Overview[]
The Soviets were forewarned weeks in advance by an earlier raiding party near Rostov-upon-Don, that the German Axis forces attack the city of Uralsk, in north west Kazakhstan and the Astrakhan City salient, in what would become known as the '1945 Kazakhstan border War'. The Soviets created a plan to slow down, redirect, exhaust, disrupt and progressively wear away at the once powerful German panzer spearheads by forcing them to attack through a vast interconnected web of minefields, pre-sited artillery fire zones, and concealed anti-tank strong points which comprised 12 progressively spaced out defensive lines which ran 270 km deep from east to west. It was by far the most extensive defensive works ever constructed; it proved to be more than three times the depth necessary to contain the farthest extent of the German attack on the city of Uralsk. Defences were slightly thinner towards Astrakhan city, which the Germans and Italians would use to their advantage. Both the strategic use of artillery, an élite Panzer Grenadier unit and the 300mm siege mortar Thor would reduce resistance in the city. The city of Uralsk was left for a later date.
Causes of the conflict[]
The Panzer grenadiers of the 2nd SS Panzer grenadier Division Das Reich, armed with the 300mm siege mortar Thor and 60 Tiger I tanks advance through the western Rostov Front in Astrakhan Oblast and the Kalmykia Autonomous Oblast in order to stop Soviet raids emanating from the city of Astrakhan.
Tactics[]
Result[]
A narrow German Axis victory.
Political outcome[]
The Germans although gaining a total victory had been contradicted in almost all capabilities and advances of the Soviet Union as a result. The countless numbers and technology lost by Russia in" Operation Barbarossa" ensured Hitler that beyond the Urals, Joseph Stalin would only be able to continue a bitter guerrilla war which would be counted in a few months. However due to mass Soviet manpower and resources this idea was very unlikely, since the defeat at Stalingrad the Soviet Union always outmanned and outgunned the Germans 5-1. In overall after the war the Wehrmacht were able to seize the oil fields of Asia and dominate most of the Kazakh region. Spetsnaz Guerrillas occasionally continued to raid into the occupied land.