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 Kursk battle and military operations in the areas of Kharkov and Orel. The blow in the direction of Smolensk was important, because with it the Soviet leadership was going to hold down the forces of the Wehrmacht and prevent them from moving to the south-west. In addition, it was from here that the liberation of Belarus began in the future .
Front Situation and Commanders
The German command kept in the upper reaches of the Dnieper and the neighboring Western Dvina (Smolensk Gate) a large group of troops. The Wehrmacht concentrated 40 fully-equipped and experienced divisions on a 600-kilometer-long section. They were distinguished by a well-equipped, deep defense. This group 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. Already on this basis, the Smolensk operation was to become a serious test for the USSR.
The Smolensk offensive operation 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 formations advancing on 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. Later he will become the Marshal of the Soviet Union and will be present at the signing of the surrender of Germany.
German defense
To keep the borders 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 in the settlements and at heights, strong points were built.
Tank hazardous areas were covered with gouges, deep ditches and blockages. The natural conditions in which the Smolensk operation took place favored 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 (like important roads, as well as bridges) were mined.
Offensive preparations
In preparation for the Smolensk operation, a large regrouping of troops was carried out, as well as the massing of means and forces. Of the 58 rifle divisions on the Western Front, 42 divisions were allocated for the formation of strike groups. For a clear command and organization of the offensive, observation and command posts were brought closer to the troops. Each rifle division was responsible for an approximately 2-kilometer breakthrough site.
Air support for the operation was carried out by the 1st and 3rd air armies. The first of them included the Normandy regiment, which was manned by foreign pilots from France. Volunteers studied at an aviation school in Ivanovo and made an important contribution to the defeat of the Germans.
Engineers and material support
Operation Suvorov required special attention to engineering support. The troops had to break through the deeply echeloned defense of the Germans in rainy weather and difficult terrain. Engineering troops cleared minefields and equipped their starting positions for the offensive. They 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 ammunition of main ammunition, which was not enough when breaking through a carefully prepared German defense. There was a limited supply of fuel. 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 in the vicinity of Smolensk the maximum possible number of divisions. Soviet misinformation became noticeably more effective already at the second stage of the Smolensk offensive.
Start of operation
The carefully prepared offensive operation of the Soviet troops began on August 7, 1943 (its first stage was called the Spas-Demen Operation). On that day, the 5th and 10th Guards, as well as the 33rd Army, launched an attack. The fighting followed artillery training. The hope of a quick breakthrough did not materialize.
On August 8, the 31st Army launched an offensive in the Yartsev direction. The progress was negligible. The next day, the main battles again took place in the vicinity of Spas-Demensk. The Germans transferred troops here from the Oryol direction, 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 strip near the city of Kirov. The tenth army crossed the Bolva River. The advance was about 20 kilometers.
Battle progress
According to the plan, on August 13, the Kalinin Front began its offensive. The 39th and 43rd armies took part in the Dukhovshchin direction. In five days they advanced only 6-7 kilometers. At the same time, these formations managed to hold down the forces of the Wehrmacht. Thanks to their actions, units of the Western Front began to attack. Operation "Suvorov" was carried out in the interaction of many forces, and some armies necessarily came to the rescue of others.
By August 16, the Red Army entered the city of Zhizdru. Three days later, it was decided to suspend the offensive. This was done in order to tighten the backlogs. Without this, it was impossible to provide formations and parts with fuel and ammunition. In the first two weeks, the Western and Kalinin fronts broke through the Wehrmacht's defense zone in the direction of Spas-Demensk, moving 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 the battle. The Germans deployed anti-tank artillery and tried to stop the attack with regular counterattacks. However, their efforts were not enough. The attack group on August 30 broke organized resistance at the turn of the Ugra River and by the evening occupied Yelnya.
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. In pursuit of these units, the Red Army advanced 18 kilometers, occupying about 200 villages, villages and small towns. During the battle in the village of Borisovka, Private Tashtemir Rustemov closed the German machine gun, for which he became the Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.
Way 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, reaching the line of Small Savki-Gorbachevka-Bolshaya Nezhoda-Manchina. A powerful defense was created here in advance with well-trained 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 to lead to the liberation of Smolensk and Roslavl. Preparation for the next offensive took several days. On September 14, the left flank of the Kalinin Front began the 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 consolidated their positions on occupied lines.
The offensive of parts of the Kalinin Front was carried out in the direction of the Spiritualism. On the eve of the military leadership with the help of maneuvers and regrouping, it was possible to mislead the enemy regarding the true location of the Soviet units. False defensive work was carried out to misinform. 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 surrounded units of the Wehrmacht and expanded the front of their breakthrough to 30 kilometers. On the night of the 19th day after the assault, a heavily fortified and important resistance knot in the direction of Smolensk-Dukhovschina was repelled. The next day, Yartsevo was under the control of Soviet troops.
The operation near Smolensk came to its decisive stage. The most successful operations were parts of the Western Front. In 5 days they managed to advance 30 kilometers. The Kremlin gave the order to release Smolensk by September 27, and Demidov was released on the 21st. After the loss of this city, the enemy began to retreat 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 target.
Liberation of Smolensk
One day - September 25 - the liberation of Smolensk and Roslavl. These cities were of strategic importance. Smolensk was a defense node of the Wehrmacht troops in the entire western direction. The 5th, 31st and 58th armies were the first to enter it . Having lost the nodes of communication, the enemy tried to stop the Soviet troops on the rivers Vikhra and Sozh, 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 entered the cities of Mstislavl, Krasny, Krichev. Parts of the Western Front continued the offensive on the Roslavl direction, where the troops of the Bryansk Front helped the soldiers. A few days later, on October 2, they approached the Prone River. The Smolensk offensive operation ended with this breakthrough. Army Group Center suffered a serious defeat.
Summary
Thanks to the Smolensk strategic offensive operation, the “East Wall” of the Wehrmacht in the upper Dnieper was crushed. The armies of the two fronts marched 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, Dukhovschina and others.
Seven enemy divisions were defeated. The successful completion of the Smolensk operation made it possible to end the battle of Kursk, start the battle of the Dnieper and carry out an operation to completely liberate the Donetsk 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 the Soviet troops in the Smolensk operation amounted to about 450 thousand people (of which 107 thousand were irretrievable). As a result of the offensive, the 104th formations were given their own honorary names - Elninsky, Smolensky, Yartsevsky, Roslavlsky, etc. Thousands of soldiers and partisans received orders and medals, and especially distinguished heroes - the highest ranks of Heroes of the Soviet Union.