Siege of Mogilev

Coordinates: 53°55′N 30°21′E / 53.917°N 30.350°E / 53.917; 30.350
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with
Battle of Mogilev
.
For other uses, see Siege of Mogilev (disambiguation).
Siege of Mogilev
Part of the
Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
53°55′N 30°21′E / 53.917°N 30.350°E / 53.917; 30.350
Result German victory
Belligerents  Germany  Soviet UnionCommanders and leaders Nazi Germany Heinz Guderian
Nazi Germany Wilhelm Fahrmbacher Soviet Union Fyodor Bakunin
Soviet Union Pyotr Filatov †Units involved Nazi Germany VII Army Corps

The siege of Mogilev was a three-week encirclement of Mogilev undertaken by German troops, part of the Battle of Smolensk during World War II. After the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, German troops broke through Soviet lines. Mogilev was heavily fortified and bypassed by German tank forces. German infantry steadily reduced the pocket, and by late July, the defending Soviet troops had run out of ammunition and other necessary supplies. As a result, Soviet commander Fyodor Bakunin went against orders and ordered a breakout. A small number of Soviet troops were able to reach Soviet lines, and 35,000 were reported captured by German troops. The defense of Mogilev tied down four German infantry divisions, delaying their attack on Gomel for a week.

Background

In late June, Soviet troops began constructing defenses around Mogilev and on the

Sozh River
. [2]

Map of the Battle of Smolensk, showing the siege of Mogilev

Siege

Encirclement of Mogilev

On 13 July,

Vasily Gerasimenko withdrew his army east towards the Sozh River, leaving the forces in Mogilev under the command of 61st Rifle Corps commander Fyodor Bakunin.[3]

XXXXVI Motorized Corps'

172nd Rifle Division, the 20th Mechanized Corps' 26th and 38th Tank and 210th Motorized Divisions. Most of the 20th Rifle Corps' 132nd, 137th, and 160th Rifle Divisions were also in the encirclement, along with parts of the 148th and 187th Rifle Divisions from the 48th Rifle Corps, and the 1st Motorized Division.[4]

On the night of 16 July, Gerasimenko ordered all troops of the 13th Army except for the 61st Rifle Corps and the 20th Mechanized Corps to withdraw east to the Sozh.

People's Militia.[7]

Attacks of VII Army Corps

Between 16 and 17 July, the troops of the German

TB-3 bombers had attempted to airdrop supplies, although a large number landed behind German lines and a large number retrieved by Soviet troops were of the incorrect caliber. Elements of the 1st Motorized Division fought their way into the encirclement from the north.[11]

On 22 July the 78th Infantry Division repulsed an attempt by Soviet troops to fight into the pocket from the northeast. It also repulsed an attempt by the 61st Rifle Corps to break out of the encirclement in its eastern sector. During the night the attacks of the 78th Infantry Division broke through the southern part of the Soviet lines, capturing 5,000 and large numbers of equipment. To stop the supply drops, German troops deployed Barrage balloons. On 24 July, the 23rd, 15th, 7th, and 78th Infantry Divisions advanced to the center of the city, beginning street fighting. By late 25 July, the Soviet troops in Mogilev had used up all of the ammunition, food, and fuel.[12]

Soviet breakout

Bakunin ordered Soviet troops in Mogilev to break out to the east on the night of 26–27 July, by which point the troops had almost entirely run out of ammunition. This contravened orders from higher headquarters. Thousands of wounded Soviet troops were left behind in the city with doctors. A small number of Soviet troops were able to escape and reach Soviet lines. Romanov was captured after his column attempted to join up with a German convoy and was destroyed.[12]

Aftermath

Western Front commander Semyon Timoshenko reported on 27 July that Bakunin had been turned over to a military tribunal for his ordering the breakout. German troops reported capturing 35,000 soldiers and 245 guns during the operation. The 23rd Infantry Division lost more than 1,000 men in the operation.[9] The defense of Mogilev prevented German troops from using its bridges for a week, although German troops built temporary bridges over the Dnieper in six other places. The siege of Mogilev delayed 2nd Army's attack on Gomel for more than a week. This delay allowed Timoshenko to bring up reinforcements for the Battle of Smolensk.[13] Mogilev later was called "Gallant Mogilev" and "the Belarusian Madrid" in Soviet sources.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ Yeryomenko 1965, pp. 109, 189.
  2. ^ Glantz 2010, p. 120.
  3. ^ Glantz 2010, p. 107.
  4. ^ Glantz 2010, pp. 121–122.
  5. ^ Glantz 2010, p. 275.
  6. ^ Glantz 2010, p. 278.
  7. ^ Yeryomenko 1965, pp. 138–140.
  8. ^ Mitcham 2007, p. 44.
  9. ^ a b Mitcham 2006, p. 185.
  10. ^ Mitcham 2007, p. 55.
  11. ^ a b Glantz 2010, p. 279.
  12. ^ a b Glantz 2010, p. 280.
  13. ^ Glantz 2010, p. 281.
  14. ^ Glantz 2010, p. 119.

References

  • Glantz, David M. (2010). Barbarossa Derailed: The German Advance to Smolensk, the Encirclement Battle, and the First and Second Soviet Counteroffensives, 10 July – 24 August 1941. Philadelphia: Casemate.
    ISBN 9781906033729
    .
  • Mitcham, Samuel W. (2006). Panzer Legions: A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of World War II and Their Commanders. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole.
    ISBN 9781461751434
    .
  • Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). German Order of Battle: 1st-290th Infantry divisions in World War II. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole.
    ISBN 9780811734165
    .
  • Yeryomenko, Andrey (1965). В начале войны [At the Beginning of the War] (in Russian). Moscow: Nauka.
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