After the collapse of the German Nikopol bridgehead in February 1944, 6th Army was forced to conduct a costly and difficult withdrawal, retreating behind the Ingulets river at the end of the month in conditions of early spring thaw.

[13] The 3rd Ukrainian Front, in pursuit of the retreating 6th Army, crossed the flooded Ingulets river and established numerous bridgeheads on its western bank at the end of February 1944.

After the defeat of the 6th Army during the Nikopol–Krivoi Rog offensive and its retreat behind the Ingulets, the High Command of the Wehrmacht decided to use this overflowing river as a defense line and not allow a further Soviet advance.

[15] Directing the front for further operations, Stavka wrote Malinovsky on 28 February, communicating that the most important task of the front was to force a crossing of the Ingulets no later than 2 March in one of the sectors between Shesternya and Bolshaya Aleksandrovkaya and to move the 6th Army and most of the 5th Shock Army across the river with the goal of turning the German defense on the lower course of the Ingulets and collapsing the German troops defending Nikolayev.

The 28th Army, with five rifle divisions and Karp Sviridov's 2nd Guards Mechanized Corps, was slated to be used to take Kherson and for operations in the Nikolayev sector.

However, the troops of the front had more significant advances in the zones of the 46th and 8th Guards Armies, where on the night of 3 March they sizable bridgeheads over the Ingulets, to the west of Shirokoye and south of Krivoy Rog.

The group, upon reaching Novy Bug, was tasked with striking to the south into the rear of the German and Romanian troops east of Nikolayev.

The armies operating to the right and left of the strike group, were also ordered to shift to the offensive, to divide the German defenses and tie their troops down.

[15] As a result of the Nikopol-Krivoy Rog Offensive the previous month, 6th Army had to conduct a costly and difficult withdrawal in conditions of early spring thaw, retreating behind the Ingulets river by the end of February 1944.

Particularly noteworthy are the numerous cases of frostbite, total infestation with lice, intestinal diseases and general physical exhaustion.In addition to the existing large shortage of officers, there were further heavy combat losses.

The considerable shortage of infantry weapons, motor vehicles, especially prime movers, anti-tank guns and equipment of all kinds results in extraordinary difficulties in combat management, supply and subsequent training needs.[...

]The mood and attitude of the troops were depressed by the heavy mental and physical strain and the extraordinary combat conditions.On the day of the Soviet offensive, 6th Army had the following order of battle.

On the morning of 8 March reconnaissance reported that at the Novy Bug station German troops were unloading trains with tanks, ammunition, and uniforms.

After the capture of Novy Bug the Cavarly-Mechanized Group was ordered to strike to the south, into the German rear, operating in advance of the left wing of the front.

Liberating Bashtanka after fierce fighting, by 12–13 March they cut the German retreat route to the west and reached the Ingulets south of Snigerevka.

Developing the offensive along the northern bank of the Dnieper, the 28th Army forced a crossing of the Ingulets in its lower course and soon entered battle for Kherson.

Despite the stubborn German resistance, the 49th Guards and 295th Rifle Divisions liberated the important port city on 13 March, establishing complete Soviet control of the right bank.

The troops encircled in the area of Bereznegovatoye and Singirevka were destroyed, but significant units, benefiting from gaps in the line of the Cavalry-Mechanized Group, managed to break through to Nikolayev and beyond the Southern Bug, abandoning almost all artillery, heavy equipment and transport.

[21] Pursuing the retreating German troops, the forces of the center and left wing of the front reached the Southern Bug and the approaches to Nikolayev between 16 and 20 March.