70 years ago, one of the largest operations of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War, Operation Bagration, was carried out in Belarus. During this operation (June 23 - August 29, 1944), the German armed forces lost 289 thousand people killed and captured, 110 thousand wounded, Soviet troops retook Belarus and a significant part of Lithuania, entered the territory of Poland.

What did the parties plan?

The development of a plan for the Belarusian operation was started by the Soviet General Staff (under the leadership of Marshal Vasilevsky) in April 1944.

During the development, some disagreements of the command came to light. The commander of the 1st Belorussian Front, General Rokossovsky, wanted to deliver one main blow in the Rogachev direction with the forces of the 3rd Army of General Gorbatov, in which it was planned to concentrate about 16 rifle divisions.

The headquarters of the Supreme High Command believed that it was necessary to strike two blows. It was supposed to deliver two converging strikes - from Vitebsk and from Bobruisk, both in the direction of Minsk. Further, it was supposed to occupy the entire territory of Belarus and Lithuania, go to the coast of the Baltic Sea (Klaipeda), to the border of East Prussia (Suwalki) and to the territory of Poland (Lublin).

As a result, the Stavka's point of view prevailed. The plan was approved by the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command on May 30, 1944. The beginning of the operation "Bagration" was scheduled for June 19-20 (on June 14, due to delays in the transportation of troops, equipment and ammunition, the start of the operation was postponed to June 23).

The Germans were expecting a general offensive of the Red Army in the south on the territory of Ukraine. From there, our troops, indeed, could deliver a powerful blow both to the rear of Army Group Center and to the strategically important oil fields of Ploiesti for the Germans.

Therefore, the German command concentrated its main forces in the south, assuming in Belarus only local operations of a nature. Soviet General Staff strengthened the Germans in every possible way in this opinion. The enemy was shown that most of the Soviet tank armies "remain" in Ukraine. On the central sector of the front, intensive engineering and sapper work was carried out during daylight hours to create false defensive lines. The Germans believed these preparations and began to increase the number of their troops in Ukraine.

rail war

On the eve and during Operation Bagration, Belarusian partisans provided truly invaluable assistance to the advancing Red Army. On the night of June 19-20, they began a rail war in the rear of enemy troops.

The partisans seized river crossings, cut off the enemy's retreat, undermined rails and bridges, wrecked trains, made surprise raids on enemy garrisons, and destroyed enemy communications.

As a result of the actions of the partisans, the most important railway lines were completely disabled, and enemy transportation along all roads was partially paralyzed.

Then, when, during the successful offensive of the Red Army, the German columns began to retreat to the west, they could only move along major highways. On smaller roads, the Nazis inevitably became victims of partisan attacks.

Operation start

June 22, 1944, on the day of the third anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, reconnaissance in force was carried out in the sectors of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian fronts.

And the next day was the day of the Red Army's revenge for the summer of 1941. On June 23, after artillery and aviation preparation, the troops of the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian fronts went on the offensive. Their actions were coordinated by Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasilevsky. Our troops were opposed by the 3rd tank army of General Reinhardt, who was defending on the northern sector of the front.

On June 24, the troops of the 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts launched an offensive. Their actions were coordinated by Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov. Their opponents were the 9th army of General Jordan, who occupied positions in the south, in the Bobruisk region, as well as the 4th army of General Tippelskirch (in the region of Orsha and Mogilev). The German defense was soon hacked - and the Soviet tank troops, blocking the fortified areas, entered the operational space.

The defeat of German troops near Vitebsk, Bobruisk, Mogilev

During the operation "Bagration" our troops managed to take into the "cauldrons" and defeat several encircled German groups. So, on June 25, the Vitebsk fortified area was encircled and soon defeated. The German troops stationed there tried to withdraw to the west, but failed. Around 8000 German soldiers were able to escape from the ring, but were again surrounded - and capitulated. In total, about 20 thousand German soldiers and officers died near Vitebsk, and about 10 thousand were captured.

The Headquarters outlined the encirclement of Bobruisk on the eighth day of the operation, but in reality this happened on the fourth. The successful actions of the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front led to the encirclement of six German divisions in the area of ​​​​the city of Bobruisk. Only a few units were able to break through and get out of the ring.

By the end of June 29, the troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front advanced to a depth of 90 km, crossing the Dnieper, and liberated the city of Mogilev. The 4th German Army began to retreat to the west, to Minsk - but could not go far.

The airspace was behind Soviet aviation and the actions of the pilots caused serious damage to the enemy.

The Red Army actively used the tactics of concentrated strikes by tank formations and subsequent exits to the rear of the German troops. The raids of the tank guards corps destroyed the rear communications of the enemy, disorganized the defense system, blocked the retreat routes and completed his encirclement.

Commander replacement

At the time of the start of Operation Bagration, Field Marshal Bush was the commander of the German Army Group Center. During the winter offensive of the Red Army, his troops managed to keep Orsha and Vitebsk.

However, Bush was unable to resist the Soviet troops during the summer offensive.

Already on June 28, Bush was replaced in his post by Field Marshal Model, who was considered the master of defense in the Third Reich. The new commander of Army Group Center, Field Marshal Model, showed operational flexibility. He did not occupy the defense with the arriving reserves, but, having gathered them into a fist, launched a counterattack with the forces of six divisions, trying to stop the Soviet offensive on the Baranovichi-Molodechno line.

The model to some extent stabilized the situation in Belarus, preventing, in particular, the capture of Warsaw by the Red Army, a steady exit to the Baltic Sea and a breakthrough into East Prussia on the shoulders of the retreating German army.

However, even he was powerless to save Army Group Center, which was dismembered in the Bobruisk, Vitebsk and Minsk "cauldrons" and methodically destroyed from the ground and air, and could not stop the Soviet troops in Western Belarus.

Liberation of Minsk

On July 1, Soviet advanced units broke through to the intersection of the Minsk and Bobruisk highways. They were to block the path of the German units retreating from Minsk, hold them until the main forces approached, and then destroy them.

Tank troops played a special role in achieving high rates of advance. So, making a raid through forests and swamps behind enemy lines, the 4th Guards Tank Brigade, which was part of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, outstripped the main forces of the retreating Germans by more than 100 kilometers.

On the night of July 2, the brigade rushed along the highway to Minsk, immediately turned into battle formation and broke into the city outskirts from the northeast. The 2nd Guards Tank Corps and the 4th Guards Tank Brigade were awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Soon after the tankers of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, the advanced units of the 5th Guards Tank Army entered the northern outskirts of Minsk. Pressing the enemy, tank units, supported by the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, who came to the rescue, began to recapture quarter after quarter from the enemy. In the middle of the day, the 1st Guards Tank Corps entered the city from the southeast, followed by the 3rd Army of the 1st Belorussian Front.

Late in the evening, the capital of Belarus was liberated from the invaders. On the same day, at 22:00, Moscow saluted the victorious soldiers with 24 volleys from 324 guns. 52 formations and units of the Red Army received the name "Minsk".

The second stage of the operation

On July 3, the troops of the 3rd and 1st Belorussian Fronts completed the encirclement of the 100,000th grouping of the 4th and 9th German armies east of Minsk, in the Borisov-Minsk-Cherven triangle. It was the largest Belarusian "cauldron" - its liquidation lasted until July 11.

With the entry of the Red Army to the line of Polotsk-Lake Naroch-Molodechno-Nesvizh, a huge gap 400 kilometers long was formed in the strategic front of the German troops. Before Soviet troops it became possible to begin the pursuit of the defeated enemy troops.

On July 5, the second stage of the liberation of Belarus began. The fronts, closely interacting with each other, successfully implemented five offensive operations: Siauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas, Bialystok and Brest-Lublin.

The Red Army successively defeated the remnants of the retreating formations of Army Group Center and inflicted heavy losses on the troops transferred here from Germany, Norway, Italy and other regions.

Results and losses

During Operation Bagration, the troops of the advancing fronts defeated one of the most powerful enemy groupings, Army Group Center: its 17 divisions and 3 brigades were destroyed, and 50 divisions lost more than half of their strength.

The German armed forces suffered heavy losses in manpower - irretrievably (killed and captured) 289 thousand people, wounded 110 thousand.

Losses of the Red Army - irrevocably 178.5 thousand people, 587 thousand wounded.

Soviet troops advanced 300-500 kilometers. The Byelorussian SSR, part of the Lithuanian SSR and the Latvian SSR were liberated. The Red Army entered the territory of Poland and advanced to the borders of East Prussia. During the offensive, the large water barriers of the Berezina, Neman, Vistula were crossed, and important bridgeheads on their western shores were captured. Conditions were provided for delivering strikes deep into East Prussia and into the central regions of Poland.

It was a strategic victory.

The strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops to liberate Belarus "Bagration" is considered by specialists to be one of the largest operations in the history of wars.

For three years the Belarusian people languished under the yoke of enemy occupation. The Nazis devastated cities, burned villages, turned factories and factories into ruins. On the territory occupied by the Nazis, death camps were created. There was almost no family in Belarus that did not suffer from the war.

The liberation of Belarus began on June 23, 1944. Soviet troops broke through the enemy defenses on the entire front, surrounded and quickly destroyed the Bobruisk and Mogilev enemy groupings. In a few days, the Red Army fighters advanced deeply through the territory occupied by Germany and liberated most of Belarus. Invaluable assistance to the Red Army was provided by local residents and Belarusian partisans.

On July 3, the troops of the 31st Army of the 2nd Guards Tatsinsky Tank Corps, in cooperation with the 5th Tank Army, after a swift offensive and bypass maneuver from the north-west, captured the capital of Belarus - the city of Minsk.

These events are described in detail in combat reports, reports and orders of commanders, orders and directives presented at the exhibition "Liberation of Belarus".

DOCUMENTATION

Greetings of December 30, 1943 to the Commander of the Baltic Fleet, General of the Army Rokossovsky, generals, officers, sergeants and Red Army men of the Baltic Fleet from partisans and partisans, all workers of the temporarily occupied districts of the Minsk region in connection with the 25th anniversary of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2374, file 110, sheets 10-11.

Response dated January 20, 1944, from the Commander of the Baltic Fleet, General of the Army Rokossovsky, to the partisans and women partisans of the Minsk region for a congratulation. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2374, file 110, sheets 154-155.

Act of February 29, 1944 on the atrocities committed by Nazi villains against local residents in the village of Krasny Bereg, Mogilev Region, BSSR. Handwritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2374, file 21, sheet 90.

Directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command No. 220113 dated May 31, 1944 to the commander of the 1st BF on the preparation and conduct of the operation to defeat the Bobruisk enemy grouping and assist the troops of the 2nd BF in defeating the Mogilev enemy grouping. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2356, file 26, sheets 57-58.

Combat order No. 0024 / op of the commander of the 2nd BF, Colonel-General Zakharov, dated June 12, 1944 (23.00), to the commander of the 33rd Army on the regrouping of front troops and setting a combat mission for army troops. Typewritten text. Copy. Fund 46, inventory 2394, file 236, sheets 13-14.

Private operational directive No. 00477/op dated June 12, 1944 (23.30) of the headquarters of the 1st BF to the commander of the Dnieper military flotilla on supporting the actions of the front troops in the direction of Bobruisk. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2356, file 256, sheets 233-234.

List of command and leadership of the headquarters of the 1st BF and the headquarters of the armies that are part of the 1st BF as of June 1944. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2356, file 256, sheets 208-211.

Report of the chief of staff of the engineering troops of the 1st BF, Colonel Alekseev, on the demining of the cities of Zhlobin and Bobruisk. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2356, file 158, sheets 245-248.

Information about the losses of personnel in the combat units of the 1st BF for June 1944. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2356, file 158, sheets 282-284.

Information about the trophies and losses of the enemy inflicted on him by the troops of the 1st BF in June 1944. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2356, file 158, sheet 285.

Report of the representative of the Belarusian headquarters partisan movement on the 1st PribF and a member of the military council of the 1 PribF I. Ryzhikov about the fighting of the partisans of the Vitebsk, Vilna and Minsk regions from June 20, 1944 and during the general offensive of the Red Army to liberate Belarus. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 235, inventory 2074, file 904, sheets 199-207.

From the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the Soviet Union I. Stalin dated June 24, 1944 No. 86 to Army General Bagramyan on congratulating the troops of the 1st PribF in connection with the breakthrough of the enemy defenses in the area of ​​Vitebsk and access to the Western Dvina River. Typographic text. Copy. Fund 2, inventory 920266, case 8, sheets 142-142v.

From the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the Soviet Union I. Stalin dated June 25, 1944 No. 88 to Colonel General Zakharov on congratulating the troops of the 2nd BF in connection with the breakthrough of the enemy defenses in the area of ​​​​Mogilev. Typographic text. Copy. Fund 2, inventory 920266, file 8, sheets 144-144ob.

From the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Marshal of the Soviet Union I. Stalin dated June 25, 1944 No. 89 to General of the Army Rokossovsky on congratulating the troops of the 1st BF in connection with the breakthrough of the enemy defenses in the area of ​​the cities of Zhlobin and Rogachev. Typographic text. Copy. Fund 2, inventory 920266, file 8, sheets 145-145v.

Combat report No. 6 (04.00) dated June 26, 1944 by the chief of staff of the 15th Guards Tank Brigade, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Yakushin, on the conduct of hostilities and the loss of personnel and tanks. Fund 3090, inventory 1, file 12, sheet 87.

Report to the head of the Main Political Directorate of the Red Army, Colonel-General Shcherbakov A.S. Major-General Galadzhev, head of the political department of the 1st BF, dated June 28, 1944, about the atrocities of the German fascists in the occupied territory (the creation of donor children's camps in the Bobruisk and Mogilev regions). Typewritten text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2374, file 20, sheets 290-291.

Directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander of June 28, 1944 No. 2210123 (24.00) to the commander of the 2nd BF comrade. Zakharov and a member of the military council comrade. Mekhlis about the offensive and capture of the city of Minsk. Typewritten text. Copy. Fund 3, inventory 11556, file 15, sheet 312.

Minutes of the interrogation of July 1, 1944 by the head of the 7th department of the political department of the 1st BF, Colonel Melnikov, a prisoner of war, Major General Adolf Hommann, the former commandant of the city of Bobruisk. Abbreviated entry. Typewritten text. Script. Fund 32, inventory 11306, file 486, sheets 5-7.

Report of the headquarters of the 76th Guards Rifle Division 70 A 1 BF on the list of personnel according to socio-demographic characteristics as of July 1, 1944. Script. Fund 427, inventory 11143, file 27, sheets 147-147v.

Report No. 11006 (12.25) of the commander of the 3rd BF Chernyakhovsky dated July 3, 1944 to the Supreme Commander Comrade Stalin on the capture of the capital of Belarus, Minsk. Handwritten text. Script. Fund 241, inventory 2630, file 8, sheet 461.

From the newspaper "Red Army" 1 BF for the period from July 1 to July 11, 1944 about the heroism of Soviet soldiers during the liberation of Minsk. Typographic text. Script. Fund 233, inventory 2354, file 12, sheets 1, 3, 5-9, 11, 15, 17, 25.

Award sheet dated July 4, 1944 for the battery commander of the 207th separate anti-tank fighter battalion of the 348th rifle division, Captain Alexander Nikolaevich Samokhvalov, according to which, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 25, 1944, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Handwritten text. Script. Fund 33, inventory 793756, file 42, sheets 308-309.

Award sheet dated July 7, 1944 on the guard of Sergeant Mikhail Artemovich Bukhtuev, driver of the T-34 tank of the 2nd tank battalion of the 15th Guards Rechitsa Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Tank Brigade, according to which, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 22, 1944, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. (posthumously) Typewritten text. Script. Fund 33, inventory 793756, case 7, sheets 220-220v.

The act of July 9, 1944 on the commission of a ram on a burning tank of a fascist armored train of the Guard by Sergeant Mikhail Artemovich Bukhtuev on June 29, 1944, signed by the command of the 15th Guards Rechitsa Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Tank Brigade. Handwritten text. Script. Fund 33, inventory 686043, file 84, sheet 232.

BELARUSIAN OPERATION OF 1944 (codenamed "Bagration"), one of the largest strategic offensive operations of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. The goal is to defeat the German Army Group Center (commander - Field Marshal E. Bush, from June 28 - Field Marshal V. Model; a total of 1.2 million people, 9.5 thousand guns and mortars, 900 tanks and assault guns , 1350 aircraft), which had a defense in depth (250-270 km), based on a developed system of field fortifications and natural boundaries, and liberate Belarus. It was carried out on June 23 - August 29 by the forces of the 1st Belorussian (commander - Army General, from June 29 Marshal of the Soviet Union K.K. Rokossovsky), 2nd Belorussian (commander - Colonel General, from July 28, Army General G.F. Zakharov), 3rd Belorussian (commander - Colonel General, from June 26 General of the Army I. D. Chernyakhovsky), 1st Baltic (commander - General of the Army I. Kh. Bagramyan) fronts; The 1st Belorussian Front also included the 1st Polish Army (since July 21, the 1st Army of the Polish Army; Lieutenant General 3. Berling) and the Dnieper Military Flotilla (Rear Admiral V. V. Grigoriev). From the Soviet side, 2.4 million people participated in the Belarusian operation (with 36.4 thousand guns and mortars, 5.2 thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts, 6.8 thousand combat aircraft). Partisan units and formations played an active role in the Belarusian operation. The actions of the fronts were coordinated by representatives of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command - Marshals of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov and A.M. Vasilevsky.

Soviet troops broke through the enemy's defenses simultaneously in six sectors, surrounded and destroyed his groupings in the areas of Vitebsk (June 27) and Bobruisk (June 28-29), defeated the German Orsha and Mogilev groups, and then surrounded and defeated part of Army Group Center to the east Minsk (July 12). In the course of the further offensive, large German groupings were surrounded and destroyed near Vilnius (July 13) and Brest (July 28). By August 29, Soviet troops reached the line Jelgava - Dobele - Siauliai - Suwalki - Prague (a suburb of Warsaw) - the Vistula River, where they went on the defensive. Army Group Center suffered a crushing defeat. Advancing in a strip of more than 1100 km, Soviet troops advanced westward to a distance of 550-600 km.

The successful completion of the Belarusian operation created favorable conditions for the Pskov-Ostrov operation of 1944, the Lvov-Sandomierz operation of 1944, the Baltic operation of 1944, the Yassy-Kishinev operation of 1944, the liberation of South-Eastern Europe and Poland. The Belarusian operation made a significant contribution to the development of Soviet military art: parallel and frontal pursuit of the enemy to a depth of 200-250 km from the front line with subsequent encirclement, massing of artillery (150-200 guns and mortars per 1 km of the breakthrough area) and a new method of artillery support for the attack of infantry and tanks - a double fire shaft.

Lit .: Soviet military art in the Belarusian operation of 1944 // Military History Journal. 1984. No. 4; Plotnikov Yu. V. Liberation of Belarus. M., 1984; Adair R. Hitler's defeat greatest: the collapse of Army Group Center, June 1944. L., 2000; Operation Bagration. Liberation of Belarus. M., 2004.

What is Operation Bagration? How was it carried out? We will consider these and other questions in the article. It is known that 2014 marked the 70th anniversary of this operation. The Red Army during it was able not only to liberate the Belarusians from the occupation, but also, by destabilizing the enemy, accelerated the collapse of fascism.

This happened thanks to the extraordinary courage, determination and self-sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Soviet partisans and soldiers of Belarus, many of whom died in the name of victory over the invaders.

Operation

The offensive Belarusian operation "Bagration" is a large-scale campaign of the Great Patriotic War, carried out in 1944, from June 23 to August 29. It was named after the Russian commander of Georgian origin P. I. Bagration, who gained fame during the Patriotic War of 1812.

Campaign value

The liberation of Belarus was not easy for Soviet soldiers. In the course of the aforementioned extensive offensive, Belarusian lands, part of the Baltic states and eastern Poland, the German group of detachments "Center" was almost completely defeated. The Wehrmacht suffered impressive losses, partly due to the fact that A. Hitler forbade retreat. Subsequently, Germany was no longer able to restore the troops.

Campaign Background

The liberation of Belarus was carried out in several stages. It is known that by June 1944, in the east, the front line approached the line Vitebsk - Orsha - Mogilev - Zhlobin, establishing an impressive ledge - a wedge directed deep into the USSR, called the "Belarusian Balcony".

In Ukraine, the Red Army was able to achieve a series of tangible successes (many Wehrmacht soldiers died in the chain of "cauldrons", almost all the lands of the Republic were liberated). If they wanted to break through in the winter of 1943-1944 in the direction of Minsk, the successes, on the contrary, were very modest.

Along with this, by the end of the spring of 1944, the invasion in the south stalled, and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command decided to change the course of efforts.

Side forces

The liberation of Belarus was swift and inevitable. Information about the forces of opponents in different sources varies. According to the publication “Operations of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Second World War”, 1 million 200 thousand soldiers took part in the campaign from the USSR (not including rear units). On the part of the Germans - as part of the "Center" group of detachments - 850-900 thousand souls (plus about 400 thousand rear soldiers). In addition, in the second phase, the left wing of the Northern Ukraine detachment group and the right wing of the North Ukraine group of troops participated in the battle.

It is known that four regiments of the Wehrmacht resisted four Soviet fronts.

Campaign preparation

Before the liberation of Belarus, the Red Army men were intensively preparing for the operation. At first, the Soviet leadership thought that the Bagration campaign would be identical to the Battle of Kursk - something like the Rumyantsev or Kutuzov, with a huge expenditure of ammunition in the subsequent modest movement of 150-200 km.

Since operations of this type - without a breakthrough into the operational depth, with stubborn, long-term battles in the tactical area of ​​\u200b\u200bprotection to exhaustion - required an enormous amount of ammunition and a small amount of fuel for mechanical parts and low capacities for the revival of railway lines, the actual evolution of the campaign turned out to be unexpected for the Soviet leadership.

In April 1944, the General Staff began to develop an operational scheme for the Belarusian operation. The command intended to crush the flanks of the German group "Center", surround its base forces east of Minsk and completely liberate Belarus. The plan was extremely large-scale and ambitious, since during the war the simultaneous defeat of an entire group of troops was planned extremely rarely.

Significant personnel changes have been made. Direct preparations for the Belarusian operation began at the end of May. On May 31, private directives from the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, containing specific plans, were delivered to the front commanders.

The Red Army men organized a thorough reconnaissance of the positions and forces of the enemy. Information was obtained from various directions. For example, the reconnaissance teams of the 1st Front of Belarus were able to capture about 80 "languages". Undercover, active acoustic reconnaissance was also carried out, enemy positions were studied by artillery observers, and so on.

The headquarters sought to achieve the utmost surprise. The commanders of the armies personally gave all orders to the commanders of the units. It was forbidden to talk on the phone about preparations for the offensive, even in coded form. The fronts preparing for the operation began to observe radio silence. The troops were concentrated and regrouped mainly at night. It was necessary to monitor compliance with camouflage measures, so officers of the General Staff were specially assigned to patrol the area.

Before the offensive, commanders of all levels, up to companies, carried out reconnaissance. They assigned tasks to subordinates on the spot. To improve interaction, Air Force officers and artillery spotters were sent to the tank units.

It follows that the campaign was prepared very carefully, while the enemy remained in the dark about the coming assault.

Wehrmacht

So, you already know that the Red Army prepared thoroughly for the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders. The leadership of the Red Army was perfectly aware of the enemy grouping in the area of ​​​​the future attack. The General Staff of the ground detachments of the Third Reich and the commanders of the "Center" group of troops were in the dark about the plans and forces of the Red Army.

The Supreme High Command and Hitler thought that a major offensive must still be expected in Ukraine. They expected that the Soviet garrisons would strike from the area south of Kovel towards the Baltic Sea, cutting off the groups of troops "Center" and "North".

The General Staff of the Third Reich assumed that the Red Army wanted to mislead the German military leaders about the course of the most important strike and withdraw reserves from the region between Kovel and the Carpathians. The situation in Belarus was so calm that Field Marshal Bush went on vacation three days before the start of the campaign.

The course of hostilities

So, the Great Patriotic War was going on. The liberation of Belarus played a decisive role in this tense confrontation. The preliminary phase of the campaign began symbolically on the third anniversary of the German attack on Soviet Union- June 22, 1944. The Berezina River turned out to be the most significant battlefield, as it was during the Patriotic War of 1812.

For the liberation of Belarus, the commanders used all their skills. The Soviet troops of the 2nd, 1st, 3rd Belorussian and 1st Baltic fronts, with the support of the partisans, broke through the defense of the German group of forces "Center" in many sectors. The Red Army surrounded and destroyed impressive enemy groups in the areas of Vitebsk, Vilnius, Bobruisk, Brest and east of Minsk. They also liberated the territory of Belarus and its capital Minsk (July 3), a significant part of Lithuania and Vilnius (July 13), the eastern regions of Poland. Soviet soldiers were able to reach the boundaries of the Vistula and Narew rivers and to the Rubicons of East Prussia. It is noteworthy that the Soviet troops were commanded by General of the Army I.Kh. Bagramyan, Colonel General I.D. Chernyakhovsky, General G.F. Zakharov, General K.K. .Model.

The operation to liberate Belarus was carried out in two steps. The first step was taken from June 23 to July 4 and included the following offensive front-line operations:

• Mogilev operation;
• Vitebsk-Orsha;
• Minsk;
• Polotsk;
• Bobruisk.

• Osovets operation;
• Kaunas;
• Vilnius;
• Bialystok;
• Siauliai;
• Lublin-Brestskaya.

Partisan actions

So, you already know that the liberation of Belarus in the Second World War played a significant role. Before the offensive, a partisan action of unprecedented proportions took place. In Belarus at that time there were many active partisan formations. The Belarusian headquarters of the partisan movement recorded that 194,708 supporters joined the troops of the Red Army during the summer of 1944.

Soviet commanders successfully linked military operations with the actions of partisan groups. Taking part in the Bagration campaign, the partisans first disabled enemy communications, and later prevented the retreat of the defeated Wehrmacht troops.

They began to destroy the German rear on the night of 19/20 June. Russian partisans in the central region of the eastern front carried out 10,500 explosions. As a result, they were able to delay the transfer of enemy operational reserves for a couple of days.

The partisans planned to produce 40 thousand various explosions, that is, they managed to fulfill only a fourth of their intentions. And yet, they were able to briefly paralyze the rear of the "Center" group of troops.

At the end of June 1944, on the night before the general attack of the Russians in the zone of the "Center" group of troops, the partisans made a powerful raid on all important roads. As a result, they completely deprived the enemy troops of control. During this one night, the partisans managed to install 10.5 thousand mines and charges, of which only 3.5 thousand were discovered and neutralized. Due to activities partisan detachments communication along many routes was carried out during the day and only under the cover of an armed convoy.

Railways and bridges became the basic objects of application of partisan forces. In addition to them, communication lines were also actively disabled. This activity greatly facilitated the offensive of the Red Army at the front.

Operation results

The liberation of Belarus in 1944 turned history back. The success of the Bagration campaign surpassed all the aspirations of the Soviet leaders. Having attacked the enemy for two months, the Red Army completely cleared Belarus, recaptured part of the Baltic states, and liberated the eastern regions of Poland. In general, on a front with a length of 1100 km soviet soldiers were able to advance to a depth of 600 km.

The operation also made the North group of troops stationed in the Baltics defenseless. After all, the Panther line, a carefully constructed border, was bypassed. In the future, this fact greatly facilitated the Baltic campaign.

And the Red Army captured two large bridgeheads south of Warsaw beyond the Vistula - Pulawski and Magnushevsky, as well as a bridgehead near Sandomierz (recaptured by the 1st Ukrainian Front during the Sandomierz-Lviv campaign). By these actions, they created a reserve for the upcoming Vistula-Oder operation. It is known that the offensive of the 1st Front of Belarus, which stopped only on the Oder, began in January 1945 from the Pulavsky and Magnushevsky bridgeheads.

The military believes that the liberation of Soviet Belarus contributed to the large-scale defeat of the German Armed Forces. Many are sure that the Battle of Belarus can be safely called "the largest defeat of the German Armed Forces in World War II."

On the scale of the German-Soviet front, the Bagration campaign was the greatest in a long history of offensives. It is a sensation in the Soviet theory of military prowess thanks to the superbly coordinated movement of all fronts and the operation carried out to deceive the enemy about the location of the fundamental assault that began in the summer of 1944. She destroyed the German reserves, seriously localizing the ability of the invaders to fend off both the Allied advance in Western Europe and other attacks on the Eastern Front.

So, for example, the German command transferred the division "Grossdeutschland" from the Dniester near Siauliai. As a result, she was unable to participate in the reflection of the Yasso-Chisinau campaign. The Hermann Goering division had to leave its positions in mid-July in Italy near Florence, and was thrown into the battles on the Vistula. When Goering units vainly attacked the Magnushevsky sector in mid-August, Florence was liberated.

Losses

The human losses of the Red Army are known quite accurately. In total, 178,507 soldiers died, went missing and were captured, 587,308 people were injured and fell ill. Even by the standards of World War II, these losses are considered high. In absolute numbers, they far outnumber the victims not only in successful, but also in many unsuccessful campaigns.

So, for comparison, the defeat near Kharkov in the early spring of 1943 cost the Red Army a little more than 45 thousand dead, and the Berlin operation - 81 thousand. Such an undermining is associated with the duration and scope of the campaign, which was carried out on intricate terrain against a competent and energetic enemy who occupied superbly prepared defensive lines.

Scientists are still discussing the human losses of the Wehrmacht today. Western professors believe that the Germans had 262,929 captured and missing, 109,776 wounded and 26,397 dead, for a total of 399,102 soldiers. These data were obtained from ten-day reports that were compiled by the fascist troops.

Why, then, in this case, the number of those killed is small? Yes, because many of the dead were recorded as missing, and sometimes this status was received by the personnel of the division in full force.

However, these figures are criticized. For example, the US historian of the Eastern Front D. Glantz found that the difference between the number of servicemen of the "Center" group of troops before and after the campaign is much more. D. Glantz said that the information of the ten-day reports gives the situation a minimal assessment. When the investigator of the Russian Federation A.V. Isaev spoke on the Ekho Moskvy radio, he stated that the losses of the Nazis amounted to about 500 thousand souls. S. Zaloga claims that before the surrender of the 4th Army, 300-500 thousand Germans died.

It is also necessary to emphasize that in all cases the losses of the "Center" group of troops were calculated, without taking into account the victims of the "North" and "Northern Ukraine" regimental groups.

It is known that the Soviet Information Bureau published Soviet information, according to which German troops from June 23 to July 23, 1944 lost 631 aircraft, 2,735 self-propelled guns and tanks, 57,152 vehicles, 158,480 people were captured, 381,000 soldiers were killed. Perhaps these data are rather overestimated, as is usually the case with claims for enemy losses. In any case, the question of the human losses of the Wehrmacht in the "Bagration" is not yet closed.

The Germans, captured near Minsk in the amount of 57,600 people, were marched through Moscow - a column of prisoners of war walked through the streets of the capital for about three hours. In this way, the significance of success was demonstrated to other powers. After the march, every street was cleared and washed.

Memory

The year of the liberation of Belarus is also honored today. In honor of this event, the following commemorative signs were created:

• Memorial "Campaign" Bagration "near the village of Rakovichi (Svetlogorsk district).
• Mound of Glory.
• In 2010, on April 14, the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus issued and put into circulation a series of coins “Bagration Campaign”.

Awards

Subsequently, commemorative awards appeared in Belarus in the form of a medal "For the Liberation of Belarus". In 2004, a commemorative badge "60 years of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi invaders" was introduced. Later, commemorative medals were issued for the 65th and 70th anniversaries of the liberation of Belarus.

There is no repeated awarding of the jubilee medal. If you have lost a medal or a certificate for it, a duplicate will not be issued to you. They can only allow the wearing of the bar of the installed version.

In the summer of 1944, the Soviet army set about the final liberation of Belarus from the Germans. The main content of the plan of operation "Bagration" was an organized offensive on several fronts, which was supposed to throw the Wehrmacht forces out of the republic. The success allowed the USSR to proceed with the liberation of Poland and East Prussia.

the day before

The strategic plan "Bagration" was developed in accordance with the situation that prevailed at the beginning of 1944 in Belarus. The Red Army has already liberated part of the Vitebsk, Gomel, Mogilev and Polesye regions of the republic. However, its main territory was still occupied by German units. A ledge formed at the front, which was called the "Belarusian balcony" in the Wehrmacht. The headquarters of the Third Reich did everything possible to keep this important strategic area as long as possible.

For defense, a new network of lines about 250 kilometers long was created. They were trenches, barbed wire, and in some areas anti-tank ditches were quickly dug. The German command even managed to increase its own contingent in Belarus, despite the scarcity of human resources. According to Soviet intelligence data, there were just over a million Wehrmacht troops in the region. What could counter this operation "Bagration"? The plan was based on the 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. At the same time, the General Staff began to concentrate troops and materiel on the corresponding sector of the front. The original plan of "Bagration" was proposed by General Alexei Antonov. At the end of May, he prepared a draft of the operation.

At the same time, key commanders on the western front were called to Moscow. These were Konstantin Rokossovsky, Ivan Chernyakhovsky and Ivan Bagramyan. They reported on the situation in their sectors of the front. Georgy Zhukov and (representatives of the Headquarters of the High Command) also took part in the discussion. The plan was revised and revised. After that, on May 30, it was approved

"Bagration" (the plan was named after the general of the year) was based on the following idea. The enemy defense was to be simultaneously broken through in six sectors of the front. After that, it was planned to encircle the 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 Front to Koenigsberg, and the 3rd Belorussian Front to Allenstein.

Partisan actions

What ensured the success of Operation Bagration? The plan was based not only on the fulfillment of the orders of the Headquarters by the army, but also on its active interaction with the partisans. To ensure communication between them, special operational groups were created. On June 8, the partisans operating underground received an order to prepare for the destruction of the railways located in the occupied territory.

On the night of June 20, more than 40,000 rails were blown up. In addition, the partisans derailed the echelons of the Wehrmacht. The Center group, being under a coordinated attack by the Soviet army, was unable to pull up reserves to the front line in time due to the paralysis of its own communications.

Vitebsk-Orsha operation

On June 22, the active phase of Operation Bagration began. It was no coincidence that the plan included this date. The general offensive resumed exactly on the third anniversary of the 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Belorussian Front were used to carry out the Vitebsk-Orsha operation. During it, the defense on the right flank of the Center group was brought down. The Red Army liberated several regional centers of the Vitebsk region, including Orsha. The Germans retreated everywhere.

On June 27, Vitebsk was cleared of the enemy. The day before, the German group operating in the city area was subjected to numerous intense artillery and air strikes. A significant part of the German military personnel was surrounded. Attempts by some divisions to break out of the encirclement ended in nothing.

On June 28, Lepel was released. As a result of the Vitebsk-Orsha operation, the Red Army managed to almost completely destroy the 53rd army corps of the enemy. The Wehrmacht lost 40 thousand people killed and 17 thousand prisoners.

Liberation of Mogilev

The military plan "Bagration" adopted by the Headquarters stated that the Mogilev operation was to be a decisive blow to the positions of the Wehrmacht. In this direction, the German forces were somewhat smaller than in other sectors of the front. Nevertheless, the Soviet offensive here was very important, as it cut off the enemy's retreat.

In the Mogilev direction, the German troops had a well-prepared defense system. Each small settlement, located near the main roads, was turned into a stronghold. The eastern approaches to Mogilev were covered by several defensive lines. Hitler in his public speaking declared that this city must be kept at all costs. It was now allowed to leave him only with the personal consent of the Fuhrer.

On June 23, after artillery strikes, the forces of the 2nd Belorussian Front began to force a defensive line built by the Germans along its banks. Dozens of bridges were built across the river. The enemy almost did not resist, as he was paralyzed by artillery. Soon the upper section of the Dnieper near Mogilev was forced. The city was taken on June 28 after a rapid advance. In total, more than 30 thousand German soldiers were taken prisoner during the operation. The Wehrmacht forces 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 the southern direction. It was supposed to lead to the encirclement of the German units, for which the Stavka was preparing a large-scale cauldron. The plan of operation "Bagration" stated that this task was to be performed by the 1st Belorussian Front, commanded by Rokossovsky.

The offensive near Bobruisk began on June 24, that is, a little later than in other sectors of the front. There were many marshes in this region. The Germans did not expect the Red Army soldiers to overcome this swamp at all. However, the complex maneuver was nevertheless carried out. As a result, the 65th Army made a quick and stunning blow against 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 was opened for it.

Polotsk strike

After the success in Vitebsk, the 1st Baltic Front under the command of Ivan Bagramyan proceeded to the next stage of the offensive against the German positions. Now the Soviet army had to liberate Polotsk. This was decided at Headquarters, coordinating the operation "Bagration". The capture plan had to be carried out as quickly as possible, since a strong Army Group North was located in this area.

The attack on Polotsk was carried out on June 29 by the forces of several strategic Soviet formations. The Red Army was assisted by partisans, who unexpectedly attacked small scattered German detachments from the rear. Attacks from both sides brought even greater confusion and chaos into the ranks of the enemy. The Polotsk garrison decided to retreat before the cauldron closed.

On July 4, the Soviet army liberated Polotsk, which was strategically important also because it was a railway junction. This defeat of the Wehrmacht led to personnel purges. Georg Lindemann, commander of Army Group North, lost his post. The German leadership, however, could do nothing more. Even earlier, on June 28, the same thing happened to Field Marshal Ernst Busch, who commanded Army Group Center.

Liberation of Minsk

The successes of the Soviet army allowed the Headquarters to promptly set new tasks for Operation Bagration. The plan was to create a boiler near Minsk. It was formed after the Germans lost control of Bobruisk and Vitebsk. The German 4th Army stood east of Minsk and was cut off from the rest of the world, firstly, by Soviet troops pressing from the north and south, and secondly, by natural obstacles in the form of rivers. The river flowed to the west. Berezina.

When General Kurt von Tippelskirch ordered an organized retreat, his army had to cross the river using a single bridge and a dirt road. The Germans and their allies were attacked by partisans. In addition, the area of ​​the crossing was fired upon by bombers. The Red Army crossed the Berezina on 30 June. Minsk was liberated on July 3, 1944. In the capital of Belarus, 105 thousand Wehrmacht soldiers were surrounded. More than 70 were killed, and another 35 were captured.

March to the Baltic

Meanwhile, the forces of the 1st Baltic Front continued their offensive to the northwest. The soldiers under the command of Bagramyan 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, assumed that for the success of the operation, a significant reinforcement was needed on this segment of the front. Therefore, the 39th and 51st armies were transferred to the 1st Baltic Front.

When the reserves, finally, fully reached the advanced positions, the Germans managed to pull significant forces to Daugavpils. Now the Soviet army did not have such a pronounced numerical advantage as on initial stage operation "Bagration". Plan lightning war By that time, it had almost been completed. The soldiers were left with the last push to finally liberate Soviet territory from the invaders. Despite local slippage in the offensive, Daugavpils and Siauliai were liberated on July 27. On the 30th, the military cut the last railway leading from the Baltic to East Prussia. The next day, Jelgava was recaptured from the enemy, thanks to which 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 execution of the order began 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 broke through 20 kilometers on the first day of its offensive. 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 came to 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 13 July. It is noteworthy that the soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front were assisted by Polish soldiers of the Home Army. Shortly before the fall of the city, she raised an uprising 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. 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.

On July 26, Soviet units ended up in the suburbs of Brest. Two days later, there were no German occupiers left in the city. In August, an offensive began in eastern Poland. The Germans overturned it near Warsaw. On August 29, the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was published, according to which the units of the Red Army were to go on the defensive. The offensive was suspended. The operation has ended.

After the "Bagration" plan was completed, the Second World War moved into its final stage. The Soviet army completely liberated Byelorussia and now could start a new organized offensive in Poland. Germany was approaching final defeat. So in Belarus ended Great War. The Bagration plan was implemented as soon as possible. Gradually, Belarus came to its senses, returning to peaceful life. This country suffered from the German occupation almost more than all the other Union republics.