North-Western Front
Encyclopedia
The Northwestern Front (Russian: Северо-Западный фронт) was a military formation of the Red Army
during the Winter War
and World War II
. It was operational with the 7th
and 13th Armies
during the Winter War. It was re-created on June 22, 1941, the first day of the Soviet-German War
on the basis of the Baltic Special Military District. On 22 June the Front consisted of the 8th
, 11th, and 27th
Armies, as well as the 5th Airborne Corps and the headquarters of the 65th Rifle Corps.
were involved in heavy fighting in the Baltic Republics and on the approaches and the outskirts of Leningrad
. During first 18 days of the war the armies retreated over 450 km into Russia
. On 14th, July the Soviet 11th Army led a successful counter-offensive from Utogrosh and the Dno district to Sitnya and Soltsi, in which German troops (in particular 8th Panzer Division suffered heavy losses) and had to retreat. The Soviet forces took Soltsi on 16 July, and the German advance to Leningrad and Novgorod was stopped for a while. This offensive had a strong effect for the morale of the Soviet troops. Nevertheless, the German troops were regrouped and refreshed, and on 12th, August they renewed their offensive and moved to Novgorod which was taken on 19 August.
There were many occurrences of heroism on the front, e.g. by A.K. Pankratov who covered a German machinegun spot with his breast. At Staraya Russa
combat started in July, and in August in the streets of the city, which was taken on 9 August after the retreat of 11th Army. The Soviet forces of 34th, 27th and 11th Armies led a counter-offensive and closed to the ourskirts of Staraya Russa on 12 August but could not hold on to their success because of total exhaustion.
In the autumn North-West front was on a pivotal point of the fighting activities in the Moscow and Leningrad directions, covering the vital Valdai Hills from which the northern flank of the advance of the Wehrmacht
's Army Group Centre
could be threatened. The Soviet troops took a deep defense between Lake Ilmen
and Lake Seliger
. They didn't let the German pass to the Valdai Hills
and Bologoe railway station which connected Leningrad and Moscow.
Later in 1941 Volkhov Front
was created to cover the sector north of Lake Ilmen
to Lake Ladoga
. The major task of North-West front now became to recapture the communications centre of Staraya Russa, in a fight that lasted for 880 days. There were two strategic and regular military operations which were unsuccessful and very costly in terms of losses.
, a name for the encirclement of German troops
by the Red Army
around Demyansk
(Demjansk) begun as the first phase of the Demyansk Offensive Operation (7 January 1942 - 20 May 1942) by the Northwestern Front's commander's initiative, General Lieutenant Pavel Kurochkin
. The intention was to sever the link betweent he German Demyansk positions, and the Stara Russa railway that formed the lines of communication
of the German 16th Army. However owing to the very difficult wooded and swamp
y terrain, and heavy snow cover, the initial advance by the Front was very modest against stubborn opposition.
On the 8 January 1942 a new Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation begun that incorporated the previous Front planning into the Toropets-Kholm Offensive Operation (9 January 1942 - 6 February 1942) which formed the southern pincer
of the operation that, beginning the second phase of the northern pincer Demyansk Offensive Operation (7 January 1942 - 20 May 1942) which encircled the German Sixteenth Army's (Generaloberst Ernst Busch) II Corps (Germany), and parts of the X Army Corps (General der Artillerie Christian Hansen) during winter 1941/1942.
Trapped in the pocket were the 12th, 30th, 32nd
, 123rd and 290th infantry divisions, as well as the SS-Division Totenkopf. There were also RAD
, Police
, Todt
organization and other auxiliary units who were trapped and assisted in the battle. In total, about 90,000 German troops and around 10,000 auxiliaries were trapped inside the pocket. Their commander was General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt
, commander of the IInd Army Corps.
and the 1st and 2nd Guards Rifle Corps released for the operation from Stavka reserve. A second thrust was executed on 12 February by the 3rd
and 4th Shock Armies of the Kalinin Front
, with the additional plan of directly attacking the encircled German forces by inserting two airborne brigades to support the advance of the 34th Army (Soviet Union). The front soon settled as the Soviet offensive petered out due to difficult terrain and bad weather.
The Northwestern Front grew increasingly desperate to wipe out the pocket, and over the winter and spring launched a number of assaults on the "Ramushevo corridor" that formed the tenuous link between Demyans and Srara Russa through the Ramushevo village that were repeatedly repulsed. In total five Soviet Armies
composed of 18 infantry division
s and three brigades were tied up for 4 months.
However, by the end of May the Stavka reconsidered the overall situation on the Front sector and decided to shift its attention to the Moscow sector where a new German offensive was expected in the summer.
led by General Kurochkin. Only after the disaster at Stalingrad
did it become possible for the Red Army to conduct Operation Polar Star
from 12-26 February, 1943, freeing 302 settlements in the region.
On 19 November, 1943 Northwestern front was renamed 2nd Baltic Front.
Total casualties suffered by North-Western Front were more than 2,000,000 fallen and wounded.
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...
during the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was operational with the 7th
7th Army (Soviet Union)
The Soviet Red Army's 7th Army first saw action in the 1939-40 Winter War against Finland. In November 1939, just before the initial Soviet attack, it consisted of the 19th Rifle Corps , 50th Rifle Corps , 10th Tank Corps, 138th Rifle Division, and an independent tank brigade...
and 13th Armies
13th Army (Soviet Union)
The 13th Army was a name given to several field armies of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first created during the Russian Civil War...
during the Winter War. It was re-created on June 22, 1941, the first day of the Soviet-German War
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...
on the basis of the Baltic Special Military District. On 22 June the Front consisted of the 8th
8th Army (Soviet Union)
The 8th Army was a field army of the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War.The 8th Army was formed in October 1939 from the Novgorod Army Operational Group of the Leningrad Military District with the task of providing security of the Northwestern borders of the USSR. The 8th Army was a field...
, 11th, and 27th
27th Army (Soviet Union)
The 27th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which fought in World War II. First formed in May 1941. Initial commander was H. E. Berzarin. Took part in battles in the Baltic. On 22 June 1941 it consisted of the 22nd and 24th Rifle Corps, 16th and 67th Rifle Divisions, 3rd Separate...
Armies, as well as the 5th Airborne Corps and the headquarters of the 65th Rifle Corps.
1941
In the summer of 1941 all elements of the front commanded by General Colonel Fyodor Isodorovich KuznetsovFyodor Isodorovich Kuznetsov
Fyodor Isidorovich Kuznetsov , Colonel General, was a military commander of the Soviet Union.-Biography:Born to a peasant family in present-day Mogilev Oblast of Belarus, Kuznetsov served in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and continued his service in the Bolsheviks' Red Army...
were involved in heavy fighting in the Baltic Republics and on the approaches and the outskirts of Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. During first 18 days of the war the armies retreated over 450 km into Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. On 14th, July the Soviet 11th Army led a successful counter-offensive from Utogrosh and the Dno district to Sitnya and Soltsi, in which German troops (in particular 8th Panzer Division suffered heavy losses) and had to retreat. The Soviet forces took Soltsi on 16 July, and the German advance to Leningrad and Novgorod was stopped for a while. This offensive had a strong effect for the morale of the Soviet troops. Nevertheless, the German troops were regrouped and refreshed, and on 12th, August they renewed their offensive and moved to Novgorod which was taken on 19 August.
There were many occurrences of heroism on the front, e.g. by A.K. Pankratov who covered a German machinegun spot with his breast. At Staraya Russa
Staraya Russa
Staraya Russa is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located south of Veliky Novgorod. It is a wharf on the Polist River in the Lake Ilmen basin. It serves as the administrative center of Starorussky District, although administratively it is not a part of it...
combat started in July, and in August in the streets of the city, which was taken on 9 August after the retreat of 11th Army. The Soviet forces of 34th, 27th and 11th Armies led a counter-offensive and closed to the ourskirts of Staraya Russa on 12 August but could not hold on to their success because of total exhaustion.
In the autumn North-West front was on a pivotal point of the fighting activities in the Moscow and Leningrad directions, covering the vital Valdai Hills from which the northern flank of the advance of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
's Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre
Army Group Centre was the name of two distinct German strategic army groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union...
could be threatened. The Soviet troops took a deep defense between Lake Ilmen
Lake Ilmen
Ilmen is a historically important lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia, formerly a vital part of the Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod lies six kilometers below the lake's outflow....
and Lake Seliger
Lake Seliger
Seliger is a lake in Tver Oblast and, in the extreme northern part, Novgorod Oblast of Russia, in the northwest of the Valdai Hills, a part of the Volga basin. Absolute height: 205 m, area 212 km², average depth 5.8 m....
. They didn't let the German pass to the Valdai Hills
Valdai Hills
The Valdai Hills are an upland region in north-west of central Russia running north-south, about midway between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, spanning the Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, and Smolensk Oblasts....
and Bologoe railway station which connected Leningrad and Moscow.
Later in 1941 Volkhov Front
Volkhov Front
The Front was reformed on the 9 June 1942 from the Volkhov Operational Group of the Leningrad Front and served until 15 February 1944, participating in the relief of the Siege of Leningrad and taking part in other operations including:-Campaigns:...
was created to cover the sector north of Lake Ilmen
Lake Ilmen
Ilmen is a historically important lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia, formerly a vital part of the Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod lies six kilometers below the lake's outflow....
to Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
. The major task of North-West front now became to recapture the communications centre of Staraya Russa, in a fight that lasted for 880 days. There were two strategic and regular military operations which were unsuccessful and very costly in terms of losses.
1942
In 1942 the Front participated in the Demyansk PocketDemyansk 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 ...
, a name for the encirclement of German troops
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
by the Red Army
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...
around Demyansk
Demyansk
Demyansk is an urban locality and the administrative center of Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Yavon River. Population:...
(Demjansk) begun as the first phase of the Demyansk Offensive Operation (7 January 1942 - 20 May 1942) by the Northwestern Front's commander's initiative, General Lieutenant Pavel Kurochkin
Pavel Kurochkin
-Biography:Pavel Kurochkin was born in the village of Gronevo, Vyazma district, Smolensk Oblast.-Military career:He joined the Red Army in 1918. Kurochkin completed his cavalry courses in Petrograd in 1920...
. The intention was to sever the link betweent he German Demyansk positions, and the Stara Russa railway that formed the lines of communication
Lines of Communication
"Lines of Communication" is an episode from the fourth season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Franklin and Marcus attempt to persuade the Mars resistance to assist Sheridan in opposing President Clark...
of the German 16th Army. However owing to the very difficult wooded and swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
y terrain, and heavy snow cover, the initial advance by the Front was very modest against stubborn opposition.
On the 8 January 1942 a new Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation begun that incorporated the previous Front planning into the Toropets-Kholm Offensive Operation (9 January 1942 - 6 February 1942) which formed the southern pincer
Pincer
Pincer may refer to:*Pincer *Pincer , part of an animal*Pincer ligand, a terdentate, often planar molecule that tightly binds a variety of metal ions.*Pingas...
of the operation that, beginning the second phase of the northern pincer Demyansk Offensive Operation (7 January 1942 - 20 May 1942) which encircled the German Sixteenth Army's (Generaloberst Ernst Busch) II Corps (Germany), and parts of the X Army Corps (General der Artillerie Christian Hansen) during winter 1941/1942.
Trapped in the pocket were the 12th, 30th, 32nd
32nd Infantry Division (Germany)
The 32nd Infantry Division of the German Army was mobilized on August 1, 1939 for the upcoming invasion of Poland. At that time, it consisted of the usual German infantry division elements: three infantry regiments of three battalions each, one three-battalion regiment of light artillery, one...
, 123rd and 290th infantry divisions, as well as the SS-Division Totenkopf. There were also RAD
Reichsarbeitsdienst
The Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...
, Police
Ordnungspolizei
The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
, Todt
Organisation Todt
The Todt Organisation, was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure...
organization and other auxiliary units who were trapped and assisted in the battle. In total, about 90,000 German troops and around 10,000 auxiliaries were trapped inside the pocket. Their commander was General der Infanterie Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt
Walter von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt
Walter Graf von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt was a German general of the Infantry, serving during World War II....
, commander of the IInd Army Corps.
Northwestern Front offensives
The Northwestern Front offensive was planned to encircle the entire northern flank of the 16th Army's forces, of which the IInd Army Corps was only a small part, and the Soviet command was desperate to keep the Front moving even after this success. The first thrust was made by the 11th Army, 1st Shock Army1st Shock Army
The 1st Shock Army was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II.The 1st Shock Army was created in late 1941 and fought in the northern areas of Russia and the Baltic States until the defeat of Germany in 1945...
and the 1st and 2nd Guards Rifle Corps released for the operation from Stavka reserve. A second thrust was executed on 12 February by the 3rd
3rd Shock Army (Soviet Union)
The 3rd Shock Army was a field army of the Red Army formed during the Second World War. The 'Shock' armies were created with the specific structure to engage and destroy significant enemy forces, and were reinforced with more armoured and artillery assets than other combined arms armies...
and 4th Shock Armies of the Kalinin Front
Kalinin Front
The Kalinin Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries.The Kalinin Front was...
, with the additional plan of directly attacking the encircled German forces by inserting two airborne brigades to support the advance of the 34th Army (Soviet Union). The front soon settled as the Soviet offensive petered out due to difficult terrain and bad weather.
The Northwestern Front grew increasingly desperate to wipe out the pocket, and over the winter and spring launched a number of assaults on the "Ramushevo corridor" that formed the tenuous link between Demyans and Srara Russa through the Ramushevo village that were repeatedly repulsed. In total five Soviet Armies
Army (Soviet Army)
An army, besides the generalized meanings of ‘a country's armed forces’ or its ‘land forces’, is a type of formation in militaries of various countries, including the Soviet Union. This article serves a central point of reference for Soviet armies without individual articles, and explains some of...
composed of 18 infantry division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
s and three brigades were tied up for 4 months.
However, by the end of May the Stavka reconsidered the overall situation on the Front sector and decided to shift its attention to the Moscow sector where a new German offensive was expected in the summer.
1943
One of the more successful attempts to regain ground in the Staraya Russa region was the Toropets-Kholm OperationToropets-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...
led by General Kurochkin. Only after the disaster at Stalingrad
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...
did it become possible for the Red Army to conduct Operation Polar Star
Operation Polar Star
Operation Polyarnaya Zvezda was an operation conducted by the Soviet Leningrad, Volkhov and Northwestern Fronts in February and March 1943. The operation was planned in the wake of the successful Operation Iskra...
from 12-26 February, 1943, freeing 302 settlements in the region.
On 19 November, 1943 Northwestern front was renamed 2nd Baltic Front.
Total casualties suffered by North-Western Front were more than 2,000,000 fallen and wounded.