The defensive battle on the southwestern approaches to the Kursk region at the end of september 1941: Little-known pages of the defense of Sumy

Relevance . 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. In this regard, the issues of studying various aspects of the war are becoming particularly relevant. The article presents the results of a study of the fighting that unfolded west of Sumy on September 27-28, 1941. The purpose of the article is to study the offensive actions of the XXXXVIII Motorized Corps, undertaken to capture Sumy on September 27-28, 1941, and to organize the defense of the Red Army units and formations opposing it. Objectives : assessment of the forces and means involved by the parties during the fighting on the outskirts of Sumy; study of the directions of the main and auxiliary strikes of the XXXXVIII motorized corps; analyzing the objectives of the parties and evaluating the results achieved. Methodology . The principles of objectivity and historicism have become the methodological basis of this historical research. To achieve these goals, a comparative analysis of the documents of military units and formations that took part in the battles on the outskirts of Sumy in September 1941 was carried out. Results . The rapid occupation of Sumy by the XXXXVIII Motorized Corps proved impossible. German troops faced stubborn resistance from units and formations of the Southwestern Front. The hull connections suffered significant losses. The attack on Sumy was stopped. The corps was withdrawn and relocated to support the right flank of the 2nd Tank Group advancing on Moscow. Conclusion . The first attempt to capture Sumy by Nazi troops was made even before the beginning of the Sumy-Kharkov defensive operation, on September 27-28, 1941. The troops of the Southwestern Front prevented the breakthrough of units and formations of the XXXXVIII Motorized Corps in any sector of the front. The battle on the outskirts of Sumy at the end of September 1941 has the characteristics of an independent operation of an operational and tactical level and deserves the name Sumy Defensive operation 1941.