September 1943

Eastern Front

Krichev falls to the southern wing of the West Front.

The withdrawal of Army Group South behind the line of the Dniepr is essentially complete being considerably outnumbered, Manstein has evacuated his forces from the east bank, crosses at four widely dispersed locations and then redeploys on the west bank. The 4th Panzer, 8th and 1st Panzer Armies have also evacuated 200,000 wounded during the course of the withdrawal. However, the divisions of Army Group South have been reduced to mere remnants. With 37 infantry and 17 armored divisions, Manstein's units have an average combat strength of 1,000 men. Soviet losses though have been equally heavy. Since August 26 the Voronezh Front has lost 46,000 killed and missing and 131,000 wounded, the Steppe Front 23,000 killed and missing and 86,000 wounded and the Central Front 33,500 killed and missing and 107,900 wounded.

In the Kuban the 17th Army has given up most of its territory and is back in the Crimea. Jaenecke's 17th Army has 250,000 men in 14 German and 7 Rumanian divisions, deployed between V Corps on the Kerch peninsula and the XLIX Mountain Corps farther inland. Against the 17th Army are the 9th, 18th and 56th Armies of the North Caucasus Front.

German strength in the east stands at 16 panzer, 12 motorized and 151 infantry divisions. Of the 2,300 panzers and assault guns available at the end of September barely 700 are operational, Army Group North having 7 operational tanks, Army Group Center has 199 and Group South 477. Manpower losses have been equally severe, 230,000 soldiers being lost in September, of which 112,000 have been replaced.

Despite the loss of a vast track of territory stretching from Smolensk to the Azov Sea, the Ostheer remained essentially intact. With the Dniepr crossings completed, the Stavka had lost the opportunity to inflict a costly defeat upon Army Group South. Had the Red Army used its armor more aggressively to push ahead of the infantry forces, rather than supporting their attacks, the successful evacuation of Manstein's forces to the west might well have been prevented.