Chapter 69 The Battle West of Belgorod and the Scramble for Kharkov

After restoring the situation in the area of ​​​​the Sixth Army, we will continue to heal the wounds on the front of the First Panzer Army Donets.This can no longer be burned, because a new storm is now brewing on the northern flank of the army group. Since Army Group Kenf and Fourth Panzer Army had retreated to their positions before the battle on the Acropolis, the enemy had been putting pressure on them.At the beginning of the month, our radio taps and aerial searches revealed that the enemy was massing a strong armored force in the Kursk salient.Obviously, the new force was transferred from the central front of the Eastern Front.The enemy was also found preparing a new offensive in the Donets Bend southeast of Kharkov.

On August 2 we reported to Army Headquarters that we expected an imminent enemy attack on the northern front of Army Group west of Belgorod.We believe that there will be an auxiliary offensive southeast of Kharkov, the purpose of which is to encircle our army in a pincer motion around the city and open the way to the Dnieper.We ask for the return of the two Panzer Divisions assigned to Army Group Center and permission to retain the SS Panzer Corps for use on our northern flank.In addition, we also ordered the Third Armored Corps and the Third Armored Division to rush back to Kharkov from the Donets area.

On August 3, the enemy began to attack the fronts of the 4th Panzer Army and the Kenf Army west of Belgorod.The enemy achieved the goal of the breakthrough at the demarcation point between the two units, and gained considerable breadth and depth within a few days.The 4th Panzer Army was forced to retreat westward, and the Kenf Army was forced to retreat south to Kharkov.Even on August 8 there was a gap thirty-five miles wide between the two armies to the northwest of the city.The enemy seems to have been able to drive straight from Poltava to the Dnieper. Army Group HQ has ordered 3rd Panzer Corps (including the two SS Panzer Divisions Hitler finally allowed us to keep and the 3rd Panzer Division) to take over Kharkov so that Army Group Kenf can attack the enemy's breakthrough spearhead. East side.At the same time, the Fourth Panzer Army should use the two armored divisions returned by the Central Army Group, plus an armored infantry division, to attack the western flank of this spearhead.

But it is clear that the actions of these forces alone, or even the individual efforts of the army group alone, will not solve the problem in the long run.The number of casualties in our divisions has already been astonishingly high, and two regiments have completely collapsed because of the continuous hard fighting.And because the enemy advanced too fast, many tanks were lost in the repair shop.In contrast, the enemy's replacement of the losses suffered in the battle of the Acropolis has been faster than we expected.Especially since they have drawn a strong new force from other fronts.

There can be no doubt that the enemy is now determined to seek a general settlement on the southern flank of the German army.Not only did they continue to mobilize fresh troops to the breakthrough front, but at the same time, their offensives on the east and southeast of Kharkov were also imminent.There are also signs of a planned new offensive on the front of the Donets-Mies River. When the Chief of the General Staff came to see us on August 8, I told him very frankly that now we can no longer be limited to solving isolated problems, such as whether the certain division of the Army Group South can be transferred, or whether the Whether the Ban bridgehead position should retreat, etc.The main thing was that we should devote all our energy to thwarting the enemy's apparent intention to destroy the southern flank of the German army.This again is possible in two ways.1. Withdraw from the Donets area in order to spare troops for the northern flank of the Army Group and at least hold the line of the Dnieper River in the south.2. The Army Headquarters must quickly transfer ten divisions from other fronts to the Fourth Panzer Army and the Second Army (belonging to the Central Army Group) that borders it in the north, and another ten divisions to reinforce the front line of the Dnieper River .However, despite repeated requests from the headquarters of the Army Group, this time it still failed to take effective action.

At this time, the situation has gone from bad to worse.As the enemy pushed the 4th Panzer Army further west, it was clear that he also intended to advance through the void in order to detour the Kenf Army and encircle it in the city of Kharkov.On August 12, the Russian army also attacked our defense lines on the east and southeast of the city at the same time.The divisions defending the place had to retreat due to their weak strength, so the danger of the Kenff Army being surrounded near the city was imminent. It's still the same as usual.Hitler demanded that the city be held at all costs, this time mainly for political reasons, and he pointed out that the fall of the city would have a negative impact on the attitudes of Turkey and Bulgaria.Regardless of whether this theory is correct, our army group has absolutely no intention of sacrificing an army in Kharkov.

On August 22, the city of Kharkov was finally temporarily abandoned in order to mobilize forces to rescue the two flanks of the Koff Army and prevent it from being encircled.At this time, the Kenf Army was also renamed the Eighth Army, and my former chief of staff, General Wohler (Gen‧Wohler), served as the commander of the army.Although I have always been on good terms with General Keff, I have no objection to this transfer. It was Hitler's personal decision because General Wuller was cautious and brave, and he had been subjected to the strictest training in the Crimean campaign. Tests are especially valuable in existing situations.

August 23rd was a day full of dangers.In the Donets region, the enemy has again attacked.Sixth Army was able to stop the threat of a breakthrough, but it was unable to restore the situation in the area.The 1st Panzer Army also repelled another large enemy attack, but was exhausted.While the Eighth Army was able to withdraw from Kharkov unharmed, the Fourth Panzer Army was facing a tough fight, although it had won a defensive battle on its southern flank. Nevertheless, on August 23, when the armored forces withdrawn from the Donets area and Army Group Center were brought in, the enemy's breakthrough towards Poltava was finally temporarily blocked.In the area of ​​the Fourth Panzer Army and the Eighth Army, from a certain point south of Kharkov to the southwest of Ahtika, a defensive line has been barely rebuilt, although thin and incomplete.Although the Fourth Panzer Army has been able to maintain contact with the right flank of the Central Army Group, there is still a big gap in the front of the Army Group southwest of Ahtikai.The gap wasn't filled until the end of the month when an attack was launched to straighten the front.

The intelligence of August 23 is sufficient to show how difficult the situation of the two armies is.As far as facing the 4th Panzer Army alone, the enemy has used the entirety of its Voronezh Front, a total of three armies (two infantry, one tank army) in front, and another army Follow up later.The enemy facing the Eighth Army was the Steppes Front, which had no fewer than six armies, one of which was a panzer army. On the night of August 20, we submitted a report to the Army Headquarters on the relative strength of the enemy and us (including the width of the front), which can give a clearer indication of the overall situation of our army group:

Frontal Width of Our Troops Number of Divisions Approximate Combat Strength Enemy Troops (excluding retreated ones) The Sixth Army has 155 miles and 10 infantry divisions are equivalent to 3.5 divisions and 31 infantry divisions One armored division is equivalent to five divisions, two mechanized divisions, seven armored brigades, and seven armored regiments (the total number of tanks is about 400) The 155 miles of the First Panzer Army and the eight infantry divisions are equivalent to five or five divisions and thirty-two infantry divisions Three armored divisions or armored infantry divisions are equivalent to 1.25 divisions, one tank corps, one mechanized corps, one armored brigade, six armored regiments, and one cavalry corps (the total number of tanks is about 220)

Eighth Army 130 Miles Twelve Infantry Divisions Equivalent to 5.75 Divisions Forty-Four｜Forty-Five Infantry Divisions Five armored divisions are equivalent to two or thirty-three divisions, three mechanized corps, three tank corps, eleven armored brigades, and sixteen armored regiments (the total number of tanks is about 360) 170 miles of the Fourth Panzer Army Eight infantry divisions are equivalent to three divisions Twenty to twenty-two infantry divisions Five armored divisions are equivalent to two divisions, one mechanized army, five tank armies, one armored brigade, and one armored regiment (the total number of tanks is about 490) South Army Group 610 Miles Thirty-eight Infantry Divisions Equivalent to Eighteen Infantry Divisions Fourteen armored divisions are equivalent to six armored divisions When we estimate the enemy's combat strength, we assume that most of its infantry divisions and armored units are already only 30% and 50% strong.However, a small number of fresh troops can still retain 70% to 80% of their strength.Undoubtedly, the enemy also suffered very heavy losses, for the reduction in combat power was more or less equal to our own.But what we can't offset is the large number of Russian troops, especially in the last few days, the enemy will mobilize more fresh troops from the front of Anel. The above comparison table can also show that the enemy has concentrated its forces, most importantly armored forces, against the northern flank of the army group.From the way they concentrated their forces on the front of the Eighth Army and on the right flank of the Fourth Panzer Army, it can be seen that their intention was to achieve the goal of breaking through in the direction of the Dnieper.Later, after mobilizing more reinforcements, they made a further attempt to detour Fourth Panzer Army in the north and force it to withdraw from Kiev. Since the beginning of the Acropolis operation, the enemy's strength has been continuously increased (a total of fifty-five infantry divisions, two tank or mechanized corps, and many armored brigades).However, the number of troops added to the South Army Group was pitifully small. By the end of August, there were nine infantry divisions and one armored division.Among them, four infantry divisions belonged to the Seventh Army, which was assigned to the command of the Fourth Panzer Army from the right wing of the Central Army Group.Because at this time, the front of the army had been extended another seventy-five miles, the strength of the four divisions had practically not increased. Nevertheless, we did gain five infantry divisions and one armored division.Had we been able to secure this force before the battle on the Acropolis, it would at least hasten the success of our army group's first offensive and turn the tide of battle in our favour.No doubt it was easier to mobilize these forces before the Battle of the Acropolis than after, when the overall situation was already more tense.