Participant of the Smolensk and Iasi-Kishinev operations. How it happened: Iasi-Chisinau operation

To deliver a powerful blow to the enemy in the south, by August 1944, favorable conditions. Hitler's command weakened its grouping south of the Carpathians, transferring the Southern Ukraine Army Group to Belarus and Western Ukraine up to 12 divisions, including 6 tank and 1 motorized. It was also important that, under the influence of the victories of the Red Army, the Resistance movement grew in the countries of South-Eastern Europe. The advance of the Red Army there inevitably had to contribute to the strengthening of the liberation struggle and the collapse of fascist regimes in the Balkans, which was also of great importance for weakening the rear of Nazi Germany.

Hitler and the fascist generals understood the exceptional importance of the Romanian section of the front, which covered the path to the southern borders of the Third Reich. Retaining it was necessary to continue the war. The fascist German command took urgent measures in advance to strengthen its positions in the Balkan direction. Within four to five months, a powerful defense was created along a 600-kilometer front from the Carpathians to the Black Sea. The enemy's combat capability was undermined by the mistrust and alienation that existed between the German and Romanian troops. In addition, partisan detachments were increasingly active behind enemy lines on the territory of Soviet Moldova. It was also noted above that Army Group “Southern Ukraine” was significantly weakened by the transfer of part of its forces to the central section of the Soviet-German front in July-August.

The headquarters of the Soviet Supreme High Command decided to deliver a powerful blow to the southern enemy group with the forces of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, which included 1250 thousand people, 16 thousand guns and mortars, 1870 tanks and self-propelled guns, 2200 combat aircraft. These troops, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Military Flotilla, were supposed to break through the enemy’s defenses on his flanks, and then, developing an offensive, encircle and destroy the enemy in the Iasi-Chisinau region. At the same time, it was planned to launch an offensive deep into Romania and towards the borders of Bulgaria.

Troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front (Commander General R. Ya. Malinovsky, Member of the Military Council General I.Z. Susaykov, Chief of Staff General M.V. Zakharov) the main blow was delivered from the area northwest of Iasi in the direction of Vaslui. 3rd Ukrainian Front (commander General F.I. Tolbukhin, Member of the Military Council General A. S. Zheltov, Chief of Staff General S. S. Biryuzov) delivered the main blow from the Dnieper bridgehead south of Tiraspol. In the upcoming operation, the Black Sea Fleet was tasked with landing troops in Akkerman and on sea ​​coast, carry out air strikes on the ports of Constanta and Sulina, destroy enemy ships at sea, assist ground forces in crossing the Danube. All types of troops were involved in the Iasi-Kishinev operation, including large armored forces and aviation.

The Iasi-Kishinev operation began on August 20, 1944. On August 24, the first stage of the strategic operation of two fronts was completed - breaking through the defense and encircling the Iasi-Kishinev enemy group. 18 divisions were surrounded by Soviet troops - the main forces of the 6th German Army. Royal Romania, with its political and social system, was experiencing a deep crisis. Antonescu's military-fascist clique, based on an alliance with the Nazis, was about to collapse. On August 23, when the government decided to mobilize all the forces of the nation to continue the war, Antonescu came to the royal palace to ask King Mihai to address the people on this issue. However, in the palace, Antonescu, and after him, other ministers of his government were arrested. Under the blows of patriotic forces, the fascist regime collapsed, unable to organize resistance. Not a single unit of the Romanian army spoke out in defense of Antonescu's fascist clique.

After Antonescu was eliminated, the king, in contact with palace circles, formed a government headed by General C. Sanatescu. It also included representatives of the parties of the national democratic bloc, including the Communist Party. This was explained by the fact that the new government pledged to ensure an immediate cessation of hostilities against the countries anti-Hitler coalition, the country's withdrawal from the anti-Soviet war, the restoration of national independence and sovereignty.

On the night of August 25, the Soviet government broadcast a statement on the radio, which confirmed the terms of the truce with Romania put forward by the USSR on April 12, 1944. The statement stated that “The Soviet Union has no intention of acquiring any part of Romanian territory or changing the existing social system in Romania, or to infringe in any way on the independence of Romania. On the contrary, the Soviet government considers it necessary to restore, together with the Romanians, the independence of Romania by liberating Romania from the Nazi yoke.” Events developed in a complex and bitter struggle. The Sanatescu government in fact did not want to fight against Nazi Germany. The Romanian General Staff gave instructions not to interfere with the withdrawal of German troops from Romanian territory, and King Mihai informed the German Ambassador Killinger that German troops could leave Romania without hindrance. Fierce fighting in the Romanian capital and on the outskirts of it took place from August 24 to 28. The outcome of this struggle was determined by the fact that the main forces of the Nazi troops were surrounded in the area southeast of Iasi. The armed uprising in Bucharest ended in victory for the patriotic forces. When these events took place, Soviet troops continued to fight to destroy the encircled group, which was achieved by September 4. All the enemy’s attempts to break out of the ring were unsuccessful; only Army Group Commander Frisner and his staff managed to escape. Offensive operations did not stop during this entire time. The troops of the fronts, with the majority of their forces (about 60%), advanced into the depths of Romania.

Completely was Moldavian SSR liberated whose population during the years of fascist occupation suffered from merciless exploitation, violence and robbery by the Romanian invaders. On August 24, the 5th Shock Army of General N. E. Berzarin occupied Chisinau, where the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the government of Soviet Moldavia then returned. Soviet troops advanced in three main directions: the Carpathian, which opens the way to Transylvania; Focsani, leading to the Ploesti oil center and the capital of Romania; Izmail (seaside).

August 31, 1944, advancing troops entered liberated Bucharest. There were stubborn battles in the Carpathian direction. The enemy, using the mountainous and wooded terrain, offered stubborn resistance. The advancing troops failed to break through into Transylvania on the move.

Iasi-Kishinev operation 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts ended the entry of troops into Ploesti, Bucharest and Constanta. During this operation, troops from two fronts, with the support of the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Flotilla, defeated the main forces of the enemy army group "Southern Ukraine", which covered the route to the Balkans. Near Iasi and Chisinau, 18 German divisions, 22 divisions and 5 brigades of royal Romania were surrounded and destroyed. On September 12 in Moscow, the Soviet government, on behalf of its allies - the USSR, England and the USA - signed an armistice agreement with Romania.

Encirclement of the Chisinau group

On August 19, 1944, the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts conducted reconnaissance in force. On the morning of August 20, artillery preparation began, Soviet aviation launched powerful attacks on enemy defense centers, headquarters, and accumulations of enemy equipment. At 7:40 a.m., Soviet troops, supported by artillery fire, went on the offensive. The advance of infantry and close support tanks was also supported by attacks from attack aircraft, which attacked enemy firing positions and strongholds.

According to the testimony of prisoners, artillery and air strikes were a significant success. In the breakthrough areas, the first line of German defense was almost completely destroyed. Control at the battalion-regiment-division level was lost. Some German divisions lost up to half of their personnel on the first day of fighting. This success was due to the high concentration of firepower in the breakthrough areas: up to 240 guns and mortars and up to 56 tanks and self-propelled guns per 1 km of front.

It should be noted that by August 1944, the Germans and Romanians had prepared a deep defensive system with well-developed engineering structures on the territory of the Moldavian SSR and Romania. The tactical defense zone consisted of two stripes, and its depth reached 8-19 kilometers. Behind it, at a distance of 15-20 kilometers from the front edge, along the Mare ridge ran the third defense line (the “Trajan” line). Two defensive lines were created on the western banks of the Prut and Siret rivers. Many cities, including Chisinau and Iasi, were prepared for all-round defense and turned into real fortified areas.

However, the German defense was unable to stop the offensive impulse of the Soviet armies. The strike group of the 2nd Ukrainian Front broke through the main line of enemy defense. By mid-day, the 27th Army under the command of Sergei Trofimenko had also broken through the second line of enemy defense. The Soviet command brought the 6th Tank Army under the command of Andrei Kravchenko into the breakthrough. After this, as the commander of Army Group Southern Ukraine, General Friesner, admitted, “incredible chaos began” in the ranks of the German-Romanian troops. The German command tried to stop the advance of the Soviet troops and turn the tide of the battle; operational reserves were thrown into the battle - three infantry and tank divisions. However, German counterattacks could not change the situation; there were few forces for a full-fledged counterattack, and besides, Soviet troops were already well able to respond to such enemy actions. Malinovsky's troops reached Iasi and began a battle for the city.

Thus, on the very first day of the offensive, our troops broke through the enemy’s defenses, brought the second echelon into battle and successfully developed the offensive. Six enemy divisions were defeated. The Soviet armies reached the third line of enemy defense, which ran along the wooded Mare ridge.

The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front also successfully advanced, wedging into the enemy’s defenses at the junction of the 6th German and 3rd Romanian armies. By the end of the first day of the offensive, formations of the 3rd Ukrainian Front had broken through the main line of enemy defense and began breaking through the second line. This created favorable opportunities for isolating units of the 3rd Romanian Army with the aim of its subsequent destruction.

On August 21, Soviet troops fought heavy fighting on the Mara ridge. It was not possible to break through the German defenses of the 6th Tank Army on the move. Connections 7th Guards Army and the cavalry-mechanized group fought stubborn battles for Tirgu-Frumos, where the Germans created a powerful fortified area. By the end of the day, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front had overcome all three enemy defensive lines, and two powerful enemy fortified areas were taken - Iasi and Tirgu-Frumos. Soviet troops expanded the breakthrough to 65 km along the front and to 40 km in depth.

In the offensive zone of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the Germans launched a counterattack. The German command, trying to disrupt the Soviet offensive, pulled up reserves on the morning of August 21 and, relying on the second line of defense, launched a counterattack. Particular hopes were placed on the 13th tank division. However, the troops of the 37th Army repelled enemy counterattacks. In general, during August 20 and 21, the troops of the shock group of the 3rd Ukrainian Front broke through the enemy’s tactical defenses, repelled his counterattacks, defeating the 13th Tank Division, and increased the penetration depth to 40-50 km. The front command introduced mobile formations into the breakthrough - the 4th Guards mechanized corps in the zone of the 46th Army and the 7th Mechanized Corps in the zone of the 37th Army.

Tanks of the 7th MK fight in the Iasi-Kishinev operation. Moldova August 1944

August 21 Headquarters, fearing that the offensive would slow down and the enemy would use profitable terms terrain, will be able to pull together all available forces, delaying Soviet troops for a long time, and issued a directive in which she slightly adjusted the tasks of the fronts. To prevent Soviet troops from being late in reaching the Prut River and missing the opportunity to encircle the Chisinau group, the command of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts was reminded that their main task in the first stage of the offensive was to quickly create an encirclement ring in the Khushi area. In the future, it was necessary to narrow the encirclement in order to destroy or capture enemy troops. The Headquarters directive was necessary, since with a quick breakthrough of the German defense, the command of the 2nd Ukrainian Front was tempted to continue the offensive along the Roman - Focsani line, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front - Tarutino - Galati. The headquarters believed that the main forces and means of the fronts must be used to encircle and eliminate the Chisinau group. The destruction of this group already opened the way to the main economic and political centers of Romania. And so it happened.

On the night of August 21 and the entire next day, the 6th tank army and the 18th Tank Corps pursued the enemy. Malinovsky's troops penetrated 60 km into the enemy's defenses and expanded the breakthrough to 120 km. The armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front were rapidly advancing towards the Prut. The front's mobile formations went 80 km deep into the enemy's defenses. By the end of the second day of the operation, Tolbukhin's troops isolated the 6th German Army from the 3rd Romanian Army. Main forces of the 6th German army were surrounded in the area of ​​the village of Leusheny. On the left wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, units of the 46th Army, with the support of the Danube Military Flotilla, successfully crossed the Dniester Estuary. On the night of August 22 soviet soldiers liberated Akkerman and continued the offensive to the southwest.

Soviet aircraft bombing of the Romanian port of Constanta

Soviet boats of the Black Sea Fleet type MO-4 enter the port of Varna

Aviation was active: in two days of fighting, Soviet pilots made 6,350 sorties. Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet caused strong blows at the German naval bases in Sulina and Konstanz. It should be noted that throughout the entire operation, Soviet aviation completely dominated the air. This made it possible to launch powerful air strikes against enemy troops and their rear, reliably cover the advancing Soviet armies from the air and fend off the actions of the German Air Force. In total, during the operation, Soviet pilots shot down 172 German planes.

The command of Army Group “Southern Ukraine”, having analyzed the situation following the first day of fighting, decided to withdraw troops to the rear line along the Prut River. Friesner gave the order to retreat without even receiving Hitler's consent. The troops still retreated chaotically. On August 22, the high command also agreed to the withdrawal of troops. But it was already too late. By this moment, Soviet troops had intercepted the main escape routes of the Chisinau group, it was doomed. In addition, the German command did not have strong mobile reserves with which to organize strong relief strikes. In such a situation, it was necessary to withdraw troops even before the start of the Soviet offensive.

On August 23, Soviet troops fought with the goal of tightly closing the encirclement and continued moving west. The 18th Tank Corps reached the Khushi area. The 7th Mechanized Corps reached the crossings of the Prut in the Leushen area, and the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps reached Leovo. Units of the Soviet 46th Army pushed back the troops of the 3rd Romanian Army to the Black Sea, in the Tatarbunar region. On August 24, Romanian troops stopped resistance. On the same day, ships of the Danube military flotilla landed troops in the Zhebriyany-Vilkovo area. Also on August 24, units of the 5th Shock Army liberated Chisinau.

As a result, on August 24, the first stage of the strategic offensive operation was completed. The enemy’s defensive lines fell, the Iasi-Kishinev group was surrounded. 18 divisions from the 25 available in Army Group “Southern Ukraine” fell into the “cauldron”. A huge gap appeared in the German defense, which there was nothing to cover. A coup d'etat took place in Romania, the Romanians began to fold or turn it against the Germans. By August 26, the entire territory of the Moldavian SSR was liberated from the Nazis.

German self-propelled artillery unit Hummel, destroyed as a result of the bombing of a German column with high-explosive bombs

Coup d'etat in Romania. Destruction of the Chisinau group

Joseph Stalin’s calculation that the main consequence of the successful offensive of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts would be the “sobering up” of the Romanian leadership was completely justified. On the night of August 22 royal palace Mihai held a secret meeting. It was attended by opposition figures, including communists. It was decided to arrest Prime Minister Antonescu and other pro-German figures. On August 23, returning from the front after a meeting with the command of Army Group Southern Ukraine, Antonescu was arrested. Before his arrest, he planned to carry out additional mobilization in the country and create a new line of defense together with the Germans. At the same time, many members of his cabinet were arrested. King Michael gave a speech on the radio in which he announced that Romania was leaving the war on the side of Germany and accepting the terms of the armistice. The new government demanded the withdrawal of German troops from Romanian territory. It should be noted that Stalin highly appreciated Mihai’s courage; after the end of the war, the king was awarded the Order of Victory.

German diplomats and the military mission were taken by surprise. The German command refused to comply with the demand for the withdrawal of troops. Hitler was furious and demanded that the traitors be punished. The German Air Force attacked the Romanian capital. However, attempts by German troops to occupy strategic targets in Romania and attacks on the capital failed. There was no strength for such an operation. In addition, the Romanians actively resisted. The government of Constantin Sanatescu declared war on Germany and asked for help from the Soviet Union.

The front finally collapsed. Everywhere where the Romanians defended, the defensive formations collapsed. Soviet troops could easily move on. Chaos began. Any centralized leadership of the German troops collapsed, the rear was cut off. Individual scattered combat groups of German formations were forced to fight their way to the west on their own. German ships sailed from Romanian ports to Bulgarian Varna and Burgas, submarines, transports and boats filled with German soldiers. Another wave of fleeing German soldiers, mostly from rear units, poured across the Danube.

At the same time, the German military-political leadership did not give up hope of keeping at least part of Romania under its control. Already on August 24, the creation of a pro-German leadership led by the fascist organization “Iron Guard” Horia Sima was announced in Berlin. Adolf Hitler ordered the arrest of the Romanian king. The Wehrmacht occupied the strategic oil-producing region of Ploesti. During August 24 - 29, 1944, there were stubborn battles between German and Romanian troops. During these clashes, the Romanians were able to capture more than 50 thousand Germans, including 14 generals.

The Soviet command provided assistance to Romania: 50 divisions supported by the main forces of two air armies were sent to help the Romanian troops who resisted the Germans. The remaining troops were left to eliminate the Chisinau group. The surrounded German troops put up stubborn resistance. They rushed to break through in large masses of infantry, supported by armored vehicles and artillery. We were looking for weak points in the encirclement ring. However, during a series of separate heated battles, the German troops were defeated. By the end of August 27, the entire German group was destroyed. By August 28, that part of the German group that was able to break through to the western bank of the Prut and tried to break through to the Carpathian passes was also liquidated.

Meanwhile, the Soviet offensive continued. The 2nd Ukrainian Front advanced towards Northern Transylvania and in the Focci direction. On August 27, Soviet troops occupied Focsani and reached the approaches to Ploiesti and Bucharest. Units of the 46th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front developed an offensive on both banks of the Danube, cutting off the escape routes for the defeated German troops to Bucharest. The Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Military Flotilla contributed to the offensive ground forces, landed tactical landings, crushed the enemy with the help of aviation. On August 27, Galati was occupied. On August 28, Soviet troops captured the cities of Braila and Sulina. On August 29, the landing force of the Black Sea Fleet occupied the port of Constanta. On the same day, the advance detachment of the 46th Army reached Bucharest. On August 31, Soviet troops entered Bucharest. This completed the Iasi-Chisinau operation.

Bucharest residents welcome Soviet soldiers. The inscription on the large banner can be translated as “Long live the great Stalin - the brilliant leader of the Red Army”

Results

The Iasi-Kishinev operation ended in complete victory for the Red Army. Germany suffered a major military-strategic, political and economic defeat. Troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, with the support of the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Military Flotilla, defeated the main forces of the German Army Group “Southern Ukraine”. German-Romanian troops lost about 135 thousand people killed, wounded and missing. More than 208 thousand people were captured. 2 thousand guns, 340 tanks and assault guns, almost 18 thousand vehicles and other equipment and weapons were captured as trophies. Soviet troops lost more than 67 thousand people, of which over 13 thousand people were killed, missing, died from disease, etc.

Soviet troops liberated the Izmail region of the Ukrainian SSR and the Modavian SSR from the Nazis. Romania was withdrawn from the war. Under favorable conditions created by the successes of the Soviet fronts, Romanian progressive forces rebelled and overthrew the pro-German dictatorship of Antonescu. She went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition and entered the war with Germany. Although a significant part of Romania still remained in the hands of German troops and pro-German Romanian forces and fighting for the country continued until the end of October 1944, it was big success Moscow. Romania will field 535 thousand soldiers and officers against Germany and its allies.

The way to the Balkans was open for Soviet troops. An opportunity arose to enter Hungary and provide assistance to the allied Yugoslav partisans. Favorable conditions arose for the development of the struggle in Czechoslovakia, Albania and Greece. Bulgaria abandoned the alliance with Germany. On August 26, 1944, the Bulgarian government declared neutrality and demanded the withdrawal of German troops from Bulgaria. On September 8, Bulgaria declared war on Germany. Yes, and Türkiye is concerned. She maintained neutrality, but was friendly to Germany, and was waiting in the wings when she could profit at the expense of Russia. Now one could pay for preparing an invasion of the Caucasus. The Turks urgently began to establish friendship with the British and Americans.

From a military point of view, the Iasi-Kishinev operation was one of the most successful operations of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. Iasi-Chisinau Cannes was distinguished by its skillful choice of directions for the main attacks of the fronts, high level pace of advance, rapid encirclement and destruction of a large enemy group. The operation was also distinguished by close and skillful interaction of all types of troops, high enemy losses, and relatively low losses of Soviet troops. The operation clearly demonstrated the greatly increased level of Soviet military art, the combat skills of the command staff and the combat experience of soldiers.

Almost immediately after the liberation of Moldova, its economic restoration began. Moscow in 1944-1945. allocated 448 million rubles for these purposes. First of all, the military, with the help of the local population, restored railway communications and bridges across the Dniester, which were destroyed by the retreating Nazis. Even during the war, equipment was received to restore 22 enterprises, and 286 collective farms began operating. For the peasantry, seeds, cattle, horses, etc. came from Russia. All this contributed to the resumption of peaceful life in the republic. The Moldavian SSR also made its contribution to the overall victory over the enemy. After the liberation of the republic, more than 250 thousand people volunteered to go to the front.

Residents of Bucharest greet Soviet soldiers

The offensive of the Soviet troops in the Iasi-Kishinev operation began on August 20, 1944. At the appointed hour, thousands of guns and mortars, hundreds of aircraft dealt a crushing blow to the enemy. On the very first day, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front broke through the defenses to the entire tactical depth.

The fascist German command, trying to stop the advance of Soviet troops, launched three infantry and one tank divisions into counterattacks in the Iasi area. But this did not change the situation. In the zone of the 27th Army of General S.G. Trofimenko, after overcoming the second line of enemy defense, the 6th Tank Army, commanded by General A.G. Kravchenko, was introduced into the breakthrough. Her appearance came as a complete surprise to the Nazis. The tankers were able to quickly reach the third line of enemy defense, which ran along the Mare ridge. A huge number of infantry, tanks and guns, with powerful air support, rushed south in such a powerful stream that nothing could stop them.

By the end of the day, the 37th, 46th and 57th armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front under the command of Generals M. M. Sharokhin, I. T. Shlemin and N. A. Gagen also completed the breakthrough of the enemy’s main defense line and in some places wedged themselves into the second defensive line .

The troops of the fronts advanced forward to a depth of 10 to 16 km. During August 20, the enemy lost 9 divisions. Especially big losses suffered by Romanian troops. According to the conclusion of the commander of Army Group “Southern Ukraine”, General Frisner, already on the first day the outcome of the battles turned out to be catastrophic for her. In the Dumitrescu army group, both divisions of the 29th Romanian Army Corps completely disintegrated, and in the Wöhler group, five Romanian divisions were defeated (218). The results of the first day of the Soviet offensive caused confusion at Hitler's headquarters.

On the second day of the offensive, the strike force of the 2nd Ukrainian Front waged a stubborn struggle for the third zone on the Mare ridge, and the 7th Guards Army under the command of General M.S. Shumilov and the cavalry-mechanized group of General S.I. Gorshkov - for Tyrgu- Frumos. On August 21, the fascist German command pulled units of 12 divisions, including 2 tank divisions (219), to the area where the front’s strike group had broken through. The most stubborn battles took place on the approaches to Iasi, where enemy troops launched counterattacks three times. But the introduction of the 18th Tank Corps into the breakthrough in the 52nd Army zone greatly facilitated the actions of the Soviet rifle units. By the end of August 21, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front had finally crushed the enemy’s defenses. Having expanded the breakthrough to 65 km along the front and to 40 km in depth and having overcome all three defensive lines, they captured the cities of Iasi and Tirgu-Frumos and entered the operational space.

The strike force of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, repelling strong counterattacks by enemy infantry and tanks, advanced to a depth of 30 km in two days of fighting and expanded the breakthrough along the front to 95 km. A significant gap formed between the 6th German and 3rd Romanian armies.

The 5th Air Army of General S.K. Goryunov and the 17th Air Army of General V.L. Sudets successfully completed their tasks. Over two days, the pilots carried out about 6,350 sorties (220). Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet attacked German ships and enemy bases in Constanta and Sulina. In the combat log of the army group “Southern Ukraine” on August 21, 1944, it was noted that from the attacks of Soviet aviation, which achieved absolute air supremacy in the area of ​​​​operations of the army group “Dumitrescu”, German and Romanian troops suffered heavy losses (221).

In battles to break through enemy defenses, Soviet soldiers showed massive heroism. A clear illustration of this is the actions of corporals A.I. Gusev and K.I. Gurenko in the area of ​​the Moldavian village of Yermoklia. 60th Regiment of the 20th Guards rifle division, performing combat mission, on the afternoon of August 21, burst into the eastern outskirts of the village. The Nazis launched a counterattack. Four “tigers” were moving towards the firing position of the machine gunner of the 1st battalion Gusev. Realizing that it was impossible to stop the tanks with machine gun fire, the soldier tied grenades to his chest and threw himself under one of them. The tank exploded and the others turned back. Similar feat committed by a soldier of the 3rd battalion Gurenko. Seizing the moment, with grenades pressed to his chest, he rushed under the front of the three tanks advancing on him. Inspired by the great feat of their comrades, the soldiers of the regiment, with the support of artillery, repelled the counterattack of the Nazis, destroying most of their tanks. A.I. Gusev and K.I. Gurenko were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

To speed up the complete defeat of the enemy, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on the evening of August 21 ordered the fronts to reach the Hushi area as quickly as possible in order to complete the encirclement of the enemy group and open the road to the main economic and political centers of Romania (222). When this plan became clear to the fascist German command, it was forced on August 22 to begin the withdrawal of its forces from the Chisinau salient across the Prut River. “But,” as Friesner notes, “it was already too late” (223). On the morning of August 22, the 4th Guards Army under the command of General I.V. Galanin went on the offensive along the river. Acting together with the 52nd Army of General K. A. Koroteev, by the end of the day it had advanced 25 km and captured two crossings across the Prut. Bypassing enemy resistance centers, the 18th Tank Corps advanced towards Khushi. On the external front, advancing troops captured Vaslui.

The 3rd Ukrainian Front also achieved major successes. Units of the 7th Mechanized Corps reached the Gura-Galbena area, and the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps, having occupied Tarutino and Comrat, developed an offensive towards Leovo. Thus, the 3rd Romanian Army was finally isolated from the 6th German Army.

By the end of August 22, the front's strike groups had intercepted the enemy's main escape routes to the west. The sailors of the Danube Military Flotilla, together with the landing group of the 46th Army, crossed the 11-kilometer Dniester estuary, liberated the city of Akkerman and developed an offensive in a southwestern direction.

The success of the first three days of the offensive had a great influence on the further course of the operation. The enemy lost a significant part of his forces. During this time, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front defeated 11 Romanian and 4 German divisions, shot down 114 aircraft, advanced up to 60 km and expanded the breakthrough to 120 km. The 3rd Ukrainian Front advanced up to 70 km, the width of its breakthrough reached 130 km (224).

The most important condition for this major success was the close interaction of ground forces and aviation. During August 22 alone, pilots of the 5th Air Army conducted 19 battles, during which they shot down 40 enemy aircraft.

On August 23, the fronts fought in order to close the encirclement and continue advancing on the external front. On the same day, the 18th Tank Corps reached the Khushi area, the 7th Mechanized Corps - to the crossings of the Prut in the Leusheni area, and the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps - to Leovo. “As a result of four days of operation,” Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko reported to Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin at 23:30 on August 23, “the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts today, August 23, completed the operational encirclement of the Chisinau enemy group..." (225) On the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the 46th Army of General I. T. Shlemin, in cooperation with the Danube Military Flotilla, on August 23 completed the encirclement of the 3rd Romanian Army, whose troops stopped resistance the next day . On August 24, the 5th Shock Army of General N. E. Berzarin liberated the capital of the Moldavian SSR, Chisinau.

Hitler's command, seeing that the main forces of his group were defeated, and having received news of Romania's withdrawal from the war, ordered the encircled troops to retreat to the Carpathians. However, this task was no longer feasible for them. On August 24, Soviet troops tightly closed the narrow corridor that had formed the day before, along which the enemy was trying to escape from the cauldron. 18 of 25 German divisions were surrounded. By this time, almost all the Romanian divisions at the front were also defeated.

So, on the fifth day, as envisaged by the plan, the first stage of the strategic operation was completed, during which the encirclement of the main forces of Army Group “Southern Ukraine” was achieved. The troops operating on the external front occupied the cities of Roman, Bacau, Barlad and approached the city of Tekuch. A strip of significant depth formed between the inner and outer fronts of the encirclement. This created favorable conditions for the liquidation of the encircled group and the rapid advance of Soviet troops deep into Romanian territory. These tasks were solved by the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts under new conditions.

On August 23, an anti-fascist uprising began in Romania under the leadership of the Communist Party. It was urgently necessary to come to his aid, to speed up the pace of the offensive, so that the Nazi command did not have time to transfer additional forces to Romania to deal with the rebels. The attempts made by fascist Germany to keep the Romanian satellite in the aggressive bloc, the difficult internal political situation in Romania, as well as the machinations of the imperialist reactionary forces required the most decisive actions from the Soviet command for the speedy liberation of this country. And it, leaving 34 divisions to destroy the encircled group, sent more than 50 divisions into the depths of Romania. In developing the offensive on the external front, the main role was assigned to the 2nd Ukrainian Front. The main forces of both air armies were also sent here.

By the end of August 27, the group surrounded east of the Prut ceased to exist. Soon, that part of the enemy troops that managed to cross to the western bank of the Prut with the intention of breaking through to the Carpathian passes was also destroyed. The enemy suffered a crushing defeat. The command of Army Group “Southern Ukraine” stated on September 5 that the encircled corps and divisions of the 6th Army should be considered as completely lost and that this defeat represents the most big disaster than any army group has ever experienced (226) .

During the completion of the liquidation of the encircled enemy forces and subsequently, the pace of the offensive of Soviet troops on the external front increased more and more. The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front continued their success towards Northern Transylvania and in the Focci direction, reaching the approaches to Ploiesti and Bucharest. Units of the 46th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet, launched an offensive in the coastal direction.

The fascist German command attempted to delay the Soviet troops and gain time to restore their front. In the OKB directive of August 26, General Friesner was given the task of creating and maintaining a defense along the line of the Eastern Carpathians, Focsani, Galati (227), although the army group had neither the strength nor the means for this. 6 badly battered divisions of the 8th Army (228) retreated to the Carpathians. There were 29 Hungarian battalions on the Hungarian-Romanian border, which operated mainly in front of the right wing and center of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. In front of its left wing and the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the remnants of the formations retreating from the front, as well as the rear units of the Army Group “Southern Ukraine” and individual German garrisons, were defending.

The enemy put up stubborn resistance on the approaches to the Eastern Carpathians. The remnants of the German divisions and Hungarian battalions concentrated here fought, using the mountainous and wooded terrain favorable for defense. However, the 40th and 7th Guards Armies and the cavalry-mechanized group of General Gorshkov, advancing in this direction, despite enormous difficulties, managed to push back the enemy and overcome the Eastern Carpathians.

The offensive of the troops of the left wing of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, which included the 27th, 53rd and 6th Tank Armies and the 18th Tank Corps, developed successfully. These troops, with active air support, crushed individual pockets of enemy defense and quickly advanced south. The 6th Tank Army overcame the Focsani fortified line and liberated Focsani on August 26. The next day, she approached the city of Buzau, the capture of which made it possible to develop a further offensive against Ploesti and Bucharest. Here the tankers encountered particularly stubborn resistance. In the battles for this city, more than 1,500 soldiers and officers were killed and 1,200 captured (229). With the loss of Buzau, the enemy's position worsened even more.

In these battles, the soldiers of the 1st Tank Battalion of the 21st Guards Tank Brigade especially distinguished themselves. For crossing the Siret River and the liberation of Focshani, 13 soldiers and battalion commanders were awarded high rank Hero of the Soviet Union. Among them were members of the same tank crew: Guard Lieutenant G.V. Burmak, Guard Sergeant Major F.A. Kulikov and Guard Junior Sergeants M.A. Makarov and G.G. Shevtsov. They captured a working bridge on the Siret River, cleared it of mines and thereby created conditions for the entire tank brigade to cross the river.

By August 29, troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front liberated the cities of Tulcea, Galati, Braila, Constanta, Sulina and others. To quickly capture Constanta, the main naval base of Romania, sea and airborne landings were used. Advancing in a southern direction, Soviet troops crushed scattered enemy groups and prevented their transfer to Bucharest. Only in the area of ​​​​the city of Calarashi on September 1 and 2, they captured up to 6 thousand Nazis, including 18 colonels and more than 100 other officers (230).

Soviet troops, moving deeper into the country, established contacts and established cooperation with Romanian formations that had turned their arms against the Nazis. Thus, as part of the 50th Rifle Corps of the 40th Army, the 3rd Romanian Border Regiment fought against the Nazi troops for more than a month. The 103rd Romanian Mountain Rifle Division fought alongside the 7th Guards Army. At the end of August, in the Vaslui area, the 1st Romanian Volunteer Infantry Division named after Tudor Vladimirescu, formed on Soviet territory, received its baptism of fire.

Thus, in the period from August 20 to 29, Soviet troops successfully carried out the Iasi-Kishinev operation, surrounded and liquidated the largest group enemy. In a report on its results, the Pravda newspaper noted that this operation was one of “the largest and most outstanding operations in the current war in terms of its strategic and military-political significance” (231).

By September 3, scattered groups of Nazis were also liquidated. During the battles from August 20 to September 3, Soviet troops destroyed 22 German divisions, including 18 divisions that were surrounded (232), and also defeated almost all the Romanian divisions located at the front. 208.6 thousand soldiers and officers were captured, including 25 generals, 490 tanks and assault guns, 1.5 thousand guns, 298 aircraft, 15 thousand vehicles were destroyed; Soviet troops captured more than 2 thousand guns, 340 tanks and assault guns, about 18 thousand vehicles, 40 aircraft and many other military equipment and weapons (233). The enemy suffered so much damage that it took him about a month to restore a continuous front. At the same time, he was forced to transfer additional forces from other Balkan countries to the Romanian sector of the front.

The defeat of the main forces of Army Group “Southern Ukraine”, which covered the routes from the northeast to the Balkans, dramatically changed the entire military-political situation on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front. As a result of the operation, the Moldavian SSR and the Izmail region of the Ukrainian SSR were liberated, and Romania, which declared war on Germany, was withdrawn from the fascist bloc. The defeat of the enemy at Iasi and Chisinau created decisive conditions for the success of the armed uprising of the Romanian people, which overthrew the hated fascist regime of Antonescu. The plans of the American-British imperialists, who sought to occupy Romania and other Balkan countries, failed.

A deep breakthrough of enemy defenses on a wide front opened up prospects for Soviet troops for a rapid offensive into the depths of Romania, into the borders of Hungary and Bulgaria with the aim of delivering subsequent attacks on the enemy and assisting the Romanian, Bulgarian, Yugoslav, Hungarian and Czechoslovak peoples in their liberation. It led to a significant improvement in the situation in the Black Sea. The Soviet Black Sea Fleet was able to base itself not only on its own, but also on Romanian ports, which made it much easier for it to conduct combat operations.

The Iasi-Kishinev operation, which went down in history as the Iasi-Kishinev Cannes, provided the most striking examples of the high level of Soviet military art. This was manifested, firstly, in making the right choice directions of the main attacks on the most vulnerable areas in enemy defense, decisive concentration of forces and means in these directions and in enveloping the main forces of the enemy. The massing of forces and means allowed the Soviet troops to deliver a powerful initial blow, quickly break through the enemy’s defenses and short time surround and eliminate one of the largest enemy groups.

Secondly, during the Iasi-Kishinev operation, Soviet troops, along with encircling and eliminating the main enemy forces in the area of ​​​​Iasi and Chisinau, conducted a powerful offensive on the external front, using most of their forces and means for this, which forced the enemy to continuously roll back into the depths of Romania and for a long time prevented him from stabilizing the front. Rapidly moving forward, Soviet troops quickly moved the front line away from the encircled group by 80 - 100 km and thereby deprived it of the opportunity to escape from the cauldron. The enemy units and formations breaking through to the west, not having time to leave the operational encirclement, found themselves in a new, tactical encirclement and ultimately found themselves doomed to destruction.

Thirdly, in this operation the Soviet command effectively used mobile tank and mechanized troops, which played a decisive role in encircling the enemy east of the river Prut and the development of the offensive on the external front. Moreover, unlike many other operations of the Great Patriotic War, the tank army was introduced into the breakthrough not at its completion, but after breaking into the enemy’s tactical defense zone. The operation also achieved clear interaction between the ground forces and the Black Sea Fleet and aviation.

Fourthly, already during the Iasi-Kishinev offensive operation, after the victory of the armed uprising of the Romanian people, Soviet troops began to interact with the troops of Romania, which had gone over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

All this indicates that the attempts of bourgeois falsifiers of history to explain the defeat of the Nazi troops near Iasi and Chisinau by the indecisive actions of Soviet troops and the high level of Soviet military art, but only by political circumstances (“betrayal of the Romanian ally”) (234) do not stand up to criticism .

By the beginning of the operation, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian (commander Army General R.Ya. Malinovsky) and 3rd Ukrainian (commander Army General F.I. Tolbukhin) fronts were at the line Krasnoilsk, Pashkani, north of Iasi, further along the Dniester to the Black Sea , and occupied an enveloping position in relation to the enemy group. In the Kitskani area, south of Tiraspol, Soviet troops held an important bridgehead on the right bank of the Dniester. In front of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts, the army group “Southern Ukraine” (commander Colonel General G. Friessner) defended, consisting of the 8th and 6th German, 3rd and 4th Romanian armies and the 17th th German separate army corps, with a total strength of 900 thousand people, 7.6 thousand 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, which had 810 aircraft. The enemy, using the mountainous terrain and numerous rivers, created a powerful, deeply echeloned (up to 80 km) defense with a developed system of engineering structures. In the center of Army Group “Southern Ukraine” in the Chisinau direction, the most combat-ready German 6th Army occupied the defense, and on the flanks were mainly Romanian troops.

The Soviet command skillfully took advantage of the advantageous configuration of the front line and the weak support for the flanks of the enemy group. According to the plan of the operation, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, with attacks from the north and east in two areas far apart from each other (northwest of Yassy and south of Bender), were supposed to break through the enemy’s defenses and, developing an offensive along converging lines to the area Hushi, Vaslui, Falciu directions, encircle and destroy the main forces of Army Group “Southern Ukraine”, then develop an offensive deep into Romania at a high pace. The 2nd Ukrainian Front delivered the main blow with the forces of the 27th, 52nd, 53rd and 6th Tank Armies from the area north-west of Iasi in the general direction of Vaslui, Falciu, cutting off the retreat routes of the Iasi-Kishinev enemy group to the west, an auxiliary attack with forces of 7 1st Guards Army and Cavalry Mechanized Group (KMG) along the river. Siret to secure the right flank of the main group.

After encircling the Iasi-Kishinev group, the main forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front were to advance in the general direction of Focsani, forming an external front of encirclement, and the troops of the left wing were to create an internal front of encirclement and, together with the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, destroy the encircled group. The 3rd Ukrainian Front delivered the main attack with the forces of the 57th, 37th and right wing of the 46th armies from the Kitskan bridgehead in the direction of Khushi, an auxiliary attack - with part of the forces of the 46th Army in cooperation with the Danube military flotilla through the Dnieper estuary in the direction of Belgorod -Dnestrovsky (Ackerman). The Danube military flotilla (commanded by Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov) was supposed to land troops northwest and south of Ackerman, and with the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front reaching the Danube, assist them in crossing the river and provide Soviet ships and vessels with unhindered movement along her. After encircling the Iasi-Kishinev enemy group, the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front were given the task of developing an offensive in the general direction of Reni and Izmail, preventing the enemy from retreating beyond the Prut and Danube. The actions of the ground forces were supported by the 5th and 17th air armies. The Black Sea Fleet (commanded by Admiral F.S. Oktyabrsky) had the task of supporting the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front with fire and disrupting the enemy’s sea communications. The coordination of the actions of the fronts was carried out by the representative of the Supreme Command Headquarters, Marshal S.K. Tymoshenko.

To carry out the operation, 1.25 million people, 16 thousand guns and mortars, 1,870 tanks and self-propelled guns and 2,200 combat aircraft (including naval aviation) were involved. The Soviet troops included the 1st Romanian Volunteer Division named after. T. Vladimirescu. 67 - 72% of infantry, up to 61% of artillery, 85% of tanks and self-propelled guns were concentrated in the directions of the main attacks. Almost all aviation. Thanks to this, in the breakthrough areas the fronts had an advantage over the enemy: in men - 4-8 times, in artillery - 6-11 times, in tanks and self-propelled guns - 6 times. This provided them with the opportunity to continuously increase the power of offensive attacks.

On August 16, the command received an order to launch an offensive “due to readiness” - for secrecy purposes, the word “relocation” was used in such cases.

PROGRESS OF THE OPERATION: FIRST STAGE

The offensive of both fronts began on August 20 after powerful artillery and, on the 3rd Ukrainian Front, air preparation. On the 1st day, troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front broke through the enemy’s defenses to the entire tactical depth and advanced 16 km. In the zone of the 27th Army, already in the middle of the day, the 6th Tank Army was introduced into the breakthrough. By the end of the day, its formations reached the enemy’s 3rd defensive line, which ran along the Mare ridge. The offensive of the 3rd Ukrainian Front also developed at a high pace. During the day, the 37th and 46th armies broke through the main line of enemy defense and, having advanced 12 km in depth, in some places wedged themselves into the 2nd line. On the second day, the enemy brought units of 12 divisions, including 2 tank divisions, to the breakthrough area of ​​the 2nd Ukrainian Front, and tried to stop his advance with counterattacks. However, the entry into battle in the zone of the 52nd Army of the 18th Tank Corps, and in the auxiliary - the 7th Guards Army and the KMG of Major General S.I. Gorshkov thwarted the enemy's plans. By the end of the second day, the front troops crushed the enemy’s defenses, overcoming his 3rd defensive line, and, having advanced to 40 km in depth, captured the city. Iasi and Targu Frumos. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front also completed a breakthrough of the enemy’s defense that day. The 7th and 4th Guards Mechanized Corps brought into the battle advanced up to 30 km in depth and actually cut off the 6th German Army from the 3rd Romanian Army. Front-line aviation provided great assistance to the ground forces. Over two days, the 5th and 17th Air Armies flew about 6,350 sorties.

Developing success on the internal front of the encirclement, on August 23, the 18th Tank Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front reached the Khushi area, and the 7th and 4th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 3rd Ukrainian Front reached the crossings on the river. Prut in the area of ​​Leuseni and Leovo. The operational encirclement of the enemy group in Chisinau (18 divisions) was completed. On the same day, the troops of the 46th Army, which the day before, in cooperation with the Danube military flotilla, had crossed the Dniester estuary, surrounded, with the assistance of the flotilla, the 3rd Romanian Army, which stopped resistance the next day. On August 24, troops of the 5th Shock Army liberated the capital of the Moldavian SSR, Chisinau. Thus, on the 5th day, as envisaged by the plan, the first stage of the strategic operation was completed, during which the encirclement of the main forces of Army Group “Southern Ukraine” was achieved.

PROGRESS OF THE OPERATION: SECOND STAGE

At the second stage of the Iasi-Kishinev operation, the Soviet command, having allocated 34 divisions to the internal front to eliminate the encircled group, used the main forces of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts (more than 50 divisions) to develop success on the external front of the encirclement, deep into Romania. By the end of August 27, the encircled area to the east of the river was liquidated. Prut, and on August 29 - units that managed to cross the river. Prut southwest of Khushi. At the same time, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, building on their success towards Northern Transylvania and in the Focsani direction, liberated Focsani on August 27, and reached Ploiesti on August 29. The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, advancing south along both banks of the Danube, cut off the route of retreat for the defeated enemy troops to Bucharest. The Danube Military Flotilla and the Black Sea Fleet, assisting the offensive of the ground forces, ensured crossings across the Danube, landed troops, and carried out naval aviation strikes. By August 30, Messrs. were released. Tulcea, Galati, Constanta (the main naval base of Romania), Sulina, etc.

IASSI-CHISINAU CANNES

The Iasi-Kishinev operation is one of the largest and most outstanding in its strategic and military-political significance operations of the USSR armed forces. During its course, in a short period of time, Army Group “Southern Ukraine” was completely destroyed, 22 German divisions were destroyed, and almost all the Romanian divisions located at the front were defeated. The German defense on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front collapsed, favorable conditions were created for the victory of the uprising of the Romanian people against the pro-German dictatorial regime, Romania came out of the war on the side of Germany and on August 24 declared war on it. Soviet losses during the course were relatively small - 67 thousand people, of which 13 thousand were irrevocable.

For combat distinctions, 126 formations and units of the ground forces and navy that participated in the Iasi-Chisinau operation were awarded the honorary names of Chisinau, Iasi, Focshansky, Rymnitsky, Konstansky and others.

DOCUMENTATION

To the Commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front

Comrade Malinovsky.

Comrade Tikhonov.

The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command orders:

1. In view of readiness, resettlement begins within the time period established in Moscow.

2. Report the orders given.

Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.

TsAMO. F. 148a. OP. 3763. D. 166. L. 442.

To the Military Council of the 3rd Ukrainian Front

Extraordinary report on August 24, 1944.

On the night of August 23, 1944, troops from the Shock Army broke through the enemy’s defenses and, rapidly moving forward, at 17:00 on August 23, 1944, they broke into the capital of the Moldavian SSR, the city of CHISINAU, and captured it by storm by about 04:00 on August 24, 1944.

For 8/23/44, units and formations of the 5th Shock Army fought over 40 kilometers, liberating more than 200 settlements.

In the battles for the capture of the city of CHISINAU, the troops of the Guard of Major General FIRSOV, the Guard of Major General ZHEREBIN, the Guard of Major General SERYUGIN, the Guard of Major General SOKOLOV, the Guard of Major General SYZRANOV, and Colonel FOMICHENKO distinguished themselves.

Artillerymen: Major General Kosenko, Lieutenant Colonel Klimenkov, Colonel PAVLOV, Lieutenant Colonel DMITRIEV, Guard Lieutenant Colonel RAKHNIN, Lieutenant Colonel KOTOV, flamethrowers of Lieutenant Colonel LIZUNOV.

Sappers: Lieutenant Colonel FURS, Colonel CHEVYCHELOV.

BERZARIN, BOKOV, KUCHEV.

TsAMO. F. 243. Op. 2912. D. 97. L. 408.

Comrade STALIN.

Today is the day of the defeat of the German-Romanian troops in BESSARABIA and on the territory of ROMANIA, west of the river ROD.

The first, main task you set to the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts was completed by them. The German-Romanian troops are defeated, their remnants flee in disarray across the SERET River.

The main German, CHISINAU grouping is surrounded and destroyed.

Observing the skilful leadership of troops on a large scale on the part of MALINOVSKY and TOLBUKHIN, I consider it my duty to consider their unwavering will in carrying out your order: to ask for your petition to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to confer the Military rank of “Marshal of the Soviet Union” to army generals MALINOVSKY and TOLBUKHIN.

I think that this government event will give them such strength that no Focsani gate can hold it.

TYMOSHENKO. 24.8. 44 12.30

TsAMO. F. 48a. Op. 3410. D. 116. L. 690-691.

MEMORIES

By order of Hitler, we should now begin bombing Bucharest from the air, with the main targets being the royal palace and the government quarter of the city.

I ordered my Chief of Staff, General Grolman, to again try to draw the attention of the High Command to the clause in the communiqué of the new Bucharest government, which was distinguished by loyalty and allowed all German troops to withdraw unhindered from Romania. At the same time, I asked you to pay Special attention that in the event of our bombing of the Romanian capital, Romanian troops will inevitably begin military operations against all German troops and rear institutions - hospitals, ammunition depots, military equipment and food warehouses. In order to delay the execution of the bombing order, I ordered the 4th Air Fleet to first clarify the existing prerequisites for this. Now it all came down to gaining time.

To our great surprise, we learned that the bombing had already begun, began without the knowledge and participation of the commander-in-chief of the army group, without taking into account the situation in which German soldiers were fighting heavy battles on Romanian territory, without taking into account the situation in which, in fact, they found themselves the rear organs of the army group are now abandoned to the mercy of fate!

Only much later, while in captivity, did I accidentally learn the circumstances of this case. It turns out that after my telephone call on August 23, Hitler himself raised the issue of the bombing of Bucharest in the evening of the same day in a conversation with Goering. He immediately contacted General Gerstenberg by telephone, who was also our air attaché in Romania. In this conversation, General Gerstenberg, apparently, again characterized the situation too superficially and demanded the use of dive bombers, without thinking about the consequences of this step. Goering, too, without hesitation, gave the order. I was pushed aside.

The consequences were catastrophic! The Romanian troops were ordered by their king to treat all Germans as enemies, disarm them and engage them in battle. Even those sections of the Romanian population who until now did not approve of the decisions of their government and were loyal to us changed their attitude towards us. On August 25, Romania declared war on Germany! So our former allies turned into new enemies. Chaos has reached its climax.

Frisner G. Lost battles. M., 1966.

On August 20, the Iasi-Kishinev operation began. The troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts went on the offensive. At the same time, the Black Sea Fleet Air Force attacked Constanta, the main naval base of Romania.

According to intelligence data, there were up to 150 warships, auxiliary vessels and watercraft in the port of Constanta at that time. About 50 ships and vessels were based in Sulina. In short, the main forces of the enemy fleet were located in these two Romanian ports.

The blow was thought out to the smallest detail. It was decided to bomb Sulina first. Four groups of attack aircraft were sent there - about 30 Il-2s, accompanied by fighters. While the enemy was repelling this attack, single aircraft of the 5th Mine and Torpedo Aviation Regiment dropped smoke bombs on Constanta, blinding enemy anti-aircraft artillery. Most of the fascist fighters were drawn to Sulina. The main forces of our aviation took advantage of this. The 13th dive bomber division, consisting of 59 aircraft, under the cover of 77 fighters, flew into Constanta. The blows were delivered in three groups. About 70 warships and vessels were destroyed or damaged, and great destruction was caused in the port. Fleet aviation attacks on Constanta and Sulina continued until August 25. Both fascist ports were essentially paralyzed.

...The rapid advance of Soviet troops sealed the fate of Antonescu's pro-fascist government. On August 23, an armed uprising broke out in Romania. The position of German troops in Romania became precarious. However, the Nazi leadership did not yet lose hope of restoring their lost political and military positions. On Hitler's orders, German troops launched an attack on Bucharest, and their aircraft bombed the Romanian capital. Then the newly formed Romanian government announced fascist Germany war. In the area of ​​Bucharest and Ploesti, fighting began between yesterday's allies - German and Romanian units.

After encircling the Chisinau group, the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts continued their offensive in the southwestern and western directions.

The commander of the Black Sea Fleet divided the forces operating in the Danube basin into two groups. The Danube military flotilla was supposed to move up the Danube to assist the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front in crossing the river, and the formed Reserve Naval Base of the Black Sea Fleet (commander - Captain 1st Rank A.V. Sverdlov) received the task of gaining a foothold in Vilkovo , and then capture Sulina and ensure freedom of navigation in the delta and lower reaches of the Danube.

On August 26, the ships of the flotilla occupied Tulcea, and a detachment of sixteen armored boats and the 384th separate Nikolaev Marine Battalion captured the port of Sulina on August 27. The Romanian river flotilla capitulated, and we completely captured the lower reaches of the Danube. The enemy's coastal group was completely surrounded.

The most important features of the combat activities of the Black Sea Fleet forces to capture the Danube Delta were the rapid re-deployment of forces, the rapid pace of advance and the skillful conduct of independent actions until direct contact with ground forces was established. This helped the Black Sea people reach the most important Danube ports and capture them even before the arrival of the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. On the afternoon of August 25, the commander of the Danube military flotilla, Rear Admiral S.G. Gorshkov, reported from Kiliya to the People's Commissar of the Navy and the commander of the Black Sea Fleet: “There are no army units. Please clarify the situation at the front."

The naval group at the headquarters of the 3rd Ukrainian Front also received a message:

“Report to Biryuzov:

Kilia is occupied by landing forces, and until the troops of the 46th Army reach the Danube, Gorshkov’s position is tense.”

The way to the Balkans was open for the Soviet Armed Forces.

Kuznetsov N.G. Course to victory. M., 2000.

Having instructions from Headquarters, the General Staff had to take into account the situation developing in a particular country, all complex political issues and even - where more, where less - participate in their resolution. We were reminded more than once at Headquarters about the new situation in which the troops were now advancing. R.Ya. was also warned many times. Malinovsky, whose front was the main force in Romania and Hungary, about the special importance of the political task entrusted to his troops.

Our two fronts - the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian - were opposed by the group of fascist German armies “Southern Ukraine”. It consisted of two German (8th and 6th) and two Romanian (4th and 3rd) armies, the 17th separate German army corps and many other infantry and special units.

The resistance of the enemy troops was very significant. Past battles testified to this. For a long time, Army Group “Southern Ukraine” was commanded by one of the most capable German military leaders, Colonel General Scherner - he subsequently fiercely resisted Soviet troops in Czechoslovakia even after the order for the complete surrender of Germany. At the end of July, Scherner was replaced by General Friesner. Hitler's command hoped that such a replacement would be beneficial:

Friesner was known as a military leader with extensive combat experience, although he had previously suffered setbacks in the Baltic states, where he led Army Group North. Throughout the entire zone of Army Group “Southern Ukraine”, defensive structures were built around the clock; in certain directions, newly created field positions were combined with fortified areas reinforced in advance.

When developing a plan for operations in the Balkans, in addition to the usual elements of the situation, one more circumstance had to be taken into account: the likelihood of the so-called “Balkan option” of actions by our allies. This option provided for the simultaneous opening of a second front and the invasion of Allied troops into the countries of the Balkan Peninsula. Winston Churchill in general view outlined the “Balkan option” back at the Tehran Conference and now insisted on its implementation. If the “Balkan option” were implemented, the main role on the peninsula would be played by the Anglo-American armed forces. The Soviet Union would have to overcome significant difficulties of a political nature and make great job to coordinate the actions of the allied armies. It was also possible that the allies would make attempts behind our back to come to an agreement with the Romanian government. Soon, by the way, we learned that something in this direction was already being done.

There were also difficulties in coordinating the efforts of the Soviet Armed Forces. A glance at the map convinced that simultaneous actions would be required to the south - in the interests of the liberation of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, and to the west - with the aim of defeating the Nazi troops in Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia. The forces were thus scattered for some time. At the same time, it was clear that our troops would have to fight on a very wide front in terrain conditions that were extremely unfavorable for an offensive, since mountains, rivers and numerous populated areas provided the enemy with the opportunity to successfully defend themselves.

Along with the purely military and moral-political preparation of the Red Army for liberation mission On the territory of the satellite countries of Hitler Germany, diplomatic measures were also taken that undermined the foundations of the Hitler coalition. In particular, on May 13, 1944, the governments of the Soviet Union, Great Britain and the USA addressed a statement to Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Finland. It said that the current policies of the governments of these countries significantly strengthen the German military machine. At the same time, these countries can shorten the duration of the war in Europe, reduce their own casualties, and facilitate Allied victory. To do this, they must get out of the war, stop cooperation with Germany, which is detrimental to them, and resist the Nazis with all the means available to them. The satellite countries were warned that they needed to decide now whether they would persist in their present hopeless and disastrous policy or whether they would contribute to the overall victory of the Allies and thereby avoid responsibility for participating in the war on the side of the Nazis. This step by the Allied powers had a great political effect, as it helped to significantly strengthen the position of the Resistance forces.

...The situation in the direction of the main attack of the 2nd Ukrainian Front greatly worried the General Staff. In the middle of the day on August 21, we, as usual, contacted the headquarters of the advancing fronts by telephone and clarified the situation. Soon we had to go to the Kremlin for a report. The chief of staff of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, M.V. Zakharov, assessed the situation optimistically, believing that our troops would not linger in front of the Mare ridge and would soon quickly move forward. He also reported that he was expecting a message about the capture of Iasi any hour, and he turned out to be right.

At 15 o'clock A.I. Antonov and I were in the office of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. When it came to the situation in the southwest, I.V. Stalin, having carefully studied the map, demanded that the commanders of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, as well as the representative of the Headquarters, be reminded of the main task of the troops they led: to encircle the enemy as quickly as possible. He dictated: “...Now the main task of the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts is to quickly close the enemy’s encirclement ring in the Khushi area with the combined efforts of the two fronts, and then narrow this ring with the aim of destroying or capturing the Chisinau group enemy."

Since a breakthrough of the enemy defense along the Mare ridge could create a temptation to throw the main forces of the 2nd Ukrainian Front to pursue the Romanian troops in the direction of Roman and Focsani, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front - to Tarutino and Galati, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief emphasized: “Headquarters requires the main forces and attract resources from both fronts to accomplish this most important task, without diverting forces to solve other problems. Successful solution to the task of defeating the enemy group in Chisinau will open the way for us to the main economic and political centers of Romania.”

We paid particular attention to this instruction: after all, the General Staff had to control how the instructions of Headquarters were carried out.

Concluding the dictation, J.V. Stalin said: “About 44 enemy divisions are operating in front of your both fronts, of which 6 divisions have already been defeated. You have 87 divisions, and, in addition, you have a significant superiority over the enemy in artillery, tanks and aviation. Thus, you have every opportunity to successfully solve this problem and must solve this problem.”

To the representative of the Headquarters, Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Tymoshenko was ordered to ensure the strict implementation of this directive.

While we were reporting on the situation, new data arrived from the fronts. By 15 o'clock Iasi was taken - a powerful center of enemy defense. Due to the right flank of the troops of the 27th Army of S.G. Trofimenko began to turn west, bypassing the fortified Tirgu-Frumos, units of the 7th Guards Army of General M.S. Shumilov. They were supposed to break the enemy's defenses and ensure the actions of the main forces of the front from the western direction. The 6th Tank and 27th armies penetrated the enemy’s defenses up to 49 km, broke through it and entered the operational space. Now they could directly intercept the enemy’s most likely escape routes to the west and south and defeat his troops who were trying to avoid the planned encirclement.

The 3rd Ukrainian Front also advanced significantly: the depth of its breakthrough in the direction of action of the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps, commanded by General V.I. Zhdanov, reached 50 km. The front separated the 3rd Romanian Army from the troops of the 6th German Army.

The Headquarters directive was very timely for organizing the actions of the fronts. By the end of August 21, the enemy was no longer able to hold the advantageous positions he occupied along the Mare ridge and, under pressure from the armies of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, began to retreat. Troops R.Ya. Malinovsky with the 6th Tank Army and the 18th Tank Corps in the vanguard rushed after him, without stopping the pursuit on the night of August 22 and the entire next day. The power of the blow of the main forces of the front was supplemented by the blow of the 4th Guards Army of I.V., which went on the offensive. Galanina. Operating along the left bank of the Prut, it ensured the operation of the front from the east and at the same time crushed the defense of the enemy’s Chisinau group with a blow from north to south. By the end of the day, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front had penetrated 60 km into the enemy’s defenses and expanded the breakthrough to 120 km.

The armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front rapidly advanced from the east to the crossings on the Prut. Overturning the resistance of the Romanian and German troops, by the end of August 22, their mobile units wedged 80 km deep into the enemy’s position and covered three-quarters of the distance to their target. On the left flank, front forces, in cooperation with the Danube military flotilla, successfully crossed the Dniester estuary.

Thus, during August 22, the contours of a huge encirclement clearly emerged, which was the essence of the operation developed by the Headquarters of the Soviet Supreme High Command to defeat the fascist German army group “Southern Ukraine” near Iasi and Chisinau.

Shtemenko S.M. General Staff during the war. M., 1989.

In August 1944, our troops attacked seventh strike - in the Chisinau-Iasi area , where 22 German divisions were surrounded and defeated, forced the Romanian army to surrender. As a result of this operation, Moldova was completely liberated, Romania and Bulgaria were withdrawn from the war.

70 years ago, Soviet armies liberated the Moldavian SSR, took Romania out of the war and paved the way for themselves to the Balkans. The Iasi-Kishinev operation (August 20-29, 1944) was Stalin’s seventh blow. “Iasi-Chisinau Cannes” is considered one of the most successful Soviet operations during the Great Patriotic War. The troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front under the command of General Rodion Malinovsky and the 3rd Ukrainian Front, General Fedor Tolbukhin, were able to destroy the main forces of Army Group “Southern Ukraine”.

Background. Political situation in the Balkans.

The situation in the Balkans during the war was difficult. Yugoslavia and Greece were occupied by German troops, Albania by Italians. Romania and Bulgaria chose to become allies of the Third Reich. However, their situation was different. Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu and his supporters were active allies of Germany and dreamed of implementing the plan for building “Greater Romania” with the help of the Germans. Romanian nationalists, unable to return Southern Dobruja and Northern Transylvania (they had to be ceded to Bulgaria and Hungary), wanted to compensate as much as possible for the losses of Romania at the expense of Soviet (Russian) territories.

In accordance with the German-Romanian treaty signed in Bendery on August 30, 1941, Transnistria was formed. The Romanians gained control of the territory between the Southern Bug and the Dniester. It included parts of Vinnitsa, Odessa, Nikolaev regions of Ukraine and left-bank Moldova. Subsequently, the appetites of Romanian radicals became even more intense: they began to dream of annexing territories up to the Dnieper and even further into “Greater Romania.” Some politicians agreed on a “Romanian Empire to the gates of Asia,” that is, to the Urals, demanding the creation of “living space” for the Romanian nation.

However, these dreams were dashed by the might of the Red Army. The Romanian army suffered terrible losses during the Battle of Stalingrad, the Odessa and Crimean operations of 1944 (Stalin's Third Strike. Liberation of Odessa; Stalin's Third Strike. Battle for Crimea). Romania, as a result of the offensive of Soviet troops, lost control over Northern Bessarabia and Odessa. At the end of March 1944, hostilities were transferred to the territory of Romania. In the summer, there was a temporary calm at the front. Moscow offered Romania a truce on its own terms, but the Romanian government categorically refused peace with Soviet Union, continuing the war on the side of the German Empire.

Antonescu was nervous, the situation was critical. He hinted to Hitler that the best way out would be to make peace with England and the United States and concentrate all forces against the Soviet Union. However, the Fuhrer calmed him down. Hitler promised that German troops would defend Romania like Germany itself. This is not surprising, given that the main oil reserves were located in Romania. The defeat of the German-Romanian troops in the Iasi-Chisinau operation led to the fall of the Antonescu regime. Romanian King Mihai I, united with the anti-fascist opposition, ordered the arrest of Antonescu and the pro-German generals, withdrew Romania from the Nazi coalition and declared war on the Third Reich. As a result, the Romanian army became an ally of the Red Army and fought on the side of the USSR in Hungary and Austria.

Bulgaria was an ally of Germany, but did not enter the war with the Soviet Union. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria and President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Bogdan Filov was a great admirer of Hitler. In 1941, he annexed Bulgaria to the Berlin Pact and the Anti-Comintern Pact. With the support of Berlin, Sofia regained Southern Dobruja, lost during the Second Balkan War in 1913. In 1941, Bulgaria agreed to provide its territory to the Wehrmacht for the war against Greece and Yugoslavia. With the consent of Berlin and Rome, Bulgarian troops occupied territories in Macedonia and Northern Greece. As a result, “Great Bulgaria” was formed.

After the attack on the USSR, Berlin repeatedly demanded that Sofia send Bulgarian troops to the Eastern Front. But Tsar Boris III took into account the traditional sympathies of the Bulgarian people towards the Russians. Therefore, Bulgaria declared war on Britain and the USA, but war was not declared on the USSR. True, this neutrality was not complete. The Third Reich received the opportunity to develop deposits and extract minerals in Bulgaria. Sofia presented its territory for the basing of German troops, supported them, gave them the opportunity to use the entire infrastructure - airfields, railways, ports, etc.

After a radical turning point in the war, the situation worsened. After Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge, Adolf Hitler was looking for sources of manpower; he wanted to use the Bulgarian army on the Eastern Front. And Tsar Boris realized that the star of the Third Reich was setting, and tried to break the alliance with Germany. He began to express ideas that Sofia could act as a mediator between Berlin and the allies in peace negotiations. In August 1943, the Tsar flew to the Fuhrer in East Prussia. The essence of their conversation is unknown. On August 28, 1943, a few days after returning to Sofia, Tsar Boris III suddenly died. According to the official version - from a heart attack. About the real reason historians argue to this day. Some believe that the Bulgarian Tsar was poisoned by the Nazis, trying to prevent separate negotiations between Bulgaria and its allies. Others say that Boris became worried after a difficult conversation with the Fuhrer. The heart, weakened by alcohol, could not stand it. Still others are of the opinion that he was poisoned by his own confidants, supporters of an alliance with Germany. They feared a change in political course, loss of power and arrests.

The throne was taken by the 6-year-old Tsar Simeon. The Regency Council, consisting of Boris's brother Prince Kirill, Prime Minister Filov and General Nikola Mikhov, ruled on his behalf. All of them were supporters of an alliance with Germany. The Regency Council and the new Prime Minister Dobri Bozhilov pursued a policy loyal to Germany. But a full-fledged union with Germany did not work out. The Bulgarian army was not thrown into battle with the Soviet army. The temporary workers feared that the army would go over to the side of the Fatherland Front (a coalition of anti-fascist forces) and turn their weapons against them. Meanwhile, the opposition forces have grown significantly. Rumors about the assassination of the Tsar, dissatisfaction with the policies of the regents and the defeat of Germany on the Eastern Front sharply increased the number of dissatisfied people.

On May 18, 1944, the Soviet government demanded that Sofia stop providing assistance to the German army. The internal crisis and deterioration on the Eastern Front forced Bozhilov's government to resign. The new government was headed by the representative of the farmers, Ivan Bagryanov. The new government simultaneously tried to avoid a war with Germany, appease the USSR and the internal opposition, and begin negotiations with the USA and Great Britain.

On August 12, 1944, Moscow again demanded that Sofia stop providing assistance to Germany. On August 26, when the defeat of German troops in the Iasi-Kishinev operation became obvious, Bagryanov announced the neutrality of Bulgaria and demanded the withdrawal of German troops from the country. At the same time, the Bulgarian government did not take any measures to neutralize the German garrisons in Bulgaria and did not interfere with the movement of the Wehrmacht. Therefore, German troops retreating from Romania calmly passed through Bulgarian territory into Yugoslavia.

Units of the 49th Guards Rifle Division of the 5th Shock Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front on the march during the Iasi-Kishinev operation

The situation at the front.

The completion of the Lvov-Sandomierz operation (Stalin's sixth strike. Lvov-Sandomierz operation) almost coincided with the beginning of a new offensive by the Soviet armies in the southwestern strategic direction. On July 31, 1944, a military meeting was held at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command under the leadership of Joseph Stalin on the preparation of a new offensive by the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts. The meeting was attended by front commanders Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky and Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin. Also present was the representative of the Headquarters in the southwestern direction, Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko.

According to the memoirs of S. M. Shtemenko, the “highlight” of the plan of the Iasi-Chisinau operation was the idea of ​​powerful flank attacks with the aim of encircling and destroying the powerful Chisinau enemy group. The fact was that the German command expected the enemy’s main attack in the Chisinau direction and concentrated the main forces of the Wehrmacht and the most combat-ready German divisions on it. Moreover, the troops were located compactly in the tactical zone. That is, the German command hoped to extinguish the strongest Soviet first strike at shallow depths. Apparently, the Germans planned that if things went badly, they would be able to retreat to the positions they were preparing in the depths of the defense. At the same time, to fend off the attacks of the Soviet armies, the main German operational reserves were also located in the Chisinau direction. True, they were small and consisted of two infantry and one tank divisions. The weaker Romanian armies defended on the flanks of the Chisinau group. The Romanians were much inferior to the Germans in fighting qualities. Romanian troops were significantly worse armed, trained and supplied. According to Soviet intelligence, the morale of the Romanian soldiers was low. Many soldiers and even entire units were tired of defeats, high losses and were opposed to the Germans.

Therefore, at the meeting, Headquarters came to the conclusion that the best option there will be flank attacks with the aim of encircling and destroying in a short time the main forces of Army Group “Southern Ukraine” in the Chisinau region. The first task was to achieve surprise in the start of the offensive and a high rate of advance by the Red Army. It was necessary to take crossings across the Prut River before the enemy had time to use them. To do this, it was necessary to advance at a speed of at least 25 km at a time. In order to ensure a quick breakthrough of the defense of the German-Romanian troops, it was decided to weaken all secondary sectors of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts and thereby create a huge advantage in the breakthrough areas. In addition, the breakthrough areas themselves were greatly reduced (on the 2nd Ukrainian Front - 16 km, on the 3rd Ukrainian Front - 18 km), sharply increasing the density of artillery fire. High artillery densities guaranteed a quick breakthrough of the enemy's defenses and development of success in depth to the crossings on the Prut River. The fronts were asked to use tank, mechanized and cavalry formations after breaking through the enemy’s defenses to develop an offensive in operational depth and quickly capture crossings on the river. Rod, for crossing the river. Siret. Stalin noted the great political significance of this operation. It was supposed to influence the policy of Romania and lead to its withdrawal from the Hitlerite coalition.

The situation was made easier by the fact that the method of the Soviet Headquarters - “Stalinist strikes”, which were consistently applied first in one direction and then in the other, completely justified itself. The Belarusian (Operation Bagration) and Lvov-Sandomierz operations were at their end (they ended on August 29), the offensive of the Soviet troops in these directions stalled. The German command hastily patched up the “holes”, restored the collapsed front line, hastily transferring troops from Germany, Western Europe, “quiet areas” of the Eastern Front. Including, from the end of June to August 13, 12 divisions were withdrawn from Moldova. Meanwhile, the Soviet armies rested and were replenished with manpower and equipment. The 2nd Ukrainian Front of Marshal Malinovsky and the 3rd Ukrainian Front of Marshal Tolbukhin prepared for a new offensive.

It cannot be said that the preparation of the Soviet armies for a new offensive remained a complete secret for the Germans. German and Romanian intelligence discovered some regroupings of Soviet troops, the supply of ammunition and other ominous signs of an approaching enemy offensive. However, the Soviet command was still able to deceive the Germans. To achieve this, disinformation was launched about the upcoming local operation, which would be aimed at leveling the front and capturing Chisinau. In the Chisinau direction, the call signs of “fresh units” began to flash on the radio. They conducted reconnaissance demonstratively, including in combat. The German command believed. Available reserves were pulled towards the Chisinau direction.

In addition, the behavior of the Romanian elite caused great concern among the command of Army Group “Southern Ukraine”. The entourage of King Mihai I of Romania was actively looking for ways of rapprochement with the powers of the Anti-Hitler coalition. By August, a conspiracy against Antonescu, led by the king, had matured. In the event of a major Soviet offensive, the conspirators planned to either convince the dictator to conclude a truce with the Soviet Union or arrest him. Already on August 3, the commander of Army Group “Southern Ukraine” Johannes Friesner, having received information that dictator Antonescu could be overthrown at any time, sent a letter to Hitler. He proposed to subjugate all troops and military institutions in Romania. He also said that if unrest is noticed among the Romanian troops at the front, it is necessary to immediately begin the withdrawal of the army group to the line on the Prut River, and then to the line of Galati, Focsani, and the spurs of the Eastern Carpathians.

However, Hitler and Keitel did not give such permission. They did not give Friesner the rights of commander in chief. True, Ribbentrop proposed introducing a tank division into Bucharest to calm the Romanian leadership. But there were no free tank divisions on the Eastern Front. Then they proposed sending the 4th SS Police Division from Yugoslavia to the Romanian capital, but Jodl opposed this idea. He believed that the SS troops were necessary to fight the Serbian partisans and there was no point in weakening the German troops in this area. In general, Friesner’s idea of ​​withdrawing troops to the Prut River could ease the situation of Army Group Southern Ukraine, although it would not prevent Romania from leaving the Nazi coalition.

Troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front are advancing near Iasi

The plan of the Soviet command. Soviet forces.

The Soviet command decided to launch the main attacks on the flanks of the German group, on two sections of the front far apart from each other. The operation involved the forces of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, the Black Sea Fleet under the command of Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky and the Danube Military Flotilla of Rear Admiral S. G. Gorshkov. The 2nd Ukrainian Front was supposed to strike north-west of Yassy, ​​the 3rd Ukrainian Front - south of Bendery (Suvorovskaya Mountain).

The troops of the fronts had to break through the enemy’s defenses and develop an offensive along directions converging towards the Hushi - Vaslui - Falciu area in order to encircle and then destroy the main forces of the enemy’s Chisinau group. Then the Soviet troops had to quickly develop an offensive deep into Romanian territory in the general direction of Focsani, Izmail, prevent the enemy from leaving behind the Prut and Danube, and secure the right wing of the strike force from the Carpathians. The Black Sea Fleet was supposed to support the coastal flank of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, disrupt sea communications, defeat the enemy Navy and, with the help of aviation, attack naval bases in Sulina and Constanta.

The strike group of the 2nd Ukrainian Front included 3 combined arms (7th Guards, 27th and 52nd armies) and one tank army (6th Tank Army). In addition, the front had a number of mobile formations - the 18th separate tank corps and a cavalry-mechanized group (it included the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps and the 23rd Tank Corps). Malinovsky also commanded the 40th, 4th Guards Armies and the 5th Air Army.

The shock group of the 3rd Ukrainian Front included three combined arms armies - the 5th shock, 57th and 37th armies. In addition, the front included the 46th Army, the 7th Mechanized Corps, and the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps. The front troops were supported from the air by the 17th Air Army.

In total, Soviet troops numbered more than 920 thousand soldiers and commanders, 1.4 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 16.7 thousand guns and mortars, more than 1.7 thousand aircraft (according to other sources, more than 1.2 million people, more than 1.8 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 16 thousand guns and mortars, 2.2 thousand aircraft). The Black Sea Fleet aviation consisted of about 700 aircraft. The Black Sea Fleet (including the Danube Flotilla) consisted of 1 battleship, 4 cruisers, 6 destroyers, 30 submarines and 440 other ships and vessels.

Germany.

In front of the Red Army, the front was defended by Army Group “Southern Ukraine”. It included two army groups: in the Iasi direction - the Wöhler group (it included the 8th German and 4th Romanian armies and the 17th German army corps) and in the Chisinau direction - "Dumitrescu" (6th German and 3rd Romanian Army). From the air, Army Group "Southern Ukraine" was supported by the 4th air fleet. In total, the army group consisted of 25 German (including 3 tank and 1 motorized), 22 Romanian divisions and 5 Romanian infantry brigades. The German-Romanian troops numbered 643 thousand soldiers and officers in combat units (about 900 thousand people in total), more than 400 tanks and self-propelled guns, 7.6 thousand guns and mortars, more than 800 combat aircraft.

Commander of Army Group Southern Ukraine Johannes Friesner

Encirclement of the Chisinau group.

On August 19, 1944, the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts conducted reconnaissance in force. On the morning of August 20, artillery preparation began, Soviet aviation launched powerful attacks on enemy defense centers, headquarters, and accumulations of enemy equipment. At 7:40 a.m., Soviet troops, supported by artillery fire, went on the offensive. The advance of infantry and close support tanks was also supported by attacks from attack aircraft, which attacked enemy firing positions and strongholds.

According to the testimony of prisoners, artillery and air strikes were a significant success. In the breakthrough areas, the first line of German defense was almost completely destroyed. Control at the battalion-regiment-division level was lost. Some German divisions lost up to half of their personnel on the first day of fighting. This success was due to the high concentration of firepower in the breakthrough areas: up to 240 guns and mortars and up to 56 tanks and self-propelled guns per 1 km of front.

It should be noted that by August 1944, the Germans and Romanians had prepared a deep defensive system with well-developed engineering structures on the territory of the Moldavian SSR and Romania. The tactical defense zone consisted of two stripes, and its depth reached 8-19 kilometers. Behind it, at a distance of 15-20 kilometers from the front edge, along the Mare ridge ran the third defense line (the “Trajan” line). Two defensive lines were created on the western banks of the Prut and Siret rivers. Many cities, including Chisinau and Iasi, were prepared for all-round defense and turned into real fortified areas.

However, the German defense was unable to stop the offensive impulse of the Soviet armies. The strike group of the 2nd Ukrainian Front broke through the main line of enemy defense. By mid-day, the 27th Army under the command of Sergei Trofimenko had also broken through the second line of enemy defense. The Soviet command brought the 6th Tank Army under the command of Andrei Kravchenko into the breakthrough. After this, as the commander of Army Group Southern Ukraine, General Friesner, admitted, “incredible chaos began” in the ranks of the German-Romanian troops. The German command tried to stop the advance of the Soviet troops and turn the tide of the battle; operational reserves were thrown into the battle - three infantry and tank divisions. However, German counterattacks could not change the situation; there were few forces for a full-fledged counterattack, and besides, Soviet troops were already well able to respond to such enemy actions. Malinovsky's troops reached Iasi and began a battle for the city.

Thus, on the very first day of the offensive, our troops broke through the enemy’s defenses, brought the second echelon into battle and successfully developed the offensive. Six enemy divisions were defeated. The Soviet armies reached the third line of enemy defense, which ran along the wooded Mare ridge.

The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front also successfully advanced, wedging into the enemy’s defenses at the junction of the 6th German and 3rd Romanian armies. By the end of the first day of the offensive, formations of the 3rd Ukrainian Front had broken through the main line of enemy defense and began breaking through the second line. This created favorable opportunities for isolating units of the 3rd Romanian Army with the aim of its subsequent destruction.

On August 21, Soviet troops fought heavy battles on the Mara Ridge. It was not possible to break through the German defenses of the 6th Tank Army on the move. Units of the 7th Guards Army and the cavalry-mechanized group fought stubborn battles for Tirgu-Frumos, where the Germans created a powerful fortified area. By the end of the day, the troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front had overcome all three enemy defensive lines, and two powerful enemy fortified areas were taken - Iasi and Tirgu-Frumos. Soviet troops expanded the breakthrough to 65 km along the front and to 40 km in depth.

In the offensive zone of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the Germans launched a counterattack. The German command, trying to disrupt the Soviet offensive, pulled up reserves on the morning of August 21 and, relying on the second line of defense, launched a counterattack. Particular hopes were placed on the 13th Panzer Division. However, the troops of the 37th Army repelled enemy counterattacks. In general, during August 20 and 21, the troops of the shock group of the 3rd Ukrainian Front broke through the enemy’s tactical defenses, repelled his counterattacks, defeating the 13th Tank Division, and increased the penetration depth to 40-50 km. The front command introduced mobile formations into the breakthrough - the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps in the 46th Army zone and the 7th Mechanized Corps in the 37th Army zone.

Tanks of the 7th MK fight in the Iasi-Kishinev operation. Moldova August 1944

On August 21, the Headquarters, fearing that the offensive would slow down and the enemy would take advantage of favorable terrain conditions and would be able to pull together all available forces, delaying Soviet troops for a long time, issued a directive in which it slightly adjusted the tasks of the fronts. To prevent Soviet troops from being late in reaching the Prut River and missing the opportunity to encircle the Chisinau group, the command of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts was reminded that their main task in the first stage of the offensive was to quickly create an encirclement ring in the Khushi area.

In the future, it was necessary to narrow the encirclement in order to destroy or capture enemy troops. The Headquarters directive was necessary, since with a quick breakthrough of the German defense, the command of the 2nd Ukrainian Front was tempted to continue the offensive along the Roman - Focsani line, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front - Tarutino - Galati. The headquarters believed that the main forces and means of the fronts must be used to encircle and eliminate the Chisinau group. The destruction of this group already opened the way to the main economic and political centers of Romania. And so it happened.

On the night of August 21 and the entire next day, the 6th Tank Army and the 18th Tank Corps pursued the enemy. Malinovsky's troops penetrated 60 km into the enemy's defenses and expanded the breakthrough to 120 km. The armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front were rapidly advancing towards the Prut. The front's mobile formations went 80 km deep into the enemy's defenses.

By the end of the second day of the operation, Tolbukhin's troops isolated the 6th German Army from the 3rd Romanian Army. The main forces of the 6th German Army were surrounded in the area of ​​​​the village of Leusheny. On the left wing of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, units of the 46th Army, with the support of the Danube Military Flotilla, successfully crossed the Dniester Estuary. On the night of August 22, Soviet soldiers liberated Akkerman and continued their offensive to the southwest.

Soviet aircraft bombing of the Romanian port of Constanta

Soviet boats of the Black Sea Fleet type MO-4 enter the port of Varna

Aviation was active: in two days of fighting, Soviet pilots made 6,350 sorties. Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet dealt heavy blows to the German naval bases in Sulina and Constanta. It should be noted that throughout the entire operation, Soviet aviation completely dominated the air. This made it possible to launch powerful air strikes against enemy troops and their rear, reliably cover the advancing Soviet armies from the air and fend off the actions of the German Air Force. In total, during the operation, Soviet pilots shot down 172 German aircraft.

The command of Army Group “Southern Ukraine”, having analyzed the situation following the first day of fighting, decided to withdraw troops to the rear line along the Prut River. Friesner gave the order to retreat without even receiving Hitler's consent. The troops still retreated chaotically. On August 22, the high command also agreed to the withdrawal of troops. But it was already too late. By this moment, Soviet troops had intercepted the main escape routes of the Chisinau group, it was doomed. In addition, the German command did not have strong mobile reserves with which to organize strong relief strikes. In such a situation, it was necessary to withdraw troops even before the start of the Soviet offensive.

On August 23, Soviet troops fought with the goal of tightly closing the encirclement and continued moving west. The 18th Tank Corps reached the Khushi area. The 7th Mechanized Corps reached the crossings of the Prut in the Leushen area, and the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps reached Leovo. Units of the Soviet 46th Army pushed back the troops of the 3rd Romanian Army to the Black Sea, in the Tatarbunar region. On August 24, Romanian troops stopped resistance. On the same day, ships of the Danube military flotilla landed troops in the Zhebriyany-Vilkovo area. Also on August 24, units of the 5th Shock Army liberated Chisinau.

As a result, on August 24, the first stage of the strategic offensive operation was completed. The enemy’s defensive lines fell, the Iasi-Kishinev group was surrounded. 18 divisions from the 25 available in Army Group “Southern Ukraine” fell into the “cauldron”. A huge gap appeared in the German defense, which there was nothing to cover. A coup d'etat took place in Romania, the Romanians began to lay down their arms or turn them against the Germans. By August 26, the entire territory of the Moldavian SSR was liberated from the Nazis.

German self-propelled artillery unit Hummel, destroyed as a result of the bombing of a German column with high-explosive bombs

Coup d'etat in Romania. Destruction of the Chisinau group.

Joseph Stalin’s calculation that the main consequence of the successful offensive of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts would be the “sobering up” of the Romanian leadership was completely justified. On the night of August 22, a secret meeting was held in the royal palace of Mihai. It was attended by opposition figures, including communists. It was decided to arrest Prime Minister Antonescu and other pro-German figures. On August 23, returning from the front after a meeting with the command of Army Group Southern Ukraine, Antonescu was arrested.

Before his arrest, he planned to carry out additional mobilization in the country and create a new line of defense together with the Germans. At the same time, many members of his cabinet were arrested. King Michael gave a speech on the radio in which he announced that Romania was leaving the war on the side of Germany and accepting the terms of the armistice. The new government demanded the withdrawal of German troops from Romanian territory. It should be noted that Stalin highly appreciated Mihai’s courage; after the end of the war, the king was awarded the Order of Victory.

German diplomats and the military mission were taken by surprise. The German command refused to comply with the demand for the withdrawal of troops. Hitler was furious and demanded that the traitors be punished. The German Air Force attacked the Romanian capital. However, attempts by German troops to occupy strategic targets in Romania and attacks on the capital failed. There was no strength for such an operation. In addition, the Romanians actively resisted. The government of Constantin Sanatescu declared war on Germany and asked for help from the Soviet Union.

The front finally collapsed. Everywhere where the Romanians defended, the defensive formations collapsed. Soviet troops could easily move on. Chaos began. Any centralized leadership of the German troops collapsed, the rear was cut off. Individual scattered combat groups of German formations were forced to fight their way to the west on their own. German ships, submarines, transports and boats filled with German soldiers sailed from Romanian ports to Bulgarian Varna and Burgas. Another wave of fleeing German soldiers, mostly from rear units, poured across the Danube.

At the same time, the German military-political leadership did not give up hope of keeping at least part of Romania under its control. Already on August 24, the creation of a pro-German leadership led by the fascist organization “Iron Guard” Horia Sima was announced in Berlin. Adolf Hitler ordered the arrest of the Romanian king. The Wehrmacht occupied the strategic oil-producing region of Ploesti. During August 24 - 29, 1944, there were stubborn battles between German and Romanian troops. During these clashes, the Romanians were able to capture more than 50 thousand Germans, including 14 generals.

The Soviet command provided assistance to Romania: 50 divisions, supported by the main forces of two air armies, were sent to help the Romanian troops who were resisting the Germans. The remaining troops were left to eliminate the Chisinau group. The surrounded German troops put up stubborn resistance.

They rushed to break through in large masses of infantry, supported by armored vehicles and artillery. We were looking for weak points in the encirclement ring. However, during a series of separate heated battles, the German troops were defeated. By the end of August 27, the entire German group was destroyed. By August 28, that part of the German group that was able to break through to the western bank of the Prut and tried to break through to the Carpathian passes was also liquidated.

Meanwhile, the Soviet offensive continued. The 2nd Ukrainian Front advanced towards Northern Transylvania and in the Focci direction. On August 27, Soviet troops occupied Focsani and reached the approaches to Ploiesti and Bucharest. Units of the 46th Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front developed an offensive on both banks of the Danube, cutting off the escape routes for the defeated German troops to Bucharest. The Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Military Flotilla assisted the offensive of the ground forces, landed tactical troops, and crushed the enemy with the help of aviation. On August 27, Galati was occupied. On August 28, Soviet troops captured the cities of Braila and Sulina. On August 29, the landing force of the Black Sea Fleet occupied the port of Constanta. On the same day, the advance detachment of the 46th Army reached Bucharest. On August 31, Soviet troops entered Bucharest. This completed the Iasi-Chisinau operation.

Residents of Bucharest greet Soviet soldiers. The inscription on the large banner can be translated as “Long live the great Stalin - the brilliant leader of the Red Army”

Results.

The Iasi-Kishinev operation ended in complete victory for the Red Army. Germany suffered a major military-strategic, political and economic defeat. Troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, with the support of the Black Sea Fleet and the Danube Military Flotilla, defeated the main forces of the German Army Group “Southern Ukraine”.

German-Romanian troops lost about 135 thousand people killed, wounded and missing. More than 208 thousand people were captured. 2 thousand guns, 340 tanks and assault guns, almost 18 thousand vehicles and other equipment and weapons were captured as trophies. Soviet troops lost more than 67 thousand people, of which over 13 thousand people were killed, missing, died from disease, etc.

Soviet troops liberated the Izmail region of the Ukrainian SSR and the Modavian SSR from the Nazis. Romania was withdrawn from the war. Under favorable conditions created by the successes of the Soviet fronts, Romanian progressive forces rebelled and overthrew the pro-German dictatorship of Antonescu. She went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition and entered the war with Germany. Although a significant part of Romania still remained in the hands of German troops and pro-German Romanian forces and fighting for the country continued until the end of October 1944, it was a great success for Moscow. Romania will field 535 thousand soldiers and officers against Germany and its allies.

The way to the Balkans was open for Soviet troops. An opportunity arose to enter Hungary and provide assistance to the allied Yugoslav partisans. Favorable conditions arose for the development of the struggle in Czechoslovakia, Albania and Greece. Bulgaria abandoned the alliance with Germany. On August 26, 1944, the Bulgarian government declared neutrality and demanded the withdrawal of German troops from Bulgaria.

On September 8, Bulgaria declared war on Germany. Yes, and Türkiye is concerned. She maintained neutrality, but was friendly to Germany, and was waiting in the wings when she could profit at the expense of Russia. Now one could pay for preparing an invasion of the Caucasus. The Turks urgently began to establish friendship with the British and Americans.

From a military point of view, the Iasi-Kishinev operation was one of the most successful operations of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. Iasi-Chisinau Cannes was distinguished by a skillful choice of directions for the main attacks of the fronts, a high level of attack tempo, rapid encirclement and the destruction of a large enemy group.

The operation was also distinguished by close and skillful interaction of all types of troops, high enemy losses, and relatively low losses of Soviet troops. The operation clearly demonstrated the greatly increased level of Soviet military art, the combat skills of the command staff and the combat experience of soldiers.

Almost immediately after the liberation of Moldova, its economic restoration began. Moscow in 1944-1945. allocated 448 million rubles for these purposes. First of all, the military, with the help of the local population, restored railway communications and bridges across the Dniester, which were destroyed by the retreating Nazis. Even during the war, equipment was received to restore 22 enterprises, and 286 collective farms began operating. For the peasantry, seeds, cattle, horses, etc. came from Russia. All this contributed to the resumption of peaceful life in the republic. The Moldavian SSR also made its contribution to the overall victory over the enemy. After the liberation of the republic, more than 250 thousand people volunteered to go to the front.

(Visited 2,789 times, 4 visits today)