75 years ago, on July 3, 1944, during Operation Bagration, the Red Army liberated Minsk from the Nazis. The Belarusian operation (the so-called "Fifth Stalinist blow") began on June 23 and lasted until August 29, 1944. Soviet troops inflicted a heavy defeat on the German Army Group Center, liberated Belarus, Lithuania and a significant part of Poland.
The situation in Belarus on the eve of the operation
The main goal of the offensive of the Red Army in the western strategic direction was the liberation of Belarus from the German occupation. For three years the population of the Byelorussian SSR was under the yoke of Hitler's "new order". The Germans plundered material and cultural values, plundered the people and the republic. Any resistance was crushed by the most brutal terror. White Russia suffered colossal losses from the enemy occupation: in concentration camps, prisons, during punitive expeditions and in other ways, the Nazis killed 1.4 million people in the republic. These are only civilians, including women, old people and children. Also on the territory of the BSSR, the enemy killed more than 800 thousand Soviet prisoners of war. The Nazis drove into slavery in Germany about 380 thousand people, mostly young people.
In an effort to paralyze the will of the Soviet people to resist, German punishers completely destroyed entire settlements, villages and villages, institutes and schools, hospitals, museums, etc. In total, during the occupation, the enemy destroyed and burned 209 cities and urban-type settlements in the BSSR. Minsk, Gomel, Vitebsk, Polotsk, Orsha, Borisov, Slutsk and other cities were severely destroyed, 9,200 villages and villages were destroyed. The invaders looted and destroyed in Belarus more than 10 thousand industrial enterprises, over 10 thousand collective and state farms, more than 1,100 medical institutions, more than 1,000 schools, higher educational institutions, theaters, museums, etc. Direct material damage suffered by the Belarusian Republic, amounted to 35 of its annual pre-war budgets!
However, the western part of the Russian people, the Belarusians, did not submit to the invaders. A large-scale partisan movement unfolded in Belarus. The Communists, with support from central Russia, were able to create an extensive underground network. Behind enemy lines, the Komsomol youth underground was active. Only the party and Komsomol underground united 95 thousand people. Non-party patriots rallied around them. Throughout the entire period of the occupation, the Communist Party of the BSSR and its Central Committee organized over 1,100 partisan detachments. Most of them were part of the brigades (about 200). The partisan forces numbered over 370 thousand fighters. And their reserve totaled about 400 thousand people. About 70 thousand more people were active in underground organizations and groups.
Partisans and underground fighters inflicted great damage on the enemy. They conducted reconnaissance, organized sabotage and sabotage at enterprises and communications. They interfered with the stealing of young men and women into slavery, and disrupted the supply of agricultural products to Germany. The partisans attacked enemy garrisons, individual units, echelons, destroyed communication lines, bridges, communications, and destroyed traitors. As a result, the partisan activities reached enormous proportions, the partisans controlled up to 60% of the territory of the republic. The partisans disabled up to 500 thousand occupiers and their accomplices, destroyed a large number of equipment and weapons.
Thus, the partisan movement in the BSSR acquired strategic importance and became a serious factor in the overall victory of the Soviet people. The German command had to divert significant forces to protect important points, facilities and communications, to fight the Soviet partisans. Large-scale operations were organized to destroy the partisans, but the Nazis failed to defeat the Belarusian resistance. Relying on knowledge of the terrain, the support of the population and large tracts of wooded and swampy terrain, the partisans successfully resisted a strong enemy.
Before the start of the Byelorussian operation and during it, the partisans inflicted powerful blows on the enemy, carried out massive destruction of communications, paralyzing traffic on the railways that led to the front for three days. Then the partisans provided active assistance to the advancing forces of the Red Army.
The strategic importance of White Russia. German forces
The Hitlerite command did not expect the main blow of the Red Army in the central direction. At this time, stubborn battles continued on the southern and northern flanks of the Soviet-German front. At the same time, Berlin attached great importance to keeping Belarus in their hands. She covered the East Prussian and Warsaw directions, most important for the outcome of the war. Also, the retention of this territory ensured strategic interaction between Army Groups "North", "Center" and "Northern Ukraine". Also, the Belarusian ledge made it possible to use communications going through the Belarusian territory to Poland and further to Germany.
Belarus was defended by Army Group Center (3rd Panzer, 4th, 9th and 2nd Field Armies) under the command of Field Marshal Bush. Also, units of the 16th Army from Army Group “North” and units of the 4th Panzer Army from Army Group “Northern Ukraine” adjoined the Belorussian salient on the northern flank. There were 63 divisions and 3 brigades here. German troops numbered 1.2 million people, 9500 guns and mortars, 900 tanks and self-propelled guns, 1350 aircraft. The German defense along the line Vitebsk - Orsha - Mogilev - Bobruisk was well prepared and organized. The German defense was skillfully linked to the natural conditions of the area - forests, rivers, lakes and swamps. Large cities were turned into "fortresses". The strongest groupings of German troops were located on the flanks, in the regions of Vitebsk and Bobruisk.
The German High Command believed that the summer would be calm for Army Group Center. It was believed that all possible preparations of the enemy in this direction were associated with the desire of the Russians to distract the Germans from the area between the Carpathians and Kovel. Aviation and radio intelligence did not detect the enemy's preparations for a major offensive. Hitler believed that the Russians were still attacking in the Ukraine, from the area south of Kovel, in order to cut off Army Groups Center and North from the troops in the south. Therefore, Army Group Northern Ukraine had a significant number of mobile units to fend off a possible strike. And Army Group Center had only three armored divisions and had no strong reserves. The command of Army Group Center proposed in April 1944 to withdraw the troops from the Byelorussian salient, to level the front, having entrenched itself behind the Berezina. However, the high command ordered to keep the former positions.
Operation Bagration
The Soviet Headquarters planned to liberate Belarus, part of the Baltic States and the western part of Ukraine, create conditions for the liberation of Poland and reach the borders of East Prussia, which would allow the start of hostilities on German territory. By the time the Belorussian operation began, the Red Army, having advanced far on the flanks of the Soviet-German front, covered the Belorussian ledge in a huge arc about 1000 km long - from Polotsk to Kovel.
The plan of the Soviet command envisaged the delivery of powerful converging flank strikes - from the north from Vitebsk through Borisov to Minsk, and in the south - in the Bobruisk direction. This should have led to the destruction of the main enemy forces east of Minsk. The transition to the offensive was envisaged simultaneously in several directions - Lepel, Vitebsk, Bogushev, Orsha, Mogilev, Svisloch and Bobruisk. In order to crush the enemy's defenses with powerful and unexpected blows, encircle and eliminate the German troops in the areas of Vitebsk and Bobruisk, and then develop an offensive in depth, encircling and destroying the forces of the 4th German army in the Minsk region.
The strategic operation was entrusted to the troops of 4 fronts: the 1st Baltic Front under the command of I. Kh. Bagramyan, the 3rd Belorussian Front under the command of I. D. 1st Belorussian Front K. K. Rokossovsky. The coordination of the actions of the fronts was carried out by representatives of the Headquarters, Marshals G. K. Zhukov and A. M. Vasilevsky. Before the start of the operation, the fronts were reinforced, especially the 3rd and 1st Belorussian Fronts, which delivered the main blows on the flanks. Chernyakhovsky was transferred to the 11th Guards Army, a tank, mechanized and cavalry corps. Also, behind the troops of the 3rd BF, the 5th Guards Tank Army, which was in the reserve of the Headquarters, was concentrated. Rokossovsky was transferred to the 8th Guards, 28th and 2nd Tank Army, 2 tank, mechanized and 2 cavalry corps. As part of the 1st BF, the newly created 1st Polish Army was to operate. Also, the 2nd Guards and 51st armies were transferred from the Crimea to the headquarters reserve to the operation area. 11 air corps and 5 divisions (about 3 thousand aircraft) were additionally transferred to the air armies.
Only four Soviet fronts numbered over 1.4 million people, 31 thousand guns and mortars, 5200 tanks and self-propelled guns, about 5 thousand aircraft. In the course of the operation, these forces increased even more. The Soviet troops had a significant superiority in forces, especially in tanks, artillery and aviation. At the same time, the Red Army was able to keep secret the grandiose operation, all the movements and concentration of troops, the supply of supplies.
The main milestones of the battle for Belarus
The operation began on June 23, 1944. On this day, the troops of the 1st PF, 3rd and 2nd BFs went on the offensive, the next day - the 1st BF. The breakthrough of the enemy's defenses was ensured by the concentration of superior forces of artillery, tanks and aviation (including long-range aviation). On the very first day of the operation, the troops of the 6th Guards and 43rd Armies of Generals Chistyakov and Beloborodov of the 1st PF broke through the Nazi defenses south-west of Gorodok, at the junction of the 16th Army of Army Group "North" and the 3rd Tank Army of Army Group "Centre". Also, the German defense was pierced by units of the 39th and 5th armies of Generals Lyudnikov and Krylov of the 3rd BF, which were advancing from the Liozno area. The 11th Guards and 31st armies, which met powerful enemy resistance in the Orsha direction, could not break through the German defenses.
On June 24, troops of the 6th Guards and 43rd armies, breaking the resistance of the Nazis, reached the Western Dvina and immediately forced it, taking bridgeheads on the southern coast. Troops of the 39th Army cut off the Germans' escape routes from Vitebsk in the southwest. The troops of the 5th Army were advancing on Bogushevsk. In the zone of the 5th armies, the mechanized cavalry group of General Oslikovsky (the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps and the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps) was introduced into the breakthrough. In the Orsha direction, the Germans still held on tightly. However, the right wing of the 11th Guards Army, using the success of the 5th Army, advanced northwest of Orsha. At the suggestion of Vasilevsky, the 5th Guards Tank Army was transferred from the headquarters reserve to the 3rd BF.
By the evening of June 24, the command of Army Group Center realized the scale of the Russian offensive and the threat to German troops in the Minsk direction. The withdrawal of troops from the Vitebsk region began, but it was already too late. On June 25, the troops of the 43rd and 39th Soviet armies blocked the enemy's Vitebsk grouping (5 divisions). Vitebsk was cleared of the Nazis. Attempts by German troops to break out of the "cauldron" were repelled, and the group was soon destroyed by Lyudnikov's army. Front-line aviation was actively used in the destruction of the encircled enemy.
On June 27, 1944, Soviet troops liberated Orsha. On June 27-28, the troops of the 1st PF and 3rd BF developed an offensive. The mechanized cavalry group advanced on Lepel, the 5th Guards Tank Army of Marshal Rotmistrov advanced on Borisov. The troops of the 1st PF liberated Lepel, part of the forces attacked the west, part of the forces on Polotsk. Mobile formations of the 3rd BF of the front reached the Berezina and captured the crossings. The Soviet command tried to quickly force the Berezina with the main forces in order to prevent the enemy from gaining a foothold on this important line.
The offensive developed in other directions as well. The troops of the 2nd BF on June 23 broke through the enemy's defenses in the Mogilev direction and three days later the forward formations crossed the Dnieper. On June 28, troops of the 49th and 50th armies of Grishin and Boldin liberated Mogilev.
On June 24, the 1st BF went on the offensive. On the right wing of the front, two shock groups were created: the 3rd and 48th armies of Generals Gorbatov and Romanenko, the 9th Panzer Corps of Bakharov, attacked from the Rogachev and Zhlobin area; from the area south of Parichi - the 65th and 28th armies of Generals Batov and Luchinsky, the mechanized cavalry group of Pliev (4th Guards Cavalry and 1st Mechanized Corps), Panov's 1st Guards Tank Corps. The northern strike group in the first two days did not achieve serious success, meeting a strong enemy defense. Only by shifting efforts to the north, the enemy's defenses were hacked and Bakharov's tanks rushed to Bobruisk. The Germans began to withdraw their troops back, but it was too late. On June 26, Soviet tankmen captured the only bridge near Bobruisk.
The troops of the 65th and 28th armies advancing to the south immediately broke through the German defenses. The 1st Guards Tank Corps was introduced into the gap, which immediately began to smash the enemy rear and deepen the breakthrough. On the second day, Rokossovsky introduced Pliev at the junction of the 65th and 28th armies, which launched an offensive to the northwest. The offensive of the northern and southern strike groups of the 1st BF was supported by aviation, which struck at resistance junctions, highways and railways. The German command, convinced of the collapse of the defense and seeing the threat of the encirclement of the Bobruisk group, decided to withdraw the troops, but it was too late. June 27, 40 thous. the enemy's Bobruisk grouping was surrounded. In the city itself and to the south-east, two "cauldrons" were formed. The Germans tried to break through to the northwest, to join the units of the 4th Army, but without success. Aviation played an important role in the destruction of the encircled German troops. Thus, the commander of the 16th Air Army Rudenko took 400 bombers into the air under the cover of 126 fighters. As a result, the Bobruisk "boiler" was eliminated.
Thus, during the 6-day offensive of the four fronts, the German defenses on the Byelorussian salient were hacked. Key "fortresses" of the enemy in Vitebsk and Bobruisk were captured. The Red Army was rapidly rushing forward, creating a threat to encircle the entire Belarusian group of the Wehrmacht. In this critical situation, the German command made major mistakes: instead of quickly withdrawing troops to the rear lines and creating strong flank groups for counterattacks, the Nazis got involved in frontal battles east and north-east of Minsk. This facilitated the further offensive of the Soviet fronts. The troops of the 1st PF received the task of advancing on Polotsk and Glubokoe, the 3rd, 2nd and 1st BFs - to liberate Minsk and encircle the forces of the 4th German army. It also envisaged strikes on Slutsk, Baranovichi, Pinsk and other directions.
Liberation of Minsk
The offensive continued without a pause. On July 4, 1944, the troops of the 4th shock and 6th guards armies liberated Polotsk. In the Polotsk area, 6 German divisions were defeated. Our troops liberated the northern part of Belarus. Baghramyan's troops advanced 180 km, defeating the 3rd tank and 16th enemy armies. The Red Army reached the borders of Latvia and Lithuania. 1st PF cut off Army Group North from Army Group Center. Now Army Group "North" could not help the Belarusian group of the Wehrmacht.
3rd BF did not allow the enemy to stay at the turn of the river. Berezina. Soviet troops successfully crossed this important line and captured vast bridgeheads. The retreat of the German troops was becoming more and more disorganized, the roads were clogged, and panic began. Soviet aviation constantly struck, exacerbating the situation. Tanks smashed the lagging behind, intercepting the escape routes. The situation in the summer of 1941 was repeated, only now everything was the other way around, the retreating Germans were crushed by the Russians. The retreating columns were attacked by partisans, they also destroyed bridges and roads. KMG rapidly developed an offensive against Vileyki and Molodechno. On July 2, the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps liberated Vileika on the move and started a battle for Krasnoe, the next day for Molodechno. Soviet troops intercepted the Minsk-Vilnius railway.
In the center and on the left flank of the 3rd BF, our troops also crossed the Berezina and began to attack Minsk. Borisov was released on July 1. At dawn on July 3, Burdeyny's 2nd Guards Tank Corps burst into Minsk from the east. Soon the riflemen of Glagolev's 31st army joined the tankers. Units of the 5th Guards Tank Army fought north of the city, and then intercepted the highway that led from Minsk to the northwest. On the right flank of the 1st BF, the 1st Guards Tank Corps defeated enemy troops in the Pukhovichi area and entered Minsk from the south on the afternoon of July 3. A little later, units of Gorbatov's 3rd army came here. The battle for the city continued until the evening of July 3. The capital of the BSSR was liberated from the Nazi invaders.
As a result of the rapid rush of Soviet troops east of Minsk, the main forces of the 4th German army and the remnants of the 9th army were surrounded. The "boiler" turned out to be 100 thousand. grouping. The Germans tried to break out of the encirclement, but to no avail. On July 8, the main forces of the encircled German group were defeated, on July 9 - 11, the destruction of its remnants was completed. During the liquidation of the Minsk "cauldron" 57 thousand Germans were taken prisoner, among the prisoners were 3 corps commanders and 9 division commanders. Thus, the Red Army defeated the main forces of Army Group Center. A gap of 400 kilometers was formed in the center of the front.
To the west
Soviet troops continued their offensive to the west. The headquarters reinforced the 1st PF, the 5th Guards Tank Army and the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps were transferred from the 3rd BF to it. The 2nd Guards and 51st armies were transferred from the Stavka reserve to the front. On July 27, the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps of Obukhov and the 51st Army of Kreizer stormed Shauliai. On the same day, the 4th Shock Army of the 2nd Baltic Front liberated Daugavpils. Then the 1st PF launched an offensive in the Riga direction. On July 28, Soviet tankmen broke into Jelgava. The assault continued until early August. On July 30, the advance units of the mechanized corps captured Tukums on the move. Our troops reached the shores of the Gulf of Riga, cutting off the land communications linking Army Group North with Germany.
True, the Germans soon organized a strong counteroffensive with the aim of unblocking their group in the Baltic states. Counterstrikes were delivered by the 3rd Panzer Army from the west and the troops of the 16th Army from the Riga area. The German command on August 16 dealt a powerful blow to Siauliai and Jelgava. The Germans were able to free the highway from Tukums to Riga. This was our first and only failure during the battles in the Baltics. But in general, by the end of August, the German attacks were repelled.
On July 13, the troops of the 3rd BF liberated Vilnius, the capital of the Lithuanian SSR. Then the Soviet troops began to cross the Neman. The German command, seeking to hold the last major water line on the way to East Prussia, transferred troops here from other sectors of the front. Kaunas was liberated on August 1. The troops of the 2nd BF liberated Novogrudok, Volkovysk and Bialystok, reached the approaches to East Prussia. The 1st BF liberated Pinsk on July 14 and attacked Kobrin.
On July 18, 1944, the troops of the 1st BF began to carry out the Lublin-Brest operation. Our troops broke through the German defenses west of Kovel, crossed the Southern Bug and entered the eastern part of Poland. On July 23, Bogdanov's 2nd Tank Army liberated Lublin, on July 24, Soviet tankmen reached the Vistula in the Demblin area. After that, the tank army began to advance along the Vistula to Prague - the eastern part of Warsaw. On July 28, the right wing of the front liberated Brest, blockaded and destroyed the enemy in the area. The units of the 8th Guards and 69th armies advancing behind the 2nd Tank Army reached the Vistula, seized bridgeheads on the western bank in the Magnushev and Pulawy areas. The battles for the bridgeheads took on an extremely stubborn character and continued throughout August.
Meanwhile, the troops of the 3rd Baltic Front joined the offensive, which were fighting in Estonia and Latvia. On August 25, our troops liberated Tartu. The Leningrad Front liberated Narva on July 26. The 1st Ukrainian Front launched its offensive on 13 July. Thus, a decisive offensive was carried out from the Baltic to the Carpathians.
Outcomes
Operation Bagration was one of the most outstanding and grandiose in World War II, it largely determined the further course and outcome of the struggle not only on the Russian front, but also on other fronts and theaters of military operations of the world war.
The Red Army inflicted a heavy defeat on Army Group Center. German troops were caught in the "boilers" and destroyed in the regions of Vitebsk, Bobruisk, Minsk and Brest. Our troops took revenge for the disaster of 1941 in this region. Soviet soldiers completely liberated the Byelorussian SSR, most of Lithuania, began the liberation of Latvia and Estonia. In the Baltics, Army Group North was isolated from land. Soviet troops almost completely expelled the enemy from the territory of the USSR, began to liberate Poland and reached the borders of Germany - to East Prussia. The German plan for a strategic defense on the distant approaches collapsed.
