In 1943, the Great Patriotic War was still in full swing. It has already become clear that the plans of the Nazi troops to conquer the USSR through the “blitzkrieg” failed, but Germany was still strong enough. Such a well-trained army could be defeated only with the help of superiority in manpower and equipment, subject to the absolute order and coordination of the actions of large groups of military formations. One of these formations was the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the composition of which changed from time to time.
History of the Creation of 3 Ukrainian Front
A new military unit was created a few days after the formation of the 2nd Ukrainian Front - October 20, 1943. The decision to create the front was taken by the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander of the Red Army of Stalin. In fact, the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose battle path was strewn with many successful battles, was not a new division of the Red Army in composition because it included armies and corps that fought as part of the South-Western Front.
This renaming primarily covered the ideological component. Why? The Red Army at that time had practically liberated the areas of the RSFSR, which were under the control of the Nazis, and entered the territory of Ukraine. Many will say: so what? And here is the catch! We are liberating Ukraine, the breadbasket of Europe, which means that the fronts will be Ukrainian!
3 Ukrainian front: composition
At different stages, the composition of the front troops included various structural units. In October 1943, that is, immediately after creation, the front consisted of such units: guards (1st and 8th armies), air forces (6th, 12th, 46th, 17th armies). In 1944, the front received reinforcements. The orientation of the units, which strengthened the combat power and the forces of the front, depended on the specific tasks of our troops at a particular stage of hostilities. So, in the course of existence, the front was introduced: one shock, two guards, five tank armies, several Bulgarian armies. In some operations, the ground forces needed support from the sea, so the Danube flotilla was included in the front. It is this combination of diverse combat units that often gave the desired result.
Command 3 of the Ukrainian Front
During the existence of the 3 Ukrainian Front, it was led by 2 military leaders: Rodin Yakovlevich Malinovsky and Fedor Ivanovich Tolbukhin. Marshal Malinovsky stood at the head of the front immediately upon its foundation - October 20, 1943. Malinovsky’s military career began with a junior high school, after which he became commander of a platoon of machine gunners. Gradually rising up the career ladder, Malinovsky in 1930 graduated from the Military Academy. After the academy he worked as the chief of staff of a cavalry regiment, then he was a staff officer of the North Caucasian and Belarusian military districts. He participated in the Civil War in Spain. During the Second World War, our army, under the leadership of Army General Malinovsky, won many great victories.
The change of leadership of the front was not associated with the unprofessional approach of Malinovsky to the leadership of the troops. Just so demanded living conditions, it was the Great Patriotic War. Front commanders changed often enough. From May 15, 1944 to June 15, 1945 (the date of the front's disbandment), the group of forces was led by Marshal of the Soviet Union Tolbukhin. His military biography prior to his appointment to this high position is also interesting. In the Red Army, Tolbukhin since 1918, participated in the Civil War. All the time he was a staff officer on the Northern and Western Front, because immediately after joining the Red Army, he graduated from the junior command staff. After the Civil War, Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich led the troops of the Novgorod province, was the chief of staff of the 56th and 72nd infantry divisions, the 1st and 19th infantry corps, etc. Since 1938 (another increase) he became chief of staff Transcaucasian Military District. It was in this position that his war found him.
Operations of the Red Army in the Dnieper
The Battle of the Dnieper is a complex of events that took place in the second half of 1943. After the defeat on the Kursk, Hitler, of course, did not lose his chances of victory, but his position was significantly shaken. On August 11, 1943, by decree of the command, the Germans began to build defensive areas along the entire Dnieper line. That is, the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat path we are studying, was gradually advancing along with other Soviet armies.
From August 13 to September 22, 1943 the Donbass offensive operation took place. This was the beginning of the battle for the Dnieper. It was strategically important for our army and country to win back the Donbass from the Nazis, because for the further supply of the front with weapons, Donbass coal was needed. Everyone also knew that the Nazis used coal during the occupation.
Poltava-Chernihiv operation
In parallel with the offensive in the Donbass from August 26, the Red Army launched an offensive in the direction of Poltava and Chernigov. Of course, all these offensives of our troops were not sparkling and instantaneous, but they proceeded systematically and gradually. The Nazis no longer had the strength to stifle the offensive impulses of the Soviet troops in the bud.
Understanding that the only way they could stop the advance of the Soviet troops would be when they crossed the Dnieper, the Germans began their retreat on September 15, 1943. They wanted the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the military path of which continued successfully, together with other troops not to be able to capture the Black Sea ports, force the Dnieper and reach the Crimea. Fascists concentrated huge forces along the Dnieper and built serious defensive structures.
Successes of the first stage of the battle for the Dnieper
In August and September, Soviet troops liberated many cities and territories. So, at the end of September the Donbass was completely liberated. Also, under the Soviet regime, such cities as Glukhov, Konotop, Sevsk, Poltava, Kremenchug, many villages and smaller cities returned. In addition, in many places (in the area of Kremenchug, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Verkhnedneprovsk, Dnepropetrovsk) they managed to force the Dnieper and create bridgeheads on the left bank. At this stage, it was possible to create a good bridgehead for further success.
Troop advance in late 1943
From October to December 1943, the second period of the battle for the Dnieper is distinguished in the historiography of war. 3 Ukrainian front also took part in these battles. The battle path of our troops was also difficult, because the Germans were able to build a strong "East Wall" along the Dnieper. The first task of our troops was to eliminate as much as possible all the bridgeheads built by the Nazis.
The command understood that it was impossible to stop the offensive. And the troops were advancing! 3 The Ukrainian front (the military route intersected with the offensive lines of other fronts) conducted the Nizhnedneprovsk offensive operation. It was very difficult for the enemy to defend, because at the same time the formation of forces began to advance on Kiev from the Bukrinsky bridgehead. Great enemy forces were diverted to the defense of Kiev, because this city was the most important for the enemy on this line and the second most important after Moscow. Until December 20, 1943, our troops managed to liberate the most important cities of Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye, as well as capture huge bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dnieper. It was also possible to block the retreat of German troops from the Crimea. The battle for the Dnieper ended with the complete victory of the Soviet troops.
The troops of the 3 Ukrainian front in this operation proved to be the best. Of course, the losses of the Soviet troops were large, but in such heavy battles it was impossible to do without losses. And the level of development of medicine was not the same as it is now ...
The operations of Soviet troops in Moldova
Soviet troops in 1944 continued to liberate Ukraine. In the second half of 1944, our troops launched an offensive on Moldova and Romania. These legendary attacks went down in the history of the war as the Iasi-Chisinau operation.
Very significant German forces stood against the Soviet troops, about 900,000 soldiers and officers. Against such forces it was necessary to attack decisively in order to ensure the effect of surprise. The offensive began on August 20, 1944. Already until the morning of August 24, the Red Army broke through the front and, in general, for 4 days advanced 140 kilometers inland. On the border with Romania, troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts reached by August 29, encircling and destroying German troops in the Prut region. The successful advance of troops of the 3 Ukrainian Front led to a revolution in Romania. The government has changed, the country has declared war on Germany.
Several volunteer divisions were formed, the first of which became part of the 3 Ukrainian front. The offensive of the joint Soviet-Romanian troops continued. On August 31, troops occupied Bucharest.
Offensive on Romania
The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 provided the Soviet soldiers with excellent experience in warfare. During the fighting, skills were formed to counter the enemy and conduct offensive operations. Therefore, in 1944, when the fascist army was no longer as strong as in 1941, it was no longer possible to stop the Red Army.
After the liberation of Romania, the military command understood that it was necessary to move towards the Balkan countries and Bulgaria, because large forces of the Wehrmacht were still concentrated there. The liberation of Romania ended in October 1944. The last liberated Romanian city during this march is Satu Mare. Further, the troops of the USSR went to the territory of Hungary, where they also successfully coped with the enemy over time.
The Iasi-Chisinau operation was one of the most successful during the war because significant territories were liberated and Hitler lost another ally.
Conclusion
During the war, troops of 4 fronts fought on the territory of Ukraine. Each of them in the history of the Ukrainian war sector in the period from 1941 to 1944 left a significant mark in the liberation of Ukraine from Nazi invaders. The role of each front, each unit in the victory over a mortal enemy is probably not yet fully appreciated by historians and the people in general. But it is worth noting that the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the military path of which ended in June 1945, made a significant contribution to the victory, because the front industrial forces liberated important industrial areas of the Ukrainian SSR.
The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is an example of the greatest feat of the multinational Soviet people.