1942 1943 1944 The Battle of Nevel was a successful military operation conducted by the Red Army in the Pskov Oblast of western Russia and in northern Belarus during World War II, from October 6 to roughly December 16, 1943, although fighting persisted in the area into the new year.

During this time the railway from Vitebsk through Nevel to Pskov remained in German hands linking the two army groups, although it was under Soviet artillery fire near Novosokolniki.

The Soviet position had the potential to serve as the springboard for a "big solution": an offensive to drive between the German army groups all the way to the Gulf of Riga.

Given the nature of the terrain, with many forests, lakes and swamps and few roads even by Russian standards, plus the manpower demands from other sectors, this was impractical.

[7] Like all the Luftwaffe "divisions" the 2nd was in fact the size of a brigade, with only four infantry battalions, and was especially weak in artillery with just eight 75mm mountain guns and a battery of Stug IIIs.

Earl Ziemke wrote that the sudden collapse of 2nd Luftwaffe Division came as much a surprise to the Soviets as to the Germans:But in warfare combatants can occasionally have more good luck than convenient to handle, and apparently something of that sort befell Kalinin Front in the attack on Nevel... for a Soviet front command, even in late 1943, it raised many distressing uncertainties.

During the several days' pause that followed, Army Groups North and Center threw a line around the western limits of the breakthrough, and each moved in a corps headquarters to command the battle area.

The initial efforts to counterattack failed due to transportation difficulties and superior Soviet strength and on October 9 Küchler decided to wait for reinforcements before trying again.

[11] Several days later the two army groups had gathered enough troops to plan a counterattack by two divisions from the north and one from the south but on October 14 Hitler forbade it because he believed the force was not strong enough.

[13][14] On October 19 Army Group Center proposed a joint effort to close the gap but Küchler declared he had no troops to spare due to the threat to Novosokolniki.

Cooperating closely, the 3rd... and 4th Shock Armies delivered a strong attack south of Nevel, penetrated through the defile between the lakes and advanced rapidly to the northwest, west, and southwest.

In turn, while holding firm to the so-called Ezerishche salient, this grouping, whose apex dug its heels in at the mouth of the penetration, also represented a great danger for us.

Küchler assembled a scratch force of seven battalions which attacked as ordered on November 10, ran into heavy artillery fire and then were thrown back to their line of departure by a counterattack.

While 2nd Guards Corps contained 20th Panzer along the Gorodok-Nevel road, other forces of the Army regrouped and drove deep into the German rear areas.

3rd Panzer Army moved 113th Infantry Division to block the advance on Gorodok while several combat groups covered the approaches to Polotsk.

While the immediate threat had been averted, on November 12 General Yeryomenko was chastised by the STAVKA for seeming to lose his composure over the German counterattacks:The racket, which you kicked up about the attack of large enemy forces, supposedly up to two tank divisions from Ezerishche to Studenets, turned out to be a totally baseless and panicky report.

This means that you personally and your staff accept in faith and do not verify all reports coming in from below.This critique foreshadowed Yeryomenko's dismissal from command of 1st Baltic Front on November 19.

[22] The Soviet force headed deep into the German rear area towards its objective, the town of Pustoshka on the Velikiye Luki-Riga railroad line.

For the next week fierce combat raged just west of Gorodok as the Soviet mobile troops repeatedly maneuvered and attacked to take the town.

A day later the northern division was encircled and Reinhardt had no choice but to order a breakout which occurred on December 16 at the cost of 2,000 of its 7,000 troops and all of its artillery, heavy weapons and vehicles.