Strategic operations of the Red Army in World War II

The Strategic operations of the Red Army in World War II were major military events on the Eastern Front

Eastern Front (World War II)

The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...

during the Second World War, commonly conducted by at least one Front

Front (Soviet Army)

A front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group in the militaries of most other countries except Germany...

or major part of its forces. The operations could be either defensive

Strategic defence

A Strategic defence is a type of military planning doctrine and a set of combat activities used for the purpose of deterring, resisting and repelling a strategic offensive, conducted as either a territorial or airspace invasion, or a naval offensive to interrupt shipping lane traffic as a form of...

, offensive, a withdrawal

Withdrawal (military)

A withdrawal is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush...

, an encirclement

Encirclement

Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The German term for this is Kesselschlacht ; a comparable English term might be "in the bag"....

, or a siege

Siege

A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...

, always conducted by at least two Services of the armed forces

Armed forces

The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...

, the ground forces

Red Army

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

and the air forces, and often included the naval forces. In most cases the strategic operations were divided into operational

Operational warfare

Operational mobility, beginning as a military theory concept during the period of mechanisation of armed forces, became a method of managing movement of forces by strategic commanders from the staging area to their Tactical Area of Responsibility....

phases

Phase (combat)

A Phase in combat is usually a period within a military operation of a longer duration that is a part of a serial chain of logically connected activities planned to culminate in a defined objective or goal....

which were large operations in their own right. In very few cases the phases were tactical, such as those requiring amphibious landings.

Introduction

In Soviet historiography, the Great Patriotic War (termed the Eastern Front by Germany) is divided into periods:

First period of World War II (22 June 1941 - 18 November 1942)
Second period of World War II (19 November 1942 - 31 December 1943)
Third period of World War II
Third period of World War II
The Third period of World War II describes the events on the Eastern Front from the Soviet historiographic method of periodisation. The period is formally known as the Third Period of the Great Patriotic War and its duration is determined to be from 1 January 1944 to 11 May 1945 although the 9 May...

(1 January 1944 - 9 May 1945)

The war with Japan, Campaign in the Far East/Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation, (9 August 1945–2 September 1945) is seen as a separate theater of operations from the Great Patriotic War.

During the course of the Second World War the Red Army

Red Army

carried out a number of different military operation

Military operation

Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...

s. The scope of these operations, usually known by the major cities around which they took place, was usually termed "operational-strategic" or "strategic", depending on the scale. An "operational-strategic" operation was usually undertaken by at least a group of Armies

Field army

A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....

or a single Front

Front (Soviet Army)

A front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group in the militaries of most other countries except Germany...

. A "strategic" operation usually demanded cooperation of several Fronts to achieve its objectives. In both cases the operations could last from a week to several months. Strategic operations were combined into seasonal campaign

Military campaign

In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...

s, because weather and ground conditions affected planning.

Periods, Campaigns and operations

Aufbau Ost
Aufbau Ost (1940)
Aufbau Ost was the German operational code name for the mobilisation of forces prior to the commencement of Operation Barbarossa and the subsequent invasion of the Soviet Union....

, German operational code name for the mobilisation of forces prior to commencement of Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina

Summer-Autumn Campaign of 1941 (22 June - 4 December)

Axis Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
Baltic Operation (1941) 22 June 1941 - 9 July 1941

Baltic Border Defensive Battles 22 June 1941 - 24 June 1941

Battle of Raseiniai

The Battle of Raseiniai was a tank battle fought between the elements of the 4th Panzer Group commanded by Gen. Erich Hoepner and the 3rd Mechanized Corps commanded by Major General Kurkin & 12th Mechanised Corps commanded by Major General Shestapolov in Lithuania 75 km northwest of Kaunas...

Shyaulyai Counter-Offensive (1941) 24 June 1941 - 27 June 1941

Defensive of the Hanko Naval Base 22 June 1941 - 2 December 1941

German Battle of Białystok-Minsk/Offensive Campaign in Belorussia 22 June 1941 - 29 June 1941
Belorussian Strategic Defensive 22 June 1941 - 9 July 1941

Belorussian Border Defensive Battles 22 June 1941 - 25 June 1941

Defense of Brest Fortress

The defence of Brest Fortress took place 22–30 June 1941. It was one of the first battles of Operation Barbarossa. The Brest Fortress was defended by the Red Army against the Wehrmacht, held out longer than expected, and became a symbol of Soviet resistance during the Second World War...

22 June 1941 - 30 June 1941

Borisov-Lepel' Offensive 6 July 1941 - 9 July 1941

L'vov-Chernovitsy Strategic Defensive 22 June 1941 - 9 July 1941

Ukrainian Border Defensive Battles 22 June 1941 - 27 June 1941

Battle of Brody (1941)

The Battle of Brody was a tank battle fought between the Panzer Group 1's IIIrd, XLVIII Army Corps and five Soviet Mechanized Corps of the Soviet 5th Army and 6th Army in the triangle formed by the towns Dubno, Lutsk and Brody in Ukraine between 23...

(26 June 1941 - 30 June 1941)

L'vov-Lutsk Defensive 27 June 1941 - 2 July 1941

Stanislav-Proskurov Defensive 3 July 1941 - 6 July 1941

German and Finnish Operation Arctic Fox
Operation Arctic Fox
Operation Arctic Fox was the codename given to a campaign by German and Finnish forces during World War II against Soviet Northern Front defences at Salla, Finland in July 1941. The Operation was part of a larger Operation called Operation Silver Fox which aimed in capturing the vital port of...

29 June 1941 - mid-July
Artic-Karelia Strategic Defensive 29 June 1941 - 10 October 1941

Murmansk-Kandalaksha Defensive 29 June 1941 - 19 September 1941

Vyborg-Keksholm Defensive 29 June 1941 - 23 September 1941

Defensives on the Kestengsky direction 1 July 1941 - 10 October 1941

Defensives on the Petrozavodsk, Ukhinskom-Rugozerskom, and Olonetskom directions 1 July 1941 - 10 October 1941

Moldavian Defensive 1 July 1941 - 26 July 1941
Kiev Strategic Defensive (1941)
Battle of Kiev (1941)
The Battle of Kiev was the German name for the operation that resulted in a very large encirclement of Soviet troops in the vicinity of Kiev during World War II. It is considered the largest encirclement of troops in history. The operation ran from 23 August – 26 September 1941 as part of Operation...

7 July 1941 - 26 September 1941

Korosten Defensive 11 July 1941 - 20 August 1941

Novgorod-Volynskii Defensive 10 July 1941 - 20 August 1941

Uman Defensive

Battle of Uman

The Battle of Uman was the German and allied encirclement of the 6th and 12th The Battle of Uman (15 July–8 August 1941) was the German and allied encirclement of the 6th (General Lieutenant I.N. Muzyrchenko) and 12th The Battle of Uman (15 July–8 August 1941) was the German and allied...

15 July 1941 - 4 August 1941

Tiraspol-Melitopol Defensive 27 July 1941 - 28 September 1941

Kiev-Priluki Defensive 20 August 1941 - 26 September 1941

Malin Offensive 5 August 1941 - 8 August 1941

Leningrad Strategic Defensive 10 July 1941 - 30 September 1941

Tallinn Defensive 10 July 1941 - 10 August 1941

Evacuation of Tallinn (1941)

The Soviet evacuation of Tallinn, also called Soviet Dunkerque or Tallinn disaster was a Soviet operation to evacuate parts of the Baltic Fleet and Red Army units from the encircled city of Tallinn in August 1941....

Kingisepp-Luga Defensive 10 July 1941 - 23 September 1941

Soltsy-Dno Offensive 15 July 1941 - 20 July 1941

Staraia-Russa Offensive 8 August 1941 - 23 August 1941

Demyansk Defensive 6 September 1941 - 26 September 1941

Battle Of Smolensk
Battle of Smolensk (1941)
The Battle of Smolensk was a largely successful encirclement operation by the German Army Group Centre's 2nd Panzer Group led by Heinz Guderian and the 3rd Panzer Group led by Hermann Hoth against parts of four Soviet Fronts during World War II...

10 July 1941 - 10 September 1941

Smolensk Defensive 10 July 1941 - 10 August 1941

Smolensk Offensive 21 July 1941 - 7 August 1941

Rogechev-Zhlobin Offensive 13 July 1941 - 24 July 1941

Gomel-Trubchevsk Defensive 24 July 1941 - 30 August 1941

Dukhovskina Offensive 17 August 1941 - 8 September 1941

Yelnia Offensive

Yelnya Offensive

The Soviet Army's Yelnya Offensive operation was part of the Battle of Smolensk during the initial period of the German-Soviet War....

30 August 1941 - 8 September 1941

Roslavl-Novozybkov Offensive 30 August 1941 - 12 September 1941

Odessa Defensive 5 August 1941 - 16 October 1941
Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran
Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran was the Allied invasion of the Imperial State of Iran during World War II, by British, Commonwealth, and Soviet armed forces. The invasion from August 25 to September 17, 1941, was codenamed Operation Countenance...

23 August 1941 - 18 September 1941
German Operation Wotan
Operation Wotan
Operation Wotan was a codename for the German tank operation with the goal of capturing Moscow during the World War II, developed mainly by Hitler. The name refers to Wotan, a Germanic god....

(Angriff am Moskow) 9 September
Donbass-Rostov Strategic Defensive 29 September 1941 - 16 November 1941

Sumy-Kharkov Defensive 30 September 1941 - 30 November 1941

Defence of Kharkov (1941) (20 October 1941 — 24 October 1941)

German First Battle of Kharkov

First Battle of Kharkov

The 1st Battle of Kharkov so named by Wilhelm Keitel was the 1941 tactical Wehrmacht battle for the city of Kharkiv during the final phase of Operation Barbarossa by the German 6th Army of the Army Group South on 20 October 1941...

Axis Crimean Campaign 26 September 1941 - 15 May 1942

Donbass Defensive (1941) 29 September 1941 - 4 November 1941

Rostov Defensive 5 November 1941 - 16 November 1941

Moscow Strategic Defensive
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...

30 September 1941 - 5 December 1941

Orel-Bryansk Defensive 30 September 1941 - 23 October 1941

Vyazma Defensive 2 October 1941 - 13 October 1941

Kalinin Defensive 10 October 1941 - 4 December 1941

Mozhaisk-Maloyaroslavets Defensive 10 October 1941 - 30 October 1941

Tula Defensive 24 October 1941 - 5 December 1941

Klin-Solnechnogorsk Defensive 15 November 1941 - 5 December 1941

Naro-Fominsk Defensive 1 December 1941 - 5 December 1941

Tikhvin Defensive 16 October 1941 - 18 November 1941
Crimean Defensive 18 October 1941 - 16 November 1941
Defense of Sevastopol 30 October 1941 - 4 July 1942
Tikhvin Strategic Offensive 10 November 1941 - 30 December 1941

Tikhvin-Kirishsk Offensive 12 November 1941 - 30 December 1941

Malo-Vishersk Offensive 10 November 1941 - 30 December 1941

Rostov Strategic Offensive 17 November 1941 - 2 December 1941

Bolshekrepinsk Offensive 17 November 1941 - 27 November 1941

Rostov Offensive 27 November 1941 - 2 December 1941

Winter Campaign of 1941/42 (5 December 1941 - 30 April 1942)

Moscow Strategic Offensive 5 December 1941 - 7 January 1942

Kalinin Offensive 5 December 1941 - 7 January 1942

Klin-Solnechnogorsk Offensive 6 December 1941 - 25 December 1941

Yelets Offensive 6 December 1941 - 16 December 1941

Tula Offensive 6 December 1941 - 16 December 1941

Kaluga Offensive 17 December 1941 - 5 January 1942

Naro-Fominsk Offensive 24 December 1941 - 8 January 1942

Kerch-Feodosia Amphibious 25 December 1941 - 2 January 1942

Kerch Landing 25 December 1941 - 2 January 1942

Feodosia Landing 25 December 1941 - 2 January 1942

Oboyan-Kursk Offensive 3 January 1942 - 26 January 1942
Lyuban Offensive 7 January 1942 - 30 April 1942
Demyansk Offensive - first phase (1942)
Demyansk Pocket
The Demyansk Pocket was the name given for the encirclement of German troops by the Red Army around Demyansk , south of Leningrad, during World War II on the Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February-21 April 1942. A much smaller pocket was simultaneously surrounded in Kholm, about ...

7 January 1942 - 20 May 1942
Orel-Bolkhov Offensive 8 January 1942 - 28 April 1942
Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive 8 January 1942 - 20 April 1942

Sychevka-Vyazma Offensive 8 January 1942 - 28 February 1942

Mozhaisk-Vyazma Offensive 10 January 1942 - 28 February 1942

Toropets-Kholm Offensive

Toropets-Kholm Operation

The Toropets–Kholm Offensive was a military operation conducted south of Lake Ilmen by the Red Army during World War II, from 9 January-6 February 1942. The operation contributed to the formation of the Kholm Pocket, the encirclement of the Wehrmachts II...

9 January 1942 - 6 February 1942

Vyazma Airborne 18 January 1942 - 28 February 1942

Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive 3 March 1942 - 20 April 1942

Demyansk Offensive - second phase (1942)

Demyansk Pocket

The Demyansk Pocket was the name given for the encirclement of German troops by the Red Army around Demyansk , south of Leningrad, during World War II on the Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February-21 April 1942. A much smaller pocket was simultaneously surrounded in Kholm, about ...

7 January 1942 - 20 May 1942

Barvenkovo-Lozovaya Offensive 18 January 1942 - 31 January 1942
Crimean Offensive 27 January 1942 - 15 April 1942
Bolkhov Offensive 24 March 1942 - 3 April 1942

Summer-Autumn Campaign of 1942 (1 May - 18 November)

Crimean Offensive 27 January 1942 - 15 April 1942
German Demjansk Pocket 8 February 1942 - 21 April 1942
Volkhov Offensive 24 March 1942 - 3 April 1942
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula
Battle of the Kerch Peninsula was a World War II offensive by German and Romanian armies against the Soviet Crimean Front forces defending the Kerch Peninsula, in the eastern part of the Crimea. It was launched on 8 May 1942 and concluded around 18 May 1942 with the near complete destruction of...

8 May 1942 - 19 May 1942
Izium bridgehead offensive 12 May 1942 - 29 May 1942
Rescue of 2nd Shock Army 13 May 1942 - 10 July 1942
Axis Case Blue 28 June - 19 August 1942

German Fall Kremel ("Case Kremlin" in English) was a German deception for a summer offensive aimed at Moscow

Axis Case Blue - Woronesh Army Group B

Axis Case Blue - Stalingrad 6th Army

Axis Case Blue - Baku Army Group A

Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad Strategic Defensive 28 June 1942 - 24 July 1942

1st Kastornoye Defensive 28 June 1942 - 10 July 1942

2nd Kastornoye Defensive9 July 1942 - 24 July 1942

Valuiki-Rossosh Defensive 28 June 1942 - 24 July 1942

Battle for Voronezh (1942)

Voroshilovgrad-Shakhty Defensive 7 July 1942 - 24 July 1942

Donbass Defensive (1942) 7 July 1942 - 24 July 1942
German Operation Seydlitz 12 July 1942
Stalingrad Strategic Defensive
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...

17 July 1942 - 18 November 1942

Defensive Battles at Distant Approaches 17 July 1942 - 17 August 1942

Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive 30 July 1942 - 23 August 1942

Defensive Battles on Near Approaches and in Stalingrad 19 August 1942 - 18 November 1942

Sinyavino Offensive 19 August 1942 - 10 October 1942

Chechen 1940-1944 insurgency in Chechnya

1940-1944 insurgency in Chechnya

The 1940-1944 Chechnya insurgency was a revolt against the Soviet authorities in the mountainous Chechnya. Beginning as early as in June 1941 under Khasan Israilov, it peaked in 1942 during the German invasion of North Caucasus and ended in the beginning of 1944 with the deportation of the Chechens...

Axis Operation Braunschweig
Operation Braunschweig
Operation Braunschweig , named for the German city, was the German summer offensive that began on 28 June 1942. The operation was initially named Fall Blau , which is the common name used for the whole offensive. The name was changed from Blau to Braunschweig on 30 June...

23 July 1942 -
Axis Operation Edelweiss
Operation Edelweiss
Operation Edelweiss , named after the mountain flower, was a German plan to gain control over the Caucasus and capture the oil fields of Baku during the Soviet-German War. The operation was authorised by Hitler on 23 July 1942...

23 July 1942 - 21 August 1942
North Caucasian Strategic Defensive 25 July 1942 - 31 December 1942

Tikhoretsk-Stavropol' Defensive 25 July 1942 - 5 August 1942

Armavir-Maikop Defensive 6 August 1942 - 17 August 1942

Novorossiysk Defensive 19 August 1942 - 26 September 1942

Mozdok-Malgobek Defensive 1 September 1942 - 28 September 1942

Axis Operation Blücher
Operation Blücher
Marshal Blücher was the Prussian commander at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. His name is commonly anglicized as "Bluecher". German military history notes two operations named Operation Blücher....

2 September 1942

Tuapse Defensive 25 September 1942 - 20 December 1942

Nalckik-Ordzhonikidze Defensive 25 October 1942 - 12 November 1942

Winter Campaign of 1942-1943 (19 November 1942 - 3 March 1943)

Stalingrad Strategic Offensive 19 November 1942 - 2 February 1943

Operation Uranus

Operation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation in World War II which led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romanian armies, and portions of the German Fourth Panzer Army. The operation formed part of the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad, and was...

19 November 1942 - 30 November 1942

Kotelnikovo Offensive 12 December 1942 - 31 December 1942

Middle Don Offensive (Operation Little Saturn) 16 December 1942 - 30 December 1942

Tatsinskaya Raid

The Tatsinskaya Raid was a Soviet armoured raid deep into the German rear conducted by 24th Tank Corps under the command of Major General Vasily Mikhaylovich Badanov in late December 1942, during the last phases of the Battle of Stalingrad . It was designed to force the Germans to divert forces...

Operation Koltso

Operation Koltso was the last part of the Battle of Stalingrad. It resulted in the capitulation of the remaining forces encircled in the city....

(Operation Ring) 10 January 1943 - 2 February 1943

Rzhev-Sychevka Strategic Offensive (Operation Mars
Operation Mars
Operation Mars was the codename for the Rzhev offensive operation part of the Rzhev-Vyazma strategic offensive operation launched by Soviet forces against German forces during World War II. It took place between 25 November and 20 December 1942 in a salient in the vicinity of Moscow...

) 25 November 1942 - 20 December 1942

Sychevka Offensive 24 November 1942 - 14 December 1942

Belyi Offensive 25 November 1942 - 16 December 1942

Luchesa Offensive 25 November 1942 - 11 December 1942

Molodoi Tud Offensive 25 November 1942 - 23 December 1942

Velikie-Luki Offensive 24 November 1942 - 20 January 1943

North Caucasian Strategic Offensive 1 January 1943 - 4 February 1943

Salsk-Rostov Offensive 1 January 1943 - 4 February 1943

Mozdok-Stavropol Offensive 1 January 1943 - 24 January 1943

Novorossiysk-Maikop Offensive 11 January 1943 - 4 February 1943

Tikhoretsk-Eisk Offensive 24 January 1943 - 4 February 1943

Axis Defence of the Kuban Bridgeheads
Operation Iskra (Operation Spark, Breaking of the Leningrad Blockade) 12 January 1943 - 30 January 1943

Krasnoborsko-Smerdynskaya offensive

Battle of Krasny Bor

The Battle of Krasny Bor was part of the Soviet offensive Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda. The Soviet offensive called for a pincer attack near Leningrad, to build up on the success of Operation Iskra and completely lift the Siege of Leningrad, encircling a substantial part of the German 18th Army. ...

Voronezh-Kharkov Strategic Offensive 13 January 1943 - 3 March 1943

Ostrogozhsk-Rossosh Offensive 13 January 1943 - 27 January 1943

Voronezh-Kastornoye Offensive 24 January 1943 - 2 February 1943

Voroshilovgrad Offensive (Operation Skachok) 29 January 1943 - 18 February 1943

Kharkov Offensive (Operation Zvezda) 2 February 1943 - 3 March 1943

Orel (Maloarkhangelsk) Offensive 5 February 1943 - 28 February 1943

Lvov Offensive 15 February 1943 - 1 March 1943

Donbass Mariupol Offensive 16 February 1943 - 23 February 1943
Krasnodar Offensive 9 February 1943 - 24 May 1943
Demyansk Offensive (Operation Pol'arnaya Zvezda) 15 February 1943 - 28 February 1943
German Operation Büffel
Operation Büffel
During World War II the name Büffel Bewegung was given to a series of local retreats conducted by the German Army on the Russian Front during the period 1–22 March 1943. This movement eliminated the Rzhev Salient and shortened the front by 230 kilometers, releasing twenty-one divisions for use...
Rzhev-Vyaz'ma Offensive (Operation Jupiter
Operation Jupiter
Operation Jupiter may refer to:* in 1942, a failed Soviet offensive against the Rzhev salient* in 1944, Operation Jupiter was an attack launched by the Second British Army...

) 2 March 1943 - 31 March 1943
Kharkov Defensive 4 March 1943 - 25 March 1943
1st Taman Offensive 4 April 1943 - 10 May 1943

2nd Taman Offensive 26 May 1943 - 22 August 1944

Summer-Autumn Campaign of 1943 (1 July - 31 December)

Kursk Strategic Defensive 5 July 1943 - 23 July 1943

Orel-Kursk Defensive 5 July 1943 - 11 July 1943

Belgorod-Kursk Defensive 5 July 1943 - 23 July 1943

Orel Strategic Offensive
Operation Kutuzov
Operation Kutuzov was a military operation by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht during World War II. It was named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, the Tsarist General credited with saving Russia from defeat during the invasion by Napoleon in 1812.The Operation began on 12...

(Operation Kutuzov) 12 July 1943 - 18 August 1943

Volkhov-Orel Offensive 12 July 1943 - 18 August 1943

Kromyv-Orel Offensive 15 July 1943 - 18 August 1943

Donbass Strategic Offensive (July 1943) 17 July 1943 - 2 August 1943

Izyum-Barvenkovo Offensive 17 July 1943 - 27 July 1943

Mius Offensive 17 July 1943 - 2 August 1943

1st Mga Offensive 22 July 1943 - 22 August 1943
Belgorod-Khar'kov Strategic Offensive (Operation Rumyantsev) 3 August 1943 - 23 August 1943

Belgorod-Bogodukhov Offensive

Battle of Belgorod

The Belgorod-Bogodukhov Offensive Operation was a combat operation executed as part of Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev by the Red Army against the Wehrmacht forces...

3 August 1943 - 23 August 1943

Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive 3 August 1943 - 23 August 1943

Zmiez Offensive 12 August 1943 - 23 August 1943

Smolensk Strategic Offensive
Battle of Smolensk (1943)
The second Battle of Smolensk was a Soviet strategic offensive operation conducted by the Red Army as part of the Summer-Autumn Campaign of 1943...

(Operation Surorov) 7 August 1943 - 2 October 1943

Spas-Demensk Offensive 7 August 1943 - 20 August 1943

Dukhovshchina-Demidov Offensive 1 Stage 13 August 1943 - 18 August 1943

Yelnia-Dorogobuzh Offensive 28 August 1943 - 6 September 1943

Dukhovshchina-Demidov Offensive 2 Stage 14 September 1943 - 2 October 1943

Smolensk-Roslavl Offensive 15 September 1943 - 2 October 1943

Bryansk Offensive 17 August 1943 - 3 October 1943

Donbass Strategic Offensive (August 1943) 13 August 1943 - 22 September 1943

Barvenkovo-Pavlograd Offensive 13 August 1943 - 22 September 1943

Mius-Mariupol Offensive 18 August 1943 - 22 September 1943

Chernigov-Poltava Strategic Offensive 26 August 1943 - 30 September 1943

Chernigov-Pripyet Offensive 26 August 1943 - 30 September 1943

Sumy-Priluki Offensive 26 August 1943 - 30 September 1943

Poltava-Kremenchug Offensive 26 August 1943 - 30 September 1943

Novorossiysk-Taman Strategic Offensive 10 September 1943 - 9 October 1943

Novorossiysk Amphibious 10 September 1943 - 16 September 1943

Taman Offensive (1943) 10 September 1943 - 9 October 1943

2nd Mga Offensive 15 September 1943 - 18 September 1943
Concert (operation)
Concert (operation)
On the 19th September 1943, an operation by Soviet partisans began under the code name “Concert.” It was one of largest of World War II in its effects on the incapacitation of railroad communications in enemy rear logistics...

(partisan offensive in support of Operation Surorov) 19 September 1943
Lower Dnieper Offensive 26 September 1943 - 20 December 1943

Axis Defence of the Panther-Wotan Line

Panther-Wotan line

The Panther-Wotan Line was a defensive line partially built by the German Wehrmacht in 1943 on the Eastern Front. The first part of the name refers to the short northern section between Lake Peipus and the Baltic Sea at Narva.-Purpose :...

Kremenchug Offensive 26 September 1943 - 10 October 1943

Melitopol Offensive 26 September 1943 - 5 November 1943

Zaporizhia Offensive 10 October 1943 - 14 October 1943

Kremenchug-Pyatikhatki Offensive 15 October 1943 - 3 November 1943

Dnepropetrovsk Offensive 23 October 1943 - 23 December 1943

Krivoi Rog Offensive 14 November 1943 - 21 November 1943

Apostolovo Offensive 14 November 1943 - 23 December 1943

Nikopol Offensive 14 November 1943 - 31 December 1943

Aleksandriia-Znamenka Offensive 22 November 1943 - 9 December 1943

Krivoi Rog Offensive 10 December 1943 - 19 December 1943

Kiev Strategic Offensive (October 1943) 1 October 1943 - 24 October 1943

Chernobyl-Radomysl Offensive 1 October 1943 - 4 October 1943

Chernobyl-Gornostaipol Defensive 3 October 1943 - 8 October 1943

Lyutezh Offensive 11 October 1943 - 24 October 1943

1st Bukrin Offensive 12 October 1943 - 15 October 1943

2nd Bukrin Offensive 21 October 1943 - 24 October 1943

Byelorussian Strategic Offensive (1943) 3 October 1943 - 31 December 1943

Gomelsko-Rechitskaia Offensive 30 September 1943 - 30 October 1943

Nevel Offensive 3 October 1943 - 12 October 1943

1st Orsha Offensive 3 October 1943 - 26 October 1943

Vitebsk (Riga) Offensive 18 October 1943 - 30 October 1943

Idritsa Offensive 18 October 1943 - 30 October 1943

Pskov Offensive 18 October 1943 - 30 October 1943

Pololsk-Vitebsk Offensive 2 November 1943 - 21 November 1943

Pustoshka-Idritsa Offensive 2 November 1943 - 21 November 1943

Gomelsko-Rechitskaia Offensive 10 November 1943 - 30 November 1943

2nd Orsha Offensive 14 November 1943 - 5 December 1943

Novyi Bykhov-Propoisk Offensive 22 November 1943 - 30 November 1943

Kalinkovichi Offensive 8 December 1943 - 11 December 1943

Gorodok Offensive 13 December 1943 - 31 December 1943

Idritsa-Opochka Offensive 16 December 1943 - 15 January 1944

Kalinkovichi Defensive 20 December 1943 - 27 December 1943

Kerch-Eltigen 31 October 1943 - 11 December 1943
Kiev Strategic Offensive (November 1943) 3 November 1943 - 13 November 1943
Kiev Strategic Defensive (1943) 13 November 1943 - 22 December 1943

Winter Spring Campaign of 1944 (1 January - 31 May)

Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive 24 December 1943 - 17 April 1944

Zhitomir–Berdichev Offensive

The Zhitomir–Berdichev Offensive operation was a part of the strategic offensive of the Red Army in the right-bank Ukrainian SSR. The offensive operation was conducted by the forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front commanded by General of Army Nikolai Vatutin during World War II, from 24 December ...

24 December 1943 - 14 January 1944

Kirograd Offensive 5 January 1944 - 16 January 1944

Korsun–Shevchenkovsky Offensive 24 January 1944 - 17 February 1944

German Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket

Rovno-Lutsk Offensive 1 Stage 27 January 1944 - 11 February 1944

Nikopol-Krivoi Rog Offensive 2 Stage 30 January 1944 - 29 February 1944

Proskurov-Chernovtsy Offensive 4 March 1944 - 17 April 1944

Uman-Botoshany Offensive 5 March 1944 - 17 April 1944

Bereznegovatoye-Snigirevka Offensive 6 March 1944 - 18 March 1944

Polesskoe Offensive 15 March 1944 - 5 April 1944

Odessa Offensive 26 March 1944 - 14 April 1944

Kalinkovichi-Mozyr Offensive 8 January 1944 - 30 January 1944
Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive 14 January 1944 - 1 March 1944

Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha Offensive

The Krasnoye Selo – Ropsha Offensive, also known as Operation January Thunder and Neva-2 was a campaign between the Soviet Leningrad Front and the German 18th Army fought for the western approaches of Leningrad in 14–30 January 1944....

14 January 1944 - 30 January 1944

Novgorod-Luga Offensive 14 January 1944 - 15 February 1944

Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive

This is a sub-article to Battle of Narva.The Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive was a campaign between the Soviet Leningrad Front and the German 18th Army fought for the eastern coast of Lake Peipus and the western banks of the Narva River from 1 February till 1 March 1944...

1 February 1944 - 1 March 1944

Staraia Russa-Novorzhev Offensive 18 February 1944 - 1 March 1944

German: Battle of Narva
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....

2 February - 10 August 1944

Battle for Narva Bridgehead 2 February - 26 July 1944

Narva Offensive (15–28 February 1944)
Narva Offensive (15–28 February 1944)
This is a sub-article to Battle of Narva.The Narva Offensive was a campaign fought between the German army detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front for the strategically important Narva Isthmus. At the time of the operation, Stalin was personally interested in taking Estonia, viewing it...
Rogachev-Zhlobin Offensive 21 February 1944 - 26 February 1944
Narva Offensive (1–4 March 1944)
Narva Offensive (1–4 March 1944)
The Narva Offensive was an operation conducted by the Soviet Leningrad Front. It was aimed at the conquest of the Narva Isthmus from the German army detachment "Narwa"...
Narva Offensive (18–24 March 1944)
Narva Offensive (18–24 March 1944)
This is a sub-article to Battle of Narva.The Narva Offensive was a campaign fought between the German XXXXIII Army Corps and the Soviet 59th Army for the Narva Isthmus. At the time of the operation, Joseph Stalin was personally interested in taking Estonia, viewing it as a precondition for forcing...
Crimean Strategic Offensive 8 April 1944 - 12 May 1944

Perekop-Sevastopol Offensive 8 April 1944 - 12 May 1944

Kerch-Sevastopol Offensive 11 April 1944 - 12 May 1944

First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive
The First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, named after the two major cities in the area, was fought between 8 April and 6 June 1944 by the Soviets and Axis powers of World War II...

8 April - 6 June 1944

Summer Autumn Campaign of 1944 (1 June - 31 December)

Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive 10 June 1944 - 9 August 1944

Vyborg Offensive 10 June 1944 - 15 July 1944

Svir–Petrozavodsk Offensive 21 June 1944 - 9 August 1944

Tuloksinskaia Landing Offensive 23 June 1944 - 27 June 1944

Byelorussian Strategic Offensive (1944) (Operation Bagration) 23 June 1944 - 29 August 1944

Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive 23 June 1944 - 28 June 1944

Mogilev Offensive 23 June 1944 - 28 June 1944

Bobruysk Offensive 24 June 1944 - 29 June 1944

Polotsk Offensive 29 June 1944 - 4 July 1944

Minsk Offensive 29 June 1944 - 4 July 1944

Vilnius Offensive 5 July 1944 - 20 July 1944

Šiauliai Offensive 5 July 1944 - 31 July 1944

Belostock Offensive 5 July 1944 - 27 July 1944

Lublin–Brest Offensive 18 July 1944 - 2 August 1944

Battle of Radzymin (1944)

The Battle of Radzymin was one of a series of engagements between the Red Army's 1st Byelorussian Front and the Wehrmacht Heer's XXXIXth Panzer Corps that occurred as part of the Lublin-Brest Offensive between August 1 and August 10, 1944 at the conclusion of the Belorussian strategic offensive...

Kaunas Offensive 28 July 1944 - 28 August 1944

Osovets Offensive 6 August 1944 - 14 August 1944

Rezhitsa-Dvinsk Offensive 10 July 1944 - 27 July 1944
Pskov-Ostov Offensive 11 July 1944 - 31 July 1944
German - Operation Doppelkopf
Operation Doppelkopf
Operation Doppelkopf and the following Operation Cäsar were German counter-offensives on the Eastern Front late in 1944 in the aftermath of the major Soviet advance in Operation Bagration....

16 August 1944 – 27 August 1944
Lvov-Sandomierz Strategic Offensive 13 July 1944 – 29 August 1944

Lvov Offensive 13 July 1944 - 27 July 1944

Stanislav Offensive 13 July 1944 - 27 July 1944

Sandomierz Offensive 28 July 1944 - 29 August 1944

Narva Offensive
Narva Offensive (July 1944)
This is a sub-article to Battle of Narva.The Narva Offensive was a campaign fought between the German army detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front for the city of Narva in 24–30 July 1944....

24 – 30 July 1944
German: Battle of Tannenberg Line 26 July – 10 August 1944
Madona Offensive 1 August 1944 - 28 August 1944
Tartu Offensive 10 August - 6 September 1944
Jassy-Kishinev Strategic Offensive 20 August 1944 - 29 August 1944

Yassi-Focsani Offensive 20 August 1944 - 29 August 1944

Kishinev-Izmail Offensive 20 August 1944 - 29 August 1944

East Carpathian Strategic Offensive 8 September 1944 - 28 September 1944

Carpathian-Dukla Offensive 8 September 1944 - 28 September 1944

Carpathian-Uzhgorod Offensive 9 September 1944 - 28 September 1944

Baltic Offensive 14 September 1944 - 24 November 1944

Riga Offensive

Riga Offensive (1944)

The Riga Offensive The Riga Offensive The Riga Offensive (known in was part of the larger Baltic Offensive on the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place late in 1944, and drove German forces from the city of Riga.-Prelude:...

14 September 1944 - 24 October 1944

Tallinn Offensive 17 September 1944 - 26 September 1944

Moonsund Landing 5 October 1944 - 22 October 1944

Memel Offensive 27 September 1944 - 24 November 1944

Courland Pocket
Courland Pocket
The Courland Pocket referred to the Red Army's blockade or encirclement of Axis forces on the Courland peninsula during the closing months of World War II...

9 October 1944 - 8 May 1945
Belgrade Offensive
Belgrade Offensive
The Belgrade Offensive or the Belgrade Strategic Offensive Operation was an offensive military operation in which Belgrade was conquered from the German Wehrmacht by the joint efforts of the Yugoslav Partisans and the Soviet Red Army...

14 September 1944 - 24 November 1944
Debrecen Offensive
Battle of Debrecen
The Battle of Debrecen, called by the Red Army the Debrecen Offensive Operation, was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainian Front on the Eastern Front of World War II...

6 October 1944 - 28 October 1944
Petsamo-Kirkenes Strategic Offensive 7 October 1944 - 29 October 1944
Goldap-Gumbinnen Offensive
Gumbinnen Operation
The Gumbinnen Operation, also known as the Goldap Operation , was a Soviet offensive on the Eastern Front late in 1944, in which forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front attempted to penetrate the borders of East Prussia.The offensive failed, due to strong resistance by the Wehrmacht...

16 October 1944 - 30 October 1944
Budapest Strategic Offensive
Budapest Offensive
The Budapest Offensive was the general attack by Soviet forces against Germany and their allies from the territory of Hungary. The offensive lasted from 29 October 1944 until the fall of Budapest on 13 February 1945.-Prelude:...

29 October 1944 - 13 February 1945

Kechkemet-Budapest Offensive 29 October 1944 - 10 December 1944

Szolnok-Budapest Offensive 29 October 1944 - 10 December 1944

Nyiregyhaza-Miskolc Offensive 1 November 1944 - 31 December 1944

Esztergom-Komarno Offensive 20 December 1944 - 15 January 1945

Szekesfehervar-Esztergom Offensive 20 December 1944 - 13 February 1945

Assault on Budapest 27 December 1944 - 13 February 1945

Campaign in Europe 1945 (1 January - 9 May)

Vistula-Oder Strategic Offensive 12 January 1945 - 3 February 1945

Warsaw-Poznan Offensive 14 January 1945 - 3 February 1945

Sandomierz–Silesian Offensive

The Sandomierz-Silesian Offensive was part of the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive . It was carried out by the 1st Ukrainian Front under Ivan Konev....

12 January 1945 - 3 February 1945

Western Carpathian Strategic Offensive 12 January 1945 - 18 February 1945

Kosice-Poprad Offensive 12 January 1945 - 28 January 1945

Bel'sk Offensive 29 January 1945 -18 February 1945

Pleshevets-Breznovsk Offensive 12 January 1945 - 18 February 1945

East Prussian Strategic Offensive
East Prussian Offensive
The East Prussian Offensive was a strategic offensive by the Red Army against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front . It lasted from 13 January to 25 April 1945, though some German units did not surrender until 9 May...

13 January 1945 - 25 April 1945

Insterburg-Königsberg Offensive 14 January 1945 - 26 January 1945

Mlawo-Elbing Offensive 14 January 1945 - 26 January 1945

Rastenburg-Heilsberg Offensive 27 January 1945 - 12 February 1945

Braunsberg Offensive 13 March 1945 - 22 March 1945

German Heiligenbeil Pocket

Heiligenbeil Pocket

The Heiligenbeil Pocket or Heiligenbeil Cauldron was the site of a major encirclement battle on the Eastern Front during the closing weeks of World War II, in which the Wehrmacht's 4th Army was almost entirely destroyed during the Soviet Braunsberg Offensive Operation...

Königsberg Offensive

Battle of Königsberg

The Battle of Königsberg , was one of the last operations of the East Prussian Offensive during World War II. In four days of violent urban warfare, Soviet forces of the 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussian Front captured the city of Königsberg...

6 April 1945 - 9 April 1945

Zemland Offensive 13 April 1945 - 25 April 1945

Lower Silesian Offensive 8 February 1945 - 24 February 1945

German Siege of Breslau (From 13 February to 6 May 1945)

East Pomeranian Strategic Offensive
East Pomeranian Offensive
The East Pomeranian Strategic Offensive operation was an offensive by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front...

10 February 1945 - 6 March 1945

Chojnice-Koeslin Offensive 10 February 1945 - 6 March 1945

Danzig Offensive 7 March 1945 - 31 March 1945

Arnswalde-Kolberg Offensive 1 March 1945 - 18 March 1945

Altdamm Offensive 18 March 1945 - 4 April 1945

German Lake Balaton counteroffensive Operation Frühlingserwachen
Operation Frühlingserwachen
Operation Frühlingserwachen was the last major German offensive launched during World War II. The offensive was launched in Hungary on the Eastern Front...
Balaton Defensive 6 March 1945 - 15 March 1945

Bulgarian Battle of Drava

Battle of Drava

The Drava operation was a defensive operation of the Bulgarian First Army during Bulgaria's participation in World War II against German Wehrmacht forces, who were trying to capture the north bank of the Drava river as part of Operation Frühlingserwachen...

Moravian-Ostrava Offensive 10 March 1945 - 5 May 1945
Vienna Offensive
Vienna Offensive
The Vienna Offensive was launched by the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front in order to capture Vienna, Austria. The offensive lasted from 2–13 April 1945...

13 March 1945 - 15 April 1945

D'ersk Offensive 13 March 1945 - 4 April 1945

Veszprem Offensive 16 March 1945 - 25 March 1945

Sopron-Baden Offensive 26 March 1945 - 4 April 1945

Nagykanizsa–Körmend Offensive 26 March 1945 - 15 April 1945

Assault on Vienna 4 April 1945 - 13 April 1945

Upper-Silesian Offensive 15 March 1945 - 31 March 1945
Bratislava-Brno Offensive 25 March 1945 - 5 May 1945
Berlin Strategic Offensive
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....

16 April 1945 - 8 May 1945

German Defence of the Oder-Neisse Line

Battle of the Oder-Neisse

The Battle of the Oder–Neisse is the German name for the initial phase of one of the last two strategic offensives conducted by the Red Army in the Campaign in Central Europe during World War II. Its initial breakthrough phase was fought over four days, from 16 April until 19 April 1945, within...

Settin-Rostock Offensive 16 April 1945 - 8 May 1945

German Defense of Schwedt Bridgehead

Defense of Schwedt Bridgehead

The defense of the Schwedt bridgehead was a German 3rd Panzer Army operation on the Eastern Front during the final months of World War II. German forces, commanded by Otto Skorzeny, were ordered to prepare to conduct a counter-offensive...

1 February 1945 - 3 March 1945

Seelow-Berlin Offensive

Battle of the Seelow Heights

The Battle of the Seelow Heights , was a part of the Seelow-Berlin Offensive Operation ; one of the last assaults on large entrenched defensive positions of World War II. It was fought over three days, from 16–19 April 1945...

16 April 1945 - 2 May 1945

Battle of Halbe

The Battle of Halbe lasted from April 24 - May 1, 1945 was a battle in which the German Ninth Army, under the command of Colonel General Theodor Busse was destroyed as a fighting force by the Red Army during the Battle for Berlin....

24 April to 1 May 1945

Cottbus-Potsdam Offensive

Spremberg-Torgau Offensive 16 April 1945 - 5 May 1945

Battle of Bautzen

Battle of Bautzen (1945)

The Battle of Bautzen was one of the last battles of the Eastern Front in World War II. It was fought on the extreme southern flank of the Spremberg–Torgau Offensive, seeing days of pitched street fighting between forces of the 2nd Polish Army and elements of the Soviet's 52nd Army and 5th Guards...

Brandenberg-Ratenow Offensive 3 May 1945 - 8 May 1945

Prague Offensive
Prague Offensive
The Prague Offensive was the last major Soviet operation of World War II in Europe. The offensive, and the battle for Prague, was fought on the Eastern Front from 6 May to 11 May 1945. This battle for the city is particularly noteworthy in that it ended after the Third Reich capitulated on 8 May...

6 May 1945 -11 May 1945

Dresden-Prague Offensive 6 May 1945 - 11 May 1945

Sudeten Offensive 6 May 1945 - 11 May 1945

Olomout Offensive 6 May 1945 - 9 May 1945

Jihlavo-Benesov Offensive 6 May 1945 - 11 May 1945

Sources and references

Feskov V.I., Kalashnikov K.A., Golikov V.I. The Red Army in the victories and defeats: years 1941-1945 - Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...

: Tomsk university publishing, 2001. pp. 24–29.

External links

Multimedia map of the Great War

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.