Tikhvin offensive - Knowledge

2204:. The garrison of Possad would spend the rest of the stay continuously harassed by aircraft, artillery and Soviet assaults, being especially critical on December 7, when it was assaulted from all points by armored forces. In the afternoon they managed to penetrate the defenses; but, after accessing the village, they were expelled in a desperate Spanish counterattack with bayonets. The deterioration that was occurring at that time in the German defenses located on the left flank of the 250th ended up making it futile to prolong the defense of Possad, receiving that same day the order to abandon the position. Taking advantage of the darkness, that same night Possad and Otensky were evacuated, retreating in an organized and undetected manner to Shevelevo. On December 9 they would abandon the last positions of the bridgehead. The operation had cost the 250th a 30% casualty rate in combat troops. 1966:, cutting off the last supply route to Leningrad. Another mission of the group would be the defense of the left flank of the increasingly stretched axis towards Tikhvin. The von Boeckmann Group would manage, after a slow advance, to reach within 14 km of Volkhov before being completely halted. Forced by Hitler to maintain the advance, von Leeb reinforced von Boeckmann with the 254th Infantry Division and Schmidt's increasingly weakened motorized corps, bogged down at Tikhvin, with the 61st Division. Reinforced, von Boeckmann maintained an attack from 28 October that succeeded in pushing the Soviet 4th Army eastward, separating it from the 54th, which was defending the axis to the Ladoga, and reaching the Volkhov suburbs on 8 November. Despite being reinforced later with a 54: 285: 274: 263: 252: 241: 1908:, ordered a new counterattack of the 4th Army, in which it would employ two shock groups of two divisions each, towards the increasingly closer mechanized forces of Schmidt. This counterattack was a failure, since the German counterattacks, added to their concentration of aviation and artillery, ended up disrupting them. Shortly thereafter, taking advantage of a frost that allowed the rivers to flow, the Germans set out to take over Tikhvin on November 6. The city was occupied in the middle of a snowstorm two days later. Schmidt's XXXIX Corps would from then on be bogged down in the city, going on the defensive in the face of mounting Soviet pressure. 187: 1941: 2213: 1775: 229: 218: 207: 173: 2137: 2023: 1691:, who opposed at first to undertake a new offensive towards the east with his forces depleted and in circumstances that in his opinion were unfavorable for the Germans. The offensive was to take place in a territory 60% covered by swamps and in a season in which it was foreseeable that there would be snow and muddy thaws. To all these disadvantages would have to be added the loss of Finnish support for the 2192:, general of the 250th, could only count on two battalions for the defense of the surrendered positions. It was decided that one battalion would defend the Otensky monastery, located in the middle of the forest, while another would defend the village of Possad, thus controlling the crossroads along the Vishera River. 2165:, a plan that was discarded when its presence was needed in the advance to Tikhvin. This relief meant that the Spanish division would now be in charge of ensuring the security of the southern end of the Volkhov bridgehead, covering the right flank of the 126th division, a unit engaged in the defense of the 1723:, west of Leningrad, and also an advance to the Ladoga, following the course of the Volkhov, to cut off supplies to Leningrad and destroy the Soviet 54th Army. This second plan was rejected by Hitler, who ordered instead to take Tikhvin, turning northwest, after this city was taken, in the direction of 1811:

was launched on October 16 and on October 19, further south, at Udarnik, by Blue Division troops. While the main assault served both to open the route to Tikhvin and to Malaya Vishera, the Udarnik assault served the function of attracting the maximum number of Soviet forces in order to clear the way

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at that time and the strong Soviet resistance encountered, forced the von Roques Group to give up the 18th Motorized to help the advance towards Tikhvin and the 126th Infantry Division to hold the defenses of Malaya Vishera. On November 6 von Roques received the order to cancel the expected assault

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When Klykov's 52nd Army counteroffensive was unleashed on November 12, the 250th's bridgehead was engaged in a series of battles against the Soviet Novgorod Operational Group. The Novgorod Operational Group had in the sector the 305th Rifle Division, the 3rd Tank Division, three infantry regiments

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It was at this time that the three shock groups of the 4th Army attacked Tikhvin, beginning a slow advance over the snow and in the face of a fierce German defense, which would reach the outskirts of the city on December 7. At the same time, both to the west and south of Tikhvin, heavy fighting to

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ordering, on October 26, the 4th and 52nd armies to initiate a counterattack towards the Tikhvin road, with the aim of driving the Germans across the Volkhov. The counterattack, although it failed due in part to poor coordination, meant that the 12th Panzer Division temporarily halted its advance.

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gave his approval. Tikhvin would be abandoned on December 9, after a month of occupation, with the German forces fighting desperate battles to avoid being destroyed during their evacuation. Meretskov would pursue Schmidt's motorized corps for the next few days, although the Germans would slow the

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were now icy, restoring operational mobility to the armies; rivers, once difficult to ford, had been frozen, allowing infantry to cross them. To this should be added the impact of the unexpected Soviet tenacity, the enormous human losses suffered and the poor winter material on the German morale,

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The right flank of the German axis towards Tikhvin began to be plunged into a succession of frontal attacks by the 52nd Army that forced the German abandonment of Malaya Vishera when Soviet forces took the village of Nekrasovo in an infiltration on November 18, after having made several frontal

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which was beginning to falter. Even so, the Wehrmacht continued to insist on its push to the east. Contradicting the traditional German army way of developing an operation, the advance across the Volkhov had been made in fan: the I Corps and the Boeckmann Group to the north, in the direction of

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to redirect the effort of the 54th Army to the east, ending the hopes of lifting the encirclement before 42. The confrontation meant that the Germans relocated five divisions to defend the Sinyavino sector. The fighting in the area would be continued the following year in what would become the

2061:, they would destroy the German units at Tikhvin and von Boeckmann's troops at Volkhov. While the pincer was being executed, the 52nd Army and the Novgorod Operational Group would make a frontal assault on the German forces in the Malaya Vishera area to drive them across the 2014:. This effort, which failed due to Fediuninski's quick intervention, was the last attempt of German advance in the Volkhov sector. The balance of forces had changed irreversibly in favor of the Soviets and the Germans were forced to go on the defensive in all sectors. 2068:

Due to logistical limitations and shortage of troops, the operation was carried out gradually and not simultaneously. On November 12, Klykov's attacks began in the Malaya Vishera area, on the 19th Meretskov's 4th Army was launched against Tikhvin, and on December 3,

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pursuit by establishing a temporary defense in an intermediate marshy area near Budogosh. Further south, the pressure of the Klykov offensive would eventually drive the Germans out of Bolshaya Víshera on December 16. On December 27 the front would finally reach the

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of the vehicles. When the logs had suffered excessive wear and tear, they lost their bark, causing the wheels to slip and eventually lose their patches due to excessive heat. With the snows, the surface became firmer, but at the cost of becoming especially

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in order to attract settlers to the region. The losses suffered there in the frontal assault by the 250th reserve battalion, launched without aviation assistance and with little artillery support, prompted von Roques to order the assault halted on October

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had managed to form a bridgehead of about 5 km and also connect with the German forces advancing further north, at Shevelevo. The Spanish bridgehead, having stagnated since the heavy fighting in the unsuccessful assault on the fortified position of the

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and Budogosh. This situation, resulting from the ambitious objectives of the operation, prevented these units from providing mutual support, leaving them vulnerable to counterattacks. With better winter equipment and newly arrived reserves, the

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The 3rd tank division was, after the battles that took place before the encirclement, devoid of tanks and was therefore later converted into the 225th rifle division. The scarce armored means at its disposal were launched against the Possad

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an important symbolic objective to be destroyed, the Germans found themselves at the arrival of autumn weakened and unable to assault it, with an enemy refusing to surrender and still supplied both by air and via the Lake Ladoga.

2279:'s 54th Army had begun a slow advance southward, endangering the German I Corps, which was also being harassed on its right flank by Meretskov's 4th Army. The I Corps, forced to abandon its positions, re-drew its line along the 1824:'s diversionary advance, devoid of heavy support in its assaults, was halted in the face of stiff Soviet resistance. On November 1, due to the increasing problems encountered, the scope of the offensive was reduced, leaving the 2426:

Meretskov was released from captivity to replace Yakovlev and take command of the 4th Army on November 9. On December 17 Meretskov would move to command the Volkhov Front, with the 4th Army passing into the hands of P.A.

2105:, was exposed to Soviet attacks and, on the other hand, that the German units in Malaya Vishhera were liable to be trapped. The 126th was forced to abandon Malaya Vishera and establish defenses in Bolshaya Vishera. The 1819:

Although the advances at the bridgeheads were initially rapid, they soon began to attract Soviet counterattacks. On October 27, east of Malaya Vishera, the German advance eastward was halted. Two days later, the

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forces to their limits. German units were precariously holding the axis to the city; but the situation, worsened by weather that was literally decimating their forces, had become desperate by early December:

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Prolonging the siege also meant that the German army would not be able to rely on the divisions in the sector for other operations. Hitler's frustration with ending the siege would cause him to order

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railroad. The garrison at Kyrishi, a town on the right bank of the Volkhov, withstood the Soviet assaults and was the only position taken in the operation that was not abandoned by the Wehrmacht. The

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of the 8th Panzer, the 4th Army managed, in a desperate attack, to reach the outskirts of Volkhov on November 8. Army managed, in a desperate attack, to block the German flank and stop the offensive.

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presence. The defense would also have to be made without heavy support or aviation, since the advance to Tikhvin had priority over the rest of the sectors. With most of the division defending the

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The sharp drop in temperatures at the end of 1941 was the prelude to the harsh winter ahead. This change in the weather had transformed the situation on the front: roads muddied by the effects of

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Although the withdrawal from Tikhvin was approved by Hitler under Directive No. 39 in the early morning of December 8, the order to abandon the bridgehead was not formalized until a week later.(

1747: 4240: 2089:, stressing the need to hold the position. To control Tikhvin meant to have annulled the railway line with Volkhov, the point from which vital supplies were sent to Leningrad through the 1788:" in German terminology) was formed in October consisting mainly of the 126th and 250th Infantry Divisions plus part of the 18th Motorized Infantry Division. This group was given to 2140:

Combat situation between the Blue Division (250th Division) and the 305th Rifle Division at the bridgehead at the end of November. North of Shevelevo was the 126th German division.

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while Jozin's 54th Army hit the Germans on their eastern flank, leaving the XXVIIIth in the middle of the pincer. The poor results and the difficult situation in Tikhvin forced the

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The situation had become complicated for the Spaniards, as they now had to defend a position that could only be reached by crossing a 10 km road through a forest with a strong

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would spend the rest of the month trying, with little success, to form bridgeheads on the western bank of the Volkhov to prepare the ground for future offensives.

1238: 2399:, captured by the Germans. After the frustrated Lyuban offensive, the front would remain stable until 1944, when the Army Group North, now under the command of 2041:; Schmidt's XXXIX Motorized to the east, on the axis to Tikhvin; von Chappuis' XXXVIII, stretched and without reserves, covering Schmidt's right flank between 1849:

by the 21st and 126th Divisions and after four days of fighting in difficult terrain, the 12th Panzer Division and the 20th Motorized, both part of General

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To compensate for the units surrendered and the losses suffered since June, it was agreed to send fresh rearguard divisions during the autumn. Thus, from

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on September 8, the city, besieged by Finns and Germans, had been separated from the rest of the Soviet Union, maintaining as its only link the waters of

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in command; but he exchanged places with Fediuninsky on October 26. Ivan Fediuninsky was then in command of the Leningrad Front since the departure of

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were reduced from four to three pieces; and the number of vehicles and horses was reduced, causing some reconnaissance units to switch to bicycles.(

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We have to understand that things are going much worse for the enemy and that these battles are more a question of energy than of strategic command.

1147: 1862: 1095: 1003: 267: 1853:'s XXXIX Motorized Corps, launched an advance towards Budogosh causing a gap between the Soviet 4th and 52nd Armies, now separated by the road to 1165: 1071: 1029: 120: 1025: 419: 3021:

Glantz, David M. (2002). "4 - La pugna por el cerco. Milagro en Tijvin, 30 de septiembre-30 de diciembre de 1941". In Desperta Ferro (ed.).

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station. The mission of the army group is to defend this line to the last man, not to take a single step back, while continuing to besiege

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Schmidt, the general of the XXXIX Motorized Corps, would comment on December 6, just as his unit was on the verge of collapse at Tikhvin "

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crossed the Volkhov between Gruzino and Novgorod in an attempt to liberate the encirclement of Leningrad that would become known as the

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joined the German offensive, in response to Soviet preventive bombing and with the intention of recovering the ground lost in the

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the 212th, 215th, 223rd, 227th infantry divisions were transferred to the Army Group North, taking advantage of the presence of

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marked their first successful counteroffensive in the sector and allowed Leningrad to continue to hold out in what would become

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They have gone beyond the limits of physical endurance...the troops...are becoming apathetic and indifferent...risk of panic...

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responded to the 126th's hardship by sending the 215th Infantry Division to reinforce the position. Such a withdrawal now left

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was, in this new situation, prepared to strike back in the form of a counterattack from all points against the German salient.

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Simplified original German plan (first phase). - A: Von Roques' plan. - B: Von Leeb's initial proposal. - C: Advance to Tikhvin

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The Volkhov front stabilized throughout December; but it would suffer a new crisis in January 1942, when the newly arrived

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The 12th Panzer Division, also part of the XXXIX Motorized Corps, had only 33 tanks in operational status on December 11.(

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from Novgorod and to pass completely to the defensive. The group was disbanded on November 14, returning its units to the

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to contribute to the offensive towards Moscow, caused a crisis between Hitler and Field Marshal von Leeb, responsible for

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consisting of elements of the 8th Panzer and also launched an attack with the 254th Infantry Division northwest towards

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stated that the objective of the siege would be to destroy the city completely by a blockade supported by bombardment.(

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and one artillery regiment. In the face of Soviet pressure it was decided to abandon the Poselok quarter, to build two

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In order to make an advance east of the Ilmen to cover the northern flank of the axis towards Moscow, an ad hoc unit ("

1219: 814: 4255: 1407: 819: 709: 610: 17: 2002:'s 54th Army was preparing to strike at the German forces advancing towards Volkhov, von Boeckmann received another 2085:

on November 16 for a withdrawal from Tikhvin to better defend the sector. The request was rejected, with his boss,

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devised a plan to form a pincer consisting of the 54th Army to the north and the 4th Army to the east. United at

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to the east of Novgorod. Both advances would unite to the east with the final objective of reaching the city of

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Glantz, David M. (2002). "6 - Falso amanecer, La ofensiva de invierno del Ejército Rojo, enero-abril de 1942".

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Volkhov front road near the Ladoga. The numerous forests and swamps in the region made control of them vital.

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The roads in the region used to be paved with wooden logs, which caused bumpy roads that often broke the

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to reinforce both armies. On October 23 the Germans would take Budogosh. The seizure was answered by the

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The counterattack against the German advance to Tikhvin was simultaneous with that launched from the

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of Friedrich-Wilhelm von Chappuis and bequeathing positions in the bridgehead difficult to maintain.

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campaign of 1942, in order to hasten the fall of Leningrad. Manstein, who had just been promoted to

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The 18th Motorized Division would have less than 1,000 combat troops at the end of the operation.

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Formed by units of the 8th and 12th panzer divisions and the 11th and 21st infantry divisions,

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and plans for Army Group North, which was to advance eastward to achieve these two objectives:

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assaults against the 126th Division. The capture of this village meant, on the one hand, that

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After beginning to come under pressure from the incessant Soviet attacks, von Leeb asked the

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The Soviet high command readjusted its military structure on July 15, 1941, eliminating the

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3. Isolate the Leningrad operational region from the sector along the lower reaches of the

1597:), although the smallest of the three, managed in a succession of rapid advances across the 1417: 4109: 4086: 4034: 4005: 3923: 3751: 3319: 3290: 3158: 3079: 2954: 2678: 2550: 2212: 1858: 1774: 1731:. Then, if circumstances permitted, they were to advance to the Finnish border at Karelia. 1531: 1526: 1475: 1378: 1371: 1126: 1013: 837: 719: 670: 476: 2320: 1060: 502: 222: 8: 2514: 1050: 914: 880: 825: 2483: 2353: 1610: 1514: 1442: 1304: 1262: 1136: 924: 885: 865: 860: 758: 533: 4208: 4189: 4170: 4151: 4132: 4113: 4090: 4067: 4038: 4009: 3980: 3955: 3927: 3898: 3873: 3848: 3823: 3798: 3755: 3726: 3688: 3663: 3613: 3581: 3556: 3526: 3501: 3476: 3451: 3426: 3398: 3373: 3348: 3323: 3294: 3262: 3237: 3212: 3187: 3162: 3133: 3108: 3083: 3054: 3026: 3001: 2958: 2944: 2932: 2893: 2867: 2832: 2814: 2786: 2754: 2736: 2709: 2682: 2672: 2638: 2585: 2554: 2532: 2489: 2452: 2434: 2327:. Although heavy casualties had been inflicted on the Red Army, the reality was that 1882: 1674: 1653: 1559: 1437: 1412: 1320: 1158: 1116: 809: 637: 2216:

Simplified situation on the Volkhov front after the counterattacks. End of December.

2136: 2113:'s German forces within range of Klykov's attacks, endangering the road to Tikhvin. 1230: 4083: