Tenacious Tankopiy ETO (id:#67446)

(HASL 16 - Kharkov in Flames ID: KF08)   [next]   [previous]

Kharkov, Russia 1943-03-12 (6 others)

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Overview:

On 16 February, the Germans began a general retreat from Kharkov, and the city soon fell. After one day of delay the Soviets began to move west and southwards. German units fought ongoing rearguard actions, looking to draw the Soviets south out of Kharkov. Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein was planning to launch a counterattack once they were overextended. By early March, von Manstein had launched his counteroffensive and the tired Soviets quickly switched to a full retreat. Leading the charge towards Kharkov were three SS-Divisions. In front of Kharkov, General Pavel Rybalko's 3rd Tank Army was desperately understrength, and the Soviets scrounged a variety of units to defend the city, including a fresh tank brigade and the 17th NKVD Brigade, led by Colonel Ivan A. Tankopiy. SS Divisions "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" and "Totenkopf" swept north to encircle Kharkov while "Das Reich" entered the city from the west.

Defender: Russian (206th NKVD Battalion and 19th Rifle Division with 86th Tank Brigade)  

Errata (source)