February 1943

Eastern Front

The Soviets begin a new offensive in the Rzhev sector as Army Group Center prepare to evacuate the salient that juts forward on the road to Moscow. An attack by the 13th and 48th Armies against the Bryansk and Orel sectors make slow but steady progress in the face of fierce resistance by the German 2nd Army.

Units of the 69th Army force a crossing of the Vorskla River some 25 miles north of Poltava, despite fierce resitance by Corps Raus. To strengthen this sector the Germans begin to feed a newly arrive infantry division into the line south of Kotelva. Continues attacks by 40th Army capture Akhtyrka and Lebedin. The Grossdeutschland Division begins to abandon Lyubotin, falling back as the 3rd Tank Army takes control of the town. Rifle and cavalry units of the 3rd Tank push south of Kharkov but are held up by the SS Panzer Corps ad Novaya Vodolaga. Other elements of the corps drive the Soviets back upon Pavlograd. This flurry of blows smash the right wing and center of the Soviet 6th Army. Despite obviously dangerous position, the army is ordered to force its mobile group forward. Duly attacking in force, the 6th plunges deeper into Manstein's trap.

Group Popov staggers under the blows of the XL Panzer Corps. The Germans push through the broken Soviet group while other elements of the corps swing west to hit them again. Some of Popov's units fall back south of Barvenkovo. The Germans also begin to hit the Soviet units at Krasnoarmieskoye.

The XLVIII Panzer Corps advances rapidly in the direction of Barvenkovo while the LVIII Panzer and SS Panzer Corps move toward Pavlograd. The 4th and 1st Panzer Armies push into the rear of the Soviet armies still advancing toward the Dniepr, the 1st Panzer advancing upon Izyum. As the German attack penetrates deeper into the wings of the Soviet salient, leading elements of the Southwest Front are just 12 miles from Zaporozhe only to run short of fuel and are destroyed. The Stavka is slowly becoming aware of the German threat, but its forces are so over extended and weakened by the recent fighting that they are powerless to ward off the German blows.