History Article-The Smolensk Campaign: A Historical Synopsis

Article written by Club Shadow Player [Sat Dec 05, 2009 5:09 pm]

On the morning of July 7th 1941, Colonel General Heinz Guderian had an important decision to make. Should he continue his advance and cross the Dnepr to capture his primary objective (Smolensk), or stop and await the arrival of the infantry armies. As Colonel General Hoth's 3rd Panzergroup was already moving toward Vitebsk, he decided to strike the Russian defense line while it was weak and risk the exposed open flanks of his Panzergroup.

The Dnepr River flows west through Smolensk to Orsha, then bends south toward Mogilev. The Western Dvina flows in a southwesterly direction to Vitebsk then turns northwest. The area between Vitebsk and Orsha was known as the "land bridge" to Moscow. The Russians were setting up their first echelon defensive line for the battle of Smolensk behind these rivers. But at this time the defense was very weak, with virtually no mobile reserve force to counter a breakthrough. The strongest concentration of troops was in the land bridge area and at Mogilev itself.

On July 10 Panzergroup 2 crossed the Dnepr and advanced on Smolensk, bypassing the major Russian troop concentrations. XXVI Corps crossed the river south of Mogilev, while XXXXVI Corps crossed to the north. This encircled the Russian 20 Mechanized Corps and 61st Rifle Corps, which had been defending Mogilev. While 3rd Panzer closed the ring around Mogilev, 4th Panzer struck toward the Sozh River. The Gross Deutschland regiment and the 10th Motorized division moved up to relieve 3rd Panzer, to protect the Panzergroup's flanks from the encircled Russians.

North of Mogilev the XXXXVI Corps met little resistance, striking quick and deep. 10th Panzer moved toward Mstislavl, while the 29th Motorized division moved on Smolensk. On July 11th, the XXXXVII Corps crossed the Dnepr south of Orsha. 17th and 18th Panzer attacked the Russian 5th Mechanized Corps there, and by threatening their supply line forced them to retreat toward Smolensk.

Hoth's XXXIX Corps was attacking north and south of Vitebsk at this time. 7th Panzer, after stopping a Russian preemptive attack by the 7th Mechanized Corps, pushed through the city and joined 20th Panzer circling to the north. 12th Panzer struck the Russian 69th Rifle Corps south of Vitebsk, forcing them back. Hoth's LVII Corps struck across the Western Dvina, routing the Russian 22nd, and developed their attack toward Veliki Luki.

By the 13th of July, the Russian 19th and 20th Armies were in full retreat toward Smolensk. The remains of these two armies joined 16th Army around Smolensk to set up a defense of the city. 7th and 20th Panzer had captured Demidov by then and were striking toward Yartsevo with the intent to encircle Smolensk.



At this time, Russian Marshal Timoshenko launched a counterattack with the remains of his 4th and 13th Armies, along with the 25th Mechanized Corp, striking Guderian's 4th Panzer in the right flank. Guderian had to send 3rd Panzer and the 1st Cavalry Division to help protect this exposed flank. Bitter fighting took place all along the Sozh River until the 22th of July when the flank was finally stabilized.

Meanwhile, on the 16th of July, the 29th Motorized division captured Smolensk. This was the operational objective of Guderian's Panzergroup. Hoth's 7th Panzer was attacking towards Yartsevo but met heavy resistance from fresh Russian troops in the area. With the 10th Panzer and the SS Das Reich motorized division advancing on Yelnya the ring was closing on the three Russian armies trapped at Smolensk. When Yelnya was captured on July 21st, Hoth requested that Guderian assist him in closing the pocket around Smolensk by advancing toward Dorogobuzh.

The Russians saw July 20th as the start of the second phase of the battle. General Lukin's 16th Army along with the remnants of 19th and 20th Armies, at this time bottled up near Smolensk, would maintain their combat integrity and fight while moving east. Three new armies were being formed east of the battle area. Out of these three armies came four operational groups, their objective to counterattack and stabilize the front.

In the northern sector was Operational Group Khomenko, forming near Rzhev; Operational Group Kalinin, forming north of Yartsevo; and Operational Group Rokossovsky, forming in front of Yartsevo. In the south the Russians were trying to form a new defensive line along the Sozh River, and Operational Group Kachalov was forming around Roslavl.

The Russian operational plan called for Group Khomenko to attack south towards Smolensk, with Group Kalinin in support of its left flank. Group Rokossovsky was to launch a fixing attack towards Yartsevo, with the idea to pin down German forces in that area. Group Kachalov was to attack northward from Roslavl to Smolensk, with the idea of cutting off German forces around the Yelnya area.

These attacks were supposed to occur simultaneously, but that did not happen. On July 22nd , Group Kachalov and Group Rokossovsky attacked first, with some success. The next day Group Khomenko joined the battle. By July 24th the Germans had almost succeeded in a full encirclement of the Russian forces in the Smolensk pocket but the pressure of the Russian counterattack prevented this. The Germans did halt Group Khomenko's attack, while also driving back Group Kalinin across the Vop River.

Group Kachalov's attack, after some initial success, stalled. He had no reserve forces available and was being threatened on his left flank, due to the arriving German infantry.
He did succeed in forcing the Germans to deploy the 18th Panzer Division to neutralize his threat. That division was to be part of the attack on Dorogobuzh.

Only Group Rokossovsky accomplished his dual mission of stabilizing the area around Yartsevo and holding the corridor open for the armies trapped at Smolensk to escape.
General Lukin fed his forces out of the pocket, while additional reinforcements were brought up to help Rokossovsky.



By July 27th, most of Lukins force escaped the trap at Smolensk. New Russian armies were forming a defensive line at Vyazma. The Russians were able to start stabilizing the front with new reinforcements. As the German infantry corps arrived in the area, they too were fed into the line.

By the 3rd of August the front line had stabilized. The Panzer divisions were replaced in the line by the arriving infantry divisions. They were to be rested and refitted, as Hitler's eyes turned toward Kiev and Leningrad.

 

by Michael Avanzini