The Second Battle of Kharkov
The Second Battle of Kharkov, also known as Operation Fredericus, was an Axis defense in the territory of Kharkov (now Kharkiv) against the Red Army Izium bridgehead attack on the Eastern Front from May 12 to May 28, 1942. It aimed to destroy the Izium bridgehead over Seversky Donets, also known as the "Barvenkovo bulge", which served as a staging ground for the Soviet invasion.
On May 12, 1942, Soviet troops led by Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launched an attack on the German 6th Army from a salient developed during the winter counterattacks. The Kharkov battle was a new Soviet effort to increase their key strategy after a winter mitigate that drove German soldiers away from Moscow. It exhausted the Red Army's supplies but failed to achieve a substantial element of surprise. There were optimistic signals for the Red Army at first, but the offensives were halted by German counterattacks.
Joseph Stalin and numerous staff officers made crucial mistakes by underestimating the capabilities of the 6th Army and overestimating their own strength. This effectively shut off the advancing Soviet forces from the remainder of the front. The conflict resulted in about 300,000 Soviet losses and 20,000 for the Germans and their allies.
Date: May 12, 1942 - May 28, 1942
Location: Izium/Barvenkovo area, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Participants: Germany - Soviet Union
