Red Army strategic operations were major military events carried out between 1941 and 1945 on the Eastern Front or in 1945 in the Far East during the Second World War. Such operations typically involved at least one front: the largest military formation of the Soviet Armed Forces. The operations could be defensive, offensive, a withdrawal, an encirclement, or a siege, always conducted by at least two services of the armed forces (the ground and air forces), and often included the navy. In most cases, the Stavka divided strategic operations into operational phases (large operations in their own right). In a few cases the phases were tactical, such as amphibious landings.
Introduction In Soviet historiography, the Great Patriotic War is divided into three periods: First (22 June 1941 – 18 November 1942) Second (19 November 1942 – 31 December 1943) Third (1 January 1944 – 9 May 1945)
The war with Japan, the Campaign in the Far Eastincluding the Manchurian strategic offensive operation, (9 August 1945 – 2 September 1945)is seen as a separate theater of operations from the Great Patriotic War. During the Second World War, the Red Army carried out a number of military operations. The scope of these operations, usually known by the major cities around which they took place, was usually termed "operational-strategic" or "strategic" depending on scale. An operational-strategic operation was usually undertaken by at least a group of armies or a single front. A strategic operation usually required the cooperation of several fronts to achieve its objectives. In both cases, the operations could last from a week to several months. Strategic operations were combined into seasonal campaigns, because weather and ground conditions affected planning.
Soviet historians disagreed on which operations to classify as strategic or front-level, and operational names often differed in early military studies and later official histories. During the 1960s, 40 strategic operations were discussed; in the 1970s, this had expanded to 55. The six-volume History of the Great Patriotic War (published between 1960 and 1965) and the twelve-volume History of the Second World War 1939–1945, published between 1973 and 1982, did not specify the number of strategic operations. The Military-Historical Journal of the Ministry of Defense published discussions during 1985 and 1986 between military historians and military leaders about strategic operations. As a result of these discussions, a list of strategic operations was developed and the number of troops involved and duration of the operations were specified. This issue was not fully resolved, however, as the work of the Grigory Krivosheyev commission on Soviet casualties (published in 1993) contained a slightly different list of strategic operations.
First period (22 June 1941 – 18 November 1942)
Summer–autumn 1941 campaign (22 June – 4 December) Axis (Operation Barbarossa) Baltic operation: 22 June – 9 July Baltic border defensive battles: 22–24 June Battle of Raseiniai Šiauliai counter-offensive operation: 24–27 June Riga defense (:ru:Оборона Риги (1941)): 28–30 June Pskov defense (:ru:Оборона Пскова): 4–9 July Battle of Hanbko 22 June – 2 December Germany Battle of Białystok-Minsk/Offensive Campaign in Belorussia: 22–29 June Belorussian strategic defensive (:ru:Белорусская стратегическая оборонительная операция): 22 June – 9 July Belorussian border defensive battles: 22–25 June Defense of Brest Fortress: 22–30 June Battle of Vitebsk (:ru:Витебское сражение): 6–16 July Borisov counterattack: 6–9 July : 6–11 July 1941 Lvov-Chernovitsy strategic defensive operation (:ru:Львовско-Черновицкая стратегическая оборонительная операция): 22 June – 9 July Ukrainian border defensive battles: 22–27 June Battle of Brody: 26–30 June Lvov-Lutsk defense: 27 June – 2 July Stanislav-Proskurov defense: 3–6 July Germany and Finland (Operation Arctic Fox): 29 June – mid-July Arctic-Karelia strategic defense: 29 June – 10 October Operation Silver Fox 29 June – 19 September Finnish invasion of the Karelian Isthmus 29 June – 23 September Kestenga defense: 1 July – 10 October Finnish invasion of East Karelia 1 July – 10 October Moldavian defense: 1–26 July Battle of Kiev: 7 July – 26 September Korosten defense: 11 July – 20 August Timoshenko counteroffensive: 13 – 17 July Bobruysk offensive: 13 July – 7 August Novohrad-Volynskyi defense: 10 July – 20 August Uman defense: 15 July – 4 August Tiraspol-Melitopol defense: 27 July – 28 September Kiev-Pryluky defense: 20 August – 26 September Malyn offensive: 5–8 August Leningrad strategic defensive: 10 July – 30 September Tallinn defense: 10 July – 10 August Evacuation of Tallinn Kingisepp–Luga defense: 10 July – 23 September Soltsy-Dno offensive: 14 – 18 July Staraya-Russa offensive: 12–23 August Demyansk defense: 6–26 September First Sinyavino offensive: 10–26 September Second Sinyavino offensive: 20–28 October Battle of Smolensk: 10 July – 10 September Polotsk defense: 2–16 July Smolensk defense: 10 July – 10 August Smolensk offensive: 21 July – 7 August Siege of Mogilev: 3–26 July Rogachev–Zhlobin offensive: 13–24 July Gomel–Trubchevsk defense: 24 July – 30 August Dukhovschina offensive: 17 August – 8 September Yelnya offensive: 30 August – 8 September Roslavl–Novozybkov offensive: 30 August – 12 September Odessa defense: 5 August – 16 October Germany (Operation Wotan): 9 September Donbas–Rostov strategic defensive operation: 29 September – 16 November Battle of the Sea of Azov: 26 September – 11 October Sumy–Kharkov defense: 30 September – 30 November Defence of Kharkov: 20–24 October Germany: First Battle of Kharkov Axis Crimean campaign: 26 September 1941 – 15 May 1942 Donbas defensive operation: 29 September – 4 November Rostov defense: 5–16 November Moscow defense: 30 September – 5 December Orel-Bryansk defense: 30 September – 23 October Vyazma defense: 2–13 October Kalinin defense: 10 October – 4 December Mozhaisk-Maloyaroslavets defense: 10–30 October Defense of Tula: 24 October – 5 December Klin-Solnechnogorsk defense: 15 November – 5 December Naro-Fominsk defense: 1–5 December Tikhvin defense: 16 October – 18 November Crimean defense 18 October – 16 November Defense of Sevastopol 30 October 1941 – 4 July 1942 Tikhvin offensive: 10 November – 30 December Tikhvin-Kirishsk offensive: 12 November – 30 December Malo-Vishersk offensive: 10 November – 30 December Rostov offensive 17 November – 2 December Bolshekrepinsk offensive 17–27 November
1941–1942 winter campaign (5 December 1941 – 30 April 1942) Battle of Moscow: 5 December 1941 – 7 January 1942 Kalinin offensive: 5 December 1941 – 7 January 1942 Klin–Solnechnogorsk offensive: 6–25 December 1941 Yelets offensive: 6–16 December 1941 Tula offensive: 6–16 December 1941 Kaluga offensive: 17 December 1941 – 5 January 1942 Naro–Fominsk offensive: 24 December 1941 – 8 January 1942 Kerch–Feodosia amphibious operation 25 December 1941 – 2 January 1942 Oboyan–Kursk offensive: 3–26 January 1942 Battle of Lyuban: 7 January – 30 April 1942 Demyansk offensive (first phase): 7 January – 20 May 1942 Orel–Bolkhov offensive: 8 January – 28 April 1942 Battles of Rzhev: 8 January – 20 April 1942 Sychyovka–Vyazma offensive: 8 January – 28 February 1942 Mozhaysk–Vyazma offensive: 10 January – 28 February 1942 Toropets–Kholm offensive: 9 January – 6 February 1942 Vyazma airborne operation: 18 January – 28 February 1942 Rzhev–Vyazma offensive: 3 March – 20 April 1942 Demyansk offensive (second phase): 7 January – 20 May 1942 Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive: 18–31 January 1942 Crimean offensive: 27 January – 15 April 1942 Bolkhov offensive: 24 March – 3 April 1942
Summer–autumn 1942 campaign (1 May – 18 November) Germany: Demjansk Pocket (8 February – 21 April) Volkhov offensive: 24 March – 3 April 1942 Murmansk offensive: 28 April – 13 May Battle of the Kerch Peninsula: 8–19 May Izium bridgehead offensive: 12–29 May Rescue of 2nd Shock Army: 13 May – 10 July Axis: Operation Wilhelm (10–15 June) Operation Fridericus II: 22–25 June Case Blue: 28 June – 19 August Case Blue – Woronesh: Army Group B Case Blue – Stalingrad: 6th Army Case Blue – Baku: Army Group A Voronezh–Voroshilovgrad defense: 28 June – 24 July 1st Kastornoye defense: 28 June – 10 July 2nd Kastornoye defense: 9–24 July Valuiki–Rossosh defense: 28 June – 24 July Voroshilovgrad–Shakhty defense: 7–24 July Donbas defense: 7–24 July Battle of Rostov: 19–24 July Germany: Operation Seydlitz (12 July) Stalingrad defense: 17 July – 18 November Distant defense: 17 July – 17 August Near defense: 19 August – 18 November First Rzhev–Sychyovka offensive: 30 July – 1 October Sinyavino offensive: 19 August – 10 October Kozelsk offensive: 22 August – 9 September Axis: Operation Braunschweig (began 28 June) Operation Edelweiss: 23 July – 21 August North Caucasian defense: 25 July – 31 December Tikhoretsk-Stavropol defense: 25 July – 5 August Armavir-Maikop defense: 6–17 August Krasnodar defense: 7–14 August Novorossiysk defense: 19 August – 26 September Mozdok-Malgobek defense: 1–28 September 1940–1944 insurgency in Chechnya Axis: Operation Blücher (2 September) Tuapse defense: 25 September – 20 December Nalckik-Ordzhonikidze defense: 25 October – 12 November
Second period (19 November 1942 – 31 December 1943)
1942–1943 winter campaign (19 November 1942 – 3 March 1943) Stalingrad strategic offensive 19 November 1942 – 2 February 1943 Operation Uranus 19–30 November 1942 Kotelnikovo offensive 12–31 December 1942 Tatsinskaya Raid 16–28 December 1942 Operation Winter Storm 12–23 December 1942 Middle Don offensive (Operation Little Saturn) 16–30 December 1942 Operation Koltso (Operation Ring) 10 January – 2 February 1943 Second Rzhev–Sychyovka offensive (Operation Mars) 25 November – 20 December 1942 Sychevka offensive 24 November – 14 December 1942 Belyi offensive 25 November – 16 December 1942 Luchesa offensive 25 November – 11 December 1942 Molodoi Tud offensive 25 November – 23 December 1942 Velikie-Luki offensive 24 November 1942 – 20 January 1943 North Caucasian strategic offensive 1 January – 4 February 1943 Salsk-Rostov offensive (Battle of Rostov (1943)) : 1 January – 4 February 1943 Mozdok-Stavropol offensive : 1–24 January 1943 Novorossiysk-Maikop offensive : 11 January – 4 February 1943 Tikhoretsk-Eisk offensive : 24 January – 4 February 1943 Axis defence of the Kuban bridgeheads Operation Iskra (Operation Spark, breaking of the Leningrad blockade): 12–30 January 1943 Krasnoborsko-Smerdynskaya offensive Voronezh–Kharkov offensive: 13 January – 3 March 1943 Ostrogozhsk–Rossosh offensive: 13–27 January 1943 Voronezh-Kastornoye offensive: 24 January – 2 February 1943 Voroshilovgrad offensive (Operation Skachok):Although often given in Western sources as gallop (e.g. Glantz in When Titans Clashed), the correct translation is "(hurdle) jump"; the word for "gallop" in Russian is gallop. 29 January – 18 February 1943 Kharkov offensive (Operation Zvezda): 2 February – 3 March 1943 Maloarkhangelsk offensive: 5–28 February 1943 Lvov offensive: 15 February – 1 March 1943 Donbas Mariupol offensive: 16–23 February 1943 Krasnodar offensive: 9 February – 24 May 1943 Operation Polar Star: 10 February – 1 April 1943 Battle of Krasny Bor: 10–13 February 1943 Demyansk offensive: 15–28 February 1943 Staraya Russa operation: 4–19 March 1943 Germany: Operation Büffel (1–22 March 1943) Rzhev–Vyazma offensive (1943): 2–31 March 1943 Dmitriyev-Sevsk offensive: 24 February – 28 March 1943 Kharkov defense: 4–25 March 1943 Germany: Third Battle of Kharkov 1st Taman offensive: 4 April – 10 May 1943 2nd Taman offensive: 26 May 1943 – 22 August 1944
Summer–autumn 1943 campaign (1 July – 31 December) Germany Operation Citadel Kursk defense: 5–23 July Orel–Kursk defense: 5–11 July Belgorod–Kursk defensive: 5–23 July Orel offensive (Operation Kutuzov): 12 July – 18 August Volkhov–Orel offensive: 12 July – 18 August Kromyv–Orel offensive: 15 July – 18 August