Soviet Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive: Casualties and losses

Tigers of Das Reich's 8.Panzer-Kompanie

Fallen Red Armists in the woods

Jäger infantry armed with Sturmgewehr 44 selective-fire rifles

The massive Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive fought from December 24 1943 – April 17 1944, was a strategic offensive executed by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Ukrainian Fronts, along with the 1st Belorussian Front, against the German Army Group South. The initial phase of the offensive was the Zhitomir–Berdichev Offensive. According to the military historians Karl-Heinz Frieser and David M. Glantz the Soviet forces were made up of 2,406,100 men, 2,015 tanks and assault guns and 2,600 combat aircraft. In the course of the operation, 20 Wehrmacht divisions were destroyed, while another 68 divisions were reduced to below 50 percent of their establishment strength according to the military historian Hedley Paul Willmott. Equally huge were equipment losses, with hundreds of precious tanks, assault guns and trucks being lost, principally through their abandonment in the spring mud. In order to save its southern sector from complete collapse, the German high command was forced to transfer 26 German divisions as reinforcements from across France, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Balkans and Army Group Centre to Ukraine, which amounted to approximately 350,000 men according to the military historian Gregory Liedtke. As a result, the Soviet Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive played a key role in influencing the future successes of Allied D-Day landings and Soviet Operation Bagration. The Soviet forces suffered heavy casualties in the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive: according to Karl-Heinz Frieser and David M. Glantz an estimated 1,192,000, including 270,198 killed and missing. According to Karl-Heinz Frieser Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS units suffered 250,956 overall casualties, including 41,907 killed and missing. After the end of World War II, some of the Soviet commanders involved were disgraced, and Stalin widely eliminated most references of the operation. Credit: Wikipedia i.a. Top image: Tigers of SS-Kampfgruppe Das Reich on the southern sector of the Eastern front. The last remnants of Kampfgruppe Das Reich or Kampfgruppe Weidinger was finally withdrawn from the east in April 1944. According to some accounts, Tigers S33 and S13. Note the unique company symbol, the Springender Teufel that is stenciled on the turret of the closest tank. Photo by KB Hans Georg Schnitzer. c. Bundesarchiv. Middle image: Heer soldiers walking past dead Soviets lying in the woods. No additional info on the photo. Fair use. Bottom image: Skijäger elite troops north of the Dnieper near the Pripyat river in February 1944. Credit: Royston Leonard. c. Bundesarchiv.