Operation Gallop
1943 military operation during World War II
title: "Operation Gallop" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["battles-and-operations-of-world-war-ii", "battles-and-operations-of-the-soviet–german-war", "battles-of-world-war-ii-involving-germany", "battles-involving-the-soviet-union", "military-operations-of-world-war-ii-involving-germany", "january-1943-in-europe", "february-1943-in-europe"] description: "1943 military operation during World War II" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gallop" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1943 military operation during World War II ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox military conflict"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| conflict | Operation Gallop |
| partof | the Eastern Front of World War II |
| date | 29 January 18 February 1943 |
| place | Donbas |
| result | German victory |
| combatant1 | Nazi Germany |
| combatant2 | Soviet Union |
| commander1 | Nazi Germany Erich von Manstein |
| commander2 | Soviet Union Nikolai Vatutin |
| strength1 | **Initial strength ** |
| strength2 | Initial strength |
| :: |
| conflict = Operation Gallop | partof = the Eastern Front of World War II | date = 29 January 18 February 1943 | place = Donbas | result = German victory | combatant1 = Nazi Germany | combatant2 = Soviet Union | commander1 = Nazi Germany Erich von Manstein | commander2 = Soviet Union Nikolai Vatutin | strength1 = **Initial strength **
- 160,000 men
- 160 tanks | strength2 = Initial strength
- 325,000 men
- 362 tanks
Operation Gallop () was a Soviet Army operation on the Eastern Front of World War II. The operation was part of a series of counteroffensives after the encirclement of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) following the German Summer offensive in 1942. The Soviet High Command expected a collapse of the German front line in southern Russia and northeast Ukraine and launched a number of counteroffensives to exploit the weak German situation. The operation was launched on 29 January 1943 in conjunction with Operation Star and aimed against Voroshilovgrad (Luhansk), Donetsk, and then towards the Sea of Azov to cut off all German forces east of Donetsk. It was conducted by the Southwestern Front, commanded by Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin. The offensive was initially successful as the Soviets broke through the weak German lines. The Germans were pushed back to a line west of Voroshilovgrad.
In face of a total collapse in the south the German command arranged a number of reorganisations and created a new Army Group South out of the shattered forces of the old Army Groups A, B and Don, under the command of Erich von Manstein. The Soviet offensives, initially successful, ultimately outran their supply lines, and during a counteroffensive at Kharkov, the Germans were able to regain the momentum. The result would be a last German strategic offensive at Kursk.
References
Bibliography
References
- Glantz (1995), pp. 143–147.
- Nipe (2000), pp. 54–64, 67ff, 100.
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