Battlefront Ukraine, Spring 1944 : First SS-Frundsburg deployment was to Ukraine in rescuing entrapped German divisions. Germans lacked armored reserves after depleting resources during Operation Citadel offensive in Summer 1943 (also the last time German took offensive operations on Eastern Front), Soviets launched a series of thrusts out of KIEV and KIROVGRAD sectors into southern Ukraine. Germans in process of withdrawing to consolidate defense line when Soviet hammer blow fell upon its Army Group South. Operation Citadel - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Citadel

Four major pockets were formed as encircled German forces fought their way westward to linkup with friendly forces, Germans called these encirclement battles KESSELSCHLACHTEN (Cauldron Battles) since it was possible to fight one's way out of the trap, but high losses in equipment and personnel was to be expected (circa 50% to 75% losses). Germans learned from 1943 Stalingrad debacle that encircled forces must immediately fight their way out before enemy forces consolidate the hold, Germans lost their entire 6th Army when it surrendered at Stalingrad, of 130,000 troops which entered that battle, 40,000 became casualties, 90,000 became POWs out which only 6,000 survived the 20 years in Soviet slave labor camps. US Army : Operations of Encircled Forces : German Experiences in Russia - www.army.mil/cmh-pg/BOOKS/WWII/20234/20234.html

Rollover : Of these pockets, KAMENETS-PODOLSKY (also written as Kamianets-Podilskyi) trapped German 1st Panzer Army with 300,000 men, while KORSUN-SHEVCEHENKOVSKIY trapped 54,000 men of German III Panzer Corps and 47th Panzer Corps (including 6th SS Panzer Division Wiking), this encirclement was called KORSUN pocket by Germans, but CHERKASSY pocket by Allies (due to Soviet bridgehead at town of Cherkassy). Kamianets-Podilskyi - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamianets-Podilskyi

Inset 1 : Idealic beauty of modern Korsun-Ukraine area conceals WW2 battles which took place here in 1941-1944. For military history enthausiaist, Ukraine is interlaced with great battlefields such as Sevastopol, Uman, Kiev, Kharkov, Zhitomir, Tarnopol, Kovel, Kirovograd, etc. Ukraine Maps - www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ukraine.html

17 Feb 1944 : Units from German 1st Panzer Army encircled at KAMENETS first fought their way eastward to rescue entrapped German forces in KORSUN pocket linking at LYSYANKA (also written as LISYANKA), from this 30,000 out of 54,000 men were rescued. Once united, 1st Panzer Army fought westward, while rescue force including SS-Frundsburg of II SS-Panzer Corps from LEMBERG fought eastward and linked-up on 8 April 1944 at town of BUCZACZ, establishing the Buczacz Corridor. Korsun-Cherkassy Pocket - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korsun_Pocket

No celebrations for the weary, SS-Frundsburg was immediately tasked to join German counter-offensive at KOWEL, north of Lemberg. But Allied D-Day invasion of northern France cancelled this plan, division transferred to Normandy front early June 1944, arrived just in time to thwart 25 July 1944 British EPSOM offensive west of CAEN. Operation Epsom - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Epsom

Language note : Different spelling of Slavic place names is due to divergent Latin Romanization methods since Russian and Ukrainian Slavic use Cryllic Alphabet, while other European languages (ex. English, German, Polish) use the Latin Alphabet. Romanization - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization