At the end of the spring of 1944, relative calm reigned on the Soviet-German front. The Germans, having suffered major defeats during the winter-spring battles, strengthened their defenses, and the Red Army rested and gathered strength to deliver the next blow.
Looking at a map of the fighting of that time, you can see two vast protrusions of the front line. The first is on the territory of Ukraine, south of the Pripyat River. The second, far to the east, is in Belarus, with a border along the cities of Vitebsk, Orsha, Mogilev, Zhlobin. This protrusion was called the “Belarusian balcony,” and after a discussion that took place at the end of April 1944 at the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, it was decided to attack it with the full might of the Red Army troops. The operation to liberate Belarus received the code name “Bagration”.
The German command did not foresee such a turn. The area in Belarus was forested and swampy, with a large number of lakes and rivers and a rather poorly developed road network. The use of large tank and mechanized formations here, from the point of view of Hitler's generals, was difficult. Therefore, the Wehrmacht was preparing to repel the Soviet offensive on the territory of Ukraine, concentrating much more impressive forces there than in Belarus. Thus, the Northern Ukraine Army Group was subordinate to seven tank divisions and four battalions of Tiger tanks. And Army Group Center is subordinate to only one tank, two panzer-grenadier divisions and one Tiger battalion. In total, Ernst Busch, commander of the Central Army Group, had 1.2 million people, 900 tanks and self-propelled guns, 9,500 guns and mortars and 1,350 aircraft of the 6th Air Fleet.
The Germans created a fairly powerful and layered defense in Belarus. Since 1943, the construction of fortified positions was carried out, often based on natural obstacles: rivers, lakes, swamps, hills. Some cities at the most important communication hubs were declared fortresses. These included, in particular, Orsha, Vitebsk, Mogilev, etc. Defensive lines were equipped with bunkers, dugouts, and replaceable artillery and machine-gun positions.
According to the operational plan of the Soviet High Command, the troops of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts, as well as the 1st Baltic Front, were supposed to defeat enemy forces in Belarus. The total number of Soviet troops in the operation was approximately 2.4 million people, more than 5,000 tanks, and about 36,000 guns and mortars. Air support was provided by the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 16th Air Armies (more than 5,000 aircraft). Thus, the Red Army achieved significant, and in many aspects, overwhelming superiority over enemy troops.
In order to keep the preparations for the offensive secret, the command of the Red Army prepared and carried out a great deal of work to ensure the secrecy of the movement of forces and to mislead the enemy. The units moved to their original positions at night, observing radio silence. During daylight hours, the troops stopped, settling in the forests and carefully camouflaging themselves. At the same time, a false concentration of troops was carried out in the Chisinau direction, reconnaissance in force was carried out in the zones of responsibility of the fronts that did not take part in Operation Bagration, and entire trains with mock-ups of military equipment were transported from Belarus to the rear. In general, the events achieved their goal, although it was not possible to completely hide the preparations for the Red Army’s offensive. Thus, prisoners captured in the zone of operation of the 3rd Belorussian Front said that the command of the German troops noted the strengthening of the Soviet units and expected active actions from the Red Army. But the time the operation began, the number of Soviet troops and the exact direction of the attack remained unclear.
Before the start of the operation, the Belarusian partisans became more active, committing a large number of sabotages on the Nazis’ communications. Over 40,000 rails were blown up between July 20 and July 23 alone. In general, the actions of the partisans created a number of difficulties for the Germans, but still did not cause critical damage to the railway network, as even such an authority in reconnaissance and sabotage as I. G. Starinov directly stated.
Operation Bagration began on June 23, 1944 and was carried out in two stages. The first stage included the Vitebsk-Orsha, Mogilev, Bobruisk, Polotsk and Minsk operations.
The Vitebsk-Orsha operation was carried out by troops of the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian fronts. The 1st Baltic Front of Army General I. Bagramyan, with the forces of the 6th Guards and 43rd Armies, struck at the junction of Army Groups “North” and “Center” in the general direction of Beshenkovichi. The 4th Shock Army was supposed to attack Polotsk.
The 3rd Belorussian Front, Colonel General I. Chernyakhovsky, attacked Bogushevsk and Senno with the forces of the 39th and 5th armies, and on Borisov with units of the 11th Guards and 31st armies. To develop the operational success of the front, the horse-mechanized group of N. Oslikovsky (3rd Guards Mechanized and 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps) and the 5th Guards Tank Army of P. Rotmistrov were intended.
After artillery preparation, on June 23, the front troops went on the offensive. During the first day, the forces of the 1st Baltic Front managed to advance 16 kilometers into the depths of enemy defenses, with the exception of the Polotsk direction, where the 4th Shock Army met fierce resistance and did not have much success. The width of the breakthrough of Soviet troops in the direction of the main attack was about 50 kilometers.
The 3rd Belorussian Front achieved significant successes in the Bogushevsky direction, breaking through the German defense line more than 50 kilometers wide and capturing three serviceable bridges across the Luchesa River. For the Vitebsk group of Nazis there was a threat of the formation of a “cauldron”. The commander of the German troops requested permission to withdraw, but the Wehrmacht command considered Vitebsk a fortress, and the retreat was not allowed.
During June 24-26 Soviet troops surrounded enemy troops near Vitebsk and completely destroyed the German division that was covering the city. Four more divisions tried to break through to the west, but, with the exception of a small number of disorganized units, they failed to do so. On June 27, the surrounded Germans capitulated. About 10 thousand Nazi soldiers and officers were captured.
On June 27, Orsha was also liberated. The Red Army forces reached the Orsha-Minsk highway. On June 28, Lepel was released. In total, at the first stage, units of the two fronts advanced a distance of 80 to 150 km.
The Mogilev operation began on June 23. It was carried out by the 2nd Belorussian Front under Colonel General Zakharov. During the first two days, Soviet troops advanced approximately 30 kilometers. Then the Germans began to retreat to the western bank of the Dnieper. They were pursued by the 33rd and 50th armies. On June 27, Soviet forces crossed the Dnieper, and on June 28 they liberated Mogilev. The German 12th Infantry Division defending in the city was destroyed. A large number of prisoners and trophies were captured. German units retreated to Minsk under attacks from front-line attack aircraft. Soviet troops were moving towards the Berezina River.
The Bobruisk operation was carried out by troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, commanded by Army General K. Rokossovsky. According to the plan of the front commander, the blow was delivered in converging directions from Rogachev and Parichi general direction to Bobruisk with the aim of encircling and destroying the German group in this city. After the capture of Bobruisk, the development of an offensive against Pukhovichi and Slutsk was planned. The advancing troops were supported from the air by about 2,000 aircraft.
The offensive was carried out in a difficult forested and swampy area crossed by numerous rivers. The troops had to undergo training to learn how to walk on swamp shoes, overcome water obstacles using improvised means, and also build gatis. On June 24, after powerful artillery preparation, Soviet troops launched an attack and by mid-day they had broken through enemy defenses to a depth of 5-6 kilometers. The timely introduction of mechanized units into the battle made it possible to achieve a breakthrough depth of up to 20 km in some areas.
On June 27, the Bobruisk German group was completely surrounded. There were about 40 thousand enemy soldiers and officers in the ring. Leaving part of the forces to destroy the enemy, the front began to develop an offensive towards Osipovichi and Slutsk. The surrounded units attempted to break through to the north. A fierce battle took place near the village of Titovka, during which the Nazis, under the cover of artillery, regardless of losses, tried to break through the Soviet front. To contain the onslaught, it was decided to use bombers. More than 500 planes continuously bombed a concentration of German troops for an hour and a half. Abandoning their equipment, the Germans tried to break through to Bobruisk, but were unsuccessful. On June 28, the remnants of the German forces surrendered.
By this time it was clear that Army Group Center was on the verge of defeat. German troops suffered huge losses in killed and captured, and a large amount of equipment was destroyed and captured by Soviet forces. The depth of advance of the Soviet troops ranged from 80 to 150 kilometers. Conditions were created to encircle the main forces of Army Group Center. On June 28, Commander Ernst Busch was removed from his post and Field Marshal Walter Model took his place.
The troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front reached the Berezina River. In accordance with the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, they were ordered to cross the river and, bypassing the Nazi strongholds, develop a rapid offensive against the capital of the BSSR.
On June 29, the forward detachments of the Red Army captured bridgeheads on west bank The Berezina and in some areas went deeper into the enemy’s defenses by 5-10 kilometers. On June 30, the main forces of the front crossed the river. On the night of July 1, the 11th Guards Army from the south and southwest broke into the city of Borisov, liberating it by 15:00. On the same day Begoml and Pleschenitsy were liberated.
On July 2, Soviet troops cut off most of the enemy’s retreat routes for the Minsk enemy group. The cities of Vileika, Zhodino, Logoisk, Smolevichi, and Krasnoye were taken. Thus, the Germans found themselves cut off from all main communications.
On the night of July 3, 1944, the commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, General of the Army I. Chernyakhovsky, gave the order to the commander of the 5th Guards Tank Army P. Rotmistrov, in cooperation with the 31st Army and the 2nd Guards Tatsinsky Tank Corps, to attack Minsk from the northern and in a northwestern direction and by the end of the day on July 3rd to completely capture the city.
On July 3 at 9 a.m., Soviet troops broke into Minsk. The battles for the city were fought by the 71st and 36th Rifle Corps of the 31st Army, the 5th Guards Tank Army and tankmen of the Tatsin Guards Corps. From the southern and southeastern outskirts, the attack on the Belarusian capital was supported by units of the 1st Don Tank Corps of the 1st Belorussian Front. By 13:00 the city was liberated.
As mentioned above, Polotsk became a big obstacle for the Soviet troops. The Germans turned it into a powerful defense center and concentrated six infantry divisions near the city. The 1st Baltic Front, with the forces of the 6th Guards and 4th Shock Armies, along converging directions from the south and northeast, was supposed to encircle and destroy the German troops.
The Polotsk operation began on June 29. By the evening of July 1, Soviet units managed to cover the flanks of the German group and reach the outskirts of Polotsk. Fierce street fighting ensued and continued until July 4th. On this day the city was liberated. The forces of the left wing of the front, pursuing the retreating German units, marched another 110 kilometers to the west, reaching the border of Lithuania.
The first stage of Operation Bagration brought Army Group Center to the brink of disaster. The total advance of the Red Army in 12 days was 225-280 kilometers. A gap about 400 kilometers wide opened up in the German defense, which was already very difficult to fully cover. Nevertheless, the Germans tried to stabilize the situation by relying on individual counterattacks in key directions. At the same time, Model was building a new line of defense, including through units transferred from other sectors of the Soviet-German front. But even those 46 divisions that were sent to the “catastrophe zone” did not significantly affect the situation.
On July 5, the Vilnius operation of the 3rd Belorussian Front began. On July 7, units of the 5th Guards Tank Army and the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps were on the outskirts of the city and began to envelop it. On July 8, the Germans brought reinforcements to Vilnius. About 150 tanks and self-propelled guns were concentrated to break through the encirclement. A significant contribution to the failure of all these attempts was made by the aviation of the 1st Air Army, which actively bombed the main centers of German resistance. On July 13, Vilnius was taken and the surrounded group was destroyed.
The 2nd Belorussian Front developed an offensive towards Bialystok. The 3rd Army of General Gorbatov was transferred to the front as a reinforcement. During the five days of the offensive, Soviet troops, without experiencing strong resistance, advanced 150 kilometers, liberating the city of Novogrudok on July 8. Near Grodno, the Germans had already gathered their forces, the Red Army units had to repel a number of counterattacks, but on July 16, this Belarusian city was cleared of enemy troops. By July 27, the Red Army liberated Bialystok and reached the pre-war border of the USSR.
The 1st Belorussian Front was supposed to defeat the enemy near Brest and Lublin with blows bypassing the Brest fortified area and reach the Vistula River. On July 6, the Red Army took Kovel and broke through the German defensive line near Siedlce. Having traveled more than 70 kilometers by July 20, Soviet troops crossed the Western Bug and entered Poland. On July 25, a cauldron formed near Brest, but the Soviet soldiers failed to completely destroy the enemy: part of Hitler’s forces was able to break through. By the beginning of August, the Red Army captured Lublin and captured bridgeheads on the western bank of the Vistula.
Operation Bagration was a grandiose victory for the Soviet troops. Within two months of the offensive, Belarus, part of the Baltic states and Poland were liberated. During the operation, German troops lost about 400 thousand people killed, wounded and prisoners. 22 German generals were captured alive, and 10 more died. Army Group Center was defeated.
Contrary to the guesses and assumptions of the German High Command, the Russians struck their first blow on the Karelian Isthmus. Their next blow fell on Army Group Center. The first signs of the deployment of enemy forces in front of the army group front appeared in early June, but Supreme Command, firmly convinced that the Russians would deliver the decisive blow in the South, attached almost no importance to this. Therefore, very few forces were allocated to Army Group Center. Almost all tank formations were located on the southern sector of the front, which was considered the most threatened. At the front of Army Group Center, the divisions were not fully equipped and defended strips with an average width of 30 km each. In addition, they often occupied positions that were very unfavorable for defense, since Hitler forbade even a partial withdrawal of troops. He also imposed a ban on the use of “elastic defense,” thanks to which the Germans could withdraw their divisions from attack at the beginning of the Russian offensive and thereby reduce losses in people and territory.
Simultaneously with the sharp intensification of partisan activity, which disabled almost all rear communications of the army group, on June 21, troops of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts (they were joined by troops of the 1st Baltic Front on June 23) launched a general offensive in the directions to Bobruisk, Mogilev, Orsha and Vitebsk, that is, where strong defensive battles had been fought before. The offensive was preceded by extremely powerful artillery and air preparation. Large Russian tank formations stood ready to immediately move forward as soon as the infantry managed to break through the German defenses.
In the Bobruisk and Vitebsk directions, the Russians began to carry out a wide enveloping maneuver. They directed the remaining attacks against Orsha and Mogilev. Already in the first days of the fighting, the advancing Russian troops broke through the German defenses in the Bobruisk and Vitebsk directions, penetrated deeply into their positions and created a threat of encirclement not only to the key strong points, but also to all the forces of the army group located on the ledge of the front to the east railway Bobruisk - Vitebsk.
The main forces of the 9th Army were surrounded in the Bobruisk area; however, after heavy fighting that lasted several weeks, in early July, one German tank group, sent to liberate the encircled troops, succeeded in a short time break the encirclement ring that was slowly moving to the west, and remove from it about 20 thousand people who had lost everything heavy weapons and technology.
Large forces of the 3rd Tank Army, by order of the Headquarters, remained in Bobruisk, which they were supposed to defend as a “fortress.” When these troops were finally given permission to break through, their forces were no longer enough to break the encirclement. Almost the entire 53rd Corps, which included up to 4 divisions, was captured.
Between Bobruisk and Vitebsk, the 4th Army fought fierce battles defending Mogilev and Orsha. But she couldn’t hold them. With heavy losses, the army was thrown back to Borisov.
At this time, a new danger arose at the junction of Army Groups “Center” and “North”. The Russians managed to deeply penetrate the German defenses in the area south of Polotsk, resulting in a threat to the right wing of Army Group North.
Within a few days, the Russians, having created a huge superiority in manpower and equipment, defeated Army Group Center. The remnants of the army group barely managed to slow down the enemy's advance somewhat. Building on their success, the Russians soon approached the capital of Belarus, Minsk, the largest highway and railway junction in the area.
Hitler blamed the defeat of Army Group Center on its commander, Field Marshal Busch, and appointed Field Marshal Model in his place, who at the same time remained commander of Army Group Northern Ukraine. This situation gave Model the opportunity to draw forces from the admittedly very modest reserves of this army group.
Having encircled almost all the remnants of the 4th Army in the area east of Minsk and forced them to capitulate, the Russians captured Minsk on July 4. The command of Army Group Center in a written report indicated that on the 350-kilometer breakthrough front it was opposed by 126 rifle divisions, 17 motorized brigades, 6 cavalry divisions and 45 tank brigades of the enemy, while the army group to cover this gap had in its At its disposal were forces numbering about 8 divisions.
The defeat of Army Group Center
On July 9, the enemy approached Vilnius. After many days of resistance by German troops who fought bravely, the Russians took the city by storm. During the battles in the Vilnius area, Army Group North, whose right wing was increasingly stretched, and meanwhile the troops of the left wing of Army Group Center failed to connect with it, found itself in a very critical situation, especially aggravated after large forces The Russians went on the offensive from the Polotsk region in the direction of Daugavpils.
However, Hitler, based on political and military-economic considerations, decisively rejected the proposal to withdraw Army Group North to the Western Dvina - Riga line, which was energetically supported by Field Marshal Model and the implementation of which would give the command the only possibility release significant reserves to strengthen Army Group Center. The main motives that pushed Hitler to do this were probably the desire to influence Finland and the desire to continue the import of iron and nickel from Scandinavia. Within a few days there was a serious danger that Army Group North would be cut off from East Prussia and surrounded. Only the withdrawal of Army Group North to the East Prussian border could bring truly tangible relief to the entire front.
In mid-July, the enemy, who was now resisted by only a few tank divisions carrying out maneuverable defense, reached the Volkovysk, Grodno, Alytus, Ukmerge, Daugavpils line. Here the Russian offensive was temporarily stopped by reserves that arrived here. During the fighting, which lasted almost 4 weeks, the Russians captured such a huge territory, the area of which was approximately equal to the area of England. 38 German divisions were defeated. German Eastern Army, despite the stubborn resistance of her troops, suffered biggest defeat, the culprit of which was entirely Hitler, who remained deaf to every reasonable and appropriate proposal. The defeat of Army Group Center marked the end of organized German resistance in the East.
A unit of the 3rd Belorussian Front crosses the Luchesa River.
June 1944
This year marks 70 years since the Red Army carried out one of the largest strategic operations of the Great Patriotic War - Operation Bagration. During it, the Red Army not only liberated the people of Belarus from occupation, but also, having significantly undermined the enemy’s forces, brought closer the collapse of fascism - our Victory.
Unparalleled in spatial scope, the Belarusian offensive operation is rightfully considered biggest achievement Russian military art. As a result, the most powerful group of the Wehrmacht was defeated. This became possible thanks to the unparalleled courage, heroism of determination and self-sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers and partisans of Belarus, many of whom died a brave death on Belarusian soil in the name of Victory over the enemy.
Map of the Belarusian operation
After the offensive in the winter of 1943-1944. the front line formed a huge protrusion in Belarus with an area of about 250 thousand square meters. km, with its top facing east. It penetrated deeply into the location of Soviet troops and had important operational and strategic significance for both sides. The elimination of this protrusion and the liberation of Belarus opened the shortest route to Poland and Germany for the Red Army, threatening flank attacks by the enemy Army Groups “North” and “Northern Ukraine”.
In the central direction, the Soviet troops were opposed by Army Group Center (3rd Tank, 4th, 9th and 2nd Armies) under the command of Field Marshal E. Bush. It was supported by aviation from the 6th and partially from the 1st and 4th air fleets. In total, the enemy group included 63 divisions and 3 infantry brigades, which numbered 800 thousand people, 7.6 thousand guns and mortars, 900 tanks and assault guns and more than 1,300 combat aircraft. Army Group Center's reserve included 11 divisions, most of which were deployed to fight against the partisans.
During the summer-autumn campaign of 1944, the Supreme Command Headquarters planned to conduct strategic operation for the final liberation of Belarus, in which troops from 4 fronts were supposed to act in concert. Troops of the 1st Baltic (commanding army general), 3rd (commanding colonel general), 2nd (commander colonel general G.F. Zakharov) and 1st Belorussian fronts (commanding army general) were involved in the operation. , Long-Range Aviation, the Dnieper Military Flotilla, as well as a large number of formations and detachments of Belarusian partisans.
Commander of the 1st Baltic Front, Army General
THEIR. Bagramyan and Chief of Staff of the Front, Lieutenant General
V.V. Kurasov during the Belarusian operation
The fronts included 20 combined arms, 2 tank and 5 air armies. In total, the group consisted of 178 rifle divisions, 12 tank and mechanized corps and 21 brigades. Air support and air cover for front troops was provided by 5 air armies.
The plan of the operation included deep strikes on 4 fronts to break through enemy defenses in 6 directions, encircle and destroy enemy groups on the flanks of the Belarusian salient - in the areas of Vitebsk and Bobruisk, and then, attacking in converging directions towards Minsk, encircle and eliminate them east of the Belarusian capital the main forces of Army Group Center. In the future, increasing the impact force, reach the line Kaunas - Bialystok - Lublin.
When choosing the direction of the main attack, the idea of concentrating forces in the Minsk direction was clearly expressed. The simultaneous breakthrough of the front in 6 sectors led to the dissection of the enemy’s forces and made it difficult for him to use reserves when repelling the offensive of our troops.
To strengthen the group, the Headquarters in the spring and summer of 1944 replenished the fronts with four combined arms, two tank armies, four breakthrough artillery divisions, two anti-aircraft artillery divisions, and four engineer brigades. In the 1.5 months preceding the operation, the size of the group of Soviet troops in Belarus increased by more than 4 times in tanks, almost 2 times in artillery, and by two-thirds in aircraft.
The enemy, not expecting large-scale actions in this direction, hoped to repel a private offensive of Soviet troops with forces and means of Army Group Center, located in one echelon, mainly only in the tactical defense zone, which consisted of 2 defensive zones with a depth of 8 to 12 km . At the same time, using the terrain favorable for defense, he created a multi-line, deeply echeloned defense, consisting of several lines, total depth up to 250 km. Defense lines were built along the western banks of the rivers. The cities of Vitebsk, Orsha, Mogilev, Bobruisk, Borisov, Minsk were turned into powerful defense centers.
By the beginning of the operation, the advancing troops numbered 1.2 million people, 34 thousand guns and mortars, 4070 tanks and self-propelled artillery units, and about 5 thousand combat aircraft. Soviet troops outnumbered the enemy in manpower by 1.5 times, in guns and mortars by 4.4 times, in tanks and self-propelled artillery units by 4.5 times, and in aircraft by 3.6 times.
In none of the previous offensive operations did the Red Army have such a quantity of artillery, tanks and combat aircraft, and such superiority in forces, as in the Belarusian one.
The directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters defined the tasks for the fronts as follows:
Troops of the 1st Baltic Front break through the enemy’s defenses northwest of Vitebsk, capture the Beshenkovichi region, and part of the forces, in cooperation with the right-flank army of the 3rd Belorussian Front, encircle and destroy the enemy in the Vitebsk region. Subsequently, develop an offensive against Lepel;
The troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, in cooperation with the left wing of the 1st Baltic Front and the 2nd Belorussian Front, defeat the Vitebsk-Orsha enemy group and reach the Berezina. To accomplish this task, the front had to strike in two directions (with the forces of 2 armies in each): on Senno, and along the Minsk highway to Borisov, and with part of the forces - on Orsha. The main forces of the front must develop an offensive towards the Berezina River;
The troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front, in cooperation with the left wing of the 3rd and the right wing of the 1st Belorussian Front, defeat the Mogilev group, liberate Mogilev and reach the Berezina River;
Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front defeat the enemy group in Bobruisk. To this end, the front had to deliver two strikes: one from the Rogachev area in the direction of Bobruisk, Osipovichi, the second from the lower Berezina area to Starye Dorogi, Slutsk. At the same time, the troops of the right wing of the front were to assist the 2nd Belorussian Front in the defeat of the enemy’s Mogilev group;
The troops of the 3rd and 1st Belorussian Fronts, after the defeat of the enemy's flank groupings, were to develop an offensive in converging directions towards Minsk and, in cooperation with the 2nd Belorussian Front and partisans, encircle its main forces east of Minsk.
The partisans were also given the task of disorganizing the work of the enemy rear, disrupting the supply of reserves, capturing important lines, crossings and bridgeheads on rivers, and holding them until the approach of the advancing troops. The first rail demolition took place on the night of June 20.
Much attention was paid to concentrating aviation efforts on the direction of the main attacks of the fronts and maintaining air supremacy. Just on the eve of the offensive, aviation carried out 2,700 sorties and carried out powerful aviation training in areas where fronts were broken through.
The duration of artillery preparation was planned from 2 hours to 2 hours 20 minutes. Support for the attack was planned using the methods of a barrage of fire, sequential concentration of fire, as well as a combination of both methods. In the offensive zones of the 2 armies of the 1st Belorussian Front, operating in the direction of the main attack, support for the attack of infantry and tanks was carried out for the first time using the method of a double barrage.
At the headquarters of the 1st Belorussian Front. Chief of Staff Colonel General M.S. is on the phone. Malinin, far left - front commander, Army General K.K. Rokossovsky. Bobruisk region. Summer 1944
Coordination of the actions of the front troops was entrusted to representatives of the Headquarters - the Chief of the General Staff of the Marshal of the Soviet Union and the Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Marshal of the Soviet Union. For the same purpose, the head of the operational department of the General Staff, General, was sent to the 2nd Belorussian Front. The actions of the air armies were coordinated by Air Chief Marshal A.A. Novikov and Air Marshal F.Ya. Falaleev. Artillery Marshal N.D. arrived from Moscow to assist the artillery commanders and staffs. Yakovlev and Colonel General of Artillery M.N. Chistyakov.
To carry out the operation, 400 thousand tons of ammunition, about 300 thousand tons of fuel, and over 500 thousand tons of food and fodder were required, which were supplied in a timely manner.
According to the nature of the combat operations and the content of the tasks, Operation Bagration is divided into two stages: the first - from June 23 to July 4, 1944, during which 5 front-line operations were carried out: Vitebsk-Orsha, Mogilev, Bobruisk, Polotsk and Minsk, and the second - from July 5 to August 29, 1944, which included 5 more front-line operations: Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas, Bialystok and Lublin-Brest.
The 1st stage of Operation Bagration included a breakthrough of the enemy’s defenses to the entire tactical depth, expansion of the breakthrough towards the flanks and the defeat of the nearest operational reserves and the capture of a number of cities, incl. liberation of the capital of Belarus - Minsk; Stage 2 - developing success in depth, overcoming intermediate defensive lines, defeating the enemy's main operational reserves, capturing important positions and bridgeheads on the river. Vistula. Specific tasks for the fronts were determined at a depth of up to 160 km.
The offensive of the troops of the 1st Baltic, 3rd and 2nd Belorussian fronts began on June 23. A day later, troops of the 1st Belorussian Front joined the battle. The offensive was preceded by reconnaissance in force.
The actions of the troops during Operation Bagration, like in no other operation of the Soviet troops before, almost exactly corresponded to its plan and the tasks received. During 12 days of intense fighting in the first stage of the operation, the main forces of Army Group Center were defeated.
German captured soldiers of Army Group Center are escorted through Moscow.
July 17, 1944
The troops, having advanced 225-280 km at an average daily pace of 20-25 km, liberated most Belarus. In the areas of Vitebsk, Bobruisk and Minsk, a total of about 30 German divisions were surrounded and defeated. The enemy front in the central direction was crushed. The results achieved created the conditions for a subsequent offensive in the Siauliai, Vilnius, Grodno and Brest directions, as well as for the transition to active actions in other sectors of the Soviet-German front.
Fighter, liberate your Belarus. Poster by V. Koretsky. 1944
The goals set for the fronts were fully achieved. The headquarters used the success of the Belarusian operation in a timely manner for decisive actions in other directions of the Soviet-German front. On July 13, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front went on the offensive. The general offensive front expanded from the Baltic Sea to the Carpathians. On July 17-18, Soviet troops crossed State border Soviet Union with Poland. By August 29, they reached the line - Jelgava, Dobele, Augustow and the Narev and Vistula rivers.
Vistula River. Tank crossing. 1944
Further development of the offensive with an acute lack of ammunition and fatigue of the Soviet troops would not have been successful, and they, by order of Headquarters, went on the defensive.
2nd Belorussian Front: front commander army general
G.F. Zakharov, member of the Military Council, Lieutenant General N.E. Subbotin and Colonel General K.A. Vershinin discuss a plan for an air strike against the enemy. August 1944
As a result of the Belarusian operation, favorable conditions were created not only for launching new powerful attacks on enemy groups operating on the Soviet-German front in the Baltic states, East Prussia and Poland, in the Warsaw-Berlin direction, but also for the deployment of offensive operations by Anglo-American troops, landed in Normandy.
The Belarusian offensive operation of a group of fronts, which lasted 68 days, is one of the outstanding operations not only of the Great Patriotic War, but also of the entire Second World War. Her distinctive feature- huge spatial scope and impressive operational and strategic results.
Military Council of the 3rd Belorussian Front. From left to right: Chief of Staff of the Front, Colonel General A.P. Pokrovsky, member of the Front Military Council, Lieutenant General V.E. Makarov, commander of the front troops, Army General I.D. Chernyakhovsky. September 1944
The Red Army troops, having launched an offensive on June 23 on a front of 700 km, by the end of August advanced 550 - 600 km to the west, expanding the front of military operations to 1100 km. The vast territory of Belarus and a significant part of eastern Poland were cleared of German occupiers. Soviet troops reached the Vistula, the approaches to Warsaw and the border with East Prussia.
Battalion commander of the 297th Infantry Regiment of the 184th Division of the 5th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front, Captain G.N. Gubkin (right) with officers on reconnaissance. On August 17, 1944, his battalion was the first in the Red Army to break through to the border of East Prussia
During the operation, the largest German group suffered a crushing defeat. Of the 179 divisions and 5 brigades of the Wehrmacht then operating on the Soviet-German front, 17 divisions and 3 brigades were completely destroyed in Belarus, and 50 divisions lost more than 50% personnel, lost their combat capability. German troops lost about 500 thousand soldiers and officers.
Operation Bagration showed vivid examples high skill of Soviet commanders and military leaders. She made significant contributions to the development of strategy, operational art and tactics; enriched the art of war with the experience of encircling and destroying large enemy groups in a short time and in the most different conditions situation. The task of breaking through the enemy’s powerful defenses, as well as quickly developing success in operational depth through the skillful use of large tank formations and formations, was successfully solved.
In the struggle for the liberation of Belarus, Soviet soldiers showed massive heroism and high combat skill. 1,500 of its participants became Heroes of the Soviet Union, hundreds of thousands were awarded orders and medals of the USSR. Among the Heroes of the Soviet Union and those awarded were soldiers of all nationalities of the USSR.
Partisan formations played an extremely important role in the liberation of Belarus.
Parade of partisan brigades after liberation
capital of Belarus - Minsk
Solving problems in close cooperation with the Red Army troops, they destroyed over 15 thousand and captured more than 17 thousand enemy soldiers and officers. The Motherland highly appreciated the feat of the partisans and underground fighters. Many of them were awarded orders and medals, and 87 who distinguished themselves became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
But the victory came at a high price. At the same time, the high intensity of combat operations, the enemy's advance transition to defense, difficult conditions in the wooded and swampy terrain, and the need to overcome large water barriers and other natural obstacles led to large losses in people. During the offensive, the troops of the four fronts lost 765,815 people killed, wounded, missing and sick, which is almost 50% of their total strength at the beginning of the operation. And irretrievable losses amounted to 178,507 people. Our troops also suffered heavy losses in weapons.
The world community appreciated the events in the central sector of the Soviet-German front. Western political and military figures, diplomats and journalists noted their significant influence on the further course of World War II. “The speed of the advance of your armies is amazing,” wrote the President of the United States of America F. Roosevelt on July 21, 1944. I.V. Stalin. In a telegram to the head Soviet government on July 24, British Prime Minister William Churchill called the events in Belarus “victories of enormous importance.” One of the Turkish newspapers stated on July 9: “If the Russian advance develops at the same pace, Russian troops will enter Berlin faster than the Allied forces will complete operations in Normandy.”
Professor at the University of Edinburgh, a well-known English expert on military-strategic problems, J. Erickson, in his book “The Road to Berlin,” emphasized: “The defeat of Army Group Center by Soviet troops was their greatest success, achieved... as a result of one operation. For the German army... it was a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, greater than Stalingrad.”
Operation Bagration was the first major offensive operation of the Red Army, carried out during the period when the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain began military operations in Western Europe. However, 70% of the Wehrmacht's ground forces continued to fight on the Soviet-German front. The disaster in Belarus forced the German command to transfer large strategic reserves here from the west, which, of course, created favorable conditions for the offensive actions of the Allies after the landing of their troops in Normandy and the waging of the coalition war in Europe.
Successful offensive of the 1st Baltic, 3rd, 2nd and 1st Belorussian fronts on westward in the summer of 1944, it radically changed the situation on the entire Soviet-German front and led to a sharp weakening of the Wehrmacht's combat potential. Having eliminated the Belarusian salient, they eliminated the threat of flank attacks from the north for the armies of the 1st Ukrainian Front, which were conducting an offensive in the Lvov and Rava-Russian directions. The capture and retention of bridgeheads on the Vistula by Soviet troops in the Pulawy and Magnuszew areas opened up prospects for new operations to defeat the enemy with the goal of completely liberating Poland and attacking the German capital.
Memorial complex "Mound of Glory".
Sculptors A. Bembel and A. Artimovich, architects O. Stakhovich and L. Mickiewicz, engineer B. Laptsevich. The total height of the memorial is 70.6 m. The earthen hill, 35 m high, is crowned with a sculptural composition of four bayonets, lined with titanium, each 35.6 m high. The bayonets symbolize the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Belarusian and 1st Baltic fronts that liberated Belarus. Their base is surrounded by a ring with bas-relief images of Soviet soldiers and partisans. On inside ring, made using the mosaic technique, has the text: “Glory to the Soviet Army, the Liberator Army!”
Sergey Lipatov,
Researcher at the Scientific Research Institute
institute military history Military Academy
General Staff of the Armed Forces
Russian Federation
.
In 1944, the Red Army was able to liberate Belarus. Actions Soviet armies The liberation of Belarus went down in history as “Operation Bagration”. The Soviet command began developing an operation plan in the spring of 1944. It was supposed to break through the German defenses on 6 sectors of the front, encircle and destroy the Vitebsk, Bobruisk group of troops and successively defeat the Orsha and Mogilev group of Germans.
The second stage of “Operation Bagration” involved a strike by three Belarusian fronts in one direction towards Minsk, followed by the encirclement and destruction of enemy troops. The third stage of hostilities involved expanding the offensive front, complete liberation Belarus and the exit of Soviet troops to the western, pre-war border of the USSR.
On June 23, 1944, the line of the Belarusian front ran: east of Polotsk - Vitebsk - east of Orsha, Mogilev and Bobruisk, along Pripyat. Troops of the 1st Baltic, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian fronts were stationed in this area. The number of Soviet troops reached 1.4 million people, who had at their disposal 31 thousand guns, 5.2 thousand tanks, and more than 5 thousand aircraft. The general coordination of the actions of Soviet troops in this sector was carried out by and.
In Belarus, Soviet troops were opposed by a powerful German group under the command of Field Marshal Bush (from July 28 Model). The number of troops under Bush's leadership was 1.2 million people, which had at its disposal 9.5 thousand guns, 900 tanks, 1.4 thousand aircraft.
On June 23, troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front launched an offensive south of the city of Vitebsk. At the same time, north of Vitebsk, swipe struck by the 43rd Army of the 1st Baltic Front. Moving towards each other, the Red Army soldiers surrounded 5 German motorized divisions and destroyed them by the 27th. Developing the offensive, the city of Lepel was liberated on June 28. Meanwhile, the fighters of the 3rd Belorussian Front made a decisive push forward, and by July 1 liberated Borisov. As a result of fierce bloody battles, units of the Second Belorussian Front broke through the enemy’s defenses in a wide area. On June 28, Mogilev was liberated. Then the fighters of the second Belorussian Front moved towards Minsk. The troops of the First Belorussian Front with their pressure forced units of the 9th German Army to retreat. By June 29, the Germans were surrounded in the Bobruisk area, where fighters of the 1st Belarusian Front destroyed 6 enemy divisions.
As a result of the offensive and subsequent pursuit of the enemy, a large German group of up to 100 thousand people was surrounded on parallel directions, east of Minsk. On July 3, Soviet troops liberated Minsk from the Germans. A large surrounded German group was destroyed on July 11. The battles went down in the history of the Second World War as the “Minsk Cauldron”.
During the 12 days of the offensive in Belarus, the Red Army soldiers advanced 280 kilometers to the west and liberated most of the country, including Minsk. Since July 5, Soviet troops, closely coordinating their actions, carried out a number of successful operations: Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas, Bialystok, Lublin-Brest. During these hostilities, serious damage was inflicted on the German Army Group Center. By the end of the summer of 1944, the territory of Belarus was cleared of German troops. Soviet troops also partially liberated the lands of Lithuania and Latvia. At the end of the summer, Red Army soldiers entered Poland and managed to approach the borders of East Prussia.
The fighting in Karelia was still ongoing when a plan codenamed “Bagration” was put into action in the central sector of the front.
The 1st Baltic, 3rd, 2nd and 1st Belorussian Fronts, the Dnieper Flotilla, long-range aviation and large forces of Belarusian partisans were involved in the offensive in Belarus.
Soviet troops launched attacks simultaneously in the Vitebsk, Orsha, Mogilev and Bobruisk directions.
The idea of the operation was to first defeat the flank groupings of Army Group Center in the areas of Vitebsk and Bobruisk, and then, developing an offensive in converging directions towards Minsk, encircle and destroy the main forces of Army Group Center.
The solution to this problem was to provide the Soviet troops with further development advance to the borders of East Prussia and the Narev and Vistula rivers.
In accordance with the plan of the operation, the 1st Baltic Front delivered the main attack on Beshenkovichi, Lepel and subsequently on Daugavpils and Kaunas; 3rd Belorussian Front - to Borisov, Minsk and subsequently to Grodno; 2nd Belorussian Front - Mogilev, Minsk; 1st Belorussian Front - to Bobruisk, Baranovichi and part of the forces to Minsk. On June 23-24, Soviet troops went on the offensive.
On the very first day, the enemy’s defenses were broken through in a number of directions. The troops of the 1st Baltic Front under the command of Army General I. Kh. Bagramyan, in cooperation with the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, commanded by Colonel General I. D. Chernyakhovsky, launched attacks around Vitebsk from the north-west and south-east.
On June 26, Soviet troops liberated Vitebsk, and the next day completed the defeat of five encircled enemy divisions.
At the same time, the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front went on the offensive along the Minsk Highway and liberated Orsha on June 27.
In these battles, Guard Private Yuri Smirnov performed a heroic feat. Being seriously wounded, he was captured by the Nazis. They subjected Smirnov to brutal torture, trying to force him to provide information about the Red Army.
But the Komsomol fighter did not say a word. Soviet soldiers who captured the enemy line of defense found Smirnov’s corpse crucified on the wall of the dugout. Nails were driven into the soldier's forehead, arms and legs. For his steadfastness and courage, Yu. Smirnov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The offensive of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the command of Colonel General G.F. Zakharov also developed successfully. On June 27, front troops reached the Dnieper, crossed it north and south of Mogilev, broke through enemy defenses on the western bank of the river, and captured Mogilev on June 28.
Great successes were also achieved by the troops of the right wing of the 1st Belorussian Front under the command of Army General K.K. Rokossovsky, who went on the offensive on June 24.
They attacked Bobruisk, in short term broke through the enemy's defenses and surrounded five German divisions in the Bobruisk area. On June 29, the surrounded group was destroyed. Army Group Center faced disaster.
In an effort to somehow rectify the situation, the new commander of the group, Field Marshal General V. Model, who replaced Field Marshal General E. Bush in this post on June 28, tried to organize defense along the Berezina with the help of forces taken from the army groups “Northern Ukraine” and “North” "
But it was already too late. The troops of all three Belarusian fronts, rapidly advancing, thwarted the enemy's plan.
More than 100 thousand enemy soldiers and officers found themselves in the “cauldron” that formed east of Minsk.
In the battle for Borisov, the tank crew consisting of communist lieutenant P.N. Rak and Komsomol guard sergeants A.A. Petryaev and A.I. Danilov immortalized themselves. Having burst into the city across the bridge over the Berezina, which was immediately blown up by the enemy, soviet tank He fought alone on the city streets for 16 hours.
All three heroes died, causing significant damage to the enemy. They defeated the fascist commandant's office, the headquarters of one of the German units.
On July 3, the residents of Minsk enthusiastically greeted the Red Army units and partisan formations that took part in the liberation of the capital of Belarus.
Without stopping the offensive, Soviet troops began to destroy the encircled enemy formations. On July 11 it was all over. On July 17, about 60 thousand people marched through the streets of Moscow under escort. German soldiers, officers and generals captured in Belarus.
Only as prisoners were the fascist conquerors able to see the Soviet capital.
The Soviet offensive continued on a broad front until the end of August.
On July 13, the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front liberated Nazi invaders the capital of Soviet Lithuania, Vilnius. The 1st Baltic Front, developing an offensive to the north-west, entered Latvia and at the end of July captured the city of Jelgava - an important communications hub connecting the Baltic states with East Prussia. Mobile units of the front broke out onto the coast of the Gulf of Riga in the Tukuma region.
Land connections between the German Army Group North and Army Group Center and East Prussia were severed.
True, later the Nazis managed to push Soviet troops away from the Gulf coast and temporarily create a land corridor. However, the position of Army Group North, deeply engulfed by the troops of the three Baltic fronts, remained extremely difficult.
The troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, having liberated Vilnius, reached the Neman on a broad front, crossed it and continued the offensive to the borders of East Prussia.
In the battles for the bridgehead on the Neman, the French aviation regiment “Normandie” fought together with Soviet pilots, which was given the honorary name “Neman” for these battles. Two French pilots - Marcel Albert and Rolland de La Poype - were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The armies of the 2nd Belorussian Front, developing the offensive, pushed back enemy troops beyond the Narew and by the end of August reached the closest approaches to East Prussia from the southeast.
The offensive of the left wing of the 1st Belorussian Front developed especially successfully, its actions proceeded in close contact with the neighboring 1st Ukrainian Front, which began to advance in the direction of Rava-Russkaya on July 13.
Continuing the offensive, the troops of the left wing of the front reached the Vistula and captured bridgeheads on its western bank in the area of Magnushev, Dęblin and Pulawy.
Together with Soviet soldiers, soldiers of the 1st Polish Army, formed in the USSR, under the command of Lieutenant General Z. Berling, bravely fought for the liberation of Poland. Polish partisans actively helped the Red Army.
The population greeted the liberators with joy, paying tribute of gratitude and respect to the selfless courage of the Soviet soldiers.
At the end of July, fighting broke out on the approaches to the outskirts of Warsaw - Prague, which ended with the expulsion of the Nazis from it in mid-September.
The Belarusian operation, carried out by forces of four fronts, was one of the largest operations of the Great Patriotic War.
The fascist Army Group Center suffered a complete disaster.
Soviet troops liberated all of Belarus, most of Lithuania, part of Latvia and Polish lands east of the Vistula and Narev.
The Red Army stood on the threshold of East Prussia.
The enemy's strategic front in the central direction was crushed to a depth of 600 km in an extremely short time.
As a result of the crushing defeat of Army Group Center and the liquidation of the Belarusian salient, favorable conditions were created for the liberation of Western Ukraine, the Baltic states and a successful offensive in the countries of South-Eastern Europe.
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