Operation Barbarossa: The Ukraine (June-December 1941)


Figure 1.--Here Odessa children as the Germans and Romanians close in prepare a gun impacement. The Germans attempted to bypass Odessa, leaving it to the Romanians and a small German force. The seize began August 5. Romanian losses totaled 70,000-110,000 men before the city fell October 16. About 350,000 civilian, half the population was evacuated by sea. Stalin awarded the city the designation of "Hero City". The weakening of the Romanian Army was to have important consequences at Stalingrad (1942).

The Ukraine was one of Hitler's primary objectives when he unleased Barbarossa. He saw the Ukranine as the future German breadbasket and a needed area for Lebensraum. Army Group South was assigned the task of seizing the Ukraine. The Germans, however, encountered problems in the south. Several factors were involved. There were important Soviet formations deployed there, some armed with the new T-34 tank which shocked the Germans when they first enountered it. In addition, the Romanian allies proved less reliable than hoped. Hitler, anxious to lay his hands on Ukranian resources, diverts powerful Panzer units driving on Moscow from Army Group Center. The results are a spetacular victory at Liev, but in the end the drive toward Moscow fails. Soviet forces badly maul the Romanians at Odessa. The NAZI Eisatzgruppen begin the wholescale murder of Jews. Thhey also suppress Ukranian nationalists and begin mass killings of non-Jewish Ukranians.

Objectives

The Ukraine was one of Hitler's primary objectives when he unleased Barbarossa. He saw the rich agricultural land of the Ukranine as the future German breadbasket and a needed area for Lebensraum which he discussed in Meim Kamppf. The Ukraine also had imortant needed mineral resources. There was also important industry in the Ukraine. This was of less interest to Hitler than the agricultural land abd the raw mterials. The priority did not extend to the Ukranians themselves. They were slavs as as part of Generalplan Ost, they were to be eventually eliminated except for a slave labor force. There was a substantial Jewish population in the Ukraine. They were to be killed immediately by Einsatzgruppen C and D. Two of the Einsatzgruppen were assigned to Army Group South abd the Ukraine because of the large Jewish population there. The Slavs were to be dealt with decisively during the occupation, although there were mass killings from the begining.

Army Group South

Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South) was in Barbarossa on of the three army groups in which the German forces were organized. It was assigned the task of seizing the Ukraine. Its principal objective was to seize the Ukraine and its capital Kiev. The end objective for Army Group Center in Barbarossa was the Volga. It was to engage as much of the Red Army as possible so that Army Group North and Center could take Lenningrad and Moscow. Army Group Center consisted of the First Panzer Group and the German Sixth, Seventeenth and Eleventh Armies as well as the Romanian Third and Fourth Armies. The Romanians were involved because the Soviets had annex large areas of the country (1940). They would be joined as the campaign ensued by an Italian army which Mussolini had dispatched. Hitler had no shared details of Barbarossa with Mussolini in advance. Notice that the Hungarians were not major participants. The Bulgarians who joined the Axis, refused to participate. The most powerful element in the order of battle was the German Sixth Army. The Romanians and Italians made up a substantial part of Army Group South, but they were not as nearly well trained or equipped.

Red Army Defensie Preparations (1939-41)

The Soviets after invading Poland and the Baltics as well as seizing Romanian territory (1939-40) moved substantial forces forward from prepared defenses to occupy the new Western territories. Then after the fll of Frace (June 1940), Stavka made major chaes in defensive prparatins based on the assessment of the Whermacht tactics and victory. The Red Army in addition to adjusting to these changes were under pressure from Stalin not to take any action that would give the FGermans an excuse for war. Given Stalin's the purges of the Red Army, commanders wee terrified to do anuthing that might violate Stalin'sorders ordraw attention to thmselves. One of the major changes was to strenthen forces in the south, meaning the Ukraine. Stalin knew that the Ukraine was one of Hitler's a major goal for hs Lebensraum. And the Germans after signinging te Brest-Litvsk Treaty had seized the Ukraine during Wotld War I. Only the Allied victory in the West had prevented the Germans from permanently acquiring the Ukraine. Sunstantial armored forces were shifted south. The strategic plan was that of the Germans attacked toward Leningrad and Moscow, armored forces in the south could envelop the Grmans from the south.

Ukranian Nationalists

Ukranian nationalism was a primary concern of Stalin. This is onecreason he created the Great Famine in the early 1930s. The NKVD subsequently zealously pursued Ukranian nationlisrs. The Ukraine is divided between a Catholic more nationlist west and an Orthodox more Russified east. The natiinalist movement was stringest in the West. As tensions rose in Europe, many Ukranians began to see the possibiklity of liberation if war broke out between the Germans and Soviets. German operatives in occupied Poland included areas with Ukranian populations. The Germans encouraged groups there with the idea that the Germans supported an independent Ukraine. As a result, underground groups in the Ukraine were prepared to support the Germans. The primary underground organizatiion nwas the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalist (OUN) led by Stepan Bandera. The Ukranians could have been an important support for Barbarossa. Hitler of course had no intention of arming the Ukranians. He thought that the Red Army would be defeated in a few months and had no need for Allies, especially Slavs who he intended to eradicate or reduce to slave labor. Hitler wanted the Ukraine, not the Ukranians.

Red Army Operational Commands (June-December 1941)

The Red Army forces of the South-Western Direction (Ukrine) were dived into four formations. The South-Western Front under Colonel General Mikhail Kirponos was formed from the 5th Army, 6th Army, 12th Army and the 26th Army as well as a group of units under Strategic Direction command. Tis totaled 45 divisions. The Southern Front under General Ivan Tyulenev was created with the 9th Independent Army, the 18th Army, the 2nd and 18th Mechanized Corps (June 25). It totaled 26 divisions. There was also the Black Sea Fleet. The four formtion was the Red Air Force. The most internse air campaign of Barbarossa was fought in the Ukraine. The Red Air Force Commander there dispersed most of their assets in time. As a result,they were not destroyed by the Luftwaffe in the first few days of the fighing. [Roba, Karlenko, and Bernád] Thus unlike operations in the north, Red Army units received some air suport in the Ukraine.

Monthly Operations

The Germans upon launching Barbarossa (June 22) moved rapidly east. They unexpectedly encountered problems in the Ukraine. They were not stopped, but they did move east much slower than ancticipated. Rather than supporting operations to the north, the slower advance in the south, exposed the flank of Army Group Center to the Soviets. Ultimately, Army Group Center's drive east would have to be paused and operations launched east to support Army Group South. The result was a massive encirclement at Kiev. This was a great German victory, but it gave the Red Army time to prepare for the all important defense of Moscow. Several factors were involved. There were important Soviet formations deployed there, some armed with the new T-34 tank which shocked the Germans when they first enountered it. In addition, the Romanian allies proved less reliable than hoped. Hitler, anxious to lay his hands on Ukranian resources, diverted powerful Panzer units driving on Moscow from Army Group Center. The results are a spetacular victory at Liev, but in the end the drive toward Moscow fails. Soviet forces badly maul the Romanians at Odessa. The NAZI Eisatzgruppen begin the wholescale murder of Jews. They also suppress Ukranian nationalists and begin mass killings of non-Jewish Ukranians.

Sources

Roba, Jean-Louis, Dmitiry Karlenko, and Dénes Bernád. From Barbarossa to Odessa: The Luftwaffe and Axis Allies Strike South-East June - October 1941 II ( 2008 ).

"Executions," New York Times (December 4, 2001). A short New York Times item read, "Officials have found evidence that Soviet forces summarily executed 513 people whose bodies were dumped in a mass grave in July 1941 near Lviv, now western Ukraine. Municipal archives yielded information on the mass grave in the registry of the Yanivske cemetery. Authorities have not yet made a decision on whether to carry out exhumations."








CIH






Navigate the CIH World War II Pages :
[Return to Main Operation Barbarossa page]
[Return to Main Urkraine World War II page]
[Return to Main German World War II page]
[Return to World War II First phase campaign page]
[Biographies] [Campaigns] [Children] [Countries] [Deciding factors] [Diplomacy] [Geo-political crisis] [Economics] [Home front] [Intelligence]
[POWs] [Resistance] [Race] [Refugees] [Technology] [Totalitarian powers]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Return to Main World War II page]
[Return to Main war essay page]
[Return to CIH Home page]




Created: 5:17 AM 2/23/2005
Last updated: 3:26 AM 7/14/2014