World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseA month after the Germans capture the Ukrainian captial of Kiev, the German Army South Group approached the outskirts of Kharkov as part of Operation Barbarossa. While the Russian 38th Army put up a defense, factory workers rushed to complete taking apart entire factories, and pack them onto rail trains for the relocation east. This includes factories of Zavod Malysheva, the tank manufacturers who would later supply the Russian army the legendary T-34 tank. When the workers completed the move on 21 Oct, the German front lines pushed as close as seven miles from the rail yards.

ww2dbaseOn 24 Oct, the German 6th and 17th Armies launched a coordinated attack on Russian positions, and took control of the city.

First Battle of Kharkov Interactive Map

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First Battle of Kharkov Timeline