Smolensk is one of the oldest cities in Russia. Since the time of Vasily III, he met in battle all the enemies marching on Moscow from the West. AT Time of Troubles stubborn defense of the garrison of the Smolensk fortress in 1609-1611. saved our country and faith from a full-scale Polish invasion. During the years of the Northern War, the stubbornness of the Russian resistance on Smolensk land forced the army of Charles XII to turn south, sending them to death near Poltava. During Patriotic War 1812 Smolensk battle was almost the first in which the French army under the command of Napoleon himself, having a numerical advantage, suffered greater losses. It is no coincidence that Smolensk acquired the nickname "key-city".
DEFENSE OF SMOLENSK. 1941
In July-September 1941, Smolensk found itself in the center of a grandiose battle between the formations of the Soviet Western Front and the most powerful formation of the Wehrmacht - Army Group Center.
Smolensk gave all their strength to fight the enemy. On the territory of the region, 4 defensive lines with a total length of over 500 km were erected, 85 airfields and 120 runways were built.
The battles directly in the city were fought on July 15-28. Together with the soldiers of the 16th Army under the command of M.F. Lukin Smolensk was defended by the inhabitants of the city themselves - the fighters of the fighter battalions formed from volunteers. July 15 squad of policemen and cadets under the command of the head of the school of the Workers 'and Peasants' Militia Mikhailov, he fought with the personnel units of the enemy. Many policemen died heroically, holding back the onslaught of the Nazis, and foreman Poddubny immortalized his name by rushing with a grenade under a fascist tank and stopping him.
In July-October 1941, on the territory of the Smolensk region, a separate experimental rocket artillery battery from the BM-13 installations under the command of Captain Flerov- the first connection of the legendary "Katyusha", opened fire on the enemy.
According to the memories of the experience experienced in July 1941 during the battle of Smolensk, the famous poem by Konstantin Simonov was written “Do you remember, Alyosha, the roads of the Smolensk region…”. It is dedicated to the outstanding military correspondent and poet Alexei Surkov.
Military historians believe that it was during the battle of Smolensk that the German plan for a lightning war against the USSR was thwarted at a strategic level.
The Battle of Smolensk ended with a successful offensive by the troops of the Reserve Front on August 30 - September 8, 1941. The planning of the operation and general management were carried out by G. Zhukov. The commander of the 24th Army, which delivered the main blow, was Major General Konstantin Ivanovich Rakutin. An important bridgehead from which the Nazis were preparing to attack Moscow was liquidated, the city of Yelnya was liberated, and the most distinguished divisions were awarded the title of Guards. Thus the Soviet Guard was born. The commander of the 100th Rifle Division, which became the 1st Guards Commissar of Defense of the USSR Stalin on September 18, was Ivan Russiyanov, a native of the Smolensk region, the future Lieutenant General and Hero Soviet Union.
PARTISANS AND UNDERGROUND. 1941-1943
Huge assistance to the Soviet troops fighting the enemy at the front was provided by partisans and underground fighters, who did not allow the invaders to breathe calmly even in the rear. During the years of the Great Patriotic War, Smolensk partisans, of which there were more than 53 thousand, destroyed over 175 thousand enemy soldiers and officers, derailed 1,354 trains with troops and military equipment. One of the youngest Heroes of the Soviet Union partisans Volodya Kurylenko fought and died heroically on Smolensk land.
RELEASE OF SMOLENSK. 1943
Smolensk was liberated by the troops of the Western and Kalinin fronts during the offensive operation, which received the code name "Suvorov". It is symbolic that the great A.V. Suvorov was directly connected with Smolensk: in 1768-1769 he commanded the Suzdal regiment stationed here.
During the planning of the Smolensk offensive operation in August 1943, I.V. went to the location of the Kalinin Front. Stalin. The purpose of the trip was, he said, push Eremenko(Commander of the Kalinin Front) to more active actions.
Smolensk offensive began on August 7, 1943. The enemy provided fierce resistance on pre-fortified and prepared lines, because he did not want to lose the most important transport hub and, moreover, the place where the headquarters of Army Group Center had been located since the autumn of 1941.
September 25, 1943 Smolensk was liberated. Captain P. Klepach, who later became a Hero of the Soviet Union and an Honorary Citizen of the city of Smolensk, hoisted the red banner on the building of the Smolensk Hotel. The square on which this building is located is now called Victory Square.
On the day of the liberation of Smolensk, the French pilots of the fighter aviation regiment shot down 7 German aircraft, losing only one car, and the pilot Pierre Jeannel survived and soon returned to duty. On the same day, the 303rd fighter the air division in which the Normandie regiment fought was given the honorary name Smolenskaya.
LOSSES OF THE SMOLENSH REGION FROM THE OCCUPATION
Before the war, 157 thousand people lived in Smolensk. At the time of liberation, it contained only 20 thousand inhabitants.
According to the Extraordinary State Commission for establishing and investigating the atrocities of the Nazi invaders in the city of Smolensk and in the Smolensk region, Nazi punishers were more than 135 thousand Soviet citizens were destroyed- residents of the city and prisoners of war of the Red Army.
In total, on the territory of the Smolensk region during the years of occupation (according to incomplete data), the Nazis destroyed 230,137 prisoners of war and 151,319 civilians, 164,630 people were driven to Germany. Among all regions and territories of the RSFSR, in terms of the number of deaths among the civilian population, the Smolensk region stands on the third place after Leningrad and the Leningrad region. For comparison: the irretrievable losses of the US Army on all fronts of World War II are a little more than 405 thousand people.
After the liberation, about 900 thousand inhabitants remained on the territory of the Smolensk region - and this is only about 40% of its pre-war population.
Damage to the economy
State and cooperative industrial enterprises of the Smolensk region were almost completely destroyed (870 out of 900).
In 12 cities of the region, water pipes were put out of action and destroyed. Retreating, the Nazis destroyed 38 power plants.
According to incomplete information, out of 41,340 houses that existed in cities and district centers by the beginning of 1941, fascist barbarians destroyed 28,200 houses (about 70%).
In 28 districts of the region, 2265 villages and villages were completely burned.
damage to culture
The German invaders were especially furious at the destruction of Russian culture, education and healthcare. 1750 schools were completely destroyed, that is, 80% of all school buildings. 37 houses of culture (out of 41), 1216 reading rooms and 289 libraries, 33 cinemas were destroyed. The values of the four most important Smolensk museums (artistic, historical, nature, socialist construction), as well as the Sychevsky Museum of Local Lore, were looted and destroyed, the room-museum of the great Russian composer M.I. Glinka in Smolensk.
The famous Smolyan poet M.V. Isakovsky wrote about the liberated Smolensk lines that speak for themselves:
I saw a hill near the old walls of the Kremlin,
And this hill will hardly be forgotten.
Here the earth is all in tears and all in blood:
Here was the end. Buried in a hole here.
I saw everything that I had to see,
That the enemy tormented without any regrets ...
But not for a moment did he succeed.
You, Smolensk, put on your knees.
AWARDS
RVIO
RVIO on the territory of the Smolensk region installed 16 road signs as part of the "Place of feat" project. Soon, 28 more information boards will appear on Smolensk roads.
About the pages of centuries military history Smolensk residents and guests of the city can find out in the Gromovaya Tower Museum, where a large-scale re-exposition was carried out by the RVIO.
Its code name "Suvorov" is a strategic offensive operation of the troops of the Kalinin (Colonel-General A. I. Eremenko) and Western (Colonel-General V. D. Sokolovsky) fronts, carried out on August 7 - October 2 in order to defeat the left wing of the army group " Center", release Smolensk and prevent the transfer German troops to the southwestern strategic direction.
The main blow was delivered by the armies of the Western Front (31A, 5A, 10 Guards A, 33A, 49A, 10A, 50A, 68A, 21A, 1VA, 2 Guards TC, 5 MK, 6 Guards CC) in order to defeat the enemy in the Yelnya areas and Spas-Demensk. In the future, his troops were to move towards Roslavl in order to help the Bryansk Front advancing in the Roslavl direction in the fight against the powerful German group deployed against it. The troops of the right wing of the Western Front, together with the forces of the left wing of the Kalinin Front (4 ud. A, 43A, 39A, 3VA, 3 Guards. KK) had the task of hitting the enemy in the areas of Dorogobuzh, Yartsev, Dukhovshchina and then liberate Smolensk. This plan was called "Suvorov I".
The German command believed that the liberation of Smolensk by the Red Army would create favorable starting positions for it for subsequent operations in the Minsk region. In order to prevent this, the Wehrmacht troops for a long period of stay here created a strong defensive line in the Smolensk direction (the central part of the "Eastern Wall") of 5 - 6 lanes (with a total depth of 100 - 130 km), saturated with wire barriers, minefields, pillboxes, bunkers, anti-tank ditches, gouges, blockages and others. Besides, natural conditions The combat area favored the defense - a wooded area with large wetlands.
In an effort to stop the Red Army at any cost, the German command in the first half of August transferred up to 13 divisions to the Smolensk direction from Orel, Bryansk and other sectors of the front. The Smolensk operation included four front-line operations. On the morning of August 7, the troops of the shock group of the Western Front went on the offensive, starting the Spas-Demenskaya operation.
The fighting immediately took on a protracted character, accompanied by continuous counterattacks and stubborn German resistance. The troops of the front advanced 30-40 km in 14 days, liberated more than 530 settlements, including Spas-Demensk (August 13). On August 28 - September 6, the troops of the Western Front carried out the Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation, during which they liberated Yelnya (August 30) and Dorogobuzh (September 1).
On September 14, the troops of the Kalinin Front resumed their offensive, and on September 15, the offensive of the Western Front, carrying out the Dukhovshchinsky-Demidov and Smolensk-Roslavl operations, respectively. In their course, Soviet troops broke through the enemy's defenses, liberated Yartsevo (September 16), Demidov (September 22), Smolensk and Roslavl (September 25), advanced 130 - 180 km.
As a result of the Smolensk operation, the troops of Kalininsky and Western fronts advanced to the west by 200-250 km in a strip 300 km wide, liberated Smolensk and part of the Kalinin region from the invaders and entered the borders of Belarus. This significantly moved the front line away from Moscow, ensured the collapse of the "Eastern Wall" in the upper reaches of the Dnieper and created a threat to the northern flank of Army Group Center. 7 divisions were defeated and 14 enemy divisions suffered a heavy defeat. The German command was forced to transfer 16 divisions to the area of operation from other directions, including from the central one, which contributed to the successful completion of the Battle of Kursk and the conduct of operations to liberate the left-bank Ukraine.
Losses Soviet troops amounted to: irrevocable - over 107.6 thousand people, sanitary - 34.3 thousand people. The troops acted courageously and purposefully, showed courage and military skill. Particularly distinguished 73 formations and units of the Western and 16 - Kalinin fronts received the honorary names of Smolensk, Demidov, Roslavl and others. Many formations and units were awarded orders, tens of thousands of soldiers were awarded military awards.
1943 Liberation timeline
March 6 - Gzhatsky (now Gagarinsky) district
March 8 - Sychevsky district
March 9 - Temkinsky district
March 12 - Vyazemsky and Ugransky districts
March 15 - Holm-Zhirkovsky district
March 20 - Novoduginsky and Safonovsky districts (by March 20, the front line was established near Safonov)
August 30 - Elninsky district
August 31 - Safonovo
September 1 - Dorogobuzhsky district
September 16 - Yartsevsky district
September 19 - Dukhovshchinsky district
September 20 - Velizh district
September 21 - Demidovsky district
September 23 - Pochinkovsky district
September 25 - Smolensk and Roslavl region
September 23 - 25 - Smolensk region
September 26 - Ershichsky, Monastyrshchinsky, Khislavichsky districts
September 27 - Krasninsky, Shumyachsky districts
September 29 - Rudnyansky district
According to the materials of the Research Institute (military history) of the VAGSh of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Come. operation of the troops of the Western and the lion. wing of the Kalinin fr., held on August 7. - Oct 2 The goal is to defeat the lion. German-Fash wing Army Group Center, to prevent the transfer of its forces to the south-west. the direction where the Sov. The army inflicted Ch. blow, and free Smolensk. German-Fash. the command, seeking to hold the occupied lines east of Smolensk and Roslavl, concentrated large forces in this direction of the 3rd tank., 4th field A and part of the formations of the 9th field A of Army Group Center (44 divisions, St. 850 thousand men). people, about 8800 guns and mortars, about 500 tanks and assault guns, up to 700 aircraft; Feldm. Gen. G. Kluge). Pr-k had a strong defense (center, part of the "Eastern shaft"), which included 5-6 lanes of total depth. 100-130 km. The cities of Velizh, Demidov, Dukhovshchina, Smolensk, Yelnya, Roslavl were turned into powerful fortified nodes. Lion troops. wing (4th Shock, 43rd and 39th A, 5th guards sk and 3rd guards kk, 3rd VA) Kalinin (gen.-regiment A. I. Eremenko) and Western ( 31st, 5th, 10th Guards, 33rd, 49th, 10th, 68th and 21st A, 5th Mk, 2nd Guards TC, 6th and The 2nd Guards KK, 1st VA; General Regiment, from August 27 General of the Army V. D. Sokolovsky) of the fronts occupied an enveloping position in relation to the enemy grouping. To the beginning S. o. both fronts included 1253 thousand people, 20640 guns and mortars, 1436 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1100 aircraft. By design, the owls command chap. the role in the operation was assigned to Zap. fr., Krom had to destroy the pr-ka in the districts of Yelnya, Spas-Demensk and then advance on Roslavl, striking at the flank of the enemy group deployed against the Bryansk fr. The troops are right. wing front joint. with the armies of the lion. wing of the Kalinin fr. received the task of defeating the pr-ka in the districts of Dorogobuzh, Yartsevo, Dukhovshchina and in the future to seize Smolensk (plan "Suvorov I"). In the event of a successful offensive by the Bryansk Fr. it was planned to turn forces Zap. fr. to Smolensk (plan "Suvorov II"). It was planned to break through the defense of the pr-ka at four sites in the Western strip and one in the Kalininsky fr. strip. S. o. included 4 front-line operations united by a common plan.
Starting Aug 7 offensive, troops of the West. fr. Aug 20 completed the Spas-Demenskaya operation of 1943, during which they defeated the grouping of the pr-ka in the Spas-Demensk region, advanced 30-40 km in depth, and then were stopped at an intermediate defense. turn. The troops of the Kalinin French, who went on the offensive on August 13. in the Dukhovshchin direction, they could only slightly wedge into the defense of the avenue. In the current situation, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command temporarily suspended the offensive in order to regroup forces and prepare a new strike. Aug 28 - 6 Sept. troops of the West. fr. carried out the Elninsko-Dorogobuzh operation of 1943, during a swarm on August 30. seized Yelnya, but right. wing crossed the Dnieper and 1 Sept. liberated Dorogobuzh, advancing towards the end of 6 September. at 35-40 km. After the regrouping of the troops of Kalininsky and Zap. fr. 14-15 Sept. resumed the offensive, carrying out the Dukhovshchinsky-Demidov operation of 1943 and the Smolensk-Roslavl operation of 1943, respectively. liberated Yartsevo, 21 Sept. - Demidov, 25 September - Smolensk and Roslavl. Having advanced 135-145 km, owls. troops by 2 Oct. reached the line west of Velizh, Rudnya, r. Pronya, where they went on the defensive.
As a result, S. o. owls. troops advanced 200-250 km to the west in a strip up to 400 km wide, cleared of German-Fash. occupiers part of the Kalinin, Smolensk region., laid the foundation for the liberation of Belarus. 7 divisions of the pr-ka were defeated, 14 suffered a heavy defeat. Pr-k was forced to transfer 16 divisions from the Oryol-Bryansk and other directions to the Smolensk region. Total Kalininsky and Zap. fr. shackled ok. 55 enemy divisions, which contributed to the successful completion of the counteroffensive of the owls. troops in the Battle of Kursk 1943. The partisans provided great assistance to the troops. Particularly distinguished 70 formations and units Zap. and 34 Kalinin fr. received honorary titles. "Smolensky", "Yelninsky", "Dukhovshchinsky", "Yartsevsky", "Demidovsky", "Roslavlsky" and others. Mn. formations and units were awarded orders.
The summer-autumn offensive of the Soviet troops in 1943 was crowned with a series of successful operations. After the units of the Red Army in the south to the Dnieper on the Taman Peninsula and in the Kerch region, the movement of Soviet troops began on the central sector of the Soviet-German front, including in the Smolensk direction. Their offensive here was more difficult, as it was supported by smaller forces of artillery, tanks and aircraft, although it was on this segment of the front that the Germans had time to fortify themselves especially carefully. The enemy's defense relied on the central part of the Eastern Wall strategic defensive line, consisting of 5-6 lanes with a total depth of 100-130 km. The cities of Dukhovshina, Dorogobuzh, Yelnya, Spas-Demensk, Smolensk, Roslavl and others were prepared for all-round defense.
As early as the end of June 1943, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command oriented the commanders of the Kalinin (Colonel-General A.I. Eremenko) and the Western (Colonel-General, from August 27, Army General V.D. Sokolovsky) fronts to the Smolensk operation. In early August, the troops of these fronts took up defensive positions in the Smolensk and Roslavl directions along the Velizh line, east of Safonov, east of Bakhmutov, Malye Savki, east of Zhizdra. At this time, favorable conditions developed for delivering strikes against the enemy in the Smolensk and Roslavl region, since the troops of the left wing of the Western and neighboring Bryansk fronts were already conducting a successful offensive in the Oryol-Bryansk direction during the Oryol offensive operation.
The German command, in an effort to hold the lines east of Smolensk and Roslaal, is creating a powerful group of troops here as part of the 3rd, part of the forces of the 2nd (since August 13, the 9th Army) tank armies and the 4th Army, which were part of the Army Group "Center "(Field Marshal General: G. Kluge). It numbered over 850 thousand people, about 8.8 thousand guns and mortars, about 500 tanks and assault guns. Support was provided by up to 700 aircraft of the 6th Air Fleet.
In early August, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. went to the Smolensk direction. Stalin. With the command of the Western and Kalinin fronts, the plan of the operation and the progress of its preparation, the placement of leading personnel, operational camouflage, material support, the use of artillery, tanks and other problems were discussed.
The operation, which received the code name "Suvorov", according to the plan, consisted of two stages (plans "Suvorov I" and "Suvorov II"). The Suvorov I plan provided for the dismemberment of the enemy grouping and its defeat in parts. The main blow was delivered by the troops of the Western Front, consisting of the 31.5, 10th Guards, 33rd, 49th, 10th, 50th (until August 18), 68th, 21st combined arms and 1st air armies, 2nd Guards Tank (since August 20), 5th mechanized, 6th guards cavalry corps. Their goal was to defeat the enemy in the areas of Yelnya and Spas-Demensk, and then develop an offensive on the flank of the German group operating against the Bryansk Front. The troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front as part of the 4th shock, 43rd, 39th combined arms, 3rd air armies and the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps (since September 10 as part of the Western Front) were to, together with the troops of the right wing of the Western Front, inflict strike at the enemy in the areas of Dorogobuzh, Yartsev, Dukhovshchina and liberate Smolensk.
According to the Suvorov II plan, with the successful development of the offensive of the troops of the Bryansk Front, it was envisaged to turn the main forces of the Western Front to Smolensk. The German defense was to be broken through in four sectors in the Western zone and in one sector in the Kalinin fronts. By the beginning of the Smolensk operation, they included more than 1 million 252 thousand people, 20.6 thousand guns and mortars, 1.4 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 1.1 thousand aircraft. Due to the transfer of forces and means from secondary sectors of the front to the directions of the main attack, superiority over the enemy in manpower was achieved - 2-4 times, artillery, tanks and self-propelled guns - 3-6 times. The artillery density per 1 km of the breakthrough area in the armies was 75-165 guns and mortars. Air support for the troops was carried out by the 1st and 2nd air armies.
However, in preparing the operation, significant miscalculations were made: there were no strong second echelons, and mobile groups in the fronts, and camouflage measures were poorly observed. This allowed the Germans to discover the areas of concentration of strike groups and advance two infantry and one tank divisions to threatened areas in advance, which complicated the actions of the Soviet troops when breaking through their defenses.
The Smolensk operation consisted of four front-line operations: Spas-Demenskaya, Yelninsko-Dorogobuzhekoy, Dukhovshnnsko-Demidovskaya and Smolensk-Roslavlskaya, which began sequentially one after another at short intervals.
On the morning of August 7, the shock grouping of the Western Front, consisting of the 5th (Lieutenant General B.C. Polenov), the 10th Guards (Lieutenant General K.P. Trubnikov) and the 33rd (Lieutenant General V.N. Gordov) went on the offensive ) armies. Bon immediately took on a protracted character, since the German command brought troops into the battle, transferred here from the Oryol and Bryansk directions. Only on the fourth day of the operation was it possible to break through the enemy defenses in the area of the city of Kirov in the zone of the 10th Army (Lieutenant General B.C. Popov), which was successfully advancing in the Roslavl direction. The next day, the breakthrough was expanded along the front and in depth. Fearing encirclement, the Germans began to retreat from the Spas-Demensky ledge. Troops of the 49th Army (Major General I.T. Grishin) began to pursue them and on August 13, in cooperation with the 33rd Army, liberated the city of Spas-Demensk. Reflecting continuous counterattacks, the Soviet armies advanced 30-40 km in 14 days and liberated more than 530 villages and towns. By the end of August 20, they were stopped by the enemy at positions prepared in advance at the line of Terenino, Zimtsy, Malye Savki and temporarily went on the defensive.
On August 13, the 43rd (Major General K.D. Golubev) and 39th (Lieutenant General A.I. Zytin) armies of the Kalinin Front went on the offensive in the Dukhovshchina direction. Having met the stubborn resistance of the Germans, who only on August 13 launched 24 counterattacks using tanks and aircraft in the breakthrough sector, they wedged into the German defense for only 6-7 km.
The headquarters of the Supreme High Command in a directive dated August 16 demanded that the commander of the Western Front intensify attacks on the enemy, reach the Desna River by August 25-26, capture the crossings with moving units and hold them until the main forces of the front approach, and then advance on Roslavl, Mogilev. The armies of the right wing of the front were tasked with reaching the Yartsevo-Yelnya line by this time and, in cooperation with the left wing of the Kalinin Front, moving in the direction of Smolensk, Orsha.
The command of the Wehrmacht was also preparing for a new battle. It reinforced the grouping operating against the Western Front with eleven divisions, and against the Kalinin Front with two.
The offensive of the Soviet troops resumed on August 28, when the troops of the Western Front launched the Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation in order to defeat the Yelninskaya group of Germans. On August 30, the troops of the 10th Guards. The 21st Army and the 2nd Guards Tank Corps captured Yelnya. This was a major operational success for the Western Front, on the right wing of which Soviet troops crossed the Dnieper and liberated Dorogobuzh on September 1.
Overcoming the growing resistance of the enemy, fighting in difficult conditions of wooded and swampy terrain, the troops of the Western Front during the Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation advanced to a depth of 35-40 km in 10 days, in some areas they crossed the Ustrom River. Desna, Snopot, and by the end of September 6, entrenched themselves at the turn northeast of Yartsev, west of Yelnya, north of Paderka.
The Kalinin Front also stopped active fighting to better prepare for the next attack. On September 14, the troops of the left wing of the front began the Dukhovshchinsky-Demidov offensive operation with the aim of defeating the strong grouping of German troops defending in this sector. The troops of the 39th (Lieutenant-General N.E. Berzarin) and the left flank of the 43rd armies by the end of the day wedged into the German defenses for 3-13 km on a front of up to 30 km. As a result of four days of fighting, the 39th Army on September 19 liberated the city of Dukhovshina from the invaders. and the 43rd Army on September 22 - the city of Demidov. The enemy grouping was defeated, and his troops, who were in the Smolensk region, were deeply engulfed from the north. The fascist German command had no choice but to withdraw troops to the west. By October 2, the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front reached the line west of the cities of the Ponizovye. Rudnya.
Simultaneously with the offensive of the troops of the left wing of the Kalinin Front, the Western Front on September 15 - October 2 carried out the Smolensk-Roslavl offensive operation in order to complete the defeat of the enemy in the Smolensk and Roslavl directions and develop an offensive on Orsha and Mogilev.
The main blow was dealt in the center by the forces of the 10th Guards (Lieutenant General A. V. Sukhomlin), 21st and 33rd armies. 2nd Guards Tank. 5th mechanized. 6th and 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps with the task of breaking through the German defenses and capturing the Pochinok area, cutting railway and highway Smolensk - Roslavl. then, in cooperation with the troops of the right wing of the front, seize Smolensk, and develop the offensive against Orsha with the main forces. The troops of the right wing received the task, in cooperation with the 39th Army of the Kalinin Front, to reach the Vop and Dnieper rivers and, together with the main grouping, capture Smolensk. The forces of the left wing of the front - the 49th and 10th armies were ordered to cross the Desna and liberate the city of Roslavl.
Performance challenging tasks demanded from the troops a great strain of moral and physical strength. As a result of stubborn battles, they broke the resistance of the German groups and liberated Smolensk and Roslavl on September 25, advancing 130-180 km. The troops were actively supported by aviation of the 3rd (Lieutenant General of Aviation N.F. Papivin) and 1st (Lieutenant General of Aviation M.M, Gromov) air armies. The partisans of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions, as well as Belarus, provided great assistance to the attackers.
On October 2, the Smolensk operation ended. The troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts reached the line west of Velizh, Rudnya, Baev, Dribin and further south along the Pronya River, ending the offensive on the orders of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
During the Smolensk operation, the troops of the Western and Kalinin fronts advanced 200-250 km, liberated the entire Smolensk region and part of the Kalinin region from the German invaders, entered the borders of Belarus. The front line was significantly moved away from Moscow, the collapse of the "Eastern Wall" in the upper reaches of the Dnieper became inevitable.
The success in the Smolensk operation was facilitated by the actions of the Leningrad, Volkhov and North-Western fronts, which pinned down significant Wehrmacht forces in the north-western direction, depriving the German command of the opportunity to strengthen troops in the central direction. However, the victory came at a high price. The losses of the Red Army amounted to over 107.6 thousand people.
The formations and units that distinguished themselves in the Smolensk operation received the honorary names of Smolensk, Demidov, Dukhovshchinsky, Roslavl.
This is a strategic offensive operation of the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts, carried out on August 7 - October 2. Its goal was to defeat the left wing of Army Group Center, liberate Smolensk and prevent the transfer of German troops to the southwestern strategic direction.
Defeat as many enemy forces as possible
The victories won by the Soviet Army in the Battle of Kursk greatly influenced the situation on the Soviet-German front by the beginning of August 1943. The attempt of the Nazis to launch an offensive in the summer of 1943 in the Kursk region ended in complete failure. In just a few days, our fighters in a fierce battle not only overcame the powerful enemy offensive from the Orel and Belgorod regions, but also went on the counteroffensive. Soviet army firmly held the strategic initiative in its hands: the troops of the Western, Bryansk, Central, Voronezh and Steppe fronts dealt the enemy blow after blow. In this situation, it was very important to defeat as many enemy forces as possible by active actions in other directions in order not to allow the Nazis to use these forces to counter our offensive. These sectors of the front, first of all, included the western direction, which closely adjoined the area of the Kursk salient.
In order to successfully solve this problem, the Soviet High Command decided on a major offensive operation in the western direction. The command of the Western and Kalinin fronts was informed that our fighters, who would operate in the south-western direction, were opposed by the enemy over forty divisions. If they are not destroyed, he will be able to regroup these forces to the south, which will make it difficult for the Soviet troops to attack, inflicting the main blow.
Liberate Smolensk, open the road to Belarus
The task was not only to push the enemy back even further from Moscow, but also to liberate the ancient Russian city of Smolensk, as well as open the road to Belarus. In this direction, the enemy was 200-300 km from Moscow. The enemy threatened her and the entire Central Industrial Region of the country, and also closed the shortest routes to Belarus and the Baltic states for our troops.
The enemy believed that the liberation of Smolensk by the Red Army would lead to the fact that it would receive advantageous positions for military operations in the Minsk region. Taking this into account, the German command created a powerful defensive line in the Smolensk direction. It consisted of 5-6 lanes with a depth of 100-130 kilometers. There were wire fences, and minefields, pillboxes, pillboxes, as well as anti-tank ditches, gouges, blockages ... Played into the hands of the enemy and natural conditions: wooded areas and a large number of swampy places.
At the end of July, the troops of the Kalinin and Western Fronts together numbered in their ranks about 1.3 million people, as well as more than 20 thousand guns and mortars, about one and a half thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 1.1 thousand aircraft. The enemy - Army Group Center - had the opportunity to put into operation over 850 thousand people, 8.8 thousand guns and mortars, as well as about 500 tanks and assault guns and up to 700 aircraft. With the command of the Western and Kalinin fronts, the Supreme Commander I.V. Stalin, who came to the places where the battles were to unfold, discussed the plan of the operation and its preparation.
Smolensk offensive operation
The goal was strikes in several directions, first to dismember the Nazi group, and then to destroy it piece by piece. The main role here was assigned to the troops of the Western Front. The enemy was to be destroyed in the areas of Spas-Demensk and Yelnya. Next, it was necessary to move towards Roslavl - in order to help the Bryansk Front, which was advancing precisely in the Roslavl direction. And such help was urgently needed, because he was opposed by a large and powerful German group. The troops of the Western and Kalinin fronts were given the task of first inflicting powerful blows on the enemy in the areas of Dorogobuzh, Yartsevo, Dukhovshchina, and then liberating Smolensk. This plan was called "Suvorov I". In the event that the Bryansk Front would advance successfully without the support of the Western Front, it was planned to turn the forces of the Bryansk Front to Smolensk (the plan was called "Suvorov II").
Since the operation near Smolensk was planned very carefully, our command was able to create shock groups of troops in the breakthrough areas, which outnumbered the enemy both in manpower and in equipment. However, unfortunately, there were no second echelons in the armies. In addition, the weak side of our troops was insufficiently careful observance of the requirements of camouflage. The Nazis discovered the areas of concentration of enemy forces and pulled up additional reserves. The troops of the shock group of the Western Front went on the offensive on the morning of August 7. The fighting immediately turned into a protracted phase, the Nazis put up stubborn resistance.
At the cost of losses, we went to victory
Already the very first day of the battle showed examples of the courage of our fighters. For example, a detachment under the command of Major F.N. Belokony. On the night of August 8, the fighters, with the support of artillery, stormed Hill 233.3, a strong enemy stronghold. The enemy suffered heavy losses, the height was taken. Our fighters lost only two people killed and nineteen wounded. Major Belokon was awarded a high military award - the Order of Alexander Nevsky, and his fighters were awarded orders and medals. More than 530 settlements (including Spas-Demensk) were liberated by the fighters of the Western Front in just two weeks. During this time, they advanced to a depth of 30-40 kilometers.
However, further, unfortunately, the pace of the offensive stopped: on the line west of Yelnya, the enemy had strong positions prepared earlier. The soldiers of the Kalinin Front also suffered heavy losses. The Nazi command, seeking to stop the Red Army at any cost, redeployed 13 divisions from Orel and Bryansk, as well as from other areas of combat operations. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to suspend the offensive of the Western and Kalinin fronts in order to more carefully prepare a new strike.
At the end of August, at the beginning of September
At the end of August and early September, in ten days, the troops of the Western Front took part in the Yelninsko-Dorogobuzh operation, as a result of which Yelnya and Dorogobuzh were liberated. The conditions for conducting military operations were very difficult (forests and swamps made it difficult for our forces to advance). But, nevertheless, overcoming the growing resistance of the enemy, the troops of the front forced the rivers Ustrom, Desna and Snopot. This allowed them to gain a foothold on the line west of Yelnya.
To overcome the resistance of the enemy, it was decided to prepare more carefully for a further offensive. And it started. On September 14, the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts again entered into intense hostilities. In the course of two operations (Dukhovshinsko-Demidovskaya and Smolensko-Roslavlskaya), they broke through the enemy defenses and liberated the cities of Yartsevo, Demidov, Roslavl and Smolensk. The advance of our army was 130-180 kilometers.
Aviation provided significant support to our fronts. And, undoubtedly, the help of the partisans operating on the territory of the Smolensk, Kalinin regions and Belarus was very noticeable. Their active actions, which later historians will call the "Rail War", led to the fact that the invaders refused to transport military forces along railways and country roads. On October 2, the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts reached the line west of Velizh, Rudnya, Dribin and further south along the river. Pronya, stopping the offensive by order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
Joint actions of the fronts
The successful execution of the Smolensk operation by the troops of the Kalinin and Western fronts made it possible to advance 250-300 kilometers to the west, moreover, with a strip of 300 kilometers. The Smolensk region and part of the Kalinin region were liberated from the Nazis. Our troops entered the territory of Belarus. The success in the Smolensk operation was facilitated by the actions of the Leningrad, Volkhov and North-Western fronts, which pinned down significant Wehrmacht forces in the north-western direction, depriving the German command of the opportunity to strengthen troops in the central direction. The front line from Moscow was significantly pushed back. A threat was created to the northern flank of Army Group Center. 7 enemy divisions were defeated, and 14 suffered a heavy defeat. The Germans had to transfer to the area of operation 16
divisions from other sectors of hostilities. This contributed to the successful completion of the Battle of Kursk and the liberation Left-bank Ukraine. The losses of our troops were as follows: irretrievable over 107 thousand people, sanitary - 34.3 thousand people. The fighters demonstrated high dedication during the Smolensk operation. 73 formations and units of the Western and Kalinin fronts, which especially distinguished themselves in the course of hostilities, were given honorary names - Smolensk, Demidov, Roslavl ... Tens of thousands of soldiers were awarded military awards.