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→Battle of Kharkov
Most of the Russian POWs became [[slave]] laborers digging tank traps for Soviet [[T-34]]s;<ref>The USSR did not become a party to the [[Geneva Convention]] until 1960. So, although Germany was a signatory, Nazi Germany felt to compunction to honor the terms of the convention given German POWs and civilians were also subjected to human rights abuses by their Soviet counterparts.</ref> some Ukrainian POWs were recruited into German fighting units in both [[eastern Europe]], where they committed atrocities against the civilian population, and the Western Front to guard the Atlantic Wall in advance of, and during, the [[Normandy Invasion]].
Most of the Russian POWs became [[slave]] laborers digging tank traps for Soviet [[T-34]]s;<ref>The USSR did not become a party to the [[Geneva Convention]] until 1960. So, although Germany was a signatory, Nazi Germany felt to compunction to honor the terms of the convention given German POWs and civilians were also subjected to human rights abuses by their Soviet counterparts.</ref> some Ukrainian POWs were recruited into German fighting units in both [[eastern Europe]], where they committed atrocities against the civilian population, and the Western Front to guard the Atlantic Wall in advance of, and during, the [[Normandy Invasion]].
'''Second Battle of Kharkov'''
On 17 May, 1942 the German 3rd Panzer Corps and XXXXIV Army Corps under the command of Fedor von Bock, supported by aircraft, arrived, enabling the Germans to launch Operation Fridericus, pushing back the Soviet Barvenkovo bridgehead to the south. On 18 May, Marshal Semyon Timoshenko requested permission to fall back, but Stalin rejected the request. On 19 May, Gen. Paulus launched a general offensive to the north as Bock's troops advanced in the south, thus attempting to surround the </ref>Soviets in the Izium salient. Realizing the risk of having entire armies surrounded, Stalin authorized the withdraw, but by that time the Soviet forces were already started to be closed in. On 20 May, the nearly surrounded Soviet forces mounted counteroffensives, but none of the attempts were successful in breaking through the German lines. The Soviets achieved some small victories on 21 and 22 May, but by 24 May, they were surrounded near Kharkov.
The Second Battle of Kharkov resulted in an extremely costly loss to the Soviets, which saw 207,000 men killed, wounded, or captured; some estimates put the number as high as 240,000. Over 1,000 Soviet tanks were destroyed during this battle, as well as the loss of 57,000 horses. German losses were much smaller than the Soviets, with over 20,000 killed, wounded, or captured. Soviet General Georgy Zhukov later blamed this major defeat on Stalin, who underestimated German strength in the region and failed to prepare an adequate reserve force to counter the arrival of the German reinforcement that turned the tide.<ref>https://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=50</ref>
===Siege of Leningrad===
===Siege of Leningrad===