Orsha offensives (1943): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Series of battles fought in Belarus between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht in 1943}} |
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{{Unreferenced|date=July 2010}} |
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{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}} |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
{{Infobox military conflict |
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|place = [[Orsha]] region, [[Belarus]], [[Soviet Union]] |
|place = [[Orsha]] region, [[Belarus]], [[Soviet Union]] |
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|coordinates = {{Coord|54.50|N| 30.42|E|display=inline,title}} |
|coordinates = {{Coord|54.50|N| 30.42|E|display=inline,title}} |
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|result = |
|result = German defensive victory |
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|combatant1 = {{flag|Soviet Union|1936}} |
|combatant1 = {{flag|Soviet Union|1936}} |
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|combatant2 = {{Flag icon|Nazi Germany}} [[Nazi Germany]] |
|combatant2 = {{Flag icon|Nazi Germany}} [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] |
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|commander1 = {{Flag icon|Soviet Union|1936}} [[Vasily Sokolovsky]] |
|commander1 = {{Flag icon|Soviet Union|1936}} [[Vasily Sokolovsky]] |
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|commander2 = {{Flag icon|Nazi Germany}} [[Gotthard Heinrici]] |
|commander2 = {{Flag icon|Nazi Germany}} [[Gotthard Heinrici]] |
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|strength1 = '''[[Western Front (Soviet Union)|Western Front]]'''<br/>310,900 men, with steady reinforcements |
|strength1 = '''[[Western Front (Soviet Union)|Western Front]]'''<br/>310,900 men, with steady reinforcements |
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|strength2 = '''[[4th Army (Wehrmacht)|4th Army]]''' <br/>193,510 men; heavy fortifications |
|strength2 = '''[[4th Army (Wehrmacht)|4th Army]]''' <br/>193,510 men; heavy fortifications |
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|casualties1 = |
|casualties1 = 530,537 |
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|casualties2 = |
|casualties2 = 35,056 |
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|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Axis-Soviet War}} |
|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Axis-Soviet War}} |
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}} |
}} |
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The '''Orsha offensives''' were a series of battles fought in [[Belarus]] between the [[Red Army]] and the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' during the autumn of 1943, and into the following winter. [[Orsha]] was a main road junction with the |
The '''Orsha offensives''' were a series of battles fought in [[Belarus]] between the [[Red Army]] and the ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' during the autumn of 1943, and into the following winter. [[Orsha]] was a main road junction with the north–south route from [[Leningrad]] to [[Kiev]] and the east–west route from [[Minsk]] to [[Moscow]]. After the failure of [[Operation Typhoon]] in the winter of 1941, [[Army Group Centre]] had spent the most part on the defensive in the central sector of the front. The time afforded to them in 1942, a distinct period of inactivity in this area, allowed the Wehrmacht to build formidable defensive positions. |
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==Prelude== |
==Prelude== |
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==The battles== |
==The battles== |
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The 4th Army was in retreat to the Panther-Wotan line, pursued by the Soviets. Troops from the Soviet [[Western Front (Soviet Union)|Western Front]] then launched a heavy attack on both sides of the Minsk-Moscow highway. One thrust was directed at Orsha, a main road junction, and another at Bogushevsk.<ref name=Glantz>Glantz D.M. (1995) ''The failures of historiography: Forgotten battles of the German‐Soviet war (1941–1945)'', Journal of Slavic Military Studies '''8(4):''' 768–808</ref> |
The 4th Army was in retreat to the Panther-Wotan line, pursued by the Soviets. Troops from the Soviet [[Western Front (Soviet Union)|Western Front]] then launched a heavy attack on both sides of the Minsk-Moscow highway. One thrust was directed at Orsha, a main road junction, and another at Bogushevsk.<ref name=Glantz>Glantz D.M. (1995) ''The failures of historiography: Forgotten battles of the German‐Soviet war (1941–1945)'', Journal of Slavic Military Studies '''8(4):''' 768–808</ref> |
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==Notes== |
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{{Notelist}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Frieser K-H., Schmider K. & Schönherr K. (2007) ''Das deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg'', Vol. 8, ''Die Ostfront 1943/44'', Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart: 1350 pp. |
Frieser K-H., Schmider K. & Schönherr K. (2007) ''Das deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg'', Vol. 8, ''Die Ostfront 1943/44'', Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart: 1350 pp. |
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{{Coord missing|Belarus}} |
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{{Subject bar |
{{Subject bar |
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| portal1=Military of Germany |
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| portal2=Soviet Union |
| portal2=Soviet Union |
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| portal3=World War II |
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[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Germany]] |
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Germany]] |
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[[Category:Battles involving the Soviet Union]] |
[[Category:Battles involving the Soviet Union]] |
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[[Category:October 1943 events]] |
[[Category:October 1943 events in Europe]] |
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[[Category:November 1943 events]] |
[[Category:November 1943 events in Europe]] |
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[[Category:1943 in the Soviet Union]] |
[[Category:1943 in the Soviet Union]] |
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Latest revision as of 15:19, 13 December 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
| Orsha offensives | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of The Eastern Front of World War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Soviet Union |
 Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Vasily Sokolovsky |
Gotthard Heinrici | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Western Front 310,900 men, with steady reinforcements |
4th Army 193,510 men; heavy fortifications | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 530,537 | 35,056 | ||||||
The Orsha offensives were a series of battles fought in Belarus between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht during the autumn of 1943, and into the following winter. Orsha was a main road junction with the north–south route from Leningrad to Kiev and the east–west route from Minsk to Moscow. After the failure of Operation Typhoon in the winter of 1941, Army Group Centre had spent the most part on the defensive in the central sector of the front. The time afforded to them in 1942, a distinct period of inactivity in this area, allowed the Wehrmacht to build formidable defensive positions.
Prelude
[edit]
After their defeat in the Battle of Smolensk, the Wehrmacht retreated on a broad front to the Panther-Stellung line. The German 4th Army (Heinrici)—part of Army Group Centre—took defensive positions near Orsha. To the north, the 3rd Panzer Army (Reinhardt) took up defensive lines around Vitebsk, and to the south the 9th Army (Model) held the area east of Bobrujsk. The Soviet Stavka saw the liberation of Ukraine as their primary goal, so the Lower Dnieper Offensive had priority in equipment and reinforcements.
The battles
[edit]The 4th Army was in retreat to the Panther-Wotan line, pursued by the Soviets. Troops from the Soviet Western Front then launched a heavy attack on both sides of the Minsk-Moscow highway. One thrust was directed at Orsha, a main road junction, and another at Bogushevsk.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ Glantz D.M. (1995) The failures of historiography: Forgotten battles of the German‐Soviet war (1941–1945), Journal of Slavic Military Studies 8(4): 768–808
Literature
[edit]Frieser K-H., Schmider K. & Schönherr K. (2007) Das deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, Vol. 8, Die Ostfront 1943/44, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart: 1350 pp.
