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During early March, 1943, Army Group Kempf had the mission to advance in the general direction of Belgorod as part of the new offensive to retake Kharkov. The Grossdeutschland Infantry Division formed the left wing of the Army Group with …

1943-03-12

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During early March, 1943, Army Group Kempf had the mission to advance in the general direction of Belgorod as part of the new offensive to retake Kharkov. The Grossdeutschland Infantry Division formed the left wing of the Army Group with orders to cover the flank as the Army Group moved onto Belgorod. The Infantry Division faced an attack by the Soviet 40th Army (attempting to join the Soviet 3rd Tank Army), which it handled, sending the Soviet forces into retreat. By March 12th, the division’s reinforced Reconnaissance Battalion was poised to lead the move north via Bogodukhov and Bolshaya Pisarevka in Ukraine and then north east into Russia via Grayvoron and Borisovka and finally to Belgorod. At 0530 hours, the point unit of the reinforced Reconnaissance Battalion assembled (after a delay due to clogged roads) at the northern edge of the town of Bogodukhov. The order for the spearhead included a leading 8-wheeled patrol vehicle followed by infantry companies integrated with assault guns followed by mechanized and armored reconnaissance companies surrounding a battery from the Army Flak Battalion, followed up at the rear by the HQ company and the Heavy Weapons company. Tracked vehicles were able to move forward along the frozen road and the spearhead moved northward towards the day’s first major objective of Bolshaya Pisarevka.

Ivany-Berdyny, near Bogodukhov, Ukraine

The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February and 15 March 1943. Known to the German side as the Donets Campaign, and in the Soviet Union as the Donbas and Kharkov operations, the German counterstrike led to the recapture of the cities of Kharkov and Belgorod.

Wikipedia: Third Battle of Kharkov

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