Iasi Chisinau operation of the Soviet troops. Stalin's seventh blow

The Iasi-Chisinau operation, brilliant in design and execution, rightly entered the history of the Great Patriotic War as one of the most productive offensive operations of the Red Army. This operation is the largest military event of the twentieth century that took place on the soil of Moldova. It rightfully went down in history as one of the strategic blows with which the army of the USSR / Russia knocked the spirit out of the strongest army in the West - the German one. It also remains a remarkable page in the history of Moldova, a victory achieved with the participation of its peoples.

In the historiography and the media of the Republic of Moldova, the Iasi-Chisinau operation is a taboo topic. The reason for this is not only the activation in Eastern Europe of the ideological heirs of the political forces that collaborated with the Nazis during the Second World War, but also the unwillingness of the countries of "old Europe", connected by a common victory in the Cold War, to include the events of 1939-1945 in the arsenal of means designed to promote European integration (1). Using the situation, Romanian historians and Moldavian authors, who create in line with the course "History of Romanians", avoid touching on the events of August 20-29, 1944. What happened then on the land of Moldova?

In March 1944, during the Uman-Botosha operation, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of General I.S. Konev liberated the northern and eastern regions of Moldova. On March 26, on the 80-kilometer section from Lipkan to Skulyan, the USSR state border along the Prut was restored, Soviet troops entered the territory of Romania. The protection of the state border was resumed by the 24th border regiment, which took over the 1st strike of the German troops on June 22, 1941.
The offensive in the south was also successful. On the move, units of the front seized a bridgehead on the western bank of the Dniester near the villages of Kitskany, south of the city of Bendery, and north, near the village of Varnitsa. The front line ran along the Dniester from the Black Sea to the city of Dubossary and further northwest to the town of Korneshty and north of the Romanian city of Iasi. To the enemy, its outlines painfully resembled the configuration of the front in the Stalingrad region on the eve of the Soviet counteroffensive. Glancing at the map, General G. Frisner, Commander of Army Group South Ukraine, suggested that Hitler withdraw his troops from the Kishinev ledge, but did not meet understanding (2) .

Such a long prelude

On April 12, 1944, units of the 57th Army crossed the Dniester near the villages of Butory (east bank) and Sherpeny (west bank). They captured a bridgehead up to 12 km wide along the front and 4-6 km deep, necessary for an attack on Chisinau. To the north of Bender, in the village of Varnitsa, another bridgehead was created. But the resources of the advancing troops were exhausted, they needed rest and replenishment. By order of the Supreme High Command on May 6, the troops of I.S. Konev went on the defensive. The main aviation forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front were transferred to Poland, to cover the Sandomierz bridgehead.

The newly created group of German-Romanian troops "Southern Ukraine" blocked the Red Army's path to the oil sources of Romania. The central part of the German-Romanian front, the Chisinau ledge, was occupied by the "restored" German 6th Army, defeated in Stalingrad. To eliminate the Sherpensky bridgehead, the enemy formed a task force of General Otto von Knobelsdorff, an experienced German participant in the Battle of Staligrad. The group included 3 infantry, 1 airborne and 3 tank divisions, 3 divisional groups, 2 assault gun brigades, a special group of General Schmidt and other units. Their actions were provided by large aviation forces.

On May 7, 1944, the Sherpensky bridgehead began to be occupied by five rifle divisions - a corps under the command of General Morozov, which is part of the 8th Army of General V.I. Chuikov. The troops on the bridgehead lacked ammunition, equipment, anti-tank defense equipment, and air cover. The counter-offensive launched by the German troops on May 10 took them by surprise. During the fighting, Morozov's corps held part of the bridgehead, but suffered heavy losses. On May 14, he was replaced by the 34th Guards Corps of the 5th Shock Army under the command of General N.E. Berzarin. The front line was stabilized. On May 18, the enemy, having lost most of the tanks and manpower, stopped the attacks. The German command recognized the Sherpen operation as a failure, Knobelsdorf was not awarded any awards. The Sherpensky bridgehead further chained to itself the large forces of the 6th German Army. Between the bridgehead and Chisinau, German troops equipped four lines of defense. Another defensive line was built in the city itself, along the Byk River. To do this, the Germans dismantled about 500 houses (3). And most importantly, the expectations of an offensive from the Sherpen bridgehead predetermined the deployment of the main forces of the 6th German army.

The South Ukraine Army Group created by the enemy included the 6th and 8th German armies, the 4th and - until July 25 - the 17th armies of Romania. The preparation of a new offensive required the preliminary delivery of 100 thousand wagons of equipment, weapons and equipment to the troops. Meanwhile, in the spring of 1944, the destruction on the Moldovan railway was carried out by the German-Romanian troops under the full program of "scorched earth". The Soviet Service of Military Communications and sappers had to change railway tracks to a wide allied gauge, rebuild bridges blown up by the enemy, technical and service buildings, and restore station facilities (4). In what time frame could this be done?

In July 1941, when Soviet sappers and railroad workers put out of action only a few railway facilities, the Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu ordered "with the assistance of the population" to "normalize" traffic on the Bessarabia railroad within two weeks (5) . However, the population sabotaged the forced labor, and the Romanian military railway workers turned out to be unskilled. Until October 16, while the defense of Odessa continued, not a single echelon passed through Bessarabia. The bridge across the Dniester in Rybnitsa was restored only in December 1941, and the strategically even more important bridge in Bendery was restored on February 21, 1942 (6) .

In the spring of 1944, the destruction was incomparably greater, but the population helped the Red Army with all their might. In the spring, in muddy conditions, thousands of volunteers manually delivered shells to positions and evacuated the wounded. The peasants gave their last to provide Russian soldiers with food. 192 thousand conscripts from Moldova joined the ranks of the Soviet troops. 30 thousand peasants came to the construction of the railway, another 5 thousand were rebuilding the Rybnitsa bridge. The bridge was put into operation on May 24, 1944. The railway units also worked very efficiently. By July 10, 660 km of the main track had been changed to a wide union gauge, 6 water supply points, 50 artificial structures, 200 km of a pole communication line were restored. By the end of July, in the liberated regions of Moldova, 750 km of railway lines were put into working condition and 58 bridges were rebuilt. 300 km of highways were also laid or overhauled. Workers from Balti, Ocnita, Tiraspol have repaired damaged equipment (7) . The supply of the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian was provided. By performing this miracle of restoration, the railway troops of the Red Army and the population of Moldova contributed to the coming victory.

In early May 1944, the commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, instead of I.S. Konev, appointed commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, was appointed General R.Ya. Malinovsky, on the 3rd Ukrainian Front he was replaced by General F.I. Tolbukhin. They, as well as the chiefs of staff of the fronts S.S. Biryuzov and M.V. Zakharov began to develop plans for the offensive. The concept of the operation was charmingly simple. The attack on Chisinau from the Sherpen bridgehead made it possible to split the enemy's front, it was from here that the Germans expected to strike. However, the Soviet command preferred to hit on the flanks, where the Romanian troops were defending, less combat-ready than the German ones. It was decided that the 2nd Ukrainian Front would strike northwest of Yass, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front - from the Kitskansky bridgehead. The bridgehead was located at the junction of the positions of the 6th German and 3rd Romanian armies. The Soviet troops were to defeat the opposing Romanian divisions, and then, advancing in directions converging in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe cities of Khushi, Vaslui and Falchiu, encircle and destroy the 6th German army and quickly move deep into Romania. Tasks to support the actions of the 3rd Ukrainian Front were assigned to the Black Sea Fleet.

The idea was to arrange for the enemy not even Cannes, but something on a larger scale - a second Stalingrad. “The idea of ​​the operation, worked out on the basis of the proposals of the command of the fronts,” the researchers note, “was distinguished by exceptional purposefulness and determination. The immediate goal was to encircle and destroy the main forces of the Southern Ukraine Army Group with the expectation of preventing it from retreating to strong defensive lines west of the Prut and Seret rivers. The successful solution of this problem ensured the completion of the liberation of the Moldavian SSR. The withdrawal of Soviet troops to the central regions of Romania deprived her of the opportunity to continue the war on the side of Nazi Germany. Through the territory of Romania, the shortest routes to the borders of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, as well as exits to the Hungarian plain, were opened for our troops ”(8) .

The enemy had to be misled. “It was very important,” General of the Army S.M. Shtemenko later noted, “to force a smart and experienced enemy to wait for our offensive only in the Chisinau area.” Solving this problem, Soviet troops staunchly defended the bridgeheads, and Soviet intelligence conducted dozens of radio games. “And we have achieved this,” the general stated further, “Time has shown: the cunning Frisner believed for a long time that the Soviet command would not strike him in any other place ...” (9) . 5th shock army of General N.E. Berzarina defiantly prepared an offensive from the Sherpen bridgehead. The false concentration of troops was carried out north of Orhei and on the right flank of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. “The results of our aerial reconnaissance,” the German commander admitted, “were generally very insignificant until the last days before the start of the offensive [...] Since the Russians were good at masking such events, our intelligence intelligence was able to provide the necessary information also only with a great delay” ( ten) .

On June 6, the Second Front was finally opened in northern France. The Soviet tank armies were on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front, and the enemy was expecting a strike from the area north of Chisinau (11), so he did not make any attempts to transfer troops from Romania and Moldova to Normandy. But on June 23, the Soviet offensive began in Belarus (Operation Bagration), and on July 13 the Red Army struck at the Northern Ukraine Army Group. Trying to keep Poland under their control, the German command transferred up to 12 divisions to Belarus and Western Ukraine, including 6 tank and 1 motorized. However, in August Army Group South Ukraine still included 47 divisions, including 25 German. In these formations, there were 640 thousand combat personnel, 7600 guns and mortars (caliber 75 mm and above), 400 tanks and assault guns, 810 combat aircraft. In total, the enemy grouping consisted of almost 500 thousand German and 450 thousand Romanian soldiers and officers.

The German and Romanian troops had combat experience and relied on a layered system of field fortifications. Colonel-General G. Frisner, appointed commander on July 25, after the assassination attempt on Hitler, was known as an experienced and prudent military leader and, as events showed, he was a loyal Nazi. He stepped up the construction of defensive structures. On the 600-kilometer front from the Carpathians to the Black Sea, a powerful echeloned defense was created. Its depth reached 80 or more kilometers (12). In addition, the enemy had considerable reserves, more than 1,100 thousand soldiers and officers were under arms in Romania (13). The command of the German-Romanian troops expected the Russian offensive with confidence in their capabilities (14).

However, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command managed to create superiority in forces in the decisive sectors of the front. The combat strength of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts was brought up to 930 thousand people. They were armed with 16 thousand guns and mortars, 1870 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1760 combat aircraft (15). The superiority of the Soviet side in the number of troops was small, but they outnumbered the enemy in armament. The ratio of forces was as follows: in people 1.2: 1, in field guns of various calibers - 1.3: 1, in tanks and self-propelled guns - 1.4: 1, machine guns - 1: 1, in mortars - 1.9: 1, in aircraft 3:1 in favor of the Soviet troops. Due to the insufficient superiority necessary for the success of the offensive in the direction of the main attack, it was decided to expose secondary sectors of the front. It was a risky move. But on the Kitskan bridgehead and north of Yass, the following balance of forces was created: in people 6: 1, in field guns of various calibers - 5.5: 1, in tanks and self-propelled guns - 5.4: 1, machine guns - 4.3: 1 , in mortars - 6.7: 1, in aircraft 3: 1 in favor of the Soviet troops. It is worth mentioning that in the rifle units up to 80 percent of the rank and file were recruits from among those called up in the regions of Ukraine, liberated in the spring of 1944; more than 20 thousand conscripts from Moldova also entered the troops. These young people still had to be trained in military affairs. But she survived the occupation and hated the invaders. In the course of exercises and battles of local importance, in communication with old soldiers, the replenishment received proper combat training. The actions of the two fronts were sent to coordinate the Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko.

The Soviet command carried out the concentration of troops and military equipment at the breakthrough sites covertly and, mainly, immediately before the offensive. More than 70% of the forces and means of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts were transferred to the Kitskansky bridgehead and northwest of Yass. The density of artillery in the breakthrough areas reached 240 and even 280 guns and mortars per 1 kilometer of the front. Three days before the start of the offensive, the German command suspected that the strike would be delivered not from the Sherpen and Orhei region, but on the flanks of the 6th German Army (16). At the meeting, without the participation of the Romanians, held at the headquarters of the Army Group "Southern Ukraine" on August 19, it was allegedly "quite clear to all its participants that a major Russian offensive should be expected at the latest on August 20" (17). There was even considered a plan for the withdrawal of Army Group "Southern Ukraine", called the "Medved variant". But even for flight, the Soviet command did not leave time for the enemy.

On August 20, 1944, the troops of both fronts launched an offensive with powerful artillery preparation. Participant in the events, General A.K. Blazhey left an almost poetic description of the offensive from the Kitskansky bridgehead: “The hands on the clock converge at the number eight. - Fire! The roar of guns merged into a mighty symphony. The earth shook and shook. The sky was lined with fire trails of rockets. Gray fountains of smoke, dust, stone shot up like a wall over the enemy's defenses, closed the horizon, eclipsed the sun. With a roar, attack aircraft swept through, ironing enemy fortifications. […] Guards mortars "played". […] Following the volleys of the Katyushas, ​​a thousand-voiced “cheers” rolled over the field covered in smoke. […] An avalanche of people, tanks, vehicles poured into the enemy defense line” (18) . “In the early morning of August 20,” G. Frisner also testified, “the roar of volleys of thousands of guns heralded the beginning of a decisive battle for Romania. After the strongest one and a half hour artillery preparation, the Soviet infantry, supported by tanks, went on the offensive, first in the Yass region, and then on the Dniester sector of the front ”(19) . Aviation carried out bombing and assault strikes against enemy strongholds and firing positions. The fire system of the German and Romanian troops was suppressed, on the very first day of the offensive they lost 9 divisions.

Having broken through the German-Romanian front south of Bendery, formations of the 3rd Ukrainian Front defeated the enemy’s operational reserves thrown in front of them and resolutely, without regard to the flanks, continued to advance to the west. Supporting the offensive, the 5th and 17th Air Armies, commanded by Generals S.K. Goryunov and V.L. Sudets, have achieved absolute dominance in the air. On the evening of August 22, Soviet tanks and motorized infantry reached Comrat, where the headquarters of the 6th German Army was located, the 3rd Romanian Army was cut off from the 6th German Army. On August 21, units of the 2nd Ukrainian Front occupied the Yassky and Tyrgu-Frumossky fortified areas, and the 6th tank army of Lieutenant General A.G. Kravchenko, other formations of the front entered the operational space and moved south, reaching Vaslui on August 22. The enemy forces of three divisions, including the Romanian Guards Tank Division "Great Romania", organized a counterattack, the Soviet troops were detained for a day. But this did not change the general situation. The breakthrough by the Russian troops of the German front west of Jassy and their advance to the south, G. Frisner admitted, blocked the retreat for the troops of the 6th German Army. The threat of encirclement of the 4th Romanian army was also created. Frisner already on August 21 ordered the troops of the 6th Army to retreat. The next day, the command of the ground forces of Germany (20) also allowed the withdrawal of the troops of the Army Group "Southern Ukraine". But it was too late.

Parts of the 7th mechanized corps from the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front were the first to reach the Prut. On August 23 at 13.00, the 63rd mechanized brigade from this corps broke into the village of Leusheny, where it defeated the rear of the 115th, 302nd, 14th, 306th and 307th infantry divisions of the 6th German army, captured a mass prisoners - the tankers had no time to count them - and occupied the Prut line in the Leusheny-Nemtseny area. The 16th mechanized brigade, having destroyed the enemy in the area of ​​the villages of Sarata-Galbena, Karpineny, Lapushna, cut off the German troops' path to the west from the forests east of Lapushna (21). On the same day, the 36th Guards Tank Brigade captured the crossing over the Prut north of Leovo. In the offensive zone of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the 110th and 170th tank brigades of the 18th tank corps under the command of Major General V.I. Polozkov of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. They established contact with the tankers of the 3rd Ukrainian Front and closed the encirclement around 18 German divisions (22). “As a result of four days of the operation,” I.V. Stalin at 11:30 p.m. Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko, - the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts today, August 23, completed the operational encirclement of the Chisinau enemy grouping. The first stage of the strategic operation was completed.

Leaving 34 divisions to eliminate the encircled grouping, the Soviet command sent more than 50 divisions deep into Romania. During the day, the front was pushed back by 80-100 kilometers. The pace of the Soviet offensive was 40-45 km. per day, there was no chance of salvation for those surrounded. The German command understood this. “From August 20, 1944,” the Chief of Staff of the 6th Army, General Walter Helmut, wrote in the Journal of Combat Operations, “a new stage in this great war began. And here, as near Stalingrad, the 6th Army stood at the center of the events of world history ... After the Russian breakthrough south of Tiraspol and at Yass, events developed with such swiftness that no one could have expected before ”(23).

It was not the arrest of Antonescu that ensured the victory of the Red Army during the Iasi-Kishinev operation, but the defeat of the German troops and the Romanian army, the backbone of the pro-Hitler regime, created the conditions for its overthrow. This is also recognized by the right-wing radicals of Romania, who defend the Romanians and King Mihai from accusations that they "betrayed" the Nazis. “The battle of Iasi-Kishinev,” we read in the Romanian synthesis “History of Bessarabia,” opened the way for the Red Army to the Gates of Moldova and further, to the routes that provide access to the Balkans. Under these conditions, the coup took place on August 23, 1944 ... "(24) . “The difficult military situation on the front of Tirgu Neamt – Pascani – Tirgu Frumos – Iasi – Chisinau – Tighina,” the authors of the Internet reference “70 years of the liberation of Bessarabia” specify, “prompted the democratic forces of Romania to eliminate the Antonescu government and propose a truce with the United Nations represented by Soviet Union" (25).

Defeat is always an orphan. German memoirists and historians like to explain the defeat of the 6th Army by the betrayal of the Romanians. But the fate of the Army Group "Southern Ukraine" was decided even before the coup in Bucharest. As noted, G. Frisner gave the order to retreat to his troops already on August 21. Regarding the withdrawal of Soviet units to Comrat and other events on August 22, he admitted: "Thus, our entire operational plan was upset by the enemy." With a speech about the arrest of the government of I. Antonescu and the cessation of hostilities against the USSR, King Mihai spoke "after 22 hours", on the night of August 23-24, and Romania declared war on Germany only on August 25. Aware of the precariousness of the thesis about the decisive role of the coup in Bucharest in the defeat of his troops, G. Frisner tried to expand the time frame of the Romanian "treason". “Increasingly,” he argued in his memoirs, “reports were received that the Romanian troops were losing their combat capability not only in cases that were fully justified by the current situation, but also far from being in a hopeless situation, allowing the enemy to infiltrate their positions and even flee from the battlefield to the start of the enemy attack. The general cited many facts of the insufficient stamina of the Romanian troops, and the Romanian military leaders, essentially flattering them, even accused them of "sabotaging" the struggle against the Russians (26), but did not give an explanation for these phenomena. On August 22, G. Frisner noted, I. Antonescu still declared his determination to continue the war on the side of Germany and, as he himself put it, “pumped out everything that was possible from the Romanian people, just to keep the front” (27) . In fact, the Romanian dictator assumed that the Germans would hold the front. On the same day, he ordered the Romanian troops to retreat beyond the Prut (28). Leaving the fleeing units, General Petre Dumitrescu, commander of the 3rd Romanian army and army group of troops, immediately carried out this order.

The Germans did not show Teutonic firmness either. Having abandoned the troops, the commander of the 6th German army, General Fretter-Pico, fled to the west. In the offensive zone of the 6th Panzer Army of General Kravchenko, in the ranks of not only the Romanian, but also the German troops, Frisner admitted, "incredible chaos began." “Under the onslaught of the Soviet armies advancing to the west,” the general continued, “scattered units of combat divisions, mixed with supply units, airfield service units of the Air Force, individual small units, etc., roll back through the southwestern spurs of the Carpathians” (29). Oddly enough, the presence in scientific circulation of these and similar facts does not prevent the construction of the German myth about the Romanian stabbing in the back of the valiant Germans as the main factor in the victory of the Red Army.

Finest hour of the Moldavian partisans

Consider the plot of the Iasi-Chisinau operation, which reveals the participation of the population of Moldova in the Patriotic War, but mentioned by historians in passing. In August 1944, more than 20 partisan detachments with a total number of over 1,300 armed fighters fought in the still occupied regions of the republic. They consisted of only two dozen officers. Almost all of them were wartime officers - with minimal theoretical training, but rich combat experience. The detachments were commanded by a sailor captain of the second rank A. Obushinsky, who lost his arm in battle on the Black Sea, captains infantryman G. Posadov and pilot E. Yarmykov, paratroopers lieutenants A. Kostelov, V. Aleksandrov, I. Tyukanko, L. Diryaev, M. Zhemadukov , N. Lyasotsky, I. Nuzhin, A. Shevchenko. The detachment commanders journalist M. Smilevsky, V. Shpak, P. Bardov, I. Anisimov, Ya. Bovin, M. Kuznetsov, a young peasant M. Chernolutsky and a resident of Chisinau P. Popovich were practitioners of guerrilla warfare. The largest partisan detachment in Moldova was commanded by NKVD junior lieutenant E. Petrov.

Combat experience was also available among the paratroopers, abandoned in Moldova with parachutes, and among partisans from former prisoners of war. But most of the fighters were peasant youth. Local partisans provided the detachments with food, conducted reconnaissance, but they had to be taught the basics of military affairs. However, almost every detachment had radio communications with the headquarters of the partisan movement under the Military Councils of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, and received air assistance with weapons and medicines. The partisans set up ambushes and sabotage, smashed the occupation administration and successfully fought off the punishers. Summing up the punitive expeditions carried out from June 1 to August 19, 1944, the command of the 6th German Army admitted that “to the west of Chisinau, due to the presence of large forests in this area, a center of partisan activity gradually formed. Bessarabia with its diverse population groups became fertile ground for espionage, as well as for the organization of new partisan detachments, which, despite all the measures of the Romanian authorities, continued to be masters of the situation. The reviewers defined the forests on both sides of the Lapushna-Ganchesti road as an area "exclusively inundated with partisans" (30).

On the morning of August 20, the partisan headquarters informed the detachments by radio about the transition of the troops of the two fronts to the offensive. The partisans were tasked with preventing the withdrawal of enemy troops, the removal of material assets and the deportation of the population. Detachment P.S. On that day, Bordova destroyed a convoy of 17 vehicles near Lapushna. At the Zlot station, partisans from the detachment of V.A. Shpak was sent down the train. The sabotage group of I.S. Pikuzo from the detachment under the command of I.E. Nuzhina, having blown up a train with ammunition on the Comrat-Prut line, interrupted traffic on the railway. German sappers restored the path, but on August 21, the partisans staged another crash, and on the 22nd, a third. This time, on the Bayush-Dezginzh stretch, they blew up a locomotive and 7 wagons, killed 75 and wounded 95 Romanian soldiers and officers. The actions of the partisans west of Comrat disrupted military transportation during the decisive battles at the front. In Comrat, at the stations of Bessarabskaya and Abaklia, the enemy was forced to leave 10 serviceable steam locomotives and up to 500 wagons with military equipment and fuel. 18 echelons with equipment, ammunition and looted property remained at the Comrat station.

On August 21, the detachment "For the Honor of the Motherland" under the command of A.I. Kostelova destroyed a convoy of 10 vehicles and 300 enemy soldiers and officers on the Kotovsk-Lapushna road; On August 24, the partisans of this detachment defeated a convoy of 110 carts, guarded by 60 cavalrymen, on the Stolnicheny-Lapushna road. On August 22, the partisans of the detachment I.E. Nuzhin fired from an ambush on a column of German troops near the village of Kochulia west of Comrat, and near the village of Largutsa they defeated a German convoy of 200 wagons. On August 23, this detachment fired at the column of the headquarters of the 6th German army retreating from Comrat near the village of Yargora, and only the partisans' lack of heavy weapons prevented them from destroying the staff officers (31). In the Novo-Anensky district (north of the city of Bendery), partisans of the M.M. Chernolutsky, having previously scouted the location of enemy minefields, assisted the tankers and infantry of the 3rd Ukrainian Front in overcoming them (32).

On the night of August 23, the partisans of the detachment. Lazo under the command of M.V. Kuznetsov, having “removed” the guards, they blew up a concrete bridge near the village of Dolna. The next morning, in search of detours, columns of enemy vehicles moved along forest roads. The detachment set up several ambushes between the villages of Bursuk and Kristesty, destroying or capturing about 100 German and Romanian soldiers and officers. Increasing the panic, the partisans blew up an ammunition depot four kilometers from the village of Nisporeni. Detachment I.I. Ivanov on August 23 defeated an enemy column near the village of Boltsun with a force of up to a battalion. On August 24, having discovered 5 guns firing at the Soviet troops near the village of Spariets, a group of partisans under the command of Ivanov fired at the battery. The infantry cover fled, and the guns, the supply of shells and the radio station became trophies of the partisans. The detachment also captured 150 prisoners. On the same day, on the edge of the forest near the village of Sarata-Meresheny, partisans threw grenades at four 122-millimeter enemy guns (33).

Detachment A.V. Obushinsky for four days smashed the enemy's convoys near the village of Metropolitan. However, on August 24, a group of partisans under the command of the chief of staff of the detachment G.M. Khramova, laying mines, did not notice the tankette and armored personnel carrier in the tail of the enemy column. The partisans met the infantry column approaching the ambush site with fire from two machine guns. The infantry retreated. But then, pouring fire on everything, a tankette moved towards the chain of partisans. Khramov and three fighters were injured. The tankette was blown up by a partisan mine, but its crew continued to fire. The partisans nevertheless managed to retreat in an organized manner and carry out the wounded. Covering the retreat of his comrades, the machine gunner S.P. distinguished himself. Porumba (34) .

On August 20-22, in the same area, detachments of L.I. Diryaeva, M.Kh. Zhemadukova, N.A. Lyasotsky and A.G. Shevchenko was destroyed by three large convoys, and on August 23-24, traffic was generally blocked on the road in the area between the villages of Mitropolit and Lipoveny. Repelling enemy attacks, the partisans of these detachments disabled 3 tanks, an armored personnel carrier, 175, destroyed 250 and captured about 600 soldiers and officers. One of the tanks was hit by a Czech paratrooper Jan Krošlak with a grenade. The Soviet government awarded him the Order of the Red Star, and in his homeland he was awarded the title of Hero of Czechoslovakia (35).

In May-August 1944, the partisans of Moldova destroyed over 11 thousand enemy soldiers and officers, derailed 13 military echelons, blew up 9 bridges, destroyed 25 tanks and armored vehicles, about 400 vehicles (36). 4,500 German soldiers and officers were captured by the partisans and handed over to the regular troops of the Red Army. In essence, they destroyed an entire division of the enemy. The peoples of Moldova, as well as the whole country, waged a Patriotic War against Germany and Romania.

rout

On the night of August 23, the Chisinau enemy grouping began to withdraw from their positions. Having discovered this, the troops of the 5th shock army of Lieutenant-General N.E. Berzarin, overcoming minefields and knocking down the enemy's rearguards, began the pursuit. By the end of the day, parts of the divisions under the command of Generals V.P. Sokolova, A.P. Dorofeeva and D.M. Syzranov broke into Chisinau. From the side of Orhei, units of rifle divisions under the command of General M.P. advanced on Chisinau. Seryugin and Colonel G.N. Shostatsky, and from the area of ​​​​the village of Dorotskoye, the rifle division of Colonel S.M. Fomichenko. Chisinau was captured by Soviet troops from the northeast and south.
The city was on fire, explosions thundered: on the orders of the German commandant Stanislaus von Devitz-Krebs, a team of sappers, Lieutenant Heinz Klik, destroyed the largest buildings and utility facilities. After a three-hour battle, noted in the combat summary, the 89th division of General M.P. Serugina captured the stations of Visterniceni and Petrikany, crossed the river Byk and by 23.00 with one regiment reached the southwestern outskirts of Chisinau, with two regiments by 24.00 occupied the villages of Durlesti and Boyukany. In cooperation with the 94th Guards Rifle Division, by 24.00 Chisinau was basically cleared of enemy troops. However, skirmishes in the city continued into the night. The liberation of Chisinau was completed on the morning of August 24 (37). Realizing that the German troops in the city were surrounded, about 12 thousand soldiers and officers laid down their arms.

West of Chisinau, in the area of ​​the villages of Lapushna, Stolnicheni, Costesti, Rezena, Karakui, Soviet troops surrounded the remnants of 12 German divisions. With columns of several thousand soldiers and officers, supported by artillery and tanks, they tried to break through in a southwestern direction. In the fields north of the town of Leovo, the fighting took on the character of beating the attackers. “The Nazis,” recalled the commander of the artillery battery V.E. Sekhin, “went in crowds, distraught, out of control. German division […] From a distance of 200m, all guns and 4 captured machine guns "MG-12", which were also in service with the battery, opened heavy fire on the moving column. This came as a surprise to the enemy. In this battle, about 700 soldiers were destroyed by the battery and enemy officers, 228 were taken prisoner, including the division commander "(38). Thousands of enemy soldiers and officers drowned in the Prut while fleeing. Their bodies formed congestion on the river (39). But in the area of ​​​​the village of Leuseni and to the north, the enemy held crossings, and this allowed him part of the forces to seep to the western bank of the Prut.On September 2-3, they were destroyed in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe cities of Khush and Bacau.

In an effort to stop the bloodshed, on August 26, the commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front F.I. Tolbukhin offered to surrender to the encircled enemy troops. The general guaranteed life, safety, food, inviolability of personal property to all who surrendered, and medical care to the wounded. The terms of surrender were conveyed through the envoys to the commanders of the encircled formations, they were reported on the radio, sound installations broadcast. Despite the humane nature of the terms of surrender, the Nazis rejected them. However, on the morning of August 27, when the surrender period expired and the Soviet troops resumed fire, enemy units began to surrender in whole columns. In the south of Bessarabia, having landed troops at the mouth of the Danube, the forces of the Black Sea Fleet and the 3rd Ukrainian Front cut off the retreat routes of the 3rd Romanian army. On August 25, Romanian troops capitulated in the area of ​​​​the villages of Tatarbunary, Bayramcha, Budaki (40). On August 26, 5 Romanian divisions surrendered to the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in full force. On August 30, Soviet troops entered Bucharest.

The victory achieved by the Red Army in the Iasi-Kishinev operation brought down the southern flank of the Soviet-German front and opened the way for it to the Balkans. It allowed Romania and Bulgaria to be wrested from the power of the pro-Nazi regimes and created the conditions for their joining the Anti-Hitler coalition. She forced the German command to withdraw its troops from Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria. On August 25, Romania declared war on Germany, and on September 9, the pro-fascist regime in Bulgaria was overthrown. In September, Soviet troops established direct contact with the Yugoslav partisans and liberated Belgrade on October 23. The Balkans were lost by Hitler, formations of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts went to Hungary.

During the Iasi-Kishinev operation, huge losses were inflicted on the enemy. Of the 341 thousand soldiers and officers of the 6th German Army, 256 thousand died or were captured (41). For the Carpathians, only 6 badly battered divisions of the 8th German Army managed to retreat, which escaped encirclement. The units formed from these, according to G. Frisner, spiritually and physically exhausted people, were not enough for the German command even to close the Carpathian passes, which were only six. On September 5, already in Transylvania, the command of the Army Group "Southern Ukraine" stated that the encircled formations of the 6th Army should be considered as completely lost and that this defeat represents the greatest catastrophe that the Army Group has ever experienced (42 ) .

The statistics of losses of the Romanian army is mysterious. According to the official reference “Romanian War for the Restoration of National Integrity (1941-1945), it includes only soldiers (without officers?), including: 8,305 killed, 24,989 wounded and 153,883 “disappeared and captured” (43). Under the motto “ We can forgive, but not forget "signed by 2830 persons (as of August 17, 2011) a text was published under the title, pretending to be ironic," Stalin and the Russian people brought us freedom ". For the destruction of the army of invaders who invaded the country, neither Russia, Neither Moldova nor Ukraine needs Romanian forgiveness, but the article contains statistics:

“More than once, our historians and Western historians, less often Soviet ones, considered the consequences of the coup d'état on August 23, 1944 to be more severe for the Wehrmacht than those of Stalingrad. This is true, there is nothing to object to this point of view. Only, according to the statistics of the general staff [of the Romanian army], this event caused the Romanian Army damage in terms of people and military property significantly greater than the battle in the bend of the Don, an integral part of the Stalingrad operations.[...] From November 1 to December 31, 1942, in the period the most violent clashes with the Soviets at the front in the Bend of the Don, the Romanian army lost 353 officers, 203 non-commissioned officers and 6680 soldiers killed in action, 994 officers, 582 non-commissioned officers and 30,175 soldiers wounded in battle and 1829 officers, 1567 non-commissioned officers and 66959 missing soldiers, in most cases captured by the Soviets. Much more were the losses of the Romanian army in the period from June 1 to August 31, 1944, with the clarification that between June 1 and August 19, the date of the start of the Soviet offensive, the front in Moldova and South Bessarabia was stable, and more or less significant fighting did not take place . It was about losses in personnel, including 509 officers, 472 non-commissioned officers and 10262 soldiers killed, 1255 officers, 993 non-commissioned officers and 33317 soldiers wounded and 2628 officers, 2817 non-commissioned officers and 171 243 soldiers missing, more part captured by the Soviets after the king announced a non-existent truce on the radio. As you can see, in all categories, the figures of losses incurred during the 12 days of August 1944 exceed the losses for November 1 - December 31, 1942, even twice ”(44) .

Thus, 11,243 Romanian soldiers and officers were killed - since they managed to draw up the appropriate documents - in the first days of the offensive, and 176,688 were missing, i.e. were killed or captured. The answer to the question about the number of prisoners can be found in the online article "Romania's War for the Restoration of National Integrity (1941-1945)". Even after the speech of King Mihai on the radio, its authors assert, “the Russians continued operations against the Romanian armies, capturing all the Romanian troops in Moldova and Bessarabia that they overtook. 114,000 still combat-ready Romanian soldiers experienced this fate, having passed the path of prisoner-of-war camps in Russia ”(45).

The assertion that the Russians beat future allies too painfully seems strange: the aggressor should have been beaten mercilessly. The sufferings of the former occupiers in the camps do not arouse sympathy either. An opportunity missed by the Soviet command should be recognized as the refusal to form a dozen divisions from Romanian prisoners. They could be thrown into battle against the Germans and, especially, against the Hungarians. However, we are interested in the Romanian losses incurred during the Iasi-Kishinev operation. The given figure of 11,243 killed Romanian soldiers should be supplemented by the difference between 176 thousand and 114 thousand people. The total number of Romanian soldiers and officers who died during the Iasi-Kishinev operation amounted to 73.9 thousand people. Thus, during the Iasi-Kishinev operation, Soviet troops destroyed or captured 50% of the personnel of the opposing enemy troops.

The victory was won with little bloodshed. The losses of the Red Army in the Iasi-Kishinev operation included 13,197 dead and missing (1 percent of the total number of troops on the two fronts) and 53,933 wounded, which seems to be a very small price to pay for victory in an operation involving more than a million troops.

The lightning-fast, within eight days, defeat of the enemy army group revealed the superiority of the strategy and tactics of the Red Army, combat training and weapons, the spirit of soldiers and officers. The Soviet command correctly chose the places of strikes and planned the offensive in terms of time, means and methods. It carried out the maximum concentration of forces and means quickly and secretly from the enemy. The Iasi-Chisinau operation remains an example of the effective use of mobile formations of tanks and motorized infantry, the clear interaction of ground forces with aviation and navy; partisans successfully interacted with the front.

The Iasi-Chisinau operation, brilliant in design and execution, rightly entered the history of the Great Patriotic War as one of the most productive offensive operations of the Red Army. This operation is the largest military event of the twentieth century that took place on the soil of Moldova. It rightfully went down in history as one of the strategic blows with which the army of the USSR / Russia knocked the spirit out of the strongest army in the West - the German one. It also remains a remarkable page in the history of Moldova, a victory achieved with the participation of its peoples.

See: Edemsky A.B. To the problem of the ambitious task of creating a single pan-European textbook on the history of Europe: how it will present the Second World War and the role of the USSR in the victory over Nazism. // World War II and the Great Patriotic War in the history textbooks of the CIS and EU countries: problems, approaches, interpretations. Materials of the international conference (Moscow, April 8-9, 2010). – M., 2010. P.162.

National Archives of the Republic of Moldova. F.680. Op.1. D.4812. L.156.

Kovalev I.V. Transport in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. - M., 1982. S. 289-291.

NARM. F.1931. Op.1. D.69. L. 70.

There. F.706. Op.1. D.529. L. 94.

History of the national economy of the Moldavian SSR. 1917-1958 - Chisinau. Shtiintsa. 1974. P.213.

Liberation of Southeast and Central Europe. 1944-1945. - Moscow. 1970. P.59.

Frisner G. Lost battles. -M., military publishing house. 1966. P.67.

See: Shtemenko S.M. General Staff in the years. -M., 1968. S. 234, 239.

Samsonov A.M. The collapse of fascist aggression. 1939-1945. Historical essay. -Moscow. The science. 1975, pp. 488, 489.

Aftenyuk S., Elin D., Korenev A., Levit I. Moldavian SSR in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945. - Chisinau. Shtiintsa. 1970. P.356.

Samsonov A.M. Decree. cit., S. 489.

There. pp. 490, 491.

Frisner G. Decree. cit., p.72.

http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/blazhey_ak/04.html

Frisner G. Decree. op. P.72.

There. pp. 75, 105.

Moldavian SSR in the Great Patriotic War….T.1. P.591.

History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945. In 6 vol. T.IV. -M., 1962. S.271.

Historia Basarabiei. De la inceputuri pina in 1994. -Bucuresti. Editura Nova Tempus. 1994. P.338.

Frisner G. Decree. cit., pp. 85, 86.

There. P.80.

Moraru P. Serviciile secrete si Basarabia. Dictionary 1918-1991. –Bucuresti. Editura militara. 2008. P.34.

Frisner G. Decree. cit., pp. 84,85.

Cit. by: Aftenyuk S., Elin D., Korenev A., Levit I. Decree. cit., p.345.

History and culture of the Gagauz. Essays. – Chisinau-Comrat. 2006. P.341.

Aftenyuk S., Elin D., Korenev A., Levit I. Decree. cit., pp. 345, 346; Elin D.D. Decree. cit., pp. 208, 209; Moldavian. SSR in the Great Patriotic War... V.2. pp. 495, 608, 611, 545; T.1. pp. 431,590.

Aftenyuk S., Elin D., Korenev A., Levit I. Decree. cit., pp. 346,347.

Moldavian. SSR in the Great Patriotic War... V.2. S.501.

Aftenyuk S., Elin D., Korenev A., Levit I. Decree. cit., p.349.

Iasi-Chisinau Cannes (Edited by R. Malinovsky). -Moscow. 1964. P.157.

Moldavian SSR in the Great Patriotic War….T.1. pp. 436, 590, 591.

Moraru A. Istoria romanilor. Basarabia and Transnistria. 1812-1993. – Chisinau. 1995. P. 387.

Aftenyuk S., Elin D., Korenev A., Levit I. Decree. cit., pp. 366-368.

There. P.368.

Frisner G. Dec. cit., S. 103.

The offensive of the Red Army in the spring of 1944 on the southern sector of the Soviet-German front led to a serious defeat of the Army Group "South" and Army Group "A", subsequently transformed into the Army Group "Southern Ukraine". During a series of successful offensive operations, the entire southern territory of Ukraine and part of Moldova were liberated, and control over all bases of the Black Sea Fleet was restored. The German-Romanian troops managed to stabilize the situation only by the end of April. By this time, the front line in the south ran along the Dniester River, in the north along the Iasi-Orhei line (the Trayan defensive line).

When developing a plan for an offensive in the Balkans, one more circumstance had to be taken into account: the Anglo-American allies, according to the "Balkan option", were considering the possibility of opening a second front there. In this case, the main role on the peninsula was played by the Anglo-American armed forces, and the Soviet Union would have to overcome significant political difficulties and coordinate its actions with the allied army. It is worth noting that even during the Odessa offensive operation, the Romanian dictator Antonescu tried to probe the possibility of getting his country out of the war. The ruling circles of Romania, worried about the retreat of the Germans along the entire Soviet-German front, sought rapprochement with the Anglo-American bloc in order to conclude a separate treaty. When Soviet troops crossed the Soviet-Romanian border, the USSR government at a press conference on April 2 announced to the whole world that units of the Red Army had crossed the Prut River and entered Romanian territory.

After two days of deliberation and assurances from Hitler that Romania would be defended by German forces just as if it were Germany, the Soviet proposal was rejected.

The Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief gave the order to the advancing units of the Red Army to pursue the enemy until his complete defeat and surrender. On April 10, 1944, the State Defense Committee adopted a Resolution on the conduct of Soviet troops on the territory of Romania. This decree determined the procedure for directing, controlling and monitoring the activities of civil authorities by the Military Council of the front. Personal responsibility for its implementation was assigned to General I.Z. Susaykov. The Romanian authorities were ordered to leave, protect the property and property rights of citizens and private societies. The Soviet military administration was introduced in the liberated territory.

After the stabilization of the front and the onset of an operational pause, both Germany and the USSR began to prepare for the summer military campaign.

The top German leadership was almost sure that the Soviet troops would continue to develop their success precisely on the southern face of the front and therefore made every possible effort to strengthen the so-called Chisinau ledge, formed during the spring offensive.

For a better understanding of the situation, it is appropriate to give some explanations of why this section of the front was so important. In military terms, it blocked the way for the Soviet troops to the Balkans and the central regions of Romania. Also, do not forget that the Romanian oil fields were practically the only own source of this raw material for all countries of the Nazi coalition. In addition, the territory of Romania was of great geopolitical importance. The successes of the Red Army seriously undermined the position of the pro-Nazi governments in both Hungary and Romania. At the same time, the anti-fascist movement was gaining momentum in Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. In this situation, another serious defeat of the German troops - and Hitler's former loyal allies will turn their weapons against the soldiers of the Wehrmacht.

It was for the above reasons that the German command expected the main blow precisely on this sector of the front. But the German military leaders failed to guess the intention of the Headquarters.

The first and most powerful blow of the 1944 summer campaign followed much further north. Operation "Bagration", launched in Belarus, completely broke the strategic plans of the Reich. In an effort to stop the Soviet troops, who were rushing to Poland and the Baltic states, the German leadership began to hastily transfer their forces from the currently calm sectors of the front. In June-July 1944, 12 divisions were transferred from the Chisinau ledge to the north, which seriously weakened the Southern Ukraine grouping. And this circumstance did not go unnoticed by the Soviet generals.

On July 31, 1944, the Headquarters held a meeting at which they discussed a plan to launch a new offensive in the southern direction. This day can be considered the date of the beginning of the preparation of the offensive operation against the Army Group "Southern Ukraine", which later received the name of the Iasi-Kishinev offensive operation or the Iasi-Kishinev cannes.

In the upcoming operation, it was decided to use the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of R.Ya. Malinovsky and the 3rd Ukrainian Front under the leadership of F.I. Tolbukhin. The capture of coastal infrastructure, as well as the landing of operational assault forces, were to be provided by the Black Sea Fleet under the command of F.S. Oktyabrsky and the Danube military flotilla under the command of Vice Admiral S.G. Gorshkov. Air support for the upcoming operation was to be provided by the 5th and 17th air armies.

The Southern Ukraine Army Group opposing our troops, under the command of Johannes Frisner, was divided into two army groups: in the north of the Kishinev salient, there was the Veler group, in the southeast - Dumitrescu.

The command of the German group believed that in the event of an offensive, the Soviet armies would strike the main blow in the Chisinau direction, since it was through Chisinau that the shortest path to the oil-bearing regions of Romania lay, moreover, the terrain in this direction was the most favorable for the offensive. Based on this, the German units, as the most combat-ready ones, were concentrated in the center of the ledge, and on the flanks there were Romanian units, which were significantly inferior to the Wehrmacht troops, both in armament and in combat training.

In this way, the Germans themselves suggested to our command a plan for a future offensive.

The general plan of the operation assumed that the 2nd Ukrainian Front would deliver the main blow from the area northwest of Yass in the direction of Vaslui. At the same time, the 3rd Ukrainian Front went on the offensive from the Dniester bridgehead south of Tiraspol, captured during the Odessa operation, and advanced towards Malinovsky's troops.

Realizing that it would not be possible to completely hide the moment of preparation from the enemy, the Soviet command took a number of measures designed to maintain the confidence of the German military leadership that the attack would be precisely on Chisinau. In particular, the 5th shock army of General N.E. Berzarin defiantly prepared an offensive from the area of ​​​​the village of Sharpen (Sherpen). At the same time, in the area of ​​Dubossary and Grigoriopol, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front also showed signs of preparing for the offensive. All these events finally convinced the German leadership of the correctness of their initial conclusions.

Thus, even at the preparation stage, the enemy was outplayed both tactically and strategically..

Special attention should be paid to reconnaissance activities carried out in the preparatory period. In order to obtain data on the location of enemy firing points, for the first time since the beginning of the war, mass perspective photography of the enemy defenses was carried out throughout its entire operational depth. With the help of optics installed on Il-2 aircraft, very high-quality images of the enemy's fortified positions were obtained. Before the offensive, the commanders of ground units received special photographic plates, which displayed the entire German defense system to a depth of 10 kilometers.

The Iasi-Kishinev operation is a strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, carried out from August 20 to 29, 1944 by the forces of the Second Ukrainian Front and the Third Ukrainian Front in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube military flotilla in order to defeat the German Army Group "Southern Ukraine", the completion of the liberation of Moldova and the withdrawal of Romania from the war on the side of Germany. As part of the Iasi-Kishinev operation, the Iasi-Focsani and Chisinau-Izmail front-line offensive operations were carried out. The duration of the Iasi-Chisinau operation was 10 days, the width of the front of hostilities was over 500 km, the depth of advance of Soviet troops was 300-320 km, the average daily rate of advance of rifle formations was 20-25 km, tank and mechanized formations - 30-32 km.

By the beginning of the Iasi-Kishinev operation, at the turn of 580 km (Krasnoilsk, Pashkani, north of Iasi, further along the Dniester to the Black Sea), the German troops of the Southern Ukraine Army Group (Heeresgruppe Sudukraine) were defending, led by Colonel General G. Frisner. It included the army group "Veder" (8th German army, 4th Romanian army, 17th German separate army corps) and the army group "Dumitrescu" (6th German army, 3rd Romanian army) with a total numbering 900 thousand people. The enemy troops numbered 47 divisions and 5 brigades, 7,600 guns and mortars, over 400 tanks and assault guns. They were supported by part of the forces of the 4th Air Fleet and the Romanian Air Corps - a total of 810 aircraft.

Second Ukrainian Front (40th, 7th Guards, 27th, 52nd, 4th Guards, 53rd Army, 6th Tank Army, Cavalry Mechanized Group of Major General S.I. Gorshkov, 18th Tank Corps, 5th Air Army) under the command of General of the Army R.Ya. Malinovsky numbered 771 thousand people. The Second Ukrainian Front included the 1st Romanian Volunteer Infantry Division named after Tudor Vladimirescu and the Yugoslav brigade. The Third Ukrainian Front (5th shock, 57th, 37th, 46th armies, 7th and 4th guards mechanized corps, 17th air army) under the command of Army General F.I. Tolbukhin numbered 523 thousand people. Assistance to the ground forces was provided by the Danube Military Flotilla (Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov) and the Black Sea Fleet (F.S. Oktyabrsky). In total, the Soviet command on the southern sector of the Soviet-German front had 91 divisions, 6 separate corps, 4 separate brigades, 16 thousand guns and mortars, 1870 tanks and self-propelled guns, 2200 aircraft. The total number of personnel reached 1, 314 million people. The actions of the fronts were coordinated by the representative of the Stavka S.K. Timoshenko.

The plan of the Soviet command provided for attacks by the troops of the Second and Third Ukrainian Fronts to break through the enemy defenses in the areas northwest of Yassy and south of Bendery and, developing an offensive in converging directions on Khushi, Vaslui, Falchiu, encircle and destroy the main forces of the Army Group "Southern Ukraine" in the areas Iasi and Chisinau, then quickly move into the depths of Romania. The Danube military flotilla was given the task of landing troops northwest and south of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky (Akkerman), and with the entry of troops of the Third Ukrainian Front to the Danube, assist them in forcing the river. The Black Sea Fleet was supposed to support the troops of the Third Ukrainian Front in the coastal direction with fire, disrupt the enemy's coastal sea communications, destroy his ships, and launch air strikes on his naval bases.

On August 20, 1944, both fronts launched an offensive. On the first day, the troops of the Second Ukrainian Front broke through the tactical defense zone of the enemy. In the middle of the day, in the zone of the 27th Army, the 6th Panzer Army was introduced into the breakthrough, the formations of which by the end of the day reached the third defensive zone, which ran along the Mare ridge. The troops of the Third Ukrainian Front broke through the first line of enemy defenses and wedged into the second. On the second day, the enemy, having pulled up 12 divisions (including 2 tank divisions) to the breakthrough site of the Second Ukrainian Front, unsuccessfully tried to stop the offensive of the Soviet troops. The troops of the Second Ukrainian Front overcame the enemy defenses and advanced up to 40 km, on August 21 they captured the city of Iasi. The troops of the Third Ukrainian Front, having repulsed the enemy counterattacks, also completed the breakthrough of his defense. The 7th and 4th Guards Mechanized Corps, introduced into the battle, advanced up to 30 km in depth and cut off the 6th German Army from the 3rd Romanian Army.

On August 22, the sailors of the Danube military flotilla, together with the landing group of the 46th Army, crossed the Dniester Estuary, liberated Belgorod-Dniester and launched an offensive in a southwestern direction. By the end of August 23, the troops of the Second and Third Ukrainian Fronts reached the Khushi and Leovo regions, completing the encirclement of the Chisinau enemy grouping. On the same day, the 46th Army, in cooperation with the Danube Military Flotilla, surrounded the 3rd Romanian Army, whose troops ceased resistance the next day. On August 24, formations of the 5th shock army liberated Chisinau.

On August 23, 1944, the pro-German regime of Ion Antonescu was overthrown in Romania, the next day Romania announced its withdrawal from the war. In this regard, the Soviet command, leaving 34 divisions to destroy the encircled enemy grouping in Chisinau, sent more than 50 divisions deep into Romania. By the end of August 27, the encircled enemy grouping east of the Prut River was eliminated, and on August 29, units that managed to cross the Prut to the west. At the same time, the troops of the Second Ukrainian Front, having overcome the Focsani fortified area on the move, occupied Focsani (August 27) and reached Ploiesti. The troops of the Third Ukrainian Front, advancing south along both banks of the Danube, cut off the escape routes of the defeated enemy troops to Bucharest. The Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Military Flotilla contributed to the advance of the troops, landed troops, and struck with naval aviation.

By August 30, the cities of Sulina, Tulcea, Galati, Constanta (the main naval base of Romania) were occupied. A number of Romanian units and formations took part in the liberation of the territory of Romania, turning their weapons against the Nazis.
As a result of the Iasi-Kishinev operation, Soviet troops defeated the Southern Ukraine Army Group, destroyed 22 German divisions, defeated almost all the Romanian divisions that were at the front, captured 208.6 thousand prisoners (including 25 generals), over 2 thousand guns, 340 tanks and assault guns, about 18 thousand vehicles, destroyed 490 tanks and assault guns, 1.5 thousand guns, about 300 aircraft, 15 thousand vehicles. Moldova and the Izmail region of Ukraine were liberated, Romania was withdrawn from the war, its new leadership on August 24 declared war on Germany.

Prelude of the Iasi-Kishinev operation

April 12, 1944 units of the 57th Army crossed the Dniester near the villages of Butory and Sherpen. The bridgehead necessary for the attack on Chisinau was captured. To the north of Bender, in the village of Varnitsa, another bridgehead was created. But the resources of the advancing troops were exhausted, they needed rest and replenishment. By order of the Supreme High Command on May 6, the troops of I.S. Konev went on the defensive. The group of German-Romanian troops "Southern Ukraine" blocked the Red Army's path to the oil sources of Romania.
The central part of the German-Romanian front, the Chisinau ledge, was occupied by the "restored" German 6th Army, defeated in Stalingrad. For liquidation Sherpen bridgehead the enemy formed the task force of General Otto von Knobelsdorf, a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad. The group included 3 infantry, 1 airborne and 3 tank divisions, 3 divisional groups, 2 assault gun brigades, a special group of General Schmidt and other units. Their actions were provided by large aviation forces.

May 7, 1944 The Sherpen bridgehead began to be occupied by 5 rifle divisions - a corps under the command of General S.I. Morozov, which is part of the 8th Army of General V.I. Chuikov. The troops on the bridgehead lacked ammunition, equipment, anti-tank defense equipment, and air cover. The counter-offensive launched by the German troops on May 10 took them by surprise. During the fighting, the corps of S.I. Morozova held part of the bridgehead, but suffered heavy losses. On May 14, he was replaced by the 34th Guards Corps of the 5th Shock Army under the command of General N.E. Berzarina. The front line was stabilized. On May 18, the enemy, having lost most of the tanks and manpower, stopped the attacks. The German command recognized the Sherpen operation as a failure, O. Knobelsdorf was not awarded any awards.

Sherpen bridgehead and further chained to itself the large forces of the 6th German army. Between the bridgehead and Chisinau, German troops equipped 4 lines of defense. Another defensive line was built in the city itself, along the Byk River. For this, the Germans dismantled about 500 houses. The expectation of an offensive from the Sherpen bridgehead predetermined the deployment of the main forces of the 6th German Army.
The Southern Ukraine Army Group created by the enemy included the 6th and 8th German armies, the 4th and 17th armies of Romania (until July 25). The preparation of a new offensive required the preliminary delivery of 100 thousand wagons of equipment, weapons and equipment to the troops. Meanwhile, in the spring of 1944. the destruction on the railway of Moldavia was carried out by the German-Romanian troops under the full program of "scorched earth". The Military Communications Service and the sappers had to rebuild the bridges blown up by the enemy, technical and service buildings, and restore the station economy as soon as possible.
The Rybnitsa bridge was put into operation on May 24, 1944. (for comparison: the same bridge was restored only by December 1941, when the advancing German-Romanian troops needed it). The railway units also worked very efficiently. By July 10, 6 water supply points, 50 artificial structures, 200 km of a pole communication line were restored. By the end of July, in the liberated regions of Moldova, 750 km of railway lines were put into working condition and 58 bridges were rebuilt. By performing this miracle of restoration, the railway troops of the Red Army contributed to the coming victory. It should be noted that there is widespread support for their actions by the local population.
At the beginning of May 1944 commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, instead of I.S. Koneva, appointed commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front, was appointed General R.Ya.Malinovsky, on the 3rd Ukrainian Front he was replaced by General F.I.Tolbukhin. They began to develop offensive plans with the participation of the chiefs of staff of the fronts S.S. Biryuzova and M.V. Zakharov.
Attack on Chisinau Sherpen bridgehead allowed to split the enemy front. However, the Soviet command preferred to hit on the flanks, where the Romanian troops were defending, less combat-ready than the German ones. It was decided that the 2nd Ukrainian Front would strike northwest of Yass, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front - from the Kitskansky bridgehead. The bridgehead was located at the junction of the positions of the 6th German and 3rd Romanian armies. The Soviet troops were to defeat the opposing Romanian divisions, and then encircle and destroy the German 6th Army and quickly move deep into Romania. Tasks to support the actions of the 3rd Ukrainian Front were assigned to the Black Sea Fleet.
The idea was to give the enemy a second Stalingrad. The goal is to encircle and destroy the main forces of Army Group South Ukraine. The withdrawal of Soviet troops to the central regions of Romania deprived her of the opportunity to continue the war on the side of Nazi Germany. Through the territory of Romania, our troops opened the shortest routes to the borders of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, as well as exits to Hungary.
The enemy had to be misled. “It was very important,” General of the Army S.M. Shtemenko later noted, “to force a smart and experienced enemy to wait for our offensive only in the Chisinau area.” Solving this problem, the Soviet troops staunchly defended the bridgeheads, and Soviet intelligence conducted dozens of radio games. General's 5th Shock Army N.E. Berzarina defiantly prepared an offensive from the Sherpen bridgehead. “The cunning Frisner believed for a long time,” S.M. Shtemenko stated, “that the Soviet command would not strike him in any other place ...”
June 6, 1944 The second front was finally opened in northern France. The Soviet tank armies were on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front, and the enemy was expecting a strike from the area north of Chisinau, so they made no attempts to transfer troops from Romania and Moldova to Normandy. But on June 23, the Soviet offensive began in Belarus (Operation Bagration), and on July 13 the Red Army struck at the Northern Ukraine Army Group. Trying to keep Poland under their control, the German command transferred up to 12 divisions to Belarus and Western Ukraine, including 6 tank and 1 motorized.
However, in August Army Group South Ukraine still included 47 divisions, 25 of them German. In these formations there were 640 thousand people, 7600 guns and mortars, 400 tanks and assault guns, 810 combat aircraft. In total, the enemy grouping consisted of almost 500 thousand German and 450 thousand Romanian soldiers and officers.
German and Romanian troops had combat experience. Colonel General G. Frisner, appointed commander on July 25, was known as an experienced and prudent military leader. He stepped up the construction of defensive structures. On the 600-kilometer front from the Carpathians to the Black Sea, a powerful echeloned defense was created. Its depth reached 80 km. The command of the German-Romanian troops expected the Russian offensive with confidence in their capabilities.
However, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command managed to create superiority in forces in the decisive sectors of the front. The combat strength of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts was brought up to 930 thousand people. They were armed with 16,000 guns and mortars, 1,870 tanks and self-propelled guns, and 1,760 combat aircraft.
The superiority of the Soviet side in the number of troops was small, but they outnumbered the enemy in armament. The ratio of forces was as follows: in people - 1.2: 1, in field guns of various calibers - 1.3: 1, in tanks and self-propelled guns - 1.4: 1, machine guns - 1: 1, in mortars - 1.9 : 1, in aircraft - 3: 1 in favor of the Soviet troops. Due to the lack of superiority necessary for the success of the offensive, it was decided to expose secondary sectors of the front. It was a risky move. But on Kitskansky bridgehead and north of Yass, the following balance of forces was created: in people - 6: 1, in field guns of various calibers - 5.5: 1, in tanks and self-propelled guns - 5.4: 1, machine guns - 4.3: 1, in mortars - 6.7:1, in aircraft - 3:1 in favor of the Soviet troops.
The Soviet command carried out the concentration of troops and military equipment covertly and immediately before the offensive. The density of artillery in the breakthrough areas reached 240 and even 280 guns and mortars per 1 km of the front.
3 days before the start of the offensive, the German command suspected that the blow would not be delivered from the Sherpen area and Orhei, and on the flanks of the 6th German army. At a meeting (without the participation of the Romanians) held at the headquarters of the armies "Southern Ukraine" on August 19, the plan for the withdrawal of the Army Group "Southern Ukraine", called the "Bear option", was considered. But the Soviet command did not leave time for the enemy to escape.

Symphony of Victory

August 20, 1944 Soviet troops began the offensive with powerful artillery preparation. Aviation carried out bombing and assault strikes on enemy strongholds and firing positions. The fire system of the German and Romanian troops was suppressed, on the first day of the offensive they lost 9 divisions.

Destroyed railway station, Chisinau, 1944

Banner of Victory over Chisinau

Breaking through the German-Romanian front to the south Bender, formations of the 3rd Ukrainian Front defeated the operational reserves of the enemy thrown in front of them and resolutely continued to advance to the west. Supporting the offensive, the 5th and 17th Air Armies, commanded by Generals S.K. Goryunov and V.L. Sudets, have achieved absolute dominance in the air. On the evening of August 22, Soviet tanks and motorized infantry went to Comrat, where the headquarters of the 6th German army was located, the 3rd Romanian army was cut off from the 6th. Parts of the 2nd Ukrainian Front already occupied the Yassky and Tyrgu-Frumossky fortified areas on August 21, and the 6th tank army of Lieutenant General A.G. Kravchenko moved south. The enemy, with the forces of three divisions, including the Romanian guards tank division "Greater Romania", organized a counterattack. But this did not change the general situation. The breakthrough by the Russian troops of the German front to the west of Jassy and their advance to the south, G. Frisner admitted, blocked the German army's path to retreat. On August 21, G. Frisner gave the order to retreat. The next day, the command of the German ground forces also allowed the withdrawal of troops from the Southern Ukraine Army Group. But it was already too late.
On August 23, at 13.00, the 63rd mechanized brigade from the 7th mechanized corps broke into the village Leuseni, where she defeated the rear of the infantry divisions of the 6th German army, captured prisoners and occupied the Prut line in the Leusheny-Nemtseny area.
The 16th mechanized brigade, having destroyed the enemy in the area of ​​the villages Sarata-Galbena, Karpineny, Lapushna, cut off the German troops' path to the west from the forests east of Lapushna. On the same day, the 36th Guards Tank Brigade captured the crossing over the Prut north of Leovo. In the offensive zone of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, the 110th and 170th tank brigades under the command of Major General V.I. Polozkov. They established contact with the tankers of the 3rd Ukrainian Front and closed the encirclement around 18 German divisions. The first stage of the strategic operation was completed. During the day, the front was pushed back by 80-100 kilometers. The pace of the Soviet offensive was 40-45 km per day, the encircled had no chance of salvation.
In addition to the combat formations of the Red Army on the territory of the still occupied Moldova in August 1944. more than 20 partisan detachments with a total number of over 1300 armed fighters fought. They consisted of only two dozen officers. These were wartime officers - with minimal theoretical training, but rich combat experience.
The partisans set up ambushes and sabotage, smashed the occupation administration and successfully fought off the punishers. On the morning of August 20, the partisan headquarters informed the detachments by radio about the transition of the troops of the two fronts to the offensive. The partisans were tasked with preventing the withdrawal of enemy troops, the removal of material assets and the deportation of the population. On the night of August 23, the Chisinau enemy grouping began to withdraw from their positions. Troops of the 5th Shock Army Lieutenant General N.E. Berzarina, overcoming minefields and knocking down the rearguards of the enemy, began the pursuit. By the end of the day, parts of the divisions under the command of Generals V.P. Sokolova, A.P. Dorofeeva and D.M. Syzranov, Colonel A. Belsky broke into Chisinau. From the side Orhei units of infantry divisions under the command of General M.P. advanced on Chisinau. Seryugin and Colonel G.N. Shostatsky, and from the area of ​​the village Dorotskoe the rifle division of Colonel S.M. was advancing over rough terrain. Fomichenko. Chisinau was surrounded by Soviet troops. The city was on fire: on the orders of the German commandant Stanislaus von Devitz-Krebs, a team of sappers, Lieutenant Heinz Klik, destroyed the largest buildings and utility facilities. After a three-hour battle, - noted in the combat summary, - the 89th division of General M.P. Seryugin took control of the stations Visternicheny and Petrikany, crossed the river. Bull and by 23.00 went to the southwestern outskirts of Chisinau, by 24.00 occupied the villages of Durlesti and Boyukany. By 2400 Chisinau was mostly cleared of enemy troops. However, skirmishes in the city continued into the night.

Liberation Chisinau was completed on the morning of 24 August. Near the villages of Lapushna, Stolnicheny, Kosteshty, Rezens, Karakuy, Soviet troops surrounded the remnants of 12 German divisions. With columns of several thousand soldiers and officers, supported by artillery and tanks, they tried to break through in a southwestern direction. In the battle (to the north of Leovo) about 700 enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed, 228 were taken prisoner. Thousands of German soldiers and officers drowned in the Prut while fleeing.
Their bodies formed congestion on the river. In the area of ​​the village Leuseni the enemy held the crossings, and this allowed him to seep part of his forces to the western bank of the Prut. September 2-3, and these remnants of the enemy were destroyed in the area of ​​​​the cities of Khush and Bacau. In an effort to stop the bloodshed, August 26 Commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front F.I.Tolbukhin offered to surrender to the encircled enemy troops. The general guaranteed life, safety, food, inviolability of personal property to all who surrendered, and medical care to the wounded. The terms of surrender were conveyed to the commanders of the encircled formations through the truce, they were reported on the radio. Despite the humane nature of the terms of surrender, the Nazis rejected them. However, on the morning of August 27, when the surrender period expired and the Soviet troops resumed fire, enemy units began to surrender in whole columns. On August 26, 5 Romanian divisions surrendered to the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in full force. On August 30, Soviet troops entered Bucharest. For military distinctions, 126 formations and units of the ground forces and the navy that participated in the Iasi-Kishinev operation were awarded the honorary names of Chisinau, Iasi, Foksha, Rymnitsky, Konstantsky and others.

Side losses:

Only according to official data, as a result of the Iasi-Kishinev operation, which lasted from August 20 to 29, 1944, the Red Army lost 67,130 people, of which 13,197 were killed, seriously wounded and missing.

The combined German-Romanian troops lost more than 135,000 people killed, wounded and missing, 208,600 surrendered.

The victory achieved by the Red Army in the Iasi-Kishinev operation brought down the southern flank of the Soviet-German front and opened the way for it to the Balkans. It allowed Romania and Bulgaria to be wrested from the power of the pro-Nazi regimes and created the conditions for their joining the Anti-Hitler coalition. She forced the German command to withdraw its troops from Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria.

Iasi - Chisinau operation

In April 1944, as a result of a successful offensive in Right-Bank Ukraine, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front reached the line of the cities of Iasi and Orhei and went on the defensive. Troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front came to the river Dniester and captured several bridgeheads on its western bank. These fronts, as well as Black Sea Fleet and the Danube military flotilla was tasked with carrying out the Iasi-Kishinev strategic offensive operation in order to defeat a large grouping of German and Romanian troops that covered the Balkan direction.

The Army Group "Southern Ukraine" under the command of Colonel General G. Frisner defended before the Soviet troops. It included two army groups: "Vehler" (8th German and 4th Romanian armies, and the 17th German army corps) and "Dumitrescu" (6th German and 3rd Romanian armies). In total, there were 900 thousand people, 7,600 guns and mortars, over 400 tanks and assault guns, and 810 combat aircraft (the 4th German air fleet and Romanian aviation). The enemy created a strong defense in depth, consisting of 3-4 defensive zones linked to water barriers and hilly terrain. Strong defensive contours encircled many cities and other settlements.

The operation was entrusted to the troops of the 2nd (commander - General of the Army R. Ya. Malinovsky),

R.Ya. Malinovsky

3rd (commander - General of the Army F. I. Tolbukhin)

F.I. Tolbukhin

Ukrainian fronts, the Black Sea Fleet (commander Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky) and the Danube Military Flotilla (commander - Rear Admiral S. G. Gorshkov). The actions of the fronts were coordinated by the representative of the Supreme Command Headquarters, Marshal of the Soviet Union S. K. Timoshenko.

According to the plan of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube military flotilla, were to use the advantageous configuration of the front line in relation to the enemy grouping, break through his defenses in two sectors (northwest of Yassy and south of Bender ), encircle and destroy the main forces of the Army Group "Southern Ukraine" in the areas of Iasi and Chisinau and develop an offensive deep into Romania.

Soviet troops numbered 1250 thousand people, 16 thousand guns and mortars, 1870 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations, 2200 combat aircraft. High operational densities of advancing troops were created in the areas of breaking through the enemy defenses (on the 2nd Ukrainian Front - 16 km, on the 3rd - 18 km) - up to 240 guns and mortars and up to 56 tanks and self-propelled artillery installations per 1 km of the front . Rifle divisions advanced on a front of less than 1 km.

According to the directive of the Headquarters of October 2, 1944, the 2nd Ukrainian Front received the task of breaking through the enemy defenses, striking with the forces of three combined arms and tank armies at Iasi - Felchiul. At the first stage of the operation, the troops were to capture the crossings across the Prut River and, together with the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, defeat the enemy’s Chisinau grouping, preventing its withdrawal, and then develop an offensive in the general direction of Focsani, providing the right flank of the strike force from the Carpathians. The 3rd Ukrainian Front was tasked with breaking through the enemy defenses south of Bendery and delivering a strike with the forces of the troops of three combined arms armies in the direction of Khushi, providing the strike force of the front from the south. At the first stage, in cooperation with the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, they were to defeat the enemy’s Chisinau grouping and capture the Leonovo, Moldavka line, and further develop the offensive in the general direction of Reni and Izmail, preventing the enemy from withdrawing beyond the Prut and Danube rivers.

The fronts were supposed to use the tank army, tank and mechanized corps after breaking through the enemy defenses to quickly capture the crossings on the Prut River, and the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps to force the Seret River and provide troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front from the west. The Black Sea Fleet received the task of assisting the offensive of the troops of the left wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, ensuring that they cross the Dniester Estuary, landing tactical landings, and destroying enemy ships. The Danube flotilla was supposed to assist the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front in forcing the Danube.

On August 20, at 07:40, after a powerful artillery and aviation preparation, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts went on the offensive, accompanied by a double barrage of fire. At the same time, ground attack aviation in groups of 8-20 aircraft at intervals of 15 minutes delivered bombing and assault strikes against the strongest strongholds and firing positions of enemy artillery. Artillery preparation and air strikes proved to be very effective. The enemy fire system was suppressed. The enemy suffered heavy losses in manpower and military equipment, especially on the main strip. Command and control in the link battalion - regiment - division was lost by the enemy. This favorable situation was used by the troops of the shock groupings of the fronts to develop high rates of attack and break through the enemy's tactical defenses in the shortest possible time.

Destroyed German technology

Formations of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the first half of the day broke through two enemy defense lines. In the band of the 27th Army, Lieutenant General S. G. Trofimenko, the 6th Tank Army, Lieutenant General A. G. Kravchenko, began to enter the breakthrough, which, however, could not break away from the infantry for a considerable distance. This was explained by the fact that the advanced units of the enemy’s 1st Panzer and 18th Mountain Infantry Divisions, advanced from the operational reserve, took up defensive positions on the approaches to the Mare Ridge and, together with the retreating remnants of the defeated units of the 5th and 76th Infantry Divisions, put up stubborn resistance the Soviet troops. Due to the fact that the enemy held the Iasian heights in his hands, it was not possible to bring the 18th Panzer Corps into the gap on the first day of the operation. Serious assistance to the advancing troops was provided by the 5th Air Army of Colonel-General S.K. Goryunov, which made 1580 sorties that day.

The fighting of the 3rd Ukrainian Front was also successful. The attack was so swift that by the end of the first day of the operation, his troops had completed the breakthrough of the enemy's main line of defense and reached the second defensive line, in places wedging to a depth of 10-12 km and expanding the front of the breakthrough to 40 km. This created favorable conditions for the development of a rapid offensive in depth and for isolating the formations of the 3rd Romanian army with a view to their subsequent defeat in parts.

The calculation of the anti-tank rifle of Sergeant Petrov fires at the enemy

The enemy, in an effort to disrupt the offensive that had begun, pulled up reserves on the morning of August 21 and, relying on the second line of defense, launched a counterattack on the troops of the 37th Army of Lieutenant General I.T. Shlemin, placing special hopes on the actions of his 13th Panzer Division. However, all his attempts to stop our advance were unsuccessful. Having exhausted and bled the enemy, the troops of the 37th Army captured the settlement of Ermoklia with a decisive attack, and by the end of the day they reached the Opach region. By this time, units of the 46th Army had reached the Aleksandren area.

German tank formation

German heavy tank T-VI "Tiger"

On the second day of the operation, August 21, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front continued to expand and deepen the breakthrough. By the end of the day, the formations of the 27th and 6th tank armies captured the passes on the Mare ridge, and during the night they completed the breakthrough of the enemy's army defense line. The troops of the 52nd Army, Lieutenant General K. A. Koroteev, by this time had captured the large political and economic center of Romania - the city of Iasi, overcame all three enemy defensive lines and entered the operational space. On the same day, a cavalry-mechanized group and the 18th Panzer Corps were introduced into the breakthrough, which proceeded to develop success in the general direction of Khushi.

Liberation of the city of Iasi

During the breakthrough of the Tyrgu-Frumos fortified area, junior sergeant Alexander Shevchenko performed a heroic deed. The advance of his unit was delayed by enemy fire from a pillbox. All attempts to suppress this pillbox with artillery fire from closed firing positions were unsuccessful. There was a threat of disruption of the offensive. Then the young patriot, not sparing his life, rushed to the embrasure of the enemy pillbox and closed it with his body, opening the way for the assault group. For his heroism and self-sacrifice, the glorious son of our Motherland, Junior Sergeant A. Shevchenko, was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Participants in the battles in Bessarabia 1944

In connection with the success achieved by the strike force of the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, its commander at 10 o’clock on August 21 introduced the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps into the gap in the 46th Army’s zone, which proceeded to the rapid pursuit of the enemy and by the end of the day reached border Raylen, Klyastits. At 4 p.m., in the zone of the 37th Army, its mobile group, the 7th Mechanized Corps, was put into battle, which, however, did not act decisively enough and by the end of the day was unable to break away from the rifle formations. Nevertheless, during August 20 and 21, the troops of the shock group of the 3rd Ukrainian Front broke through the tactical defenses of the enemy, defeated his 13th Panzer Division and, increasing the breakthrough to a depth of 40-50 km and expanding it to 40 km, created a real threat isolation of the 6th German army from the 3rd Romanian. By the morning of August 22, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front captured the Mare ridge and entered the operational space in the direction of the main attack. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front also achieved serious results. By this time, the enemy had used up all his operational reserves and did not have any large forces and means to counter the offensive of our troops.

German assault gun "Stug III"

In connection with the successes achieved, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on August 21 issued a directive in which it pointed out the need "by the combined efforts of the two fronts to quickly close the encirclement ring of the enemy in the Khushi area, and then narrow this ring in order to destroy or capture the enemy's Chisinau grouping." Fulfilling the instructions of the Headquarters, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front continued to develop the offensive. On August 22, the formations of the 4th Guards Army, Lieutenant General I.V. Galanin, launched the offensive, delivering the main blow on the right flank along the eastern bank of the Prut River. By the end of that day, the troops of the front had deeply engulfed the enemy grouping in the area of ​​Iasi and Chisinau from the west. On August 23, formations of the 27th Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front completed the task scheduled for five days. On the same day, the 6th Panzer Army finished clearing the city of Vaslui from the enemy and, having advanced 45 km to the south, captured the city of Byrlad. The troops of the 7th Guards Army, Colonel-General M.S. Shumilov, completely overcame the Tyrgu-Frumossky fortified area and crossed the Seret River, and the horse-mechanized group of Major-General S.I. Gorshkov liberated the city of Roman. The 73rd Rifle Corps of the 52nd Army on the same day captured the city of Khushi.

Continuing the offensive on August 24, the troops of the 4th Guards and 52nd Armies and the 18th Tank Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front reached the Prut River at the turn west of Khushi, Kotumori and connected with the advanced units of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, completing the encirclement of a large enemy groupings. At the same time, the forward detachments of the 6th Panzer Army captured the crossings on the Seret River in the area north of Focsana and were more than 120 km from the troops of the 52nd Army and the 18th Panzer Corps, operating on the inner front of the encirclement. On August 27, the 6th Panzer Army broke through the enemy defenses at the Foksha Gate and developed the offensive at a rate of 50 km or more per day.

Mobile groups and the 37th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on August 22 were rapidly advancing into the depths of the enemy defenses. The 7th Mechanized Corps fought 80 km that day, completing the task set for two days, and the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps covered 90 km. By the end of the day, the strike force of the front expanded the breakthrough to 170 km along the front and up to 70 km in depth.

On the left wing of the front, on the night of August 22, General Bakhtin's group crossed the Dniester Estuary and captured a narrow coastal strip. With the support of aviation and naval artillery of the Black Sea Fleet, the first echelons of the 46th Army landed, whose troops defeated the enemy's 310th Infantry Division. In the current situation, the commander of the enemy army group "Southern Ukraine" requested permission from the high command of the ground forces to withdraw the troops of the 6th and 3rd Romanian armies to positions equipped along the Prut River. Such permission was given to him only on the night of August 22, but it turned out to be belated. By the beginning of the withdrawal of these armies (on the night of August 23), the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front were already advancing to their rear and communications, and the next day they completed the encirclement of the 3rd Romanian army (three divisions and one brigade). On August 24, this army ceased to exist, many of its scattered units, realizing the futility of resistance, surrendered, and the units that offered stubborn resistance were destroyed.

On the night of August 23, the Chisinau enemy grouping began to retreat to the Prut River. Having discovered this, the troops of the 5th shock army of Lieutenant-General N.E. Berzarin went on the offensive, broke into Chisinau by the end of August 23, and liberated him the next day. Formations of the 57th Army captured Bendery by the morning of August 23 and continued their offensive towards the Prut River. On the same day, the 7th Mechanized Corps entered the enemy's withdrawal route to the Prut River and took up defenses to the northeast, and the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps went to the northeast and also took up defenses.

Thus, by the end of August 23, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front cut off the main withdrawal routes of the 6th German Army. The next day, the 37th Army went to the Prut River and connected with the troops of the 52nd Army and the 18th Tank Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, thereby finally closing the inner front of the encirclement, where 7, 44, 52, 30 and partly the 29th army corps of the enemy, as well as a number of its other units.

Taking advantage of the indecisive actions of the 78th Rifle Corps of the 4th Guards Army, advancing along the Prut River, the enemy held the crossings in the Leuseni area and to the north. This allowed him to infiltrate part of the forces to the western coast. In the rear of the 52nd Army, north and south of Khushi, there were significant enemy forces. Armored boats of the Danube military flotilla, fulfilling the assigned task, on the morning of August 24 broke through the Ochakovskoye arm of the Danube to the port of Vilkov and captured it, and then Kiliya.

Armored boats of the Danube Flotilla

The liquidation of the main forces of the encircled enemy grouping on the left bank of the Prut River was carried out by the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on August 25-27. The destruction of the enemy grouping that broke through to the right bank was completed by the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, mainly by August 29th. Only one large enemy grouping of over 10,000 men managed to break through to the southwest, march 70 km, and reach the area north of Ajul-Nou. To eliminate it, three rifle divisions of the 7th Guards Army, the 23rd Tank Corps and other units were sent, which completed this task on September 4th.

In the period from August 20 to 29, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube military flotilla, defeated the main forces of the enemy army group "Southern Ukraine", liberated the Moldavian Republic and continued to develop the offensive in the central regions of Romania and towards borders of Bulgaria.

In favorable conditions, created by the outstanding victories of the Red Army, the democratic forces of Romania raised an armed uprising on August 23, 1944 and overthrew the fascist regime of Antonescu. The next day, Romania withdrew from the war on the side of Germany and on August 25 declared war on her. Romanian troops took part in the battles with the German invaders, now on the side of the Red Army.

Developing the offensive in the Bucharest and Izmail directions, the main forces of the 2nd Ukrainian and part of the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian fronts, breaking through the Foksha fortified area, captured the city of Fokshany on August 27. The next day they took the city of Brailov and the port of Sulina, and on August 29, together with the Black Sea Fleet, they captured the port city of Constanta. On the same day, the mobile detachment of the 46th Army entered Bucharest.

As a result of the successful implementation of the Iasi-Chisinau operation, Soviet troops completed the liberation of the Moldavian SSR and the Izmail region of the Ukrainian SSR, and withdrew Romania from the war on the side of Nazi Germany.

Again, during the campaign of the second half of 1944, following the breakthrough in Belorussia, the enemy's strategic defense front was broken through. The defeat of the German troops created favorable conditions for a deep coverage of the entire southern wing of the German strategic front. The paths to Hungary were opened for Soviet troops. It became possible to provide direct assistance to the federal Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. Favorable conditions arose for the development of the struggle against the Nazi enslavers in Albania and Greece.

The Iasi-Chisinau operation is perhaps one of the few major strategic operations of the Great Patriotic War in which victory over the enemy was achieved with relatively small casualties. The 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts lost 12.5 thousand people, while the enemy lost 18 divisions as a result of the encirclement and destruction of his grouping. Only prisoners of the Soviet troops captured 208,600 enemy soldiers and officers. This is clear evidence of the high level of Soviet military art and the combat skills of command personnel.

Compared to other encirclement operations during the Great Patriotic War, in the Iasi-Kishinev operation, the fronts did not disperse their efforts in the main and auxiliary areas, and each of them initially carried out one, but extremely powerful blow. Auxiliary strikes were delivered only after breaking through the defenses in the main direction, using the already formed gap to expand the front of the offensive.

The 6th Panzer Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, numbering 500 combat vehicles, was introduced into the gap already in the middle of the first day of the offensive. This was the only case during the Great Patriotic War. In fact, the fact that such a wide water barrier as the Dniester Estuary (11 km wide) was crossed by the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front is also unprecedented. In operations, the interaction between the two fronts and the Black Sea Navy was well organized and carried out. The Black Sea Fleet played a big role both in supporting the landing operation in the Akkerman area (the city of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky), and in clearing all naval bases and ports on the Black Sea from German troops.

The combat operations of our aviation took place with its complete air supremacy. This made it possible to reliably support and cover the advancing troops and inflict heavy damage on enemy aircraft. Thus, during the operation, 124 air battles were carried out, as a result of which 172 enemy aircraft were shot down - 24.4% of the initial composition of his aviation group in this operation.

The Iasi-Kishinev operation is characterized by a skillful choice of the directions of the main attacks of the fronts, a resolute massing of forces and means, high rates of advance, rapid encirclement and liquidation of a large grouping, close interaction of ground forces, aviation and naval forces. As a result of the operation, 126 formations and units were awarded the honorary titles of Chisinau, Iasi, Izmail, Focsani, Rymnik, Constance and others.