A hard spring at Kharkov

Kharkov

In May 1942 an offensive near Kharkov ended with several Soviet armies surrounded. It was a bitter failure. The enemy moved forward again, now south, towards the Volga and the Caucasus.

The offensive started well: Soviet troops advanced dozens of kilometres. But the enemy struck from the south, from Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, and cut off the armies that had pushed into the Barvenkovo salient. Few managed to break out.

This defeat gave the enemy the strength for its great summer offensive. But Soviet commanders learned lessons from it that helped them at Stalingrad that autumn.

See it on the map