Background
When Operation Barbarossa had stalled and ended with the reassessment of the strategic goals by Hitler, the front line in the northern sector of the Eastern Front had stabilized in the spring of 1942, and the Wehrmacht was left in control of the city of Velikiye Luki, which provided bridges over the Lovat River to the eastern bank. A major north-south rail line ran parallel to the river's west bank, at Novosokolniki behind the German lines, and another to Vitebsk, an important strategic German logistic centre. Marshy terrain extended to Lake Peipus from just north of the city defended by the German 16th Field Army, making attack there difficult for either side. The city itself was therefore a natural point for a Soviet counterattack, offering the possibility of eliminating the German bridges, and to establish a bridgehead on the western bank, denying the Germans use of the rail line that provided communications between Army groups North and Centre. In view of its strategic significance, the Germans heavily fortified the city over the course of 1942.
Read more about this topic: Battle For Velikiye Luki
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