After weeks of bitter fighting, Russian forces of the 38th South-western Army managed to break through German defence lines to the north and south of the city Kharkov – their objective, to remove the enemy.

However, they were weary and failed, and German Commanders counterattacked. Two Russian detachments in the south became cut off, in grave danger as the Germans threatened to encircle them, their only line of communication to Soviet command lay along a narrow corridor in the vicinity of Chepel Village…

An advanced guard of German motorised infantry stormed into Chepel and closed the corridor. Russian intelligence then reported that Germans were using Prishib railway station to unload the tanks and artillery of the 3rd Panzer Division. However most of the German crews and reinforcement detachments were due to arrive by a separate train from Kharkov and if mobilized would completely encircle and entrap the two Russian detachments.

Their only hope lay near the village of Chepel, where the Soviet 23rd Tank Corps had been involved in a weeklong offensive, making inroads into the German line, but with no air support they paid dearly with their own blood for every kilometre gained.

The remaining troops of the 23rd Tank Corps had only a handful of operational tanks left, the final objective of securing Kharkov seemed unachievable. They should have retreated long ago as their soldiers, fuel, and ammunition were exhausted - but they knew the fate of thousands of stranded Soviet soldiers was in their hands…