Second offensive of Rzhev-Sychevka

The second offensive of Rzhev-Sychevka ( Operation Mars ) is a strategic offensive launched by the Soviet forces against the German troops during the Second world war. It was held between the November 25th and the December 20th 1942 in projecting near Moscow. This offensive belongs to the series of particularly bloody and useless confrontations known under the name of “Batailles of Rzhev” which took place close to Rzhev, Sychevka and Viazma between January 1942 and March 1943. These battles are also known as the “butchery of Rzhev” ( Ржевскаямясорубка ) because of the considerable losses which they caused, in particular Soviet side.

This offensive was carried out jointly by the Soviet forces of the Western Face and those of the Face of Kalinine, under the command of the Marshal Joukov. Many details of this offensive remain unknown, largely because of the efforts of the Soviets to erase any trace of this extremely expensive operation of the works on the engagements on the Face of the East.

However the American historian David Mr. Glantz, in his work published in 1999 and entitled Zhukov' S Greatest Defeat. The Red Army' S Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, 1942 , considers that this offensive was more important than simultaneous the Opération Uranus (which marked the German defeat at the time of the Bataille of Stalingrad) in the plans of the Stavka (District-general of the Soviet supreme High-Command). In spite of the important losses, the objective was indeed to prevent a possible reinforcement of the Groupe of Southern armies (GAS) by the Groupe of armies Center (GAC).

Losses

Soviet: 335.000 men (out of 667.000) and 1847 tanks (out of 3375). (cf Grossman Horst, Rshew: Eckpfeiler der Ostfront , Friedberg, 1980)
German: n.c.

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