Russian Red Army KV-1 tank on fire near Voronezh:
The Nazi plan: Fall Blau:
David Glantz and Jonathan House:
Liziukov's 5th Tank Army... [ordered] "to conduct an offensive toward Zemliansk and Kholkol, sever the communications of the enemy tank group penetrating to the Don River at Voronezh), disrupt his crossing of the Don, and assist the withdrawal of eh units of 40th Army.... Rotmistrov's 5th Tank Corps reached its assembly area late on 5 July, [but] 11th and 2nd Tank Corps did not reach theirs until... 7th July.... Nonetheless, Liziukov's issued Rotmistrov's corps it's attack order... [for] 6 July... 0600 hours sharp....
Deploying forwards in unaccustomed haste, Rotmistrov's tank corps attacked with two tank brigades forward... 120 tanks... Surprised a kampfgruppe of roughly 50 tanks from Balck's 11th Panzer Division.... Rotmistrov instructed his troops to "cling" to the retreating Germans, making it difficult for the Luftwaffe.... 7th Tank Corps was virtually unsupported... Popov's 11th Tank Corps began detraining that evening.... Thus, when he resumed the offensive early on 7 July, Rotmistrov, instead of being supported by two full tank corps, was assisted by only half of Popov's... about 50 tanks...
