A European river in southwestern Russia; flows into the Sea of Azov; Also called: Don River.
River in the Russian Federation, rising to the S of Moscow and entering the northeast extremity of the Sea of Azov; length 1,900 km/1,180 mi. In its lower reaches the Don is 1.5 km/1 mi wide, and for about four months of the year it is closed by ice. Its upper course is linked with the river Volga by a canal.
During World War II, Soviet forces gained valuable bridgeheads on the river from which they were able to mount a counteroffensive to the German invasion, swinging south to cut off the German 6th Army at Stalingrad Nov 1942. The expansion of this Soviet front forced those German units capable of escaping to cross the river and reorganize well to the west. + prikaži više