Assault-crossing the Dnieper Battle of the Dnieper

soviet soldiers preparing rafts cross dnieper (the sign reads onwards kiev! )

the first bridgehead on dnieper s western shore established on 22 september 1943 @ confluence of dnieper , pripyat rivers, in northern part of front. on 24 september, bridgehead created near dniprodzerzhynsk, on 25 september near dnipropetrovsk , yet on 28 september near kremenchuk. end of month, 23 bridgeheads created on western side, of them 10 kilometers wide , 1-2 kilometres deep.

the crossing of dnieper extremely difficult. soldiers used every available floating device cross river, under heavy german fire , taking heavy losses. once across, soviet troops had dig clay ravines composing dnieper s western bank.