April 1942

Eastern Front

The Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts conclude the Lyuban Offensive Operation, the battle having cost the Soviets 95,064 killed and missing and 213,303 wounded.

The Soviet attacks in the center since the beginning of January have bled the armies on the Moscow axis dry. The Kalinin Front alone has lost 123,400 killed and missing plus a further 217, 800 wounded, while the West Front has lost 149,000 killed and missing and 286,000 wounded.

During April the 4th Panzer Army has been withdrawn from the central sector and moves south to deploy on the northern wing of Army Group South.

During April the Germans withdraw 1 panzer and 1 infantry division from the east, giving a total deployment of 20 panzer, 15 motorized and 126 infantry divisions. The fighting during April has cost the Germans 23,000 killed. The Ostheer is short of 625,000 men, 7,000 anti-tank weapons and 200 artillery pieces. As Germany's allied move east, the number of forces assemble rise considerably, making good the shortfall of German soldiers among the combat units. The Finns have 300,000 men in service, the bulk of whom are fighting near their homeland, while the Rumanians provide 330,000, the Hungarians 70,000 and the Italians 295,000. Other nations also send consignments, Slovakia 28,000 ment and Spain 14,000. By far the bulk of these forces are deployed on the southern sector to allow the Germans to deploy as great a number of soldiers as possible in the front line.

The Germans plan their next offensive for the south. Elements of the 2nd Army and the 4th Panzer Army are to smash the Bryansk Front and push east to Voronezh, where Don crossings are to be secured. The Germans will then swing south along the line of the Don. At the same time, the 6th Army will begin its advance from the Kharkov area and push east to the Don, where it is to link up with the 4th Panzer Army and encircle the greater part of the Southwest Front. The Germans then plan to push along the Don, the 17th Army and 1st Panzer Army joining the offensive. As the Don elbow is cleared the Germans will advance to the Volga and take Stalingrad. The 4th and 1st Panzer Armies are then to push into the Caucasus to take the oilfields at Maikop and Grozny.

The Red Army is building up its forces in the center and south. Those in the center are preparing to meet the expected renewal of the German thrust toward Moscow, while those in the south prepare to launch their own attack. During the latter half of April the Bryansk Front has received the I, III, IV and VI Tank Corps, 7 rifle divisions, 11 rifle brigades and 4 tank brigades. Some of these units have been used to form the new 48th Army.

Marshal Timoshenko's Southwest Theater has been substantially reinforced as both the South and Southwest Fronts are re-equipped and fleshed out. The Southwest Front will lead the offensive from the Izyum salient and crush the German forces around Kharkov before pushing on to the Dniepr. The Soviet 6th Army will simultaneously advance toward Kharkov, while Group Bobkin moves from Izyum toward Krasnograd. The northern pincer is also to strike at the left wing of the German 6th Army. This group plans to move from Volchansk with the 28th, 21st and 38th Armies and envelop Kharkov in conjunction with the 6th Army. The Southwest Front has at its disposal 640,000 men with 1,200 tanks and 13,000 artillery pieces, plus 900 aircraft in support.

Situated to the south is the South Front, which is to secure the southern wing of the main offensive and aid the attack from the Izyum pocket. The 57th and 9th Armies plan to attack from the southern face of the salient and press toward the Dniepr, while the remainder of the front remains on its current positions along the Donets and Mius, holding the German forces frontally.