January 1942

Eastern Front

The Volkhov Front continues to attack with the 2nd Shock, 59th and 52n Armies but is unable to break the German defenses. Both the I and XXXVIII Corps put up bitter resistance, preventing even minor penetrations of the front line.

The Northwest Front launches further probing attacks against the 16th Army, which result in unexpected successes. The II Corps, deployed near Lake Selinger is severely mauled and begins to crack, 2 divisions having been destroyed in the heavy fighting.

The 39th Army attacks west of Rzhev, while the 29th Army pins down the 9th Army around the town. The 9th, however, repulses most of the Soviet attacks, preventing the capture of Rzhev. West of Moscow, the 5th and 33rd Armies strike around Mozhaisk but are repelled by the 4th Army. There is heavy fighting at Sukhinichi as the 10th Army launces repeated attacks against teh 216th Division.

The Stavka issues new instructions to the Kalinin Front. While the 39th Army crushes the Germans at Rzhev, the 30th Army is to pin down and destroy the 9th Army at Sychevka. To fully develop the attacks by the 39th Army, the Stavka allocates the XI Guards Cavalry Corps as reinforcement. The 22nd Army is to cut the Rzhev-Velikiye Luki railway line at Nelidovo and exploit these gains in the direction of Belyi. The Kalinin Front has available 346,000 men.

New directives are also issued to the West Front, calling for the 1st Shock, 20th and 16th Armies to break open the 4th Panzer Army at Volokolamsk and push on to Gzhatsk. As these attacks develop, the 5th Army (7 rifle, 1 motorized divisions, 3 rifle brigades and 1 tank brigade) and the 33rd Army (7 rifle and 1 guards motorized divisions) will attack the 4th Army before Mozhaisk. To the south the 43rd, 49th (6 rifle divisions, 4 rifle brigades and 2 tank brigades) and 50th Armies and Group Belov are to push to the northwest and reach Vyazma, penetrating the southern wing and rear of the 4th Army. The 10th Army continues its westward advance on the southern flank, separating the 4th Army from the 2nd Panzer Army. To carry out its attack the West Front has 713,000 men.

On the southern wing the Bryansk Front begins its offensive around Bolkhov, committing 317,000 men to the operation.

Heavy fighting rages before Kharkov as the 38th, 40th and 21st Armies press home their attacks with little success.