January 1944

Eastern Front

As his army group falls apart, Kuchler issues orders calling for the withdrawal of the 18th Army to the line of the Luga River to prevent its annihilation. Lyuban falls to the 54th Army.

The 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts link up near Zvenigorodka, the town falling to the 6th Tank Army after a brief battle. Leib's XLII and Stemmerman's XI Corps are isolated. The Stavka immediately call for the destruction of the pocket, the 2nd Ukrainian Front being make responsible for this operation with the 27th, 52nd and 4th Guards Armies. Inside the pocket, centered on Korsun-Shevchenhovsky, some 56,000 men of the 57th, 389th, 72nd and 88th Infantry Divisions, 5th SS Panzer Grenadier Division Wiking and SS Brigade Wallonie prepare to break outh to the west. Gen Stemmerman, commanding XI Corps, takes control of the combined force. Outside the cauldron, Manstein begins preparations for a reliev attack, the III Panzer Corps being released from the Uman sector and the XLVII Panzer from Kirovograd. The counterattack will begin as soon as these forces arrive.