Russian Winter Offensive

Situation

As the German advance towards Moscow began to stall short of the city, Russian forces were preparing to launch a counter offensive, which would throw it back to the west. STAVKA planned to carry out the offensive in two phases. The first phase, beginning on the 5th of December, would be launched primarily against Army Group Center and was planned to last approximately one month. The second phase would follow on from the first, if it was successful, and would begin on the 5th of January. The second phase would encompass the entire front and be would be launched against all three German Army Groups.
During November, Russian forces had mounted a series of spoiling attacks designed to weaken German forces and prevent them from drawing reserves from their flanks and committing them in the attack against the city. These included the actions of the 1st Shock Army in the area of Rogachevo, which had advanced against the 41st Army Corps and consolidated positions along the Moscow-Volga Canal, including the capture of a bridgehead at Iakhroma. On December 3rd, the 20th Army also went over to the offensive in the direction of Krasnaia Poliana, while the 5th, 33rd and 43rd Armies conducted a strong defence along the line Zvenigorod, Naro-Fominsk and Dubrovka. The 50th Army conducted a staunch defence of Tula, foiling the attempts of the 2nd Panzer army to capture the city. The 1st Guards Cavalry Corps broke through the encirclement of the 43rd Army Corps in the area north of Vanev, which allowed elements of the 10th Army to mount offensive operations in the area of Stalinogorsk.
The time gained through these offensive actions was used by STAVKA to begin its concentration of reserve Armies in the form of the 1st Shock and 20th Armies to the north of Moscow and the 10th Army to the east of Tula, while heavily reinforcing the 30th Army to the east of Kalinin.
The offensive was to take place on two axes. The first to the north of Moscow, would be initiated on the 5th of December by the Kalinin Front's 22nd, 29th and 31st Armies, while the second would follow the next day to the west and south of the city, with the Western Fronts 16th, 20th, 30th and 1st Shock Armies. Also involved on the southern flank were elements of the Southwestern Front, which included the 3rd, 40th, 61st and 13th Armies and the Kostenko Operational Group.
The Russian forces taking part in the counter offensive had been heavily reinforced, with some 27 additional Divisions being brought into service. However, the combat effectiveness of many of these units was low due to their poor training and lack of experienced leadership. Many formations went into combat straight from the march, without proper assembly or preparation.
The Russian forces in place to the west of Moscow, the 5th, 33rd, 43rd and 49th Armies, were to tie down German forces and prevent them from reinforcing their flanks. Many of the units in these formations were severely under strength following months of heavy fighting.
The German position was even worse. Many units were severely under strength and at the end of over extended supply lines. The most advanced Divisions, such as the 10th Panzer and Das Reich, had lost 40% of their authorized strength. The harsh winter conditions were playing havoc with both personnel and equipment. German ground troops, without adequate winter clothing, were suffering more casualties from frostbite than from enemy action. German equipment, unsuited to the conditions of the Russian winter, was failing at every level. The Luftwaffe, on whom the ground forces had relied so heavily during their earlier advances, was operating from poorly equipped and badly prepared forward airfields and were also struggling to operate effectively in the harsh winter conditions.
The German forces of Army Group Centre facing the offensive were, from north to south, 9th Army, 3rd Panzer Group, 4th Army, 4th Panzer Group, 2nd Army and 2nd Panzer Group. The front line of the Army Group ran from Lake Seliger in the north, down through Kalinin to Yakhroma, on the Moscow Volga Canal. Here it ran southeastwards to Khimki and then southwestwards to Istra where it turned south again, running through Naro Fominsk to Tula, where a large bulge had been formed by 2nd Panzer Army's attempts to encircle the town. While a tenuous link had been maintained with Army Group North, there was a large gap of some 80km between Army Group Center and Army Group South.

The Offensive Begins

Kalinin Front

The Kalinin Front's offensive opened on the morning of the 5th of December, when elements of the 39th, 29th and 31st Armies attacked along the northern flank of the Klin bulge, which contained elements of the German 9th Army and 3rd Panzer Group.
The attack of the 29th Army, which was directed towards Rzhev, was disjointed and initially made little progress. However, the 31st Army made better progress to the southeast of Kalinin. It managed to secure a bridgehead over the Volga and penetrate a further 10km, severing the Kalinin-Turginovo road and threatened to envelop German forces in Kalinin from the east. Both Armies continued their advance to the southwest, eventually being halted by German forces to the northeast of Rzhev. Further to the southeast the 30th Army also made good progress in the direction of Volokolamsk. The German garrison at Kalinin began to evacuate the city on the 14th of December and it was finally liberated by elements of the 31st Army on the 16th of December.

Western Front northern flank

On the 6th of December, the Western Front's 30th, 1st Shock and 20th Armies struck to the north and south of Dmitrov along the Volga Moscow Canal. Elements of the 1st Shock Army forced a breach of some 17km in the German line in the Dmitrov area, at the junction of the 86th Infantry and 36th Motorized Divisions. Also, elements of the 8th Tank Brigade and the 365th Rifle Divisions, breached the defences of the 3rd Panzer Group at the junction of the 36th Motorized and 14th Infantry Divisions and advanced towards Klin from the northeast. Klin was an important road hub and its loss would close any route of escape for the remainder of the Panzer Group attempting to withdraw from Dmitrov and Solnechnogorsk, where they were being pursued by the 1st Shock and 20th Armies. On the 6th of December, the 6th Infantry, 1st, 2nd and 7th Panzer and 14th Motorized Divisions began to conduct a fighting withdrawal back towards Klin.
The 1st Shock and 20th Armies continued their slow progress towards Iakhroma and Krasnaya Polyana and were joined on the 8th of December by elements of the 16th Army to the southeast of Volokolamsk.
The same day, elements of the 30th Army had advanced to within 8km of Klin's northern edge and were threatening to envelop the town, its 379th Infantry Division cutting the Klin-Kalinin rail line. Heavy fighting raged around the city during the 8th of December as German forces raced to withdraw through it to the west.
Meanwhile, the 16th Army continued its advance towards Istra. Its 9th Guards Rifle Division threatened to encircle the SS 'Das Reich' Division at Snegiri, forcing it to withdraw back towards the Istra River. The sector was briefly reinforced by elements of the 10th Panzer Division in an attempt to slow the Russian advance, before it was moved north to help with the defence of Klin.
German forces at Istra demolished the Istra reservoir, flooding the river and creating a water barrier some 100m wide, which managed to halt any further advance by the 16th Army. The 16th Army, mounted an attack with two mobile groups, commanded by Remizov and Katukov, in an attempt to envelop the reservoir from the north and the swollen river from the south. Remizov's Group managed to push 16km to the west of the Istra reservoir, while Katukov's Group fought its way some 30km to the west of the town.
Further south, the 4th Panzer Group's 5th Army Corps began to withdraw westwards, its 23rd, 106th and 35th Infantry Divisions unable to hold out against the attacks by elements of the 49th Army.
On the 8th of December, the 348th Rifle Division captured Rogachevo.
On the 9th of December, General Zhukov, disappointed with the lack of progress in some areas, issued a curt directive to Western Front commanders, decrying the profligate frontal attacks as 'negative operational measures which play into the enemy's hands.' Zhukov ordered his subordinates to, 'avoid further frontal attacks against reinforced centres of resistance' and urged instead that German strong points be bypassed completely. The bypassed strong points would hopefully be isolated by the Russian advance and then later reduced by following echelons.
By the 12th of December, the 1st Shock and 30th Armies had closed around Klin from the north and east, while the 20th Army had captured Solnechnagorsk to the southeast and the 16th Army, Istra to the south.
The same day, elements of the 4th Panzer Army began to reach new defensive positions along the Istra River line. Unable to hold them, the Army was forced to continue its retreat towards the River Ruza.
The same day, Russian forces broke through the flank of the 23rd Army Corps, severing the last link with Army Group North. Elsewhere the Russian 5th, 33rd and 43rd Armies began advancing westwards from Moscow, between Yuchnov and Mozhaisk, and elements of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps forced a gap through the positions of the German 9th Army Corps in the area of Svenigorod.
The two Mobile Groups of 16th Army renewed their attack in the Istra area on the 13th of December and achieved immediate success.
On the 14th of December, the 30th Army moved a mobile group, consisting of the 18th and 82nd Cavalry and the 107th Motor Rifle Divisions, to the west of Klin in an effort to cut the German supply lines and routes of escape to the west of the town. The group managed to reach Diatlovo, but was halted by elements of the 6th Panzer and 14th Motorized Divisions.
On the same day, the 5th Army's 18th, 32nd and 326th Rifle Divisions formed a shock group, which broke through the defensive positions of the 78th Sturm Division on the northern bank of the Moskva River, advancing along a narrow front towards Russa. The penetration was rapidly exploited by the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps and the 20th Tank Brigade.
Klin finally fell on the 15th of December, captured by the 30th Army's 365th and 371st Rifle Divisions and the 1st Shock Armies 348th Rifle Division.
After four days of heavy fighting, during which it almost became encircled, the 78th Sturm Division was forced to break out westwards in order to survive. The remnants of the Division reached the Ruza River on the 20th of December.
On the 23rd of December, in 4th Army's area, the 98th infantry Division began withdrawing from its positions on the Nara River. Its remnants reassembled three days later on the Istya River, but were forced to withdraw once more on the 29th of December towards the River Protva, along with elements of the 15th Infantry and 19th Panzer Divisions. The remnants of the Division eventually reformed in the town of Maloyaroslavets, which it defended until the town was lost on the 2nd of January.
By the 25th, the Russian offensive was beginning to lose momentum in the Western Front's area of operations. The 16th and 20th Armies were halted at the Lama and Ruza Rivers in the face of stiff German resistance.

Western Front southern flank

To the south of the city, Guderian's 2nd Panzer Army lay in a vulnerable salient to the east of Tula. On the 6th of December, its weakened eastern flank was attacked by elements of the 10th Army in the area of Stalinogorsk. Elements of the 10th Army captured Kashira and Yepifan, while the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps advanced towards Venev. During two days of heavy fighting, Russian forces captured Mikhailov and Serebrianye Prudy, advancing up to 26km. The 50th Army joined the attack on the 7th of December in an attempt to advance to the southeast from Tula and complete the encirclement of the 2nd Panzer Army.
In response, the German 43rd Corps began to withdraw back towards the Shat and Don Rivers, reaching the area of Dedilovo. Elements of the 50th Army then swung to the south, but were halted by the 296th Infantry Division, having made only limited gains.
By the 9th of December, elements of the 112th Infantry Division had managed to halt the advance of the Russian 19th Army along the Shat and Don Rivers, but Mobile Group Belov captured Venev and then Stalinogorsk the following day.
On the 15th of December, the 50th Army began its pursuit of the withdrawing German forces in the direction of Kaluga and Belev, while the 10th Army reoriented itself and then advanced towards Plavsk.
By the 16th of December, elements of the 10th Army had captured Bogoroditsk, while mobile Group Belov captured Dedilovo. The same day, elements of the 49th Army also joined the offensive in the area of Aleksin, breaching the defences of the German 43rd Corps and achieving a penetration of up to 45km.
On the 19th of December, elements of the 10th Army reached the Plava River, capturing the town of Plavsk, while on the 21st of December, Group Belov reached Kaluga and severed communications between the 2nd Panzer Army and the 4th Army to its north. The 2nd Panzer Army continued its withdrawal towards Orel, while elements of the 4th Army withdrew in the direction of Kaluga.
On the 25th of December, the town of Chern, in 2nd Panzer Army's area, was recaptured as elements of the 10th Motorized Division were forced to retreat, while four days later Kaluga was also liberated by elements of the 50th Army.

Southwestern Front

On the 6th of December, the Southwestern Front's 13th Army opened its attack against the German 2nd Army in the area of Yelets, to the south of Moscow.
On the 7th of December, elements of the 40th Army joined the offensive to the southwest of the town, in the area of Volovo.
The 13th Army's Mobile Group Kostenko, which consisted of the 5th Cavalry Corps, struck southwestwards towards Yelets, with its 148th Rifle Division capturing the town on the 9th of December.
The German 34th Corps, defending the southern flank of the 2nd Army, became encircled as elements of the 150th Tank Corps breached its front line at the junction of the 45th and 95th Infantry Divisions between Yelets and Livny. Elements of the 5th Cavalry Corps, supported by the 121st Rifle Division, rapidly exploited the penetration between Kosaki and Teterenka, attacked Preobraschenka and pushed forward to Tschernawa, opening a 75km deep wedge in the direction of Novosil.
By the 21st of December, the encircled German Corps, including the remnants of the 45th, 95th and 134th Infantry Divisions, had been all but destroyed. The Germans threw elements of the 56th Infantry Division into the gap near Livny, in an attempt to slow the Russian advance. The Russian mobile group managed to advance some 15km in two days, cutting the German withdrawal routes to the west of Zvenigorod.

The German Response

When the German armies on the Eastern Front adopted a defensive stance in early December, they did not expect an immediate major Russian counter offensive. Therefore, most German Divisions deployed into a thin linear defence. These lacked the depth and reserves of a true elastic defence, with the linear formation merely stretching German forward units into a semblance of a continuous defensive front. The Russian counter offensive completely overwhelmed this flimsy defensive line and those German units not destroyed outright were swept rearward in a series of running battles against numerically superior and more mobile Red Army pursuit forces.
Driven to the shelter of Russian towns and villages as an emergency measure, German troops did their best to fortify these positions against the inevitable Russian assaults. Defensive techniques varied from Division to Division, according to local conditions and experiences.
The Germans first began to use strongpoint defensive positions during these hazardous early withdrawals. Frequently out of contact with neighbouring forces and lacking sufficient time to prepare real defensive works, retreating units formed self-defence hedgehog perimeters around villages, towns and important communications centres such as road and rail junctions.
On the 16th of December, Hitler ordered Army Group Centre to cease all withdrawals and to defend its present positions. German soldiers would take 'not one single step back.' At a late night conference the same evening, Hitler extended the stand-fast order to the entire Eastern Front. A general withdrawal, he declared, was 'out of the question.'
A winter retreat would cost the Germans much of their artillery and heavy equipment, which would have to be abandoned for lack of transport. Because of Hitler's procrastination in November, no rearward defensive line had been prepared, so a withdrawal promised little improvement over the tactical situation that the Germans already faced.
As already experienced to the south of Moscow, withdrawal could easily lead to an even greater crisis, if enemy units managed to thrust between the retreating German columns. Finally, if a general withdrawal was attempted through the Russian winter, it was possible that moral and combat effectiveness would be rapidly denuded in the harsh conditions.
The alternative seemed even more desperate. A continued defence from present positions could succeed only if German defensive endurance exceeded that of the Russian offensive, a slim prospect considering the exhausted state of the German forces. The chances for success were best on the extreme northern and southern wings, where the Leningrad siege works and the Mius River line offered some protection. Between these two poles, however, a stand-fast defence would surely cost the Germans heavily.

The January Offensive

At the beginning of January, the STAVKA decided to widen the offensive following its initial success in the Moscow area. The Russian High Command intended to continue to develop the counter offensive against Army Group Centre, while also opening subsequent offensives along the entire front, against Army Group North in the Leningrad area, Army Group South in the eastern Ukraine and Donets Basin and the 11th Army in the Crimea.
The Kalinin and Western fronts would press German forces westward from Moscow, while the left wing of the Western Front and the right wing of the Kalinin Front, would attack from south and north to meet at Vyazma, in an attempt to encircle the bulk of Army Group Centre.

Volkhov Front

The Volkhov Front, opened its offensive on the 7th of January, to the north of Lake Ilmen and advanced westwards along the Volkhov River towards Lyuban.
On the 19th of February, the 2nd Shock Army drove German forces from Krasnaia Gorka. However German forces had recaptured the town by the end of February and encircled the majority of the 2nd Shock Army in the Miasny Bor and Liuban areas and the village of Riabovo.
On the 11th of March, elements of the 52nd Army attempted to break through to the encircled forces. Its 294th Rifle Division attacked the town of Shala, but was initially halted by elements of the 225th Infantry Division. The town was eventually captured on the 17th of February. However, by the 26th of February, the Rifle Division's combat strength was exhausted and it was forced to withdraw.

Northwestern Front

The North-Western Front was to thrust directly west through Staraya Russa, along the junction of the German 18th and 16th Armies. It was also to support the efforts of the Volkhov and Leningrad Front's in breaking the siege of Leningrad. Following any initial success, it was to thrust in a southwesterly direction towards Vitebsk. The Northwestern Front had been allocated two reinforced shock Armies, the 3rd, which was to advance towards Cholm and Velikiye Luki and the 4th, which was to attack towards Toropets and Vitebsk.
The offensive opened on the 9th of January, from the area of Ostashkov. With the 22nd Army covering the open southern flank, the three Armies made good progress. The 11th Army managed to break into the German rear and advance towards Staraya Russa. However, the 3rd and 4th Shock Armies encountered heavy resistance at Andreapol and Toropets, where German forces had fortified the two towns. Due to the largely wooded terrain, large gaps appeared between the three Armies and command and supply became difficult. The 3rd Shock Army was unable to capture Cholm, which was bitterly defended by elements of the 281st Security and 123rd Infantry Division's. It did however, manage to capture Velikiye Luki on the 16th of January, despite its desperate defence by elements of the 83rd Infantry and 3rd Mountain Division's. It also managed to encircle elements of the German 2nd and 10th Corps, consisting of the 12th, 30th, 32nd, 123rd and 290th infantry Division's at Demyansk.

Kalinin Front

In the north, the Kalinin Front was to advance towards Rzhev, Yartsevo and Vyazma, in an attempt to turn the left flank of the German 9th Army and sever the rearward communications of the whole Army Group.
The northern flank of the 9th Army came under heavy pressure from the Russian 39th Army in the area south of Staritsa and was forced to withdraw back towards Rzhev. By the 13th of January, elements of the 39th Army had forced a breach in the defences of the 256th Infantry Division. Elements of the 29th and 39th Armies exploited the breach, threatening the southern flank of the 23rd Army Corps, reaching the area of Sychevka and cutting the Rzhev-Vyazma rail line.
By the 15th of January, elements of the 22nd Army had occupied Selizharovo and the following day had managed to force a crossing of the Volga. Other elements of the Army became involved in heavy fighting for the city of Belyi.
On the 17th of January, the German 9th Army was finally given permission to begin its withdrawal back towards the 'Konigsberg Line'.
On the 21st of January, the 46th Panzer and 6th and 23rd Army Corps began an offensive operation against Russian forces in the Sychevka area. The 1st Panzer Division advanced towards Osuyskoe, while the 161st Infantry Division attempted to close the breach between 6th and 23rd Army Corps.
On the 29th of January, 9th Army once again went over the offensive. On the 4th of February, the 86th Infantry Division captured Osuyskoe and the following day, the 1st Panzer and elements of the SS Cavalry Brigade joined together in the area of Chertolina, closing the breach which encircled the 29th Army to the southwest of Rzhev and forced the 39th Army to withdraw to the west.
On February the 9th, the 1st Panzer and 86th Infantry Divisions began to reduce the western edge of the pocket.

Western Front

The forces of the Western Front were to continue their offensive to the west of Moscow. In the centre, the 5th and 33rd Armies were to continue to attack the 4th Army in the area of Vyazma. On the southern flank, the 50th Army was to continue its good progress and envelop the southern flank of the 4th Army in the direction of Yukhnov. Boldin's mobile Group was to advance northwestwards, between Vyazma and Yartsevo, in an attempt to link up with forces from the Kalinin Front and close the trap on Army Group Centre. The 10th Army was to protect Boldin's open southern flank and prevent elements of the 2nd Panzer Army providing any assistance.
On the 3rd of January, elements of the 4th Panzer Army were ordered to close the Maloyaroslavets breach. This was made all the more difficult as the army's position was threatened on its northern flank by the Western Front's 20th and 5th Armies, which continued to probe against 9th Army. Any further Russian success here would bring them into the Army's rear.
On the southern flank, the gaping Maloyaroslavets breach was being exploited by elements of the 33rd Army. As it began to wheel to the northwest it threatened the 20th Corps, on 4th Panzer Army's southern flank. Also threatened by the rapidly advancing 10th Army and 1st Guards Cavalry Corps, was the town of Sukhinichi, a large supply and communications centre, which was defended by the recently arrived 216th Infantry Division.
Also on the 3rd and 4th of January, to assist the advance of the 43rd and 49th armies, Battalion sized airborne assaults secured objectives in German 4th Army's rear area at Bolshoye, Fatyanovo, Myatlevo and in the Gusevo area north of Medyn.
On the 8th of January, the 20th, 1st Shock and 16th Armies opened an offensive along a narrow 20km corridor between Volokolamsk and Shakovskaya. The attack succeeded in breaching the German front, with the 352nd Rifle Division capturing Timonino. On January 10th, the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps began to exploit the breach.
A counter attack against the threat posed by the 33rd Army was mounted on the 18th of January, by elements of the 2nd Panzer and 4th Armies, in the area to the southeast of Vyazma. An attack by the 31st Infantry Division achieved limited success and the 208th Infantry Division relieved the town of Sukhinichi on the 24th of January.
On the 18th of January, in the Zhelanye area west of Yukhnov, a Regimental sized force was air dropped to assist the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps in crossing the Moscow-Warsaw highway to the southwest of Yukhnov. The aim of the drop was also to cause confusion in the German rear areas and coordinate the actions of the large Partisan groups, which were forming in the area.
On the 19th of January, the 1st Shock Army was withdrawn from the Western Front and moved to the Northwestern Front. Likewise on the 21st, the 16th Army was also withdrawn and moved to the Southwestern Front. This left only the 20th Army to continue its advance along the Klin-Rzhev axis. The attack soon lost momentum, failing to make any significant progress.
Meanwhile elements of the German 4th Army were still withdrawing westwards under pressure from the 33rd, 10th and 50th Armies. The encircled 43rd Corps managed to breakout and withdrew westwards towards Yukhnov.
By the 26th of January, Group Belov and other elements of the 50th Army had cut the Warsaw highway and encircled a large German force, consisting of elements of the 98th, 34th, 27th, 268th, 131st, 31st, 52nd, 263rd and 260th Infantry, 19th Motorized and 19th Panzer Divisions, in the area of Yukhnov.
On the 27th of January, the 4th Airborne Corps began a series of airdrops in the area to the southwest of Vyazma in an effort to cut German communications between Vyazma and Smolensk, while a secondary force would harass the withdrawal of German units from Vyazma to the west. In the area of the airdrop, the 11th Panzer Division had general responsibility for security of the highway to the west of Vyazma and although still committed to action farther east, the 3rd Motorized Division had units patrolling the highways to the east and south of the city.
The 8th Airborne Brigade, initiated the landings near Ozerechnya in order to secure a line from Rebrovo through Gradino to Bereznikiand and block German movement along the Vyazma-Smolensk and Vyazma-Dorogobuzh roads. The 9th Airborne Brigade landed near Goryainovo, securing a line from Goryainovo through Ivanikito Popovo, with the aim of preventing the approach of German reinforcements from the west. The 214th Airborne Brigade, reinforced by the separate tank and artillery Battalions of the Corps, landed in the Vysotskoye, Pleshkovo and Uvarovo areas and would act as the Corps reserve.
However, due to a series of factors, the initial drops went badly. A lack of sufficient aircraft, poor organisation and delayed assembly at the airfields and disorientation over the drop zones, left the airborne forces off target and widely scattered.
German forces in the area reacted quickly to the landings, while the Luftwaffe bombed the assembly airfields, both destroying aircraft and halting any further airlifts during the day.
The landings continued the next day, however, due to the shortage of aircraft, only sporadically. Poor communications on the ground lead to the various groups having great difficulty joining together and forming into cohesive units.
By February the 1st, when all further airdrops were halted, some 2000 men had been airdropped and on the 12th of February they finally established contact with elements of the 1st Guards Cavalry Corps near Ugra.
On the 13th of February, the 10th Army went over to the offensive, capturing Marino, Zamoshye, Gorelovski and then continued its advance in the direction of Yakovlevka.
On the 17th of February, elements of the 16th Army captured Bryansk, while on the 21st of February, the 43rd, 49th and 50th armies began their reduction of the Yuhknov pocket. Finally, on the 12th of March, the 16th Army reached the town of Bryn.

Bryansk Front

In the south, the Bryansk Front was to continue to pressure the German 2nd Panzer Army around Orel. The attack opened on the 7th of January, as the 61st Army advanced from the Vyrka River in the general direction of Kasyanovo. The 346th Rifle Division was involved in heavy fighting in the areas of Veyno and Retyun, while the 342nd Rifle Division advanced towards Cherelushino and Hamkino where it engaged elements of the Grossdeutschland Regiment. The 350th Rifle Division advanced in the area of Dulino, along the east bank of the river Oka from Semunovo. The 387th and 356th Rifle Divisions advanced towards Altuhovo, capturing the towns of Teromtsy, Karagashinka and Tolkachevo. However, by the 15th of January this attack was beginning to lose momentum as the German 35th, 34th and 48th Army Corps formed a coherent line of defence along the Oka, Zusha, Neruch and Tim Rivers.
On the 25th of January, the 61st Army opened a new offensive against the 2nd Panzer Army in a southerly direction towards Orel. The 2nd Panzer Army had occupied a defensive line along the western bank of the river Optuha with its 53rd, 35th and 34th Corps. In the face of this attack, the 2nd Panzer Army was gradually forced to withdraw westwards.
On the 21st of February, elements of the 8th Cavalry Corps captured Bagrinovo and supported by the 79th Tank Brigade, continued its advance in the direction Dubrovski, Milyatino, Pokrovskoye, Nasedkino and Malaya Kutma.
By March the 6th, the 53rd Corps, consisting of the 17th Panzer, 167th Infantry, 25th and 29th Motorized Division's had established a defensive line running from Hmelevaya, Krivtsovo, Fetishevo, Chegodayevo and Gorodishe along the western bank of the Zusha River.
On March the 12th, the 61st Army continued its offensive in the direction Lubovka, Vesniny, Yelovski and Dubenka, its 328th Rifle Division capturing Zhivodovka on March the 25th.
On April the 9th, the 16th Army's 5th Guards Rifle Corps, 328th, 324th and 322nd Rifle Divisions were involved in fighting for Kotovitchi, Dubrovka, Klintsy and Hotkovo.
On April the 12th, the 61st Army suspended all offensive action due to poor road conditions, as its logistical situation became critical. The Army occupied a defensive line running from Vesniny, Krapivna, Kosovka, Pesochenka, Ozerenski, Peredel, Mitrohin, Romanovka, Stokanov, Bobrik River, Obloginyh, Dol'tsy and Mihaylovski. The 387th, 346th, 350th, 342nd and 356th Rifle Divisions occupy this line while the 149th Rifle Division was held in reserve in the area of Dubna, Brezhnevo, Sloboda, as was the 60th Rifle Division in the area Kuznetsovo, Bakino, Sobakino.

Southwestern Front

The Southwestern Front was to cross the Donets River and advance towards Kharkov. It was then to swing to the south and capture Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhe on the Dnepr River.
On the 10th of January, the 48th and 24th Panzer and 55th Army Corps mounted an offensive operation to the northwest of Kursk, closing a gap in the front in the area of Tim. The 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps was routed and forced to withdraw to the east.
On the 21st of February, elements of the 3rd Army began an offensive in the direction of Bolhov. On March the 2nd, its 283rd Rifle Division attacked German positions at Hmelevaya and Fatnevo and captured Krivtsovo and Ushevo.
On March the 17th, the 3rd Army halted its offensive and began to withdraw the 283rd, 60th, 137th and 6th Guards Rifle Division's and the 80th Tank Brigade from Hmelevaya, Krivtsovo and Fetishevo.

Southern Front

On the 18th of January, the Southern Front's 57th and 9th Armies, combined with the Southwestern Front's 6th Army, launched an attack along the northern Donets River to the south of Kharkov. Elements of the 6th Army breached the positions of the German 11th Corps to the north of Izyum and pushed the 6th Cavalry Corps through the gap to exploit the breach.
To the south of Izyum, the 57th Army also broke through and the 1st and 5th Cavalry Corps were used to exploit the breach there. By the 31st of January, Russian forces had captured the key rail junctions of Lozovaia and Barvenkovo and had carved a large salient into the German Front, which threatened Kharkov to the north, and the Donbas to the south.