Military operations of the Red Army in the winter of 1943 on the territory of Belgorodchina and Stary Oskol liberation from German occupation
Authors:   Stary Oskol Branch оf Belgorod State National Research University, Mamaeva Tatiana P. , Pushkarenko Elena A. ,   Russian Customs Academy
Published: December 2024

Throughout its history Stary Oskol was an important link in the defense of our state, and it played a key role in the battles of 1942-1943 during the Great Patriotic War. This article examines the issues related to the combat operations of the winter of 1943, as a result of which Stary Oskol and the territory of the present Belgorod region were liberated from the German occupation.
The purpose of the study was to determine the significance of military operations taking place on the territory of the Belgorod region, especially in the Stary Oskol region, for the development of the strategic initiative of the Soviet command, as well as their influence on the general situation on the Soviet-German front. The study was based on the analysis of a number of unpublished historical sources of the Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defence. In addition, the authors analyzed scientific sources and memoirs on the topic under study. In the summer of 1942, in the Belgorod region, the Soviet command carried out the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad defensive operation, in which extremely fierce and bloody battles took place in the Stary Oskol area, twelve Red Army divisions were taken into the ring. For more than a month they fought in complete encirclement, diverting significant forces of the enemy and slowing down the pace of their advance to the East.
In 1943, the Belgorod region again became the scene of the most important military operations, the outcome of which largely predetermined the outcome of the Battle of Kursk. So, in the winter of 1943 the Voronezh-Kastornoye offensive operation was carried out here, and it was precisely for Stary Oskol that the fiercest battles began. The enemy organized a powerful defense center in the city, taking advantage of the terrain features. Nevertheless, the Wehrmacht’s plans to retain the city were frustrated, and Stary Oskol was liberated. The capture of the city allowed the units of the Red Army to continue the offensive in the Kursk, Belgorod and Kharkov directions.
The authors concluded that the fighting of the Red Army in the Belgorod region, especially in the area of Stary Oskol, had significant tactical and strategic importance in 1942-1943. Thus, actions in connection with the defense of Stary Oskol during the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad operation in the summer of 1942, namely, battles in the surroundings, fettered significant enemy forces and, as a result, delayed the pace of the German attack on Voronezh, and subsequently on Stalingrad, which reflected on the outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad. In turn, the successful operations in the Belgorod region in the winter of 1943 during the Voronezh-Kastornoye operation contributed to the development of the strategic initiative of the Soviet command, which in general influenced the course and results of the Battle of Kursk. Thus, the fighting in connection with the defense and liberation of the city in 1942-1943 played a significant role in the development of the battle of Stalingrad and preparation for the battle of Kursk. Researchers are convinced that the fierce and bloody battles in the area of Stary Oskol during the Great Patriotic War became the historical basis for awarding the city the title of “City of Military Glory”.