Barvenkovo salient
바르벤코보 돌출부
The Barvenkovo salient was a westward Soviet bridgehead formed on the western bank of the Donets during the January 1942 Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive. It served as a staging area for the May offensive toward Kharkov, but its deep shape and narrow base exposed Soviet forces to a German pincer and helped turn the Second Battle of Kharkov into a major encirclement.
In depth
Formation and operational significance
From 18 January to the end of March 1942, Soviet forces conducted the Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive and pushed back German positions around Barvenkovo and Lozovaya. The resulting bridgehead extended roughly 90–100 kilometres into the German defensive zone south of Kharkov.
The salient offered a base for attacking Kharkov from the south and threatening German communications, but its deep shape rested on a narrow neck between Balakleya in the north and Sloviansk in the south. When Soviet forces began the Kharkov offensive from the area in May 1942, German forces attacked from both flanks, cut the neck, and encircled the large Soviet grouping inside. The failure helped Germany regain the initiative on the southern front and launch its summer offensive.
Name
The Russian Барвенковский выступ is rendered as Barvenkovo salient or Izyum–Barvenkovo salient. English-language accounts also use Barvenkovo bulge and Izyum bridgehead.
Sources
- Wikipedia (RU) | 1942년 1월 공세가 돌출부를 형성하고 5월 하르코프 공세의 발판으로 삼았다는 점, 지형과 포위 결과를 지원
- Wikipedia (EN) | 돌출부가 소련군 공세의 출발 지역이었고 독일군의 협공으로 차단되었다는 점을 지원
- mbstver.ru | 트베리 시립 도서관의 전쟁사 자료로 돌출부의 규모, 하르코프 공세, 포위와 작전적 결과를 지원