Germanocentric analyses of the Eastern Front has made Vatutin win recognition among Western military experts as one of World War II's most creative commanders. "At Kursk, Vatutin was able to stop Manstein's powerful armoured spearheads well short of their objectives and then shift to a counteroffensive that shattered the German front. Vatutin surprised Manstein at Belgorod in August and thoroughly outmanoeuvred him at Kiev in December. Vatutin demonstrated great flexibility during the Korsun offensive, taking advantage of fleeting opportunities rather than reinforcing failure, which resulted in his armour encircling two German corps. However, Vatutin was unable to prevent Manstein from relieving the Korsun Pocket, but this limited success squandered Manstein's last operational reserves. Vatutin would surely have played a major role in finishing off Manstein's command in the Kamenets-Podolsky offensive if Ukrainian partisans had not fatally wounded him after Korsun. Nevertheless, Vatutin had demonstrated that Manstein's style of Bewegungskrieg did not work against a steady opponent and that the Red Army had some commanders who could turn the tables and conduct a form of manoeuvre warfare that astonished even Manstein." In November 2014, the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory included Vatutin among 'persons involved in the struggle against Ukraine's independence, the organization of famines, and political repressions.' On 9 February 2023, a monument to Vatutin atop his grave in Mariinskyi Park in Kyiv was dismantled and relocated to the local Aviation Museum. References Sources Keegan, John (ed.) (1996) Atlas of the Second World War. Forczyk, Robert. (2010). Erich von Manstein : leadership, strategy conflict. Oxford: Osprey Pub. . OCLC 436030170 Further reading David Glantz, "Vatutin" in Harold Shukman, ed., Stalin's Generals (New York, NY, 1993), pp. 287–298. David Glantz, Jonathan M. House, When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler (Lawrence, KS, 1995). David Glantz, Jonathan M. House, The Battle of Kursk (Lawrence, KS, 1999). David Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad, 1941–1944 (Lawrence, KS, 2002). External links Як загинув Микола Ватутін? Документальна правда про поранення, лікування та смерть (Ukrainian Pravda, 11.12.2010) 1901 births 1944 deaths People from Valuysky District People from Valuysky Uyezd Bolsheviks Army generals (Soviet Union) Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War People of the Soviet invasion of Poland Soviet military personnel killed in World War II Russian people of World War II Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Frunze Military Academy alumni Heroes of the