1942-05-30 Second Battle of Kharkov – The Soviet spring offensive to re-take the city that ended in encirclement by elements of the 6th Army and 1st Panzer Army. July Battle of Voronezh (1942) 1942-06-28 Operation Blue The Axis summer offensive to capture the oil fields in the Caucasus. Later on the goal of capturing Stalingrad was added. July First Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive 1942-07-23 – 1943-02-01 Battle of the Caucasus – German troops climb Mount Elbrus but Axis cannot fight their way through to the Caspian Sea oilfields 1942-08-23 – 1943-02-02 Battle of Stalingrad – Bloodiest battle in history 1942-11-19 Operation Uranus launched – Romanian 3rd and 4th armies destroyed; 300,000 Axis troops trapped at Stalingrad November–December Second Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive – another disastrous Soviet attempt to cut off Rzhev salient; Georgy Zhukov's worst defeat 1942-12-12 – 1942-12-29 Operation Winter Storm – fails to relieve Stalingrad 1942-12-15 – 1943-02-25 Operation Saturn – Soviet offensive destroys the Axis position in the Caucasus and Donbas 1943 March Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive (1943) 1943-02-16 – 1943-03-15 Third Battle of Kharkov – Erich von Manstein traps over-extended Red Army 1943-07-05 – 1943-08-01 Battle of Kursk – largest tank battle in history; Germans defeated by defense in depth 1943-07-30 Battle of the Mius August Battle of Belgorod August Fourth Battle of Kharkov Battle of Smolensk (1943) September–November Battle of the Dnieper October Battle of Lenino November Battle of Kiev December–August 1944 Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive 1944 January – Korsun Pocket 1944-01-18 – Siege of Leningrad raised 1944-01-14 – 1944-03-01 – Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive 1944-04-08 – 1944-05-12 – Battle of the Crimea February–July – Battle of Narva – Soviet Leningrad-Novgorod Strategic Offensive brought to a halt by German forces including Estonian conscript formations June–August – Operation Bagration – destruction of German Army Group Centre July–August – Lvov-Sandomir Offensive – destruction of German Army Group South July – Soviet Narva Operation – Soviet capture of Narva town 1944-07-26 – 1944-08-12 – Battle of Tannenberg Line – Soviet advance to Tallinn harbour brought to a halt by German forces August – Operation Iassy-Kishinev (German "Operation Jassy-Kischinew") – defeat of German forces in Romania and switching of sides of Romania 1944-08-23 – In a coup led by young King Michael, a pro-Allied government ousts the pro-Nazi regime of Romania and declares war on Germany August–September – Warsaw Uprising – failed due to lack of outside support 1944-08-29 – 1944-10-28 – Slovak National Uprising – Failed coup