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I. N. Muzychenko
M. I. Potapov
Ewald von Kleist
Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody- one of the largest tank battles in history, which took place during the Great Patriotic War in June 1941 in the triangle of cities Dubno-Lutsk-Brody. It is also known under the names of the battle for Brody, the tank battle near Dubno, Lutsk, Rivne, the counterattack of the mechanized corps of the southwestern front, etc. About 3,200 tanks took part in the battle on both sides.
Previous events
On June 22, after a breakthrough at the junction of the 5th General M.I. Potapov and the 6th Army, I.N. Muzychenko, the 1st Panzer Group Kleist advanced in the direction of Radekhov and Berestechko. By June 24, she comes to the river Styr. The defense on the river is occupied by the advanced 131st motorized rifle division of the 9th mechanized corps of General Rokossovsky. At dawn on June 24, the 24th tank regiment of the 20th tank division of Colonel Katukov from the 9th mechanized corps attacked units of the 13th German tank division on the move, capturing about 300 prisoners. During the day the division itself lost 33 BT tanks. The 15th mechanized corps of Karpezo advanced to Radzekhov without the 212th motorized rifle division left in Brody. In the course of clashes with the 11th Panzer Division, part of the tanks of the mechanized corps was lost from the impact of aviation and from technical malfunctions. Parts were reported on the destruction of 20 tanks and armored vehicles and 16 anti-tank guns of the Germans. The 19th mechanized corps of Major General Feklenko moved to the border from the evening of June 22, leaving advanced units on the evening of June 24 on the Ikva River in the Mlynov area. The forward company of the 40th Panzer Division attacked the crossing of the German 13th Panzer Division. The 43rd Panzer Division of the mechanized corps approached the Rovno area, being attacked from the air. The headquarters of the Southwestern Front decided to launch a counterattack on the German grouping with the forces of all mechanized corps and three rifle corps of front subordination - the 31st, 36th and 37th. In reality, these units were in the process of advancing to the front and entered the battle as they arrived without mutual coordination. Some units did not take part in the counterattack. The purpose of the counterattack of the mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front was to defeat the 1st Panzer Group of E. von Kleist. The troops of the 1st Tgr and 6th Army were counterattacked by the 9th and 19th mechanized corps from the north, the 8th and 15th mechanized corps from the south, entering into an oncoming tank battle with the 9th, 11th, 14 th and 16th tank divisions of the Germans.
The actions of the parties in counterattacks from 24 to 27 June
On June 24, the 19th tank and 215th motorized rifle divisions of the 22nd mechanized corps went on the offensive north of the Vladimir-Volynsky-Lutsk highway from the Voinitsa-Boguslavskaya line. The attack was unsuccessful, the light tanks of the division ran into anti-tank guns put forward by the Germans. The corps lost more than 50% of its tanks and began to retreat to the Rozhyshche area. The 1st anti-tank artillery brigade Moskalenko also retreated here, successfully defending the highway, but being cut off from the main forces due to the withdrawal. The 41st tank division of the 22nd MK did not participate in the counterattack.
BT-2 on the march
From Lutsk and Dubno, in the morning of June 25, inflicting a blow on the left flank of the 1st tank group of the 9th mechanized corps of K.K. Rokossovsky and the 19th mechanized corps of General N.V. west of Rovno. The 43rd Panzer Division of the 19th Mechanized Corps, using 79 tanks of the 86th Panzer Regiment, broke through the defensive positions of the German 11th Panzer Division and by 6 pm broke into the outskirts of Dubno, reaching the Ikva River. Due to the retreat on the left flank of the division of the 36th Rifle Corps, and on the right of the 40th Panzer Division, both flanks were unprotected and units of the 43rd Panzer Division, by order of the corps commander, began to retreat from Dubno to the area west of Rovno. The German 11th Panzer Division, supported by the left flank of the 16th Panzer Division, at that time reached Ostrog, advancing into the deep rear of the Soviet troops. From the south, from the Brody area, the 15th mechanized corps of General I.I. Karpezo advanced on Radekhov and Berestechko with the task of defeating the enemy and connecting with units of the 124th and 87th rifle divisions surrounded in the Voinitsa and Milyatin area. The 37th Panzer Division of the Mechanized Corps crossed the Radostavka River in the afternoon of June 25 and moved forward. The 10th Panzer Division ran into anti-tank defenses and was forced to withdraw. The formations of the corps were subjected to a massive German air raid, during which the commander, Major General Karpezo, was seriously wounded. The positions of the corps began to be flanked by German infantry units. The 8th mechanized corps of General D.I. Ryabyshev, having made a 500-kilometer march since the beginning of the war and leaving up to half of the tanks and part of the artillery on the road from breakdowns and air strikes, by the evening of June 25 began to concentrate in the Busk area, southwest of Brody. On the morning of June 26, the mechanized corps entered Brody with the further task of advancing on Dubno. Corps reconnaissance discovered German defenses on the Ikva River and on the Sytenka River, as well as parts of the 212th Motorized Division of the 15th Mechanized Corps, advanced from Brody the day before. On the morning of June 26, Major General Mishanin's 12th Panzer Division crossed the Slonovka River and, having restored the bridge, attacked and captured the city of Leshnev by 4 p.m. On the right flank, the 34th Panzer Division of Colonel I.V. Vasiliev defeated the enemy column, taking about 200 prisoners and capturing 4 tanks. By the end of the day, the divisions of the 8th mechanized corps advanced in the direction of Brestechko by 8-15 km, pushing the units of the 57th infantry and 16th tank divisions of the enemy, who retreated and entrenched themselves behind the Plyashevka River. Realizing the threat to the right flank of the 48th motorized corps, the Germans transferred the 16th motorized division, the 670th anti-tank battalion and a battery of 88-mm guns to this area. By evening, the enemy was already trying to counterattack parts of the mechanized corps. On the night of June 27, the mechanized corps received an order to withdraw from the battle and begin concentrating behind the 37th sk.
The actions of the parties in counterattacks since June 27
Destroyed Soviet tank KV-2
The commander of the 5th Army, Major General M.I. Potapov, by order of the Military Council of the South-Western Front, decided on the morning of June 27 to launch an offensive by the 9th and 19th mechanized corps on the left flank of the German group between Lutsk and Rovno in converging directions to Mlynov and the 36th Rifle Corps on Dubno. Parts of the 15th mechanized corps were to go to Berestechko and turn towards Dubno. During the night of June 26-27, the Germans transported infantry units across the Ikva River and concentrated the 13th Panzer, 25th Motorized, 11th Infantry and units of the 14th Panzer Division against the 9th Mechanized Corps. Finding fresh parts in front of him, Rokossovsky did not start the planned offensive, immediately informing the headquarters that the attack had failed. Against the right flank of the corps near Lutsk, the 298th and 299th divisions launched an offensive with the support of the tanks of the 14th division. The 20th Panzer Division had to be transferred to this direction, which stabilized the situation until the first days of July. The 19th mechanized corps of Feklenko also failed to go on the offensive, moreover, under the blows of the 11th and 13th tank divisions, he retreated to Rovno, and then to Goshcha. During the retreat and under air strikes, part of the tanks, vehicles and guns of the mechanized corps were lost. The 36th Rifle Corps was not combat-ready and did not have a unified leadership, so it also could not go on the attack. From the south, it was planned to organize an attack on Dubno by the 8th and 15th mechanized corps with the 8th tank division of the 4th MK. Only the hastily organized combined detachments of the 24th Tank Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Volkov and the 34th Tank Division under the command of Brigadier Commissar N.K. were able to go on the offensive at 2 pm on June 27. Popel. The remaining parts of the division by this time were only being transferred to a new direction. The blow in the direction of Dubno was unexpected for the Germans and, having crushed the defensive barriers, the Popel group entered the outskirts of Dubno by evening, capturing the rear reserves of the 11th Panzer Division and several dozen intact tanks. During the night, the Germans transferred units of the 16th motorized, 75th and 111th infantry divisions to the breakthrough site and closed the gap by interrupting the supply lines of the Popel group. Attempts by the approaching units of the 8th MK to break through a new gap in the defense failed, and under the blows of aviation, artillery and superior enemy forces, he had to go on the defensive. On the left flank, breaking through the defenses of the 212th Motorized Division of the 15th Mechanized Corps, about 40 German tanks reached the headquarters of the 12th Panzer Division. Division Commander Major General T.A. Mishanin sent a reserve to meet them - 6 KV tanks and 4 T-34 tanks, which managed to stop the breakthrough without suffering losses, the German tank guns could not penetrate their armor. The offensive of the 15th MK turned out to be unsuccessful, having suffered heavy losses from the fire of anti-tank guns, its units could not cross the Ostrovka River and were thrown back to their original positions along the Radostavka River. On June 29, the 15th Mechanized Corps was ordered to change units of the 37th Rifle Corps and withdraw to the Zolochiv Heights in the Byala Kamen-Sasuv-Zolochiv-Lyatsk area. Contrary to the order, the withdrawal began without the change of parts of the 37th sk and without notifying the commander of the 8th MK Ryabyshev, in connection with which the German troops freely bypassed the flank of the 8th mechanized corps. On June 29, the Germans occupied Busk and Brody, held by one battalion of the 212th Motorized Division. On the right flank of the 8th Corps, units withdrew without resistance.
In the first weeks of the Great Patriotic War, when the German tank wedges of the Army Groups "Center" and "North" closed the pincers near Minsk and rushed to Smolensk and Pskov (aiming at Moscow and Leningrad), on our Southwestern Front, reflecting the blows of the German Army Group "South", a grandiose tank battle unfolded. The largest in the history of World War II and the first tank battle of the Great Patriotic War took place on June 22 - July 10, 1941 and was a clear evidence of the high offensive activity of the Soviet troops, their desire to wrest the initiative from the hands of the enemy, which he seized as a result of an unexpected attack.
This battle is little covered in memoirs, and in military history works it is usually referred to as “battles near Brody” or simply “border battles”. However, it was by no means an ordinary event and not a private operation. The battle unfolded in several western regions of Ukraine, in a huge pentagon between the cities of Lutsk, Rovno, Ostrog, Kamenetz, Brody, with the center in Dubno. About 2,500 Soviet and German tanks met in oncoming battles. Its outcome had a significant impact on the disruption of the plans of the German command for the "lightning" crushing of the Red Army in the south. The breakthrough of the German troops on the move to Kyiv was thwarted. The encirclement and destruction of the troops of the Southwestern Front and the capture of the industrial regions of Ukraine did not take place on schedule.
In this paper, the battle is considered from the point of view of the initial decisions of the Soviet and German high commands, which determined the course and results of the first tank battle. We want, as far as possible, to show the general course of the battle, the clash of ideas and plans, operational-tactical decisions and initiatives of the Soviet and German commanders of formations and units that took part in the battle.
Ideas, plans, decisions
The plan of Germany's attack on the USSR and the plan of defense of the Soviet side were worked out and approved in their final versions almost simultaneously, and this is no coincidence. The coincidence in time is explained by the ever-increasing tension in the world, caused by the successes of Germany at the beginning of the Second World War.
December 1940 - January 1941. in Moscow, the Soviet leadership held a meeting with military leaders and operational games, and a little earlier in Berlin, a similar meeting and games were held by the Nazi leadership of Germany. The aforementioned plans were the result of them.
The German plan "Barbarossa" (Directive No. 21) formulated the general goal: "The main forces of the Russians, located in Western Russia, must be destroyed in operations, by means of deep rapid advancement of tank wedges. The retreat of combat-ready enemy troops to the wide expanses of Russian territory must be prevented.
German strategists, in accordance with the military doctrine of the "blitzkrieg", made the main bet on the use of tank and mechanized formations. Army Group South, operating south of the Pripyat Marshes, was tasked with: “... through concentric strikes, having the main forces on the flanks, destroy the Russian troops stationed in Ukraine even before the latter reach the Dnieper. To this end, the main blow is delivered from the Lublin region in the general direction to Kyiv ... "
According to F. Paulus, one of the authors of the plan, a participant in the meeting and the head of the games, two amendments were included in the final version of actions in Ukraine. Hitler demanded that the Russians be surrounded by coverage from the north, and Halder ordered tank wedges to prevent the Russians from retreating and creating defenses west of the Dnieper.
Based on these instructions, the headquarters of Army Group South (commander Field Marshal von Rundstedt) developed an offensive plan (Scheme 1).
Scheme 1. The plan of the German offensive north (Army Group Center) and south (Army Group South) of the Pripyat marshes.
His plan: with an enveloping blow from the Pripyat swamps to Kyiv, and then turning south along the Dnieper, to surround the main forces of the Southwestern Front, cutting off the communications of the Southern Front, and with an auxiliary blow to Lvov (and further) to close the Soviet troops in a ring on the right bank Ukraine. The exit to Kyiv was planned in 3–4 days, the encirclement in 7–8 days.
The offensive zone for tank and motorized divisions in the direction of the main attack was chosen with particular care. German generals were attracted by the regions of Rivne - Lutsk - Dubno, where forests along the river. Goryn interspersed with flat fields, and the plain stretched to the southwest, from Rivne and Dubno, and to the northwest, to Lutsk. From the south, this area, quite open and quite suitable for tank operations, was protected by forests, and in the north - by the Polesskaya (or Pripyat) swampy lowland with almost complete impassability. It is not surprising that the main German attack, originally planned for Lvov, was moved to this zone. The main roads from the border to Novograd-Volynsky, Rovno and further to Zhytomyr and Kyiv passed along it.
Army Group "South" deployed along the line Lublin - the mouth of the Danube (780 km). At the turn of Vlodava - Przemysl were the 6th and 17th field armies of Field Marshal Reichenau and General Stulpnagel, as well as the 1st Panzer Group (1st Tank Group) of General Kleist. The Hungarian corps advanced to the border with Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Three more armies (11th German, 3rd and 4th Romanian) occupied a line along the Prut and Danube rivers (Scheme 2).
The 6th Reichenau Army and Kleist's 1st Tgr were tasked with attacking the Russians from Vlodava to Krystynopol and breaking through to the Dnieper through Vladimir-Volynsky, Sokal, Dubno in cooperation with the 17th Army. Therefore, Rundstedt concentrated shock tank and motorized divisions in the Ustilug - Sokal - Krystyonopol sector, creating here, at the junction of the 5th and 6th Soviet armies, three and even fivefold superiority in forces and means. The German 6th field army had 12 divisions, the Kleist tank group - 3 motorized corps (3rd, 14th and 48th), which included 5 tank divisions (9th, 11th, 13th, 14th th and 16th) and 4 motorized (16th, 25th, SS Viking and SS Life Standard Adolf Hitler). In total, there were 57 divisions in Army Group South, they were supported by the 4th Air Fleet of General Dör (1300 aircraft).
On the night of June 18, Rundstedt began to advance divisions to the waiting and starting areas, which for infantry divisions were 7–20 km from the border, and for tank divisions, 20–30 km. The promotion ended on June 21st. The starting positions were located closer to the border and were occupied on the night of June 22. The Germans managed to reach them by 3 o'clock in the morning.
On the evening of June 21, the commanders of the prepared German formations received a conditional password: “The Legend of the Heroes. Wotan. Neckar 15 "- a signal for an attack, transmitted at 4 o'clock in the morning. On the night of June 21-22, the commander of the 48th motorized corps reported to Rundstedt:" Sokal is not darkened. The Russians equip their pillboxes in full light. They don't seem to be doing anything..."
On June 22, 1941, at 4:00 a.m., Rundstedt launched a simultaneous artillery and air attack and at 4:15 a.m. moved the infantry divisions. Around 9 o'clock, Kleist began to commit tank divisions to the battles. On June 22, Halder wrote in his diary: “The offensive of our troops was a complete surprise for the enemy ... units (Soviet. - Auth.) were taken by surprise in the barracks position, the planes stood at the airfields, covered with tarpaulins; the advanced units, suddenly attacked, asked the command what to do ... After the initial "tetanus" ... the enemy proceeded to hostilities ... ”(F. Halder. Military diary. Vol. 3, book 1).
FROM BREST TO BERLIN
Poetic epic
Dubno, Lutsk and Brody remember, 1
Like a week in those places
The battle was fought by steel horses,
How they were pressed by a strong enemy.
Where are you tanks, our tanks?
Where are you, our corps?
You were torn like footcloths
Chopped down like forests
Eight hundred for those days
Out of two thousand eight hundred!
How many of you lay down, sons!
Who will present the mournful account?
How many dead
In the southwestern regions?
How many were burned alive
In those desperate battles?
"How many tanks have we knocked out?" -
"Up to two hundred, almost." - "Total?"
Or are we taught wrong?
Ile did not understand what?
Or Zhukov was not with us
And he was not in charge
Those first fights
Where did the enemy beat us like that?
Or there were not enough tanks,
Few tank brigades,
What did the Nazis give us?
Strongly many times in a row?
Yes, really like that
The world did not know until then:
Whatever the fight - we are beaten again,
Whatever the tank, the fire burns.
And although four times
There were more tanks, we
So many times and even more
They messed up in those days.
Member of the Military Council
He shot himself - burned shame. 4
Zhukov rushes to Moscow - sees the summer -
Stalin called on the carpet:
What is the tank drama! -
“Before Minsk at this hour
Surrounded like a hole
Our armies now."
There is another situation.
Here, to the south, everything is not so:
Enough strength, skill
Not enough to attack.
Failed with one hit 5
Eight of our buildings
Go to battle. As a result, a gift
We put the fighters.
Eight days - and counterattacks
Choked. Here's how.
Solace in this fight -
The enemy was detained for six days.
So we will this summer
Retreat until the enemy
We won't learn to hit hard
From the General Staff to the shooter.
Capturing millions,
Retreat endlessly
And under the Russian mat and groans
Water the earth with blood.
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1 The Battle of Dubno - Lutsk - Brody is the largest tank battle in world history, including the initial period of the Great Patriotic War, which took place in June 1941 in the triangle of cities Dubno - Lutsk - Brody. About 3,200 tanks took part in the battle on both sides: 2,803 Soviet and 718 German. The 8th, 9th, 15th, 19th, 22nd mechanized corps, 27th, 31st, 36th, 37th rifle corps, 109th MD and 14th cd tried to flank strikes from the north and south to destroy von Kleist's tank wedge. During the period from June 23 to June 30, 1941, our losses amounted to about 800 tanks, German - 150 - 200.
2 By order of Stalin, the operation was led by the Chief of the General Staff G.K. Zhukov, who arrived at the headquarters of the Southwestern Front on the evening of June 22 and departed for Moscow on Stalin's call on the evening of June 26, 1941.
3 G.K. Zhukov in his book “Memoirs and Reflections” wrote about this battle: “Our historical literature somehow casually touches on this greatest frontier battle of the initial period of the war with Nazi Germany. It would be necessary to analyze in detail the expediency of using here counterattacks by mechanized corps against the enemy's main grouping that had broken through, and the organization of the counterattack itself. Indeed, as a result of precisely these actions of our troops in Ukraine, the enemy’s plan for a swift breakthrough to Kyiv was thwarted at the very beginning. The enemy suffered heavy losses and was convinced of the resilience of the Soviet soldiers, who were ready to fight to the last drop of blood." Zhukov did not write about our fourfold losses.
4 Unable to bear the shame of defeat, on June 28, 1941, Corps Commissar N.N., a member of the Military Council of the Southwestern Front, shot himself. Vashugin.
5 The strike formations of the Southwestern Front could not carry out a single offensive. The actions of the mechanized corps were reduced to isolated counterattacks in different directions. The result of the counterattacks was a week delay in the offensive of the 1st German Panzer Group and the disruption of the enemy’s plans to break through to Kyiv and encircle the 6th, 12th and 26th armies of the Southwestern Front in the Lvov ledge. The German command, through competent leadership, managed to repel a counterattack and defeat the armies of the Southwestern Front.
Above is the cover of Vladimir Tyaptin's new book. It includes 39 poems and 14 poems and songs dedicated to the heroic struggle of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, which reflect the main battles on all fronts of this great war, starting from the border battles of 1941 before the storming of Berlin and the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24, 1945. The book is full of large historical material included in 309 footnotes. In fact, these are two books - poetry and prose, united under one title. It features 156 specific personalities, including 96 war heroes, from ordinary soldiers to Marshal Zhukov and Generalissimo Joseph Stalin. The design of the book was made by the winner of the State Prize of the Udmurt Republic Yuri Lobanov.
Battle for Dubno - Lutsk - Brody(also known as battle for Brody, tank battle near Dubno - Lutsk - Rivne, counterattack of the mechanized corps of the South-Western Front etc.) - one of the largest tank battles in history, held from 23 to 30 June 1941. Five mechanized corps of the Red Army (2803 tanks) of the Southwestern Front took part in it against four German tank divisions (585 tanks) of the Wehrmacht of the Army Group South, united in the First Tank Group. Subsequently, another tank division of the Red Army (325 tanks) and one tank division of the Wehrmacht (143 tanks) entered the battle. Thus, 3128 Soviet and 728 German tanks (+ 71 German assault guns) met in the oncoming tank battle. [ ]
The formations of the Red Army, which had overwhelming technical superiority in this sector of the front, were unable to inflict significant losses on the enemy in manpower and equipment, and were also unable to seize the strategic offensive initiative and change the course of hostilities in their favor. The tactical superiority of the Wehrmacht and problems in the Red Army (poorly organized tank corps supply system, lack of air cover and complete loss of operational control) allowed the German troops to win the battle, as a result of which the Red Army lost a huge number of tanks.
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The actions of the parties in counterattacks since June 27
The commander of the 5th Army, Major General M. I. Potapov, even in the midst of the fighting of the previous day, not knowing about the breakthrough of the German 13th TD near Lutsk, gives the order to the tank divisions of the 9th MK, which were at that time in the Novosyolka region -Olyka, stop moving west and turn south towards Dubno. The corps completed the maneuver only by two in the morning on June 27, having taken the starting positions for the attack along the Putilovka River. On the morning of the same day, the 19th Mechanized Corps also received an order to resume a counterattack from Rovno towards Mlynov and Dubno. Parts of the 15th mechanized corps were to go to Berestechko. On June 26-27, the Germans transported infantry units across the Ikva River and concentrated the 13th Panzer, 299th Infantry, and 111th Infantry Divisions against the 9th and 19th Mechanized Corps.
At dawn on June 27, the 24th tank regiment of the 20th tank division of Colonel Katukov from the 9th mechanized corps attacked units of the 13th German tank division on the move, capturing about 300 prisoners. During the day, the division itself lost 33 BT tanks. The offensive of the 9th MK RKKA bogged down after the German 299th Infantry Division, advancing in the direction of Ostrozhets-Olyk, attacked the open western flank of the 35th RD RKKA near Malin. The withdrawal of this division to Olyka endangered the encirclement of the 20th TD of the Red Army, which was fighting with the motorized infantry brigade of the 13th TD in Dolgoshei and Petushki. With battles, the 20th TD breaks through to Klevan. The tank divisions of the 19th MK of the Red Army were unable to go on the offensive and with difficulty repulsed the attacks of the tank regiment of the reconnaissance battalion and the motorcycle battalion of the 13th TD of the enemy on Rovno. The Soviet 228th Rifle Division, which had only a quarter of ammunition on June 25, after two days of fighting was without ammunition, in a semi-encirclement near Radov and during the retreat to Zdolbunov was attacked by reconnaissance units of the German 13th and 11th TD and 111th Infantry Division, during the retreat was all artillery thrown. The division was saved from defeat only by the fact that the German 13th TD and 11th TD were advancing in divergent directions and did not seek to destroy the 228th division. During the retreat and under the blows of aviation, part of the tanks, vehicles and guns of the 19th mechanized corps was lost. The 36th Rifle Corps was not combat-ready and did not have a unified leadership (the headquarters made its way through the forests to its divisions from near Mizoch), so it also could not go on the attack. In the Dubno district, the German 111th Infantry Division approached from Mlynov. Near Lutsk, the German 298th Infantry Division launched an offensive with the support of the tanks of the 14th Panzer Division.
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On June 22, 1941, the entire German Army Group South, in the offensive area of \u200b\u200bwhich this battle took place, had 728 tanks, including at least 115 unarmed "commander tanks" Sd.Kfz. 265 and about 150 tanks armed with 20 mm cannons and / or machine guns and (T-I and T-II). Thus, the actual tanks - in the generally accepted sense of the word - the Germans had 455 pieces (T-38 (t), T-III and T-IV).
The total list of tanks in the mechanized corps of the Soviet South-Western Front was 3,429 units (in addition, a certain number of tanks were part of the rifle divisions of the front). However, three of the six corps were practically in the formation stage, and only the 4th, 8th and 9th mechanized corps could be considered as fully combat-ready formations. They numbered 1,515 tanks, which was more than three times the number of German cannon-armed tanks opposing them. In addition, these three combat-ready corps included 271 tanks of the T-34 and KV types, which not only far exceeded the best German tanks at that time in terms of armament and armor, but were also almost invulnerable to regular Wehrmacht anti-tank weapons.
Previous events
On June 22, 1941, after a breakthrough in the zone of the 5th army of General Potapov at the junction with the 6th army of Muzychenko, the 1st tank group of Kleist advanced in the direction of Radekhov and Berestechko. The General Staff decided to strike in the direction of Rava-Russkaya - Lublin and Kovel - Lublin to surround the main enemy grouping on the Southwestern Front and subsequently provide assistance to the Western Front.
The Directive of the NPO of the USSR dated 06/22/1941 No. 3, endorsed by G. K. Zhukov, read:
d) The armies of the Southwestern Front, firmly holding the border with Hungary, with concentric strikes in the general direction of Lublin by forces 5A and 6A, at least five mechanized corps and all aviation of the front, encircle and destroy the enemy grouping advancing on the front Vladimir-Volynsky, Krystynopol, by the end of June 26, capture the Lublin region. Strongly secure from the Krakow direction.
In the process of discussing the directive at the headquarters of the Southwestern Front, they considered that an encirclement operation with access to Lublin was impossible.
The proposal of the chief of staff of the Southwestern Front, General Purkaev - to withdraw troops and create a continuous line of defense along the old border, and then counterattack - was also rejected.
We decided to strike with three mechanized corps (15th, 4th, 8th mechanized corps) from the Radzekhov-Rava-Russkaya front to Krasnostav and one mechanized corps (22nd mechanized corps) from the Verba-Vladimir-Volynsky front to Krasnostav. The purpose of the strike was not encirclement (as required by the directive), but the defeat of the main enemy forces in an oncoming battle.
In pursuance of the decisions taken, on June 23, the 15th mechanized corps of Karpezo advanced from the south to Radzekhov without the 212th motorized rifle division left to cover Brod. During clashes with the German 11th Panzer Division, units reported the destruction of 20 tanks and armored vehicles and 16 German anti-tank guns. It was not possible to keep the Radzekhovs, in the afternoon the Germans captured the crossings on the Styr River near Berestechko.
The breakthrough to Berestechko forced the headquarters of the Southwestern Front to abandon the previous decision, the 8th mechanized corps from near Yavorov already at 15:30 on June 23 received an order to move to Brody.
During June 24, the front headquarters, together with the representative of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander G.K. Zhukov, decided to launch a counterattack on the German grouping with the forces of four mechanized corps, while simultaneously creating a rear line of defense with front-line rifle corps - 31st, 36th and 37th . In reality, these units were in the process of advancing to the front and entered the battle as they arrived without mutual coordination. Some units did not take part in the counterattack. The purpose of the counterattack of the mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front was to defeat the 1st Panzer Group Kleist. During the subsequent battle, the Soviet 22nd, 9th and 19th mechanized corps from the north, the 8th and 15th mechanized corps from the south launched counterattacks against the German troops of the 1st Tank Group and the 6th Army, entering into an oncoming tank battle with the German 11th, 13th, 14th and 16th Panzer Divisions.
The actions of the parties in counterattacks from 24 to 27 June
On June 24, the 19th Panzer and 215th Motorized Rifle Divisions of the 22nd Mechanized Corps went on the offensive north of the Vladimir-Volynsky-Lutsk highway from the Voinitsa-Boguslavskaya line. The attack was unsuccessful, the light tanks of the division ran into anti-tank guns put forward by the Germans. The 19th TD lost more than 50% of its tanks and began to retreat to the Torchin area. Moskalenko's 1st anti-tank artillery brigade also withdrew here. The 41st Panzer Division of the 22nd MK did not participate in the counterattack. The defense on the Styr River near Lutsk was occupied by the advanced 131st motorized division of the 9th mechanized corps of General Rokossovsky.
The 19th mechanized corps of Major General Feklenko moved to the border from the evening of June 22, leaving advanced units on the evening of June 24 on the Ikva River in the Mlynov area. On the morning of June 25, the reconnaissance battalion of the German 11th Panzer Division attacked the forward company of the 40th Panzer Division, which was guarding the crossing at Mlynov, and pushed it back. The 43rd tank division of the mechanized corps approached the Rovno region, being attacked from the air.
By the morning of June 26, the situation was as follows. The 131st Rifle Division, having retreated from Lutsk at night, occupied the front from Rozhyshche to Lutsk, the troops of the 19th Panzer Division, the 135th Rifle Division and the 1st Rifle Brigade withdrew behind its positions through Rozhische. Lutsk was occupied by the German 13th TD, the 14th TD was located near Torchin. Further, from Lutsk to Torgovytsya, there was no defense; during the day, the tank divisions of the 9th MK, which were in the Olyka-Klevan area in the morning, were to take up the defense. The Germans brought the 299th Infantry Division to Torgovitsa. From Torgovitsa to Mlynov, the motorized rifle regiment of the 40th TD of the 19th Mk of the Red Army was defending along the river. The rifle regiment of the 228th rifle regiment of the 36th sk of the Red Army took up defense at Mlynov, the German 111th infantry division acted against it. The tank regiments of the 40th TD and the infantry regiment of the 228th Rifle Division were in the forest near Radov in reserve. A motorized rifle regiment of the 43rd TD operated in the Pogoreltsy area, and a rifle regiment of the 228th Rifle Division operated in the Mladechny area. Against them, the German 11th TD occupied the Dubno-Verba area. Further from Surmichi to Sudobichi, there was no defense, the 140th Rifle Division of the 36th Rifle Corps had not yet reached this line. Further, from Sudobichi to Kremenets, the 146th Rifle Division of the 36th Sc. In the Kremenets area, the 14th cd of the 5th cd held the defense.
On the morning of June 26, the German divisions continued their offensive. In the morning, the German 13th TD pushed back units of the 131st MD at the crossroads of the Lutsk-Rovno and Rozhishche-Mlynov roads, and turned towards Mlynov. The positions near Lutsk were transferred to the 14th TD. Rokossovsky's tank divisions were supposed to reach the breakthrough area of the German 13th TD in the afternoon, and before that the road was open. Moving along it, in the afternoon, the 13th TD went to the rear of the Soviet 40th TD, which fought with the 299th infantry division at Torgovitsy and the 111th infantry division at Mlynov. This breakthrough led to a disorderly withdrawal of the 40th TD and the regiment of the 228th Rifle Division to Radov and to the north.
The German 11th TD advanced in two battle groups, the tank group pushed back the Soviet infantry of the 43rd TD and the regiment of the 228th SD to Krylov and Radov, and occupied Varkovichi. The German motorized brigade of the 11th TD, moving through Surmichi, met marching columns of the Soviet 140th Rifle Division to the southeast of Lipa, which could not withstand a sudden collision and retreated in disorder to the south, to Tartak. The 43rd Panzer Division of the 19th Mechanized Corps with the forces of 79 tanks of the 86th Panzer Regiment broke through the defensive positions of the barriers of the German 11th Panzer Division and by 6 pm broke into the outskirts of Dubno, reaching the Ikva River. Due to the retreat on the left flank of the 140th division of the 36th rifle corps, and on the right of the 40th tank division, both flanks of the 43rd TD turned out to be unprotected, and units of the division, by order of the corps commander, began to retreat from Dubno after midnight to the area to the west Smooth. From the south, from the area of Toporov, the 19th TP of the 10th TD of the 15th mechanized corps of General I. I. Karpezo was advancing on Radekhov with the task of defeating the enemy and connecting with units of the 124th and 87th rifle divisions surrounded in the Voinitsa area and Milyatin. The 37th Panzer Division of the Mechanized Corps crossed the Radostavka River in the morning of June 26 and moved forward. The 10th Panzer Division ran into anti-tank defenses at Kholuev and was forced to withdraw. The formations of the corps were subjected to a massive German air raid, during which the commander, Major General Karpezo, was seriously wounded. The 8th mechanized corps of General D. I. Ryabyshev, having made a 500-kilometer march since the beginning of the war and leaving up to half of the tanks and part of the artillery on the road from breakdowns and air strikes, by the evening of June 25 began to concentrate in the Busk area, southwest of Brody.
On the morning of June 26, the mechanized corps entered Brody with the further task of advancing on Dubno. Corps reconnaissance discovered German defenses on the Ikva River and on the Sytenka River, as well as parts of the 212th Motorized Division of the 15th Mechanized Corps, advanced from Brody the day before. On the morning of June 26, Major General Mishanin's 12th Panzer Division crossed the Slonovka River and, having restored the bridge, attacked and captured the city of Leshnev by 4 p.m. On the right flank, the 34th Panzer Division of Colonel I.V. Vasiliev defeated the enemy column, taking about 200 prisoners and capturing 4 tanks. By the end of the day, the divisions of the 8th mechanized corps advanced 8-15 km in the direction of Berestechko, pushing the units of the 57th infantry and motorized brigade of the 16th tank divisions of the enemy, who retreated and entrenched themselves behind the Plyashovka River. The tank regiment of the 16th TD continued the offensive in the direction of Kozin. The Germans sent the 670th anti-tank battalion and a battery of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns to the battle area. The 212th Motor Rifle Division of the Red Army did not receive an order to support the strike of the 8th MK. By evening, the enemy was already trying to counterattack parts of the mechanized corps. On the night of June 27, the mechanized corps received an order to withdraw from the battle and begin concentrating behind the 37th sk.
Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody (1941) |
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Ukraine, USSR |
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German victory |
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Opponents |
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Opponents |
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M. P. Kirponos |
Gerd von Rundstedt |
Battle for Dubno-Lutsk-Brody- one of the largest tank battles in history, which took place during the Great Patriotic War in June 1941 in the triangle of cities Dubno-Lutsk-Brody. It is also known under the names of the battle for Brody, the tank battle near Dubno, Lutsk, Rivne, the counterattack of the mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front, etc. About 3200 tanks took part in the battle from both sides.
Previous events
On June 22, after a breakthrough at the junction of the 5th General M. I. Potapov and the 6th Army I. N. Muzychenko, the 1st Kleist Panzer Group advanced in the direction of Radekhov and Berestechko. By June 24, it reaches the Styr River. The defense on the river is occupied by the advanced 131st motorized rifle division of the 9th mechanized corps of General Rokossovsky. At dawn on June 24, the 24th tank regiment of the 20th tank division of Colonel Katukov from the 9th mechanized corps attacked units of the 13th German tank division on the move, capturing about 300 prisoners. During the day, the division itself lost 33 BT tanks.
The 15th mechanized corps of Karpezo advanced to Radzekhov without the 212th motorized rifle division left in Brody. In the course of clashes with the 11th Panzer Division, part of the tanks of the mechanized corps was lost from the impact of aviation and from technical malfunctions. Parts were reported on the destruction of 20 tanks and armored vehicles and 16 anti-tank guns of the Germans. The 19th mechanized corps of Major General Feklenko moved to the border from the evening of June 22, leaving advanced units on the evening of June 24 on the Ikva River in the Mlynov area. The forward company of the 40th Panzer Division attacked the crossing of the German 13th Panzer Division. The 43rd tank division of the mechanized corps approached the Rovno region, being attacked from the air.
The headquarters of the Southwestern Front decided to launch a counterattack on the German grouping with the forces of all mechanized corps and three rifle corps of front subordination - the 31st, 36th and 37th. In reality, these units were in the process of advancing to the front and entered the battle as they arrived without mutual coordination. Some units did not take part in the counterattack. The purpose of the counterattack of the mechanized corps of the Southwestern Front was to defeat the 1st Panzer Group of E. von Kleist. The troops of the 1st Tgr and 6th Army were counterattacked by the 9th and 19th mechanized corps from the north, the 8th and 15th mechanized corps from the south, entering into an oncoming tank battle with the 9th, 11th, 14 th and 16th tank divisions of the Germans.
The actions of the parties in counterattacks from 24 to 27 June
On June 24, the 19th tank and 215th motorized rifle divisions of the 22nd mechanized corps went on the offensive north of the Vladimir-Volynsky-Lutsk highway from the Voinitsa-Boguslavskaya line. The attack was unsuccessful, the light tanks of the division ran into anti-tank guns put forward by the Germans. The corps lost more than 50% of its tanks and began to retreat to the Rozhyshche area. The 1st Moskalenko anti-tank artillery brigade also retreated here, successfully defending the highway, but being cut off from the main forces due to the withdrawal. The 41st tank division of the 22nd MK did not participate in the counterattack.
From the direction of Lutsk and Dubno, in the morning of June 25, having struck at the left flank of the 1st Panzer Group, the 9th mechanized corps of Rokossovsky and the 19th mechanized corps of General N. V. Feklenko threw back parts of the 3rd motorized corps of the Germans to the south-west of Rovno. The 43rd Panzer Division of the 19th Mechanized Corps, using 79 tanks of the 86th Panzer Regiment, broke through the defensive positions of the German 11th Panzer Division and by 6 pm broke into the outskirts of Dubno, reaching the Ikva River.
Due to the retreat on the left flank of the division of the 36th Rifle Corps, and on the right of the 40th Panzer Division, both flanks were unprotected and units of the 43rd Panzer Division, by order of the corps commander, began to retreat from Dubno to the area west of Rovno. The German 11th Panzer Division, supported by the left flank of the 16th Panzer Division, at that time reached Ostrog, advancing into the deep rear of the Soviet troops. From the south, from the Brody region, the 15th mechanized corps of General I. I. Karpezo advanced on Radekhov and Berestechko with the task of defeating the enemy and connecting with units of the 124th and 87th rifle divisions surrounded in the Voinitsa and Milyatin area. The 37th Panzer Division of the Mechanized Corps crossed the Radostavka River in the afternoon of June 25 and moved forward. The 10th Panzer Division ran into anti-tank defenses and was forced to withdraw. The formations of the corps were subjected to a massive German air raid, during which the commander, Major General Karpezo, was seriously wounded. The positions of the corps began to be flanked by German infantry units. The 8th mechanized corps of General D. I. Ryabyshev, having made a 500-kilometer march since the beginning of the war and leaving up to half of the tanks and part of the artillery on the road from breakdowns and air strikes, by the evening of June 25 began to concentrate in the Busk area, southwest of Brody.
On the morning of June 26, the mechanized corps entered Brody with the further task of advancing on Dubno. Corps reconnaissance discovered German defenses on the Ikva River and on the Sytenka River, as well as parts of the 212th Motorized Division of the 15th Mechanized Corps, advanced from Brody the day before. On the morning of June 26, Major General Mishanin's 12th Panzer Division crossed the Slonovka River and, having restored the bridge, attacked and captured the city of Leshnev by 4 p.m. On the right flank, the 34th Panzer Division of Colonel I.V. Vasiliev defeated the enemy column, taking about 200 prisoners and capturing 4 tanks. By the end of the day, the divisions of the 8th mechanized corps advanced in the direction of Brestechko by 8-15 km, pushing the units of the 57th infantry and 16th tank divisions of the enemy, who retreated and entrenched themselves behind the Plyashevka River. Realizing the threat to the right flank of the 48th motorized corps, the Germans transferred the 16th motorized division, the 670th anti-tank battalion and a battery of 88-mm guns to this area. By evening, the enemy was already trying to counterattack parts of the mechanized corps. On the night of June 27, the mechanized corps received an order to withdraw from the battle and begin concentrating behind the 37th sk.
The actions of the parties in counterattacks since June 27
The commander of the 5th Army, Major General M.I. Potapov, by order of the Military Council of the South-Western Front, decided on the morning of June 27 to launch an offensive by the 9th and 19th mechanized corps on the left flank of the German group between Lutsk and Rovno in converging directions to Mlynov and the 36th Rifle Corps on Dubno. Parts of the 15th mechanized corps were to go to Berestechko and turn towards Dubno. During the night of June 26-27, the Germans transported infantry units across the Ikva River and concentrated the 13th Panzer, 25th Motorized, 11th Infantry and units of the 14th Panzer Division against the 9th Mechanized Corps.
Finding fresh units in front of him, Rokossovsky did not start the planned offensive, immediately informing the headquarters that the attack had failed. The 298th and 299th German infantry divisions launched an offensive against the right flank of the corps near Lutsk, supported by the tanks of the 14th Panzer Division. The Soviet 20th Panzer Division had to be transferred to this direction, which stabilized the situation until the first days of July. Feklenko's 19th mechanized corps also failed to go on the offensive. Moreover, under the blows of the German 11th and 13th tank divisions, he retreated to Rovno, and then to Goshcha. During the retreat and under air strikes, part of the tanks, vehicles and guns of the mechanized corps were lost. The 36th Rifle Corps was not combat-ready and did not have a unified leadership, so it also could not go on the attack. From the south, it was planned to organize an offensive against Dubno by the 8th and 15th mechanized corps with the 8th tank division of the 4th mechanized corps. At 2 p.m. on June 27, only the hastily organized combined detachments of the 24th Tank Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Volkov and the 34th Tank Division under the command of Brigadier Commissar N.K. Popel were able to go on the offensive. The remaining parts of the division by this time were only being transferred to a new direction.
The blow in the direction of Dubno was unexpected for the Germans, and having crushed the defensive barriers, the Popel group entered the outskirts of Dubno by evening, capturing the rear reserves of the 11th Panzer Division and several dozen intact tanks. During the night, the Germans transferred units of the 16th motorized, 75th and 111th infantry divisions to the breakthrough site and closed the gap by interrupting the supply lines of the Popel group. Attempts by the approaching units of the 8th mechanized corps to break through a new gap in the defense failed, and under the blows of aviation, artillery and superior enemy forces, he had to go on the defensive.
On the left flank, having broken through the defenses of the 212th motorized division of the 15th mechanized corps, about 40 German tanks reached the headquarters of the 12th tank division. The division commander, Major General T. A. Mishanin, sent a reserve to meet them - 6 KV tanks and 4 T-34 tanks, which managed to stop the breakthrough without suffering losses, the German tank guns could not penetrate their armor.
The offensive of the 15th MK was unsuccessful, having suffered heavy losses from the fire of anti-tank guns, its units could not cross the Ostrovka River and were thrown back to their original positions along the Radostavka River. On June 29, the 15th Mechanized Corps was ordered to change units of the 37th Rifle Corps and withdraw to the Zolochiv Heights in the Byala Kamen-Sasuv-Zolochiv-Lyatsk area. Contrary to the order, the withdrawal began without the change of parts of the 37th sk and without notifying the commander of the 8th MK Ryabyshev, in connection with which the German troops freely bypassed the flank of the 8th mechanized corps. On June 29, the Germans occupied Busk and Brody, held by one battalion of the 212th Motorized Division. On the right flank of the 8th Corps, units of the 140th and 146th Rifle Divisions of the 36th Rifle Corps and the 14th Cavalry Division retreated without resistance.
Surrounded by the enemy, the 8th MK managed to retreat in an organized manner to the line of the Zolochev Heights, breaking through the German barriers. Popel's detachment remained cut off deep behind enemy lines, taking up all-round defense in the Dubno region. The defense continued until July 2, after which, having destroyed the remaining equipment, the detachment began to break through from the encirclement. Having passed through the rear for more than 200 km, the Popel group and the units of the 124th rifle division of the 5th army that joined it went to the location of the 15th rifle corps of the 5th army. In total, more than a thousand people left the encirclement, the losses of the 34th division and units attached to it amounted to 5363 people missing and about a thousand killed, the division commander, Colonel I.V. Vasiliev, died.
Effects
The shock formations of the Southwestern Front could not carry out a single offensive. The actions of the mechanized corps were reduced to isolated counterattacks in different directions. The result of the counterattacks was a week delay in the offensive of the 1st Panzer Group and the disruption of the enemy’s plans to break through to Kyiv and encircle the 6th, 12th and 26th armies of the Southwestern Front in the Lvov ledge. The German command, through competent leadership, managed to repel a counterattack and defeat the armies of the Southwestern Front.