The battle for the Dnieper was one of the bloodiest in the history of wars. According to various sources, casualties on both sides, including those killed and wounded, ranged from 1.7 to 2.7 million people. This battle was a series of strategic operations carried out by Soviet troops in 1943. They included the crossing of the Dnieper.
Great river
The Dnieper is the third largest river in Europe after the Danube and the Volga. Its width in the lower reaches is about 3 km. I must say that the right bank is much higher and steeper than the left. This feature greatly complicated the crossing of troops. In addition, in accordance with the guidelines of the Wehrmacht, German soldiers reinforced the opposite shore with a large number of barriers and fortifications.
Forcing Options
Faced with this situation, the command of the Soviet Army thought about how to transport troops and equipment across the river. Two plans were developed according to which the crossing of the Dnieper could occur. The first option included stopping troops on the banks of the river and pulling together additional units to the places of supposed crossings. Such a plan made it possible to detect weaknesses in the enemy’s defense line, as well as to correctly determine the places where subsequent attacks would occur.
Further, a massive breakthrough was supposed, which was supposed to end with the encirclement of the Germans' defense lines and the ousting of their troops to positions unfavorable for them. In this situation, the Wehrmacht soldiers will be completely incapable of exerting any resistance to overcome their defensive lines. In fact, this tactic was very similar to the one used by the Germans themselves to pass through the Maginot Line at the beginning of the war.
But this option had a number of significant drawbacks. He gave time to the German command to draw additional forces to the Dnieper region , as well as regrouping troops and strengthening defense to more effectively repel the growing onslaught of the Soviet Army in appropriate places. In addition, such a plan exposed our troops to great danger of being attacked by mechanized units of German formations, and this, it should be noted, was almost the most effective Wehrmacht weapon since the beginning of the war in the USSR.
The second option is to force the Dnieper by the Soviet troops by delivering a powerful strike without any preparation immediately along the entire front line. Such a plan did not give the Germans time to equip the so-called Eastern Wall, as well as to prepare the defense of their bridgeheads on the Dnieper. But this option could lead to huge losses in the ranks of the Soviet Army.
Training
As you know, German positions were located on the right bank of the Dnieper. And on the opposite side, Soviet troops occupied a stretch of about 300 km. Enormous forces were drawn here, so staffing boats for such a large number of soldiers were sorely lacking. The main parts were forced to force the Dnieper literally improvised means. They crossed the river in randomly found fishing boats, makeshift rafts, knocked together from logs, boards, tree trunks, and even on barrels.
No less problem was the question of how to transport heavy equipment to the opposite shore. The fact is that on many bridgeheads they did not manage to deliver it in the right quantities, which is why the main burden of crossing the Dnieper fell on the shoulders of the soldiers of the rifle units. This state of affairs led to protracted battles and a significant increase in losses by the Soviet troops.
Boost
Finally came the day when military power advanced on the offensive. The crossing of the Dnieper began. The date of the first river crossing is September 22, 1943. Then the bridgehead located on the right bank was taken. This was the confluence of two rivers - the Pripyat and the Dnieper, which was located on the northern side of the front. The fortieth, which was part of the Voronezh Front, and the Third Panzer Army almost simultaneously managed to achieve the same success in the area south of Kiev.
After 2 days, the next position, located on the west bank, was captured. This time it happened near Dneprodzerzhinsk. After another 4 days, Soviet troops successfully crossed the river in the Kremenchug area. Thus, by the end of the month, 23 bridgeheads had formed on the opposite bank of the Dnieper River. Some were so small that their width reached 10 km and a depth of only 1-2 km.
The crossing of the Dnieper itself was carried out by 12 Soviet armies. In order to somehow disperse the powerful fire produced by German artillery, many false bridgeheads were created. Their goal was to imitate the massive crossing.
Soviet forces crossing the Dnieper is the clearest example of heroism. I must say that the soldiers used even the slightest opportunity to cross to the other side. They swam across the river on any available craft that could at least somehow stay on the water. The troops suffered heavy losses, constantly being under heavy fire of the enemy. They managed to firmly gain a foothold on the already conquered bridgeheads, literally burrowing into the ground from shelling of German artillery. In addition, the Soviet units covered up new forces with their fire, which arrived to help them.
Bridgehead protection
German troops fiercely defended their positions, using powerful counterattacks at each crossing. Their primary goal was the destruction of enemy troops until the moment when heavy armored vehicles reached the right bank of the river.
Crossings were subjected to a massive attack from the air. German bombers fired at people on the water, as well as military units located on the shore. At the beginning, the actions of Soviet aviation were disorganized. But when it was synchronized with the rest of the ground forces, the defense of the crossings was adjusted.
The actions of the Soviet Army were crowned with success. Forcing the Dnieper in 1943 led to the seizure of bridgeheads on the enemy coast. Fierce battles continued throughout October, but all territories recaptured from the Germans were retained, and some were even expanded. Soviet troops accumulated strength for the next offensive.
Mass heroism
So the crossing of the Dnieper ended. Heroes of the Soviet Union - this very honorary title was awarded immediately to 2438 soldiers who participated in those battles. The battle for the Dnieper is an example of extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice shown by Soviet soldiers and officers. Such a truly massive award was the only one for the entire time of the Great Patriotic War.