February 1943

Eastern Front

North of Kharkov the 40th Army presses the Germans hard, Dergachi being taken in heavy fighting. Borisovka also falls. Other elements of 40th Army closes upon Grayvoron and Bogodukhov and enters the northern suburbs of Kharkov.

Heavy fighting also rages in the eastern suburbs as 3rd Tank Army pushes the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler back to the city limits. Lanz is personallay order by Hitler to hold on to Kharkov at all costs in addition to securing a line from Poltava to Dnepropetrovsk with his very limite forces. The fact that the group is already heavily committed to the fighting at Kharkov means Lanz is unable to fulfil either task.

The XL Panzer Corps abandons its counterattack near Slavyansk and moves toward Kramatorsk. Group Hollidt loses Novocherkessk to the South Front.

Army Group B is officially disbanded and Army Group South comes into being once more. Army Group A retains control of 17th Army in the Kuban but is in effect redundant, taking no part in the battles to the north.