Battle of Velikiye Luki

Common card · No. 490892

The Battle of Velikiye Luki, also named Velikiye Luki offensive operation (Russian: Великолукская наступательная операция), started with the attack by the forces of the Kalinin Front against the 3rd Panzer Army during the winter campaign of 1942–1943 with the objective of liberating the Russian city of Velikiye Luki as a previous part of the northern pincer of the Rzhev-Sychevka Strategic Offensive Operation (Operation Mars). Sometimes known as "The Little Stalingrad of the North", the Soviet forces encircled the city on 27 November 1942 but were unable to make much progress against German units further west nor retake a key railway to Leningrad. The German garrison in the city was ordered to hold out for a relief force. As was the case at Stalingrad, German counter-attacks were unable to reach the city and the garrison surrendered on 16 January 1943.

Read on Wikipedia · Image CC BY-SA 3.0