First Battle of Kharkov 1941
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 20 October 1941 – 24 October 1941 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1941 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | World War II era (1939–1945) | derived from year |
| Location | Ukraine | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Eastern Front | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 49.9900, 36.2200 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The First Battle of Kharkov was a battle that took place from 20 to 24 October 1941 for control of the city of Kharkov, located in the Ukrainian SSR, during the final stage of Operation Barbarossa. The battle was fought between the German 6th Army, part of Army Group South, and the Soviet Southwestern Front. The Soviet 38th Army was tasked with defending the city while its factories were dismantled and moved to a more easterly location.
The main objective for the German 6th Army was to capture Kharkov, which would help them close the growing gap between themselves and the German 17th Army. By 20 October, the Germans had advanced to the western edge of the city, and by 24 October, the 57th Infantry Division was able to take control of Kharkov. By this time, however, most of the city's industrial facilities had been evacuated or rendered useless by Soviet authorities.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article First Battle of Kharkov (revision 1370618720), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Eastern Front
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- Battle of Moscow 1941
- Battle of Raseiniai 1941
- Defense of Brest Fortress 1941
- Siege of Leningrad 1941
- Siege of Odessa 1941
- Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942) 1941
- Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive 1942
- Battle of Kalach 1942
All 33 battles of the Eastern Front →
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