Hitler flies to Feldmarschall von Manstein's HQ: February 17 1943

Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler with Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein

SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Sepp Dietrich

SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 Leibstandarte SS

In February 1943, the situation hung in the balance. Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein had an advantage, since his forces were falling back onto their supply bases while the Soviets were leaving theirs behind. Adolf Hitler now demanded the immediate recapture of Kharkov. He insisted that the SS-Panzerkorps be used to launch an immediate counterattack to regain Kharkov. The SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf's arrivel was imminent and the Führer maintained that, thus reinforced, the SS-Panzerkorps should have no trouble in throwing the Soviets out. The Soviets hit their high-water mark on February 19 1943 when a column of T-34 tanks seized the town of Sinelnikovo, barely 50 km from von Manstein's headquarters on the Dnieper. Making matters worse for the Germans, Hitler himself had just flown in to consult with von Manstein. The news that enemy tanks were an hour away led to a scramble. By noon, von Manstein's staff officers had trundled the Führer onto a plane back to Germany. The Soviets had no idea how close they had come to Hitler. The Germans were able to amass around 70,000 men against the 346,000 Red Army personnel that were involved in the defense of Kharkov after the beginning of the German counterstroke dubbed the Donets Campaign. Credit: Robert M. Citino. Top image: von Manstein and Hitler during a briefing on the situation on the Eastern Front in 1943. Von Manstein was one of the few generals who dared speak his mind to Hitler. Guderian was another. Still from Die Deutsche Wochenschau by film producer Oberleutnant Walter Frentz. Fair use. Middle image: Commander of the Leibstandarte SS General Josef Sepp Dietrich visiting SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Meyer's headquarters in the Kharkov area in February 1943. Also seen in the picture is SS-Oberscharführer Jupp Steinbüchel and Stabsoffizier SS-Hauptsturmführer Rudolf Fend. Photo probably taken by SS-Untersturmführer and KB Franz Roth who labeled the film as Raum Charkow. The war correspondent Franz Roth himself were shot through his lungs on Feb. 21 1943 near Krasnohrad in the Kharkiv Oblast. He died from the wounds on March 17 1943. c. Bundesarchiv. Bottom image: men of SS-Sturmbannführer Joachim Peiper's 3rd Battalion of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 2 scanning the front and bouncing between the trouble spots during the battles around Kharkov in early 1943. The Stummel [officialy an SdKfz 251], a brand new vehicle at this time, was extremely popular because it brought massive fire-power to individual panzergrenadier companies. Credit: Bekors. U.S. NARA.