The liberation of the capital of Soviet Ukraine became part of the Kyiv offensive operation, which took place from November 3 to November 13, 1943.

At the end of September 1943, troops of the Voronezh Front (which would later be renamed the 1st Ukrainian Front) carried out a series of operations that made it possible to occupy bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dnieper north and south of Kyiv. It was then that attempts were made to liberate the city. The main attacks on enemy positions were carried out from the Bukrin bridgehead, and auxiliary attacks from the Lyutezh bridgehead.

On October 24, the main efforts of the front were transferred precisely to the Lyutezhsky bridgehead, which was reinforced by secretly transferred forces from the Bukrinsky bridgehead.

The Wehrmacht leadership pinned all its hopes on the fortified defense lines built to cover Kyiv from the north. In places of attack Soviet troops The Wehrmacht could field 11 infantry divisions of the 4th Panzer Army, which were pretty bloodless. And the Wehrmacht itself planned to defend Kyiv with units of the 7th Army Corps. The Soviet side brought up to 20 rifle divisions, 3-4 tank corps and one cavalry corps into battle.

On November 1, the offensive began from the Bukrin bridgehead. The first strikes on enemy positions were carried out on the morning of November 3, and by the evening of the same day, Soviet troops managed to advance deep into the defense to a depth of 12 kilometers.

Perhaps the greatest success that day was achieved by the 240th Infantry Division, which attacked Wehrmacht units defending Kyiv: by the end of the day, having repelled numerous counterattacks, the division occupied the Kiev suburb of Pushcha-Voditsa.

On November 4, the 237th Rifle Division crossed the Dnieper 15 kilometers from Kyiv. This made it possible to take control of the highway leading to Kyiv and prevent the transfer of Wehrmacht reinforcements.

778 terrible days of occupation have ended.

As a result of the use of scorched earth tactics by the Nazi occupation administration, a significant part of the city was seriously destroyed, and only thanks to the operational actions of the troops of the Voronezh Front, protracted street battles for Kyiv were avoided, which ensured the safety of many architectural monuments of the city and saved the lives of tens of thousands of Soviet soldiers and surviving civilians .

During the occupation, the city's population decreased, according to various sources, to 70%. Hijacking for work in Germany, mass shootings in Babi Yar and the Darnitsa concentration camp, the looting of the city - all this accompanied the new occupation order.

A ceremonial meeting of the Moscow Council of Working People's Deputies was held jointly with party and public organizations in Moscow, dedicated to the 26th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution.

During fierce night battles, troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front drove the enemy out of Kyiv and completely liberated the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. In the battles for the liberation of Kyiv, the 1st Separate Czechoslovak Brigade, formed on the territory of the USSR, heroically fought alongside Soviet troops.

The Kyiv ended offensive troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front. By the end of the day, the front troops reached the river line. Zdvizh, Mikulichi, Glevakha and further to the Dnieper. The advanced units of the 3rd Guards Tank Army approached Fastov and occupied Vasilkov, tearing the front of enemy troops into pieces. During the battles for Kyiv, Soviet troops defeated 12 enemy infantry, 2 tank and 1 motorized divisions. The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, having liberated the city of Kyiv, moved on to the rapid pursuit of the retreating enemy.

The Red Banner Baltic Fleet began transporting the 2nd shock army from Leningrad to the Oranienbaum bridgehead.

By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the 1st Separate Czechoslovak Brigade in the USSR was awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree, for exemplary performance of command tasks on the front of the fight against the Nazi invaders.

A report has been published by the Extraordinary State Commission to establish and investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders and their accomplices and the damage they caused to citizens, collective farms, public organizations, state enterprises and institutions of the USSR about the destruction of the city of Smolensk and the atrocities committed by the Nazi invaders against Soviet citizens.

Chronicle of besieged Leningrad

A ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 26th anniversary of the Great October Revolution took place today in Leningrad. Meanwhile, all the artillery of the Leningrad Counter-Battery Corps simultaneously struck the eighteen most active enemy batteries. After a five-minute fire raid on these targets, they were subjected to methodical shelling for an hour. As a result, on November 6, only three enemy shells exploded in the city.

The ceremonial meeting took place in the Assembly Hall of Smolny. Secretary of the city party committee A. A. Kuznetsov, speaking to the audience, said:

“Right now we are not faced with the problem of defending the city. This problem has been resolved. We must be prepared to completely lift the blockade of Leningrad and deal a crushing blow to the Nazi invaders.

For a decisive blow to the enemy, a strictly classified transfer of troops to the Oranienbaum bridgehead has already begun. When the 90th Division, whose soldiers were going to celebrate the 26th anniversary of October together with veterans of the revolution and chiefs, unexpectedly received an order to redeploy, the commander apologized to the guests and told them that tactical exercises were beginning. Nevertheless, everyone has a growing feeling that something significant is approaching.

With a feeling of good envy, the defenders of Leningrad watch the military successes of soldiers on other fronts. Today at dawn our troops stormed the capital of Ukraine - Kiev.

A selection of the Red Army newspaper “Motherland is Calling” about the military commonwealth of the peoples of the USSR in the battles for Soviet Ukraine

We are the army of the brotherhood of peoples

When, in honor of the next victories of the Red Army in the evenings, the dark sky over Moscow is illuminated with an unprecedented glow, we know: this is the capital of the Motherland saluting the winners. She greets the glorious warriors - Russians and Kazakhs, Ukrainians and Georgians, Uzbeks and Armenians - all the faithful sons of our multinational Fatherland, liberating the native lands of Ukraine and Belarus from the enemy.

Today our newspaper talks about how Sergeant Pyotr Babenko’s submachine gunner’s squad is fighting the enemy. Not only the commander is Ukrainian, but also the fighters - Russians, Kazakhs and Uzbeks - selflessly, sparing no effort, beat the Germans, move forward, liberating their beloved Ukraine in difficult battles. It is equally dear to each of them. And therefore there is no force in the world that could stop them. This unbreakable friendship is our strength. It is the guarantee of our invincibility.

Friendship

Peering into the pre-dawn fog, the commander of the guard squad, Sergeant Pyotr Babenko, said to his comrades:

— Guys, you see the church in the gardens. My house is not far from it. There's a wife, a son, a mother...*

The city lies on high hills, surrounded by lush greenery. The soldiers looked there, and the Ukrainian city, which none of them had ever been to, became family and friends for everyone.

They fought hard for him. Guard private Kazakh Idris Kaliev was wounded, but he refused to leave the battlefield.

“I want to see your house, your family,” Kaliev said to the commander.

At night we crossed the river. Pyotr Babenko’s squad was one of the first to break into the outskirts. A guard sergeant and his military friends were making their way through the smoky streets of their hometown. The Germans were kicked out. Peter led his comrades to his house.

A smoking pile of ruins remained from the home. The family died. The Nazis threw grenades into the basement where she was hiding, and then doused everyone with gasoline and burned them.

On that day, the warriors - Russians and Ukrainians, Uzbeks and Kazakhs - swore to take revenge on the enemy and, while their hearts were beating, to mercilessly exterminate the damned fascists.

In the battle, the Ukrainian Bondarenko was seriously wounded. He asked for water. But everyone's flasks were empty. It was necessary to go to the Dnieper through an open place that was under fire from the enemy.

“Comrade Guard Sergeant,” said the Kazakh Kaliev, “permit me, I’ll bring it.”

And Kaliev crawled. He filled a flask with cold water from the Dnieper and brought it to his friend. Soon the Nazis launched a counterattack. There were thirty of them. There are six of us: Ukrainians Babenko and Kovalchuk, Russians Yudin and Savushkin, Uzbek Sadykov and Kazakh Kaliev.

The Nazis came very close.

Six machine guns hit the enemy. The Nazis lay down in the sand. And then, dividing into groups, they crawled from three sides. The brave warriors took up a perimeter defense. The Nazis crawled 20 meters towards Kovalchuk and Sadykov. At thirty - to Babenko and Savushkin. The Germans were already throwing grenades. Sadykov caught them and sent them back. Finally the Nazis rose and went on the attack.

- For the Soviet Motherland! - Kovalchuk shouted and began to shoot the Germans point-blank.

- For Soviet Ukraine! - Sadykov shouted in Uzbek and threw grenades at the feet of the Nazis.

There were fewer and fewer fascists. So they never reached the trenches. Thirty corpses of Nazi soldiers remained on the sand.

And Sergeant Pyotr Babenko went with his friends further west into the wide expanses of Right Bank Ukraine. And there is no force that could stop their victorious step. After all, they are not only comrades, they are brothers. And therefore they cannot be defeated.

Captain N. Panyushkin

United family

Russian warrior gunner Mikhail Lapin took on an unequal battle with enemy tanks. Two “tigers” were moving at full speed towards the brave man’s gun. Mikhail Lapin fired several shells one after another. The first tank stopped and burst into flames. The second tank was also hit.

Ukrainian Pavel Ponomarchuk, the mortar gunner, waited. When the Nazis came close, he attacked them with his fire. The mines landed right on target. There were 30 corpses of enemy soldiers and officers left on the battlefield.

Kazakh Abusal Abasov, a private, crawled forward with an anti-tank rifle. He stopped at the shell crater. The enemy gun was very close. Abusal Abasov fell to the gun. With well-aimed shots, he disabled a German cannon and destroyed 7 Nazis.

Uzbek Sultan Gasanov, a private, crawled under a broken enemy tank and began to observe. A Hitlerite appeared. Hasanov fired. This was the twelfth fascist killed by the brave warrior in one day of battle.

Letter from the front

One morning a postman came to Tamara Alexandrovna Tsaguriya’s apartment and handed him a letter. The envelope folded into a triangle has traveled a long way: from the front line to distant Georgia, to Tbilisi. This is what was written in it:

“Dear Tamara Alexandrovna!

I am a Leningrader. The Germans deprived me of my family and home. Only one feeling overshadowed all others: revenge. I went to the front.

And soon one night we went on reconnaissance. It was dark and damp. Silently we crept up to the enemy dugouts. They threw grenades. They beat a lot of fascists, took the “tongue” and began to retreat.

At this time I was wounded by a bullet in the stomach. I fell and can't move. Suddenly I feel someone’s arms grab me tightly. I don’t remember anything else - I lost consciousness.

I met him at the hospital. This was a soldier from our company - Sandro Tsaguriya, your son. He carried me out from under the fire and was wounded himself. He left me your address, and we parted ways.

Dear Tamara Alexandrovna! There are no words to thank you for wonderful man Your son Sandro. From now on, I consider him my brother, and you my mother. I hug you tightly.

Sergeant Nikolai Zaretsky

Letter from the rear

After the battle, Private Mikhail Rudnikov was in the trench from which the Nazis were driven out. A letter was brought to him here. It was from Chkalov from his wife Maria Petrovna. Here is an excerpt from this letter:

"Dear Misha!

*...I hasten to please you: I adopted a five-year-old Ukrainian boy Pavlusha. I think you won't mind. He is an orphan. His parents died in Ukraine, they were shot by the damned fascist occupiers. Many of us take on children to raise. There will be no orphans in our country; they will find fraternal family everywhere.

Pavlik is very nice and talkative. He always asks: “Where is my tato?” I answer him: “In the war, he beats the fascists.”

Pavlusha was already used to me, and I fell in love with him deeply. After the war we will raise our son and make him an engineer. Is it true?

Be healthy, dear. Beat more Nazis, avenge Pavlik’s grief.

We kiss you deeply.

Yours Masha."

* Sharpening the document.

Liberation of Kyiv in 1943

A major offensive operation of the Soviet troops to liberate Kyiv from the fascist invaders unfolded in the fall of 1943 with the offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front, which liberated the city by storm on November 6. The occupation of the capital of Ukraine lasted 776 days, the city lay in ruins, instead of almost 1 million inhabitants who lived here before the war, after liberation it numbered about 183 thousand people.

Kyiv in 1943

After crossing the Dnieper, Soviet troops had to liberate the capital of Ukraine - Kyiv, expand the captured bridgeheads and create conditions for the liberation of the entire Right Bank of Ukraine from the Nazi occupiers. At the same time, it was necessary to eliminate the enemy bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper, in the Zaporozhye region, defeat the enemy group on the Molochnaya River and reach the lower reaches of the Dnieper. For its part, the fascist German command still hoped to restore the defenses along the right bank of the Dnieper with strong counterattacks, as well as to maintain its positions on the Molochnaya River. But most of all, it made efforts to prevent further advance of the Red Army across Right Bank Ukraine in the Kyiv region. This would open the way for Soviet troops to the western regions of Ukraine, to the southern regions of Poland, to the Carpathians, to the borders of the then allies fascist Germany- Romania and Hungary. Therefore, the enemy created the most powerful group in the Kiev direction.

According to the plan of the command of the 1st Ukrainian Front, it was planned to deliver two strikes to liberate Kyiv. The main attack was planned from the Bukrinsky bridgehead, 80 km south of Kyiv, and the auxiliary attack - from the bridgeheads north of Kyiv. The Red Army strike force, concentrated on the Bukrinsky bridgehead, launched an offensive twice in October. However, it did not achieve success - the offensive actions of the troops, especially the 3rd Guards Tank Army, were greatly hampered by the rugged terrain. At the same time, the troops delivering the auxiliary attack expanded the bridgehead north of Kyiv, in the Lyutezh area.

Taking into account the current situation, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief decided to transfer the main efforts of the troops from Bukrinsky to the Lyutezhsky bridgehead. In a directive dated October 24, 1943, the Headquarters noted that “the failure of the offensive on the Bukrinsky bridgehead occurred because the terrain conditions were not taken into account in a timely manner,” and instructed the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the Headquarters representative, Marshal G. K. Zhukov, to regroup troops “with the aim of strengthening the right wing of the front, with the immediate task of defeating the Kyiv enemy group and capturing Kiev.”

In this regard, the directive proposed to transfer the main efforts to the Lyutezh bridgehead and solve the problem of liberating the city not with the same forces, but with a new group. In accordance with the directive, it was proposed to transfer the 3rd Guards Tank Army of General P. S. Rybalko to a section of the front north of Kyiv, to strengthen the right wing of the front with three or four divisions of the left wing, as well as two divisions from the Headquarters reserve. At the same time, the need to conduct offensive operations on the Bukrinsky bridgehead was pointed out in order to attract as many enemy forces as possible there, under favorable conditions, break through his front and move forward. The headquarters demanded that the 3rd Guards Tank Army be transferred unnoticed by the enemy, using tank models in the army's previous area for this purpose.

Based on the directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the front command drew up an appropriate plan for the regrouping of troops. IN short term The 3rd Guards Tank Army and the main part of the reserve artillery of the Supreme High Command, located on the Bukrinsky bridgehead, secretly crossed to the left bank of the Dnieper and marched 130-200 km along the front line to the north. Then, having crossed the Desna and again the Dnieper, they concentrated on the Lyutezh bridgehead. All troops moved mainly at night or during morning and evening fogs. Therefore, the fascist German command was unable to timely detect their concentration in the new area.

By the beginning of November, the 1st Ukrainian Front had about 7 thousand guns and mortars, 675 tanks and self-propelled guns and 700 aircraft. The superiority over the enemy was insignificant: in artillery - 1.1 times, in tanks - 1.6 times. In terms of aircraft, the forces turned out to be almost equal. To provide fire support for the offensive in the direction of the main attack, over 2 thousand guns and mortars and 500 rocket artillery installations were concentrated in a narrow area of ​​6 km. This made it possible to create very high artillery densities: more than 300 guns and mortars per 1 km of the breakthrough area. The ground forces were supported by large aviation forces of the 2nd Air Army of General S. A. Krasovsky.

On the morning of November 3, after powerful artillery preparation, the 60th Army of General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, the 38th Army of General K. S. Moskalenko and part of the forces of the 5th Guards Tank Corps began the Kyiv offensive operation, striking bypassing Kyiv with west. Fierce fighting ensued. The enemy continuously counterattacked. His aircraft bombed the advancing troops in groups of 40 aircraft. The 2nd Air Army attacked the enemy on the ground and in the air. On the first day of the operation alone, 1,150 sorties were carried out, 36 air battles took place, in which our pilots shot down 31 enemy aircraft. The unparalleled tenacity of Soviet soldiers helped them crush the fascist defenses. Thanks to the courage and tenacity of the Soviet soldiers, by the end of the day the strike force, having overcome enemy resistance, had advanced from 5 to 12 km. An intense struggle also took place on the Bukrinsky bridgehead, where the 40th Army of General F.F. Zhmachenko and the 27th Army of Lieutenant General S.G. Trofimenko went on the offensive two days earlier in order to divert large enemy forces.

On November 4, the weather worsened and it began to drizzle. It became even more difficult to advance. In order to strengthen the blow, during November 4-5, the front commander brought into battle the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps, second echelons and reserves, including the 1st Czechoslovak separate brigade under the command of Colonel L. Svoboda. By evening, the 3rd Guards Tank Army was brought into the battle.

Intense fighting continued all day. Breaking enemy resistance, the tankers continued their offensive at night. On the night of November 5, front troops rushed south. The tanks attacked with their headlights on, sirens blaring, and firing heavily from cannons and machine guns. And the enemy could not withstand such a stunning blow. On the morning of November 5, formations of the tank army reached the Svyatoshino area and cut the Kyiv-Zhitomir highway. The main communication line feeding the Kyiv enemy group from the west was intercepted.

With coordinated strikes by infantry, tanks, artillery and aviation, the Red Army liberated Svyatoshino. In the battles for Svyatoshino, thousands of Soviet soldiers showed high examples of courage. The soldiers and officers of the 1666th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment fought bravely. The gun crew under the command of Senior Sergeant E.I. Dubinin advanced along with the tanks to Svyatoshino and destroyed three enemy tanks and an assault gun. E. I. Dubinin was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union.

By evening, the troops of the 38th Army were already on the outskirts of Kyiv. Soviet troops, with unexpected night actions and the rapid entry of tanks into communications to the west and southwest of Kyiv, broke the defense of the invaders and, sowing panic in their ranks, rushed to the city center. Street fighting broke out. At midnight, Soviet units broke through into the city center. One of the fighters wrote in chalk on the corner building: “24.00. Yakushev's battalion was the first to enter. Long live free Ukraine!” At 0:30 a.m. on November 6, the Red Banner hoisted over the capital of Ukraine. Then they broke into the city center combat vehicles 5th Guards Tank Corps under General A. G. Kravchenko. Units of the 1st Czechoslovak brigade, having occupied the station, reached the Dnieper by the morning of November 6.

By 4 o'clock on November 6, enemy resistance in Kyiv was completely broken. As a result of intense and fierce battles, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front defeated 9 infantry, 2 tank and motorized divisions, and inflicted a heavy defeat on the Nazi group defending the city.

The Soviet people greeted the news of the liberation of Kyiv with a feeling of great joy. With a thunderous gun salute, 24 salvos from 324 guns, Moscow announced to the whole world the liberation of the capital of Soviet Ukraine. This was the first time such a number of guns took part in the salute. The Motherland highly appreciated the feat of the soldiers of the 1st Ukrainian Front and their heroism. The order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief noted: “The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, as a result of a swiftly carried out operation with a bold flanking maneuver, today, November 6, at dawn, stormed the capital of Soviet Ukraine, the city of Kyiv - the largest industrial center and the most important strategic hub of the German defense on the right bank of the Dnieper .

With the capture of Kyiv, our troops captured the most important and most advantageous bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, which has important to expel the fascist occupiers from Right Bank Ukraine.

In the battles for the liberation of the city of Kyiv, the troops of Colonel General Moskalenko, Lieutenant General Chernyakhovsky, tank crews of Lieutenant General Rybalko, pilots of Lieutenant General of Aviation Krasovsky and artillerymen of Major General of Artillery Korolkov distinguished themselves.”

For the courage and courage shown in the battles for Kyiv only from October 12 to November 7, 1943, 17,500 people were awarded orders and medals, and 65 units and formations were awarded the honorary name of Kyiv. The 1st Czechoslovak brigade was awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree, its commander and 139 soldiers received orders and medals of the Soviet Union.

The victories of the Soviet Armed Forces in Right Bank Ukraine and the liberation of Kyiv caused a wide international response. The American and British press regarded this event as a new major defeat for the Wehrmacht. London radio reported: “The occupation of this city by Soviet troops is a victory of enormous not only military but also moral significance... When the Nazis occupied Kyiv, they boastfully declared that this would entail the complete defeat of Soviet troops throughout the southeast. Now times have changed. Germany hears the funeral bell ringing. An avalanche is coming towards her.”

German prisoners on Khreshchatyk in Kyiv

After crossing the Dnieper, Soviet troops had to liberate the capital of Ukraine - Kyiv, expand the captured bridgeheads and create conditions for the liberation of the entire Right Bank of Ukraine from the Nazi occupiers. At the same time, it was necessary to eliminate the enemy bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper, in the Zaporozhye region, defeat the enemy group on the Molochnaya River and reach the lower reaches of the Dnieper. For its part, the fascist German command still hoped to restore the defenses along the right bank of the Dnieper with strong counterattacks, as well as to maintain its positions on the Molochnaya River. But most of all, it made efforts to prevent further advance of the Red Army across Right Bank Ukraine in the Kyiv region. This would open the way for Soviet troops to the western regions of Ukraine, to the southern regions of Poland, to the Carpathians, to the borders of the then allies of Nazi Germany - Romania and Hungary. Therefore, the enemy created the most powerful group in the Kiev direction.

According to the plan of the command of the 1st Ukrainian Front, it was planned to deliver two strikes to liberate Kyiv. The main attack was planned from the Bukrinsky bridgehead, 80 km south of Kyiv, and the auxiliary attack - from the bridgeheads north of Kyiv. The Red Army strike force, concentrated on the Bukrinsky bridgehead, launched an offensive twice in October. However, it did not achieve success - the offensive actions of the troops, especially the 3rd Guards Tank Army, were greatly hampered by the rugged terrain. At the same time, the troops delivering the auxiliary attack expanded the bridgehead north of Kyiv, in the Lyutezh area.

Taking into account the current situation, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief decided to transfer the main efforts of the troops from Bukrinsky to the Lyutezhsky bridgehead. In a directive dated October 24, 1943, the Headquarters noted that “the failure of the offensive on the Bukrinsky bridgehead occurred because the terrain conditions were not taken into account in a timely manner,” and instructed the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front and the Headquarters representative, Marshal G. K. Zhukov, to regroup troops “with the aim of strengthening the right wing of the front, with the immediate task of defeating the Kyiv enemy group and capturing Kiev.”

In this regard, the directive proposed to transfer the main efforts to the Lyutezh bridgehead and solve the problem of liberating the city not with the same forces, but with a new group. In accordance with the directive, it was proposed to transfer the 3rd Guards Tank Army of General P. S. Rybalko to a section of the front north of Kyiv, to strengthen the right wing of the front with three or four divisions of the left wing, as well as two divisions from the Headquarters reserve. At the same time, the need to conduct offensive operations on the Bukrinsky bridgehead was pointed out in order to attract as many enemy forces as possible there, under favorable conditions, break through his front and move forward. The headquarters demanded that the 3rd Guards Tank Army be transferred unnoticed by the enemy, using tank models in the army's previous area for this purpose.

Based on the directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the front command drew up an appropriate plan for the regrouping of troops. In a short time, the 3rd Guards Tank Army and the main part of the reserve artillery of the Supreme High Command, located on the Bukrinsky bridgehead, secretly crossed to the left bank of the Dnieper and made a march of 130-200 km along the front line to the north. Then, having crossed the Desna and again the Dnieper, they concentrated on the Lyutezh bridgehead. All troops moved mainly at night or during morning and evening fogs. Therefore, the fascist German command was unable to timely detect their concentration in the new area.

By the beginning of November, the 1st Ukrainian Front had about 7 thousand guns and mortars, 675 tanks and self-propelled guns and 700 aircraft. The superiority over the enemy was insignificant: in artillery - 1.1 times, in tanks - 1.6 times. In terms of aircraft, the forces turned out to be almost equal. To provide fire support for the offensive in the direction of the main attack, over 2 thousand guns and mortars and 500 rocket artillery installations were concentrated in a narrow area of ​​6 km. This made it possible to create very high artillery densities: more than 300 guns and mortars per 1 km of the breakthrough area. The ground forces were supported by large aviation forces of the 2nd Air Army of General S. A. Krasovsky.

On the morning of November 3, after powerful artillery preparation, the 60th Army of General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, the 38th Army of General K. S. Moskalenko and part of the forces of the 5th Guards Tank Corps began the Kyiv offensive operation, striking bypassing Kyiv with west. Fierce fighting ensued. The enemy continuously counterattacked. His aircraft bombed the advancing troops in groups of 40 aircraft. The 2nd Air Army attacked the enemy on the ground and in the air. On the first day of the operation alone, 1,150 sorties were carried out, 36 air battles took place, in which our pilots shot down 31 enemy aircraft. The unparalleled tenacity of Soviet soldiers helped them crush the fascist defenses. Thanks to the courage and tenacity of the Soviet soldiers, by the end of the day the strike force, having overcome enemy resistance, had advanced from 5 to 12 km. An intense struggle also took place on the Bukrinsky bridgehead, where the 40th Army of General F.F. Zhmachenko and the 27th Army of Lieutenant General S.G. Trofimenko went on the offensive two days earlier in order to divert large enemy forces.

On November 4, the weather worsened and it began to drizzle. It became even more difficult to advance. In order to strengthen the blow, during November 4-5, the front commander brought into battle the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps, second echelons and reserves, including the 1st Czechoslovak separate brigade under the command of Colonel L. Svoboda. By evening, the 3rd Guards Tank Army was brought into the battle.

Intense fighting continued all day. Breaking enemy resistance, the tankers continued their offensive at night. On the night of November 5, front troops rushed south. The tanks attacked with their headlights on, sirens blaring, and firing heavily from cannons and machine guns. And the enemy could not withstand such a stunning blow. On the morning of November 5, formations of the tank army reached the Svyatoshino area and cut the Kyiv-Zhitomir highway. The main communication line feeding the Kyiv enemy group from the west was intercepted.

With coordinated strikes by infantry, tanks, artillery and aviation, the Red Army liberated Svyatoshino. In the battles for Svyatoshino, thousands of Soviet soldiers showed high examples of courage. The soldiers and officers of the 1666th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment fought bravely. The gun crew under the command of Senior Sergeant E.I. Dubinin advanced along with the tanks to Svyatoshino and destroyed three enemy tanks and an assault gun. E.I. Dubinin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

By evening, the troops of the 38th Army were already on the outskirts of Kyiv. Soviet troops, with unexpected night actions and the rapid entry of tanks into communications to the west and southwest of Kyiv, broke the defense of the invaders and, sowing panic in their ranks, rushed to the city center. Street fighting broke out. At midnight, Soviet units broke through into the city center. One of the fighters wrote in chalk on the corner building: “24.00. Yakushev's battalion was the first to enter. Long live free Ukraine!” At 0:30 a.m. on November 6, the Red Banner hoisted over the capital of Ukraine. At the same time, combat vehicles of the 5th Guards Tank Corps of General A.G. Kravchenko broke into the city center. Units of the 1st Czechoslovak brigade, having occupied the station, reached the Dnieper by the morning of November 6.

By 4 o'clock on November 6, enemy resistance in Kyiv was completely broken. As a result of intense and fierce battles, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front defeated 9 infantry, 2 tank and motorized divisions, and inflicted a heavy defeat on the Nazi group defending the city.

The Soviet people greeted the news of the liberation of Kyiv with a feeling of great joy. With a thunderous gun salute, 24 salvos from 324 guns, Moscow announced to the whole world the liberation of the capital of Soviet Ukraine. This was the first time such a number of guns took part in the salute. The Motherland highly appreciated the feat of the soldiers of the 1st Ukrainian Front and their heroism. The order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief noted: “The troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, as a result of a swiftly carried out operation with a bold flanking maneuver, today, November 6, at dawn, stormed the capital of Soviet Ukraine, the city of Kyiv - the largest industrial center and the most important strategic hub of the German defense on the right bank of the Dnieper .

With the capture of Kyiv, our troops captured the most important and most advantageous bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, which is important for the expulsion of the fascist invaders from Right Bank Ukraine.

In the battles for the liberation of the city of Kyiv, the troops of Colonel General Moskalenko, Lieutenant General Chernyakhovsky, tank crews of Lieutenant General Rybalko, pilots of Lieutenant General of Aviation Krasovsky and artillerymen of Major General of Artillery Korolkov distinguished themselves.”

For the courage and courage shown in the battles for Kyiv only from October 12 to November 7, 1943, 17,500 people were awarded orders and medals, and 65 units and formations were awarded the honorary name of Kyiv. The 1st Czechoslovak brigade was awarded the Order of Suvorov, II degree, its commander and 139 soldiers received orders and medals of the Soviet Union.

The victories of the Soviet Armed Forces in Right Bank Ukraine and the liberation of Kyiv caused a wide international response. The American and British press regarded this event as a new major defeat for the Wehrmacht. London radio reported: “The occupation of this city by Soviet troops is a victory of enormous not only military but also moral significance... When the Nazis occupied Kyiv, they boastfully declared that this would entail the complete defeat of Soviet troops throughout the southeast. Now times have changed. Germany hears the funeral bell ringing. An avalanche is coming towards her.”

The military-political situation of fascist Germany worsened further as a result of new defeats of fascist German troops on the Soviet-German front. On November 7, Jodl reported to his senior management: “If... to characterize our general position, then I must frankly call it difficult, and I would not at all like to hide the fact that I take into account the possibility of the onset of new severe crises...” The fascist German command took urgent measures to localize the breakthrough of the Soviet troops. It canceled the previously planned attack from the Nikopol bridgehead in a southern direction with the aim of unblocking Crimea.

After the liberation of Kyiv, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front launched an attack on Zhitomir, Fastov and Korosten. Over the next 10 days, they advanced 150 km west and liberated many settlements, including the cities of Fastov and Zhitomir. A strategic bridgehead was formed on the right bank of the Dnieper, the length of which along the front exceeded 500 km. As a result of this, important communications linking the German Army Groups Center and South were cut.

Understanding the danger of the current situation, the enemy concentrated large forces of infantry and tanks south of the Zhitomir, Fastov line. They were supposed to launch a counterattack from the southwest against the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, defeat them, capture Kiev and liquidate the bridgehead. But the Soviet command promptly guessed the enemy’s plans and took appropriate measures to disrupt them.

On November 15, the enemy group (7 tank, motorized and 7 infantry divisions) launched a counteroffensive. The enemy's blow was powerful. Throughout the second half of November there were heavy, bloody battles. On some days, the enemy brought 300-400 tanks into battle at once. At the cost of heavy losses, he managed to recapture Zhitomir on November 20 and by November 25 advance to a depth of 40 km. Further advance of the enemy was stopped. Meanwhile, the troops of the right wing of the 1st Ukrainian Front continued their offensive. On November 17, the 60th Army liberated Korosten, and the next day, units of the 13th Army, in cooperation with the partisan formation of General A.N. Saburov, drove the Nazis out of Ovruch. In December, the enemy made two more attempts to break through to Kyiv, but both of them were repulsed by Soviet troops. Reinforced by the reserves of the Headquarters, the 1st Ukrainian Front went on the offensive on December 24 and in 8 days drove the Nazi troops back to their original positions, which they occupied before the start of the counteroffensive. Now the front line ran 125 km west and 50 km south of Kyiv.

Intense fighting continued in southern Ukraine. On October 10, the troops of the Southwestern Front, which carried out the Lower Dnieper operation from September 26 to December 23 together with the Steppe and Southern Fronts (October 20, the Steppe, Southwestern and Southern Fronts were renamed respectively into the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts) began liquidation of the enemy's Zaporozhye bridgehead. This bridgehead was heavily fortified. It was defended by 5 infantry and tank divisions, as well as several separate units - in total up to 35 thousand soldiers and officers, about 600 guns and mortars and up to 200 tanks and assault guns. The enemy's Zaporozhye bridgehead, up to 40 km long and up to 20 km deep, had two defensive contours and an intermediate line, as well as many fortifications inside the city. He was prepared for a long defense.

On October 10, the troops of the left wing of the Southwestern Front - 12th (Major General A.I. Danilov), 3rd Guards (Lieutenant General D.D. Lelyushenko) and 8th Guards (Lieutenant General V.I. . Chuikov) armies went on the offensive, striking at Zaporozhye from the northeast, east and southeast. The front's strike group was supported by the 17th Air Army. Fierce fighting took place in the Zaporozhye region for four days. Having overcome stubborn resistance enemy, Soviet troops broke through the enemy defenses and approached the city by the end of October 13. In order to prevent the enemy from coming to his senses, at 22:00 on October 13, they stormed the city. On October 14, the city of Zaporozhye was liberated, and the German bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper was liquidated. This was the first time in World War II that a night assault was carried out by such a large number of troops. The Motherland highly appreciated the feat of the soldiers who liberated Zaporozhye. 31 formations and units were awarded the honorary title of Zaporozhye, and the commander of the 12th Army A.I. Danilov received the rank of lieutenant general and the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, 1st degree for No. 1, established on October 10, 1943.

During the liberation of Zaporozhye, the Red Army soldiers did everything possible to prevent the complete destruction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station. However, the Nazis still managed to blow up the station building, destroying its equipment and part of the dam. After the liquidation of the enemy's Zaporozhye bridgehead, the troops of the Southwestern (3rd Ukrainian) Front concentrated their main efforts on expanding the bridgehead in the Dnepropetrovsk region.

The troops of the Steppe (2nd Ukrainian) Front also achieved major successes. The front commander deployed 4 armies (37, 57, 5th and 7th Guards) on a shallow but wide bridgehead south of Kremenchug, behind which the 5th Guards Tank Army, which had arrived from the Headquarters reserve, was concentrated. On October 15, after artillery preparation, the strike group of the Steppe Front went on the offensive, striking in the direction of Pyatikhatka, Krivoy Rog. It was supported by the 5th Air Army. In the afternoon, to build up the force of the strike and complete the breakthrough of the enemy’s defense, P. A. Rotmistrov’s 5th Guards Tank Army was brought into the battle (in October he was awarded the rank of Colonel General of Tank Forces).

In two days of fighting, the troops of the Steppe Front broke through the defenses on the front more than 40 km and advanced to a depth of 17 km. In the current conditions it was necessary to develop achieved success. But the front commander did not have his own forces to solve this problem. The representative of the Supreme Command Headquarters, Marshal G.K. Zhukov, reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief: “A favorable environment is being created for the development of a breakthrough... I think it will be very good if you order a couple of tank corps and 5-6 rifle divisions to be transferred from Malinovsky. It will be better, and we will more likely defeat the enemy’s Zaporizhian-Krivoy Rog grouping with a blow from the Steppe Front than from Malinovsky. I also ask that fuel and ammunition be supplied to Konev as quickly as possible.”

The headquarters reinforced the Steppe Front with four divisions and the 1st Mechanized Corps from the Southwestern Front, as well as the 20th Tank Corps from the Southern Front. In the following days the offensive developed successfully. By October 23, the breakthrough had expanded along the front to 70 km and developed to a depth of 125 km. Tank and mechanized corps broke through to Krivoy Rog and the Mitrofanovka area (30 km east of Kirovograd), i.e. went to the rear of the Dnepropetrovsk enemy group. On October 23, the armies of the right wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front went on the offensive from the bridgeheads west and south of Dnepropetrovsk. On October 25, with the assistance of part of the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, they liberated Dnepropetrovsk and Dneprodzerzhinsk and by the end of the month advanced up to 70 km west of the Dnieper.

The fascist German command, trying to keep the Krivoy Rog basin in its hands, began to concentrate a counterattack group in the area of ​​Krivoy Rog and Kirovograd. It was created at the expense of divisions arriving from the West, as well as those withdrawn from other sectors of the front. On October 24-28, fierce fighting took place in the areas of Krivoy Rog and east of Kirovograd. The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front repelled the ever-increasing attacks of enemy tank divisions. However, weakened in previous battles, they, under pressure from the numerically superior enemy forces, were forced to retreat to the line of the Ingulets River, where they stopped their further advance. The enemy failed to push the Soviet troops further towards the Dnieper. Having suffered heavy losses, he went on the defensive.

In November-December, the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts continued to fight fighting on the Kirovograd and Krivoy Rog directions. The 5th Guards Army under Lieutenant General A.S. Zhadov, advancing southwest of Kremenchug, operated especially successfully during this period. She broke the enemy's resistance and liberated the cities of Alexandria and Znamenka. In the Cherkassy region, the 52nd Army of Lieutenant General K. A. Koroteev crossed the Dnieper and occupied this city on December 14. However, at that time the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front were unable to capture Kirovograd and Krivoy Rog. The fact is that as a result of continuous and lengthy battles, they suffered significant losses in manpower and military equipment. The enemy continued to transfer more and more divisions to Ukraine from Western Europe, as well as to restore its previously defeated divisions, gathered into battle groups. In total, during this time, 5 additional divisions appeared in the front zone, of which 3 were tank and motorized. Thus, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front pinned down a large enemy group, inflicted new heavy losses on it and diverted part of the forces from the Kyiv direction, where the battle took place, the outcome of which determined the development of operations to liberate Right-Bank Ukraine.

Troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front continued to conduct military operations to the west and south of Zaporozhye. Having crossed the Dnieper south of the city (6th Army), they drove the enemy north of the city of Manganets. Thus, during three months of fighting, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, in the difficult conditions of the autumn thaw, created a huge bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, about 450 km long along the front and up to 100 km in depth, which the enemy could not eliminate.

The troops of the Southern (4th Ukrainian) Front in Northern Tavria also operated successfully. They had to break through the powerful enemy defenses on the Molochnaya River, liberate Northern Tavria and reach the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Here, the Soviet troops were opposed by up to 20 divisions of the 6th German Army, which received orders to prevent the advance of Soviet troops to the west, to the Dnieper, at any cost. To raise morale, all personnel of the troops defending on the Molochnaya River were paid increased salaries, and a special medal “For the defense of Melitopol positions” was minted in Berlin.

According to the plan developed by the command of the Southern Front (Army General F.I. Tolbukhin) with the active participation of the representative of the Supreme High Command Headquarters, Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky, the front delivered the main blow with its right wing (5th Shock, 2nd Guards and 44 -I army). An auxiliary attack south of Melitopol was carried out by the 28th Army. After breaking through the enemy’s defenses on the Molochnaya River, the front troops had to cut off German troops in the Crimea and, if the opportunity presented themselves, break into the peninsula; clear the left bank of the Dnieper from the enemy, cross it and capture bridgeheads on the right bank. Tank, mechanized and cavalry corps were planned to be used as mobile army groups to develop an offensive in operational depth. The 51st Army was in the front reserve.

The offensive of the Southern Front began on September 26 after 60 minutes of artillery preparation and air strikes of the 8th Air Army under Lieutenant General T. T. Khryukin. The enemy put up fierce resistance, his counterattacks followed one after another. On the first day of the offensive, the troops of the 2nd Guards (Lieutenant General G.F. Zakharov) and 44th (Major General V.A. Khomenko) armies operated most successfully. However, despite the introduction of mobile groups into the battle, the advance of the front troops was very slow. They had to literally chew through the enemy's defenses. Only on October 9, the 28th Army (Lieutenant General V.F. Gerasimenko) managed to break into the enemy’s defenses and start fighting for the city of Melitopol.

The front commander decided to use this success and on October 12 regrouped the 51st Army (Lieutenant General Ya. G. Kreiser), tank and cavalry corps in the Melitopol area. In stubborn battles that lasted until October 23, the troops of the 51st Army broke the fierce resistance of the enemy in the southern section of its defensive line along the Molochnaya River and captured Melitopol. By this time, the troops of the right wing of the front, reinforced by the 3rd Guards Army of Lieutenant General D. D. Lelyushenko, transferred from the 3rd Ukrainian Front, broke through the enemy defenses in the northern sector. Thus, by the time the 2nd Ukrainian Front reached Krivoy Rog, a turning point had been determined in the offensive of the 4th Ukrainian Front.

On October 24, the 6th German Army began to retreat to the Dnieper line. Overcoming the stubborn resistance of the retreating enemy, the 2nd Guards Army covered the path from Molochnaya to the Dnieper in just over a month, the 28th Army reached Genichesk, and the 51st Army, having defeated the enemy group in the Askania-Nova area, on November 5, together with the 19th The 1st Tank Corps (Lieutenant General I.D. Vasiliev) reached the lower reaches of the Dnieper and the Perekop Isthmus.

The enemy group in Crimea found itself cut off from the main forces of the Nazi army. The left bank of the Dnieper and its lower reaches were cleared of the enemy. He only managed to hold a small bridgehead in the Nikopol area. In addition, Soviet troops captured a bridgehead on the southern bank of the Sivash, repeating the legendary feat of the Red Army soldiers who crossed this water barrier in 1920 under the command of M.V. Frunze. This happened on November 1, when units of the 51st Army covered a distance of up to 3 km along the viscous bottom of the bay in icy salt water and captured a bridgehead on the Crimean coast.

The successful offensive of Soviet troops in Ukraine created the conditions for the liberation of the Taman Peninsula. This task was carried out by the troops of the North Caucasus Front (Colonel General I.E. Petrov) in cooperation with Black Sea Fleet(Vice Admiral L.A. Vladimirsky) and the Azov Military Flotilla (Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov). Having defeated the enemy defending in heavily fortified positions of the Blue Line, they completely liberated the Taman Peninsula in early October. The remnants of the 17th German Army retreated to Crimea. Troops of the North Caucasus Front began preparations for the landing operation in Crimea. On November 1, the crossing of the Kerch Strait began. However, the landing in the Eltigen area ended in failure. More successful was the landing of the 56th Army (Lieutenant General K. S. Melnik), carried out on the night of November 3 in the Kerch region. Having captured a small bridgehead, the paratroopers, despite fierce enemy resistance, expanded it in the following days and by November 11 approached the outskirts of Kerch. Having met stubborn enemy resistance here, they went on the defensive. All attempts by the Nazis to throw them into the sea and liquidate the bridgehead led to nothing. In the spring of 1944, this bridgehead was used by Red Army troops in the battles for the liberation of Crimea.

To restore contact with the Crimean group, the fascist German command urgently reinforced its troops in southern Ukraine and attempted to defeat the armies of the 4th Ukrainian Front. But the Soviet command promptly guessed the enemy’s plan. In a directive dated November 5, the Supreme Command Headquarters assigned the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts the task of first defeating the Krivoy Rog-Nikopol enemy group. The offensive of the 2nd Ukrainian Front on Kirovograd was temporarily postponed. The 4th Ukrainian Front was supposed to concentrate its main efforts on eliminating the Nikopol bridgehead.

However, the enemy forestalled the Soviet troops. In the second half of November, he attacked the 5th Shock Army (Lieutenant General V.D. Tsvetaev). Fierce fighting ensued, during which the Nazi offensive was repelled. But the operation to eliminate the enemy’s Nikopol bridgehead had to be postponed. The start of the operation of the 4th Ukrainian Front to liberate Crimea was also postponed. The enemy failed to delay the advance of Soviet troops on the Dnieper. His “Eastern Wall,” on which Hitler’s strategists had high hopes, was crushed by the Red Army, which, continuing its victorious offensive, firmly held the strategic initiative. At a meeting at headquarters on December 28, Hitler assessed the outcome of the Battle of the Dnieper as follows: “It is no longer possible to conduct active operations here. I would be pleased if we at least stopped the enemy.”

The battle for the Dnieper unfolded on a huge front, the length of which was almost 800 km. During its course, the Red Army troops defeated the opposing enemy, inflicted heavy losses on him and drove him west to a depth of 300 km. But the victory was achieved at a high price. In the battles for the liberation of Left Bank Ukraine (without Donbass), during the crossing of the Dnieper, the capture, retention and expansion of bridgeheads on its right bank, i.e. from mid-August to the end of December 1943, Soviet troops lost 1213 thousand soldiers and officers, 283 thousand of them were irrecoverable losses. 4050 tanks and self-propelled guns were lost, more than 4.1 thousand guns and mortars, and 824 aircraft.

Kiev offensive operation (liberation of Kyiv) - an operation of Soviet troops to liberate Kyiv from German invaders in the second half of the Great Patriotic War, which took place simultaneously with the crossing of the Dnieper.

The liberation operation lasted from November 3 to 13, 1943 and ended with the complete liberation of Kyiv and its suburbs from German occupation.

The city was captured by the Germans in 1941 during the Kyiv defensive operation. Despite the resistance of Soviet troops and battles that lasted several weeks, it was not possible to hold the city. The loss of Kyiv was a huge blow for the Soviet command.

First, Ukraine contained important strategic reserves of coal and grain crops that would allow the Soviet army to fight the war in winter conditions. Secondly, the loss of Kyiv and Ukraine meant that the Germans had an open approach to Moscow from the south. As soon as the advantage in the war passed to the side of the Soviet Union, he gave the order to cross the Dnieper and recapture Ukraine and Kyiv at all costs, as this would open the way for Soviet troops to Europe. At the same time, the Germans did not want to lose such rich territories. A confrontation began.

Preparations for the liberation of Kyiv

The Kiev operation became one of components liberation of Ukraine and took place simultaneously with the crossing of the Dnieper. At the end of September 1943, the Soviet army was able to capture a number of large defensive bridgeheads on the right bank of the Dnieper from the southern and northern borders of Kyiv. This made it possible to begin preparations for the operation to liberate the city from German occupation. The forces of the Voronezh Front tried several times to break into Kyiv on their own, but these attempts were unsuccessful; a clear plan and support from other armies were needed.

On October 24, the Soviet command gave the order to regroup troops. Unknown to the German army, a significant part of the Soviet troops was transferred to the Lyutezh bridgehead, where several divisions, a tank army and artillery corps were already located. The assault on Kyiv was being prepared.

Although the German army, which was engaged in the defense of the city, was not in the best condition, since it had previously suffered serious losses, the Germans managed to quickly organize three defensive lines with serious fortifications to contain the Red Army.

The progress of the liberation of Kyiv

The Soviet offensive began on November 1 from the Bukrinsky bridgehead in order to pin down the German army guarding the city and deprive it of the opportunity to call for reinforcements. On November 3, the assault on the city began; in the first few hours of battle, the Soviet army was able to advance several kilometers deep into the defensive front, which was a significant success. By the end of the day, the breakthrough was already about 5-10 km at different points in the north and northwest of Kyiv.

By the night of November 3, one of the artillery units, which occupied a central place in the liberation of the city, was able to approach the suburbs of Kyiv and fight with the German army directly on the outskirts of the city, gradually pushing back the enemy. The Germans tried to carry out several counterattacks, but these attempts were unsuccessful: the Soviet army repelled the attack and continued to push the German army deep into the front.

On November 4, the Red Army was unable to achieve the same successes as in the first days of the battles: the troops advanced only a small distance, as the Germans fought fierce battles and tried with all their might to prevent the Red Army from entering the city.

On November 4 and 5 there was a breakthrough in the liberation of the city. The corps that arrived to help the Soviet army were able to block the Kyiv-Zhitomir highway and close one of the routes for supplying reinforcements to the Germans. Thanks to the operation to cross the Dnieper, another route was blocked at the same time: the Germans were actually cut off from their own and could not count on reinforcements.

On the morning of November 5, the German army began to gradually retreat, liberating the city and resisting attacks by the Soviet army. On November 6, Kyiv was completely liberated from the German invaders, but this did not end the Kiev liberation operation. The battles continued for several more days in the suburbs of the capital, and significant territories were liberated. The operation ended on November 13 with the liberation of Zhitomir.

In the first days, the German army, cut off from the channels for receiving aid, actually constantly retreated, only occasionally attempting to carry out a counteroffensive. However, on the 10th and 11th, already outside the city, the Germans were able to connect with their own and launch a series of counterattacks. IN last days The Kyiv operation battles were large-scale and brutal, which brought significant losses to the Soviet army. However, the Germans failed to retake Kyiv.

Results and significance of the liberation of Kyiv

The liberation of Kyiv and Ukraine was of great strategic and moral significance for the USSR. It is worth noting that the success of this operation largely depended on the success of the liberation of the Dnieper and the support of their own on the banks of the river. Although Kyiv was liberated, the Soviet army lost great amount soldiers, while the Germans were able to save most army.

The taking of Kyiv under Soviet control was another step towards the liberation of Ukraine and opened access to the borders with Romania and Poland.