Battle of Kiev
The Battle of Kiev, which began on September 16, 1941, was a significant military confrontation during World War II, resulting in the encirclement of approximately 680,000 Soviet troops. This encirclement occurred in the "Kiev pocket," as German armored forces coordinated their advance from both the north and south to trap the Soviet southwestern front. Over the course of ten days, six Soviet armies attempted to break free from the encirclement, but faced overwhelming German forces and superior air control. Ultimately, Kiev fell on September 20, 1941, with the Soviet resistance within the pocket concluding just days later.
The battle had devastating consequences for the Soviet forces, leading to the complete destruction of four armies and severe losses for two others. German records indicate that the Soviets suffered significant casualties, with around 665,000 troops taken as prisoners along with the loss of extensive military equipment. The aftermath of the Battle of Kiev facilitated further German advances into central and eastern Ukraine, significantly impacting the course of the war in that region. This battle highlights the strategic challenges and human costs experienced during one of the largest confrontations on the Eastern Front.
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Battle of Kiev
Type of action: Ground battle in World War II
Date: September 16-26, 1941
Location: Kiev, Ukraine, Soviet Union
Combatants: 710,000 Germans vs. 680,000 Soviets
Principal commanders:German, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt (1875–1953); Soviet, Colonel General Mikhail Petrovich Kirpanos
Result: German annihilation of Soviet southwestern front
On September 16, 1941, 680,000 Soviet troops of Colonel General Mikhail Petrovich Kirpanos’s southwestern front were encircled in the “Kiev pocket” (130 miles in width and depth) when German armored forces advancing from Smolensk in the north linked up with German armored forces advancing from Kremenchug in the south at Lokhvitsa (125 miles east of Kiev). For the next ten days, soldiers of six trapped Soviet armies, the entire strength of southwestern front, struggled to break their encirclement, while German forces, coordinated by Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, fought to reduce the pocket.
Although some 15,000 Soviet troops ultimately escaped, Kirpanos’s armies did not possess sufficient power to achieve a large-scale breakout against an enemy who enjoyed numerical superiority and command of the skies. Kiev fell on September 20. Six days later, Soviet resistance inside the pocket ended. Four Soviet armies were entirely destroyed; two others were severely emasculated. According to German statistics, the Battle of Kiev cost the Soviets 665,000 prisoners, 824 tanks, 3,018 guns, and 418 antitank guns.
Significance
The annihilation of Soviet southwestern front in the Battle of Kiev allowed Rundstedt’s forces to advance farther on the southern part of the eastern front, capturing central and eastern Ukraine and most of the Crimea in the last months of 1941.
Bibliography
Boog, Horst, et al. Germany and the Second World War. Vol. 4 in The Attack on the Soviet Union. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1998.
Glantz, David, and Jonathan House. When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1995.
Ziemke, Earl F., and Magna E. Bauer. Moscow to Stalingrad: Decision in the East. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center for Military History, 1987.