The Soviet assaults of the summer of 1943 had almost split open Manstein’s Army Group "South”. Although a gap in the line 35 miles wide in the Akhtyrka region was closed by the 4th Panzerarmcc. it was all over at Khar’kov, and the city fell on August 22 under the combined blows of the 5th Tank Army (General Rotmistrov) and the 53rd Army (Major-General I. M. Managarov). On August 30 Khruschev, General Vatutin’s political aide, received the ovations of this the second city in the Ukraine. According to the Great Patriotic War, which followed him all the way, he cried in tones full of profound Bolshevik fervour: "Let us now get back to work! Let us remain firmly united! Everything for the front; all for victory! Let us further close our ranks under this banner which has brought us victory! Onwards to the West! Onwards for the Ukraine!”
At Army Group "South” H. Q. on that same August 22, General Wohler and the staff of a new 8th Army started to take over from Gruppe "Kempf” south of Khar’kov. Forty-eight hours later, reduced to 25 divisions, including three Panzer, fighting on a front of over 1,300 miles and with ever-shrinking strength, the 6th Army and the 1st Panzerarmcc reeled under the blows of Tolbukhin’s and Malinovsky’s 60 infantry divisions and 1,300 tanks. No fire-brigade operation by the Panzers could stop this now and new threats were growing on the left fiank of Army Group "South”. The German 2nd Army was violently attacked by Rokossovsky who had come back into the battle. By September 7 Manstein’s Panzer and Panzergrenadier forces had only 257 tanks and 220 assault guns left. There was thus nothing for it but to retreat, even if this meant the loss of the Donets basin and all its industrial wealth, which Hitler was loth to lose.
World History
