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 of Panzer 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 the main forces in this direction. The enemy had a strong defense (the central part of the "Eastern Wall"), 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.

the 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-Demensk 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. On September 16, Yartsevo was liberated, on September 21 - Demidov, on 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", "Dukhovshchinsky", "Yartsevsky", "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

The Soviet Smolensk operation, codenamed "Suvorov", was carried out in August-October 1943. Favorable conditions for an attack in this direction developed after the success of the Red Army in the bloody Battle of Kursk and military operations in the Kharkov and Orel regions. The blow in the direction of Smolensk was important, since with the help of it the Soviet leadership was going to pin down the Wehrmacht forces and prevent them from moving to the southwest. Moreover, this is where the

The situation at the front and commanders

The German command kept a large group of troops in the upper reaches of the Dnieper and the neighboring Western Dvina (“Smolensk Gates”). On a stretch of 600 kilometers, the Wehrmacht concentrated 40 fully equipped and experienced divisions. They were distinguished by well-equipped, deep defenses. This grouping was still a threat to the Central Industrial Region of the Soviet Union. She also covered the shortest routes to the Baltic states and Belarus. Based on this alone, the Smolensk operation was to become a serious test for the USSR.

The Smolensk offensive was entrusted to the Western and Kalinin fronts. Their goal was to defeat the left side of Army Group Center. The second task is to establish control over the Roslavl-Smolensk border. The left flank of the Kalinin Front was commanded by General Andrei Eremenko. Its units actively interacted with the formations advancing in the Belgorod-Kharkov and Bryansk directions.

The second general, thanks to whom this operation became successful, was Vasily Sokolovsky, who commanded the Western Front at that time. He would later become Marshal of the Soviet Union and be present at the signing of Germany's surrender.

German defense

To hold the lines east of Roslavl and Smolensk, the enemy equipped six defensive lines, the total depth of which was 100-130 kilometers. Basically, they were created along the banks of the rivers: Ugra, Dnieper, Desna, Sozha. In the intervals between these defensive lines, strongholds were built in settlements and at heights.

Tank dangerous areas were covered with gouges, deep ditches and blockages. The natural conditions in which the Smolensk operation took place favored the German defense. It was a wooded area with significant areas of swamps. The cities of Roslavl, Yelnya, Smolensk, Yartsevo, Dorogobuzh, Demidov, Rudnya, Dukhovshchina, Surazh, Vitebsk became powerful nodes of resistance. The approaches to them (as well as important roads, as well as bridges) were mined.

Preparing for the offensive

During the preparations for the Smolensk operation, a major regrouping of troops was carried out, as well as massing of means and forces. On the Western Front, out of 58 rifle divisions, 42 divisions were allocated to form shock groups. For clear control and organization of the offensive, observation and command posts were brought closer directly to the troops. Each rifle division was responsible for an approximately 2-kilometer breakthrough section.

Aviation support for the operation was carried out by the 1st and 3rd air armies. The first of them included the Normandy regiment, which was staffed by foreign pilots from France. Volunteers trained at the aviation school in Ivanovo and made an important contribution to the defeat of the Germans.

Engineers and logistics

Operation Suvorov required special attention to engineering support. The troops were to break through the German defense in depth in rainy weather and difficult terrain. Engineer troops cleared and equipped starting positions for the offensive. They also maintained roads and column roads in good condition. In the offensive zone there were a large number of water lines, on which crossing facilities were equipped.

The technical and material support of the Soviet troops was carried out. By the beginning of the operation, the Red Army had an average of two main ammunition ammunition, which was not enough to break through the carefully prepared German defense. Fuel supplies were limited. Although the military leadership tried to mislead the Wehrmacht, the Germans understood that the Red Army was preparing for a large-scale attack. In this regard, the Wehrmacht kept the maximum possible number of divisions in the vicinity of Smolensk. Soviet disinformation became noticeably more effective already at the second stage of the Smolensk offensive.

Operation start

A carefully prepared offensive operation of the Soviet troops began on August 7, 1943 (its first stage was called the Spas-Demenskaya operation). On that day, the 5th and 10th Guards, as well as the 33rd armies, launched an attack. Fighting followed artillery preparation. Hope for a quick breakthrough did not materialize.

On August 8, the 31st Army went on the offensive in the Yartsevo direction. The progress was insignificant. The next day, the main battles were again in the vicinity of Spas-Demensk. The Germans transferred units from the Oryol direction here, and the Smolensk operation was slow. The enemy skillfully built up resistance forces. On the fourth day of the offensive, the Red Army managed to break through the German defense zone near the city of Kirov. The Tenth Army crossed the Bolva River. The advance was about 20 kilometers.

The course of the battle

According to the plan, on August 13, the Kalinin Front began its offensive. The 39th and 43rd armies advanced in the Dukhovshchina direction. In five days they advanced only 6-7 kilometers. At the same time, these formations managed to pin down the forces of the Wehrmacht. Thanks to their actions, units of the Western Front launched the offensive. Operation Suvorov was carried out with the interaction of many formations, and some armies necessarily came to the rescue of others.

By August 16, the Red Army entered the city of Zhizdra. Three days later, it was decided to suspend the offensive. This was done in order to pull up the lagging behind. Without this, it was impossible to provide formations and units with fuel and ammunition. In the first two weeks, the Western and Kalinin fronts broke through the Wehrmacht defense zone in the direction of Spas-Demensk, advancing 40 kilometers and freeing about five hundred settlements.

Second phase

The new Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation began on August 28, 1943. On the first day, Soviet troops marched 9 kilometers. To develop success, the 5th mechanized and 2nd guards tank corps were introduced into battle. The Germans deployed anti-tank artillery and tried to stop the offensive with regular counterattacks. However, their efforts were not enough. On August 30, the shock group broke the organized resistance at the turn and occupied Yelnya by evening.

Operation Suvorov began to bear the first tangible results. News of the success of the Red Army in Yelnya forced the Germans to withdraw in the direction of Dorogobuzh. Pursuing these units, the Red Army advanced 18 kilometers, occupying about 200 towns, villages and small towns. During the battle in the village of Borisovka, Private Tashtemir Rustemov covered a German machine gun with himself, for which he posthumously became a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Way to the west

And on September 1, the Red Army liberated Dorogobuzh. Parts of the Western Front entered the city. They were led by Vasily Sokolovsky. In response to this, the Wehrmacht transferred its additional forces from the reserve. The Soviet offensive slowed down.

On September 6, the Red Army stopped, having reached the line of Small Savki-Gorbachevka-Bolshaya Nezhoda-Manchina. A powerful defense was created here in advance with well-prepared engineering barriers and a fire system. During the Yelnensko-Dorogobuzh operation, the Red Army advanced 30-40 kilometers, capturing Yelnya, Dorogobuzh and another thousand settlements.

New successes

At its final stage, the Smolensk operation of 1943 was supposed to lead to the liberation of Smolensk and Roslavl. Preparations for the next offensive took several days. The left flank of the Kalinin Front on September 14 began the Dukhovshchinsky-Demidov operation, and the troops of the Western Front the next day - the Smolensk-Roslavl operation. Throughout the week preceding the next breakthrough, the Red Army men were fixed on the occupied lines.

The offensive of the units of the Kalinin Front was carried out in the direction of Dukhovshchina. On the eve of the military leadership, with the help of maneuvers and regrouping, they managed to mislead the enemy about the true location of the Soviet units. For misinformation, false defensive work was carried out. All this only contributed to the success of the upcoming operation.

Decisive days

By September 15, the 39th and 43rd armies of the Kalinin Front destroyed several encircled Wehrmacht units and expanded the front of their breakthrough to 30 kilometers. On the night of the 19th, after the assault, a heavily fortified and important center of resistance was recaptured in the direction of Smolensk-Dukhovshchina. The next day, Yartsevo turned out to be under the control of Soviet troops.

The operation near Smolensk approached its decisive stage. Parts of the Western Front operated most successfully. In 5 days they managed to advance 30 kilometers. The Kremlin gave the order to liberate Smolensk by September 27, and Demidov was released on the 21st. After the loss of this city, the enemy began to withdraw in front of the left flank of the Kalinin Front, where the 43rd Army operated. By September 24, Soviet troops were 10 kilometers from their main goal.

Liberation of Smolensk

On the same day - September 25 - Smolensk and Roslavl were liberated. These cities were of strategic importance. Smolensk was the center of defense of the Wehrmacht troops in the entire western direction. The first to enter it were the 5th, 31st and Lost communication nodes, the enemy tried to stop the Soviet troops on the Vihra and Sozh rivers, but the Red Army thwarted these attempts.

And on September 29, another stronghold was liberated - Rudnya. Parts of the Western Front crossed the Sozh River. They also entered the cities of Mstislavl, Krasny, Krichev. Parts of the Western Front continued their offensive in the Roslavl direction, where the troops of the Bryansk Front helped the soldiers. A few days later, on October 2, they approached. This breakthrough ended the Smolensk offensive operation. Army Group Center suffered a serious defeat.

Results

Thanks to the Smolensk strategic offensive operation, the Wehrmacht's "Eastern Wall" in the upper reaches of the Dnieper was crushed. The armies of the two fronts covered 200-225 kilometers. In total, more than 7 thousand settlements were liberated. Among them were such cities as Smolensk, Yelnya, Roslavl, Yartsevo, Dorogobuzh, Demidov, Spas-Demensk, Dukhovshchina and others.

Seven enemy divisions were destroyed. The successful completion of the Smolensk operation made it possible to complete the battle of Kursk, start the battle for the Dnieper and carry out an operation to completely liberate the Donets Basin.

Throughout the offensive, the Red Army received significant assistance from partisans operating behind enemy lines. In two months, they derailed almost 200 enemy trains, blew up 10,000 rails, and destroyed about 6,000 enemy soldiers. Only to fight the command had to create four separate security divisions.

In total, the losses of Soviet troops in the Smolensk operation amounted to about 450 thousand people (of which 107 thousand were irretrievable). As a result of the offensive, 104 formations were given their own honorary names - Elninsk, Smolensk, Yartsevo, Roslavl, etc. Thousands of soldiers and partisans received orders and medals, and those who especially distinguished themselves by heroism received the highest ranks of Heroes of the Soviet Union.

The summer-autumn offensive of the Soviet troops in 1943 was crowned with a series of successful operations. After the units of the Red Army in the south to the Dnieper on the Taman Peninsula and in the Kerch region, the movement of Soviet troops began 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 fortify themselves especially carefully. 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 the Western (Colonel-General, from August 27, Army General V.D. Sokolovsky) fronts to the 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, in preparing the operation, significant miscalculations were made: 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 was successfully advancing 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, the 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 hostilities in order to more thoroughly prepare for a further offensive. 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 armies 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 off the railway and the Smolensk-Roslavl highway. 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 achievement of 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, code name "Suvorov". The course of the battle. Liberation of Smolensk

Soviet Smolensk operation codenamed "Suvorov was carried out in August-October 1943. Favorable conditions for an attack in this direction developed after the success of the Red Army in a bloody battle. Battle of Kursk and military operations in the regions of Kharkov and Orel.

The blow in the direction of Smolensk was important, since with the help of it the Soviet leadership was going to pin down the Wehrmacht forces and prevent them from moving to the southwest. In addition, it was from here that the liberation of Belarus began in the future.

The situation at the front and commanders

The German command kept a large group of troops in the upper reaches of the Dnieper and the neighboring Western Dvina (“Smolensk Gates”). On a stretch of 600 kilometers, the Wehrmacht concentrated 40 fully equipped and experienced divisions. They were distinguished by well-equipped, deep defenses. This grouping was still a threat to the Central Industrial Region of the Soviet Union. She also covered the shortest routes to the Baltic states and Belarus. Based on this alone, the Smolensk operation was to become a serious test for the USSR. The Smolensk offensive was entrusted to the Western and Kalinin fronts. Their goal was to defeat the left side of Army Group Center under the command of Field Marshal General Hans Günther Adolf Ferdinand von Kluge.

The second task is to establish control over the Roslavl-Smolensk border. The left flank of the Kalinin Front commanded General Andrey Ivanovich Eremenko.

Its units actively interacted with the formations advancing in the Belgorod-Kharkov and Bryansk directions. The second general, thanks to whom this operation became successful, was Vasily Danilovich Sokolovsky who commanded the Western Front at the time.

He would later become Marshal of the Soviet Union and be present at the signing of Germany's surrender.

German defense

To hold the lines east of Roslavl and Smolensk, the enemy equipped six defensive lines, the total depth of which was 100-130 kilometers. Basically, they were created along the banks of the rivers: Western Dvina, Ugra, Dnieper, Desna, Sozh. In the intervals between these defensive lines, strongholds were built in settlements and at heights. Tank dangerous areas were covered with gouges, deep ditches and blockages.

The natural conditions in which the Smolensk operation took place favored the German defense. It was a wooded area with significant areas of swamps. The cities of Roslavl, Yelnya, Smolensk, Yartsevo, Dorogobuzh, Demidov, Rudnya, Dukhovshchina, Surazh, Vitebsk became powerful nodes of resistance. The approaches to them (as well as important roads, as well as bridges) were mined.

Preparing for the offensive

During the preparations for the Smolensk operation, a major regrouping of troops was carried out, as well as massing of means and forces. On the Western Front, out of 58 rifle divisions, 42 divisions were allocated to form shock groups. For clear control and organization of the offensive, observation and command posts were brought closer directly to the troops. Each rifle division was responsible for an approximately 2-kilometer breakthrough section.

Aviation support for the operation was carried out by the 1st and 3rd air armies. The first of these included Regiment "Normandie" which was manned by foreign pilots from France.

Volunteers trained at the aviation school in Ivanovo and made an important contribution to the defeat of the Germans.

Engineers and Logistics Operation Suvorov required special attention to engineering support. The troops were to break through the German defense in depth in rainy weather and difficult terrain. Engineer troops cleared minefields and equipped starting positions for the offensive. They also maintained roads and column roads in good condition. In the offensive zone there were a large number of water lines, on which crossing facilities were equipped. The technical and material support of the Soviet troops was carried out. By the beginning of the operation, the Red Army had an average of two main ammunition ammunition, which was not enough to break through the carefully prepared German defense. Fuel supplies were limited. Although the military leadership tried to mislead the Wehrmacht, the Germans understood that the Red Army was preparing for a large-scale attack. In this regard, the Wehrmacht kept the maximum possible number of divisions in the vicinity of Smolensk. Soviet disinformation became noticeably more effective already at the second stage of the Smolensk offensive.

The beginning of the operation A carefully prepared offensive operation of the Soviet troops began on August 7, 1943 (its first stage was called Spas-Demensky operation). On that day, the 5th and 10th Guards, as well as the 33rd armies, launched an attack. Fighting followed artillery preparation. Hope for a quick breakthrough did not materialize. On August 8, the 31st Army went on the offensive in the Yartsevo direction. The progress was insignificant. The next day, the main battles were again in the vicinity of Spas-Demensk. The Germans transferred units from the Oryol direction here, and the Smolensk operation was slow. The enemy skillfully built up resistance forces. On the fourth day of the offensive, the Red Army managed to break through the German defense zone near the city of Kirov.

The Tenth Army crossed the Bolva River. The advance was about 20 kilometers.

The course of the battle

According to the plan, on August 13, the Kalinin Front began its offensive. The 39th and 43rd armies advanced in the Dukhovshchina direction. In five days they advanced only 6-7 kilometers. At the same time, these formations managed to pin down the forces of the Wehrmacht. Thanks to their actions, units of the Western Front launched the offensive. Operation Suvorov was carried out with the interaction of many formations, and some armies necessarily came to the rescue of others.

By August 16, the Red Army entered the city of Zhizdra. Three days later, it was decided to suspend the offensive. This was done in order to pull up the lagging behind. Without this, it was impossible to provide formations and units with fuel and ammunition. In the first two weeks, the Western and Kalinin fronts broke through the Wehrmacht defense zone in the direction of Spas-Demensk, advancing 40 kilometers and freeing about five hundred settlements.

Second phase

On the first day, Soviet troops marched 9 kilometers. To develop success, the 5th mechanized and 2nd guards tank corps were introduced into battle. The Germans deployed anti-tank artillery and tried to stop the offensive with regular counterattacks. However, their efforts were not enough. On August 30, the shock group broke the organized resistance at the turn of the Ugra River and occupied Yelnya by evening. Operation Suvorov began to bear the first tangible results. News of the success of the Red Army in Yelnya forced the Germans to withdraw in the direction of Dorogobuzh. Pursuing these units, the Red Army advanced 18 kilometers, occupying about 200 towns, villages and small towns. During the battle in the village of Borisovka Private Tashtemir Rustemov closed a German machine gun, for which he posthumously became a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Way to the west

On September 1, the Red Army liberated Dorogobuzh. Parts of the Western Front entered the city. They were led by Vasily Sokolovsky. In response to this, the Wehrmacht transferred its additional forces from the reserve. The Soviet offensive slowed down.

On September 6, the Red Army stopped, having reached the line of Small Savki-Gorbachevka-Bolshaya Nezhoda-Manchina. A powerful defense was created here in advance with well-prepared engineering barriers and a fire system. During the Yelnensko-Dorogobuzh operation, the Red Army advanced 30-40 kilometers, capturing Yelnya, Dorogobuzh and another thousand settlements.

New successes

At its final stage, the Smolensk operation of 1943 was supposed to lead to the liberation of Smolensk and Roslavl. Preparations for the next offensive took several days. The left flank of the Kalinin Front on September 14 began Dukhovshchinsko-Demidov operation, and the troops of the Western Front the next day - Smolensk-Roslavl.

Throughout the week preceding the next breakthrough, the Red Army men were fixed on the occupied lines. The offensive of the units of the Kalinin Front was carried out in the direction of Dukhovshchina. On the eve of the military leadership, with the help of maneuvers and regrouping, they managed to mislead the enemy about the true location of the Soviet units. For misinformation, false defensive work was carried out. All this only contributed to the success of the upcoming operation.

Decisive days

By September 15, the 39th and 43rd armies of the Kalinin Front destroyed several encircled Wehrmacht units and expanded the front of their breakthrough to 30 kilometers. On the night of the 19th, after the assault, a heavily fortified and important center of resistance was recaptured in the direction of Smolensk-Dukhovshchina. The next day, Yartsevo turned out to be under the control of Soviet troops.

The operation near Smolensk approached its decisive stage. Parts of the Western Front operated most successfully. In 5 days they managed to advance 30 kilometers. The Kremlin gave the order to liberate Smolensk by September 27, and Demidov was released on the 21st. After the loss of this city, the enemy began to withdraw in front of the left flank of the Kalinin Front, where the 43rd Army operated. By September 24, Soviet troops were 10 kilometers from their main goal.

Liberation of Smolensk

On the same day - September 25 - Smolensk and Roslavl were liberated. These cities were of strategic importance. Smolensk was the center of defense of the Wehrmacht troops in the entire western direction.

The first to enter it were the 5th, 31st and 58th armies. Having lost communication nodes, the enemy tried to stop the Soviet troops on the Vihra and Sozh rivers, but the Red Army thwarted these attempts. And on September 29, another stronghold was liberated - Rudnya. Parts of the Western Front crossed the Sozh River. They also entered the cities of Mstislavl, Krasny, Krichev. Parts of the Western Front continued their offensive in the Roslavl direction, where the troops of the Bryansk Front helped the soldiers. A few days later, on October 2, they approached the Prona River. This breakthrough ended the Smolensk offensive operation. Army Group Center suffered a serious defeat.

Thanks to the Smolensk strategic offensive operation, the Wehrmacht's "Eastern Wall" in the upper reaches of the Dnieper was crushed.

The armies of the two fronts covered 200-225 kilometers. In total, more than 7 thousand settlements were liberated. Among them were such cities as Smolensk, Yelnya, Roslavl, Yartsevo, Dorogobuzh, Demidov, Spas-Demensk, Dukhovshchina and others. Seven enemy divisions were destroyed. The successful completion of the Smolensk operation made it possible to complete the battle of Kursk, start the battle for the Dnieper and carry out an operation to completely liberate the Donets Basin. Throughout the offensive, the Red Army received significant assistance from partisans operating behind enemy lines. In two months they derailed almost 200 enemy echelons, blew up 10 thousand rails, destroyed about 6 thousand enemy soldiers.

Only to fight the partisans, the German command had to create four separate security divisions. In total, the losses of Soviet troops in the Smolensk operation amounted to about 450 thousand people (of which 107 thousand were irretrievable). As a result of the offensive, 104 formations were given their own honorary names - Elninsk, Smolensk, Yartsevo, Roslavl, etc. Thousands of soldiers and partisans received orders and medals, and those who especially distinguished themselves by heroism received the highest ranks of Heroes of the Soviet Union.

offensive operation of the troops of the Western and left wing of the Kalinin fronts on August 7 - October 2 during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. In the summer-autumn campaign of 1943, the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts had the task of advancing in the western (Smolensk) direction with the aim of defeating the left wing of Army Group Center, capturing the Smolensk-Roslavl line and developing an offensive against Vitebsk, Orsha, and Mogilev. By the beginning of the operation, the Kalinin (commanded by Army General A. I. Eremenko) and Western (commanded by Colonel General V. D. Sokolovsky) fronts had 1,253 thousand people, about 20,640 guns and mortars, 1,430 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations and over 1000 combat aircraft. More than 40 divisions of the 3rd Panzer and 4th Armies of Army Group Center were defending in the Smolensk direction (commander Field Marshal G. Kluge, up to 850 thousand people in total, about 8800 guns and mortars, about 500 tanks and assault guns, about 700 aircraft). The fascist German troops, using the wooded and swampy terrain, created a solid defense of 4-5 defensive lines to a depth of 130 km.

On August 7, the troops of the shock group of the Western Front went on the offensive and liberated Spas-Demensk on August 13, Yelnya on August 30, Dorogobuzh on September 1, Yartsevo on September 16, and by September 23 they captured the enemy grouping in the Smolensk region from the south. On August 13, the offensive of the troops of the left wing of Kalininsky front, which on September 19 captured Dukhovshchina, September 21 Demidov and captured the enemy grouping in the Smolensk region from S. Under the threat of encirclement, the enemy began to retreat. On September 25, Smolensk and Roslavl were liberated. In early October, Soviet troops reached the approaches to Vitebsk, Orsha, and Mogilev. The partisans of the Smolensk and Kalinin regions rendered great assistance to the fronts. During S. about. the Smolensk region was liberated, Soviet troops advanced to a depth of 225 km, defeated 5 infantry, 1 tank, 1 motorized divisions, defeated 11 infantry, 3 tank, 1 motorized divisions and pinned down large enemy forces, creating favorable conditions for an offensive in the main, southwestern direction.

Lit.: Operations of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Great Patriotic War. 1941-1945. Military historical essay, vol. 2, M., 1958.

G. A. Koltunov.

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