Soviet Steppe Front

The Steppe Front was a Soviet formation created in July 1943 as the strategic reserve of the Stavka, commanded by Marshal Ivan Konev and deployed in depth to the east of the Kursk salient, with its headquarters at Voronezh. It was committed once the German southern offensive had been checked, cooperating with the Voronezh Front in the Belgorod to Kharkov counter-offensive, and took part in the recapture of Kharkov on 23 August 1943, an event conventionally taken as marking the end of the Battle of Kursk. The formation advanced westwards during the autumn and went on to play a major role in the 1944 operations in Ukraine, including the relief of the Dnieper crossings; it was subsequently redesignated as the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Strength, casualty and date figures follow commonly cited published ranges, which differ between accounts. The locations recorded for this entry are schematic and are not intended as precise front-line positions. Its creation was itself a decisive Soviet act: moving a strategic reserve so close to the enemy while the German offensive was still running allowed the counter-offensive to begin almost immediately, without waiting for the armies to disengage. The formation's composition changed as it advanced, with rifle, tank and Guards units joining from the Stavka reserve and from other fronts.