Smolensk offensive operation in 1943. The liberation of Smolensk as it was. Operation in computer games

Summer-autumn offensive Soviet troops 1943 was crowned with a series of successful operations. After the exit of the Red Army units in the south to the Dnieper on Taman Peninsula and the movement of Soviet troops began in the Kerch region on the central sector of the Soviet-German front, including in the Smolensk direction. Their offensive here was more difficult, as it was supported by smaller forces of artillery, tanks and aircraft, although it was on this segment of the front that the Germans had time to especially carefully strengthen themselves. The enemy's defense relied on the central part of the Eastern Wall strategic defensive line, consisting of 5-6 lanes with a total depth of 100-130 km. The cities of Dukhovshina, Dorogobuzh, Yelnya, Spas-Demensk, Smolensk, Roslavl and others were prepared for all-round defense.

As early as the end of June 1943, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command oriented the commanders of the Kalinin (Colonel-General A.I. Eremenko) and Western (Colonel-General, from August 27, Army General V.D. Sokolovsky) fronts to conduct Smolensk operation. In early August, the troops of these fronts took up defensive positions in the Smolensk and Roslavl directions along the Velizh line, east of Safonov, east of Bakhmutov, Malye Savki, east of Zhizdra. At this time, favorable conditions developed for delivering strikes against the enemy in the Smolensk and Roslavl region, since the troops of the left wing of the Western and neighboring Bryansk fronts were already conducting a successful offensive in the Oryol-Bryansk direction during the Oryol offensive operation.

The German command, in an effort to hold the lines east of Smolensk and Roslaal, is creating a powerful group of troops here as part of the 3rd, part of the forces of the 2nd (since August 13, the 9th Army) tank armies and the 4th Army, which were part of the Army Group "Center "(Field Marshal General: G. Kluge). It numbered over 850 thousand people, about 8.8 thousand guns and mortars, about 500 tanks and assault guns. Support was provided by up to 700 aircraft of the 6th Air Fleet.

In early August, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. went to the Smolensk direction. Stalin. With the command of the Western and Kalinin fronts, the plan of the operation and the progress of its preparation, the placement of leading personnel, operational camouflage, material support, the use of artillery, tanks and other problems were discussed.

The operation, which received the code name "Suvorov", according to the plan, consisted of two stages (plans "Suvorov I" and "Suvorov II"). The Suvorov I plan provided for the dismemberment of the enemy grouping and its defeat in parts. The main blow was delivered by the troops of the Western Front, consisting of the 31.5, 10th Guards, 33rd, 49th, 10th, 50th (until August 18), 68th, 21st combined arms and 1st air armies, 2nd Guards Tank (since August 20), 5th mechanized, 6th guards cavalry corps. Their goal was to defeat the enemy in the areas of Yelnya and Spas-Demensk, and then develop an offensive on the flank of the German group operating against the Bryansk Front. The troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front as part of the 4th shock, 43rd, 39th combined arms, 3rd air armies and the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps (since September 10 as part of the Western Front) were to, together with the troops of the right wing of the Western Front, inflict strike at the enemy in the areas of Dorogobuzh, Yartsev, Dukhovshchina and liberate Smolensk.

According to the Suvorov II plan, with the successful development of the offensive of the troops of the Bryansk Front, it was envisaged to turn the main forces of the Western Front to Smolensk. The German defense was to be broken through in four sectors in the Western zone and in one sector in the Kalinin fronts. By the beginning of the Smolensk operation, they included more than 1 million 252 thousand people, 20.6 thousand guns and mortars, 1.4 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 1.1 thousand aircraft. Due to the transfer of forces and means from secondary sectors of the front to the directions of the main attack, superiority over the enemy in manpower was achieved - 2-4 times, artillery, tanks and self-propelled guns - 3-6 times. The artillery density per 1 km of the breakthrough area in the armies was 75-165 guns and mortars. Air support for the troops was carried out by the 1st and 2nd air armies.

However, significant miscalculations were made in the preparation of the operation: there were no strong second echelons, and mobile groups in the fronts, and camouflage measures were poorly observed. This allowed the Germans to discover the areas of concentration of strike groups and advance two infantry and one tank divisions to threatened areas in advance, which complicated the actions of the Soviet troops when breaking through their defenses.

The Smolensk operation consisted of four front-line operations: Spas-Demenskaya, Yelninsko-Dorogobuzhekoy, Dukhovshnnsko-Demidovskaya and Smolensk-Roslavlskaya, which began sequentially one after another at short intervals.

On the morning of August 7, the shock grouping of the Western Front, consisting of the 5th (Lieutenant General B.C. Polenov), the 10th Guards (Lieutenant General K.P. Trubnikov) and the 33rd (Lieutenant General V.N. Gordov) went on the offensive ) armies. Bon immediately took on a protracted character, since the German command brought troops into the battle, transferred here from the Oryol and Bryansk directions. Only on the fourth day of the operation was it possible to break through the enemy defenses in the area of ​​the city of Kirov in the zone of the 10th Army (Lieutenant General B.C. Popov), which successfully advanced in the Roslavl direction. The next day, the breakthrough was expanded along the front and in depth. Fearing encirclement, the Germans began to retreat from the Spas-Demensky ledge. Troops of the 49th Army (Major General I.T. Grishin) began to pursue them and on August 13, in cooperation with the 33rd Army, liberated the city of Spas-Demensk. Reflecting continuous counterattacks, Soviet armies advanced 30-40 km in 14 days and liberated more than 530 villages and towns. By the end of August 20, they were stopped by the enemy at positions prepared in advance at the line of Terenino, Zimtsy, Malye Savki and temporarily went on the defensive.

On August 13, the 43rd (Major General K.D. Golubev) and 39th (Lieutenant General A.I. Zytin) armies of the Kalinin Front went on the offensive in the Dukhovshchina direction. Having met the stubborn resistance of the Germans, who only on August 13 launched 24 counterattacks using tanks and aircraft in the breakthrough sector, they wedged into the German defense for only 6-7 km.

The headquarters of the Supreme High Command in a directive dated August 16 demanded that the commander of the Western Front intensify attacks on the enemy, reach the Desna River by August 25-26, capture the crossings with moving units and hold them until the main forces of the front approach, and then advance on Roslavl, Mogilev. The armies of the right wing of the front were tasked with reaching the Yartsevo-Yelnya line by this time and, in cooperation with the left wing of the Kalinin Front, moving in the direction of Smolensk, Orsha.

The command of the Wehrmacht was also preparing for a new battle. It reinforced the grouping operating against the Western Front with eleven divisions, and against the Kalinin Front with two.

The offensive of the Soviet troops resumed on August 28, when the troops of the Western Front launched the Yelnin-Dorogobuzh operation in order to defeat the Yelnin group of Germans. On August 30, the troops of the 10th Guards. The 21st Army and the 2nd Guards Tank Corps captured Yelnya. This was a major operational success for the Western Front, on the right wing of which Soviet troops crossed the Dnieper and liberated Dorogobuzh on September 1.

Overcoming the growing resistance of the enemy, fighting in difficult conditions of wooded and swampy terrain, the troops of the Western Front during the Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation advanced to a depth of 35-40 km in 10 days, in some areas they crossed the Ustrom River. Desna, Snopot, and by the end of September 6, entrenched themselves at the turn northeast of Yartsev, west of Yelnya, north of Paderka.

The Kalinin Front also stopped active fighting to better prepare for the next attack. On September 14, the troops of the left wing of the front began the Dukhovshchinsky-Demidov offensive operation with the aim of defeating the strong grouping of German troops defending in this sector. The troops of the 39th (Lieutenant-General N.E. Berzarin) and the left flank of the 43rd Army by the end of the day wedged into the German defenses for 3-13 km on a front of up to 30 km. As a result of four days of fighting, the 39th Army on September 19 liberated the city of Dukhovshina from the invaders. and the 43rd Army on September 22 - the city of Demidov. The enemy grouping was defeated, and his troops, who were in the Smolensk region, were deeply engulfed from the north. The fascist German command had no choice but to withdraw troops to the west. By October 2, the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front reached the line west of the cities of the Ponizovye. Rudnya.

Simultaneously with the offensive of the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front, the Western Front on September 15 - October 2 carried out the Smolensk-Roslavl offensive operation in order to complete the defeat of the enemy in the Smolensk and Roslavl directions and develop an offensive on Orsha and Mogilev.

The main blow was dealt in the center by the forces of the 10th Guards (Lieutenant General A. V. Sukhomlin), 21st and 33rd armies. 2nd Guards Tank. 5th mechanized. 6th and 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps with the task of breaking through the German defenses and capturing the Pochinok area, cutting railway and highway Smolensk - Roslavl. then, in cooperation with the troops of the right wing of the front, seize Smolensk, and develop the offensive against Orsha with the main forces. The troops of the right wing received the task, in cooperation with the 39th Army of the Kalinin Front, to reach the Vop and Dnieper rivers and, together with the main grouping, capture Smolensk. The forces of the left wing of the front - the 49th and 10th armies were ordered to cross the Desna and liberate the city of Roslavl.

The fulfillment of complex tasks required a great strain of moral and physical strength from the troops. As a result of stubborn battles, they broke the resistance of the German groups and liberated Smolensk and Roslavl on September 25, advancing 130-180 km. The troops were actively supported by aviation of the 3rd (Lieutenant General of Aviation N.F. Papivin) and 1st (Lieutenant General of Aviation M.M, Gromov) air armies. The partisans of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions, as well as Belarus, provided great assistance to the attackers.

On October 2, the Smolensk operation ended. The troops of the Kalinin and Western Fronts reached the line west of Velizh, Rudnya, Baev, Dribin and further south along the Pronya River, ending the offensive on the orders of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

During the Smolensk operation, the troops of the Western and Kalinin fronts advanced 200-250 km, liberated the entire Smolensk region and part of the Kalinin region from the German invaders, entered the borders of Belarus. The front line was significantly moved away from Moscow, the collapse of the "Eastern Wall" in the upper reaches of the Dnieper became inevitable.

The success in the Smolensk operation was facilitated by the actions of the Leningrad, Volkhov and North-Western fronts, which pinned down significant Wehrmacht forces in the north-western direction, depriving the German command of the opportunity to strengthen troops in the central direction. However, the victory came at a high price. The losses of the Red Army amounted to over 107.6 thousand people.

The formations and units that distinguished themselves in the Smolensk operation received the honorary names of Smolensk, Demidov, Dukhovshchinsky, Roslavl.

Smolensk operation (Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945). The offensive operation of the troops of the Western (General V.D. Sokolovsky) and Kalinin (General A.I. Eremenko) fronts in the Smolensk direction on August 7 - October 2, 1943. The troops of the Army Group Center (Field Marshal H.G. Kluge) acted against them ). The ratio of forces to the beginning of the operation is given in the table.

	Soviet troops	German troops
Personnel, thousand people	1253	850
Guns and mortars	20640	8800
tanks	1436	500
Aircraft	1100	700

Source: History of the Second World War: In 12 vols. M., 1973-1979. Vol. 7. S. 241.

The offensive was carried out in a swampy and wooded area, where the Germans created a deep-echeloned (from five to six lanes) continuous line of defense. Its front edge was covered by a triple row of barbed wire, in front of which there was a completely mined strip 200 m wide. For each kilometer of the front, there were an average of 6 bunkers. The main communication centers in the area (Dukhovshchina, Dorogobuzh, Yartsevo, Yelnya, Spas-Demensk, etc.) were turned into powerful bastions capable of withstanding a long onslaught.

The attackers immediately stumbled upon a strong defense, which they could not break through on the move. The Smolensk operation was distinguished by a slow pace of advancement and operational pauses. It began with the offensive of the Western Front. The fighting immediately took on a stubborn, protracted character. For two weeks, the troops advanced slightly (less than 10 km). The same fate befell the offensive of the troops of the Kalinin Front, which began on August 13, which in a week only managed to wedge into the German defenses for 3-5 km.

After an operational pause and a regrouping of forces, the Western Front resumed the onslaught on August 28. In two days, his troops broke through the German defenses to a depth of 15 km and occupied Yelnya. However, the further offensive did not move into a maneuverable stage, but was reduced to pushing through the German defenses. By September 9, the Western Front moved forward 40 km, after which its movement was again stopped. During this period, the Kalinin Front persistently, but unsuccessfully, tried to break through the German defenses.

A new stage began on September 14-15, when, after another pause, both fronts again attacked the German positions. They managed to crack the German defenses on the very first day. This was facilitated by the successful actions of the Bryansk Front, whose troops crossed the Desna, threatening a blow from the south to the group defending Smolensk. Developing the offensive, the troops of the Western and Kalinin fronts began to cover Smolensk from the south and north, which forced the German command to begin a withdrawal under the threat of encirclement.

On September 25, units of the Red Army captured Smolensk and Roslavl. The Germans withdrew to the defensive line along the line Vitebsk - Orsha - Mogilev, where they were able to organize effective resistance. Near this line, the Soviet offensive was stopped until the summer of 1944. The Smolensk operation is significant in that since the end of September 1943, the first large formation of the allied foreign army of the Polish Army, the 1st division named after. Tadeusz Kosciuszko under the command of General 3. Berling. The losses of the Red Army in the Smolensk operation exceeded 450 thousand people.

Used materials of the book: Nikolai Shefov. Russian battles. Military History Library. M., 2002.

Desperate attempts by the Germans to hold the Spas-Demensky ledge were unsuccessful. Our advance continued. Its pace increased slightly after the 21st Army (commander - Lieutenant General N.I. Krylov) was brought into battle on August 13 and the troops of the 49th Army moved forward (commander - Lieutenant General I.T. Grishin) . By evening, the 42nd Rifle Division (commander - Major General N.N. Multan) and the 146th Rifle Division (commander - Colonel N.P. Baloyan) liberated the city and the Spas-Demensk railway station.

On August 20, offensive operations on the Western Front were suspended. It was necessary to make a partial regrouping, to replenish the troops with people, to deliver ammunition, food, fodder, to pull up the rear.

At the beginning of the second half of August 1943, major changes in the situation took place in the southwestern strategic direction due to the defeat of the enemy in the Battle of Kursk. The troops of the Bryansk and Central Fronts, pursuing the retreating enemy, reached the approaches to Lyudinovo and Bryansk by August 20, 1943, and the troops of the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts fought for Kharkov. In the south, the offensive operation of the troops of the South-Western and Southern Fronts to liberate Donbass began. Thus, the counteroffensive launched near Kursk developed into a general strategic offensive.

The German command took all measures to stop the advance of the Red Army.

The enemy continued to pay great attention to the organization of defense in the Smolensk and Roslavl directions, to which, as noted above, significant forces of German troops were transferred from the Oryol and Bryansk directions.

The successful offensive of the troops of the Bryansk and Central Fronts and their reaching the approaches to Lyudinovo and Bryansk created conditions under which the continuation of the offensive of the main forces on Roslavl, as well as their turn to south direction were no longer useful.

In this regard, the front commander decided to change the direction of the main attack from Roslavl to Yelnya, Smolensk, regroup forces, create new strike groups and, after a short pause, go on the offensive.

By decision of the front commander, the shock grouping of the front was created as part of the 10th Guards, 21st and 33rd armies. This grouping was tasked with defeating the enemy in the Yelnya area and developing an offensive in the direction of Yelnya and Smolensk.

The troops of the right wing of the front (31st, 5th and 68th armies) were to use the success of the troops advancing in the direction of the main attack and, in cooperation with the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front, capture the cities of Dorogobuzh and Yartsevo. The troops of the left wing were ordered to develop an offensive in the Roslavl direction.

To reinforce the armies operating in the direction of the main attack, the following were transferred: 33rd Army - 5th Mechanized and 6th Guards Cavalry Corps, 21st Army (commanded by Lieutenant General N. I. Krylov) - 2nd Guards tank corps, which arrived at the front on August 20 from the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. In addition, these armies were reinforced with artillery. So, for example, the 33rd Army (commanded by Lieutenant General V.N. Gordov) received an additional five, and the 21st Army - seven artillery brigades due to the regrouping of reinforcement artillery that was available in the front.

At the same time, a regrouping of anti-aircraft artillery was carried out, parts and formations of which reinforced the armies strike force front.

The strike force of the front was to advance on a front of 36 km, of which the 10th Guards Army - on a front of 20 km, the 21st and 33rd armies - on a front of 16 km (8 km each). It was planned to break through the enemy defenses in a section 20 km wide.

In the direction of the main attack, superiority over the enemy was created: in infantry - 1.5 times, in tanks - 2 times and in artillery - 4-5 times. The offensive in the Yelnin direction was scheduled for August 28.

The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, by directive No. 30172 of August 22, 1943, approved the submitted plan for the operation of the Western Front.

In the period from August 20 to 27, the troops of the Western Front carried out a partial regrouping and prepared to resume the offensive.

The most difficult task continued to be providing the advancing troops with ammunition. The number of ammunition in the armies as of August 25, depending on the caliber, ranged from 0.25 to 1.3 ammunition.

The limited amount of ammunition available to the front continued to have a significant impact on the performance of the combat mission by the troops.

At a time when the troops of the Western Front were preparing for the Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation, the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front on August 23, after a five-day pause, resumed the offensive in the Dukhovshchin direction.

The 39th Army under the command of Lieutenant General A.I. Zygin, reinforced from the front reserve by the 5th Guards Rifle Corps, went on the offensive in the same direction. However, due to the poor preparation of the offensive, the army failed to break through the enemy defenses. The enemy, pulling up reserves, offered fierce resistance.

Thus, the two-week offensive of the strike force of the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front was not successful. The tasks set were not completed, although the offensive of the troops of the left wing of the front did not allow the German command to use the divisions located here to transfer them against the advancing formations of the Western Front.

In connection with the unsuccessful actions of the troops, the commander of the Kalinin Front on August 30, 1943, turned to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command with a request to be allowed to temporarily suspend hostilities in order to prepare for a further offensive. Since the offensive of the troops of the Western Front in the Elninsk direction resumed on August 28, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command ordered offensive operations to continue until September 7 in order to prevent the enemy from maneuvering his forces and means.

The Supreme Commander "stimulated" the front commanders in his own way. On August 27, 1943, both commanders received the rank of army general. In fact, this was done in advance, since Smolensk was not liberated. In conditions of bad rainy weather, not having enough ammunition, the front commanders had to show not so much miracles of ingenuity as perseverance in order to achieve their goal.

The Western Front, having made the necessary regroupings, on the morning of August 28, after artillery preparation and air strikes, resumed the offensive, delivering the main blow in the direction of Yelnya.

An artillery density of 150-160 guns and mortars of 76.2-mm and higher caliber per 1 km of the front was created in the area designated for the breakthrough. Artillery preparation lasted 85 minutes. During the period of artillery preparation, aviation preparation was also carried out, during which aviation suppressed and smoked the identified most active enemy batteries. Artillery support for the attack of infantry and tanks was carried out by successive concentration of fire. During the same period of the artillery offensive, the long-range group (DD) continued to suppress enemy artillery batteries, and the rocket artillery group (RMCH) - the strongest nodes of enemy resistance in the nearest depth of its defense (up to 1.5 km).

On August 28, the three armies of the center of the Western Front (10th Guards, 21st and 33rd) resumed their offensive. Already on the first day, they broke through the enemy defenses to a depth of 6–8 km (with a breakthrough width of 25 km). The 5th mechanized corps (commander - Major General M.V. Volkov) acted skillfully and decisively. One of the motorized rifle battalions especially distinguished himself in the battles for the Koshelevo stronghold. Simulating an attack from the front with small forces, the battalion commander threw two motorized rifle companies around Koshelevo. Panic broke out among the Germans. Throwing down their weapons, they fled to the west. An important stronghold was taken almost without loss.

These days, the tried-and-true combat unit, the 2nd Guards Tatsinsky Tank Corps (commanded by Major General A.S. Burdeyny), joined the front. Before the battle, the corps commander on behalf of the Presidium Supreme Council The USSR presented the 4th motorized rifle, 25th and 26th tank brigades with guards banners. The personnel of these brigades, accepting the glorious battle banners, swore an oath to the Motherland and the Soviet people to the last drop of blood, to the last heartbeat, to fight for the freedom and independence of their native country, to mercilessly destroy the Nazi invaders. This oath was honorably fulfilled by the guardsmen. Acting as part of the Western, and then the 3rd Belorussian Front, they raised the military glory of their heroic unit even higher.

The Tatsintsy entered the battle on August 30 and in the afternoon, advancing up to 20 km, together with the troops of the 10th Guards Army, approached Yelna. The assault on the city began at 18:00. As a result of a swift attack by units of the 29th Guards Rifle Division (commanded by Major General A. T. Stuchenko) from the east and an attack by the Tatsin guardsmen from the south, by the end of the day, our troops captured Yelnya, a large stronghold of the enemy’s defense in the Smolensk direction. The 76th Rifle Division (commander - Colonel A.G. Babayan), the 23rd Separate Guards Tank Brigade (commander - Colonel I.P. Kalinin), the 119th Separate Tank Regiment (commander - Colonel O A. Losik).

As part of the 23rd Guards Separate Tank Brigade, the crew of the Merciless tank fought bravely with the enemy. This formidable fighting vehicle was built with funds from prominent Soviet writers and artists. Addressing them, the crew members wrote:

“Our dear comrades Marshak, Gusev, Mikhalkov, Tikhonov, Kupriyanov, Krylov, Sokolov! The crew of the "Merciless" consisting of Makarov, Sokolov and Starodubtsev swears to you that they will mercilessly exterminate the Nazi pack to the point of complete destruction. The Merciless will lead the way on the battlefield...

(Commander of the "Merciless" V. Makarov ".)

The tank guards fulfilled their oath: when breaking through the fortified positions of the enemy near Yelnya, their tank crushed several firing points and exterminated German soldiers to a platoon.

Our pilots from the 233rd Assault Aviation Division worked closely with the ground forces. A few days before the start of the fighting, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the navigator of the formation, Major M. Z. Bondarenko, was awarded the second medal " Golden Star».

On August 31, six formations and units that participated in the liberation of Yelnya received the name "Yelninskiye". The capital of our Motherland - Moscow saluted the liberators of the city with twelve artillery salvos from 124 guns.

Serious battles were going on at this time on the right wing of the front. The 31st, 5th and 68th armies advanced here. On September 1, the 312th Rifle Division (commander - Colonel A. G. Moiseevsky) drove the Germans out of Dorogobuzh. Our troops in a number of sectors successfully crossed the Dnieper, Desna and Snopot and in five days fought almost 40 km.

West of Dorogobuzh and Yelnya, the resistance of the German troops increased markedly. The German command pulled up fresh forces. On September 6, our advancing divisions stopped in front of the enemy's defensive line prepared in advance. It was occupied by retreating Nazi formations, as well as units of the 330th Infantry Division and the 1st SS Motorized Brigade transferred to the Yelninsk direction.

During the week, the troops of the front conducted reconnaissance of the enemy defenses, refined the system of fire, and regrouped forces. Only aviation was active, continuing to destroy defensive structures, destroy enemy manpower and equipment.

Planning further actions, which were to lead to the defeat of the enemy in the Smolensk and Roslavl directions and subsequently to the capture of Smolensk, the front command decided to concentrate the main efforts in the center. The strike force included the 10th Guards, 21st and 33rd Armies, the 2nd Guards Tank, 5th Mechanized, 6th and 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps. The 31st, 5th and 68th armies were tasked with destroying the enemy in the Yartsevo area, reaching the Vop and Dnieper rivers and, in cooperation with the troops of the main grouping, capturing Smolensk. The troops of the 49th and 10th armies were to liberate Roslavl.

To break through the enemy defenses in the direction of the main attack of the front, it was planned to attract 14 rifle divisions, of which 7 were supposed to be in the second echelons of armies and corps. The density of artillery and tanks per 1 km of the breakthrough front reached: guns and mortars (caliber 76.2 mm and above) - 150, tanks and self-propelled guns - 48.

The troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front were to defeat the enemy grouping in the Dukhovshchina-Demidov region and develop an offensive in the general direction of Rudnya-Vitebsk.

The commander of the Kalinin Front decided to resume the offensive on September 14 with the forces of the 39th and 43rd armies. The main efforts were concentrated in the offensive zone of the 39th Army in the general direction of Beresnevo - Dukhovshchina. By decision of the commander of the 39th Army, the main blow was inflicted on Dukhovshchina by the forces of the 84th and 2nd Guards Rifle Corps and an army mobile group consisting of four tank brigades. The width of the breakthrough section of the army was 9 km.

By September 10, in front of the front of the 39th Army, which plays the main role in the upcoming operation, 5 German formations were defending themselves: the 52nd, 197th and 246th Infantry Divisions, the 18th tank division and the 25th Motorized (Panzergrenadier) Division.

It should be noted that in early September, our troops were already trying to capture Dukhovshchina with the forces of 83rd Rifle Corps and the mechanized group of Colonel Dremov, but due to poor artillery preparation and lack of secrecy, the operation failed. The enemy pulled the 1st SS motorized brigade to the place of the alleged breakthrough, and the battles became positional.

The command of the Kalinin Front decided to build up the forces of the strike force. To the existing mechanized group of Colonel Dremov (46th and 47th mechanized brigades, 4th anti-tank brigade, 114th separate motorized engineering battalion, 1820th self-propelled artillery regiment) was added a tank group of Lieutenant Colonel Chuprov (60th and 236th tank brigades, 17th anti-tank brigade and 4th guards engineer battalion), which by September 13th concentrated in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bMalye Debri.

According to the new plan of the operation, as already mentioned, two rifle corps were to take possession of Dukhovshchina: the 84th and 2nd Guards. The first during the breakthrough of the German defense was supported by the infantry close support group (NPP), consisting of the 11th Guards Breakthrough Regiment (11 KV) and the 28th Guards Tank Brigade (16 T-34-76, 10 T-70, 9 T-60 ). In total - 46 tanks. To develop the success of 84 sk was the tank group of Lieutenant Colonel Chuprov (62 T-34-76 and 41 T-70). The 2nd Guards Rifle Corps was supported by the mechanized group of Colonel Dremov (58 T-34-76, 14 T-70 and 16 self-propelled guns SU-122).

In total, the 39th Army had 238 tanks and self-propelled guns. A lot of power! The supply of fuel and lubricants groups was 2.2–2.5 orders, ammunition: 2.5–3.0 b/c food: 5–8 daily rations.

The tactical density in the direction of the main attack reached 4.5 battalions, 128 guns and mortars (caliber 76.2 mm and above) and 24 tanks. The change and exit of units to their original position for the offensive was planned on the night before the attack, that is, on the night of September 14th.

In accordance with the decisions taken, the offensive operations of the troops of the Kalinin and Western Fronts were resumed on September 14–15.

At 10.20 on September 14, after artillery preparation, which lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes, the troops of the 39th and left flank of the 43rd armies went on the offensive. As a result of the first day of fighting, the enemy defenses in the direction of the main attack were broken through. The troops of the front advanced to a depth of 3 to 13 km, expanding the breakthrough to 30 km.

On the night of September 19, the troops of the 39th Army, commanded at that time by Lieutenant General N. E. Berzarin, captured an important stronghold of the enemy’s defense on the roads to Smolensk - the city of Dukhovshchina.

During this operation, our tank groups inflicted the following damage on the enemy: 14 tanks were destroyed, self-propelled guns - 10, artillery systems of various calibers - 55, heavy machine guns - 4, machine guns - 75, mortars - 42, dugouts and bunkers - 109, various warehouses - 25, vehicles - 31, soldiers and officers - about 3260.

Captured: various guns - 4, machine guns - 17, mortars - 4, rifles - 46, tractors - 2, cars - 1, motorcycles - 4, horses - 2, telephone sets - 4.

The losses of the group during the operation amounted to: 63 T-34-76 tanks, 18 T-70 tanks, 4 self-propelled guns SU-122. Only 85 units. Personnel were killed and wounded - 2101 people.

On September 15, the offensive of the Western Front also resumed. On the very first day, the enemy defenses were broken through in all directions. The units of the 31st Army, advancing on Yartsevo, acted actively and decisively. Skillfully maneuvering, they bypassed the pockets of enemy resistance and persistently moved forward. On September 16, the last defensive line of the Germans east of Yartsevo was broken through, and our troops broke into the outskirts of the city. The 359th Rifle Division advancing on Yartsevo (commander - Colonel P.P. Kosolapov), the 82nd Rifle Division (commander - Major General I.V. Pisarev), the 133rd Rifle Division (commander - Colonel M.Z. Kazishvili), relentlessly pursuing the enemy, crossed the Vop River and captured the city.

On September 19, 1943, nine formations and units of the front, which distinguished themselves in the capture of an important stronghold of the German defense on the outskirts of Smolensk, were given the honorary name "Yartsevskie".

At this time, the troops of the shock group achieved significant success. During the five days of the offensive, they advanced to a depth of 40 km. The 254th Alexander Matrosov Guards Rifle Regiment of the 56th Guards Rifle Division glorified itself these days with glorious new battles. With a decisive attack, the 1st rifle company of this regiment, in the ranks of which A. Matrosov accomplished his heroic deed, captured the height of 147.4. The enemy sought to regain lost positions at all costs. More than 150 German machine gunners moved on the guards. “We will die, but we will not give up the height!” - swept through the chain. The machine-gun crew of Sergeant Smolin, a friend of Alexander Matrosov, accurately hit the enemy. Other fighters also fought fearlessly. After fierce attacks, only five people survived. But the height was still in our hands. At that moment, another company entered the rear of the Germans, and with heavy losses they rolled back.

Many documents have been preserved that clearly testify to the greatness of spirit, courage and selflessness shown by the soldiers of the Western Front in the battles for Smolensk. Here is the report of the Komsomol organizer of the 2nd rifle company of the 87th rifle regiment of the 29th guards rifle division Matyushin:

“Now we go to battle. I am writing during a fire raid of our artillery. Komsomol member Polden was wounded, but refused to go to the first-aid post. Company commander killed. I issued a leaflet: “Let's avenge him!” Briefly informed all Komsomol members about this. The Red Army soldiers are more eager to attack to avenge their commander. Over the corpse, a three-fold volley was fired at the Nazis by the entire company.

(Company Komsomol organizer Matyushin ".)

A rifle platoon of junior lieutenant D. G. Yurkov from the 241st rifle regiment of the 95th rifle division rapidly attacked the enemy. During the liberation of the village of Boltutino, the commander of this platoon personally destroyed 25 Germans and 3 heavy machine guns. In hand-to-hand combat near the village of Yegora, D. G. Yurkov with ten soldiers destroyed up to a platoon of infantry and 4 machine guns of the enemy, and then knocked out the German soldiers from the trench. When repelling a strong counterattack near the village of Barsuki, the platoon exterminated up to 40 Nazis. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 3, 1944, junior lieutenant D. G. Yurkov was awarded the high title of Hero Soviet Union.

Our aviators actively contributed to the success of the ground troops. In the battles for Smolensk, the pilots of the 1st Air Army made 6093 sorties, in 160 air battles they shot down 128 enemy aircraft.

Building on their success, the troops of the Kalinin and Western Fronts were already on September 19th conducting an offensive in a zone of about 250 km, with the greatest success achieved in the direction of the main attack of the Western Front, where the troops advanced to a depth of 40 km in five days of the offensive.

On September 20, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, by directive No. 30193, set the task for the troops of the Western Front: to continue the offensive, defeat the retreating enemy grouping and capture the city of Smolensk on September 26–27; by the same time, the troops of the left wing of the front were ordered to occupy Pochinok, Roslavl and reach the line: the Sozh River - Khislavichi - Shumyani; in the future, the main grouping of the front was tasked with advancing in the general direction to Orsha and on October 10-12 to capture the Orsha-Mogilev region.

Directive No. 30192 of September 20, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command ordered the Kalinin Front to concentrate the main efforts of the troops of the left wing of the front on capturing the city of Vitebsk. By September 26-27, the troops were supposed to reach the Ponizovie - Punishchi - Kasplya - Arkhipovka line and capture Vitebsk no later than October 9-10.

Fulfilling the instructions of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the troops of both fronts continued to successfully develop the offensive.

On September 21, the troops of the Kalinin Front, with the forces of the 43rd Army under the command of Lieutenant General K. D. Golubev, captured a powerful enemy defense center on the roads to Vitebsk - the city of Demidov, covering the enemy grouping located in the Smolensk region from the north. In this regard, the enemy began to withdraw his troops operating in front of the left wing of the front. Successfully advancing, the troops of the Kalinin Front by September 24 reached the line 15 km southwest of Velizh - the Kasplya River - Demidov, 10 km north of Smolensk.

On September 23, the strike group of troops of the Western Front cut the Smolensk-Roslavl railway, and on September 24 reached the Sozh River, covering the enemy grouping in the Smolensk region from the south. By this time, the troops of the 10th Army broke into the city of Roslavl and tied up street fighting.

By September 23, the Smolensk enemy grouping was engulfed from the northeast by the 31st Army, from the southwest by the 5th and 68th armies. By the evening of the next day, our advanced divisions reached the approaches to Smolensk.

The liberation of this city is an honorable page in the military history of the Western Front. The German command, well aware of the strategic and political significance of Smolensk, made a lot of efforts to strengthen the troops defending the city. But the onslaught of our units could no longer be stopped. The advanced battalions of the 215th, 331st, 312th and other rifle divisions of the 31st and 5th armies with a bold attack shot down the enemy, who had fortified on the left bank, and broke into Smolensk. The fighting went on all night. The enemy resisted fiercely. But all his attempts to hold the city were in vain. At 03:30 on September 26, Smolensk was completely liberated from the German invaders.

Wasteland gloomy and waterless,
Where the ruins have an evil wind
Cold is thrown into the eyes
Brick dust and ash.

In such sorrowful words, the poet Alexander Tvardovsky captured (he was born in these places. - Note. ed.) picture that opened before the liberators. The ancient city was completely destroyed by the enemy. There is no way to list all the atrocities committed by the Nazis. There are the following statistics: 82% of the buildings were burned and blown up, the entire industry, power plant, water supply, 26 hospitals, 33 schools, 31 administrative buildings were destroyed. In the ruins lay a telegraph, a telephone exchange and a post office, a railway station.

On the night of September 25-26, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, saluted the valiant troops of the Western Front, who captured Smolensk, with twenty artillery volleys from 224 guns.

In the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the merits of the formations and units of the 5th, 31st and 68th armies, as well as artillerymen Major General of Artillery L.I. Kotukhov, Colonel I.S. Basov, Colonel A.A. Sergeev, Colonel S.B. Bildin, Lieutenant Colonel V. S. Kopnin, Major V. V. Bogorodsky, anti-aircraft gunners Colonel N. I. Kaminsky, Lieutenant Colonel M. P. Khilko, Lieutenant Colonel G. P. Semenov, sappers Colonel P. A. Petrov, pilots Major General Aviation V. V. Stepichev, Major General Aviation D. D. Yukhanov, Major General Aviation N. I. Buyansky, Major General Aviation G. N. Zakharov, Major General Aviation V. D. Dryanin, Colonel S. P. Andreev, Lieutenant Colonel V. N. Wuss. 39 formations and units of the front received the honorary name "Smolensk". On September 27, a large rally took place in the city. On behalf of the working people, the head of the returned Soviet power Secretary of the Smolensk regional and city committees of the CPSU (b) D. M. Popov expressed his warm gratitude to the soldiers of the Western Front, who liberated Smolensk.

The military council, formations and parts of the front did a lot to help the working people of the city to establish a normal life. Five mobile power plants with a total capacity of 100 kilowatts provided electricity to the hospital, newly created hospitals, city and regional institutions. The engineering and road units of the front first built a pontoon, and then built a high-water bridge. Sappers of the Combined Engineering Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel E. Kh. Bondarev cleared the city of mines, land mines, and time bombs. In a short time they removed 5 thousand explosive items.

On the day when the troops of the main grouping of the front stormed Smolensk, units of the 10th Army liberated Roslavl. The 49th Rifle Division (commander - Major General A.V. Chizhov), the 139th Rifle Division (commander - Colonel I.K. Kirillov), the 247th Rifle Division (commander - Major General G. D. Mukhin), 277th Rifle Division (commander - Major General S. T. Gladyshev), 326th Rifle Division (commander - Colonel V. A. Gusev).

The offensive operations of the troops of the Western Front continued until the beginning of October. Our formations and units crossed the Sozh River on the move and entered the borders of Belarus.

The enemy, having lost important defense centers for him - Smolensk, Roslavl, Demidov, sought to delay the offensive of our troops at intermediate lines. However, the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts continued to relentlessly pursue the enemy.

During the period from 20 to 25 September, Soviet troops advanced 40–60 km along the entire offensive front. By September 30, formations and units of the left wing and the center of the Kalinin Front reached the Usvyaty-Rudnya line. Further attempts by our troops to continue the offensive in the Vitebsk direction were not successful.

The troops of the Western Front crossed the Sozh River on the move, liberated the cities of Krasny, Mstislavl, Krichev, and by October 2 reached the line Eliseevka - Lyady (west) - Lenino - Dribin and further south along the Pronya River to Petukhovka.

The offensive of the troops of the left wing of the Western Front in the Roslavl direction was carried out in close cooperation with the troops of the Bryansk Front, which at that time was conducting the Bryansk offensive operation. In mid-September, the troops of the Bryansk Front crossed the Desna River, and on September 17 they liberated Bryansk and Bezhitsa. By September 30, they reached the line Krichev - Vetka, and by October 2 - to the Pronya River in the area from Petukhovka to Propoisk (now Slavgorod) and further along the left bank of the Sozh River.

Great assistance was rendered to the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts by partisans operating behind enemy lines in the territory of the Smolensk and Kalinin regions. They pulled back four security divisions (281st, 201st, 286th and 203rd) and, in addition, constantly delivered valuable intelligence about the enemy to the Soviet command.

With the troops of the Kalinin and Western Fronts reaching the Usvyaty-Rudnya-Lenino-Dribin-Propoisk (Slavgorod) line, the advancing troops met organized resistance from the enemy. Attempts to develop an offensive in the Orsha and Mogilev directions were not successful.

German military historians, and above all K. Tippelskirch, assessed the situation around Smolensk in September 1943 in a slightly different way.

The commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal von Kluge, was well aware that under the existing conditions it was impossible to hold the city of Smolensk and the surrounding territories for a long time. Therefore, the German leadership chose a new defensive line in advance and proceeded to equip it. This line passed in front of the Dnieper and covered the last major railway and highway in front of the Pripyat swamps. If the Soviet troops managed to take control of the highway and the Gomel-Mogilev-Orsha railway line, then the defense east of the Pripyat marshes would hardly be feasible. Giving the order in mid-September to withdraw to a new line, passing along the Sozh River and further through Lenino to Rudnya, the command of the group expected that it would be able to stretch this retreat for at least five weeks. Events, however, forced it to be carried out much more quickly. The critical situation on the right wing of the army group, which needed constant support, as well as the exceptionally strong pressure exerted by the Western Front on the troops of the 4th Army in the Smolensk direction, required a continuous reduction in the front line. FROM the greatest work at first they managed to prevent the Red Army from breaking through to Smolensk. But already on September 24, Smolensk and Roslavl, with which the Germans had the most bloody memories of the summer of 1941, the aggressors still had to leave. The onslaught of the Soviet troops increased. Of course, our military intelligence became aware of the preparation of new defensive positions, and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the command of the fronts sought to prevent the German troops from stopping and stabilizing the front. South of Smolensk, which, according to German historians, had to be held for too long due to Hitler's stubbornness, the plan of the Soviet leadership was successful. The enemy failed to prevent the breakthrough of our cavalry corps on Lenino. The situation for the German defense became even more critical when our troops made a breakthrough in the defense zone of the 3rd Panzer Army of the Wehrmacht, which transferred (contrary to Soviet assertions. - Note. ed.) in recent months, several connections to other sectors of the front and forced to stretch the defensive lines of each of the remaining divisions up to 40 km along the front. By regrouping forces in other sectors of Army Group Center, the offensive was stopped. In the meantime, with a strike from the depths, carried out by the forces of hastily created units and rear guard troops, our cavalry corps, which had broken through, was detained in the Lenino area. By October 1, Army Group Center, according to German estimates, safely retreated to a new line, and Field Marshal von Kluge ordered from now on to "end the withdrawal." This is the official assessment of events German historians. There are elements of objectivity in their statements, but during the period of the operation it was the Red Army that owned the initiative, and the German operational-tactical actions were the result of the implementation of our plans.

In the current situation, the need arose again to continue the active operations of the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts in the Vitebsk, Orsha and Mogilev directions in order to tie down the main forces of Army Group Center. By carrying out a number of private operations in these areas, the troops of the Kalinin and Western Fronts completed their task and did not allow the enemy to transfer their forces to the southern direction, where the main outcome of the campaign was being decided. However, progress has stopped.

Before the powerful onslaught of the Soviet infantry, artillery, tanks, aviation, before the courage of our fighters and commanders, the enemy's fortified zones, on which dozens of German divisions defended, could not resist. The troops of the Western Front, waging continuous battles, marched west for more than 200 km. Neither infantry nor tank formations and even units could not be removed by the German command from the western direction. This created favorable conditions for the successful completion of our counter-offensive at Kursk.

For 57 days of fighting, our troops carried out the Spas-Demenskaya, Yelninsko-Dorogobuzhskaya, Dukhovshchinsko-Demidovskaya and Smolensko-Roslavlskaya front-line offensive operations. The irretrievable losses of the troops of the Western and Kalinin fronts during the strategic offensive operation "Suvorov" amounted to 107,645 people.

1. Documents of the archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (TsAMO RF):

a) report of the senior assistant inspector general of the BT and MV KA on the use of the 1st, 5th, 11th, 25th tank corps and the 5th mechanized corps on the Western Front dated August 12, 1943 (TsAMO RF, f. 38, op. 80040ss, d. 94, pp. 23–30);

b) report of the Criminal Command of the BT and MV of the Kalinin Front on the combat operations of the BT and MV Front for August 1943 (TsAMO RF, f. 38, op. 80040ss, d. 214, pp. 47–37);

c) report of the headquarters of the UK BT and MV of the 1st Baltic Front on examples of the combat use of BT and MV in a wooded and swampy area and conclusions on operations for September-December 1943 (TsAMO RF, f. 235, op. 2088, d 49, pp. 1–26);

d) report of the commander of the BT and MV 5A on the military operations of the army in August 1943 (TsAMO RF, f. 38, op. 80040ss, d. 206, pp. 90–92).

2. Operations of the Soviet Armed Forces during the period of a radical change in the course of the Great Patriotic War(November 19, 1942 – December 1943). M.: Voenizdat, 1958. 520 p.

3. Liberation of cities: A guide to the liberation of cities during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. M.: Military publishing house. 598 p.

4. Russia and the USSR in the wars of the XX century. M.: Olma-Press, 2001.492 p.

5. Soviet cavalry (military history essay). M.: Military Publishing House, 1984. 316 p.

6. Degtyarev P. A., Ionov P. P.. "Katyusha" on the battlefield. M., 1991.238 p.

7. Müller-Hillebrand B. Ground Army of Germany. 1933–1945 T. 3. War on two fronts. Moscow: Military Publishing House, 1976. 416 p.

8. Tippelskirch C. History of the Second World War. Volume 2.1943–1945. 304 p.

Combat operations of the 61st Rifle Corps of the 13th Army in the Mogilev direction

Defensive battles in the Bryansk direction and counterattacks of the troops of the Bryansk Front from August 25 to September 10, 1941

The offensive operation of the 24th Army of the Red Army in the Yelnya region from August 30 to September 8, 1941

The fighting of the opposing sides during Smolensk battle from July 10 to September 10, 1941

The fighting of the Soviet and German troops during the Smolensk strategic offensive operation "Suvorov" (August 7 - October 20, 1943)

Notes:

Lensky A. G. Land forces of the Red Army (in the pre-war years). St. Petersburg, 2000, p. 89.

Ibid, p. 114, 115.

TsAMO RF, f. 208, op. 2526, file 6737, ll. 616–618.

TsAMO RF, f. 661, op. 81133, d. 2, l. 28.

The 1st SS Brigade included two motorized infantry regiments of three battalions each (each had three motorized infantry and a machine-gun company); also in each of the regiments there were anti-tank (12 37-mm guns) and infantry artillery systems (2150-mm howitzers, 4105-mm guns), a tank destroyer battery (12 37-mm guns), an anti-aircraft battery (12 20-mm guns), a motorcycle a company (18 light and 2 heavy machine guns, 3 50-mm mortars, 7 Sd.Kfz.222/223 armored vehicles) and a sapper company (9 machine guns).

TsAMO RF, f., 235, op. 2088, d. 49, ll. 2–5.

Ibid, l, 6.

TsAMO RF, f. 208, op. 2526, d. 381, l. 231.

Ibid., d. 381, l. 83.

"Rising from the Ruins" Smolensk book publishing house, 1963, p. 24.

	Central Russia, Belarus
	USSR victory
Opponents
Commanders
Andrey Eremenko	Gunther Hans von Kluge
Vasily Sokolovsky
Side forces
1,253,000 people, 20,640 guns and mortars, 1,436 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1,100 aircraft	over 850,000 people, 8,800 guns and mortars, 500 tanks and assault guns, up to 700 aircraft
107,645 killed, captured, missing and 343,821 wounded	250,000 killed and wounded

Smolensk offensive operation(August 7 - October 2, 1943) - an offensive operation of the troops of the Western Front and the left wing of the Kalinin Front, carried out with the aim of defeating the left wing of the German Army Group Center and preventing the transfer of its forces to the southwestern direction, where the Red Army delivered the main blow, and also liberate Smolensk.

Forces and composition of the parties

Germany

Army Group "Center" under the command of Field Marshal G. Kluge, consisting of:

• 3rd Panzer Army (General tank troops G. Reinhardt)
• 4th Field Army (Infantry General G. Heinrici)
• part of the formations of the 9th field army (Colonel-General V. Model)

A total of 44 divisions: over 850 thousand people, about 8800 guns and mortars, about 500 tanks and assault guns, up to 700 aircraft.

The German command, trying to keep the occupied lines east of Smolensk and Roslavl, concentrated its main forces in this direction. The enemy had a strong defense ( central part"Eastern shaft"), which included 5-6 lanes with a total depth of 100-130 km. The cities of Velizh, Demidov, Dukhovshchina, Smolensk, Yelnya, Roslavl were turned into powerful fortified nodes.

USSR

The left wing of the Kalinin Front under the command of Colonel General A. I. Eremenko, consisting of:

• 4th Shock Army (Major General Shvetsov V.I.)
• 43rd Army (Lieutenant General Golubev K.D.)
• 39th Army (Lieutenant General Zygin A. I., from September 9, Lieutenant General Berzarin N. E.)
• 5th Guards Rifle Corps
• 3rd Air Army (Lieutenant General of Aviation Papivin N.F.)

The Western Front under the command of Colonel General, and from August 27, General of the Army V. D. Sokolovsky, consisting of:

• 31st Army (Lieutenant General Gluzdovsky V.A.)
• 5th Army (Lieutenant General Polenov V. S.)
• 10th Guards Army (Lieutenant General Trubnikov K.P.)
• 33rd Army (Colonel-General Gordov V.N.)
• 49th Army (Lieutenant General Grishin I. T.)
• 10th Army (Lieutenant General Popov V. S.)
• 68th Army (Lieutenant General Zhuravlev E.P.)
• 21st Army (Lieutenant General Krylov N.I.)
• 5th Mechanized Corps (General Volkov M.V.)
• 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps (General Oslikovsky N. S.)
• 2nd Guards Tank Corps (General Burdeyny A.S.)
• 6th Guards Cavalry Corps (General Sokolov S.V.)
• 1st Air Army (Lieutenant General of Aviation Gromov M. M.)

The troops of both fronts occupied an enveloping position in relation to the enemy grouping and by the beginning of the Smolensk operation, there were 1253 thousand people, 20 640 guns and mortars, 1436 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1100 aircraft.

Operation plan

According to the plan of the Soviet command, the main role in the operation was assigned to the Western Front, which was to destroy the enemy in the areas of Yelnya, Spas-Demensk and then advance on Roslavl, striking at the flank of the enemy group deployed against the Bryansk Front. The troops of the right wing of the front, together with the armies of the left wing of the Kalinin Front, received the task of defeating the enemy in the areas of Dorogobuzh, Yartsevo, Dukhovshchina and subsequently capturing Smolensk (the Suvorov I plan). In the event of a successful offensive by the Bryansk Front, it was planned to turn the main forces of the Western Front to Smolensk (the Suvorov II plan). It was planned to break through the enemy defenses in four sectors in the Western and one in the Kalinin fronts.

The Smolensk operation included 4 front-line operations united by a common plan:

• Spas-Demenskaya operation (7 - 20 August 1943);
• Elninsko-Dorogobuzh operation (August 28 - September 6, 1943);
• Dukhovshchinsko-Demidov operation (September 14 - October 2, 1943);
• Smolensk-Roslavl operation (September 15 - October 2, 1943).

The course of the battle

Having launched an offensive on August 7, the troops of the Western Front completed the Spas-Demenskaya operation on August 20, during which they defeated the enemy grouping in the Spas-Demensk area, advanced 30-40 km in depth, and then were stopped at an intermediate defensive line. The troops of the Kalinin Front, which went on the offensive on August 13 in the Dukhovshchina direction, were only able to slightly penetrate the enemy's defenses. In the current situation, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command temporarily suspended the offensive in order to regroup forces and prepare a new strike.

From August 28 to September 6, the troops of the Western Front carried out the Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation, during which on August 30 they captured Yelnya, and the right wing forced the Dnieper and liberated Dorogobuzh on September 1, advancing to the outcome of the operation by 35-40 km

After the regrouping, the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts resumed the offensive, carrying out the Dukhovshchinsky-Demidov operation and the Smolensk-Roslavl operation, respectively. September 16 Yartsevo was liberated, September 21 - Demidov, September 25 - Smolensk and Roslavl. Having advanced 135-145 km, by October 2, Soviet troops reached the line west of Velizh, Rudnya, r. Pronya, where they went on the defensive.

results

As a result of the Smolensk operation, Soviet troops advanced 200-250 km westward in a strip 400 km wide, cleared part of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions from German invaders, and laid the foundation for the liberation of Belarus. 7 enemy divisions were defeated, 14 suffered a heavy defeat. The enemy was forced to transfer 16 divisions from the Oryol-Bryansk and other directions to the Smolensk region. In total, the Kalinin and Western fronts pinned down about 55 enemy divisions, which contributed to the successful completion of the Soviet counteroffensive in the Battle of Kursk. The partisans provided great assistance to the army. Particularly distinguished 70 formations and units of the Western and 34 Kalinin fronts received the honorary names "Smolensk", "Elninsk", "Dukhovshchinsk", "Yartsevsk", "Demidov", "Roslavl" and others. Many formations and units were awarded medals.

Operation in computer games

In the computer game Behind Enemy Lines 2: Assault on the mission "Smolensk" of the USSR campaign, the player will take part in the Smolensk-Roslavl operation (force the Dnieper and advance towards Smolensk). (In the mission there are samples of vehicles that were not released in 1943, which indicates insufficient correspondence between the game and the real story.) As well as in the computer game Confrontation RWG 3.0b

SMOLENSK OPERATION 1943(code name "Suvorov"), a strategic offensive operation of the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts, carried out on August 7 - October 2 in order to defeat the left wing of Army Group Center, liberate Smolensk and prevent the transfer of it. troops in the southwestern strategic direction.

The leitmotif of the actions of the Soviet troops was the call of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks: “Forward to defeat the German invaders and expel them from the borders of our Motherland!”

The troops were tasked not only to push the enemy back even further from Moscow, but also to liberate the ancient Russian city of Smolensk and open the road to Belarus. In this direction, the enemy was 200-300 km from Moscow and continued to threaten it and the entire Central Industrial Region of the country, and also closed the owls. troops the shortest routes to Belarus and the Baltic states.

The German command believed that the liberation of Smolensk by the Red Army would create favorable starting positions for it for subsequent operations in the Minsk region. To prevent this, the troops Wehrmacht for a long period of stay here, they created a strong defense in the Smolensk direction. boundary (the central part of the "Eastern Wall") of 5-6 lanes (total depth 100-130 km), saturated with wire obstacles, minefields, pillboxes, bunkers, anti-tank ditches, gouges, blockages, etc. In addition, natural conditions areas of hostilities favored the defense: wooded terrain, with large swampy areas.

At the end of July, the troops of the Kalinin (gen.-regiment. A.I. Eremenko) and the Western (gen.-regiment. V.D. Sokolovsky) fronts together totaled approx. 1.3 million people, more than 20 thousand or. and mortars, approx. 1.5 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 1.1 thousand aircraft. On the Smolensk and Roslavl directions, they took up defense along the Velizh line east of Safonovo, west of Kirov and further to the southeast. The Army Group Center that opposed them (Gen.-Feldm. G. Kluge) had St. 850 thousand people, approx. 8.8 thousand op. and mortars, approx. 500 tanks and assault guns, up to 700 aircraft and supported by 6VF aviation.

To get acquainted with the situation in the Smolensk direction in early August, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin. The plan of the operation, its preparation, operational camouflage, etc. were discussed with the command of the Western, and then the Kalinin Fronts.

Owls. the command planned to dismember it with strikes in several directions. group and crush it piece by piece. The main blow was delivered by the armies of the Western Front (31A, 5A, 10 Guards A, 33A, 49A, 10A, 50A, 68A, 21A, 1VA, 2 Guards. Tk, 5 Mk, 6 Guards Kk) in order to defeat the enemy in the Yelnya areas and Spas-Demensk. In the future, his troops were to move to Roslavl in order to help the Bryansk Front advancing in the Roslavl direction in the fight against the powerful German deployed against it. grouping. The troops of the right wing of the Western Front, together with the forces of the left wing of the Kalinin Front (4 ud. A, 43A, 39A, 3VA, 3 Guards. KK) had the task of hitting the enemy in the areas of Dorogobuzh, Yartsevo, Dukhovshchina and then liberate Smolensk. This plan was called "Suvorov I". Subject to the successful development of the offensive of the Bryansk Front without the support of the Western Front, it was planned to turn the forces of the Bryansk Front to Smolensk (the plan was called "Suvorov II").

During the preparation of the Smolensk operation, the command managed to create strike groups of troops in the breakthrough areas that outnumbered the enemy. However, for the development of the operation in the armies there were no strong second echelons, and in the fronts - mobile groups. During the preparation of the Smolensk operation, camouflage measures were not sufficiently observed - this allowed the enemy to determine the areas of concentration of strike groups and advance additional reserves there in advance.

The Smolensk operation included 4 front-line operations. On the morning of August 7, the troops of the shock group of the Western Front went on the offensive, starting the Spas-Demenskaya operation of 1943. The fighting immediately took on a protracted character, accompanied by continuous counterattacks and stubborn German resistance.

Already on the first day of the offensive, soldiers and officers showed heroism and courage. In order to capture the strong stronghold of the enemy at an altitude of 233.3, the command formed a special detachment from the soldiers of the 1st assault engineering brigade under the command of Major F.N. Belokony. On the night of August 8, the companies of the detachment, with the support of artillery, simultaneously stormed the heights from 3 sides. The detachment knocked the enemy out of the trenches, overcame the anti-tank ditches, broke into the dugouts and fortified at a height. The enemy suffered heavy losses, and the loss of the detachment amounted to 2 people. killed and 19 wounded. For courage and heroism, Major Belokon was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, most of the soldiers were awarded orders and medals.

The troops of the front for 14 days advanced to the depths. 30–40 km, more than 530 settlements were liberated, incl. Spas-Demensk (August 13). By the end of August 20, the offensive of Kr. The army was stopped by the enemy at positions prepared by him in advance at the turn southwest of Yelnya, Zimtsy. On August 13, 43A (Leutnant General K.D. Golubev) and 39A (Leutnant General A.I. Zygin) of the Kalinin Front launched an offensive from the area northwest and east of Dukhovshchina, which also met stubborn resistance from the enemy and , suffering heavy losses, in 5 days wedged into its defenses for 6-7 km.

Trying to stop Kr. army at any cost in the first half of August, the command was transferred to the Smolensk direction from Orel, Bryansk, and from other sectors Soviet-German front up to 13 divisions. Under these conditions, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command gave the order to suspend the offensive of the Western and Kalinin fronts in order to more carefully prepare a new strike.

August 28 - September 6, the troops of the Western Front carried out the Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation of 1943, during which they liberated the years. Yelnya (August 30), Dorogobuzh (September 1). Overcoming the growing resistance of the enemy, in difficult conditions of wooded and swampy terrain, the troops of the front crossed the river. Ustrom, Desna and Snopot, and by the end of September 6, entrenched themselves at the turn of the north-east of Yartsevo, west of Yelnya.

The Kalinin Front also stopped active hostilities in order to more thoroughly prepare for a further offensive. On September 14, the troops of the Kalinin Front resumed their offensive, and on September 15, the offensive of the Western Fronts, carrying out the Dukhovshchinsky-Demidov operation of 1943 and the Smolensk-Roslavl operation of 1943, respectively. troops broke through the enemy's defenses, liberated Messrs. Yartsevo (September 16), Demidov (September 22), Smolensk and Roslavl (September 25), advanced 130–180 km.

The troops were actively supported by aviation 3VA (General Lieutenant Aviation N.F. Papivin) and 1VA (General Lieutenant Aviation M.M. Gromov), a great help to the advancing Kr. the army was provided by the partisans of the Kalinin, Smolensk regions and Belarus. They, interacting with the troops of Kr. army, during the operation "Rail War", forced the invaders to refuse to transport troops along the railway. and country roads passing through the forests south of Bryansk (see also Partisan movement). “The situation with the partisans has become aggravated in such a way that the withdrawal of troops, especially on the southern flank ... becomes possible only as a result of stubborn fighting by our units intended for this,” said the report of the headquarters of Army Group Center for September 28. On October 2, the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts reached the line west of Velizh, Rudnya, Dribin and further south along the river. Pronya, stopping the offensive on the orders of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

As a result of the Smolensk operation, the troops of the Kalinin and Western Fronts advanced 200–250 km westward in the lat. 300 km, liberated Smolensk and part of the Kalinin region from the invaders. and entered the borders of Belarus. This significantly moved the front line away from Moscow, ensured the collapse of the "Eastern Wall" in the upper reaches of the river. Dnieper and created a threat to the northern flank of Army Group Center. 7 divisions were defeated and 14 enemy divisions suffered a heavy defeat. German the command was forced to transfer 16 divisions to the area of ​​operation from other directions, incl. from the central one, which contributed to the successful completion Battle of Kursk 1943 and conducting operations to liberate Left-Bank Ukraine.

Owl losses. troops were: irrevocable - St. 107.6 thousand people, sanitary - 34.3 thousand people. The troops acted courageously and purposefully, showed courage and military skill. Particularly distinguished 73 formations and units of the Western and 16 - Kalinin fronts received the honorary names of Smolensk, Demidov, Roslavl and others. Many formations and units were awarded orders, tens of thousands of soldiers were awarded military awards.

Research Institute ( military history) VAGSH RF Armed Forces