In the summer of 1944, the Soviet army set about the final liberation of Belarus from the Germans. The main content of the operation plan "Bagration" was an organized offensive on several fronts, which was supposed to throw the Wehrmacht forces out of the republic. Success allowed the USSR to begin the liberation of Poland and East Prussia.
On the eve of
The Bagration strategic plan was developed according to the situation prevailing in early 1944 in Belarus. The Red Army has already liberated part of the Vitebsk, Gomel, Mogilev and Polesie regions of the republic. However, its main territory was still occupied by German units. A ledge formed on the front, which in the Wehrmacht was called the “Belarusian balcony”. At the headquarters of the Third Reich, they did everything possible to keep this important strategic area as long as possible.
For defense, a new border network of about 250 kilometers long was created. They were trenches, wire fences and minefields. In some areas, anti-tank ditches were promptly dug up. The German command even managed to increase its own contingent in Belarus, despite the scarcity of human resources. According to Soviet intelligence, the region had a little over a million Wehrmacht troops. What could Operation Bagration counterpose to this? The plan was based on an attack of more than one and a half million Red Army soldiers.
Plan approval
Preparations for the operation to defeat the Germans in Belarus began at the direction of Stalin in April 1944. Then the General Staff began to concentrate troops and materiel on the corresponding sector of the front. The original Bagration plan was proposed by General Alexei Antonov. In late May, he prepared a draft operation.
At the same time, key commanders on the western front were called to Moscow. These were Konstantin Rokossovsky, Ivan Chernyakhovsky and Ivan Baghramyan. They reported on the situation in their sectors of the front. The discussion was also attended by Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky (representatives of the High Command Headquarters). The plan was clarified and finalized. After that, on May 30, he was confirmed by the Supreme Commander.
Bagration (the plan was named after the General of the Patriotic War of 1812 ) was based on the following plan. The enemy defense was to be simultaneously broken through in six sectors of the front. After this, it was planned to encircle German formations on the flanks (in the area of Bobruisk and Vitebsk), an offensive in the direction of Brest, Minsk and Kaunas. After the complete defeat of the army group, the 1st Belorussian Front was to go to Warsaw, the 1st Baltic - to Koenigsberg, and the 3rd Belorussian - to Allenstein.
Guerrilla action
What ensured the success of Operation Bagration? The plan was based not only on the fulfillment of the Stavka’s orders by the army, but also on its active interaction with the partisans. To ensure communication between them, special task forces were created. On June 8, partisans operating underground were ordered to prepare for the destruction of the railways in the occupied territory.
On the night of June 20 more than 40 thousand rails were blown up. In addition, the partisans derailed the echelons of the Wehrmacht. The Center group, being caught in a coordinated strike by the Soviet army, could not pull up reserves to the front line in time due to paralysis of its own communications.
Vitebsk-Orsha operation
On June 22, the active phase of Operation Bagration began. The plan included this date for a reason. The general offensive resumed exactly on the third anniversary of the German attack on the Soviet Union. The 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussian Front were used to conduct the Vitebsk-Orshan operation. During it, the defense on the right flank of the Center group was brought down. The Red Army liberated several district centers of the Vitebsk region, including Orsha. The Germans everywhere retreated.
June 27, Vitebsk was cleared of the enemy. On the eve of the German group, operating in the area of the city, was subjected to numerous intense artillery and air strikes. A significant part of the German military was surrounded. The attempts of some divisions to break out of the encirclement ended in nothing.
Lepel was released on June 28. As a result of the Vitebsk-Orshan operation of the Red Army, the 53rd enemy army corps was almost completely destroyed. The Wehrmacht lost 40 thousand people killed and 17 thousand prisoners.
The liberation of Mogilev
The Bagration military plan adopted by the Headquarters stated that the Mogilev operation was to be a decisive blow to the positions of the Wehrmacht. There were fewer German forces in this direction than in other sectors of the front. Nevertheless, the Soviet offensive was very important here, as it cut off the enemy’s retreat.
In the Mogilev direction, German troops had a well-prepared defense system. Each small town located near the main roads was turned into a reference one. The eastern approaches to Mogilev were covered by several defensive contours. Hitler in his public speeches said that this city must be kept at all costs. Leaving him now was permitted only with the personal consent of the Fuhrer.
On June 23, after carrying out artillery attacks, the forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front began to force the Pronyu River. The defensive line built by the Germans passed along its banks. Dozens of bridges were built across the river. The enemy hardly resisted, as he was paralyzed by artillery. Soon, the upper section of the Dnieper in the Mogilev region was forced. The city was taken on June 28 after a quick attack. In total, more than 30 thousand German soldiers were captured during the operation. The forces of the Wehrmacht at first retreated in an organized manner, but after the capture of Mogilev, this retreat turned into a stampede.
Bobruisk operation
Bobruisk operation was carried out in a southerly direction. It was supposed to lead to the encirclement of German units, for which the Headquarters was preparing a large-scale boiler. The plan of Operation Bagration stated that the 1st Belorussian Front, commanded by Rokossovsky, was to fulfill this task.
The offensive near Bobruisk began on June 24, that is, a little later than in other sectors of the front. There were many swamps in this region. The Germans did not expect the Red Army to overcome this swamp. However, a difficult maneuver was nevertheless carried out. As a result, the 65th Army made a quick and stunning blow to the enemy, who did not expect trouble. On June 27, Soviet troops established control over the roads to Bobruisk. The assault on the city began. Bobruisk was cleared of Wehrmacht forces by the evening of the 29th. During the operation, the 35th Army and 41st Tank Corps were destroyed. After the successes of the Soviet army on the flanks, the road to Minsk opened for it.
Polotsk strike
After success in Vitebsk, the 1st Baltic Front under the command of Ivan Baghramyan proceeded to the next stage of the attack on German positions. Now the Soviet army was to liberate Polotsk. This was decided at Headquarters, coordinating Operation Bagration. The capture plan had to be completed as quickly as possible, since there was a strong Army Group North on this site.
The strike on Polotsk was carried out on June 29 by several strategic Soviet forces. The Red Army was helped by partisans, who unexpectedly attacked small, scattering German troops from the rear. Blows from two sides brought even greater confusion and chaos into the ranks of the enemy. The garrison of Polotsk decided to retreat before the boiler closes.
On July 4, the Soviet army liberated Polotsk, which was also strategically important because it was a railway junction. This defeat of the Wehrmacht led to personnel purges. The commander of Army Group North, Lin Lindemann, lost his position. The German leadership, however, could do nothing more. Even earlier, on June 28, the same thing happened to Field Marshal Ernst Bush, who commanded the Army Group Center.
The liberation of Minsk
The successes of the Soviet army allowed the Stavka to quickly set new tasks for Operation Bagration. The plan for the liberation of Belarus was to create a boiler near Minsk. It was formed after the Germans lost control of Bobruisk and Vitebsk. The 4th Army of Germany stood east of Minsk and was cut off from the rest of the world, firstly, by the Soviet troops, seeding from the north and south, and secondly, by natural obstacles in the form of rivers. To the west flowed the river. Berezina.
When General Kurt von Tippelskirch ordered an organized retreat, his army had to cross the river through a single bridge and dirt road. The Germans and their allies were attacked by partisans. In addition, the crossing area was bombarded by bombers. The Red Army crossed the Berezina on June 30. Minsk was liberated on July 3, 1944. In the capital of Belarus, surrounded by 105 thousand Wehrmacht troops. Killed more than 70, and another 35 were captured.
March to the Baltic states
Meanwhile, the forces of the 1st Baltic Front continued their offensive to the northwest. The soldiers under the command of Baghramyan were to break through to the Baltic and cut off Army Group North from the rest of the German armed forces. The Bagration plan, in short, suggested that for the operation to succeed, significant reinforcement was needed in this section of the front. Therefore, the 39th and 51st armies were transferred to the 1st Baltic Front.
When reserves, at last, have completely reached the forefront, Germans managed to pull considerable forces to Daugavpils. Now the Soviet army did not have such a pronounced numerical advantage as at the initial stage of the Bagration operation. The blitzkrieg plan was almost complete by then. The last jerk was left for the soldiers to completely free Soviet territory from the invaders. Despite local slippage in the offensive, Daugavpils and Šiauliai were liberated on July 27. On the 30th, the military cut the last railway from the Baltic to East Prussia. The next day, Jelgava was recaptured from the enemy, so that the Soviet army finally reached the sea coast.
Vilnius operation
After Chernyakhovsky liberated Minsk and defeated the 4th Wehrmacht army, the Headquarters sent him a new directive. Now the forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front were to liberate Vilnius and force the Neman River. The order was launched on July 5, that is, a day after the end of the battle in Minsk.
In Vilnius there was a fortified garrison, consisting of 15 thousand soldiers. Hitler in order to keep the capital of Lithuania began to resort to the usual propaganda moves, calling the city "the last fortress." Meanwhile, the 5th Army already on the first day of its offensive broke through 20 kilometers. The German defense was loose and loose due to the fact that all the divisions operating in the Baltic were badly battered in previous battles. However, on July 5, the Nazis still tried to launch a counterattack. This attempt ended in nothing. The Soviet army was already on its way to the city.
On the 9th, she captured strategically important points - the station and the airfield. The infantry and tankers launched a decisive assault. The capital of Lithuania was liberated on July 13. It is noteworthy that the soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front were helped by Polish soldiers of the Home Army. Shortly before the fall of the city, she revolted in it.
End of operation
At the final stage of the operation, the Soviet army completed the liberation of the western Belarusian regions located near the border with Poland. On July 27, Bialystok was recaptured. Thus, the soldiers finally reached the pre-war state borders. On August 14, the army liberated Osovets and occupied a bridgehead on the Narew River.
July 26, Soviet units were in the suburbs of Brest. Two days later, there were no German occupiers in the city. In August, an offensive began in eastern Poland. The Germans overthrew him near Warsaw. On August 29, the directive of the Supreme High Command Headquarters was published, according to which units of the Red Army were to go on the defensive. The offensive was suspended. The operation has completed.
After the Bagration plan was completed, the Second World War moved to its final stage. The Soviet army completely liberated Belarus and could now begin a new organized offensive in Poland. Germany was approaching a final defeat. So in Belarus the great war ended. The Bagration plan was implemented as soon as possible. Gradually, Belarus came to, returning to a peaceful life. This country suffered from German occupation almost more than all the other union republics.