Continuing above https://www.toutiao.com/i6709044667888960008/
Zhukov, who received the Victory Medal No. 1 for this campaign
On 31 March, Hitler dismissed Manstein, commander of Army Group South, and Modell took over the post (I note: the commander of the besieged German 1st Tank Army, Hube, was a classmate of Modell's military academy, and Hube had just been promoted to general on April 1). On 5 April, the army group was renamed Army Group North Ukraine.
On 4 April, the Germans turned to the offensive head-on at the soviet encirclement. The 2nd SS Tank Army attacked in the main direction south of Bodgetze, defending its way only the 18th Guards Infantry Corps of the 1st Guards Army, which had only 2 infantry divisions and a defensive frontage of 35 km, thus failing to stop the German attack. On 7 April, the vanguard of the besieged German 6th Panzer Division met the 10th Panzer Regiment of the 10th "Frenzberg" Division of the German Counter-Assault Unit in the Bučach area, and the Khube Army, which had been cut off for 14 days, finally made contact with the outside world. On 9 April, Hube's 1st Tank Army finally rendezvoused with the 4th Tank Army, and the Soviets were forced to turn to the defensive. On 20 April, the German 1st Tank Army reached the Streppa River Line. The Soviets claimed that the besieged forces had lost more than half of their troops, all their artillery, and most of their tanks and artillery (my note: Soviet war history says that 121 German guns, 187 tanks and artillery, 61 aircraft, and 7,483 vehicles were captured). The Germans claimed to have destroyed 357 Soviet tanks, 42 self-propelled guns and 280 guns in a two-week breakout operation. Of course, the Panzer Army also discarded almost all heavy equipment. After the breakthrough, General Hube flew to the "Wolf's Den" base camp on April 20 to receive the Knight's Cross of the Diamond Oak Leaf, and then flew back to Berlin overnight, but on april 21 the plane crashed on the hill near Upper Salzburg.
General Hube, who had just received the medal, crashed and died
On the evening of 5 April, on the orders of the Front Command, the 1st Tank Army was reorganized as follows: the 24th Infantry Division was reorganized into the 38th Army; the 44th Guards Tank Brigade strengthened the defenses of Chernowice; the 27th Guards Motorized Infantry Brigade continued to advance towards the Transnistrian River, establishing a defense along the Area from Okno to Zalesikov to prevent a counterattack from the south; the 11th Guards Tank Army was used to strengthen the reserves of the Army Group and redeploy in the Ustchiko area to prevent the enemy from counterattacking from the west. Due to the stubborn resistance of the 11th Guards Tank Corps from Chernowice, the Germans failed in their repeated attempts to cross the Transnistrian River. In Stanislav, the powerful German reserves (Soviet war history says that there were 11 divisions - including 4 armored divisions) with the support of a large number of aircraft constantly attacked the positions of the Mechanized 8th Guards Army. The main directions of the enemy's assault were the defensive positions of the 20th Guards Mechanized Brigade and the 64th Guards Tank Brigade. Due to insufficient troops and weapons, the Soviet army could not organize a tight defense, and could only establish a base point and hub of resistance. After forcing the 18th Guards Infantry Corps to retreat, the Germans seized the railway bridge and forced them across the Transnistrian River to the flank of the Guards Mechanized 8th Army. During the battle, on April 12, Japanese Commander Deremov was wounded, and the two brigades withdrew to the south of Nigeria and turned to a hasty defense. At this time, the army group was in a very unfavorable position, the contact with the supply bases Chertkov and Kobchinz was cut off, there were only 100 tanks (author's note: as of April 20, only 50 were left), and there was not much ammunition left, but the army group troops still stubbornly held the Zadnestrovsky bridgehead. From the second half of the year, the situation of the army group was improved, first of all, with the reinforcement of the 6th Army of the 4th Tank Army, which was mechanized by the Guards. Then on 21 April, the 18th and 38th Armies arrived, and the situation gradually stabilized. After that, the army group was transferred to the second echelon of the front. By 2 May, the Germans had halted their offensive. In 20 days, just 20-22 km to the east.
Major General Baba Janyan Tank Corps in July 1945
At the same time as the Khobe Army broke through, the Soviets intensified their attack on Ternopil, the main artery of German logistics, and the Germans also sent the 48th Panzer Army to carry out rescue. After a bloody battle, the 15th and 94th Infantry Corps of the Soviet 60th Army and the 4th Guards Tank Corps captured the city on 14 April, for which the Germans lost 5,000 men.
Regarding the breakout of the Hubert Army, General Rouse, then commander of the 4th Panzer Army, recalled after the war: "In early April, the 4th Panzer Army launched a flanking counterattack, which effectively reversed the unfavorable situation. After fierce winter battles in Eastern Galia and Puertoria, three corps of our army (the 42nd, 13th and 48th Panzer Corps) held a defensive line stretching from Coveli in the north to Del Aden in the south via Brody. The Russians were about to encircle Brody, and there was a defensive gap between the town and the left flank of the 4th Panzer Army. The right wing of our army is completely exposed. The support point known as the Ternopil fortress is 29 kilometers from the southern flank of our army, and the city has been besieged for 10 days. General Hube's 1st Panzer Army formed a moving pocket formation and headed north toward the Transnistrian River, ready to close the gap in the southern flank of the 4th Panzer Army. The Russians, on the other hand, headed westward, crossing the formation of the 1st Panzer Army from both sides of the Transnistrian River.
Although the overall battlefield situation is difficult to satisfy, the 4th Panzer Army has after all contained the momentum of retreat... Russian forces continued to detour around General Hube's position and advance westward. The vanguard of Russian tanks south of the Transnistrian River entered Stanislav while approaching the vicinity of the Galic Bridgehead north of the Transnistrian River. Our army quickly assembled its forces and assisted the vanguard of the Hungarian 1st Army in driving the Russians out of Stanislav through fierce street fighting.
The vanguard of the 1st Panzer Army now reached the Chertkov area, while the 4th Panzer Army relieved the pressure on the 1st Panzer Army by flanking. The flank attack was launched from the southeast of Berezzani, while also launching a diversionary attack on the Transnistrian River, with the intention of cutting off and annihilating the Russian infantry divisions that had penetrated deep into the Galic area.
The 100th Hunting Division of the 2nd SS Panzer Army was ordered to open the way for the main force in the direction of the attack, followed by the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions. At that time, the only road that could be used for the movement of mechanized corps in all-weather conditions was the road from Bodegetze to Buchaci. Our infantry was tasked with capturing the Russian fortified Bodgetze on 5 April. Despite many difficulties, the 100th Hunter Division organized a strong defensive position on the forward heights of Bodegaize, and the Tiger tank battalion assigned to the division eliminated the Russian T-34 tank and anti-tank positions garrisoned near the road into the town. That night, our Tiger tanks had burst into the town, destroying a total of 36 tanks. By the morning of 6 April, the 100th Hunter Division had advanced eastward to the Streppa River, securing the left flank of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps and opening the way for tanks to advance.
Soviet forces in attack
Subsequently, the corps led the 10th Panzer Division, spearheaded by 59 Leopard tanks and 52 Type III assault guns of the division's 10th Tank Regiment. On the southern edge of Bodegetze, the division was met with stubborn resistance from well-concealed Russian anti-tank gun positions. The Russian army used the waterlogged ditches, ravines and swamps on both sides of the road to set up defensive positions, and our army could only attack head-on and could not detour. After meticulous reconnaissance, our army concentrated tank and artillery firepower and eliminated these hidden anti-tank guns one by one. Since the Russians were still guarding the road between Bodgetze and Buchac, the commander of the Panzer Corps, Hauser, personally commanded the Russian troops on both sides of the road. That night, the Russian infantry division retreating eastward along the Transnistrian River was intercepted near the road west of Buchachi, and 2 panzer divisions, assisted by the 367th Infantry Division, annihilated the Russians fighting backwaters. He then moved eastward and arrived in Buchachi in the afternoon, opening the way for a retreat for General Hube's besieged forces. Unwilling to accept the defeat of the encirclement, the Russians launched a fierce pursuit, trying to cross the swollen Streppa River to cut off the return route of our retreating troops. However, no matter where they crossed the river, they were repulsed by the army.
By mid-April, the right wing of the 4th Panzer Army had been deployed on the Streppa River, establishing a solid position. Unfortunately, soon after the Ternopil defenders were annihilated by the Russians. Because the vanguard of the 48th Panzer Army, which was responsible for relieving the siege, broke through the strong Anti-Tank Defense line of the Russian Army after crossing the Streppa River, but gave up the attack due to mud on the road less than 10 kilometers from Czechopol... ”
Soviet troops entered the liberated city
The Soviet High Command spoke highly of the actions of the 1st Tank Army, and on April 25, 1944, the Army Group became the Guards Unit, and the name was changed to the 1st Guards Tank Army, becoming the third Guards Tank Army of the Soviet Army. In addition, all units of the army group have received honors. The 11th Guards Tank Corps and the 8th Guards Mechanized Corps received the title of "Carpathian", the 64th Guards Tank Brigade and the 27th Guards Motorized Infantry Brigade received the title of "Chernovitz", the 1st and 40th Guards Tank Brigades received the title of "Chertkov", the 20th Mechanized Brigade of the Guards received the title of "Zalechki", and the 45th Brigade of the Guards Tank received the title of "Gushatin". In addition, the 20th Guards Mechanized Brigade and the 64th Guards Tank Brigade were awarded the Order of Lenin, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnytsky, 2nd Class, the 27th Brigade of the Guards Motorized Infantry was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the 45th Guards Tank Brigade was awarded the Order of Suvorov, Second Class, and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnytsky, Second Class, and the 40th and 44th Brigades of the Guards Tank were awarded the Order of Bogdan Khmelnytsky, Second Class, and the Order of the Red Star.
During the battle of the 4th Tank Army, 230 tanks, 386 guns and mortars, 230 armored vehicles, 9,500 cars, 1 armored train, etc. were destroyed and captured, killing 20,000 enemy and capturing 14,000 enemy.
During the campaign, the 1st Tank Army lost 263 tanks for technical reasons, accounting for 22.9% of the total casualties, and the inability to return accounted for 20.9% of the total casualties.
Although the German 1st Tank Army escaped from the encirclement, the Soviets won a huge victory throughout the battle. Due to the successful liberation of Right Bank Ukraine, on April 10 in recognition of the liberation of Right Bank Ukraine by Commander Zhukov of the Front (За освободение правоб For the merits of the Ережной Украины), he was awarded the Victory Medal No. 1, with the words "Brilliant completion of the task entrusted by the High Command to lead a large-scale campaign, a brilliant victory in the cause of crushing the German fascist aggressors", and Vasilevsky was awarded the Victory Medal No. 2 for the same reason.
Medal of Victory Recipient Plaque
Throughout the campaign, the Soviet army advanced 80-350 kilometers, severely damaged the 2 German army groups in front of them, caused the enemy to lose more than half of its personnel and most of its technical weapons, and the Soviet army itself lost 45,000 people. During the campaign, the Soviets liberated 57 cities, 11 railway hubs and central cities such as Vinnitsa, Proskurov, Kamenets-Podolsky, Czechopol, and Chernivice. The Soviets reached the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains and cut the entire strategic defensive line of the German Army Group South into two sections. From then on, the army group had no other lines of communication except through Romania. In this battle, the Soviet Army concentrated three tank armies for the main assault direction of the front for the first time, and gained the first experience of encircling the enemy in the depth of the campaign. A total of 30 troops were awarded "Proskurov", 11 troops were awarded "Vinnytsa", 16 troops were awarded "Chernowice", 5 troops were awarded "Janpol", 4 troops were awarded "Zhmeringka", 2 troops were awarded "Chertkov" and 1 unit was awarded the honorary title of "Zalechki".
Group photo at the Liberation Monument in Chernovice after the war