Kiev: the liberation of the city from the fascist invaders (1943)

The main thing, what is significant on November 6, 1943, is the liberation of Kiev. On this day there was an event, which the inhabitants of this ancient city waited with a sinking heart. Today, when one's own history is being rewritten and a new view is being actively introduced, it is especially important to know the truth about the events of those years. In particular, anyone who calls into question the exploit of those who thanks to whom the liberation of Kiev (1943) happened, one should recall the crimes of the fascists.

It is even difficult to imagine what the consequences of a longer stay in the city might be for the troops of the Third Reich, if in just two years of occupation in Babyn Yar, about 100,000 civilians were shot, the population decreased to 180,000, and 150,000 people in Soviet Ukraine were In addition to their will sent to work in Germany.

The situation at the front in early November 1943

August 26, the battle for the Dnieper began, which followed one of the most famous operations in the history of the wars - a battle on the Kursk Bulge. Soviet troops had to force an intractable water obstacle, the western shore of which was turned by the Wehrmacht troops into a powerful defensive line, known as the "East Wall". At the same time, the Germans expected that the Soviet troops would begin the offensive in the winter and cross the Dnieper after the ice was established on it.

As a result of the success of the offensive, part of the Red Army seized bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dnieper and reached the river north and south of Kiev. So the preconditions for a powerful autumn offensive were created.

Liberation of Kiev from the fascist invaders: preparation for the operation

Initially, the command of the First Ukrainian (former Voronezh) front supposed to strike two blows at once. The main one was to be implemented from the Bukrin bridgehead, located 80 km south of the city of Kiev, and the auxiliary one - from the north. In accordance with this plan, during October attempts were made twice to attack. However, both times the blows from the Burkinsky direction were unsuccessful, but the bridgehead was extended, which was in the area of Lutezh north of Kiev. It was decided to use it for a decisive assault, the aim of which was to liberate Kiev. At the same time, the troops on the Burka bridgehead were ordered to "bind" as much of the Wehrmacht forces as possible, and if favorable conditions were created - to break through the front and begin moving forward. To this end, military cunning was used. In particular, to prevent the enemy from noticing the transfer of the 3rd Guards Tank Army, armored vehicles were replaced on Bukrinsky bridgehead by mock-ups, which were supposed to mislead the enemy pilots performing reconnaissance missions.

Forces of opponents before the battle for Kiev

By early November, the Red Army in the Kiev area had been armed with about 7,000 guns and mortars, 700 aircraft and 675 tanks and automatic control systems. The same number of fighters and bombers had the enemy. However, the number of guns and artillery installations, as well as tanks, the Red Army had a slight advantage. At the same time, to shield the city from the north, the German command ordered the construction of 3 fortified defensive lines, the presence of which was to significantly impede the movement of our troops.

Liberation of Kiev (1943): the first stage of the operation

The offensive was launched on the morning of November 3. First, a powerful artillery preparation was held, followed by a blow from the west, bypassing Kiev. It was carried out by the 60th and 38th armies with the support of the forces of the Fifth Guards Tank Corps. A real air battle ensued, during which 31 enemy aircraft were shot down, and the whole of the Soviet aes produced 1150 sorties. Fierce fighting was also on the ground. As a result, at the end of this day it turned out that our strike group advanced all along the front at a distance of 5 to 12 km.

The events of November 4, 1943

The liberation of Kiev was delayed somewhat due to unfavorable weather conditions. The fact is that during the whole day of November 4 there was a drizzling rain. In order to increase the pressure of the attacking Soviet troops, the First Guards Cavalry Corps and reserves, including the First Czechoslovak Brigade, under the command of L. Svoboda, were introduced into the battle. In addition, from evening on in the offensive, which continued at night, units of the Third Guards Tank Army, who acted in the light of searchlights, took part, which caused panic among German soldiers.

November 5

Early in the morning Soviet tanks reached Svyatoshino and blocked the highway that connects Kiev to Zhytomyr, thereby cutting off the Kiev grouping from the rest of the Nazi forces. All day there were fights with the participation of infantry, artillery, aviation and armored vehicles, during which the enemy suffered huge losses and was forced to retreat.

6 November

Finally, late at night, Soviet soldiers entered Kiev. The liberation of the city took place quite quickly, since the Red Banner was raised above it at 00:30, and by the fourth hour of the morning the cannonade in the city had finally died down.

At the same time it was estimated that the troops of the First Ukrainian Front routed 2 tank, 9 infantry and one motorized division.

The final stage of the operation

Since in the first days of November the command of the German Army Group "Yug" planned a counterattack in the area of Krivoy Rog, Nikopol and Apostolovo, it could not use its reserves represented by tank and motorized divisions to keep the capital of Soviet Ukraine. This circumstance accelerated the liberation of Kiev from the Nazis, and during November 7, the troops of the First Ukrainian Front succeeded in liberating also the town of Fastov. However, by 10-11 November, the reserve German units arrived in time to help the retreating Wehrmacht troops, and the first serious German counterattacks began. Nevertheless, a week later (November 13), Zhytomyr was released. The offensive was so powerful that parts of the Seventh Army Corps of the Wehrmacht stopped retreating, only reaching the 50th km south of Kiev. At the same time, the 13th and 60th armies reached the line east of Korosten and north of Narovly, Ovruch and Yelsk by the end of November.

How the country celebrated this victory

The liberation of Kiev from the Nazis (date: November 6, 1943) was met by the Soviet people with a sense of great joy. On this occasion, a salute was given in 24 salvos in Moscow. It was attended by a record number of guns.

For exceptional courage and heroism shown in the battles, which resulted in the liberation of Kiev, orders and medals were awarded to 17 500 people. Among them were the commander and 139 soldiers of the First Czechoslovak Brigade. As for the military unit itself, the order of Suvorov of the Second degree was attached to his banner. In addition, 65 Soviet units and formations were awarded the honorary title of Kiev. Among them, troops under the command of Colonel-General K. Moskalenko, Lieutenant-General I. Chernyakhovsky, P. Rybalko, S. Krasovsky and Major-General P. Korolkov.

results

The liberation of Kiev (date: November 6, 1943) was of strategic importance for the situation on the WWII fronts. During this operation, the troops of the Soviet Union routed nine infantry, one motorized and two tank divisions of the Wehrmacht, seized and destroyed 600 tanks, 1,200 guns and mortars, and 90 aircraft. An important springboard was established along the Dnieper bank with a length of 230 km and up to 145 km in depth, which later played a significant role in the battles for the liberation of the territory of the Right-Bank Ukraine. In addition, the Soviet command managed to disrupt the counter-offensive prepared by the German generals in the Kirovograd direction.

Miscalculations

The Soviet military commanders who planned and carried out the operation, which resulted in the liberation of Kiev, made some mistakes. In particular, since the advancing parts of the Red Army failed to destroy the enemy's main forces, after November 15, he was able to launch a counter-offensive and until December 22, our troops were not able to achieve a noticeable advance on this sector of the front.

Loss in manpower

The number of deaths from both sides was several thousand. In particular, in Soviet historiography, the following figures are used to indicate the losses of the Red Army: 6491 people were killed, 24,078 - wounded. As for the Wehrmacht troops, 389 servicemen were killed and 3018 were wounded.

The response in the press

The liberation of Kiev and the successes of the Soviet troops in the territory of the Right-Bank Ukraine aroused a wide response. Particularly striking were the articles in the English and American press, which regarded this event as a major defeat of the Third Reich. For example, in the message of the famous radio of London it was noted that when the Wehrmacht troops occupied Kiev, the Nazis boasted that the complete defeat of the Red Army in the entire southeast is just around the corner, and after the liberation of the Ukrainian capital, Germany itself began to hear the sound of the funeral bell.

Now you know how the liberation of Kiev took place, and also what were the losses of the opposing sides, and how the results of this operation influenced the further course of the Great Patriotic War.