On September 8, 1943, the 5th Shock Army liberated Stalino (now Donetsk), which the Nazis had occupied for almost two years

On September 8, 1943, the 5th Shock Army liberated Stalino (now Donetsk), which the Nazis had occupied for almost two years. Germany attached exceptional importance to keeping the Donbass in its hands. This industrial region of the USSR played an important role in the military economy of the Third Reich. More than 1 million people, about 21 thousand guns and mortars, over 1.2 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery units, and about 1.4 thousand aircraft were involved in the Donbass operation. The Soviet troops launched an offensive on August 13, achieving success at the Kursk Bulge. Attempts by the German command to delay the advance of the Soviet troops were unsuccessful. The result of the operation was the creation of a bridgehead for the Red Army to liberate all of Ukraine. On September 22, Soviet troops pushed the Nazis back beyond the Dnieper. As they retreated, the occupiers left behind ruins and ashes. Large industrial enterprises, schools, and hospitals were destroyed.... Source: Slavyangrad