In accordance with military and political objectives set by the Communist Party and the Government in the new phase of the war, the Supreme Command developed a strategic plan of action of the Soviet Armed Forces in the winter campaign of 1942-1943. By the end of 1942, the STAVKA decided to defeat the enemy subsequently. Therefore, the idea was based on the system of successive offensive operations on a vast front from Lake Ladoga to the foothills of the Great Caucasus Range.

Encirclement of German troops at Stalingrad.

Two hundred days and nights in the vast territory between the Volga and the Don fierce fighting and battles of Stalingrad reverberated. This great battle on the scale, intensity and consequences had no equal in history. It was a milestone on the real path of the Soviet people to their victory.

The successful Soviet counter-offensive at Stalingrad, defeat of a large enemy group of forces, strategic situation on the Soviet-German front in the beginning of 1943 changed in favor of the Soviet Armed Forces. Seizing the initiative, they set the stage for the mass expulsion of aggressive invaders from their native land. The Soviet command had an opportunity to impose their will on the enemy striking successive blows on the chosen directions.

During strategic offensive unfolded in early 1943, an important place took the operation of the Southern Trans-Caucasian Fronts in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet to defeat the enemy group and to release industrial and agricultural regions of the Don, Kuban and Terek.

Defeat of the main forces of Army Group “B” defending the Upper Don was consistently carried out by the troops of the Voronezh Front – Commanding General F. Golikov – working with the flank armies of Bryansk and Southwest fronts during Ostrogozhsk-Rossoshansk and Voronezh-Kastornoe operations.

Breakthrough the siege of Leningrad takes a special place in offensive actions of the Soviet army in winter 1942–1943. This minor operation was completed by an important victory for the Soviet troops. For nearly a year and a half the population of the blockaded city, the front personnel and the Navy conducted an unequal struggle against the enemy, maintaining barbaric aerial and artillery attacks, suffering a shortage of fuel and food.

In accordance with the plan of the STAVKA Supreme Command to develop a common occurrence in the Soviet armed forces beginning in February 1943, active operations continued on the entire southern flank of the Soviet-German front. The enemy defense was crushed in a very wide band. The 17^th German Army cut off from the main body of the German-fascist troops retreated to the Taman Peninsula. By this time, the German 6^th Army was liquidated, and Stalingrad railway junction was released.

After capturing Kharkov and approaching Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhe rather a complex situation was on these directions. German-Fascist command seeking to prevent the nomination of the South-Western Front in the rear of the Army Group “Don”, took some steps to strengthen the resistance and simultaneously created a group for the counteroffensive.

In late January – early February 1943, the Supreme Command decided to use the favorable strategic situation in the south to expand the front of the offensive. Betting on the plan, two major operations were scheduled at the same time: one against the Army Group “Center” and the other against a group of armies “North”.

The transition of the Soviet troops in counter-attack at Stalingrad, and then a general attack in the south had a decisive influence on military operations in the Black Sea. In preparation for the counterattack the Black Sea fleet transferred the troops and cargo to Tuapse and Gelendzhik, stepped up actions against the enemy shipping, and then helped the Black Sea Group of Forces in the fight against the enemy forces in the Krasnodar-Taman area.

Struggle for strategic supremacy in the air launched by the Soviet Air Force in the early days of the Great Patriotic War, became the largest one and particularly fierce in the spring and summer of 1943. It reached its highest heating during the summer offensive of the German forces in the Kursk area.

In late March of 1943 after a bitter winter fighting the Soviet-German front slackened. Having progressed to the west the Soviet armies were fixed on the achieved lines. Both warring sides vigorously prepared for the new operations.

By early July, the Soviet command completed preparations for the Battle of Kursk. The troops operating in the vicinity of the Kursk Salient increased. 10 infantry divisions, 10 fighter-antitank artillery brigades, 13 separate anti-fighter artillery regiments, 14 artillery regiments, 8 guards mortar regiments, 7 separate tank and self-propelled artillery regiments and other units were sent to the Central and Voronezh fronts from April to July. From March to July, 5635 guns, 3522 mortars and 1294 planes were transferred to these fronts.

Battle of Kursk which ended in victory for the Soviet army led to a profound shift in the balance of forces on the Eastern front and had a decisive influence on the Second World War march. Some changes in political and military situations identified further plans of the Soviet and German-Fascist commands. Calculations of Hitler’s leadership to turn the tide against in their favor finally crumbled.

Once in September 1943, the Soviet Armed Forces developed a victorious assault on the strategic front the two thousand miles long inflicting the enemy enormous irreparable loss, inconsistency of the Wehrmacht’s defensive strategy became apparent.

In spring 1943, the Soviet Navy acted in a challenging situation. In the Black Sea, most bases were captured by the Nazi troops. Breakthrough the siege of Leningrad facilitated the state of the Baltic Fleet, but the enemy still held positions on the outskirts of the city and besieged the navy based in the eastern Gulf of Finland. In Subarctic the enemy troops took up positions on the approaches to Murmansk and Polar – the main base of the Northern Fleet.

The Soviet Armed Forces having firmly mastered the initiative won the grand battle of Kursk and for the Dnieper, entered the territory of Belarus and the Right-Bank Ukraine, and much closer to the western borders of the USSR. The front line of 4400 km in total was now from the peninsula Rybachy to the areas further west of Murmansk and Belomorsk, along the coast of Lake Onega, the Svir River, across Lake Ladoga and the Karelian straits to the Gulf of Finland. Then, rounding Leningrad from the west, south and south-east, it went to the south east of Novgorod to Nevel, further east of Vitebsk, Mogilev, Mozyr, Korosten, further west of Cherkassy, further east of Kirovograd and Nikopol, in the lower reaches of the Dnieper to Kherson, through the Perekopsky strait and eastern part of the Kerch Peninsula.

In autumn 1943, the Supreme Command of the Soviet Armed Forces routinely directing the advancing fronts was developing a plan of military operations for the winter of 1944 at the same time.

Supreme Command of the armed forces of Germany assessed the situation on the Soviet-German front in autumn of 1943. Thus, was forced to recognize the superiority of the Soviet Armed Forces, their ability to continue the offensive in winter, as well as a serious threat to the onset for the Wehrmacht.

In accordance with the plan of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union winter-spring campaign began with the offensive in the Right-Bank Ukraine. Since late December 1943 to mid-April 1944, one of the biggest battles of World War II reverberated on the vast expanses from Polesie to the Black Sea, from the Dnieper to the Carpathians.

The successes in economic development achieved by the Soviet people, the victory of the Soviet Armed Forces, a favorable situation for an offensive against the Nazis on the north-west direction was designed.

Victories of the Armed Forces of the USSR in 1943 led to some improvement in the situation on the naval theaters of military operations. The capacity of the Soviet fleet in the fight on the sea lanes expanded to assist ground troops in carrying out offensive operations in coastal areas. However, the enemy holding vast coastal areas still hampered and the basing of the fleet and limited the actions.

The summer offensive of 1944 was begun with the operation on the Karelian Strait and in South Karelia where the Finnish troops were defending. In mid-1944, Finland was in deep crisis. Its situation became even worse after defeat of German forces in January – February 1944, at Leningrad and Novgorod. Anti-war movement expanded its borders in the country. Workers resolutely demanded the release of Finland out of the War. Prominent political figures of the country took Anti-war stance.

The Soviet offensive in Belorussia began in the period when Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation continued. It became the very major event that largely determined success of all the subsequent operations on the Eastern front and had a significant impact on the future course of the war.

Crushing defeat of German forces in Belarus created favorable conditions for the offensive of the 1st Ukrainian Front in Lvov-Sandomierz area.