3 The Ukrainian front: the battle path. 3rd Ukrainian Front: composition

In 1943, the Great Patriotic War was still in full swing. It became already clear that the plans of the German fascist troops to conquer the USSR by "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 technology, subject to the absolute order and coordination of the actions of large groups of military formations. One of these compounds was the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose composition changed from time to time.

History of the creation of 3 Ukrainian Front

A new combat formation was created a few days after the formation of the 2 Ukrainian Front - October 20, 1943. The decision to create the front took the Supreme Commander of the Red Army Stalin. In fact, the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat path was strewn with many successful battles, was not a new division of the Red Army because it included armies and corps that fought in the Southwestern Front.

In this renaming, the ideological component first of all lay. Why? At that time the Red Army practically liberated the regions of the RSFSR, which were under the control of the Hitlerites, and entered the territory of Ukraine. Many will say: so what? And here's the catch! We liberate Ukraine, the breadbasket of Europe, and the fronts will also be Ukrainian!

3 Ukrainian Front: composition

At different stages, the front forces included different structural units. In October 1943, that is right after the creation, the front consisted of such parts: the Guards (1st and 8th Armies), air forces (6th, 12th, 46th, 17th Armies). In 1944, the front was reinforced. The direction of the units that strengthened the combat power and the forces of the front depended on the specific tasks of our troops at a particular stage of the fighting. So, in the course of existence, one shock, two guards, five tank armies, several Bulgarian armies were introduced into the front. In some operations, the ground forces needed support from the sea, so the front troops included the Danube Flotilla. It is this combination of diverse combat units that often gave the desired result.

Command 3 of the Ukrainian Front

During the existence of 3 Ukrainian Front he was led by two military leaders: Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich and Tolbukhin Fedor Ivanovich. Marshal Malinovsky rose at the head of the front immediately on its foundation - October 20, 1943. Malinovsky's military career began with a school of junior command staff, after which he became commander of a platoon of machine gunners. Gradually climbing the career ladder, Malinovsky in 1930 finishes the Military Academy. After the Academy he worked as the chief of staff of the cavalry regiment, then he was the staff officer of the North Caucasian and Belorussian military districts. Participated in the Civil War in Spain. During the Second World War, our army, under the leadership of the army general Malinovsky, won many great victories.

The change of leadership of the front was not connected with Malinovsky's unprofessional approach to commanding the troops. It's just that the conditions of life were demanded, it was the Great Patriotic War. The commanders of the fronts changed quite often. From May 15, 1944 to June 15, 1945 (the date of the disbandment of the front), the group of troops is led by Marshal of the Soviet Union Tolbukhin. His military biography before the appointment to this high post is also interesting. In the Red Army Tolbukhin from 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 school of junior command staff. After the Civil War, Tolbukhin Fyodor Ivanovich led the troops of the Novgorod province, was the chief of staff of the 56th and 72nd Infantry Divisions, the 1st and 19th Rifle Corps, etc. Since 1938 (another promotion), he became Chief of Staff Transcaucasian Military District. It was in this position that the war caught him.

Operations of the Red Army in the Dnieper region

The battle for the Dnieper is a complex of events that took place in the second half of 1943. After the defeat on the Kursk Bulge, Hitler, of course, did not lose the chances of victory, but his positions were greatly shaken. August 11, 1943 by order of the command of the Germans began to build defensive areas along the entire Dnipro line. That is, the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat path we are studying, gradually came along with other Soviet armies.

From August 13 to September 22, 1943, the Donbas offensive operation took place. This was the beginning of the battle for the Dnieper. To win the Donbass from the Hitlerites for our army and country was strategically important, because for the further supply of the front with arms, Donbass coal was needed. All knew perfectly well that the coal of Ukraine during the occupation was used by the fascists.

Poltava-Chernigov operation

In parallel with the offensive in the Donbas from August 26, the Red Army launched an offensive towards Poltava and Chernigov. Of course, these all the offensive of our troops were not flashing and instant, but they proceeded systematically and gradually. The fascists no longer had the strength to smother the offensive impulses of Soviet troops in the bud.

Realizing that the only way to stop the advance of Soviet troops from them will be with the crossing of the Dnieper, the Germans began a retreat on September 15, 1943. They wanted the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat route would continue successfully, along with other troops could not seize the Black Sea ports, cross the Dnieper and get out to the Crimea. On the line of the Dnieper, the fascists concentrated enormous forces 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, cities such as Glukhov, Konotop, Sevsk, Poltava, Kremenchuk, many villages and smaller towns returned to Soviet power. In addition, in many places (in the region of Kremenchug, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Verkhnedneprovsk, Dnepropetrovsk), it was possible to cross the Dnieper and create bridgeheads on the left bank. At this stage it was possible to create a good springboard for further success.

Promotion of troops in late 1943

From October to December 1943, the second period of the battle for the Dnieper was singled out in the historiography of the war. In these battles also participated 3 Ukrainian Front. The military path of our troops was also complicated, because the Germans were able to build a strong "Eastern Wall" along the Dnieper. The first task of our troops was to eliminate as much as possible all the bridgehead fortifications built by the fascists.

The command understood that it was impossible to stop the offensive. And the troops were advancing! 3 The Ukrainian front (the combat route intersected with the lines of offensives of other fronts) conducted the Nizhnedneprovsky offensive operation. The enemy was very difficult to defend, because at the same time the formation of forces for the offensive against Kiev from the Bukrin bridgehead began. Large enemy forces were distracted by the defense of Kiev, because this city was the most important for the enemy on this line and second only to Moscow. Until December 20, 1943, our troops managed to liberate the most important cities of Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye, as well as to seize the huge bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dnieper. Also managed to block the retreat of German troops from the Crimea. The battle for the Dnieper ended in the complete victory of the Soviet troops.

The troops of the 3 Ukrainian Front in this operation showed themselves in the best way. Of course, the losses of Soviet troops were large, but in such heavy fighting it was impossible to do without losses. And the level of development of medicine was not the same as now ...

The operations of the Soviet troops in Moldova

Soviet troops and in 1944 continued to liberate Ukraine. In the second half of 1944, our troops launched an offensive against Moldova and Romania. These legendary attacks entered the history of the war as the Iasi-Kishinev operation.

Against the Soviet troops there were very significant German forces, about 900,000 soldiers and officers. Against such forces it was necessary to attack decisively, so that the effect of surprise would be provided. The offensive began on August 20, 1944. Already before 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 2 and 3 of the Ukrainian fronts came out on August 29, surrounding and destroying before that the German troops in the area of Prut. The successful advance of the troops of the 3 Ukrainian Front led to a revolution in Romania. The government was changed, the country declared war on Germany.

Several volunteer divisions were formed, the first of which became part of the 3 Ukrainian Front. The offensive of joint Soviet-Romanian troops continued. On August 31, the troops occupied Bucharest.

The attack on Romania

The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 provided Soviet soldiers with an excellent experience of conducting military operations. During the fighting, skills were developed to counter the enemy and carry out offensive operations. Therefore, in 1944, when the fascist army was not already as strong as it was in 1941, there was no longer any possibility of stopping 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 the Wehrmacht's large forces were still concentrated there. The liberation of Romania ended in October 1944. The last liberated Romanian city during this march is Satu Mare. Then the Soviet troops went to the territory of Hungary, where they also successfully coped with the enemy over time.

The Iasi-Kishinev operation was one of the most successful during the war, because significant territories were liberated, and Hitler lost another ally.

Conclusion

During the war on the territory of Ukraine, troops fought four fronts. Each of them in the history of the Ukrainian section of the war in the period from 1941 to 1944 left a significant mark on the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazi invaders. The role of each front, of each part in the matter of defeating a mortal enemy, probably is not yet fully appreciated by historians and the people in general. But it should be noted that the 3 Ukrainian Front, whose combat path ended in June 1945, made a significant contribution to the victory, because the troops of the front liberated important industrial regions of the Ukrainian SSR.

The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is an example of the greatest feat of the multinational Soviet people.