This book tells about the complex and dramatic events on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front in February - March 1943. Two front-line formations - the Southwestern Front, under the command of Vatutin, and the Voronezh Front. under the command of Golikov, they seemed to compete with each other for the liberation of a larger area of Soviet territory. However, even after Stalingrad, the German troops were still combat-ready, and the German command, having regrouped its forces, in March defeated the Red Army near Kharkov and again took possession of the city.