7518
March 16th, 1943
Spring awakening
Ternopol - The Hungarian 7th Corps is ordered to take Proskurov and to clear the surrounding area of the remnants of the Soviet 13th Army. The Hungarian command pushes two infantry divisions towards the city and sends the third one eastwards to try to follow the German advance. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe carries out several raids against the encircled troops while the available artillery (Soviet cannons offered to the Hungarians the day before, plus some tubes left by the 7. Panzer) starts to shell the city.
.........
Rovno - The Hungarian 4th Army Corps receives - at last - the order to move. Hitler asks Admiral Horthy for his agreement to use these three divisions on the left flank of Manstein's counter-attack, in order to clear the German divisions facing the 26th SSoviet Army. The Hungarian leader accepts. He obtains the promise of assistance from the maintenance services of the Wehrmacht to repair about twenty T-34 tanks abandoned by the 1st Armored Guards Corps in front of Ternopol.
1st Ukrainian Front
The withdrawal of the 13th Army continues. Pressed by Zhukov, Pukhov places the bulk of his mobile forces and crams all the soldiers they can carry into the available vehicles.
In the rear guard, Katukov and Chanchibadze (Krivoshein, wounded on March 13th, was evacuated to Kiev) use their last armored vehicles to try to keep the German forces at bay. But the struggle is unequal: Rudolf Schmidt has a clear quantitative and qualitative superiority, while the Luftwaffe returns in force to overpower the Soviet planes. As for the temperature, it is not yet high enough to turn the ground into mud.
Consequently, the forty kilometers between Medzhibozh and Letichev become hell for the Soviet forces, assailed on all sides by the planes and tanks, losing men and material at each kilometer in a growing disorganization.
.........
The two other armies engaged by the northern pincer of Manstein know various fortunes. Well held by Muzychenko and especially weakly pressed by the only 6. Panzer, the 4th Guards Army withdraws in good order. On the other hand, the 58th Army continues to suffer severe blows under the assaults of Kempf's four armored divisions. More and more unable to control events, criticized by Zhukov for not holding his troops, Shcherbakov leaves more and more of the initiative to his subordinates. The 58th Army dissociates into several parts acting independently of each other, under Kempf's interested eyes. Kempf proposes to Manstein a plan of operation to finish off this Soviet formation, a plan that is immediately accepted and intended to be put into practice the next day.
2nd Ukrainian Front
In the middle of the afternoon, Pukhov receives good news. The vanguard of the 13th Army finally comes into contact with armor of the 5th Guards Army in Remezov, a few kilometers west of Letichev. As soon as he is informed, Zhukov orders Remezov and Rybalko to push their units to establish a collection line on the Volk River, intended to receive the 13th Army but also the 58th Army, supposed to go up to the northeast.
But Bagramyan is annoyed by the harassment undertaken by the divisions of the 17. Armee on his left flank: if Hollidt certainly does not have the means to launch serious attacks, he can (and does) carry out brief operations on Soviet communication routes and logistic convoys, forcing the 10th Army to dilute its forces to hold the ground.
Above all, the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front understands that his left wing would not be part of the game. Seriously slowed down by a fierce Romanian defense at Ocniţa and by the bombardment of the bridges over the Dniester, the 16th and 59th Armies withdraw. Nevertheless, aerial reconnaissance detects a possible crossing point at Neporotova [Neporotove], about twenty kilometers north of Ocniţa. From there, the Soviets would be only about fifty kilometers east of Kamenets-Podolski.
Spring awakening
Ternopol - The Hungarian 7th Corps is ordered to take Proskurov and to clear the surrounding area of the remnants of the Soviet 13th Army. The Hungarian command pushes two infantry divisions towards the city and sends the third one eastwards to try to follow the German advance. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe carries out several raids against the encircled troops while the available artillery (Soviet cannons offered to the Hungarians the day before, plus some tubes left by the 7. Panzer) starts to shell the city.
.........
Rovno - The Hungarian 4th Army Corps receives - at last - the order to move. Hitler asks Admiral Horthy for his agreement to use these three divisions on the left flank of Manstein's counter-attack, in order to clear the German divisions facing the 26th SSoviet Army. The Hungarian leader accepts. He obtains the promise of assistance from the maintenance services of the Wehrmacht to repair about twenty T-34 tanks abandoned by the 1st Armored Guards Corps in front of Ternopol.
1st Ukrainian Front
The withdrawal of the 13th Army continues. Pressed by Zhukov, Pukhov places the bulk of his mobile forces and crams all the soldiers they can carry into the available vehicles.
In the rear guard, Katukov and Chanchibadze (Krivoshein, wounded on March 13th, was evacuated to Kiev) use their last armored vehicles to try to keep the German forces at bay. But the struggle is unequal: Rudolf Schmidt has a clear quantitative and qualitative superiority, while the Luftwaffe returns in force to overpower the Soviet planes. As for the temperature, it is not yet high enough to turn the ground into mud.
Consequently, the forty kilometers between Medzhibozh and Letichev become hell for the Soviet forces, assailed on all sides by the planes and tanks, losing men and material at each kilometer in a growing disorganization.
.........
The two other armies engaged by the northern pincer of Manstein know various fortunes. Well held by Muzychenko and especially weakly pressed by the only 6. Panzer, the 4th Guards Army withdraws in good order. On the other hand, the 58th Army continues to suffer severe blows under the assaults of Kempf's four armored divisions. More and more unable to control events, criticized by Zhukov for not holding his troops, Shcherbakov leaves more and more of the initiative to his subordinates. The 58th Army dissociates into several parts acting independently of each other, under Kempf's interested eyes. Kempf proposes to Manstein a plan of operation to finish off this Soviet formation, a plan that is immediately accepted and intended to be put into practice the next day.
2nd Ukrainian Front
In the middle of the afternoon, Pukhov receives good news. The vanguard of the 13th Army finally comes into contact with armor of the 5th Guards Army in Remezov, a few kilometers west of Letichev. As soon as he is informed, Zhukov orders Remezov and Rybalko to push their units to establish a collection line on the Volk River, intended to receive the 13th Army but also the 58th Army, supposed to go up to the northeast.
But Bagramyan is annoyed by the harassment undertaken by the divisions of the 17. Armee on his left flank: if Hollidt certainly does not have the means to launch serious attacks, he can (and does) carry out brief operations on Soviet communication routes and logistic convoys, forcing the 10th Army to dilute its forces to hold the ground.
Above all, the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front understands that his left wing would not be part of the game. Seriously slowed down by a fierce Romanian defense at Ocniţa and by the bombardment of the bridges over the Dniester, the 16th and 59th Armies withdraw. Nevertheless, aerial reconnaissance detects a possible crossing point at Neporotova [Neporotove], about twenty kilometers north of Ocniţa. From there, the Soviets would be only about fifty kilometers east of Kamenets-Podolski.