| PLEASE CLICK ON "CC" BUTTON FOR SUBTITLES! In early 1942, as a result of the well-known Red Army Moscow counter-offensive the front line was pushed back 150 - 200 miles from Moscow. Subsequently, the Soviet troops commanded by Georgy Zhukov tried in three offensive operations to surround and cut off the on the 9th German Army Group "Center" located in the area dubbed the Rzhev Bulge. Fierce fighting in this small territory continued for a total of 13 months, until March next year. The Red Army failed to reach its objective to liquidate Rzhev Bulge. In March 1943, the Germans themselves left their positions, to straighten the front line and to transfer the troops and equipment to Kursk. Fighting at Rzhev was one of the bloodiest episodes of the Great Patriotic War, as WW2 is known in Russia. Total losses of the Red Army according to the official figures only estimated at over one million. Rzhev and neighboring cities were completely destroyed. Since the Rzhev Battles were not considered a major victory, as was Stalingrad or Moscow, they were ignored by Soviet military historiography. Zhukov's memoirs contain only a few paragraphs about Rzhev, and Marshal Konev, who was in command there, is completely silent on this topic... What coverage exists occurred only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when historians gained access to relevant documents. Exact dates of particular battles, their names, outcomes, significance, and even losses have not been fully clarified. NTV ... |
