The History of the Twentieth Century 408 The Great Retreat
Jun 22, 2025
The Red Army continued its relentless advance after Kursk, intensifying the clash in the Donbass region. German forces, despite heavy losses, managed strategic victories that altered the Eastern Front. Tensions among the Allies grew at the Tehran Conference, as Stalin navigated wartime diplomacy. Discussions on pivotal issues like Poland and the future role of Turkey shaped post-war landscapes. Meanwhile, Stalin's reflections revealed his optimism, juxtaposed with emerging cultural ties to Hollywood.
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Red Army Pressures German Retreat
- The Red Army sustained pressure on German forces after Kursk, reversing German gains despite setbacks like the Donbass defeat.
- Hitler prioritized the Donbass for its industrial value, but reinforcement there weakened German defense elsewhere, costing Kharkov.
Ostwald Line: Last-Ditch Defense
- Hitler initially rejected but later approved the Ostwald defensive line, hundreds of kilometers west of the front line.
- The line leveraged natural defenses like the Dnieper River but required surrendering Crimea and was barely constructed when Germans retreated.
Failed Soviet Airborne Operation
- Nearly 5,000 Soviet paratroopers launched a risky airborne assault to secure Dnieper bridgeheads.
- Bad weather and German defenses caused massive casualties and dispersion into partisan groups, marking the last major Soviet airborne operation.