North-Western Front

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The North-Western Front was a military formation of the Red Army during World War II. It was created on June 22, 1941, the first day of the Soviet-German War on the basis of the Baltic Special Military District. On 22 June the Front consisted of the 8th, 11th, and 27th Armies, as well as the 5th Airborne Corps and the headquarters of the 65th Rifle Corps (which had no assigned forces).

[edit] Military activities

[edit] 1941

In the summer of 1941 all elements of the front were involved in heavy fighting in the Baltic Republics and on the approaches and the outskirts of Leningrad. During first 18 days of the war the armies retreated over 450 km into Russia. On 14th, July the Soviet 11th Army led a successful counter-offensive from Utogrosh and the Dno district to Sitnya and Soltsi, in which German troops (in particular 8th Panzer Division suffered heavy losses) and had to retreat. The Soviet forces took Soltsi on 16th July, and the German advance to Leningrad and Novgorod was stopped for a while. This offensive had a strong effect for the morale of the Soviet troops. Nevertheless, the German troops were regrouped and refreshed, and on 12th, August they renewed their offensive and moved to Novgorod which was taken on 19th August.

There were many occurrences of heroism on the front, e.g. by A.K. Pankratov who covered a German machinegun spot with his breast. At Staraya Russa combat started in July, and in August in the streets of the city, which was taken on 9th August after the retreat of 11th Army. The Soviet forces of 34th, 27th and 11th Armies led a counter-offensive and closed to the ourskirts of Staraya Russa on 12th August but could not hold on to their success because of total exaustation.

In the autumn North-West front was on a pivotal point of the fighting activities in the Moscow and Leningrad directions, covering the vital Valdai Hills from which the northern flank of the advance of the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre could be threatened. The Soviet troops took a deep defense between Lake Ilmen and Lake Seliger. They didn't let the German pass to the Valday heights and Bologoe railway station which connected Leningrad and Moscow.

Later in 1941 Volkhov Front was created to cover the sector north of Lake Ilmen to Lake Ladoga. The major task of North-West front now became to recapture the communications centre of Staraya Russa, in a fight that lasted for 880 days. There were two strategic and regular military operations which were unsuccessful and very costly in terms of losses.

One of the more successful attempts to regain ground in the Staraya Russa region was the Toropets-Kholm Operation led by General Kurochkin. Only after the disaster at Stalingrad did it become possible for the Red Army to conduct Operation Polar Star from 12-26 February, 1943, freeing 302 settlements in the region.

Total casualties suffered by North-Western Front were more than 2,000,000 fallen and wounded.

On 19th November, 1943 North-West front was renamed 1st Baltic Front.