Due to lack of supplies and poor Red Army organization, a couple of replacements were made in the Government. Field Marshal G. F. Zhukov replaced G. D. Bazilevich and K. A. Meretskov replaced M. N. Tuchatjevskij.
Situation in the Baltic Front is dire while situation in the Odesa Front became stable. There are two options to stabilise situation in the Baltic Front – move one or two armies from the Odesa Front to the Baltic or start an offensive in the Odesa Front and draw German forces from the Baltic Front.
Redeploying armies from the Odesa Front could weaken position in the South and lead to Rumanian offensive. Besides it could take 1 or 2 months to redeploy forces.
The second option was chosen – an offensive (code name Operation Skobelev) in the Odesa Front commanded by General I.S. Konev.
Operation Skobelev
(Mikhail Skobelev was commander in Russo-Turkish War (1877/78) when Rumania, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria received independence)
Objective 1: Defeat Rumania and Hungary, and defeat Slovakia and Croatia if this could be achieved.
Objective 2: Seize supplies from Rumanians and Hungarians.
Objective 3: Overthrow Rumanian and Hungarian governments and accept them into Comintern.
Objective 4: Weaken German forces in the Baltic Front and start counter-offensive.
Opposing armies: the Red Army (the Odesa Front) – 600k, Rumanian Army – 260k and Hungarian Army – 360k.
First Phase:
Bukuresti Offensive – the primary aim is to subdue Rumanian Government and force it to surrender.
Pruth Offensive – the primary aim is to tackle the bulk of Rumanian Army while the main Red Army forces are assaulting Bukuresti.
Second Phase:
Danube Defensive – the primary aim is to stop Bulgarian invasion (around 100k Bulgarian army).
Cluj-Debrecen-Budapest Offensive – the primary aim is to subdue Hungarian Government and force it to surrender.
Kosice Offensive – the primary aim is to support Budapest Offensive and to cut off Hungarian army from Budapest.
Dniester Offensive – the primary aim is to tackle and immobilise the bulk of Hungarian Army.
Third Phase:
Bratislava Offensive – the primary aim is to subdue Slovakian Government and force it to surrender.
Zagreb Offensive – the primary aim is to subdue Croatian Government and force it to surrender.
Beograd Offensive – the primary aim is to liberate part of Yugoslavia and take defensive positions on Bulgarian border and behind Danube River.
Fourth Phase:
Dvina River and Smolensk Counter-Offensives – the primary aims are to throw back Germans across Dvina River and relieve pressure from Smolensk.
Obstacles: Rumanian divisions around Bukuresti, Bulgarian Army, Hungarian divisions in Carpathian Mountains and around Budapest, German and Croatian divisions in Yugoslavia and Croatia, and Slovakian and German divisions in Slovakia.
There is no time limit but it is preferable to finish the operation January 1942.
Red arrows: First Phase;
Green arrows: Second Phase;
Blue arrows: Third Phase.