Tank battle near Dubno-Lutsk-Rivne

Tank battle near Dubno-Lutsk-Rivne

Part of: Second World War , Eastern Front

German tanks are deployed at the Soviet border

date	June 23-29, 1941
place	Ukraine , Soviet Union
output	German victory
consequences	German advance could be continued

Parties to the conflict
German Empire	Soviet Union
Commander
Gerd von Rundstedt Ewald von Kleist	Mikhail Kirponos
Troop strength
Army Group South ( Panzer Group 1 ) 728 tanks	6 mechanized corps 2,803 tanks

The tank battle at Dubno - Lutsk - Brody ( Russian Танковое сражение под Дубно, Луцком, Броды ; also Battle of Dubno-Luzk- Rivne ) was a battle in World War II between the Panzer Group 1 of the Southern Army Group under Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt and strong armored forces Soviet Southwest Front under Colonel General Michail Kirponos , which took place from June 23 to 29, 1941. A total of 2,803 Soviet tanks (six mechanized corps ) were fighting against 728 German (five tank divisions). In addition to the tank battle near Prokhorovka as part of Operation Citadel in 1943, the battle near Dubno-Lutsk-Rivne was the largest tank battle of the Second World War.

Starting position

On the morning of June 22, 1941, Operation Barbarossa was initiated by the German 6th Army with the attack by Ewald von Kleist's assigned Panzer Group 1 over the bow . The resistance of the Soviet 5th Army under General Potapov turned out to be weaker than expected on the first day. The LV already had the river crossing in the Sokal area . Army corps fought with the 57th Infantry Division . The XXXXVIII. Army corps (motorized) of General Werner Kempf with the 11th Panzer Division , the 16th Infantry Division (motorized) and the later 16th Panzer Division formed the head of the German attack. To the north of it the troops of III. Army corps (mot.) Under Eberhard von Mackensen and the XXIX. Army corps of the General of the Infantry Hans von Obstfelder in the direction of Lutsk . The XIV Army Corps (motorized) remained in the hinterland as an army reserve.

The superior German tank advance took place between Sokal and Vladimir-Wolynsk and penetrated quickly into Volhynia between the Soviet 15th (General I. Fedjuninsky ) and 27th Rifle Corps (Major General PD Artemenko) , followed quickly by the infantry of the 6th Army. On the evening of the first day, German troops advanced between 15 and 25 kilometers deep into Soviet territory.

To the right of the 6th Army, the bulk of the German 17th Army ( XXXXIX Mountain Corps and IV Army Corps ) was advancing against the Soviet 6th Army (Lieutenant General Muzyshenko ) between the San Sector and Rawa-Ruska on the capital of Galicia , Lviv , before.

Comparison of opposing forces

course

23rd June

Colonel-General Mikhail Petrovich Kirponos

Sketch for the battle, situation June 23rd

On the border west of Vladimir-Volynsk , the German 13th and 14th Panzer Divisions of III. Army Corps (motorized) initially only the Soviet 87th and 135th Rifle Divisions and the 41st Panzer Division. The bulk of the 22nd Mechanized Corps (Major General Kondrusev ) with the 19th Panzer and 215th Motorized Division was still in the Rovno area , 140 km from the border. At the top of the XXXXVIII. Army Corps (motorized) got the 11th Panzer Division (Major General Crüwell ) at Radechiw on June 23rd in a first tank battle. Parts of Major General Ogurzov's 10th Panzer Division were caught by surprise at Radechiv, 20 BT-7 and 6 T-34 tanks were thrown back. Proceeding further via Stojanow to the east on Berestetschko , a first Styr crossing was formed at Szczurowje. On the evening of that day, the German tanks were already 20 kilometers deep in Soviet territory. This created a 50 km wide gap between the Soviet 6th Army and 5th Army, in which Panzer Group 1 advanced rapidly. The four leading German armored divisions (11th, 13th, 14th and 16th) had 80 Panzer IV tanks , 195 Panzer III (5 cm cannon), 89 Panzer III (3.7 cm -Kanone), 179 Panzer II and 42 command tanks . Not until June 28 was the 9th Panzer Division with 20 Panzer IV, 60 Panzer III (5 cm cannon), 11 Panzer III (3.7 cm cannon), 32 Panzer II, 8 Panzer I and 12 command tanks introduced into battle.

The command of the Soviet Southwest Front under Colonel General Mikhail Kirponos had moved its headquarters from Kiev to Tarnopol and, on the orders of Georgi Zhukov, immediately organized a counter-attack by strong armored forces against the German burglary wedge. General Purkaev , the chief of staff on the Southwest Front, warned that the full concentration of the mechanized corps would take at least three to four days. Nevertheless, General Kirponos decided to counterattack; two shock groups should attack the flanks of Panzer Group 1 at the same time. The northern attack group should include the 22nd, 9th and 19th mechanical corps, the southern group should be formed by the 4th, 8th and 15th mechanical corps and the 37th rifle corps. These corps were also called in from the neighboring sectors of the 26th and 6th Armies and could only ever be partially introduced into the fighting after an approach of up to 200 kilometers. According to a later compilation, the 8th, 9th, 15th and 19th mechanized corps of the Red Army had 33 KW-2 , 136 KW-1 , 48 T-35 and 2415 tanks of the outdated T-26 , T-27 , T-37 , T-38 , and BT-7 in action. West of Brody, the left flank of these groupings was secured by the IV Mechanized Corps with 892 tanks (89 of them KW-1 and 327 T-34 ).

June 24th

On the morning of June 24th, the German 14th Panzer Division attacked Lutsk when the counterattack of the Soviet 15th Mechanized Corps (Major General Karpeso ) began from the Brody area to the north. To protect Lutsk Soviet first anti-tank brigade had under General Moskalenko the city a strong defensive position with 48 west Pak 76.2 mm F-22 and 72 Flak 85 mm M 1939 built, who taught German tanks heavy losses. The 124th Rifle Division was surrounded at Miljatin by the German 75th and 111th Infantry Divisions and prepared to break out to the east. The attack of the 15th mechanical corps missed the 11th Panzer Division, which was already further east, and instead hit the subsequent 57th Infantry Division of General Oskar Blümm on the right flank. The Soviet troops drove the enemy about five kilometers back to the Gorokhov- Radechov line , but then got themselves on the defensive by the 16th Panzer Division , which rushed to the rescue . In the north, the simultaneous attack by the Soviet 22nd Mechanized Corps (now under the command of Major General WS Tamruch) failed. The remnants of the Soviet 19th and 41st Panzer Divisions, together with Moskalenko's anti-tank brigade, were pushed into the area north of Lutsk by the German 13th Panzer Division . In the north between Lyuboml and Pripjater swamps the 15th Rifle Corps (General Fedjuninski) defended himself while still successfully breaking on Kovel vorgedrungene German XVII. Army Corps .

Destroyed Soviet T-26 tanks near Lutsk

25th June

On June 25, 1941, the XXXXVIII. Army Corps occupy the city of Dubno with the 11th Panzer Division. New strong Soviet counterattacks were launched from the Busk and Brody lines by the 8th Panzer Division with the 4th Mechanized Corps (General Vlasov ) and the 15th Mechanized Corps (General Karpeso) from the south against the left flank of the 6th Army ( XXXXIV. Army Corps ). The counterattack of the Soviet 9th Mechanized Corps (General Rokossowski ), which was simultaneously set up from the north from the Rovno area , could no longer prevent the breakthrough of the 11th Panzer Division either, but hit the 13th Panzer Division that broke through to the north and the Motorized 25th Inf. Division catching up here . The German III. Army Corps stood with the 13th Panzer Division in front of Muraviza and with the 14th Panzer Division in front of Teremno when it was attacked in the flank near Tortschyn by the 24th mechanized brigade of the 20th Panzer Division (Colonel Katukow ). In order to carry out Zhukov's orders, Rokossovsky had attacked vigorously, but quickly switched to defense when the losses were too high. Major General Feklenko had the 19th mechanized corps east of Dubno attack simultaneously against the 11th Panzer Division. Feklenko's corps had 200 tanks, but only two KW-1 and two T-34 tanks, the rest were only lighter T-26s or T-37s .

June 26th and 27th

The German 6th Army was engaged in heavy defensive battles with both wings, the enemy working simultaneously against the flank and in the rear. The German Air Fleet 4 under General Alexander Löhr , however, had achieved complete control of the air and could effectively come to the aid of the temporarily cut units. Early on June 26th, General Karpeso decided to remain on the defensive; but one approved the newly arrived 8th mechanized corps (General Ryabyschew ), against the right flank of the German XXXXVIII. Army corps (motorized) to attack between Leschnew and Kosyn. General Ryabyschew started the attack with the 12th Panzer Division (General TA Mishanin) and the 34th Panzer Division (Colonel IV Wasilijew). The 11th Panzer Division in Dubno had to switch to all-round defense. General Ryabyshev was confident because his vanguard had a company of heavy KW-1 and a battalion of T-34 tanks. He threw the bulk of his corps to break through to the west, while his deputy and member of the war council, Brigadier General NK Popel, advanced with the other group against the back of the 11th Panzer Division on Dubno. The 16th Panzer Division was hit by the force of the 8th Mechanized Corps while advancing on Kremenez and thrown back, while the 11th Panzer Division was engaged in fierce tank battles near Wielza-Moszczanica. The Soviet tanks advanced up to 35 km deep on Berestetschko, then operated in the hinterland in fragmentation and were themselves cut off by advancing German troops. They remained without adequate air support and supplies and were badly decimated in the ensuing breakout battles. Ryabyshev's corps had lost almost half of its tanks after a day of fighting, including 44 of 48 of its T-35 tanks.

Meanwhile, the Soviet front reserve had arrived from the east for reinforcement: The 31st Rifle Corps (General AI Lopatin ) reinforced the weakened 27th Rifle Corps against the German 299th and 298th Infantry Divisions at the Styr-Bogen near Roschyshche . To strengthen the hard-pressed Ikwa section, the 36th Rifle Corps (Major General PW Sysojew) and south of it between Solochev and Podkamień the 37th Rifle Corps (Major General SP Sibin) were introduced into the defensive battles in the Werba area . The infantry corps were supposed to hold the Stokhod and Styr river lines and the Kremenets- Solochiv lines for a while, and to give the mechanized corps breaking out and retreating time to rally for a new counterattack.

June 28th and 29th

On the morning of June 28, the in the Dubno area forced the German XXIX. Army Corps cleared the 11th Panzer Division to march east and threatened Ostrog . Parts of the Soviet combat group MF Lukin organized the defense of the Horyn sector from the area . To the north of it, the 19th mechanized corps had the city of Rovno the III. Left Army Corps. In the north, the 87th and 124th rifle divisions had to withdraw from the German 56th and 62nd Infantry Divisions from the Kovel area behind the Stochod . General Kirponos threw his last reserve on the southern sector , the 24th Mechanized Corps (45th and 49th Panzer Divisions) under Major General Tschistjakow and the 14th Cavalry Division (Major General Kryuchonkin ) of the 5th Cavalry Corps , which were still incompletely assembled in the Proskurov area Stopping breakthrough on Shepetovka .

On the southern wing opposite the Soviet 15th Mechanized Corps, the small towns of Busk and Brody, which had been held by parts of the Soviet 212th Motorized Division, were lost after the introduction of the German 9th Panzer Division (Lieutenant General Hubicki ). On the night of June 29th to 30th, General Popel ordered the breakout. This should take place to the river Ikwa over the bridge at Stara-Nosowiza and then further south-east to Kremenets. The 16th Panzer Division had orders to attack the enemy group at Dubno, for which the Sickenius combat group was formed. On the right flank of the 8th Mechanized Corps, the units of the 140th and 146th Rifle Divisions (from the 36th Rifle Corps) and the 14th Cavalry Division withdrew from the Werba – Kozyn area. At 6 p.m. in the evening the German counter-attack to the southeast began on a broad front, and Werba was taken. Popel's column was discovered and decimated by the artillery of the 16th Panzer Division. After several unsuccessful attempts to break out of the 34th Panzer Division, which had fought back west of Dubno, between the villages of Klestschicha and Tarakanowo, Colonel Wasilljew decided to break out in a south-westerly direction on Milcha-Budy, where he fell. It was only a few days later that the decimated remnants of the 8th Mechanized Corps were able to reconnect to the Soviet front at Belokorowitschi, which had fallen back to Shitomir.

consequences

By the end of June 1941, the Soviet troops had been put back on the defensive and their tank formations had almost been wiped out. The 22nd Mechanized Corps lost 90% of its tanks, the 8th and 15th Mechanized Corps 85–90%, the 9th and 19th Mechanized Corps 70% each, and the 4th Mechanized Corps 60% of its tanks. The 9th, 19th and 22nd Mechanized Corps only had 66, 35 and 33 tanks due to heavy losses. The high command of the Wehrmacht led the beleaguered 6th Army during the fighting an additional seven divisions - the LI. and XXXIV. Army Corps - from the front reserve as reinforcements.

General Potapov, the commander of the 5th Army, held up the German troops even further by counter-attacks in order to save his own forces from the impending encirclement and to prepare the defense of Kiev . The German success over the strong Soviet tank units enabled the rapid pursuit in the direction of Zhitomir and Korosten , where new Soviet counter-attacks made the advance more difficult. The battle for Kiev could not begin until mid-August.

literature

• Collective of authors: History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union . Vol. 2, German Military Publishing House , Berlin 1963.
• David M. Glantz : The Border Battles on the Lutsk-Rovno Axis, 22 June - 1 July 1941. In: ders. (Ed.): The Initial Period of War on the Eastern Front. Frank Cass Pbl., London 1993, pp. 248-344. ISBN 0-7146-3375-5 .
• Ernst Klink : Army and Navy. In: Horst Boog, Jürgen Förster, Joachim Hoffmann , Ernst Klink, Rolf-Dieter Müller , Gerd R. Ueberschär : The attack on the Soviet Union (= Military History Research Office [ed.]: The German Reich and the Second World War . Volume 4 ). 2nd Edition. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-421-06098-3 , pp. 451–651 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
• Алексей Валерьевич Исаев: Дубно 1941. Величайшее танковое сражение Второй мировой , Яуза; Эксмо, Moskva 2009 - ISBN 978-5-699-32625-9 .
• Григорий Ф. Кривошеев: Россия и СССР в войнах ХХ века. Олма-Пресс, Москва 2001. (German: GF Kriwoschejew: Russia and the USSR in the wars of the 20th century. ) ( Online version )

Web links

• Sergej Bylinn: Tank battle between Brody and Rowno 1941 . In: profilib.net . (Russian)
• Roman Töppel : Tank Battle of Dubno . In: YouTube . September 19, 2018. (Video; 33:06 min). Popular science lecture, published by: Das Panzermuseum.
• Tank battle near Dubno-Lutsk-Rivne . In: militarymaps.narod.ru . (Russian)
• Types of tanks involved in the battle . In: profilib.net . (Russian)

Remarks

1. ↑ Ivan Christoforowitsch Bagramjan: This is how the war began. Berlin 1971, p. 139.
2. ↑ When looking at Soviet sources, with the exception of samizdat and tamizdat literature that was published up to 1987, the activities of the Soviet censorship authorities ( Glawlit , military censorship) must be taken into account when revising various contents in line with Soviet ideology. (→ censorship in the Soviet Union )