As the Germans were slowly but steadily realizing they could not face the rising Soviet force by the
fall of 1943, Hitler came up with a plan to halt the advance of one of his most hated enemies.
However, the weakened Werchmacht would have to rely on a clever and organized strategy
to achieve such a colossal feat.
The objective was for the Germans to seize and keep their positions along the Dnieper,
a massive body of water stretching over 1,400 miles that offered a natural shield.
Then, as the Soviets finally launched a hastily-planned invasion, a monumental and
ruthless battle ensued. It would take almost four months for a front to emerge victorious,
as not even nature could hold back Stalin’s Red Army and their thirst for conquest…
Change of Tides
After the terrible German defeat in the largest tank battle in history at Kursk in August of 1943,
Adolf Hitler realized that his forces in the southern Soviet Union were highly vulnerable.
There had already been signs that they were being defeated, and the Germans under
General von Manstein had been ordered to erect an improvised defensive line along the Ostwall,
or East Wall, on August 11. Moreover, they were to use one of Europe’s largest rivers,
the Dnieper, as a natural barrier to halt an upcoming Red Army advance.
The Wehrmacht had lost its lead in the war and had no other choice than to retreat westward,
hoping that a devised line of fortifications from the Baltic to the Azov Sea
would be enough to, as Hitler said: (QUOTE) “Protect Europe from Bolshevism.”
A key element of the East Wall, the Dnieper was 18 kilometers wide at some spots but about
three kilometers in its lower part. Moreover, its western shore was much higher and steeper than the
eastern, providing a natural geographic advantage for the Germans, who were in dire need of help.
Even though the Soviets had suffered more losses during the summer, it was the Germans
that were rendered more vulnerable. Attempting to handle a war at two fronts while simultaneously
offering assistance to their allies in the Mediterranean, their forces were critically thin.
To make matters worse, the short amount of time available made it impossible for the Germans to
complete their defensive line, and only an unevenly dense and deep fortification stood
in the way of an unstoppable Communist army. If the Germans could gain a foothold on the
western bank, their chances of stopping the Soviets would drastically increase.
Their strategy was to inflict as many losses on the Red Army as possible
while attempting to cross the imposing waterfront. However, the Soviets knew better,
and their military command ordered its troops to advance to the Dnieper without delay,
as Boris Egorov from Russia Beyond put it: (QUOTE) “Without resting on its laurels.”
Strategies
Soviet political leader Joseph Stalin seized the opportunity to attack the weakened German forces,
and on August 26, the Red Army launched a massive mobilization
of over 2.6 million troops that were to cover the 1,400-kilometer front.
Knowing that such a strategy would imply more casualties than penetrating or encircling
the Germans, the Soviets aimed to disrupt their foes’ supply lines,
relying on the partisan warfare behind the German front. A brutal fight soon followed.
Outnumbered, the Germans knew they had to execute a superior strategy. Thus, they contested towns
and cities in Ukraine, assigning rear guards in urban and rural areas, as well as critical
hills. The approach succeeded in delaying the Soviet advance, but cost them massive casualties.
Furthermore, on September 7, a scorched earth policy was implemented,
and every inch the Germans retreated, they ravaged.
Three weeks into the fight, the Germans learned that they would not be able to contain the
offensive in the open steppes. Therefore, General Manstein asked for no fewer than 12 new divisions,
but such numbers were absurd for a dismembered Wehrmacht.
On September 15, Hitler had Army Group South fall back to the Dnieper defense line.
The German fortifications stood on the east side of the river,
whereas the steep embankments on the western shore would prevent the Soviets
from establishing bridgeheads and, more importantly, lodgments across the Dnieper.
One especially bitter encounter took place in Poltava, in central Ukraine. When the Soviets
couldn’t secure the city after a few days, they resolved to bypass the site and rush towards
the river. In the end, the city was taken by the Communists, who reached the low Dnieper towards
the end of the month. By the end of the month, the Red Army had secured at least 23 bridgeheads.
Meanwhile, the cornered Germans were forced to evacuate across the river. Private Guy Sajer
recalled: (QUOTE) “We’re on the other side! The western bank means security, a border that firmly
separates us from the Russians. Official reports stated the German troops would hold the Dnieper.
And that in the spring we would push the Russians across the Volga [River].”
The Germans then retreated, forcibly taking the locals on their way to supplement their
own workforce while preventing the Red Army from replenishing its ranks.
Upset about the heavy casualties they had suffered,
plus the lack of progress at the riverside,
the Soviets then launched an airborne assault - one so lousy, they would never try it again.
Leap Into The Unknown
Having raced the Germans to the river,
and sensing a critical juncture, the Soviets launched a hastily-planned airborne assault.
On September 24, after a one-day delay due to the weather conditions and the high command’s chaotic
organization, poorly-provisioned paratroopers were dropped right above the German positions.
In fact, half of the 4,000 men deployed had never parachuted except for training tower exercises.
Meanwhile, most radios and equipment were left behind, and the weather conditions had made
it impossible for the Soviets to conduct recent aerial reconnaissance,
thus failing to recognize the strong German reinforcements in the area.
More than a quarter of the paratroopers never made it to land, as they were met
with unexpected tank fire and their attempts to return fire and throw grenades were futile.
Then-Junior Sergeant Pyotr Nezhivenko recalled: (QUOTE) “There were six divisions concentrated
there and two tank corps. And we were dropped on their positions...
We went into battle straight from the sky, and died in the sky... Everything was on fire there,
night turned into day... The whole brigade should have landed within a radius of 7-10 km,
but the pilots scattered us across 100 km, from Rzhyshchiv to Cherkassy ... And,
instead of acting as a brigade, we had to operate in small detachments that were easy to destroy.”
Those who managed to land were scattered and isolated, and the Germans would
lure the confused detachments with white parachutes to hunt them down,
as well as gather airdropped supplies. Moreover, seized documents gave the Germans an advantage,
as they knew the Soviet objectives and arrived at most of them before the disorganized paratroopers.
Still, the Germans underestimated the numbers of Soviet paratroopers,
believing there had been from 1,500 to 2,000. In addition, they recorded 901 captured and
neutralized soldiers on the first day, thinking they had controlled half of the Soviet forces.
Up in the air, several Soviet aircraft were shot down for flying too low. Thus, many aircraft
aimed too high, leading to a significant number of paratroopers falling into the river and drowning.
The survivors could barely do anything to contribute to the overall battle.
However, the Germans recognized the individual tenacity of the airborne corps,
despite the lack of expertise of the Soviet command.
The dismantled troops eventually returned to the main forces,
but more than 60 percent of the original force did not.
Winners and Losers
By early October, most Soviet divisions in the north were at less than half their
original strength. They would soon make a swift advance, but at a high cost.
Despite fierce German counterattacks on almost every bridgehead, the defenders could not stop
the Soviet forces before they transported their heavy equipment across the river.
Still, they hit the Soviets at a rate of one to three and were close to defeating them.
Ultimately, the Soviets were able to hold every lodgement they had secured,
but lost about half of their forces. Armies and divisions worked independently,
and the Red Army eventually defeated the Wehrmacht.
The Soviets would also use diversionary techniques to achieve victory, creating false
attempts to cross 10 or 15 kilometers and draw the defenders’ attention away from the real action.
Those who made it first to the other side were light travelers,
deprived of heavy armored vehicles and enough ammunition or food.
Throughout the month, the fight for the western bank only escalated right until
the military and political triumph from the liberation of Kiev on November 6. The feat
resulted in the strategic control of Crimea and the subsequent Soviet advance into Eastern Europe.
The Germans would try to recapture the Ukrainian capital for another six weeks, but it was useless.
The Soviets had emerged victorious, and the Germans were exhausted and diminished.
Ultimately, about 300,000 Germans perished in the battle, while the Soviets endured
1.6 million casualties. Those were more losses than the United States had in the entire war.
Still, the USSR valued the heroism and sacrifice of their soldiers,
and a total of 2,438 men were bestowed with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union,
the largest number in any operation during World War 2.
By then, the Eastern Wall had been breached, and the Soviet dominance in
the continent was only a matter of time. The following year, Lithuania, Belarus, Hungary,
Romania, and Bulgaria would fall under Communist control.
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