On November 3 - 13, 1943, the troops of the front carried out the Kyiv strategic offensive operation, during which on November 6 they liberated Kyiv and advanced westward from the Dnieper up to 150 km. Then, on November 13 - December 22, 1943, they carried out the Kyiv defensive operation, as a result of which they thwarted the plans of the German command to recapture Kiev and eliminate the strategic foothold of the Soviet troops.
Subsequently, on December 24, 1943 - January 14, 1944, the troops of the front carried out the Zhytomyr-Berdichev operation, advancing almost 200 km, deeply engulfed the German Army Group South from the north and created favorable conditions for organizing offensive operations on Pravoberezhnaya Ukraine.
In the winter of 1944, the troops of the left flank of the front, in cooperation with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, participated in the Korsun-Shevchenko operation (January 24 - February 17), as a result of which over 10 enemy divisions were surrounded and destroyed. At the same time, the armies of the right flank carried out the Rovno-Lutsk operation (January 27 - February 11, 1944) and took up an advantageous position for striking the flank and rear of the German Army Group South from the north. The main forces of the Army Group "South" were defeated in March - April by the troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts.
Having carried out the Proskurov-Chernivtsi operation (March 4 - April 17, 1944), the troops of the front reached the Carpathians and, in cooperation with the troops2nd Ukrainian Front split the strategic front German troops into two parts.
In the summer of 1944, during the Lvov-Sandomierz strategic operation (July 13 - August 29), the German army group "Northern Ukraine" was defeated, the western regions of Ukraine, southeastern regions of Poland were liberated from the enemy, and a large Sandomierz bridgehead was captured on the left bank of the Vistula .
In the winter of 1945, the troops of the front carried out the Sandomierz-Silesian operation (January 12 - February 3), during which the southern regions of Poland were liberated, the Oder was crossed and hostilities were transferred to German territory. In February, as a result of the Lower Silesian operation (February 8-24), the troops of the front reached the Neisse River and took up an advantageous position for an attack on Berlin.
In the second half of March 1945, the troops of the left flank of the front carried out the Upper Silesian operation (March 15-31), surrounded and then destroyed the Oppeln and Ratibor groupings of the enemy.
In April - May 1945, the troops of the front participated in the Berlin strategic operation (April 16 - May 8), and then in the Prague strategic operation (May 6 - 11), during which the defeat of the German armed forces was completed.
The front was disbanded on June 10, 1945 on the basis of the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command No. 11096 of May 29, 1945; its field administration was reorganized into the administration of the Central Group of Forces.
On July 6, 1944, as part of the front for participation in the Lvov-Sandomierz strategic operation,1st and 2ndhorse-mechanized groups.
Troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front participated in the following operations:
- Strategic operations:
- Berlin strategic offensive operation of 1945;
- Vistula-Oder strategic offensive operation of 1945;
- East Carpathian strategic offensive operation of 1944;
- Dnieper-Carpathian strategic offensive operation of 1943-44;
- Kyiv strategic offensive operation of 1943;
- Lviv-Sandomierz strategic offensive operation of 1944;
- Prague strategic offensive operation in 1945.
- Front and army operations:
- Bukrinsky offensive operation of 1943;
- Upper Silesian offensive operation of 1945;
- Dresden-Prague offensive operation in 1945;
- Zhytomyr-Berdik offensive operation of 1943-44;
- Carpathian-Dukla offensive operation of 1944;
- Carpathian-Uzhgorod offensive operation of 1944;
- Kyiv defensive operation 1943;
- Korsun-Shevchenko offensive operation of 1944;
- Cottbus-Potsdam offensive operation in 1945;
- Lvov offensive operation in 1944;
- Lutezhskaya offensive operation of 1943;
- Lower Silesian offensive operation in 1945;
- Operation to expand the bridgehead in the area of Sandomierz 1944;
- Proskurov-Chernivtsi offensive operation of 1944;
- Rovno-Lutsk offensive operation of 1944;
- Sandomierz offensive operation in 1944;
- Sandomierz-Silesian offensive operation of 1945;
- Stanislav offensive operation of 1944;
- Sudeten offensive operation in 1945;
- Stremberg-Torgau offensive operation in 1945.
Unfortunately, knowledge about history both in Europe and in Russia has declined so much that many are ready to consider the words of the Polish and American diplomats to be quite true.
How is it really?
North to South
According to the dictionary of military terms, the front is an operational-strategic association armed forces, usually created with the outbreak of war. The front is intended to solve operational-strategic tasks in one strategic or several operational directions of the continental theater of military operations.
The composition of the fronts includes combined arms armies, as well as various tank, aviation, and artillery formations, designed to solve the tasks assigned to the front.
An important point - the fronts never had a permanent composition of formations. The units included in their composition were often transferred to other fronts if the situation so required.
The only thing that was constant was the administration of the front, formed according to the established staff and disbanded only in the event of the disbandment of the front.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the Soviet command formed five fronts - Northern, Northwestern, Western, Southwestern and Southern.
It is quite obvious that the fronts were named after geographical location. As a rule, the fronts included units that previously belonged to the respective military districts. On the basis of the command of the military districts, the first front departments were also formed.
Participants in the dress rehearsal for the Victory Parade on Red Square. Photo: RIA Novosti
Belarusian, 1st Belarusian, Belarusian again ...
The number of fronts during the war years was never constant. Their formation, merger and separation was carried out depending on the situation. The larger the general line of military contact became, the more fronts appeared, since the management of too large concentrations of troops turned out to be ineffective.
In addition, reserve fronts were created in the rear of the fronts engaged in hostilities, acting as an additional line of defense, as well as centers for the accumulation of fresh units ready to engage in battle.
Fronts with the same names during the war years were created in different periods. For example, in October 1943, the Central Front was renamed the Belorussian Front and existed under that name until February 1944. After that, he became the 1st Belorussian Front.
The secondary Belorussian Front was formed in April 1944 and lasted less than two weeks, being renamed ... the 1st Belorussian Front, which should not be confused with the 1st Belorussian Front, which was discussed earlier.
These names can make your head spin, but you must understand that in the Soviet troops there never existed simultaneously two Western, two 1st Belorussian or other two fronts with an identical name. All these changes were organizational in nature.
Military historians, in order not to get confused about which front they are talking about, use such formulations as, for example, “1st Belorussian Front of the first formation” and “1st Belorussian Front of the second formation”.
Why the division became Lviv
But the most important thing is that the names Soviet fronts have nothing to do with what nationality the soldiers were in their units.
Take, for example, the 1st Ukrainian Front, whose history was so freely interpreted by the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry.
It was created in the south-western direction on October 20, 1943 on the basis of the order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command dated October 16, 1943 by renaming the Voronezh Front. The Voronezh Front was formed in July 1942 from part of the troops of the Bryansk Front that defended Voronezh. As for the Bryansk Front, it appeared in August 1941 at the junction of the Central and Reserve Fronts to cover the Bryansk direction.
Based on the logic of Mr. Schetina, this front at different periods consisted entirely of the inhabitants of Bryansk, then of Voronezh, or even of some mysterious “centrals”.
The front included units formed in various parts of the Soviet Union. For example, the 100th Lvov Rifle Division of the 60th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front, which directly participated in the liberation of Auschwitz, was formed in March 1942 in Vologda. And the honorary name “Lvivskaya” was received by her not at all due to the fact that it consisted entirely of residents of Western Ukraine, but for the valor and heroism of the fighters during the liberation of Lviv.
Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians, Georgians, Armenians and representatives of many other nationalities fought shoulder to shoulder in the ranks of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Then they were all together Soviet soldiers who went to their deaths for one Motherland for all.
An interesting point: from March 1945 until the end of the war, the 1st Ukrainian Front really included a unit that almost entirely consisted of representatives of one nationality. It was the 2nd Army of the Polish Army.
Fronts are many, Victory is one
As already mentioned, in different time there were different numbers of fronts. In 1943, their simultaneous number reached 13. Then the front line began to decrease, and 8 fronts ended the war with Germany - Leningrad, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian.
In total, during the war, the Soviet command created the following fronts: Belorussian (two formations), 1st Belorussian (two formations), 2nd Belorussian (two formations), 3rd Belorussian, Bryansk (three formations), Volkhov (two formations) , Voronezh, Donskoy, Transcaucasian (two formations), Western, Caucasian, Kalinin, Karelian, Crimean, Kursk, Leningrad, Moscow reserve, Moscow defense zone, Orlovsky, Baltic, 1st Baltic, 2nd Baltic, 3rd Baltic , Reserve (two formations), Northern, Northwestern, North Caucasian (two formations), Stalingrad (two formations), Stepnoy, 1st Ukrainian, 2nd Ukrainian, 3rd Ukrainian, 4th Ukrainian (two formations), Mozhaisk line of defense, Reserve armies, Central (two formations), South-Eastern, South-Western (two formations), Southern (two formations).
In September 1941, the Trans-Baikal Front was created and existed throughout the Great Patriotic War, designed to repel a possible Japanese invasion. He entered the battle in August 1945, with the beginning Soviet-Japanese War, along with the newly formed 1st and 2nd Far Eastern Fronts.
The saddest thing is that, unlike European inhabitants who are not well versed in history, the Polish Minister Grzegorz Schetyna is a historian by training. And therefore, everything that is stated above, he knows perfectly well. It is very possible that the US Ambassador Michael Kirby is also aware of this.
And the statements made by these gentlemen are not a mistake, not an incident, but a conscious course towards rewriting history, its distortion for political purposes.
And this course will not lead to anything good.
© / Natalia Loseva
© www.globallookpress.com
© / Natalia Loseva
© www.globallookpress.com
© / Natalia Loseva
© / Natalia Loseva
© / Natalia Loseva
© / Natalia Loseva
©
The Ukrainian Front is the name of the operational strategic formations of the armed forces. Ukrainian Front (First World War listen)) (December 1917 March 1918) operational strategic association of the armed forces of the Ukrainian People's Republic.… … Wikipedia
The Ukrainian Front is the name of several fronts of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. 1st Ukrainian Front 2nd Ukrainian Front 3rd Ukrainian Front 4th Ukrainian Front ... Wikipedia
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Ukrainian Front 4th- UKRAINIAN FRONT 4th, created. Oct 20 1943 (as a result of renaming South French) as part of the 2nd and 3rd Guards, 5th Shock, 28th, 44th, 51st Combined Arms A and 8th VA. Later, Primorskaya A and 4th VA were included at different times. In con. oct. … Great Patriotic War 1941-1945: Encyclopedia
See also: Ukrainian front (values) 2nd Ukrainian front 2Ukr.F Armed Forces emblem Years of existence October 20, 1943 June 10, 1945 Country ... Wikipedia
See also: Ukrainian Front (values) 3rd Ukrainian Front 3Ukr.F Emblem of the Armed Forces Years of existence October 20, 1943 June 15, 1945 ... Wikipedia
See also: Ukrainian front (values) 4th Ukrainian front 4Ukr.F Armed Forces emblem Years of existence October 20, 1943 May 31, 1944, August 6, 1944 ... Wikipedia
See also: Ukrainian Front (disambiguation) The 4th Ukrainian Front was an operational strategic formation of Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War. Formed in the southwestern direction on October 20, 1943 on the basis of the order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command dated 16 ... ... Wikipedia
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- Ukrainian hell This is our war, Berezin F., Sequel to the bestseller "Ukrainian Front", banned by the Kyiv junta! Futuristic action movie civil war in Ukraine. The rebellious Southeast bleeds in an unequal struggle against... Category:
What is this - the statement of an ignoramus who, by hook or by crook, broke through to a high government post, a opportunist or ...
Of course the last one. Everyone remembers well the miracles from Mr. A. Deshchitsa, the Maidan minister. There is undoubtedly something in common in the images of these two artists of the light genre.
God is their judge, not their teacher.
First Ukrainian Front.
The First Ukrainian Front was created on October 20, 1943 on the basis of the order of the Supreme Command Headquarters of October 16, 1943 by renaming the Voronezh Front. It included the 13th, 27th, 38th, 40th, 47th, 60th combined arms armies, the 3rd Guards Tank Army, and the 2nd Air Army. Subsequently, the composition of the front changed several times.
Commanders of the troops: General of the Army Vatutin Nikolai Fedorovich (October 1943 - March 1944), Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich (March - May 1944), Marshal of the Soviet Union Konev Ivan Stepanovich (May 1944 - until the end of the war).
By January 1945, the First Ukrainian Front included:
- 3rd Guards Army;
- 5th Guards Army;
- 6th army;
- 13th army;
- 21st Army;
- 52nd Army;
- 59th army;
- 60th army;
- 3rd Guards Tank Army;
- 4th Panzer Army;
- 2nd Air Force.
In order to create a powerful strike force in the main direction of the offensive of the Soviet troops, the First Ukrainian Front was reinforced with rifle, airborne, cavalry, artillery, armored, mechanized formations, units air force and engineering troops.
It should also be noted that on March 19, 1945, the 2nd Army of the Polish Army entered the First Ukrainian Front, whose soldiers took part in the Berlin and then Prague operations.
In November 1943, during offensive operation the troops of the front liberated Kyiv, and in the course of further defensive battles they managed to keep it. In December 1943-January 1944, the formations of the front carried out a successful offensive in the Zhytomyr direction, covered the enemy's Army Group South from the north, and created conditions for the further development of the offensive on the territory of the Right-Bank Ukraine. During a large-scale offensive on the territory of Ukraine in January-April 1944, the troops of the front, in cooperation with formations of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, defeated the German forces in the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky area, and then defeated the main forces of Army Group South. By the end of April, the front's troops reached the Carpathians and, in cooperation with the 2nd Ukrainian Front, cut the enemy's front into two parts. In the summer of 1944, during successful offensive battles, the formations of the front defeated the troops of the Northern Ukraine Army Group, liberated the western regions of Ukraine, southeastern regions of Poland, crossed the Vistula in the Sandomierz region and captured a bridgehead on its left bank. On August 6, 1944, the formations of the left wing of the front were transferred to the formation of the 4th Ukrainian Front. From the Sandomierz bridgehead in January 1945, front formations attacked the enemy in the direction of the Oder, crossed it and moved fighting into German territory. In February - March 1945, the troops of the front liberated Lower and Upper Silesia, reached the Neisse River and took up an advantageous position for an attack on Berlin. In April-May 1945, the formations of the front took part in operations to capture Berlin and defeat the enemy grouping in Czechoslovakia.
It was disbanded on June 10, 1945 in accordance with the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of May 29, 1945. The front administration was reorganized into the administration of the Central Group of Forces.
On final stage Sandomierz-Silesian operation January 27, 1945, Soviet troops under the command of Marshal I.S. Konev, namely the soldiers of Major General V.Ya. Petrenko, commander of the 107th division of the 60th army, entered Auschwitz, in which at that moment about 7.6 thousand prisoners remained among the living.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp by the Soviet troops, the Russian Ministry of Defense on its website for the first time published unique TsAMO documents from the Great Patriotic War, relating, in particular, to the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Some of them were previously in secret storage and were available only to a narrow circle of historians.
Materials revealing the course of military operations and the liberation of Poland in January 1945 contain combat reports from the command of formations and units of the 1st Ukrainian Front, including the combat log of the 472nd Infantry Regiment, a political report from the head of the political department of the 100th Infantry Division, the head political department of the 60th Army - direct participants in the liberation of prisoners from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
A report was also made public on the list of military personnel according to socio-demographic characteristics of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front, containing information about Red Army soldiers of more than 39 nationalities - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Armenians, Ossetians, Georgians and many others.
Apparently, the scale of the operational-strategic associations of troops, their role in the liberation of Europe from the Nazi invaders during the Second World War simply does not fit in the heads of such bad boys from politics.
Finally, I would like to recall one more important fact from the history of the Second World War. In March 1944, the 1st Polish Army was deployed (more than 90 thousand people), which included not only Polish citizens, but also Soviet citizens. Moreover, the backbone of the army was the First Polish Infantry Division. Tadeusz Kosciuszko, whose formation began a year earlier in the Seletsky military camps near Ryazan.
The division received its baptism of fire near the village of Lenino in the Mogilev region on October 12, 1943, and ended the war as part of the 1st Polish Army in May 1945 near the walls of the defeated Reichstag.
Representatives of different countries and peoples rallied in one row, at the cost of incredible sacrifices they won the most cruel war in the history of mankind, gave us peace and freedom.
I really would not want the conquered to be divided, sold, repainted, redesigned, and simply put, betrayed by these base people.
Operation plan of the 1st Ukrainian Front
The overall goal of the operation of the 1st Ukrainian Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union Ivan Stepanovich Konev was to break through the German defenses on the Neisse River, defeat enemy groupings in the Cottbus region and south of Berlin, followed by an offensive to the west and the exit of Soviet troops to the Belitz, Wittenberg and R. Elbe.
By the beginning of the operation, the 1st Ukrainian Front deployed to the south of the 1st Belorussian Front in a 390 km wide section from Gross Gastrose to Krnov. The main strike force of the front was located on the 48-kilometer section of Gross-Gastrose, Birkfer. The section Birkfere, Rothenburg, 30 km away, was defended by two Polish divisions. The southern auxiliary strike force was located on the 13-kilometer section Rotenburg, Pentsikh. The sector Pencih, Krnov (about 300 km) was defended by the divisions of the left flank of the 52nd Army, troops of the 21st and 59th armies. The 6th Army continued the siege of Breslau. Already during the Berlin operation, the 31st Army was transferred to the left flank of the front.
Konev decided to deliver the main blow with the forces of three combined arms and two tank armies from the Tribel region in the direction of Spremberg, Belzig with the aim of defeating German troops in the Cottbus region and south of Berlin and reaching the front to the line of the river. Elbe. The right wing of the front was to take part in the storming of Berlin. The main strike group included the 3rd Guards Army of Vasily Gordov, the 13th Army of Nikolai Pukhov, the 5th Guards Army of Alexei Zhadov, the 3rd Guards Tank Army of Pavel Rybalko and the 4th Guards Tank Army of Dmitry Lelyushenko. The 3rd Guards Army was reinforced by the 25th Tank Corps, and the 5th Guards Army by the 4th Guards Tank Corps. In addition, in the second echelon of the front was the 28th army of Alexander Luchinsky, which was supposed to develop success in the main direction. On the second day of the operation, the main strike force of the front was to break through the enemy defenses in the Forst-Muskau sector and reach the Spree River.
Commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, Marshal I.S. Konev and the commander of the 4th tank army D.D. Lelyushenko at the observation post during the breakthrough of the German defenses on the Neisse River
From the border of the Spree River, they planned to introduce tank armies into the breakthrough (in reality, they entered the battle already on the first day of the operation). Rybalko's army received the task of advancing from the line south of Cottbus, and Lelyushenko's army - from the area north of Spremberg. The mobile formations of the front were to decisively break away from the front and develop a rapid offensive to the north-west, in the general direction of Treuenbritzen. The Rybalko Guards Army received the task on the 5th day of the offensive to reach the Trebbin, Troyenbritzen, Luckenwalde area, on the 6th day - to capture Brandenburg. Part of the forces of the 3rd Guards Tank Army received the task of attacking Berlin from south direction. On the 5th day of the operation, Lelyushenko's Guards Army received the task of reaching the Niemegk, Wittenberg area, and on the 6th day, occupying Rathenow and Dessau with forward detachments.
To ensure the success of the main strike force from the south, an auxiliary strike was planned by the forces of the 2nd Army of the Polish Karol Swierchevsky, the Polish tank corps and the right wing of the 52nd Army of Konstantin Koroteev with the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps of Ivan Korchagin from the area west of Kolfurt in the general direction to Dresden. In addition, Viktor Baranov's 1st Guards Cavalry Corps was planned to enter the offensive zone of the 52nd Army. The cavalry was supposed to go to the rear of the Görlitz-Dresden enemy grouping. From the air, the offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front was supported by the 2nd Air Army of Stepan Krasovsky.
Breakthrough of the Neisse line
16 April. On the night of April 16, 1945, in the Forst, Muskau zone, our troops conducted reconnaissance in force. A reinforced company was allocated from each division of the first echelon. At night, reconnaissance companies, reinforced by artillerymen and mortarmen, secretly crossed the Neisse. However, their attempts to penetrate the enemy's defenses ran into strong, well-organized resistance. As a result, reconnaissance established that the German troops were firmly in defensive positions.
In order to mask the direction of the main attack at dawn on April 16, a smoke screen was installed along the entire 390-kilometer front, which was occupied by Konev's armies. At 6 o'clock. 15 minutes. a 40-minute artillery preparation began. From 7 o'clock. 05 min. bomber aircraft began the attack, from 8 o'clock. 30 min. and a whole tea operated stormtroopers. In the meantime, sappers brought assault bridges and prepared watercraft.
At 6 o'clock. 55 min. reinforced battalions of divisions of the first echelon began to cross the Neisse. Escort guns were transported with advanced units. Since the bridges had not yet been built, the guns were dragged to the other side with the help of ropes along the bottom of the river. After the advanced units captured the bridgeheads, engineering troops bridges were built along which the first echelons of the main forces of the strike force began to move. Within 50 minutes, sappers built bridges on boats, after 2 hours - bridges for 30-ton cargo, and after 4-5 hours - bridges on rigid supports for cargo up to 60 tons. From 8 o'clock. 40 minutes, when the artillery fire was moved into the depths of the German defenses, the divisions of the first echelon went on the attack.
On the whole, combat operations in the offensive zone of the front's main strike force developed according to the planned plan. The troops of the 3rd Guards Army, with the support of the 6th Guards Tank Corps of General V.A. Mitrofanov and the 2nd Guards Assault Aviation Corps of General S.V. Zshaksdorf. Particularly fierce battles were fought for the main and most powerful stronghold of the Neissen defensive line - Forst. Before the assault, our aircraft dealt a powerful blow to the fortress, from which the Forst garrison suffered serious losses. Then parts of the 76th Rifle Corps captured the eastern and southern parts of the city, started a battle for the center.
By the end of the day, the shock group of Gordov's guards army - the 120th and 21st rifle corps, the 25th tank corps, broke through the enemy's main line of defense, advancing 4-6 km. The right-flank 76th Corps liquidated the German bridgehead on east coast Neisse in the Forst area, advanced 1-1.5 km.
The 13th Army, advancing in the center of the main strike group, with the support of the 7th and 10th Guards Tank Corps, achieved the greatest success. From the air, the army was supported by the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Corps of General V. G. Ryazanov. Pukhov's army crossed the Neisse on the entire front of the offensive, and all day long fought heavy battles in a continuous forest area. The forest was on fire, which worsened the conditions of the offensive. The 102nd Rifle Corps of General I.M. Puzikov, the 27th Rifle Corps of F.M. Cherokmanov, the 7th Guards Tank Corps of V.V. Novikov and the 10th Guards Tank Corps of E.E. 13 km, broke through the enemy's main line of defense and captured a number of strongholds. The advanced units wedged into the second line of enemy defenses (the Matilda line).
The 5th Guards Army, advancing on the left flank, also successfully advanced. The greatest success was achieved by the 32nd Guards Corps of General A.I. Rodimtsev, who, with the support of Poluboyarov's 4th Guards Tank Corps, broke through the enemy's main line of defense, advanced 8 kilometers and reached the second line of German defense. The 34th Guards Rifle Corps, with the support of attack aircraft, destroyed the German bridgehead on the right bank of the Neisse in the Muskau region and took this strong stronghold. By the end of the day, the 34th Guards Corps broke through the main line of defense and advanced 6 km. It should be noted that Zhadov's army encountered great difficulties in forcing the Neisse. There were not enough crossing facilities, the left bank of the Neisse passed through a wooded and swampy area. The areas convenient for movement were mined by the Germans.
On the same day, the southern auxiliary grouping of the front went on the offensive. Polish troops crossed the Neisse River and broke through the enemy's main line of defense, advancing 1-6 km in different directions. The right-flank 73rd Rifle Corps of the 52nd Army, commanded by General S. S. Martirosyan, crossed the water barrier, broke through the main line of defense and advanced 10 km.
Thus, on the very first day of the offensive, the main strike force of the front broke through the main line of German defense on the 26-kilometer sector Forst, Muskau, advanced to a depth of 13 km, and in some places wedged into the second line of defense. True, the task set on the first day of the offensive, to break through the first and second lines of defense, was not fully completed. The German command, in the struggle for the second line of defense, brought the 21st Panzer Division into battle, as well as a number of separate units and subunits, and our troops had to repel fierce enemy counterattacks.
Mobile formations played an important role in breaking through the main line of defense. Already on the first day of the offensive, the advanced brigades of the guards tank armies, as well as the 25th and 4th guards tank corps, were brought into battle. Aviation provided great assistance, which made 3,376 sorties in a day. German aviation did not show activity that day, having made 220 sorties.
April 17th. Our armies part of the forces continued the offensive at night. Part of the 3rd Guards Army continued to storm Forst, part of the forces advanced on Cottbus, the most important enemy defense center and communications center. The Germans offered stubborn resistance, repeatedly went over to counterattacks. The strongholds of Simmersdorf and Zergen were taken. Gordov's army advanced up to 8 km.
Pukhov's 13th Army broke the enemy's resistance in the second line of defense. Attempts by the German troops to delay the Soviet offensive with counterattacks were unsuccessful. In the offensive zone of the 5th Guards Army, the German command on the second defense zone brought into battle part of the forces of the Fuhrer's Guard tank division. However, our troops repelled German counterattacks and broke through the second line of defense in the Ttsschernitz, Kromlau sector. Tank armies and corps, aviation continued to provide serious assistance to the infantry. True, the activity of our aviation has decreased - 1779 sorties, and the German one has increased - 400 sorties. Our pilots shot down 48 German planes.
Thus, on the second day of the offensive, the 1st Ukrainian Front achieved significant success, the second line of defense of the enemy was broken through on the 20-kilometer front, and in other directions our troops wedged into the second line of defense. The greatest success was achieved by the troops of the left wing of the 13th and the right wing of the 5th guards armies that were advancing in the general direction of Spremberg. During the two days of the offensive, Soviet troops advanced 18 km to the west here. However, it was not possible to force the river. Spree and break through the third line of defense, as ordered by the front command.
Konev, having received the consent of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Stalin, decided on the night of April 18 to force the Spree, and then turn the tank armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front to Berlin. If the enemy could put up serious resistance on the Spree, they planned to bring artillery up to the river and conduct powerful artillery preparation in the morning. Tank armies were to develop a swift offensive against Berlin and Potsdam, bypassing cities and large settlements, turned into strong strongholds and not getting involved in protracted battles.
On the Dresden direction, our troops also successfully advanced. The 2nd Army of the Polish Army in the difficult conditions of the wooded area advanced 4-7 km and wedged into the second line of enemy defenses. The divisions of the 52nd Army, which were also advancing in the difficult conditions of the wooded and swampy terrain, advanced 4-5 km and wedged 2-3 km into the enemy's second line of defense. Our troops had to fight off strong counterattacks from units of the 1st Panzer Division "Hermann Goering", which the German command brought into battle north of Görlitz. Konev ordered the commander of the 31st Army, General P. G. Shafranov, on the night of April 19, to begin changing the divisions of the 52nd Army in the Pentsikh area. The liberated three divisions of the 52nd Army planned to be transferred to the Dresden direction.
The German command, after attempts to contain the advance of our troops with the help of the forces of the 21st Panzer Division and the Fuhrer Guard Panzer Division, failed, tried to organize a stable defense on the third (rear) line of defense, which ran along the Spree River. Already in the second half of the day, the withdrawal of troops to the Spree River began. The German command, with the help of reserves, tried to organize a counterattack in order to close the gap between Cottbus and Spremberg. Among the reserves was the 10th Panzer Division "Frundsberg". In addition, on April 18, the 2nd parachute motorized division "Hermann Goering" and the 344th infantry division began to be transferred to this direction. At the same time, the Germans tried to organize a counterattack against the left flank of the front strike force. To do this, already on April 17, a strike group began to be created in the Görlitz area. In addition to the 1st parachute tank division "Hermann Goering", on April 18, it included three infantry divisions and the Moser corps group. By April 23, another infantry division and the 20th Panzer Division were transferred to the Görlitz area.
A column of Soviet T-34-85 tanks from the 9th Mechanized Corps of the 3rd Guards Tank Army with armored infantry waiting to march.
In the foreground on the right is a self-propelled artillery mount SU-85M
Barricade of a special construction on the outskirts of Berlin. In the event of a breakthrough by Soviet tanks, the structures of their logs and earth in the upper part of the barricade were blown up by special charges and blocked the passage.
April 18th. On this day, the fighting was especially fierce. The Germans brought new reserves into battle and tried with all their might to detain our troops at the rear line of defense. Troops of the 3rd Guards Army completely took Forst and crossed the Fliss Canal. As a result, the army broke through the enemy's second line of defense on the Fliss Canal and reached the Spree River.
The 13th Army, supported by the 3rd Guards Tank Army, continued the offensive at night, pushing the enemy's rearguards back to the Spree. During the day, Pukhov's army repulsed several fierce enemy counterattacks. Soviet command having established that the Germans had concentrated most of their forces and reserves in the areas of Cottbus and Spremberg, they decided to force the Spree and break through the third line of defense between these two strongholds. Between Cottbus and Spremberg, the Germans had the weakest defenses. Therefore, the main forces of the tank armies of Rybalko and Lelyushenko were sent to the zone of the 13th Army. At the same time, Soviet aviation delivered powerful blows to the positions of the third line of defense and the German reserves that were being pulled up.
At 13 o'clock. On April 18, the forward 56th Guards Tank Brigade of the 7th Guards Tank Corps crossed the Spree near Bresinchen. By evening, the main forces of the corps were already on the other side. In the afternoon, Konev personally went to this area, and decided to lead the 6th Guards Tank Corps, transferred from the Katlov, Zergen area, through this crossing. The second echelon of Rybalko's army, the 9th mechanized corps, was sent to the same area.
The 7th Guards Tank Corps with the infantry of the 102nd Rifle Corps wedged into the enemy's third defense line for 4 km and advanced 12 km by the end of the day, reaching the Gross-Osnig, Döbbern line. The rapid advance of our tankers, who quickly crossed the river and captured a bridgehead on the western bank of the Spree, did not allow the Germans to use the 344th Infantry Division, which they did not have time to bring to the third position. Great success was achieved by the troops of the 27th Rifle Corps and the 10th Guards Tank Corps. They also crossed the Spree on the move in the Bilov area and broke through the enemy's third line of defense 5 km deep. By the end of the day, our troops reached the line of Klein-Bukov, Gross-Bukov, advancing 13 km in a day. The second echelon of Lelyushenko's tank army, the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps, was sent to the Bilov area.
Thus, the armies of Pukhov, Rybalko and Lelyushenko successfully crossed a large water line - the Spree and captured a bridgehead up to 10 km wide and 5 km deep. Prerequisites were created for the further development of the offensive and maneuver of mobile formations on Berlin. The quick actions of the engineering troops, which ensured the building of bridges across the Spree, ensured the timely crossing of the main forces of the front's shock group to the western bank of the river. By the end of April 18, sappers had erected four bridges.
On April 18, the 5th Guards Army of Zhadov with the 6th Guards Mechanized Corps took the Trebendorf stronghold and the northern part of Weiswasser. Developing offensives in the difficult conditions of a continuous forest, the Soviet troops reached the Spree and began a battle for a large enemy defense center - Spremberg. The troops of the center - the 34th Guards Rifle Corps crossed the Spree and Kleine Spree rivers, broke through the enemy's third line of defense.
On the Dresden direction, the Polish troops, overcoming difficult terrain and numerous obstacles, in the course of a stubborn battle, took a large Niska defense center. The 2nd Army of the Polish Army advanced 9 km and completed the breakthrough of the enemy's second line of defense. The 1st Polish tank corps of General Kimbar advanced in the general direction towards Bautzen and broke away from the infantry by 5 km. By the end of the day, Polish tankers took the city of Furstgen and fought for Ober und Nieder Elsa. On the same day, the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps of Baranov was introduced into the gap, which broke away from the infantry for several kilometers. The right flank of the 52nd Army with the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps took Weisenberg and, without encountering much resistance, advanced 20 km in a day. The left-flank divisions of the 52nd Army fought hard all day with the 1st Parachute Panzer Division "Hermann Goering" and enemy infantry. The Germans were able to push our troops 3-4 km.
ISU-152 on the march. 1st Ukrainian Front, April 1945
Forcing the Spree by troops of the 3rd Guards. tank army. Wooden stakes marked the ford for tanks crossing the river.
Tanks T-34-85 of the 1st Polish tank corps. April 1945
Results
For three days of stubborn fighting, from April 16 to April 18, Konev's armies broke through the Neissen defensive line german army on the 35-kilometer section Forst - Muskau and the 20-kilometer section Steinbach - Penzich, and moved westward in both directions for 30 km. Soviet troops in the offensive area of the front's main strike force, they broke through all three enemy defense lines. The exit of formations of the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies to the left bank of the Spree River in the offensive zones of the 13th and 5th Guards Armies allowed the command to develop the offensive to the west, to the Elbe and begin to maneuver towards the German capital.
The German 4th Panzer Army suffered a serious defeat and two strikes of the 1st Ukrainian Front (the main strike group and auxiliary group) on Spremberg and Bautzen was divided into three separate parts: the Cottbus group, the troops defending in the Muskauer Forst forest, and the Görlitz grouping. Several German divisions, including the brandenburg motorized division, were completely defeated.
The German command, trying to stop our troops on the second and third defense lines, brought into battle from the reserve of the 3rd Panzer Army, Army Group Center and the reserve of the High Command 11 divisions, including 5 tank and 1 motorized (21st, 20th I Panzer divisions, Panzer division "Protection of the Fuhrer", 10th SS Panzer Division "Frunsberg", 1st Parachute Panzer Division "Hermann Göring" and 2nd Parachute Motorized Division "Hermann Göring").
The massive use of artillery and tanks provided the infantry with favorable conditions for the offensive. The entire 30-kilometer strip of the Neissen defensive line was broken through by the efforts of the rifle corps of the first echelon, with the support of the tank and mechanized corps of the first echelons of the tank armies. The rifle corps of the second echelons of the combined arms armies were not brought into battle. The second echelons of the 3rd and 4th Guards Tank Armies also remained unused. This ensured the swiftness of the further offensive and maneuver. As a result, the expediency of bringing the first echelons of tank armies into battle from the first day of the operation was confirmed by the very course of events. The strike force of the front broke through three lines of enemy defense and repelled counterattacks by 11 enemy reserve divisions.
The engineering troops and aviation played a large role in the success of the operation. Soviet planes smashed enemy strongholds and attacked German reserves. On April 18, the main efforts of the Soviet air army were aimed at destroying the enemy's main centers of resistance on the Spree River - Cottbus and Spremberg. In general, on April 16-18, the 2nd Air Army made more than 7,500 sorties and destroyed 155 German aircraft in air battles.
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