Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: Mai i te timatanga o Mei ki te Hurae 1942, i mahi poto a Vatutin hei kaiawhina mo te Tumuaki o te Kaimahi Matua o te Ope Taua Whero tae noa ki te Tiamana Army Group South i timata i tana whakaeke rautaki nui, "Operation Blau". I te tīmatanga, i arotahi te whakaeke Tiamana ki Voronezh. I hiahia rātau ki te pakaru i te rārangi mua o te Soviet i te
Ko te Pakanga o Voronezh ka whakaeke i te Soviet Southern Front me te Southwestern Front mai i muri. I te 1 o Hōngongoi 1942, i tukuna e Stalin a Vatutin hei māngai o Stavka kaha katoa, ki te Bryansk Front, i roto i etahi ra ka whakaingoatia hei Voronezh Front ka tukuna ki raro i te whakahau a Vatutin.