The combat path of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Second Ukrainian Front

The Second Ukrainian Front - an operational-strategic unification of Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War, operated in 1943-1945 on the southern section of the Soviet-German front; created on October 20, 1943 as a result of the renaming of the Steppe Front. Initially, the front included the 4th Guards Army, 5th Guards Army, 7th Guards Army, 37th Army, 52nd Army, 53rd Army, 57th Army, 5th Guards Tank Army, 5th Air Army, and later the 27th, 40th, 46th Armies, 9th Guards Army, 6th Guards Tank Army, 2nd Tank Army, 1st Romanian, 4th Romanian army. The Danube Flotilla was operationally subordinate to the Second Ukrainian Front. Army General I.S. took command of the front. Konev (from February 1944 - marshal), Lieutenant General I.Z. became a member of the military council. Susaykov, chief of staff - Colonel General M.V. Zakharov.

In October-December 1943, troops of the Second Ukrainian Front carried out the Pyatikhatskaya and Znamenskaya operations to expand the bridgehead captured on the right bank of the Dnieper in the area from Kremenchug to Dnepropetrovsk, and by December 20 they reached the approaches to Kirovograd and Krivoy Rog. During the strategic offensive of the Red Army in Right Bank Ukraine in the winter of 1944, front troops carried out the Kirovograd operation, and then, in cooperation with the troops of the First Ukrainian Front, the Korsun-Shevchenko operation, as a result of which 10 enemy divisions were encircled and destroyed. In the spring of 1944, the Second Ukrainian Front carried out the Uman-Botosha operation, defeating the German 8th Army and part of the forces of the 1st Tank Army. In cooperation with the First Ukrainian Front, the defense line of the German Army Group South was cut, a significant part of Right Bank Ukraine and Moldova was liberated, and its troops entered Romania.

In May 1944, Army General R.Ya. took command of the Second Ukrainian Front. Malinovsky (since September 1944 - marshal). In August 1944, the Second Ukrainian Front participated in the Iasi-Kishinev operation, during which 22 German divisions were destroyed and Romania was withdrawn from the war on the German side. Without stopping the offensive, in September 1944, front troops, during the Bucharest-Arad operation, together with Romanian troops, established control over the entire territory of Romania.

In October 1944, the troops of the Second Ukrainian Front carried out the Debrecen operation, and then, in cooperation with part of the forces of the Third Ukrainian Front and the Danube military flotilla, carried out the Budapest operation, encircled and eliminated the 188,000-strong enemy group, occupied Budapest and created the conditions for an offensive in the Vienna direction. In March 1945, Lieutenant General A.N. became a new member of the front’s military council. Tevchenkov. In March-April 1945, the troops of the left wing of the Second Ukrainian Front, participating in the Vienna operation, in cooperation with the Third Ukrainian Front, completed the liberation of Hungary, liberated a significant part of Czechoslovakia, the eastern regions of Austria and its capital Vienna. On May 6-11, 1945, the Second Ukrainian Front took part in the Prague operation, during which they completed the defeat of the German armed forces and completely liberated Czechoslovakia. On May 10, 1945, formations of the left wing of the front, developing the offensive, met with American troops in the Pisek and Ceske Budejovice areas.

On June 10, 1945, the Second Ukrainian Front was disbanded, and the Odessa Military District was later created on the basis of the front administration.

In 1943, military operations on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War are gradually returning to the territory of modern Ukraine. In principle, it is already clear that the USSR will win the war against the fascist invaders. In this article we will talk about the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the battle path, the chronicle of which is very interesting.

The effectiveness of large combat formations

The outcome of ancient wars could be decided in one battle, when troops met head-on and a battle took place between them. With development military equipment this has already become impossible. victory in global war(starting from the 1st World War) can only be won by an army that clearly coordinates the movements and actions of combat units on a large section of the front. An example of such a successful military conglomerate is the 2nd Ukrainian Front, whose military path is very interesting. With the help of interaction, the command can simultaneously achieve success in different areas, and the enemy, accordingly, will not have enough manpower and technical resources"fix the holes."

Creation of the 2nd Ukrainian Front

At the end of 1943 the territory Soviet Russia was already practically liberated from the invaders. Therefore, many troops that participated in the liberation of Russian regions continued their battle path behind the enemy and crossed into the territory of modern Ukraine. In this regard, it became expedient to create a new front. The Commander-in-Chief's headquarters, by order of October 16, 1943, established the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the combat path of which lasted until 1945. On October 20 of the same year, the order came into force.

Create an effective combat unit it was not difficult, because the backbone of the group consisted of parts of the former Steppe Front, which already had experience interacting with each other.

2 Ukrainian Front: battle path (Dnieper and Central Ukraine)

Immediately after its creation, the front was tasked with liberating the central region of Ukraine as quickly as possible. At the end of September, troops at that time still on the Steppe Front crossed the Dnieper near Kremenchug. Despite the fact that the front did not have enough forces for a serious fight, the commander decided to continue the offensive. The main task at this moment was to prevent an attack by the enemy army from Dnepropetrovsk, so the military council of the front decided to advance along the Pyatikhatka-Apostolovo line.

This operation will later be called Pyatikhatskaya. The offensive after the concentration of forces began on October 15, 1943 and gradually bore fruit. After the fighting became protracted, the command changed its strategy.

Attack on Znamenka and Kirovograd

When the army got bogged down in battles in the Dnepropetrovsk region, it was necessary to change the direction and emphasis of military operations. For this purpose, reconnaissance was carried out. Based on the information available to the army, it became clear that few enemy forces were concentrated in the Znamenka area. To provide effective resistance to the enemy, you will have to transfer forces, which will take some time.

From the side of Znamenka, our army, namely the 2nd Ukrainian Front, whose combat path across Ukraine was long, struck the first blow on November 14, 1943. Until November 25, there was no particular dynamics in the actions of the troops. But success in these battles was ensured by the strong 2nd Ukrainian Front! The chronicle of the fighting is as follows:

From December 3 to 5, there were battles for the liberation of the city of Alexandria. For the Nazis, this was a fairly important point, because even now in this area there are large deposits of brown coal, which was used as fuel.

On December 6, fighting began for the liberation of a large railway junction - the city of Znamenka. The city was liberated within a few days.

Next, the troops headed towards Kirovograd. The distance from Znamenka to the regional center is only 50 kilometers, but the army was able to liberate Kirovograd only on January 8, 1944. The enemy built a strong line of defense, which held back for a long time Soviet soldiers, but could not withstand the pressure.

Uman-Batoshan operation

Where did the 2nd Ukrainian Front go next? The combat path of our troops continued to the west. It was necessary to liberate Right Bank Ukraine and Moldova. The offensive towards Uman from the Kirovograd region began on March 5, 1944. The Germans were unable to create a strong line of defense in this area of ​​​​combat operations. In all elements except the Red Army, they were approximately 2 times superior to the enemy's capabilities. The army broke through the defense line of the Wehrmacht troops, approximately 8 kilometers wide, in 2 days. After this, a successful breakthrough began.

The city of Uman was liberated in 1944. Next, the troops crossed the Southern Bug and continued towards Dubno and Zhmerinka. On March 19, the city of Mogilev-Podolsky was liberated.

In fact, in 2 weeks, the Soviet troops succeeded in a small “blitzkrieg”. For example, the distance from Kirovograd to Uman is 197 km. From Uman to Mogilev is also not very close. We also need to take into account the factor of fighting.

At the end of March - beginning of April, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front were supposed to help the formations of the 1st Ukrainian Front near Kamenets-Podolsk. Objective: encirclement of the enemy's 1st tank army. The armies had to reach the Dniester and advance literally along the shore with the goal of encircling the enemy army. The ring was almost closed. On April 3, the spacecraft took the city of Khotyn, famous for its fortress.

2 Ukrainian Front: the battle path in the history of war abroad

The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front took an active part in the operations of the Red Army outside the borders of the USSR, aimed at the complete destruction of enemy troops. It is worth noting in this regard the events of August 1944. At this time, Soviet troops carried out the Iasi-Chisinau offensive, which later grew into the Bucharest-Arad war, jointly with the Romanian troops. The strategic goal of these operations was a change of power in Romania and the withdrawal of this state from the war against the USSR. Of course, the Red Army, which was no longer possible to stop at that time, completed its task.

Next, the 2nd Ukrainian Front (the combat path of the 922nd regiment and other formations is briefly described in the material) relocated to Hungary. In October, our army carried out a successful offensive against enemy troops in the Debrecen area. Army Group South, which operated in Hungary, was defeated as a result of the successfully planned actions of our troops. After this, the USSR troops headed towards Budapest, surrounded the enemy and entered the city.

Latest combat operations troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front took place in Austria and the Czech Republic. The Prague offensive operation against individual units of German troops ended on May 12, 1945.

Conclusion

In the history of World War II, the Ukrainian Front (combat path - 1943-1945) left a noticeable mark. The troops of this particular front liberated strategically important areas and also took part in battles in many European countries.

Europe, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus will not forget the exploits of Soviet soldiers!

Formed in the southwestern direction of the Soviet-German front on October 20, 1943 on the basis of the order of the Supreme Command Headquarters No. 30227 of October 16, 1943 by renaming the Steppe Front. It included the 4th, 5th and 7th Guards, 37th, 52nd, 53rd, 57th Armies, 5th Guards. tank and 5th air armies. Subsequently, it included the 9th Guards, 27th, 40th, 46th armies, 6th (from September 1944 - 6th Guards) and 2nd tank armies, cavalry mechanized group, Romanian 1st and 4th armies. The Danube region was operationally subordinate to the front. military flotilla.

In October - December 1943, front troops carried out an operation to expand the bridgehead captured on the right bank of the Dnieper River in the area from Kremenchug to Dnepropetrovsk; by December 20, they reached the approaches to Kirovograd and Krivoy Rog.

During the strategic offensive of the Red Army in Right Bank Ukraine in the winter of 1944, front troops carried out the Kirovograd operation (January 5 - 16), and then, in cooperation with the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the Korsun-Shevchenko operation (January 24 - February 17), in as a result of which 10 enemy divisions were surrounded and destroyed.

In the spring of 1944, the front carried out the Uman-Botosha operation (March 5 - April 17), defeating the German 8th Army and part of the forces of the 1st Tank Army. In cooperation with the 1st Ukrainian Front, front troops cut through the defense zone of the German Army Group South, liberated a significant part of Right Bank Ukraine and the Moldavian SSR and entered Romania.

In August 1944, the front participated in the Iasi-Kishinev War strategic operation(August 20 - 29), during which 22 German divisions were destroyed and almost all Romanian divisions were defeated, and Romania was withdrawn from the war on the side of Germany.

On October 6 - 28, 1944, front troops carried out the Debrecen operation, defeated the German Army Group South, and took an advantageous position to defeat the enemy in the Budapest area. Then, in cooperation with part of the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front and the Danube military flotilla, they carried out the Budapest strategic operation (October 29, 1944 - February 13, 1945), surrounded and eliminated the 188,000-strong enemy group, liberated Budapest on February 13 and created conditions for an offensive in the Vienna direction.

In March - April 1945, the troops of the left flank of the front, participating in the strategic Vienna operation (March 16 - April 15), in cooperation with the 3rd Ukrainian Front, completed the liberation of Hungary, liberated a significant part of Czechoslovakia, the eastern regions of Austria, its capital Vienna ( April 13).

From May 6 to 11, front troops took part in the Prague strategic operation, during which the defeat of the German armed forces was completed and Czechoslovakia was completely liberated. On May 10, formations of the left wing of the front, developing the offensive, met with American troops in the areas of the cities of Pisek and Cesko-Budejovice.

The front was disbanded on June 10, 1945 based on the directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters of May 29, 1945; The field control of the front was transferred to the reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters for the formation of the headquarters of the Odessa Military District on its basis.

In 1943, military operations on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War gradually returned to the territory of modern Ukraine. In principle, it is already clear that the USSR will win the war against the fascist invaders. In this article we will talk about the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the battle path, the chronicle of which is very interesting.

The effectiveness of large combat formations

The outcome of ancient wars could be decided in one battle, when troops met head-on and a battle took place between them. With the development of military technology, this has become impossible. Victory in a global war (starting from the 1st World War) can only be won by an army that clearly coordinates the movements and actions of combat units on a large sector of the front. An example of such a successful military conglomerate is the 2nd Ukrainian Front, whose military path is very interesting. With the help of interaction between army groups, the command can simultaneously achieve success in different areas, and the enemy, accordingly, will not have enough human and technical resources to “repair the holes.”

Creation of the 2nd Ukrainian Front

At the end of 1943, the territory of Soviet Russia was practically liberated from the invaders. Therefore, many troops that participated in the liberation of Russian regions continued their battle path behind the enemy and crossed into the territory of modern Ukraine. In this regard, it became expedient to create a new front. The Commander-in-Chief's headquarters, by order of October 16, 1943, established the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the combat path of which lasted until 1945. On October 20 of the same year, the order came into force.

It was not difficult to form an effective combat unit, because the backbone of the group consisted of parts of the former Steppe Front, which already had experience interacting with each other.

2 Ukrainian Front: battle path (Dnieper and Central Ukraine)

Immediately after its creation, the front was tasked with liberating the central region of Ukraine as quickly as possible. At the end of September, troops at that time still on the Steppe Front crossed the Dnieper near Kremenchug. Despite the fact that the front did not have enough forces for a serious fight, the commander decided to continue the offensive. The main task at this moment was to prevent an attack by the enemy army from Dnepropetrovsk, so the military council of the front decided to advance along the Pyatikhatka-Apostolovo line.

This operation will later be called Pyatikhatskaya. The offensive after the concentration of forces began on October 15, 1943 and gradually bore fruit. After the fighting became protracted, the command changed its strategy.

Attack on Znamenka and Kirovograd

When the army got bogged down in battles in the Dnepropetrovsk region, it was necessary to change the direction and emphasis of military operations. For this purpose, reconnaissance was carried out. Based on the information available to the army, it became clear that few enemy forces were concentrated in the Znamenka area. To provide effective resistance to the enemy, you will have to transfer forces, which will take some time.

From the side of Znamenka, our army, namely the 2nd Ukrainian Front, whose combat path across Ukraine was long, struck the first blow on November 14, 1943. Until November 25, there was no particular dynamics in the actions of the troops. But success in these battles was ensured by the strong 2nd Ukrainian Front! The chronicle of the fighting is as follows:

From December 3 to 5, there were battles for the liberation of the city of Alexandria. For the Nazis, this was a fairly important point, because even now in this area there are large deposits of brown coal, which was used as fuel.

On December 6, fighting began for the liberation of a large railway junction - the city of Znamenka. The city was liberated within a few days.

Next, the troops headed towards Kirovograd. The distance from Znamenka to the regional center is only 50 kilometers, but the army was able to liberate Kirovograd only on January 8, 1944. The enemy built a strong line of defense, which held back the Soviet soldiers for a long time, but could not withstand the onslaught.

Uman-Batoshan operation

Where did the 2nd Ukrainian Front go next? The combat path of our troops continued to the west. It was necessary to liberate Right Bank Ukraine and Moldova. The offensive towards Uman from the Kirovograd region began on March 5, 1944. The Germans were unable to create a strong line of defense in this area of ​​​​combat operations. In all elements, except aviation, the Red Army's forces were approximately 2 times superior to the enemy's capabilities. The army broke through the defense line of the Wehrmacht troops, approximately 8 kilometers wide, in 2 days. After this, a successful breakthrough began.

The city of Uman was liberated on March 10, 1944. Next, the troops crossed the Southern Bug and continued towards Dubno and Zhmerinka. On March 19, the city of Mogilev-Podolsky was liberated.

In fact, in 2 weeks, the Soviet troops succeeded in a small “blitzkrieg”. For example, the distance from Kirovograd to Uman is 197 km. From Uman to Mogilev is also not very close. We also need to take into account the factor of fighting.

At the end of March - beginning of April, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front were supposed to help the formations of the 1st Ukrainian Front near Kamenets-Podolsk. Objective: encirclement of the enemy's 1st tank army. The armies had to reach the Dniester and advance literally along the shore with the goal of encircling the enemy army. The ring was almost closed. On April 3, the spacecraft took the city of Khotyn, famous for its fortress.

2 Ukrainian Front: the battle path in the history of war abroad

The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front took an active part in the operations of the Red Army outside the borders of the USSR, aimed at the complete destruction of enemy troops. It is worth noting in this regard the events of August 1944. At this time, Soviet troops carried out the Iasi-Kishinev offensive operation, which later developed into a joint Bucharest-Arad operation with Romanian troops. The strategic goal of these operations was a change of power in Romania and the withdrawal of this state from the war against the USSR. Of course, the Red Army, which was no longer possible to stop at that time, completed its task.

Next, the 2nd Ukrainian Front (the combat path of the 922nd regiment and other formations is briefly described in the material) relocated to Hungary. In October, our army carried out a successful offensive against enemy troops in the Debrecen area. Army Group South, which operated in Hungary, was defeated as a result of the successfully planned actions of our troops. After this, the USSR troops headed towards Budapest, surrounded the enemy and entered the city.

The last combat operations of the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front took place in Austria and the Czech Republic. The Prague offensive operation against individual units of German troops ended on May 12, 1945.

Conclusion

In the history of World War II, the Ukrainian Front (combat path - 1943-1945) left a noticeable mark. The troops of this particular front liberated strategically important regions of Central Ukraine, and also took part in battles in many European countries.

Europe, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus will not forget the exploits of Soviet soldiers!

By the end of February 1945, Malinovsky's front, having completed the West Carpathian operation, crossed the Slovak Ore Mountains and occupied positions on the left bank of the Horn River. The collapse of the German front allowed the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front to begin implementing the order of the Headquarters. Malinovsky's front was faced with the task of liberating the eastern regions of Czechoslovakia. The troops had to attack in two main directions - towards Bratislava and Brno. Bratislava was the main city of Slovakia. Through it there was a shortcut to another Big City Brno, and after it - to Prague.

At the beginning of the operation, which later received the name Bratislava-Brnovskaya, 5 combined arms armies were involved: the 40th, 53rd and 7th Guards armies, as well as the 1st and 4th Romanian armies. Air support was provided by the 5th Air Force. And assistance in crossing water barriers should be provided by the Danube military flotilla. It was planned to use the 1st Guards Cavalry Mechanized Group under the command of I.A. Pliev as the front’s mobile forces.

In total, over 350,000 soldiers and officers, about 6,000 guns and mortars, about 250 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, and more than 630 aircraft were involved in the operation. Our forces were opposed by the German 8th Army from Army Group Center, which consisted of more than 200,000 people, 1,800 guns and mortars, 120 tanks and assault guns, and about 150 aircraft. The German group relied on a well-prepared defensive line and numerous natural barriers, such as the Hron, Nitra, Váh and Morava rivers.

On the night of March 25, assault battalions The 53rd Army of Colonel General I.M. Managarov and the 7th Guards Army of Colonel General M.S. Shumilov, unexpectedly for the German command, crossed the Horn River and captured several bridgeheads on its western bank. Thus began the Bratislava-Brnov operation.

On the morning of the same day, the main forces of the front went on the offensive, developing an attack on Bratislava and Brno. By the third day of the offensive, the armies of the first echelon had penetrated the German defense to its entire tactical depth, and the 1st Guards Cavalry Mechanized Group was introduced into the resulting gap. As of the end of the day on March 27, our troops had advanced westward more than 40 kilometers, along a front almost 150 kilometers wide.

By March 30, the 7th Guards Army reached the outskirts of the capital of Slovakia, the city of Bratislava. The German military command prepared the city for defense in advance. All large buildings in the city were turned into strongholds. Having already had considerable experience in storming large cities, the Soviet command regrouped its troops. Front commander R.Ya. Malinovsky, in order to avoid destruction of the city, decided to abandon the frontal assault. Part of the forces of the 7th Guards Army began to bypass the Slovak capital from the north-west.

The tactic of extending guns for direct fire was used. Several guns fired at one building at once, which prevented the enemy from conducting effective return fire. If during the battle there was a need to transfer artillery to another place, then one or more guns remained in the old firing positions, which controlled the area that had just been fired upon. This provided the advancing infantry with continuity of fire support. The assault on Bratislava was carried out simultaneously from several directions.

The fighting reached its greatest intensity on the eastern and northeastern outskirts of the city. In these areas, the advancing units had to overcome the outer perimeter line, the most powerful along the entire defensive line of Bratislava, which consisted of three lines of trenches, machine gun and artillery pillboxes. Aviation and large-caliber artillery provided great assistance to the infantry storming the fortifications. With their fire support, the infantry crossed the trench lines, broke into the quarters of the chemical concern and began to advance to the winter piers, capturing the oil refinery.

By April 2, the city garrison was surrounded. And just two days later, the 25th Guards and 23rd Rifle Corps, with the support of ships of the Danube Flotilla, completely cleared Bratislava of enemy troops.

In the Brnov direction, where the forces of the 53rd Army and the 1st Romanian Army, as well as Pliev’s cavalry-mechanized group, operated, the offensive did not develop so successfully. Having lost Bratislava, the German command made every effort to hold the large industrial center of Brno. German forces entrenched themselves along the banks of the Morava River, having previously blown up all the bridges across it.

The hopes of the German command to hold the lines along the Morava River were not destined to come true. Soviet troops by April 12, the river was crossed in several places. The enemy's desperate attempts to liquidate the captured bridgeheads with counterattacks were unsuccessful. By mid-April German defense on the Morava River was breached over a long distance. On April 16, the units advancing on Brno were reinforced by the 6th Guards tank army, transferred to this direction after the capture of Vienna.

Tanks and cavalrymen were the most important component in the operation to capture Brno. With rapid roundabout maneuvers, they cut off the communications of the enemy strongholds they encountered and, under the threat of complete encirclement and destruction of the enemy, forced the garrisons to hastily retreat. This tactic reduced losses and saved settlements from destruction. On April 21, the advanced Soviet units were already 20 km from Brno.