The Battle of Korsun-Cherkassy The Encirclement and Breakout of Army Group South, 1944

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Written by German General Nikolaus von Vormann, who commanded XLVII Panzerkorps, his account covers the retreat to the Dnepr in 1943, describes the battle of Kirowograd from 5th-17th January 1944, the encirclement of six German divisions, the efforts to relieve the trapped troops, the struggle of the troops within the pocket, and the breakout. His mainly factual account also contains a description of the psychological effects on the men of this most brutal and physically exhausting battle. It is one of the few primary source materials that exists of the battle.

Germans led by Erich von Manstein attempted to break into the pocket. Atrocious weather plus effective resistance repulsed their attacks and by mid-February it became clear that breaking out of the pocket was the only option for the Germans. Abandoning a huge amount of equipment and the wounded, they succeeded and rejoined the surrounding panzer divisions. The Germans avoided a catastrophe but 34% of the troops did not survive.