Tiger I vs IS-2: How German “Defensive Blitzkrieg“ Defeated Russian Tanks At Targu Frumos?

Battle of Targu Frumos During April and May of 1944, the Soviet 2nd Tank Army tried to break through the German-Romanian lines on the river Pruth in order to gain access to Central Romania with its rich oil fields. The battle boomed at the beginning of May, when the Soviets were trying to brake through the front in the Targu-Frumos area in Romania and were confronted by the German “Grossdeutschland“ Division. Unlike so many battles in the East in 1944, the Germans were well-prepared to conduct a defense in depth at Targul Frumos and were able to coordinate the actions of dug-in defenders holding key terrain features with counterattacks by mobile forces to conduct what has since been called a “defensive Blitzkrieg.“ In three days of fighting, from 2-4 May 1944, German LVII Panzer Corps,in particular of the Grossdeutschland Division and 24th Panzer Division, defeated the Soviet force and destroyed over 350 Soviet tanks. Targul Frumos is notable for being th