Battle of Rostov (1941)

November 17 – December 2, 1941 · Rostov-on-Don

Result Soviet victory

German forces took Rostov-on-Don, the gateway to the Caucasus, but a Soviet counteroffensive drove them out a week later. It was the first major German retreat of the war.

On the map Contemporaries

Allies

Axis

Soviet Union

Germany

Kingdom of Romania

Slovak Republic

Yakov Cherevichenko military commander

Anton Lopatin military commander

Gerd von Rundstedt military commander

Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist military commander

Walter von Reichenau military commander

Strength and losses

Casualties: 33,000

Casualties: 6,510
Wounded: 5,118
Missing: 251

Units

18th Army (Soviet Union) 9th Army (Soviet Union) 106th Rifle Division 176th Rifle Division 218th Rifle Division 230th Rifle Division 253rd Rifle Division 255th Rifle Division 317th Rifle Division 339th Rifle Division 343rd Rifle Division 347th Rifle Division 353rd Rifle Division 395th Rifle Division 51st Rifle Division

Army Group South 1st Panzer Army Third Army (Romania) XXX Army Corps (Wehrmacht) 198th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) 1st Mobile Infantry Division (Slovak Republic)