|
January 1942 |
|
|
|
5 January
|
Stalin orders a new offensive to begin on January
7th. |
|
9 January |
Soviet forces re-enter Smolensk province.
|
|
18 January
|
Red Army launches new offensive
south of Kharkov.
|
|
24 January
|
Barenkovo is recaptured by Soviet
forces.
|
|
31 January |
German counter-offensive causes a
60 mile deep salient into Soviet territory before reaching its limit.
|
|
February 1942 |
|
|
8 February
|
Soviet forces isolate 90,000 Germans within the Demyansk
pocket.
|
|
15 February
|
Soviet paratroopers drop into
Demyansk pocket but are completely destroyed.
|
|
27 February |
Red Army Crimean continues
offensive in Kerch peninsula and at Sevastopol. |
|
March 1942 |
|
|
5 March
|
Germans manage to stabilize line
in Crimea.
|
|
13 March
|
Red Army loses 130 tanks in three
days in Kerch.
|
|
20 March
|
German forces under Gen. Manstein commit 22nd Panzer
division to an abortive counter-attack.
|
|
26 March
|
Soviets mount another attack in
the Crimea.
|
|
April 1942 |
|
|
|
5 April
|
Hitler signs Directive 41
ordering German forces to concentrate efforts on taking Russia's
oil. Leningrad and Moscow become secondary targets.
|
|
9 April
|
Final counter-attack by Soviet
Crimean front.
|
|
May 1942 |
|
|
8 May
|
With heavy Luftwaffe support,
Gen. Manstein's forces strike a three mile salient into the Soviet
positions at Kerch.
|
|
12 May
|
German forces shatter Red Army
forces in the Crimea.
Soviet South-West front launches offensive to encircle Kharkov.
|
|
15 May
|
German army takes town of Kerch.
|
|
19 May
|
Soviet offensive in Kharkov
region stopped by Germans. |
|
20 May |
Germans retake Kerch peninsula
from Soviet forces.
|
|
28 May
|
Large number of Soviet forces
near Kharkov are destroyed. Soviet losses are: 214,000 men, 1,200
tanks, and 2,000 artillery pieces are captured by Germans.
|
|
June 1942 |
|
|
1 June
|
Hitler flies to Poltava in a
visit to Army Group South.
|
|
7 June |
With the support of heavy
artillery and Luftwaffe bombers, Germans launch attack on Sevastopol.
|
|
10-15 June
|
Operation Wilhelm
Soviet 28th army is attacked by German 6th Army in Volchansk region.
|
|
18 June
|
Wehrmacht breaks through on the
north and east of the Sevastopol front.
|
|
22-26 June
|
Operation Fredrick II
Elements of German 6th army and 1st Panzer army strike from south east
of Kharkov.
|
|
28 June
|
German forces launch summer
offensive on a front from Kursk to Sea of Azov. German 11th army
closes on Sevastopol and crosses North Bay.
|
|
July 1942 |
|
|
|
2 July
|
End of Soviet evacuation of
Sevatopol.
|
|
4 July
|
Remnants of Soviet Coastal Army
surrenders on Khersonesskiy Peninsula. Soviet losses - 30,000 men
taken captive.
Sevastopol is taken by Germans. 90,000 men taken prisoner and 460
artillery pieces captured.
|
|
8 July
|
1st Panzer Army crosses Donets.
|
|
13 July
|
4th Panzer Army under Gen. Hoth
is transferred from Gen. Bock's command to Gen. List and is ordered to
strike Rostov.
|
|
18 July |
German Army Group B is ordered to
take Stalingrad. |
|
23 July
|
Rostov falls to Hoth's 4th Panzer
Army.
|
|
25 July
|
Germans attack over River Don
from three bridgeheads.
|
|
28 July
|
Nazis forces murder 10,000 Jews
in the Minsk Ghetto.
|
|
29 July
|
Army Group A and 4th Panzer Army
drive deep into Caucasus and come within 70 miles of Caspian Sea.
|
|
August 1942 |
|
|
5 August
|
Stavropol and Voroshilovsk fall
to Germans.
|
|
9 August
|
Maykop oilfields are captured by
the Wehrmacht.
|
|
18 August
|
Battle for the Caucasus begins.
|
|
20 August
|
German forces reach the
Volga. German mountain troops scale Mt. Elbrus.
|
|
23 August
|
XIV Panzer Corps crosses River
Don. Stalingrad bombed. |
|
24 August
|
Fighting reaches outskirts of
Stalingrad.
|
|
28 August
|
Group 'Ruoff' forces back Kotov's
47th Army and reaches the Black Sea at Anapa.
|
|
30 August
|
1st Panzer Army crosses River
Terek. |
|
31 August
|
24th Panzer Division severs rail
line south of Pitomnik.
|
|
September 1942 |
|
|
3 September
|
4th Panzer Army and German 6th
Army link up near Pitomnik.
|
|
7 September |
6th Army begins attacks on
Mamayev hill and the Stalingrad city center.
|
|
10 September
|
General Kempf's 48th Panzer
attacks from South West. |
|
11 September
|
General Chuikov takes over
command of the Soviet 62nd army from General Krylov.
|
|
14 September
|
Germans capture Tsarisyn.
Luftwaffe mines the Volga. 13th Guards rifle division is ferried
across the Volga under heavy fire.
|
|
15 September
|
Fighting rages in the Stalingrad
main railway station.
|
|
20 September
|
General Paulus requests more
troops as hopes for a quick German victory are abandoned.
|
|
26 September
|
Major German offensive begins at
Stalingrad.
|
|
28 September
|
Stalingrad front is renamed Don
front with General Rokossovsky in command.
|
|
October 1942 |
|
|
6 October
|
Hitler makes capture of
Stalingrad the top priority of Army Group B.
|
|
14th October |
Hitler orders that there is to be
no retreat from the line taken on October 1942.
|
|
15th October
|
German 6th Army forces reaches
the Volga and 62nd Soviet Army nears destruction.
|
|
17th October
|
Soviet 138th Rifle Division
crosses the Volga and begins counterattacks. Heavy casualties are
taken on both sides. |
|
29th October |
The Soviet South-West front is
created between Voronezh and Don fronts.
|
|
November 1942 |
|
|
17 November
|
General Zhukov is sent from
Stalingrad area to Kalinin and West Front to coordinate attacks against
Army Group Center.
|
|
19 November
|
Valtutin and Rokossovsky begin
attacks the Romanian 3rd Army under General Dumitrescu.
|
|
20 November
|
Operation Jupiter begins at 1000
hours with an artillery barrage, the encirclement of the German 6th
Army is begins. 48th Panzer Corps clashes with Soviet forces.
|
|
21 November
|
Soviet 5th Tank Army engages 24th
Panzer Division and suffers heavy casualties.
|
|
24 November |
Hermann Goring boasts that the
Luftwaffe can supply the German 6th Army from the air. |
|
26 November
|
Hitler orders the 6th army to hold
its ground and await resupply.
|
|
27 November |
General Manstein assume command
of Army Group Don and is ordered to prepare to open a corridor to
Paulus' besieged 6th Army.
|
|
December 1942 |
|
|
12 December
|
General Manstein begins Operation
Winter Storm - the attempt to rescue the 6th Army in Stalingrad.
|
|
14 December
|
Three day tank battle around
Verkhne-Kumskiy. |
|
16 December
|
Soviet attacks on the Voronezh
and South-West fronts begin against Axis troops along the Don.
|
|
19 December
|
Luftwaffe's air re-supply
delivers 290 tons of supplies to forces in Stalingrad - its peak
delivery day. Even this is far short of the 600 tons required by
the 6th Army.
General Kharitonov's 6th Army captures German supply depot at
Kantemirovka.
Manstein's 6th Panzer Division reaches Myshkova, 30 miles from
Stalingrad.
|
|
27 December
|
Soviet 7th Tank Corps assaults
Kotel'nikovo airfield.
|
|
18 December
|
Hitler orders the withdrawal of
Army Group Don and Army Group A to a line 150 miles west of Stalingrad. |
