Operation Bagration
During the World War II, Operation Bagration was the general attack by Soviet forces to clear the Nazis from Belorussia which resulted in the destruction of the German Army Group Centre and ended with Soviet forces near Warsaw.
This attack began on the morning of June 22, 1944, three years to the day after the German attack on the Soviet Union. OKW had expected an attack on Army Group South, which had already been severely weakened and driven from most of Ukraine. The army group had received armaments diverted from Arny Group Centre just prior to the attack.
Operation Bagration pitted over 2,000,000 Soviet soldiers in 200 divisions with 6000 tanks and massed artillery against the 34 German divisions of Army Group Centre. This resulted in the death or capture of nearly 350,000 German troops and brought the Soviet forces to the gates of Warsaw in less than 6 months. Operation Bagration also cut off and isolated the German units of Army Group North fighting in Courland, and allowed the Soviet Union to advance into the Balkans.
The Germans had transferred units to meet the invasion of Normandy two weeks before. Four Soviet “Fronts” (army groups) totaling over 120 divisions smashed into the thinly-held German line.
The Soviets achieved a ratio of ten to one in tanks and seven to one in aircraft. At the points of attack, the numerical and quality advantages of the Soviets were overwhelming. The Germans crumbled. Minsk was taken on July 3, trapping fifty thousand Germans. Ten days later the Red Army reached the prewar Polish border. Overall the annihilation of Army Group Centre cost the Germans 2,000 tanks, 57,000 thousand other vehicles and over 150,000 soldiers. Soviet losses were 770,888 casualties, 2,957 tanks, 2,447 artillery pieces, and 822 planes.
The German army never recovered from the materiel and manpower loses sustained during this time.
Named after General Petr Bagration, who died at the Battle of Borodino.
