Battle of Kiev (1941)

E50657

The Battle of Kiev (1941) was a major World War II Eastern Front encirclement in which German forces destroyed a large portion of the Soviet Southwestern Front, resulting in one of the Red Army’s most catastrophic defeats.

Aliases (3)
  • Kiev encirclement (1941) ×2
  • Kiev defensive operation (1941) ×1
  • Kiev encirclement ×1

Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II battle
battle
encirclement battle
alsoKnownAs Kiev encirclement
belligerent Germany
Soviet Union
casualtiesAndLosses hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers captured
large Soviet equipment losses
significantly lower German casualties than Soviet casualties
cityOutcome German occupation of Kiev
conflict World War II
countryInvolved Nazi Germany
Soviet Union
endDate 1941-09-26
followedBy Battle of Moscow
GermanArmyGroup Army Group Center
Army Group South
GermanCommander Ewald von Kleist
Fedor von Bock
Gerd von Rundstedt
Heinz Guderian
GermanObjective encircle Soviet forces east of Kiev
secure the Dnieper River line
location Kiev
Soviet Union
Ukrainian SSR
notableFeature largest encirclement in military history at the time
one of the Red Army’s most catastrophic defeats
operation Operation Barbarossa
partOf Eastern Front (World War II)
precededBy Battle of Uman
result German victory
encirclement of Soviet Southwestern Front
major Soviet defeat
SovietCommander Joseph Stalin
Mikhail Kirponos
Nikita Khrushchev
Semyon Budyonny
Semyon Timoshenko
SovietCommanderRole Stalin overruled withdrawal proposals
SovietFront Southern Front
Southwestern Front
SovietObjective defend Kiev
hold Southwestern Front positions
startDate 1941-08-23
strategicImpact delayed German advance toward Moscow
destroyed much of the Soviet Southwestern Front
theater Eastern Front
year 1941


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