Soviet Voronezh Front

The Voronezh Front was the Soviet formation responsible for the southern face of the Kursk salient in 1943, formed in July 1942 under Marshal Nikolai Vatutin and covering the Belgorod to Kharkov sector. It defended the southern shoulder of the salient through the German offensive of July 1943, absorbing the main weight of the 4th Panzer Army and the SS-Panzer Corps II in the Belgorod direction with layered defences, obstacles and mobile reserves committed at the critical points. Although pushed back at one stage and forced to give up ground, the front was never broken, and after the German attack was checked it joined the newly formed Steppe Front in the Belgorod to Kharkov counter-offensive, recapturing both cities in August 1943. The formation was subsequently redesignated as the 1st Ukrainian Front in October 1943. Commanders, dates and dispositions follow standard published accounts; the strength and casualty ranges commonly quoted for the southern sector are disputed between accounts. The front's defensive sector extended from the Donets bend down to the approaches of Kharkov, and included the ground over which the Kursk salient projects, which is why it bore the brunt of the German southern offensive. Vatutin was mortally wounded in August 1943 during the Kharkov operation and was succeeded by Nikolai Grechenko; this entry records the formation rather than any individual commander.