Despite Hitler's orders - Evacuation of Kharkov: February 15 1943

Adolf Hitler and Joachim von Ribbentrop

Officer of SS-Panzerkorps in the Kharkov area

By the evening of February 14 1943, Soviet forces had penetrated into the suburbs of Kharkov. Elements of SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Das Reich, however inflicted heavy losses on the enemy and temporarily halted the Soviet push. SS-Obergruppenführer Paul Hausser had received orders from Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler that the city of Kharkov be held at all costs. Hausser was well aware that Kharkov was doomed. Hausser was a realist and would not willingly see his SS-Panzerkorps sacrificed in a pointless defence of a city he already knew was lost. Kharkov was virtually surrounded. Hausser feared that his corps and Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland would share the same fate as Feldmarschall Friedrich Paulus at Stalingrad. He wanted to order an evacuation through a narrow corridor to the southwest. Repeated orders from Hitler to hold the city to the last man and bullet were treated with the contempt they deserved. Hausser bluntly replied that it was too late: It is already settled, Kharkov is being evacuated. He would not countenance the destruction of his corps in a pointless attempt to save Kharkov. He issued orders to pull out on February 15 1943. The corridor linking the city to German-held territory farther west was now only 1.5 km wide at the best. The Soviets were overjoyed at their success in outing the Germans from this strategically important city, but the tenacious defence put up by the Germans had cost the lives of many thousands of their men. Credit: British authors Gordon Williamson and Tim Ripley. Left image: Hitler and Reichsminister Joachim von Ribbentrop at Rastenburg Station in 1943. SS-Obergruppenführer and Reichsleiter Otto Dietrich is visible in the background. Fair use. Right image: a tried and tested officer of Hausser's SS-Panzerkorps gives the order to move out. This photo was taken during the operations in Kharkov in Feb. 1943. Credit: Bekors. Commons: Bundesarchiv.