin - Prague
The operation Ostrogozhsk - Rossosh (in russian Острогожско - Россошанская операция ) was an offensive of the Red Army during the Second World War, which was conducted as part of the Voronezh - Kharkov Operation of the Voronezh Front. It lasted 13 January 1943 to 27 January 1943 and led to the dismantling of the Hungarian 2nd Army and part of the Italian 8th Army.
Soviet offensive
The aim of the offensive was the repetition and expansion of the successes of the Middle Don operation from December 1942, this time on the upper Don south of Voronezh. Georgy Zhukov and Vasilevsky Alexander were here again as responsible representatives of the Supreme Command for planning.
Some sources mention 12 January 1943 as the start of the Soviet offensive. On this day Erkundigungskämpfe ( "sample" ) were executed by Soviet advance units of the Guard troops. The Soviet main force consisting of the 40th Army under Kirill Moskalenko, was used the next day. Starting points were two bridgeheads over the Don at Storoschewoje and Shchuch'ye near Liski.
The offensive was supported from the south by the right flank of the Soviet 6th Army and 3rd Panzer Army under Pavel Rybalko. The latter had only recently been released from the Stavka reserve. After a breakthrough in Novaya Kalitwa, the corps headquarters of the German Army XXIV Corps was run over, she released on January 19 in conjunction with part of the 40th Army Alekseevka and Waluiki far in the back of the rolled over enemy units. The following week, the captive in the boiler thus formed units were gradually decimated.
German retreat
This operation, which took place north-west of Stalingrad in parallel with the final stages of the Battle of Stalingrad, led to the encirclement of the Hungarian, Italian and German forces deployed there on the Eastern Front in the big bend of the Don. Affected by the retreat was also the Italian 8th Army and the 387th Infantry Division. From a German point of view it was more of the " cauldron of Ostrogozhsk - Rossosh ". The breakthrough of the remaining troops in freezing temperatures was only with heavy losses, leaving the wounded.
The Greater Germany Division and SS units attempted the 100-150 km long front gap in counter-attacks and defensive struggles to secure, but were forced to retreat in 1943 to Kharkov along the runway until mid-February.
Soviet military historian described the German defeat as " Stalingrad on the Upper Don ". There were defeated 15 divisions and captured 86,000 Hungarian, German and Italian soldiers.
In addition led the operation started on 24 January Voronezh Kastornoje to another defeat of the Germans. As a result, it came a little later to the Third Battle of Kharkov.