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Losses of Troops of the Southern Front in January-February, 1943
Authors: Maxim V. Medvedev

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The beginning of 1943 was marked by considerable progress of the Red Army. Counterattack of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad has given the chance to strike new blow to the opponent on the southern and southwest directions of the Soviet-German front. The southern front created for the second time on the basis of the Stalingrad front and which is filled up with two armies of North Caucasus Front in January, 1943 came to the Rostov direction. After heavy fights in the mouth of the Seversky Donets and Manycha in January-February, 1943, troops of the Southern front have begun prosecutions of the receding German troops on the Rostov and Shakhty directions on purpose not to allow them to be fixed at a boundary of the Mius River. During the Rostov offensive operation (on January 1 – on February 17, 1943) armies of the Southern front have suffered heavy losses in staff and military equipment, have come off on hundreds of kilometers bases of supply. Troops of the Southern front were in great need in replenishment by staff, ammunition, tanks, in cover of land troops by aircraft, but the Rate of General headquarters demanded approach continuation. By the end of February, 1943 the personal and fighting structure of troops of the Southern front, despite mid-flight replenishments, was considerably reduced, operation on liberation of the Rostov region hasn't been complete.