Battle of Voronezh

The Battle of Voronezh was a WW2 military engagement between the German 4th Panzer Army and the Soviet 40th Army for the control of the city of Voronezh (Woronesch), in southwest Russia. It was fought from July 7 to July 24, 1942, during Operation Case Blue, which was the German drive to the Volga and the Caucasus. This urban battle was a victory for the Germans. Having captured and secured the city, the German armored unit continued to move southeastwards in the direction of Stalingrad, parallel to the line of advance of the 6th Army of Friedrich von Paulus.

The commander of 4th Panzer Army, field marshal Hermann Hoth, had been ordered to take Voronezh, which lay on the eastern side of the Don River, and then move southeast, along with the German 6th Army and Hungarian 2nd Army, which were part of the newly created Army Group B. This Army Group had been tasked with securing the Volga River region and capturing Stalingrad as part of operation Case Blue. But before getting there, they had to secure Voronezh.

As the armored vehicles and men of the 4th Panzer Army advanced into the city, an intense street by street fighting began on July 7. The Germans had to use flamethrowers and tank guns to ferret out the enemy out of the buildings. After six day of heavy fighting, the 4th Panzer Army was reinforced and relieved by the Hungarian 2nd Army, which mopped up the pocket of Russian resistance while the Germans poured out of the city and headed for Stalingrad.

Map of  southeastern Europe, showing the advance of Army Group B, which included the 4th Panzer Army, in June-August 1942, as well as Army Group A. Voronezh (Woronesch) is marked with a red dot.