August 1943

Eastern Front

Karachev falls to the 11th Guards Army.

The South Front unleashes attacks along the Mius against the German 6th Army, supported by strong arty fire. Elements of the 5th Shock Army attack the XVII Corps, aiming to isolated Ropke's XXIX Corps against the Azov coast.

At Kharkov bitter fighting continues in the streets as the Soviets resort to their old method of launching costly wave attacks, thousands of men falling to the German guns and hundreds of tanks baing destroyed. Despite the overwhelming numbers of Soviet tanks, the superiority of German gunnery inflicts crippling losses upon the armored units of the Steppe Front. The 6 defending German divisions inside or around Kharkov have no more than 160 tanks and assault guns available as the battle for the city rages but accouns for nearly 200 Soviet tanks knocked out. Clearly, while Soviet strategic command has come a long way since 1941, tactical ability remains markedly inferior to that of the Ostheer, the officers in the field regularly resorting to uninspired frontal attack in order to break through a German position. However, the Soviet offensive rolls on all the same, unstoppable even in the face of crippling casualties.