3 The Ukrainian front: the battle path. 3rd Ukrainian Front: composition
In 1943, the Great Patriotic War was stillin full swing. It became already clear that the plans of the German fascist troops to conquer the USSR by "blitzkrieg" failed, but Germany was still strong enough. Such a well-trained army could be defeated only with the help of superiority in manpower and technology, subject to the absolute order and coordination of the actions of large groups of military formations. One of these compounds was the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose composition changed from time to time.
History of the creation of 3 Ukrainian Front
A new combat connection was created througha few days after the formation of the 2 Ukrainian Front - October 20, 1943. The decision on the creation of the front was taken by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army of Stalin. In fact, the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat path was strewn with many successful battles, was not a new division of the Red Army because it included armies and corps that fought in the South-Western Front.
In this renaming,ideological component. Why? At that time the Red Army practically liberated the regions of the RSFSR, which were under the control of the Hitlerites, and entered the territory of Ukraine. Many will say: so what? And here's the catch! We liberate Ukraine, the breadbasket of Europe, and the fronts will also be Ukrainian!
3 Ukrainian Front: composition
At various stages, the front forces includeddifferent structural units. In October 1943, that is right after the creation, the front consisted of the following parts: the Guards (1st and 8th Armies), air forces (6th, 12th, 46th, 17th Armies). In 1944, the front was reinforced. The direction of the units that strengthened the combat power and the forces of the front depended on the specific tasks of our troops at a particular stage of the fighting. So, in the course of existence, one shock, two guards, five tank armies, several Bulgarian armies were introduced into the front. In some operations, the ground forces needed support from the sea, so the front troops included the Danube Flotilla. It was this combination of diverse combat units that often gave the desired result.
Command 3 of the Ukrainian Front
During the existence of the 3rd Ukrainian Frontled by 2 military leaders: Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich and Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich. Marshal Malinovsky rose at the head of the front immediately on its foundation - October 20, 1943. Malinovsky's military career began with a school of junior command staff, after which he became commander of a platoon of machine gunners. Gradually climbing the career ladder, Malinovsky in 1930 finishes the Military Academy. After the Academy he worked as the chief of staff of the cavalry regiment, then he was the staff officer of the North Caucasian and Byelorussian military districts. Participated in the Civil War in Spain. During the Second World War, our army under the leadership of the army general Malinovsky won many great victories.
The change in leadership of the front was not connected withthe unprofessional approach of Malinovsky to the leadership of the troops. Just so demanded the conditions of life, it was the Great Patriotic War. The commanders of the fronts changed quite often. From May 15, 1944 to June 15, 1945 (the date of the disbandment of the front), the group of troops is led by Marshal of the Soviet Union Tolbukhin. His military biography before the appointment to this high post is also interesting. In the Red Army Tolbukhin from 1918, participated in the Civil War. All the time he was a staff officer on the Northern and Western Front, because immediately after joining the Red Army he graduated from the school of junior command staff. After the Civil War, Tolbukhin Fyodor Ivanovich led the troops of the Novgorod province, was the chief of staff of the 56th and 72nd Infantry Divisions, the 1st and 19th Rifle Corps, etc. Since 1938 (another promotion), he became Chief of Staff Transcaucasian Military District. It was in this position that the war caught him.
Operations of the Red Army in the Dnieper region
The battle for the Dnieper is a complex of events,occurred in the second half of 1943. After the defeat on the Kursk Bulge, Hitler, of course, did not lose the chances of victory, but his positions were significantly shaken. August 11, 1943 by order of the command of the Germans began to build defensive areas along the entire Dnipro line. That is, the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat path we are studying, gradually came along with other Soviet armies.
From August 13 to September 22, 1943 was heldDonbas offensive operation. This was the beginning of the battle for the Dnieper. To win the Donbass from the Hitlerites for our army and country was strategically important, because for the further supply of the front with weapons, Donbass coal was necessary. Everybody knew perfectly well that the Fascists used the coal of Ukraine during the occupation.
Poltava-Chernigov operation
Parallel to the offensive in the Donbass from 26August the Red Army launched an offensive towards Poltava and Chernigov. Of course, these all the offensive of our troops were not flashing and instant, but they proceeded systematically and gradually. The fascists no longer had the strength to strangle the offensive impulses of Soviet troops in the bud.
Realizing that the only way to stopthe Soviet troops will attack them only when the Dnieper crosses, the Germans began a retreat from September 15, 1943. They wanted the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat path would continue successfully, together with other troops could not seize the Black Sea ports, cross the Dnieper and get out to the Crimea. On the line of the Dnieper the fascists concentrated enormous forces and built serious defensive structures.
The successes of the first stage of the battle for the Dnieper
In August and September, Soviet troops liberatedmany cities and territories. So, at the end of September the Donbass was completely liberated. Also, cities such as Glukhov, Konotop, Sevsk, Poltava, Kremenchug, many villages and smaller towns returned to Soviet power. In addition, in many places (in the region of Kremenchug, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Verkhnedneprovsk, Dnepropetrovsk), it was possible to cross the Dnieper and create bridgeheads on the left bank. At this stage it was possible to create a good springboard for further success.
The advance of troops in late 1943
From October to December 1943 in historiographywars are allocated a second period of the battle for the Dnieper. In these battles also participated 3 Ukrainian Front. The battle path of our troops was also complicated, because the Germans were able to build a strong "Eastern Wall" along the Dnieper. The first task of our troops was to eliminate as much as possible all the bridgehead fortifications built by the fascists.
The command understood that it was impossible to stopoffensive. And the troops were advancing! 3 The Ukrainian front (the combat route intersected with the lines of offensives of other fronts) conducted the Nizhnedneprovsky offensive operation. The enemy was very difficult to defend, because at the same time the formation of forces for the offensive against Kiev from the Bukrin bridgehead began. Large enemy forces were distracted by the defense of Kiev, because this city was the most important for the enemy on this line and second only to Moscow. Until December 20, 1943, our troops managed to liberate the most important cities of Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye, and also to seize the huge bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dnieper. It was also possible to block the retreat of German troops from the Crimea. The battle for the Dnieper ended in the complete victory of the Soviet troops.
Troops 3 of the Ukrainian Front in this operationproved to be the best way. Of course, the losses of Soviet troops were great, but in such heavy fighting it was impossible to do without losses. And the level of development of medicine was not the same as now ...
The operations of the Soviet troops in Moldova
In 1944 the Soviet troops continuedto liberate Ukraine. In the second half of 1944, our troops launched an offensive against Moldova and Romania. These legendary attacks entered the history of the war as the Iasi-Kishinev operation.
Against the Soviet troops there were very significantGerman forces, about 900,000 soldiers and officers. Against such forces it was necessary to attack decisively, so that the effect of surprise would be provided. The offensive began on August 20, 1944. Already before the morning of August 24, the Red Army broke through the front and in general for 4 days advanced 140 kilometers into the interior. On the border with Romania, troops 2 and 3 of the Ukrainian fronts came out on August 29, surrounding and destroying before that the German troops in the area of Prut. The successful advance of the troops of the 3 Ukrainian Front led to a revolution in Romania. The government changed, the country declared war on Germany.
Several volunteerdivisions, the first of which became part of the 3 Ukrainian Front. The offensive of joint Soviet-Romanian troops continued. On August 31, the troops occupied Bucharest.
The attack on Romania
Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945provided the Soviet soldiers with an excellent combat experience. During the battles, the skills of countering the enemy and conducting offensive operations were formed. Therefore, in 1944, when the fascist army was no longer as strong as in 1941, there was no longer a chance to stop the Red Army.
After the liberation of Romania, the military commandunderstood that it was necessary to move towards the Balkan countries and Bulgaria, because the Wehrmacht’s major forces were still concentrated there. The liberation of Romania ended in October 1944. The last liberated Romanian city during this march crossing is Satu Mare. Then the USSR troops went to the territory of Hungary, where they also successfully coped with the enemy over time.
The Yassy-Kishinev operation became one of the most successful during the war, because significant territories were liberated, and Hitler lost another ally.
Conclusion
During the war on the territory of Ukraine foughttroops 4 fronts. Each of them in the history of the Ukrainian part of the war in the period from 1941 to 1944 left a significant mark in the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazi invaders. The role of each front, each part in the victory over the mortal enemy, probably, has not yet been fully evaluated by historians and the people in general. But it is worth noting that the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat path ended in June 1945, made a significant contribution to the victory, because the front industrial troops liberated important industrial regions of the Ukrainian SSR.
The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is an example of the greatest feat of the multinational Soviet people.
