ABSTRACT

On the 28 June, 1942, six days after the first anniversary of the German aggression, the Red Army was subjected to another severe test. Against a front of 130 miles, between Kursk and Izioum, Marshal von Bock hurled a breaching force of motorized infantry, armoured divisions, and more than 3,000 aeroplanes. At the most dramatic moment of the Battle of Stalingrad, Stalin sent thither, as his personal representative, Joukov, whose reputation was firmly established, and who enjoyed a tremendous prestige among the troops. In the meantime, the situation at Stalingrad was changing to the advantage of the Russians. The manoeuvre of the double encirclement conceived by Joukov, and already applied during the Battle of Moscow, was repeated here on the 12 and the 19 November. The operation was conceived in accordance with a general directive given by Stalin, which went far beyond the local objective.