Zhitomir–Berdichev offensive
| Zhitomir–Berdichev offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Dnieper–Carpathian offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II | |||||||
Soviet T-34 tanks await orders to move forward. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Germany | Soviet Union | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Erich von Manstein Erhard Raus Hans-Valentin Hube |
Georgy Zhukov Nikolai Vatutin Nikolai Pukhov | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 358,618 in total | 831,000 in total, 1,100 tanks | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown, heavy | 23,000 killed, 76,000 wounded, 700 tanks | ||||||
The Zhitomir–Berdichev offensive operation (Russian: Житомирско-Бердичевская операция; Ukrainian: Житомирсько-Бердичівська наступальна операція) was a part of the strategic offensive of the Red Army in the right-bank Ukraine, the Dnieper–Carpathian offensive. The successful offensive operation was conducted by the forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front commanded by General of Army Nikolai Vatutin during World War II, from 24 December 1943 through to 14 January 1944.
The task was to defeat the opposing German 4th Panzer Army of Army Group South and advance to the Southern Bug river while preventing new attempts by the enemy to recapture Kiev. After an opening attack across a 300 kilometer front, Soviet troops advanced from 80 to 200 km and nearly liberated all of the Kiev and Zhitomir regions, along with the regions of Vinnitsa and Rovno. The 1st Ukrainian Front gained a position north of the main German forces of Army Group South. The German forces retained the western shore of the Dnieper in the Kanev region.