October 1942

Eastern Front

The West Front has been heavily reinforced in preparation for Operation MARS. In mid-October it comprises the 30th, 29th 31st, 20th, 5th, 33rd, 49th, 50th, 10th, 16th and 61st Armies, 3rd Tank Army under Rybalko, V and VIII Guards Rifle Corps, III, V, VI, VIII, IX and X Tank Corps, I and II Guards Cavalry Corps.

Model's 9th Army, the target of Operation MARS, deploys the XXXIX Panzer Corps along the Vazuza and Osuga Rivers with 3 infantry division (102nd, 337th and 78th) and 5th Panzer Division in reserve. The 9th Panzer Division is in operational reserve at Sychevka. 9th Army also deploys the XXVII Corps west of Rzhev to the Osuga with 6 infantry divisions (256th, 87th, 129th, 254th, 72nd and 95th) and XIV Motorized in reserve, XXIII Corps west of Rzhev to southwest of Olenino with 3 infantry divisions (110th, 253rd and 206th) and Grossdeutschland Division in reserve at Belyi, while the XLI Panzer Corps hold the line from Belyi to Olenino with 1 Luftwaffe (2nd) and 2 infantry divisions (246th and 86th). Model's extended left wing is held by the LIX Corps at Velikiye Luki, named Group von der Chevallerie, while the II Luftwaffe Corps with 2 Luftwaffe divisions (2nd and 3rd) and the VI Corps with 2 infantry (205th and 330th) and 1 Luftwaffe (7th) divisions hold the long line from Velikiye Luke to the Rzhev salient.

The 1st Panzer Division is in army reserve while the 12th, 20th and 19th Panzer are in army group reserve.

As the Germans continue their attacks, the 138th Rifle Division enter the battle for the Barrikady factory. Heavy German fire prevents any Soviet river traffic from crossing the Volga during the Day. Fierce battles rage on in the Tractor factory as the 37th Guards and 112th Rifle Divisions fight on, but by evening the isolated forces have been almost annihilated, a few surviving men continuing to resist.

With his headquarters under heavy fire, Chuikov request permission to move part of his staff to the east bank. Eremenko refuses. The Stavka orders the armies between the Volga and the Don to begin new relief attacks to take some of the pressure off the 62nd Army. To the north the 66th and 24th Armies resume their attacks but are unable to draw sizeable German forces away from the city. ON the southern wing, 51st and 57th Armies attack at Tundutovo and around the Tsatsa lakes.

The 1st Guards Army is disbanded, its headquarters forming the command center for the Southwest Front. A new 1st Guards is raised in time for the counter offensive.