Kirovograd offensive operation. Book of memory and glory - Kirovograd offensive operation Kirovograd operation 5 January 16, 1944

Parties Commanders Side forces Losses

Kirovogradskaya offensive - offensive operation of the Red Army against German troops during the Great Patriotic War. It was carried out from January 5 to January 16, 1944 by the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in order to defeat the Kirovograd grouping of the enemy and reach the river. Southern Bug . Part of the Dnieper-Carpathian strategic offensive operation.

Situation

In the autumn of 1943, during the Battle of the Dnieper, the 2nd Ukrainian Front expanded the bridgehead captured on the right bank of the Dnieper in the area from Kremenchug to Dnepropetrovsk. Having thrown the enemy 30-100 km from the river and liberated Cherkassy, Znamenka and Alexandria, the troops under the command of I. S. Konev by December 20 reached the approaches to Kirovograd and Krivoy Rog.

1. 2 The Ukrainian Front, firmly holding the occupied line on its left flank, resume the offensive no later than January 5, 1944, delivering the main blow to Kirovograd with the forces of at least four armies, of which one is a tank army. The immediate task is to break the Kirovograd grouping of the enemy and occupy Kirovograd, covering it from the north and south. In the future, take control of the Novo-Ukrainka, Pomoshnaya area and advance on Pervomaisk in order to reach the river. Southern Bug, where to gain a foothold.

2. At the same time, deliver an auxiliary strike with the forces of two armies in the direction of Shpola, from the city of Khristinovka. …

Operation plan

In pursuance of the directive of the Headquarters, the front commander decided to include the 53rd, 5th and 7th guards, 5th guards tank armies, as well as the 5th guards and 7th mechanized corps in the shock grouping and set the following tasks for them:

the 53rd Army with the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps to break through the enemy defenses in the Kucherovka-Kokhanievka sector and advance westward towards Vladimirovka; after reaching the Vladimirovka area, cut off the enemy's retreat to the west.
The 5th Guards Army with the 7th Mechanized Corps to break through the enemy defenses in the Kokhanievka-Subotica sector and develop an offensive in the general direction towards Gruzskoye, bypassing Kirovograd from the northwest.
The 7th Guards Army, in cooperation with the 5th Guards Tank Army, strike in the general direction on Plavni, Pokrovskoye, bypassing Kirovograd from the southwest.

The general plan of the operation was to cover the entire Kirovograd grouping from the north and south German troops for the purpose of its environment. By the end of the second day of the operation, the troops of the shock group of the front were to capture Kirovograd.

In the auxiliary direction, the 4th Guards Army was to advance on Ivangorod, Zlatopol, and the 52nd Army was to strike in the direction of Balakleya, Shpola and further to Khristinovka.

Germany

8th Field Army (Infantry General O. Veler) consisting of:
- 47th Army Corps
Part of the forces of the 4th Air Fleet (Colonel-General Otto Dessloh)

In total: more than 420,000 people, 520 tanks and assault guns, 5,100 guns and mortars, about 500 combat aircraft.

The course of hostilities

External images
	Map of the Kirovograd operation

On the morning of January 5, the troops of the shock group of the front went on the offensive. The actions of the infantry were preceded by a 50-minute artillery preparation, as a result of which enemy firing points on the front line of defense were suppressed and its strongholds located in the nearest depth were destroyed. Simultaneously with the application of the artillery strike and under its cover, the sappers made passages in the minefields and wire obstacles of the enemy. Shortly after the start of the operation, the troops of the 5th Guards and 53rd Armies broke through the enemy defenses and started fighting to repel German counterattacks. To develop the offensive in the breakthrough areas, the 7th and 5th Guards Mechanized Corps were brought into battle. By the end of the first day of the operation, success was noted on the right flank of the front's shock grouping. The tactical zone of the German defense was overcome in separate directions and the troops advanced to a depth of 4 to 24 km.

The offensive developed differently in the zone of the 7th Guards Army, which operated on the left flank of the front's strike force. Here, the advance of the Soviet troops was greatly slowed down by powerful enemy tank counterattacks from the areas of Adzhamka and Novaya Andreevka. Nevertheless, by the end of the day, the divisions of the 7th Guards Army reached the line of Chervony Yar, Plavni, the northern outskirts of Novaya Andreevka.

After analyzing the situation that had developed by the end of the first day of the operation, Front Commander I.S. Konev decided to use the success achieved by the troops of the 5th Guards Army to develop the offensive. For this, the army was reinforced by the 8th mechanized corps under the command of Major General of the Tank Forces A.M. Khasin.

To the commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army, by 8 a.m. on January 6, 1944, the 8th mechanized corps should be concentrated in the Kazarna area and transferred to the command of the commander of the 5th Guards Army, and the commander of the 5th Guards Army should develop an energetic offensive by the 7th and The 8th mechanized corps, bypassing Kirovograd from the northwest in the general direction to Gruznoye, the Lelekovka junction, in order to cut the paths leading from Kirovograd to the west and northwest, and, in cooperation with the troops of the 5th Guards Tank Army, capture Kirovograd.

On January 6, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front continued their offensive. Trying to stop them, the German command began to carry out strong counterattacks in the zone of the 5th Guards and 53rd armies. The left flank of the 5th Guards Army was hit especially hard, where up to 120 tanks participated in Wehrmacht tank attacks. Nevertheless, by the end of the second day of the operation, the troops of the 5th and 7th Guards Armies, overcoming the stubborn resistance of the German divisions, joined their flanks, expanding the breakthrough to 70 km along the front and up to 30 km in depth. The 53rd Army, acting jointly with the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps, repelling enemy counterattacks, moved forward and reliably defended the right flank of the front strike force.

Formations of the 5th Guards Tank Army, which managed to overcome the second defensive line the enemy along the Adzhamka River, went to the Kirovograd region. On the night of January 7, the 29th Tank Corps under the command of Major General I.F. Kirichenko reached the southeastern part of the city, the 18th Tank Corps captured Fedorovka and moved to Novo-Pavlovka. Following the tankers, the 50th and 297th rifle divisions of the 7th Guards Army, as well as the 9th Guards Airborne Division of the 5th Guards Army, went to Kirovograd. Fights broke out for the city.

By the morning of January 7, the tank and mechanized units of the front reached the Lelekovka junction, thereby cutting off the Kirovograd-Novo-Ukrainka highway and railway. At the same time, units of the 18th Panzer Corps blocked the Kirovograd-Rovnoye road in the Novo-Pavlovka area. Thus, all escape routes of the Nazi troops operating in the Kirovograd region and east of it were closed.

All day on January 7, the troops of the front repelled continuous counterattacks by infantry and tanks of the enemy, who tried to stop the Soviet offensive.

By the morning of January 8, Kirovograd was cleared of enemy troops. In honor of this event, a salute of 224 guns was given in Moscow.

After the liberation of Kirovograd, the 2nd Ukrainian Front, overcoming the increasing resistance of the enemy, continued the offensive for some time. At the same time, the troops of the main grouping of the front advanced to the west and south-west by another 15-20 km. In the auxiliary direction, the 4th Guards and 52nd Armies, which had overcome up to 40 km by January 10, were stopped by strong enemy counterattacks, which deployed additional forces against them (up to three tank divisions).

By mid-January, the Soviet troops, who had been advancing continuously for two and a half months, were badly exhausted in battles and needed to rest. Given this circumstance, on January 16, the front commander gave the order to go over to the defensive. Thus, the Kirovograd operation was completed. The troops of the front covered 40-50 km and entrenched themselves on the line east of Smela - west of Kirovograd - north of Novgorodka.

Losses

Germany

Five German divisions lost from 50 to 75% of their personnel and a large amount of weapons

The offensive operation of the Red Army against the German troops during the Great Patriotic War. It was carried out from January 5 to January 16, 1944 by the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in order to defeat the Kirovograd grouping of the enemy and reach the river. Southern Bug. Part of the Dnieper-Carpathian strategic offensive operation.

Situation

On December 29, 1943, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command set the next tasks for the offensive for the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front:

Operation plan

the 53rd Army with the 5th Guards Mechanized Corps to break through the enemy defenses in the Kucherovka-Kokhanievka sector and advance westward towards Vladimirovka; after reaching the Vladimirovka area, cut off the enemy's retreat to the west.
The 5th Guards Army with the 7th Mechanized Corps to break through the enemy defenses in the Kokhanievka-Subotica sector and develop an offensive in the general direction towards Gruzskoye, bypassing Kirovograd from the northwest.
The 7th Guards Army, in cooperation with the 5th Guards Tank Army, strike in the general direction on Plavni, Pokrovskoye, bypassing Kirovograd from the southwest.

The general plan of the operation was to cover the entire Kirovograd grouping of German troops from the north and south in order to encircle it. By the end of the second day of the operation, the troops of the shock group of the front were to capture Kirovograd.

In the auxiliary direction, the 4th Guards Army was to advance on Ivangorod, Zlatopol, and the 52nd Army was to strike in the direction of Balakleya, Shpola and further to Khristinovka.

The 5th Air Army was tasked with delivering bombing and assault strikes to assist the troops of the strike group in breaking through the enemy’s defenses, destroying his manpower and equipment, capturing Kirovograd, and also in defeating suitable reserves.

The composition and strength of the parties

the USSR

2nd Ukrainian Front (commander General of the Army I. S. Konev, chief of staff Colonel General M. V. Zakharov) consisting of:

52nd Army (Lieutenant General K. A. Koroteev)
53rd Army (Lieutenant General I. V. Galanin)
4th Guards Army (Major General A. I. Ryzhov)
5th Guards Army ( lieutenant general A. S. Zhadov)
7th Guards Army (Colonel General M. S. Shumilov)
5th Guards Tank Army (Colonel General of Tank Forces P. A. Rotmistrov)
5th Guards Mechanized Corps (Lieutenant General of Tank Troops B. M. Skvortsov)
7th Mechanized Corps (Lieutenant General of Tank Troops F. G. Katkov)
5th Air Army (Lieutenant General of Aviation S. K. Goryunov)

As of January 1, 1944, the front consisted of 550,000 people, 265 tanks, 127 self-propelled artillery mounts, 7136 guns and mortars, 777 anti-aircraft guns, 500 combat aircraft.

Germany

8th Field Army (Infantry General O. Veler) consisting of:

11th Army Corps
47th Army Corps
52nd Army Corps

Part of the forces of the 4th Air Fleet (Colonel-General Otto Dessloh)

Total: more than 420,000 people, 520 tanks and assault guns, 5,100 guns and mortars, about 500 combat aircraft.

The course of hostilities

Formations of the 5th Guards Tank Army, which on the move managed to overcome the enemy's second defensive line along the Adzhamka River, reached the Kirovograd region. On the night of January 7, the 29th Tank Corps under the command of Major General I.F. Kirichenko reached the southeastern part of the city, the 18th Tank Corps captured Fedorovka and moved to Novo-Pavlovka. Following the tankers, the 50th and 297th rifle divisions of the 7th Guards Army, as well as the 9th Guards Airborne Division of the 5th Guards Army, went to Kirovograd. Fights broke out for the city.

All day on January 7, the troops of the front repelled continuous counterattacks by infantry and tanks of the enemy, who tried to stop the Soviet offensive.

By the morning of January 8, 1944, Kirovograd was cleared of enemy troops by the Soviet troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front during the Kirovograd operation:

5th Guards Army consisting of: 33rd Guards. sk (Lieutenant General Kozlov, Mikhail Ivanovich) consisting of: 13th Guards. SD (Colonel Laitadze, Ilya Iosifovich), 84th SD (Major General Bunyashin, Pavel Ivanovich), 6th Guards. Airborne Forces (Major General Smirnov, Mikhail Nikolaevich), 9th Guards. Airborne Forces (Major General Sazonov, Alexander Mikhailovich); 7th MK (Major General of the military unit Katkov, Fedor Grigorievich) consisting of: 16th Mechanized Brigade (Colonel Khotimsky, Mikhail Vasilievich), 64th Mechanized Brigade (Lieutenant Colonel Starodubtsev, Sergey Vasilyevich), 41st Guards. brigade (colonel Vasetsky, Fedor Prokofievich).
7th Guards Army consisting of: 33rd Rifle Division (Major General Semyonov, Alexei Ivanovich) consisting of: 50th Rifle Division (Major General Lebedenko, Nikita Fedotovich), 297th Rifle Division (Colonel Kovtun-Stankevich, Andrey Ignatievich ); 11th Artillery Division (Major General art. Popovich, Andrey Davidovich); 45th pabr (lieutenant colonel Rusak, Anton Bogdanovich); 60th Engineer-Sapbr (Colonel Tsepenyuk, David Shamovich).
5th Guards Tank Army, consisting of: 29th Tank Corps (Major General of the military unit Kirichenko, Ivan Fedorovich) consisting of: 31st Tank Brigade (Colonel Popov, Andrey Mikhailovich), 32nd Tank Brigade (Lieutenant Colonel Yachnik, Sergey Fedorovich ), 25th brigade (lieutenant colonel Klepko, Dmitry Evstafyevich), 53rd motorized brigade (lieutenant colonel Dokudovsky, Vasily Andreevich), 1446th self-propelled artillery regiment (major Lunev, Mikhail Semyonovich); 18th TC (major general of the military unit Polozkov, Vasily Iudovich) consisting of: 110th brigade (colonel Vishman, Efrem Yakovlevich), 170th brigade (colonel Chunikhin, Nikolai Petrovich), 1438th self-propelled artillery regiment (lieutenant colonel Zatylkin , Fedor Anisimovich).
5th Air Army consisting of: 1st Assault Air Corps (Lieutenant General of Aviation Ryazanov, Vasily Georgievich) consisting of: 266th Division (Colonel Rodyakin, Fedor Grigorievich), 292nd Division (Major General of Aviation Agaltsov, Philip Aleksandrovich), 203rd IAD (Major General of Aviation Baranchuk, Konstantin Gavrilovich); 205th IAD (Colonel Nemtsevich, Yuri Alexandrovich) of the 7th Fighter Air Corps (Major General of Aviation Utin, Alexander Vasilievich); units of the troops of the 302nd IAD (Lieutenant Colonel Vasily Ivanovich Zinoviev) of the 4th Fighter Air Corps (Major General of Aviation Podgorny, Ivan Dmitrievich); 1st Guards bad (Colonel Dobysh, Fedor Ivanovich) of the 1st Bomber Air Corps (Major General of Aviation Polbin, Ivan Semyonovich).

In honor of this event, the troops participating in the liberation of Kirovograd, by order Supreme Commander on January 8, 1944, thanks were announced and salute was given in Moscow with 20 artillery salvos from 224 guns.

By order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin dated 01/08/1944 and by order People's Commissar of the Defense of the USSR I. V. Stalin dated 01/08/1944, in commemoration of the victory, formations and units that distinguished themselves in the battles for the liberation of the city of Kirovograd received the name "Kirovograd":

297th Slavic Rifle Division (Colonel Kovtun-Stankevich, Andrey Ignatievich)
50th Rifle Zaporozhye Division (Major General Lebedenko, Nikita Fedotovich)
409th Rifle Division (Colonel Sorokin Gavriil Stepanovich)
25th Tank Brigade (Lieutenant Colonel Klepko, Dmitry Evstafievich)
31st Tank Brigade (Colonel Popov, Andrey Mikhailovich)
170th Tank Brigade (Colonel Chunikhin, Nikolai Petrovich)
1st Assault Aviation Corps (Lieutenant General of Aviation Ryazanov, Vasily Georgievich)
1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division (Colonel Dobysh, Fedor Ivanovich)
205th Fighter Aviation Division (Colonel Nemtsevich, Yuri Alexandrovich)
302nd Fighter Aviation Division (Lieutenant Colonel Zinoviev, Vasily Ivanovich)
11th Artillery Division (Major General art. Popovich, Andrey Davidovich)
16th breakthrough artillery division (major general art. Gusarov, Nikolai Alekseevich)
60th Engineer Brigade (Colonel Tsepenyuk, David Shamovich)
1000th Fighter Anti-tank Artillery Regiment
1669th Fighter Anti-tank Artillery Regiment (Major Shilnov, Ivan Grigorievich)
678th howitzer artillery regiment (lieutenant colonel Tikhomirov, Anatoly Nikolaevich)
1543rd heavy self-propelled artillery regiment (Major Emelyanov, Fedor Danilovich)
1694th anti-aircraft artillery regiment (lieutenant colonel Kravchenko, Andrey Yakovlevich)
263rd Mortar Regiment (Major Rozhmanov, Pavel Fedorovich)
292nd Mortar Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Furazhev, Nikolai Ivanovich)
97th Guards Red Banner Mortar Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Chumak, Mark Markovich)
21st Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment
11th Separate Guards Mortar Division (Major Medvedev, Mikhail Semyonovich)
329th Engineer Battalion (Major Sychev, Alexander Ivanovich).

Losses

Germany

Five German divisions lost from 50 to 75% of their personnel and a large amount of weapons.

The loss of Kirovograd, as an important communications hub, significantly disrupted the stability of the defense of the 8th German Army. At the same time, the Soviet troops, having liberated Kirovograd and secured the areas to the northwest, west and south of the city, provided themselves with favorable conditions for the Korsun-Shevchenko offensive operation.

A lot of work had to be done in the preparation of military equipment. In a short time, it was necessary to provide tanks with means of increasing patency, and put machine guns, mortars, and escort guns on skis. It was necessary to make sled trailers for tractors and tanks for transporting heavy loads, paint all tanks and vehicles white.
By the beginning of the operation, 2,700 people had arrived in the army to equip motorized rifle units and 300 tanks.
Now the 29th Tank Corps had 130 tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts in service, the 18th Tank Corps - 114, the 8th Mechanized - 107. The 1st Guards Motorcycle Regiment had 15 T-34 tanks. In total, by the beginning of the offensive, there were 366 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations in the army.

The 2nd Ukrainian Front was preparing to launch offensive operations with the task of defeating the enemy's Kirovograd grouping and liberating Kirovograd.
There were bloody, heavy battles. The enemy made a lot of efforts to create a stable defense east of Kirovograd. The main strip 4–6 km deep was equipped with field-type engineering structures. In the most important areas, 10-15 km from the main line of defense, a second line was created. Many settlements were adapted to all-round defense.
To cover Kirovograd, the fascist German command concentrated significant forces. To the east of the city in the first line of defense were units of the 2nd and 376th infantry, 10th motorized, 13th and 14th tank divisions and a number of separate units. In the rear, west and northwest of Kirovograd, the Nazi command kept 5 tank divisions ready.
The front delivered two strikes: one with the forces of the 5th Guards Army and the 7th Mechanized Corps from the area west of Znamenka, bypassing Kirovograd from the northwest, the other with the forces of the 7th Guards and 5th Guards Tank Armies from the Mitrofanovka, Vershino area -Kamenka bypassing Kirovograd from the southwest.
Both shock groups they were supposed to unite in the Gruzkoe area, surround and destroy the enemy’s Kirovograd grouping, and further develop a strike in the direction of Novoukrainka, Pomoshnaya.
The 5th Guards Tank Army, constituting a mobile front group, was given the task of entering the gap in the offensive zone of the 7th Guards Army, to force the river on the move. Ingul and by the end of the first day of the offensive, reach the Bezvodnaya, Fedorovka, Yuryevka line. In the future, covering Kirovograd from the south and southwest, in cooperation with the 7th mechanized corps, which constituted the mobile group of the 5th guards army, encircle the city, cut the roads going southwest and west of Kirovograd, and destroy suitable enemy reserves.
By decision of the army commander, the main forces of the army were concentrated on the left flank. Here, in the first echelon, the 18th Panzer Corps was to advance, followed by the 8th Mechanized Corps in the second echelon. To the right, in the direction of Pokrovskoye, the 29th Panzer Corps was to advance.
General Rotmistrov conducted a reconnaissance of the area of forthcoming military operations with the commanders of corps and army units. On the ground, the combat missions of formations, issues of interaction between tanks and infantry, artillery and aviation were clarified.
The army had to enter the battle in a somewhat weakened composition, and here's why. The rifle divisions of the 7th Guards Army did not have the required number of tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts to directly support the infantry. Therefore, the 5th Guards Tank Army had to allocate 2 tank brigades for this purpose - the 32nd under the command of Lieutenant Colonel V.A. Bzyrin and the 181st under the command of Lieutenant Colonel A.M. 25th Guards Rifle Corps.
Before the offensive, the headquarters of rifle, tank formations and artillery units exchanged negotiation and radio signal tables, prepared general schemes lights, outlined common landmarks and the order of target designation. Officers of the operational department of the headquarters of the 7th Guards Army, as well as officers of artillery groups, were sent to the tank corps. In the battle formations of the tank companies were spotter officers.
Early morning January 3 troops began to advance to the area of their starting positions. The 29th Panzer Corps was the first to act. By 11 o'clock. he concentrated in the Mitrofanovka area. With the onset of darkness, the 18th Panzer Corps began to advance. The corps was commanded by Major General of the Tank Forces Vasily Iudovich Polozkov.
The advance of the 29th Panzer Corps, apparently, was noticed by the enemy, since on January 4 heavy artillery and mortar fire was opened on the assembly area. Enemy planes began to appear, and in the afternoon more than 30 German bombers bombed the southern outskirts of Mitrofanovka.

A cold dawn came 5 January. A damp, thick fog hung over the ground in a thick veil. From the observation post of the army commander, the near trenches and communication passages, the contours of tanks painted white were barely visible.
The fog both pleased and upset the commanders. Pleased because the enemy could not conduct aimed fire from long distances. It upset and aroused concern that our aviation in these conditions would not be able to fulfill its tasks. In addition, it will be very difficult for tankers to navigate the terrain and maintain a given direction.
IN 8 o'clock 10 min., when the morning was just beginning to conquer the predawn twilight, tons of deadly metal fell upon the fascist positions. Artillery preparation began, in which the firepower of the 5th Guards Tank Army also took part.
For 50 minutes a flurry of fire raged over the enemy's defenses, and then the troops went on the attack. The rifle divisions of the 7th Guards Army advanced in close cooperation with the infantry's direct support tanks. They were supported by battalion and regimental artillery guns.
Nothing could be seen from the commander's observation post because of the fog; all that was left was to listen and wait for a report. A particularly thick rumble of battle came from the area of the settlement of Plavni, where the 32nd Tank Brigade was advancing with the 33rd Corps.
Even on the eve of the battle, analyzing the situation, the Military Council of the Army came to the conclusion that it might be necessary to take part in an additional breakthrough of the enemy’s defense. Therefore, the first echelon corps were ordered to lead their main forces directly behind the 181st and 32nd brigades. The assumptions of the command turned out to be justified, the measures taken corresponded to the situation.
During 2 hours of battle, the 32nd tank brigade, together with the formations of the 33rd corps, advanced only 1.5-2 km and stopped.
The 181st Tank Brigade, leading the soldiers of the 25th Guards Corps, captured the northern outskirts of Plavnya. The 1st tank battalion, commanded by Captain E. V. Shkurdalov, pulled ahead and shot firing points at close range. A group of tanks broke into the firing positions of anti-tank artillery and crushed the enemy's guns with their tracks. The 2nd tank battalion, commanded by Captain I. I. Popelnukh, also moved decisively forward.
Nevertheless, the first reports were far from comforting. They said that the Nazis were putting up strong fire resistance. They turned out to have many tanks, 88-mm guns, mortars and other fire weapons that were not suppressed during artillery preparation. Minefields were discovered between Chervony Yar and Novoandreevka. The enemy continuously counterattacks from several directions in groups of 6-15 tanks with infantry.
It was obvious that the rate of advance of the infantry formations of the first echelon was declining. In this regard, General Rotmistrov, with the permission of the front commander in 12 o'clock brought the main forces of the army into battle in order to complete the breakthrough of the enemy's defenses.
Having passed the combat formations of rifle units, formations of the 18th and 29th tank corps attacked the enemy. The 170th tank brigade of Colonel N.P. Chunikhin started a heavy battle in the center of the settlement of Plavni. The enemy resisted fiercely. But the tankers, destroying his firepower and manpower with fire and caterpillars, persistently moved forward.
IN 15 o'clock following the 18th tank corps, the 8th mechanized corps began to advance from the Vershino-Kamenka region with the task of developing an offensive in the direction of Novoandreevka, Klintsy, bypassing Kirovograd from the south.
All day there were stubborn battles. Using the fog, the tanks came close to the firing positions of enemy artillery. Visibility was so weak that the fight against enemy anti-tank guns was often carried out at a distance of 50-100 m.
to the end 5 January the main forces of the tank corps reached the line northwest and west of Plavni. In the area of heights between Chervony Yar and Plavny there was a strong anti-tank defense center. Here the enemy concentrated up to 7 divisions of anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery. 88-mm guns were put on direct fire, the entire area was covered by minefields.
The thick fog helped. Tankers of the 29th and 18th corps in this battle destroyed more than 40 guns with crews and 15 tanks.
The army commander believed that the enemy's tactical defense zone had been broken through, but the corps commanders reported that the enemy was putting up serious resistance and had large forces ahead. This was reported to the headquarters of the front.
In the evening 5 January the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, General I.S. Konev, called the headquarters of the 5th Guards Tank Army. General Rotmistrov was in the army, the chief of staff approached the apparatus. The front commander informed General Baskakov that a decision had been made to transfer the 8th mechanized corps to the operational subordination of the commander of the 5th guards army. The corps was ordered to immediately withdraw from the battle and to 8 o'clock January 6 concentrate in the Kazarnaya area.
IN 23 hours The 18th and 29th tank corps started fighting again. The night was filled with the roar of engines and the roar of shots.
At a time when the 18th and 29th tank corps were engaged in a night battle, the units of the 8th mechanized corps were marching along the route Vershino-Kamenka, Mitrofanovka, Moshorino, Kazarnaya. During the night they had to walk 75 km. Some motorized rifle units marched on foot - there were not enough vehicles. Almost all the bridges along the route were destroyed, there were no materials for their restoration. It took a lot of time to find detours. In addition, enemy air raids began at dawn.
Still on the march in the morning January 6 the order of the commander of the 5th Guards Army was delivered to the headquarters of the 8th mechanized corps. The corps was instructed to build on the success of the army with access to Kazarnaya and, by the end of January 6, reach the Gruzkoye region.
The corps arrived in Kazarnaya only in the afternoon of January 6, having 66 tanks and 27 self-propelled artillery mounts in service. Only in 19 o'clock, with a delay of 11 hours, he started the task.
Gruzkoye was only 30 km away. But crossing the river Ingul was destroyed. Restored almost all night, until 4 o'clock. The corps crossed and continued to move. However, enemy aircraft appeared at dawn. In groups of 60-70 aircraft, she bombed brigades throughout the day. The corps suffered losses in manpower and equipment, several radio stations were broken, management was upset.
When it began to get dark, the corps went on the offensive, scattering the barriers of the enemy's 376th infantry and 14th tank divisions. IN 10 p.m. January 7 Gruzkoye village was liberated.

The night battle of the 29th and 18th tank corps developed successfully. Having defeated the remnants of the German anti-tank unit in Plavny, they advanced 10 km and by the morning of January 6 reached the line of Pokrovskoye, Rybchina.
When approaching Pokrovskoye, the 31st Tank Brigade, advancing on the right flank of the 29th Corps, met strong resistance. Then the brigade commander sent the tank battalion of Major N.I. Samoilov around the enemy positions. Under cover of fog, the battalion imperceptibly approached the northern outskirts of the village and attacked the enemy on the move.
Developing the offensive by noon The 31st tank brigade started a battle on the eastern outskirts of Klintsy. Soon the rest of the formations of the 29th Panzer Corps were to come here.
To the south, the 18th Panzer Corps was advancing. His 170th tank brigade, having knocked down the enemy's barriers, captured vil. Olgovka, and the 110th brigade liberated Kozyrevka and, by 13 o'clock. crossed the river, began to move rapidly to the northwest.
As the commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army expected, the enemy transferred most of his tank reserves to the area north of Kirovograd, seeing the main threat to the city from this side. South of Kirovograd, in front of the 7th Guards and 5th Guards Tank Armies, the enemy did not have sufficient forces to stop their advance.
Nevertheless, the Nazis took feverish measures to delay the advance of our troops. They mined roads and the most convenient approaches to Kirovograd. Anti-tank, anti-aircraft and howitzer artillery was advanced to the eastern and southern outskirts of the city, and air strikes intensified.
But nothing could stop the offensive of the Soviet troops.
On the afternoon of 6 January The 29th Panzer Corps reached the near approaches to Kirovograd from the southeast and south.
In the evening and all night, the tankers fought a fierce battle on the outskirts of the city. At dawn on January 7 tank brigades of the 29th corps, with the support of the 1543rd self-propelled artillery and 678th howitzer artillery regiments, having crossed the river. Sugokley, broke into the city.
Kirovograd was on fire. The Nazi invaders thoroughly plundered the city, all valuable industrial equipment was taken to Germany. Retreating, they blew up and set fire to the surviving enterprises, clubs, hospitals, libraries. The battle was for every quarter, for every house. The advancement of tanks through the streets of the city was provided by sappers. Streets, intersections, squares were mined. The sappers, where in dashes, and where they were crawling ahead of the tanks, stopped only to neutralize another mine.
The fight went on all night.
Trying to restore the situation and push our troops back from Kirovograd, the Nazis January 7 dealt a strong blow to the left flank of the army in the direction of Rybchin, Pokrovskoye. To help the rifle units of the 7th Guards Army located in this direction, General Rotmistrov advanced the 689th anti-tank artillery regiment.
The regiment commander, Colonel I.S. Guzhva, successfully built a battle formation, intercepted the main direction, and the enemy suffered heavy losses after the very first volleys. But the Nazis did not stop counterattacks.
The situation was further complicated by the fact that thick fog gave the enemy the opportunity to covertly maneuver.

Events developed with increasing speed. While the 29th Tank Corps, together with the rifle formations of the 7th Guards Army, cleared Kirovograd of enemy troops, the 18th Tank Corps, covering the Kirovograd grouping from the south-west, on January 7 cut the Kirovograd-Rovnoye road. The 7th Mechanized Corps of the 5th Guards Army, maneuvering around Kirovograd from the north, went to its northwestern outskirts. One more effort - and the enemy troops will be surrounded.
Trying to delay the advance of our units, the Nazis put up fierce resistance. The 18th Panzer Corps fought off counterattacks by enemy infantry, supported by small groups of tanks. To conduct an offensive in these conditions, the fighters and commanders needed a constant display of initiative, determination, and excellent command of their weapons.
In order to prevent the enemy troops from escaping from the closing encirclement, but by order of the commander of the 18th tank corps, the 1000th anti-tank artillery regiment, commanded by Major N. F. Kotov, saddled the road leading from Kirovograd to Rovnoye, firmly closed the paths retreat to the southwest. All attempts by the Nazis to break out of the city along this road were repulsed.
The pilots of the 1st bomber and 1st assault aviation corps of the 5th air army largely contributed to the successful operations of the 5th Guards Tank Army. The army headquarters maintained stable and uninterrupted communication with aviation, aviation units promptly fulfilled all requests and delivered massive strikes against enemy groupings, especially in the Pokrovskoye area and in Kirovograd.
Soon our troops, advancing north and northwest of Kirovograd, cut the road Kirovograd - Bol. Viska and connected on the southwestern outskirts of Kirovograd with formations of the 5th Guards Tank Army. Thus, the complete encirclement of the Kirovograd grouping of the enemy was completed.
All day January 7 in Kirovograd there were street fights. Enemy aircraft continuously bombed the city, fires blazed.
Kirovograd for the Nazis was of great military and economic importance. Military equipment was repaired here. The looted grain was brought to Kirovograd from all over the Right-Bank Ukraine. Retreating, the Nazis destroyed the Krasny Profintern plant, blew up a brick factory, a bakery, an oil plant and a power plant. They deformed the buildings with explosions Pedagogical Institute, the Palace of Pioneers, technical schools and many secondary schools.
The soldiers of the 29th Panzer Corps managed to prevent the final destruction by the Nazi subversive teams of the Krasnaya Zvezda plant, which was used by the invaders as a repair base. More than 100 tanks and about 1000 tons of scrap metal were seized at the plant.
By 10 o'clock. January 8 troops of the 5th Guards Tank Army, in cooperation with formations of the 5th and 7th Guards Armies, completed the liberation of Kirovograd.

From January 8 fierce battles unfolded north of Kirovograd, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe settlement of Lelekovka. Here, as a result of the maneuver of the troops of the 5th Guards and 5th Guards Tank Armies, units and subunits of the 11th and 14th Tank, 1st and 10th Motorized and 2nd Airborne Divisions of the enemy were surrounded.
The fascist German command did not want to put up with either the loss of Kirovograd or the encirclement. Having pulled aviation and tank units to the Kirovograd direction, the Nazis tried to release the encircled troops.
To frustrate these attempts and create an external encirclement front, the commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army ordered the 18th and 29th Tank Corps to develop an offensive in a southwestern direction. By the end of January 8 The 18th Panzer Corps occupied a number of settlements to the west and southwest of Novo-Pavlovka, and the 29th Panzer Corps advanced 15 km and captured the settlement of Vishnyakovka.
The 8th mechanized corps played a major role in disrupting the enemy's attempts to release the encircled units in the Lelekovka area. On January 7, the corps again became part of the 5th Guards Tank Army, and General A.M. Khasin was tasked with striking deep behind enemy lines in the direction of Maryanovka, Maryevka, Novomirgorod to assist the formations of the combined arms armies in the development of the offensive in the western direction. This maneuver, in addition, was intended to divert the attention of the enemy from Lelekovka and thereby create conditions for the fastest destruction of the encircled troops.
On the evening of January 8 formations of the corps, inflicting a swift blow, broke through the front line and went behind enemy lines. The headquarters of the corps did not have time to pass through the neck of the breakthrough. Coming to their senses, the Nazis closed the gap. The entire burden of managing the brigades fell on the deputy corps commander, Colonel M. N. Krichman.
The raid started successfully. The personnel showed high standards of discipline and organization. After passing more than 30 km at night, the 67th and 68th mechanized brigades, commanded by Colonel K. E. Anderson and Lieutenant Colonel M. V. Lazarev, with the support of tanks of the 116th Tank Brigade of Lieutenant Colonel E. A. Yurevich in the middle of the night on January 9 reached the approaches to the large settlement of Mal. Whiska. According to intelligence data, it was known that the headquarters and rear of the 47th Army Corps were located here.
Colonel M. N. Krichman decided to capture locality on the move, with a sudden blow. The swift night attack was successful, the Nazis failed to provide organized resistance. By 4 o'clock. January 9 Mal. The temple was released.
Reid played his part. The fascist German command, concerned about the Soviet troops going to the rear, was forced to withdraw units from other directions and send them against the 8th mechanized corps.
The situation became more difficult. Therefore, it was decided to withdraw the 8th mechanized corps behind the front line.
Having successfully completed their task, the brigades of the 8th mechanized corps withdrew behind the front line and took up defense south of Gruzkoye.
During the raid behind enemy lines, the unit destroyed up to 500 vehicles, 10 various warehouses with military property, food and equipment, 20 tanks, 25 armored personnel carriers, 10 guns, 300 motorcycles, up to 1000 bicycles and about 1000 Nazi soldiers and officers. On the railway Art. Mal. Temple was derailed by 3 echelons with transport and property.
The strike of the 8th mechanized corps in the deep rear of the enemy contributed to the troops of the left wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the successful completion of the Kirovograd offensive operation.

For several more days, fighting continued on the outer front of the encirclement. The enemy, obviously not wanting to come to terms with the loss of Kirovograd, continued to attack, hoping to break through to the city. One of these counterattacks the Nazis undertook on the morning of January 10 from the Vishnyakovka region. They threw over 30 tanks against our units, including 15 Tigers. The counterattack was supported by massive bomber strikes and artillery fire. The battle was fierce.
Despite the fact that the formations of the army during the fierce battles suffered significant losses - by this time there were only 30 tanks in the tank corps - they not only defended themselves, but also struck at the enemy. On the evening of January 10 Karlovka was liberated. But on the morning of January 11, the Nazis brought up fresh forces. 5 "tigers", more than 20 armored personnel carriers with machine gunners and 4 guns acted against several of our tanks. But skill, courage and resourcefulness allowed the tankers to emerge victorious from the battle with the enemy.
The active operations of the 5th Guards Tank Army deprived the enemy of the opportunity to break through to the encircled troops from the southwest. Meanwhile by January 10 Front troops completed the destruction of the Lelekov group. But the fascist German command could not calm down. By January 12, pulling up reserves, including parts of the SS divisions "Dead Head", "Grossdeutschland" and other formations, it threw them into a counterattack. The battles went on with varying success, but their tension weakened. January 18 there was a relative calm at the front. The offensive of the troops of the front was suspended.
January 19 troops of the 5th Guards Tank Army were withdrawn from the battle and after 2 days concentrated 40 km north of Kirovograd. The 20th Panzer Corps entered the same area, which from January 18 came under the operational subordination of the army commander.
The 5th Guards Tank Army played a decisive role in the liberation of Kirovograd, and then in holding the outer front of the encirclement of enemy troops.
During the operation, its troops fought more than 100 km and inflicted significant losses on the enemy. 76 tanks, 161 guns of various calibers, 72 mortars, more than 100 vehicles, 6 railway echelons, 140 aircraft and about 3,000 enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed. It was possible to capture a lot of weapons, military equipment and military equipment, including 51 guns, 8 serviceable tanks, more than 100 vehicles and 25 various warehouses.
Soldiers, sergeants, and officers gained rich experience in conducting combat operations at night, including in large cities, and headquarters received the practice of planning, organizing, and commanding troops when encircling and destroying large enemy groupings. The success of military operations was largely ensured by a clear organization of interaction with infantry, artillery and aviation. Throughout the operation, tank and mechanized formations were usually reliably covered from the air.
The commanders, headquarters, political agencies and all personnel, despite a number of unfavorable circumstances (limited time for preparing the operation, adverse weather conditions, personnel fatigue from continuous battles, a significant understaffing of brigades and corps with military equipment and personnel), successfully coped with the set tasks throughout the operation.
At the same time, the operation showed that the commanders and headquarters of formations still did not pay enough attention to reconnaissance of the enemy's anti-tank defense, his fire system, terrain, as well as artillery support for the offensive in operational depth.

Map of the Kirovograd operation. Click to enlarge

On January 5, 1944, the operation of the 2nd Ukrainian Front began with the aim of defeating the enemy's Kirovograd grouping and reaching the Southern Bug.

After the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command Konev during the Battle of the Dnieper, he expanded the bridgehead captured on the right bank of the Dnieper in the area from Kremenchug to Dnepropetrovsk. Having thrown the enemy back 30-100 km from the river and liberated Cherkassy, Znamenka and Alexandria, by December 20, the troops reached the approaches to Kirovograd and Krivoy Rog.

On December 29, 1943, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command set the next tasks for the offensive for the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, no later than January 5, 1944, to resume the offensive, delivering the main blow to Kirovograd with the forces of at least four armies, of which one tank army. The immediate task of the front was to break the enemy's Kirovograd grouping and occupy Kirovograd, enveloping it from the north and south.

By the beginning of January 1944, the 2nd Ukrainian Front included the 4th, 5th and 7th guards, 37th, 52nd, 53rd and 57th armies, the 5th guards tank, 5th air armies, 5th guards cavalry, 20th tank, 1st, 7th and 8th mechanized corps. In total, the front had 59 rifle, 3 cavalry divisions, 3 tank and 4 mechanized corps. Before the Kirovograd operation, the 7th Mechanized Corps was transferred to the command of the commander of the 5th Guards Army, and the 8th Mechanized Corps was included in the 5th Guards Tank Army. By January 1, the front consisted of 550 thousand people, 265 tanks, 127 self-propelled artillery mounts, 7136 guns and mortars, 777 anti-aircraft guns, 500 combat aircraft.
By the beginning of the offensive in the zone of the 2nd Ukrainian Front on the 260-kilometer stretch from Kanev to Bashtina, the 8th German army of infantry general Otto Wehler defended, which by January 5 had 22 divisions (of which five were tank and two motorized), a motorized brigade, a separate tank battalion, 4 divisions of assault guns, division of heavy assault guns Ferdinand - more than 420 thousand people, 520 tanks and assault guns, 5100 guns and mortars, about 500 combat aircraft.
The enemy's main line of defense consisted of a system of strongholds with a developed system of trenches. The second lane ran 6-8 km from the front line. The enemy made extensive use of barbed wire - Bruno's spiral, "slingshots", "hedgehogs", as well as minefields, especially to cover approaches to the front line and gaps between strong points. Kirovograd was heavily fortified: stone buildings were adapted for defense, the approaches to the city were covered by a system of minefields, and important structures inside the city were also mined.

On the night of January 5, due to low cloud cover and fog, aircraft could not take off. But the weather was not expected to improve, and artillery preparation began at the appointed time. Despite poor visibility, the artillery accurately fired at previously reconnoitred targets and managed to suppress most of the enemy firing points on the front line and in the nearest depth.
At 9 o'clock on January 5, the attack began. The 53rd and 5th Guards Armies, advancing from the area southwest of Znamenka, achieved the greatest success.

By the end of the day they had advanced from 4 to 24 km. Even in the first half of the day, the enemy launched several counterattacks on the flanks of the breakthrough of these armies, but our troops successfully repelled them. To build up the force of impact and develop success, the front commander regrouped the 8th mechanized corps from the 5th guards tank army to this direction.

The offensive of the 7th Guards Army, which struck southeast of Kirovograd, developed somewhat more slowly. She had to wage a tense struggle with a strong grouping of Nazi troops consisting of three infantry and two tank divisions, concentrated north of Novgorodka. During the first day, the army troops advanced 4–5 km. To complete the breakthrough of the enemy defenses, the front command brought the 5th Guards Tank Army (18th and 29th Tank Corps) into battle here.

Padded german tank on Karl Marx street in Kirovograd.
In the following days, the offensive of the Soviet troops, despite the fierce counterattacks of the enemy, developed successfully. Already on the night of January 7, the 29th Tank Corps under the command of Major General of the Tank Forces I.F. Kirichenko reached the southern outskirts of Kirovograd; Following the tankers, units of the 297th Rifle Division of Colonel A.I. Kovtun-Stankevich and the 50th Rifle Division of Major General N.F. Lebedenko broke into the city.
By 9 o'clock on January 7, the 7th and 8th mechanized corps (corps commanders, major generals of tank troops F. G. Katkov and A. M. Khasin), advancing north of Kirovograd, bypassed the city from the north-west and in the area of the Lelekovka junction cut the highway and railway Kirovograd - Novo-Ukrainka. At the same time, units of the 18th Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Tank Army (corps commander, Major General of the Tank Forces V. I. Polozkov), advancing south of Kirovograd, cut the Kirovograd-Rovnoe road.
Thus, the enemy grouping operating in the Kirovograd region lost its main escape routes to the west. The enemy offered fierce resistance. He sought to keep Kirovograd and secure a retreat to the west. Heavy fighting continued throughout the day of January 7 and into the night of January 8, during which the Nazis repeatedly went over to counterattacks with large forces of infantry and tanks.

Liberation of Kirovograd

By the morning of January 8, the enemy's resistance was broken. Troops of the 5th and 7th Guards Combined Arms and 5th Guards Tank Armies completely liberated Kirovograd. In honor of this event, a salute of 224 guns was given in Moscow.
After the liberation of Kirovograd, the 2nd Ukrainian Front, overcoming the increasing resistance of the enemy, continued the offensive for some time. At the same time, the troops of the main grouping of the front advanced to the west and south-west by another 15-20 km. In the auxiliary direction, the 4th Guards and 52nd Armies, which had overcome up to 40 km by January 10, were stopped by strong enemy counterattacks, which deployed additional forces against them (up to three tank divisions).

Sappers and dog handlers are looking for mines left by the Germans.

By mid-January, the Soviet troops, who had been advancing continuously for two and a half months, were badly exhausted in battles and needed to rest. Given this circumstance, on January 16, the front commander gave the order to go over to the defensive. Thus, it has been completed. The troops of the front covered 40-50 km and entrenched themselves on the line east of Smela - west of Kirovograd - north of Novgorodka.

Residents of Kirovograd meet the soldiers-liberators.

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They went long and hard way from the first failures and defeats of 1942 to the triumph of 1945. They distinguished themselves in all the major battles of the second half of the war - on the Kursk Bulge and in the battle for the Dnieper, in the Belorussian, Yasso-Kishinev, Vistula-Oder, Berlin and other strategic offensive operations. Possessing crushing power and phenomenal mobility, the guards tank armies became the elite of the Red Army and the main striking force of the "Russian-style blitzkriegs" that broke the back of the previously invincible Wehrmacht.

Kirovograd offensive operation

By the beginning of January 1944, the 2nd Ukrainian Front included the 52nd, 4th Guards, 53rd, 5th Guards, 7th Guards, 57th, 37th (January 14, 1944 transferred to the 3rd Ukrainian Front), 5th Guards Tank, 5th Air Army. The front consisted of 500 thousand people, about 500 tanks and self-propelled guns, about 7 thousand guns and mortars, more than 500 aircraft. The 8th Army of the South Army Group, which opposed it, had more than 420 thousand people, 520 tanks and assault guns, over 5 thousand guns and mortars, and about 500 aircraft. The enemy had an equal number of aircraft, a slight advantage in tanks and self-propelled guns, but was inferior to the troops of the front by 1.2 times in terms of personnel and 1.4 times in terms of guns.

On December 29, 1943, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command sent directive No. 30272 to the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, which stated:

“In connection with the successful offensive of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, in amending Directive No. 30262 of December 9, 1943, orders:

1. The 2nd Ukrainian Front, firmly holding the occupied line on its left wing, no later than January 5, 1944, resume the offensive, inflicting the main blow on Kirovograd with the forces of at least four armies, of which one is tank.

2. The immediate task is to break the enemy's Kirovograd grouping and occupy Kirovograd, covering it from the north and south. In the future, take control of the Novo-Ukrainka, Pomoshnaya area and advance on Pervomaisk in order to reach the river. Southern Bug, where to gain a foothold.

3. At the same time deliver an auxiliary strike with the forces of two armies in the general direction of Shpola, art. Khristinovka" .

This directive formed the basis for planning the Kirovograd offensive operation. Its plan was to use the forces of the 53rd, 5th Guards Armies, 5th Guards and 7th Mechanized Corps to bypass Kirovograd from the north-west, and the 5th Guards Tank and 7th Guards Armies - from the south -west, encircle and destroy the Kirovograd grouping of the enemy. An auxiliary strike on the right wing was carried out by the 52nd and 4th Guards armies.

The entry of the mobile group of the front (5th Guards Tank Army) was planned in the zone of the 7th Guards Army. She did not have NPP tanks, and the density of artillery did not exceed 120 guns and mortars per 1 km of the breakthrough area. Therefore, the front commander, General of the Army I.S. Konev ordered the 32nd and 181st tank brigades to be detached from the 5th Guards Tank Army for direct support of the infantry.

The front commander decided to bring the 5th Guards Tank Army into battle immediately after the combined arms formations had broken through the first enemy defense position, for which they were given two hours, and, together with the infantry, to complete the breakthrough of the tactical defense zone. It was supposed, in cooperation with the 7th Guards Army, to advance in the direction of Pokrovskoye, to force the river. Ingul in the Klintsy area, covering Kirovograd from the south and southwest, in cooperation with the mobile group of the 5th Guards Army (7th Mechanized Corps), surround the enemy in the city and defeat suitable enemy reserves.

By decision of General Rotmistrov, approved by the front commander, the main forces of the 5th Guards Tank Army were concentrated on the left flank. The 18th and 29th tank corps were to advance in the first echelon, followed by the 8th mechanized corps transferred to the army under the command of General A.M. Hasina.

Opponent giving great importance holding Kirovograd, concentrated large forces here: three infantry, one motorized, airfield and three tank divisions. In addition, he had two divisions in reserve: tank and infantry. To the east of Kirovograd, a heavily fortified defense was created in advance.

The offensive of the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front began on the morning of January 5, 1944 in dense fog, which did not allow the use of aviation. The enemy offered stubborn resistance, as a result of which the rifle formations of the 7th Guards Army managed to advance only about two kilometers in two hours of battle. Therefore, with the permission of General of the Army Konev, the commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army at noon brought the 18th and 29th tank corps into battle. At this time, formations of the 5th Guards Army quickly broke into the enemy defenses. To build up efforts in battle, by decision of the commander of the army, General A.S. Zhadov, the 7th mechanized corps of General F.G. was introduced. Katkov, who quickly went to the river. Ingul, creating a threat to bypass Kirovograd from the northwest. However, in the future, the pace of the offensive began to fall. Army General Konev, seeking to build on the success of the 5th Guards Army, ordered the 8th Mechanized Corps to be placed under the control of General Zhadov. The commander of the 5th Guards Army was given the task from the morning of January 6 "to develop an energetic offensive by the 7th and 8th mechanized corps around Kirovograd from the north-west in the general direction to Gruzkoye, the Lelekovka junction in order to cut the paths leading from Kirovograd to west and northwest, and in cooperation with the troops of the 5th Guards Tank Army, capture Kirovograd.

At eleven o'clock in the evening on January 5, units of the 18th and 29th tank corps resumed their offensive. Having defeated the remnants of the enemy anti-tank unit in Plavny, they advanced 10 km and by the morning of January 6 they reached the Pokrovskoye-Rybchino line. Developing the offensive, the 31st tank brigade of Colonel A.M. Popova by noon started a fight on the eastern outskirts of Klintsy. Soon the rest of the formations of the 29th Panzer Corps also approached here. To the south, the 18th Panzer Corps was advancing, which, by one o'clock in the afternoon, having crossed the river. Ingul, began to move rapidly to the north-west. On the move, having overcome the second defensive line of the enemy, created along the river. Adjamka, units of the 29th Panzer Corps on the night of January 7 broke through to the southeastern outskirts of Kirovograd. The 18th Panzer Corps captured Fedorovka and, having covered its southern flank, by morning reached Novo-Pavlovka with its main forces, cutting off the Kirovograd-Rovnoe highway. At this time, the advanced units of the 7th and 8th mechanized corps, developing an offensive on Gruzkoye, intercepted the Kirovograd-Novo-Ukrainka railway and highway in the area of the Lelekovka junction, completing the operational encirclement of the enemy in Kirovograd. On January 8, the city was liberated. The success achieved by the troops of the 5th Guards Tank Army cost 139 lost tanks and self-propelled guns, or about 60% of the combat strength