When did Soviet forces launch Operation Mars?
Soviet forces launched Operation Mars in the early hours of the 25th of November 1942. The offensive targeted the German Ninth Army within the Rzhev salient near Moscow.
Questions about Operation Mars
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How many Soviet soldiers were killed during Operation Mars according to historian A. V. Isayev?
Historian A. V. Isayev recorded that 70,373 Soviet soldiers were killed during Operation Mars. Another count by David M. Glantz lists 100,000 killed and 235,000 wounded alongside the loss of 1,600 tanks.
What was the strategic outcome of Operation Mars for the German Ninth Army at Kursk?
The losses sustained at Rzhev meant the German Ninth Army could not muster enough force to fulfill its task at the Kursk offensive in July 1943. Adolf Hitler refused to abandon the salient until spring 1943 when he needed manpower elsewhere.
Why does military historian David M. Glantz believe Operation Mars was a primary attack rather than a diversion?
Military historian David M. Glantz believes the operation was the main Soviet offensive because planning time and resource allocation indicate it was not merely a decoy. He argues that narratives claiming it was a distraction were propaganda circulated by the Soviet government.
Who leaked false plans about Operation Mars to mislead German commanders through the Monastery operation?
NKVD agent Pavel Anatoliyevich Sudoplatov claimed Soviet intelligence intentionally leaked plans to mislead German commanders using deceptive radio games named Monastery. A Soviet double agent known as Aleksandr Petrovich Demyanov carried code name Heine to reveal information about a large-scale Soviet offensive in the Rzhev area.