Operation Bagration. Plan for the Liberation of Belarus (1944)

In the summer of 1944 the Soviet army set about the final liberation of Byelorussia from the Germans. The main content of the plan for Operation Bagration was an organized offensive on several fronts, which was to throw the Wehrmacht forces beyond the borders of the republic. Success allowed the USSR to begin liberation of Poland and East Prussia.

The day before

The strategic plan "Bagration" was developed in accordance with the situation prevailing at the beginning of 1944 in Belarus. The Red Army has already liberated part of the Vitebsk, Gomel, Mogilev and Polessk regions of the republic. However, its main territory was still occupied by German troops. A protrusion formed at the front, which in the Wehrmacht was called the "Belarusian balcony". At 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 of about 250 kilometers in length was created. They were trenches, wire fences and minefields. In some areas, anti-tank ditches were quickly dug out. 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 slightly more than a million Wehrmacht soldiers in the region. What could the operation "Bagration" oppose? The plan was based on the attack of more than 1.5 million Red Army men.

Approval of the plan

Preparation for the operation to defeat the Germans in Belarus began on Stalin's orders in April 1944. At the same time, the General Staff began to concentrate troops and material assets on the appropriate sector of the front. The original plan "Bagration" 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 summoned to Moscow. They were Konstantin Rokossovsky, Ivan Chernyakhovsky and Ivan Bagramyan. They reported on the situation on their sectors of the front. Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Vasilevsky (representatives of the General Headquarters) also took part in the discussion. The plan was refined and finalized. After that, on May 30, he was approved by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

"Bagration" (the plan was named so in honor of the General of the Patriotic War of 1812 ) was based on the following plan. The enemy's defense was to be simultaneously broken at six sectors of the front. After this, it was planned to encircle the German formations on the flanks (in the area of Bobruisk and Vitebsk), the offensive in the direction of Brest, Minsk and Kaunas. After the complete defeat of the Army Group, the First Byelorussian Front was to go to Warsaw, the 1st Baltic to Königsberg, and the 3rd Belorussian Front to Allenstein.

Guerrilla actions

What was the success of Operation Bagration? The plan was based not only on the implementation of the stakes by the army, but also on its active interaction with the partisans. To ensure communication between them, special task forces were created. On 8 June, guerrillas operating in the underground were ordered to prepare for the destruction of the railways that were in the occupied territory.

On the night of June 20, more than 40,000 rails were blown up. In addition, the guerrillas derailed the Wehrmacht's echelons. The "Center" group, being under the coordinated blow of the Soviet army, failed to pull up reserves to the front line 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 is not accidental. The general offensive resumed exactly on the third anniversary of Germany's attack on the Soviet Union. The 1st Baltic Front and the 3rd Byelorussian Front were used to conduct the Vitebsk-Orsha operation. During it, defense was defeated on the right flank of the "Center" group. The Red Army liberated several district centers of the Vitebsk region, including Orsha. The Germans everywhere retreated.

On 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. 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 of the Red Army, the 53rd Army Corps of the enemy was almost completely destroyed. Wehrmacht lost 40 thousand people killed and 17 thousand prisoners.

Liberation of Mogilev

The military plan "Bagration", adopted by the Stavka, 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 on other sectors of the front. Nevertheless, the Soviet offensive here was very important, since it cut off the enemy's way to retreat.

In the Mogilev area, German troops had a well-trained defense system. Each small settlement, located near the main roads, was turned into a main one. Eastern approaches to Mogilev covered with several defensive contours. Hitler, in his public speeches, declared that this city must be kept at all costs. Leave it now was allowed only with the personal consent of the Fuhrer.

On June 23, after the artillery strikes, the forces of the Second Byelorussian Front began to force the Pronyu River. A defensive line built by the Germans passed along its banks. Dozens of bridges were built across the river. The enemy almost did not resist, since he was paralyzed by artillery. Soon the upper section of the Dnieper in the Mogilev area was forced. The city was taken on June 28 after a rapid offensive. More than 30 thousand German soldiers were taken prisoner during the operation. Wehrmacht forces initially retreated in an orderly manner, but after the capture of Mogilev, this retreat turned into a panic flight.

Bobruisk operation

The Bobruisk operation was conducted in a southerly direction. It was to lead to the encirclement of German units, for which the Stavka was preparing a large-scale cauldron. The plan for Operation Bagration stated that this task was to be performed by the First Byelorussian Front, which was commanded by Rokossovsky.

The offensive near Bobruisk began on June 24, that is, a little later than on other sectors of the front. There were many swamps in this region. The Germans did not expect that the Red Army would overcome this swamp. However, a complex maneuver was still held. 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 storming of 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 for her, the road to Minsk opened.

Polotsk hit

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 was to liberate Polotsk. So they decided at the Headquarters, coordinating the operation "Bagration". The plan for the capture had to be carried out as quickly as possible, since there was a strong Army Group North on this site.

The blow on Polotsk was carried out on June 29 by several strategic Soviet formations. The Red Army was assisted by guerrillas, who unexpectedly from the rear attacked the small scattered German detachments. The blows from both sides brought even more confusion and chaos into the ranks of the enemy. The garrison of Polotsk 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 cleansing. George Lindemann, commander of Army Group North, lost his post. The German leadership, however, could do nothing more. Earlier, on June 28, the same thing happened to Field Marshal Ernst Bush, commander of Army Group Center.

Liberation of Minsk

The successes of the Soviet army allowed GHQ to promptly 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 was to the east of Minsk and was cut off from the rest of the world, first by the Soviet troops, which were pushing from the north and south, and secondly, by natural obstacles in the form of rivers. The west flowed the river. Berezina.

When General Kurt von Tippelskirch ordered the organized retreat, his army had to cross the river on a single bridge and dirt road. The Germans and their allies were attacked by partisans. In addition, the area of the crossing was shelled by bombers. The Red Army forced Berezina on June 30. Minsk was released on July 3, 1944. In the capital of Belarus, 105 thousand Wehrmacht servicemen were surrounded. More than 70 died, and 35 more were taken prisoner.

March to the Baltic States

Meanwhile, the forces of the First Baltic Front continued their offensive to the north-west. The soldiers under the command of Baghramyan had to break through to the Baltic and cut off Army Group North from the other formations of the German armed forces. The Bagration plan, briefly, suggested that for the success of the operation, it was necessary to significantly strengthen this segment of the front. Therefore, the 1st Baltic Front was given to the 39th and 51st armies.

When the reserves finally reached their advanced positions, the Germans managed to draw considerable forces to Daugavpils. Now the Soviet army did not have such a pronounced numerical advantage, as at the initial stage of Operation Bagration. By that time, the plan for a lightning war had almost been fulfilled. The soldiers remained the last leap to finally free Soviet territory from the invaders. Despite local slips in the offensive, on July 27, Daugavpils and Siauliai were liberated. On the 30th day, the military cut the last railroad leading from the Baltic to East Prussia. The next day, the enemy was repulsed Jelgava, thanks to which the Soviet army finally reached the sea coast.

Vilnius Operation

After Chernyakhovsky freed Minsk and defeated the Fourth Army of the Wehrmacht, GHQ sent him a new directive. Now the forces of the Third Byelorussian Front were to liberate Vilnius and force the Neman River. The execution of the order began already on July 5, that is, a day after the end of the battle in Minsk.

In Vilnius 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." In the meantime, the Fifth Army had already broken through 20 kilometers in the first day of its offensive. German defense was loose and loose due to the fact that all the divisions operating in the Baltic States were badly battered in previous battles. However, on July 5, the Nazis nevertheless tried to counterattack. This attempt ended in nothing. The Soviet army was already approaching the city.

On the 9th, she captured strategically important points - the station and the airfield. Infantry and tankmen have begun a decisive assault. The capital of Lithuania was released on July 13. It is noteworthy that the soldiers of the 3rd Belorussian Front were helped by the Polish fighters of the Army Krajowa. Shortly before the fall of the city, she raised an uprising in him.

End of operation

At the final stage of the operation, the Soviet army completed the liberation of the western Byelorussian regions, which were near the border with Poland. On July 27, Bialystok was repulsed. Thus, the soldiers finally reached the pre-war state lines. On August 14, the army liberated Osovets and occupied a foothold on the Narew River.

On July 26, Soviet units found themselves in the suburbs of Brest. Two days later there were no German occupants left in the city. In August, an offensive began in eastern Poland. The Germans overthrew it near Warsaw. On August 29, the directive of the Supreme Command Supreme Headquarters was published, according to which parts of the Red Army were to be transferred to defense. The offensive was suspended. The operation was completed.

After the "Bagration" plan was implemented, the Second World War moved to its final stage. The Soviet army completely liberated Belarus and could now proceed to a new organized offensive in Poland. Germany was approaching the 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 other union republics.