User:Grafikm fr/Rzhev

Battles of Rzhev
Part of Eastern front of World War II
The formation of the Rzhev salient during the winter of 1941-1942.
Date January 8, 1942 - March 22, 1943 Location Rzhev region, USSR Result Stalemate
Belligerents
Axis	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Ernst Busch	Georgy Zhukov

Rzhev Battles (Ржевская битва) is a general term for a series of World War II offensives launched during January 8, 1942—March 22, 1943 by Soviet forces in the general directions of Rzhev, Sychevka and Vyazma against a German salient in the vicinity of Moscow, known as the "Rzhev meat grinder" ("Ржевская мясорубка") for its huge losses.

This part of the Great Patriotic War was poorly covered by Soviet military historiography, and what coverage exists occurred only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when historians gained access to relevant documents. Exact dates of particular battles, their names, outcomes, significance, and even losses have not been fully clarified.

A reminder of these nameless and apparently futile battles is the poem by Aleksandr Tvardovsky which contains the evocative phrase I was killed near Rzhev... (Я убит подо Ржевом, (1945-1946)).