Liberation of the North

This is lecture 1 Six in the ABCs of comedy Series and this is a company’s voyage 7 That will be forthcoming pretty quick And what we’re going to be talking about Today is the liberation of Eastern Europe in the north by the Red Army and What the planning of the 1943 offensive Of the Red Army as you may recall began In April of that year Astana and his Generals knew the Krauts were going to Get an even worse ass-whipping than they Had received in Moscow and Stalingrad in The early summer at Kursk and they Wanted then to go over to an immediate General offensive that would expel the Nazis from the motherland completely by In 1944 the crowd was draw from Kursk as We saw last time witnessed the wholesale Abandonment of much of their equipment Constant pursuit by red units and Partisan harassment continued until the Onset of where then the Red Army began Preparing for a general offensive in 1944 and it didn’t stop the Germans Anticipated that they would stop for the Winter but stolen and the Stavka knew That they would anticipate that and so They’re playing was just to continue Eating them it was the fourth wall the Red Army in Moscow delivered the first Devastating blow against the Nazis in The winter of 41 42 the red army at Stalingrad

Stalingrad delivered the second blow the Third blow at the Kursk salient finished Off any possibility of the Nazis Continuing against the USSR and the Coming fourth wall would destroy the Entire Nazi Army Group centre and lead To stones crusade in Europe now the 1st 1944 target was the liberation of vile Russia which today is called Belarus Crowd army group centre had built trench Defences in depth using the swamps as Connecting bulwarks its main force was The 3rd Panzer Army and three field Armies the Red Army would have to break Through the German defenses in sick Sector’s it was to pin in the crowd Center while destroying the Nazi forces On the flanks encircling vitex in the North and boom Rios in the South Soviet Armored and mechanized spearheads from Both flanks were then to close a large Encirclement of Minsk Now that would trap Army Group centers Main forces east of that city where they Could be finished off simultaneously There would be red offensive against the Crowd army groups north and northern Ukraine along the Vistula narrow and bug Rivers the summer offensive plan Featured Soviet air superiority and Partisan attacks against fascists Communications of rare areas Coordinating operations was the job of The headquarters of the Supreme High

Command or Stavka with marshals Alexander vasilevsky and George Zhukov Overseeing planning and execution Now Soviet preparations were elaborate And highly secret with red tanks and Artillery reserves Scattered among many fronts these and Supporting assets had to be concentrated Without giving away the plan now Accordingly the Soviets employed Extensive deception and operational Security measures including radio Silence night movements rigid camouflage Discipline in consequence the Soviet High Command covertly marshaled against Army Group center 20 combined arms Armies to tank armies five air armies All together the Soviets counted 2.4 Million trips in 172 divisions 12 Corps 745 7 fortified regions and 22 brigades Of various types their armaments and Equipment included 36 thousand four Hundred guns and mortars 5,200 tanks and Suppressed self-propelled guns and 5,300 Aircraft for operational direction of The major front level commands were from North to south the 1st Baltic under Ivan Bagram Ian the 3rd belorussian general By Ivan chernyakhovsky 2nd Byelorussian by true Sakharov and the first battle russian Army group by constantine Rokossovsky Now that total number of Russian troops Around 2.4 million for that particular

Part of the front in their attack it’s About five times with the German said I Just checked that a few minutes ago to Be sure that was correct and in terms of Equipment that was far superior to what The Germans had available and the most Important parties they had the Nazis had No idea that this was about to engulf Them so the first phase lasted from the 23rd of June to July of 1944 that is the First phase of migration north in 1944 Began on 23 June would breakthrough Attacks Rippling across the front from north to South of that front now by 27 June 1st Baltic and 3rd Byelorussian fronts had Encircled and annihilated five German Divisions at the tips meanwhile the Second Belarusian front across the Nestor to seize Vova left on 28 June and Simultaneously the right wing of the 1st Byelorussian front encircled and Destroyed six German divisions at Barbarossa Now on the 3rd of July advancing mobile Groups from the north and south flanking Soviet fronts occupied Minsk circling to The east the German fourth and ninth Army with about a hundred thousand Troops now it’s Soviet forward Detachments pressed ever westward they Managed over the first 12 days of Bagration to reach a penetrating depth Of 175 miles together with the 250 mile

Wide breach in the kraut front meant Liberation of the entire battle Russian SSR partisan sabotage of railroads and Piecemeal Nazi replacement failed to Reverse the fascist disintegration the Second phase of Bagration north was from 5 july to 29 august 1944 and between Those dates the German forces trapped East of Minsk attempted a breakout but Were either destroyed or captured In every event that had been pocketed And disposed of as the Soviet offensive Role to the west the crowd High Command Through it units drawn from anywhere and Everywhere but to know available now Later coordinated offensives in the North by the second Baltic front you Remember that a Red Army Group is front History it’s what the US would call an Army Group and in the South by the first To keep the Ukrainian front only added Two German wolves by the end of August The Red Army had established crossings Of the Vistula and the nehru and had Overrun Vilnius and reached the border Of East Prussia the German Army Group North was now isolated but Soviet Offensive momentum stopped short of Warsaw were stolen apparently chose Consciously not to support a rebellion Against the German occupiers why polish Patriots beyond his control and in all Fairness it should be pointed out that This the London poles who were very

Anti-communist triggered this warsaw Revolt in order to stop the Red Army From coming in and setting up a Government of the Warsaw poles which of Course were all communist now bei Grayson had enormous military and Political military consequences it Liquidated German Army Group center and Inflicted punishing losses on Neighboring groups it destroyed two Thousand German aircraft and twelve German divisions and brigades while Reducing to one half the strength of Another 50 divisions meanwhile it opened The way for further Soviet offensives Into Central Europe and the clearing of The Baltics the cost to the Soviets was More than 178,000 dead and another half Million wounded 1944 migration north saw A refinement of breakthrough and Encirclement operations the Red Army in Certain mobile groups without pause into The depths of fascist defenses detailed Planning for the bitter Russian Offensive of Bagration began in the Spring of 1944 knowledge of that Operation was limited to the Stavka and Six staff officers working on the plan The lunch date was June 22nd 1944 Soon after the US UK landing in France Now meanwhile the Soviet Army’s involved In bloody fighting during the 43 winter And early 44 spring had made spectacular Advances particularly in the south they

Had also driven the Germans away from The immediate area around Leningrad and We’re going to talk about the south In the next lecture so after the Anglo-american Normandy landing there Were still over 600 miles from Berlin The eastern bulge of the Nazi army group Centre was 720 miles from Berlin the Distance from the rail junction city of Orsha still in German hands to Moscow Was 240 miles there was then the real Prospect of stone having to cope alone With Germany for another year or two on The other hand the fascist armies in the East were bled white grout withdrawals Have shorter defensive lines in Poland Was an advantage for them to take that Away the Red Army would have to liberate The rest of East Europe containing the Nazis at any rate the USSR had 12 fronts Or 12 army groups facing the Germans and Their allies along the 1900 mile front The strength of the Red Army on the Eastern Front in the spring of 1944 Stood at a little over six million the Fascists have four army groups and an Independent army with a total strength Of about 2.2 million facing the Red Army So the Reds had a three-to-one Superiority Field Marshal airswitch Commanded Army Group center he was loyal And obedient to Hitler his forces Occupied a huge bulge extending eastward North of the Pripet marshes these were

Close to the headwaters of the Davina And nitro rivers east of the tips that Was the historic Russian invasion route Called the Belarusian balcony now in April 1944 Stavka settled on attacking The balcony to destroy Army Group center Bringing the Red Army to the border of Poland and East pressure pressure Meantime would be maintained on all the Other fronts So in 19 April 1944 strategic and Tactical deception led the Stavka to Order the entire Red Army West to assume A defensive posture now staff can do This was not going to be believed by the German headquarters called okw however They wanted the crown High Command to Conclude that the red strategic Offensive would come in July against the Southwestern part of the front Indicators pointed to the area of Army Group North Ukraine as the location of The main effort red espionage proved That the Germans expected the strategic Offensive to take place in Ukraine not Bailer Russia therefore the task of the Descent deception effort was to Reinforce that belief now meanwhile the Soviets in advance to the border of Romania and past Koval near the Polish Border in north western Ukraine SSR While kraut Army Group North had been Driven away from Leningrad to Lake Papers the Nazi army Group center had

Seven hundred thousand troops in 51 Divisions holding 468 miles these were The second night 4th and 3rd Panzer Armies the Nazi Army Group North Ukraine Occupied a front of 210 miles with 45 Divisions including ten Hungarian Divisions the 6th air fleet supported Army Group centre with 775 aircraft of Which 405 were long-range bombers not Designed for defensive operations only 40 of its planes were fighters by June 22nd and there was little gasoline to Keep them in the air the 4th air fleet Supporting Army Group North Ukraine had 845 aircraft of which 670 were fighters Or ground support aircraft nevertheless Read counterintelligence planted false Signals data making the Krauts think the Read offensive would be launched against Army Group North Ukraine the okw Intelligence concluded that Army Group Centers area north of the Pripet Marquis Marsh marshes Would remain quiet in May of 1944 much Of the Army Group setters strength was Given to Modell’s Army Group North Ukraine now the Red Army Staff cassette ’old 1.2 million frontline troops to Throw against Army Group center these Were backed up by a further 1.2 billion Troops further to the rear and stuff get Reserved not to be used when their Offensive kicked off this buildup of Forces opposite Army Group center began

In early May in the first three weeks of June 75,000 railroad car loads of troops And supplies were brought into the area Opposite Army Group center the four red Fronts or army groups opposite Army Group center had an increase in men of 60% during May and June there was a 300% Increase in tanks and assault guns and An 85 percent increase in artillery and Mortars that a company was accompanied By a 62 percent increase in air strength It was the most massive buildup in the Entire war the USSR assembled 4000 tanks 24,000 400 pieces of artillery 5,300 Aircraft at kickoff the red assault Target’s any 10 to 1 superiority in Armored artillery and air power red air Always had air superiority and kept German reconnaissance aircraft at a Distance accepted areas they wanted the Germans to observe now the Reds Concealed their buildup so well that it Was not until the end of May that the Krauts began to detect an increase in The Soviet force level in the Army Group Center sector then reports of a Soviet Buildup in the Army Group center area Increased rapidly in June okh chose to See these reports as a Soviet deception On 5 May 1944 both Army Group center and Army Group North Ukraine had become Concerned about signs of buildup in the Koval terrible On their joint border the okh

Intelligence branch thought it was Possibly for a Soviet secondary Offensive south of the Pripet marshes Then general kurt site slur or KW chief Of staff thought the of secondary Offensive would miss the Army Group Center that he had been reinforcing Sending it’s right flank or 56th Panzer Corps with tanks assault guns and Artillery thus to propose the formation Of a reserve army in that area drawing On units from Army Group center in Army Group North he recommended using the Proposed reserve army with 56th Panzer Corps as its nucleus to launch a Spoiling offensive Modell proposed to Hitler that he be assigned the 56th Adger Corps for offensive operations Knowing Hitler preferred offense and Defense Thus 56th Panzer Corps was transferred To Army Group North Ukraine on the 20th Of May the movement of the boundary Resulted in 28 mile reduction in Army Group center sector this meniscal Reduction came at a high price because Army Group center and reinforced 56th Panzer Corps heavily and these Reinforcements were all lost with the Transfer of the Corps Army Group Allah a Center lost 15% of its divisions 20 to 3% of its assault guns and a start Staggering 50 and 85 percent Respectively of its artillery and

Sustained strength so in the first weeks Of June 44 proof of looming disaster Multiplied when new Soviet units were Identified from dead red soldier Uniforms first of all worst of all Prisoner interrogation revealed that Marshal Georgy Zhukov was in command of The new forces now on the 14th of June 44 general saxler convened a high-level Meeting at rustenberg now this was a Week after the week after the Anglo-american invasion of Normandy Attending or the Chiefs of Staff The army groups and armies and Hitler His Eisler said the Soviets would Continue their offensive against the Southern army groups with Army Group North Ukraine absorbing the brunt of the Soviet offensive now that was wrong now Through their excellent deception plan The Soviets had achieved one of the First requirements of a successful Campaign that being to get into the head Of the opposing commander accordingly The Germans continued to believe that The main offensive would take place Against Army Group North Ukraine on the 31st of may 44 the date of June 22nd 1944 for the final offensive against the Krauts in the USSR was tentatively Tentatively given it was tentative Because Stalin still did not know if his Earth’s white while allies were really Going to go ashore at orbiting in the

Event they did late as usual On 6 June at any rate On June 22nd Bagration would continue whether they Went ashore or not it was to be launched On a 288 mile front from just south of Pullets on the boundary between the Army Group center and arming the group north To rogachev near the boundary between The fourth and ninth armies now marshal Zhukov and Alexander and Vasilevsky were In charge of everything for the four red Army groups Zhukov had the two southern Fronts 2nd and 1st Belorussian while Vasilevsky had the two Dornan fruits First Baltic and 3rd belorussian On June 20th 1944 143,000 bale Russian partisans Attacked Army Group centers lines the Nazis reacted by sending reinforcements South that the partisans allowed to pass Unmolested until these crowds turned Around after the bein bow fell on Army Group center the partisans then killed Them and paralyzed traffic in the kraut Rear so in the morning of June 22nd 1944 As planned An avalanche of Soviet forces struck Army Group center their full fury was Unleashed The next day the Soviet plan worked so Well in detail it unfolded exactly as Planned the four army groups destroyed The crowds for rare communication Centers at the tips worship mogul F and Bo brusque the operations against

Vitebsk were primarily the Responsibility the 1st Baltic Front-runner Under general Ivan K mag ramming the 3rd Belorussian front under general Ivan Sharing a coughs key with the 5th guards Army in reserve Assisted by Avila pinging the tips from The south with the 5th and 39th armies Before heading toward Sinnoh Another assault group from the 3rd Belarusian front consisting of the 11th Guards and 31st armies attacked toward Orsa cavalry mechanized group Oslo cough Ski made a rapid advance west pass Sentence of settle the second battle Rush in front of the 33rd 49th and 50th Armies under the command of General George F zakharov hit the center of 4th Army and eliminated the German German Bridgehead east of the diaper river Going on to free mogilev general Konstantin rokossovsky’s first Belarusian front used two armies the Third and 48th east of the Berezina River and two armies 65th and 28th at a Cavalry mechanized group west of the Berezina – it circled bobruisk Now the breakthroughs were achieved by a Massive infantry led attacks with heavy Artillery and air support against the Narrow lines Nazi lines on Neral fronts 300 artillery pieces of indirect weapons

Per mile were used at each of the Breakthrough points when these holes Were punched in the fascist lines red Armored spearheads Rushed through and encircled the Communication centers by double Envelopment The second phase of the Soviet operation Involved deep Armour Led Drives against Vince from both the Northeast and southeast these were Designed to isolate the fourth german Army strong forces that is the 3rd Belorussian front bypassed minsk on the North and headed for mola dec not Equally strong forces the 1st Belarusian Front headed for borrow Vichy to the Southwest of Minsk now these drives not Only isolated the kraut 4th army but Blocked the escape routes from Minsk That were hemmed in by forests and Swamps fourth army held a 24 mile deep And a 78 mile wide bridgehead east of The night of the tide in Toonami Army Group north of rogachev 9th army held a Front that curved southwestward along The fruit and eiper rivers to the area South of Zollman were event westward Over the bare Cena River to the lower Pitch at Pripet Second Army held the Longest sector along the Pripet River to Where it tied to the left flank of the Army Group North Ukraine north of Koval

The 1st Baltic and 3rd Belarusian fronts Or army groups quickly pierced the Pulverized German front lines on both Sides of the city of by tips and Proceeded with its envelopment 3rd Panzer army on the left flank of Army Group center was caught completely by Surprise by the Soviet 6th guards army And its front was torn open in this Space of the operation the Soviets Deployed their vast air superiority Against kraut artillery these Nazi guns Very vulnerable to air attack as they Were they opened near the front being Used firing over open sights that is Pointed directly down rather than the Way you usually use artillery on the Second day the Reds again overwhelmed The 3rd Panzer Army’s forefront Northam By text proceeding to encircle the city From the north thereby trapping five German divisions killers and bushes Fixation on rigid defense and holding on To areas designate Fortified places made an effective Defense impossible now meanwhile the 3rd And 2nd Byelorussian fronts were tearing Through the 4th Army’s front lines and Heading for worship and muga left on the 24th of June 44 4th armies left flank or Disintegrated under powerful red attack The first Belarusian front penetrated The ninth Army’s lines near its northern Boundary the Soviets reached settle in

The 3rd Panzer Army sector where they Turned south behind the 4th Army’s left Flank Hitler gave permission to withdraw Four of the five divisions trapped it by Tips but it was too late the Nazi Commander of the 4th army requested Permission to abandon the bridgehead East of the night over but he was Refused the following day he took Matters into his own hands and ordered The withdrawal on the 25th of June 1944 9th army in danger of Advocates main Force trapped between the neighbor and Bear Osito rivers requested permission To withdraw before it was destroyed but That permission was refused which brings Us to the end of Army Group center by The morning of June 26 1944 army Group Center was falling apart and had no more Reserves my tips was encircled and kraut Forces there were lost third Panzer Army Was driven back on the Devaney and ulla Rivers 50 miles west of my tips the Right flank core of the 3rd Panzer Army Badly balled remnants of 5 divisions and It was in full flight west and south of Settle and had lost contact with the Rest of the army in 93 sector the Soviet Armies were at goal Bruce on both sides Of the city the lead Soviet elements in The south were three miles from the city Center repeated requests by 9th army to Be allowed to withdraw too low brusque And the Berezina River were denied all

Until the morning of June 27th however That was too late and anyway ok H Countermanded that permission okay H at Bush changed their minds again in the After In general hands jordan commander of the Ninth army got permission for a breakout To the north when or was ordered to hold MOH Bruce the proud crops could not keep Up with the speed of events then ten Soviet divisions that’s about 200,000 Men encircled bobruisk Traffic to German Court of about 70,000 Men in the east of the city Panic brought broke out among the Thousands of leaderless German troops in BO brusque as they milled around in Confusion ninth Army headquarters Located outside the pocket transferred Its one remaining operational Corps to The Fourth Army and withdrew themselves To Marina Gorka there had tried to hold Open an avenue of escape for the 4th Army using parts of the 12th Panzer Division the ninth kraut army was then Ground to pieces in the red offensive Its men did wounded on the ground or Hightailing it anywhere the year the Ends of the 9th army was symptomatic of The end of all the other parts of our Regroup centre general Rokossovsky x’ First Belarusian front was taking minsk And the city of to itself zakharov Second Belarusian front forced a

Crossing of the diaper river north of Bogle F that same day the kraut 4th army Could only run away on one bridge across The Berezina it was ordered to establish A line on the proof river but to hold Fortified places of bogel f and orsa Were to be held at all cost but the Red Army was already inertia and the Soldiers of the 4th army ended up in the Swamps facing partisans who were very Anxious to kill them thus and in the 4th Army of Army Group standard okh still Clung to the belief that another more Powerful offensive would strike Army Group North Ukraine and proposed to pull Army Group North back to a line running From Divest to Riga now Hitler ignored the Proposal he sacked bush and appointed Field Marshal Modell to come Both Army Group center and Army Group North Ukraine so on the 29th of June 1944 Soviet aircraft knocked out the Only bridge across the Berezina River The 1st and Belarusian fronts were out Flanking the pathetic remnants of Germany’s 4th army from the north and South the Red Army captured both Borissov and and then the next day On 30 June 1944 Soviet tanks and Artillery came within range of the Bridge over the bare Cena the tanks and Motorized units from Rawkus off skis First Belarusian front drove past

And Boris off toward barn avicii and Mullah dick Nam Now this caused Jordan’s ninth army in Course to leave Loreena Gorka and head For sole sleep halfway between burnovich And minsk it hoped to hold a crossing Over the Niemen River the last escape Route from Minsk the 5th guards tank Army was getting close to the north Jordan directed his only remaining Panzer Division against the story from Marina Gorka but the Soviets had already Captured the town on the 3rd of July 1944 groups from the first Belarusian Front took Minsk on the next day the 4th Of July 1944 9th army tried to open the Bridge at stop C and failed while the Reds drove toward Baron avicii After that the only German troops to Escape were individuals and small groups That have made their way through the Dense na Ibuka forest not very many of Them escaped the wrath of the partisans That took exception to their wish to Live 9th army held the pocket around Minsk loved enough for its 12,500 men to Run away and that’s all it had left Anyway after 12 days confronted the Radar be proud Army Group centre ceased To exist Hitler lost at least 50 Divisions and all their men and materiel Which is what 500,000 men Stav got ordered their offensive to Continue without cessation on a broad

Front first baltic front was ordered to Advance toward Dvinsk the third Belarusian front was aimed at below deck Mall and the Niemen River the first Belarusian front advanced on Berlin Ichie and then on to the city of Brest And the second Belarusian front remained Behind in the Minsk Area to conduct Whopping up operations victorious Soviet Soldiers writing on tanks and trucks Paraded paths paraded past the Government building in Minsk the capital Of white Russia and Minsk was liberated On the 11th day of operation Bagration North the USSR phase on the 6th of July 1944 the third Belarusian front Penetrated the narrows south and east of Moto moto techno and the road to Vilnius Was opened on the 8th of July 1944 the Red Army liberated marinovitch II the 4th shock and 6th guard armies from the 1st Baltic front then advanced toward Dvinsk mode ill-informed okh that he Would try to stop the Russians along the Line from the conness along the Niemen River to Brest to do so he needed the Panzer divisions that Hitler had planned For the northward drive and even then he Would have only 16 divisions near full Strength to counter 160 Soviet divisions And brigades on the 14th of July Hitler Agreed to let Bodell have the divisions To stop the Soviet offensive he was then To use them offensively however to plug

The gap between the two army groups However he rejected the idea of Withdrawing Army Group North the 4th Army and 3rd Panzer army were able to Establish a line from merge through Connect along the Niemen River south of Grundle the second army continued his Pivot its left flank as it withdrew Toward biola stuck 9th army was in the Rear reorganizing and preparing Defensive works to protect east pressure The red Army advanced 200 miles and outran its Supplies railroads bridges and roads had To be rebuilt or repelled repaired Before they could drive further so on The 17th of July 1944 the Soviets Paraded 57,000 German prisoners through Moscow proving the extent of the Red Army victories and if the bear my claim He had conducted a planned withdrawal From Bell Russia was a bold-faced lie It was not until 18 July 1944 that the North Americans captured saint-lo just 18 miles from Omaha Beach by then the Soviet offensive had covered 200 miles All this while a million men u.s. first British Second Army were bogged down in The hedgerows of Normandy the facts Spoke for themselves and the world knew It was the Red Army winning the war not The green gold lining cabal on 19 July 1944 the US Army took saint-lo and the Failed attempt on Hitler’s white life

Was made at Rastenburg that same day by An anti Hitler conspiracy within the Crowd army that conspiracy was decrypted By local Nazi intelligence thugs and Resulted in a kraut army officer Corsica On the western front but not on Eastern Front on 21 July 1944 two days later Guderian was appointed a successor to His 8th slur on the 23rd of June 1940 Two days after that general Shan er Commander of army group south of green Replaced general Fraser it meanwhile Kraut radio monitors intercepted the Soviet order to their tank units north Of Vilnius indicating another and Greater catastrophe on the Eastern Front Stavka instructed the Red Army to attack The gap between what was left of Army Group centre in North this initiated the Next phase of the Soviet offensive the Red Army pressured German flanks as it Rebuilt access roads and bridges and Resupplied its fighting units Nevertheless the fascists could not Assemble an attack force in time to stop The Soviet Drive and that Army Group North had to Manage on its own the end of Army Group North the Polish road to Berlin opened Now the conditions in army group North Were just as bad as it had no reserves Left and was about to collapse Goering said the only way to keep Army Group North from being encircled and

Destroyed was to withdraw behind the Davina River and establish the line Between Riga and canals Hitler said this would cost Germany the Latvia Doyle Swedish iron ore and Finnish nickel as it turned out all that Would be lost anyway in a few weeks Therefore at that time Hitler insisted That Army Group North would have to stay In place now stefka was not into waiting At all and ordered Red Army General back Ramen to drive on Latvia his attack Using his army group plus two new Crimean armies the second guards army And the 51st army was Riga he blasted a Hole in the northern flank of the Pathetic remnants of Army Group centre And Army Group North simultaneously the Pressure of the southern flank opposite Army Group North Ukraine was delivered By marshal ivan s co Neffs 1st Ukrainian Front with 10 armies three of them tank Armies rokossovsky’s first Belarusian Front line conics right had been Reinforced by a guards army and a Tank Army as well as the first polish armies Four divisions and these armies may Danger on a three-prong drive to breast And Lublin and North Ave off in the Center and stanislav in the south on 13 July 1944 the offensive against Army Group North Ukraine began this of off Send alerts action took weeks of bloody Fight on 18 July 1944 converging red

Tank columns reached the bug River 30 Miles west of L both they pocketed six German divisions of the 13th Corps east Of El Valle from which 5000 Krauts Panicked and escaped first Panzer Melville was encircled now Army Group North Ukraine ran to the bug River Because of the breakthroughs in the South the Reds forced the bug and Created a bridgehead on the west bank of Kelm Poland on 20 July the second army North ran away to breast where it went Into defensive postures too late two Days later on July 22nd the Soviets Drove on Danube 150 miles to the west They bypassed that town and headed south Westward in the morning of July 23rd so Between July 18th and 21st of 1944 the Baltic front had created several bridge Heads across the Niemen River while Other forces were pushing the left flank Of the 3rd Panzer army south in the North 3rd Panzer army was now out of Luck at commis the division on its left Flank disintegrated under continuous red Attack by six divisions of the 2nd Guard Army a 35 mile gap was formed on the Left flank of the 3rd Panzer Army and 2nd guards army poured through it on the July 22nd the red spearhead reached 48 Miles behind 3rd Panzer by that evening And it was destroyed 13850 men became The old owners on 19 July 1944 the 16th Army on the right flank of Army Group

North had withdrawn to Lithuania however It could not hold and ran another nine Miles on July 22nd Army Group North Ukraine 1st Panzer Army was still Holding at elbow but Soviet forces had Pressed the 4th Panzer army to the Vicinity of the san and Vistula rivers They was fragmented and had to withdraw Behind the Vistula and san rivers to Avoid encirclement and destruction but Guderian and Hitler would not allow this In the last week of July the Soviet Armies were still rolling west through a Shattered German line from the Baltic to The Carpathians on July 24 T44 several crack Soviet armies we’re Closing on the Sand River 50 miles west Of L off between jaroslaw and personal Well the 25th of July 44 the 4th Soviet Tank army crossed the sand forcing first Red panzer army to withdraw from elv off Toward the Carpathians on the 27th of July the kraut 4th Panzer Army retreated Among the leprous River southeast of Lovely however the Red Stick torn a hole Of 60 miles in the south and another Hole of 70 miles in the North for 4th Panzer ran behind the Vistula River the 2nd army of pathetic remnants of Army Group centre tried to defensive breasts But the 2nd Soviet tank army was racing North towards since late arriving at in Its rear on July 24 two soviet armies Simultaneously hit its southern flank

Okw ordered the 9th german army to Defend warsaw with only one division Rokossovsky’s armored columns easily Penetrated this thin force and reached The east bank of the Vistula at Devon And polo a motorized Soviet columns were Pouring west from aponavicius behind Manteuffel 3rd Panzer Army on the 25th Of July 1944 Second Army reported that It could no longer hold breasts but was Encircled Magra means motorized columns Which had passed 3rd Panzer armies left Flank turned north and in a 48 mile a Night – captured Joe GABA and cut the Last rail link – now fictional army Group North 3rd Panzer Army itself in Trouble did not have adequate forces to Halt the Soviet advance 9 rifle Divisions and two guards tank corps bell On the right flank of 3rd Panzer army South of canosa on the 29th of July on The same day rokossovsky’s tanks drove North past wassail Soviet forces were Within six and a half mile Of that city in the southeast and had Captured Waller 12 miles to the Northeast on the 30th of July 44 third Panzer Army’s flank collapsed and the Soviet advance to Mariupol Only 18 miles from the East Prussian Border general Reinhardt withdrew his Troops during the night behind the neva Us a river nine miles to the west and Then on the next day of the 31st of July

44 Soviet mechanized forces reached the Gulf of Riga trapping what was left to Army group North in the Warsaw area the 8th guards army seized a bridgehead near Magnus ooh Well the first tagged army began Ferrying troops and tanks across the Vistula at Barron L now the Reds cave Wanted the Krauts so fast and drove so Far they ran out of supplies they Stopped at the Baltic and the tanks in Front of Warsaw area ground to a halt Short of gasoline Turia cuffs keys third Belarusian army group did not move Against East Prussia through the gap Between Mary and Paul and Kaunas after It captured velka viscus nine miles from The border The Soviets having advanced in some Places more than 145 miles since the Capture of Minsk and about 335 miles Since the beginning of the operation in All and had simply outrun their supplies On the 1st August of 1944 the London Anti-communist poles launched their Warsaw Uprising to stop a tank over by The busco poles who of course were all Communists Stalin had no interest in Helping the London poles it was time to Resupply anyway so it was a simple Choice to make for the Reds let the Anti-communist poles handle the Situation they had created meanwhile the Crowds took advantage of the red slow

Down Modell’s took advantage of the Soviet slow dead and established a Continuous 400 mile front from around Saw a to the Vistula your Cool then 39 fascist divisions and Brigades faced one third of the Red Army Strength on the Rebs Western Front On the 3rd August of 1944 bull Dale sent Hitler and optimistic report he said That by August 15th he would assemble Sufficient forces to a stack attack Every established contact with Army Group North but this was a subterfuge For the imminent collapse of that So-called army groups collapsed to be Blamed on Hitler 16th of August 1945 Witnessed a renewed Red Army offensive Featuring the 3rd Belarusian front three Armies attacking the right flank of the 3rd Panzer Army as August ended in the Zones of Army Group north center and North Ukraine the Soviet armies took up A defensive posture ending the 1944 Offensive the Soviets had bridgeheads on The Vistula and Baron Al and at mangas Ciroc and rosanne on the 2nd of October 1944 the anti a trade insurgents in Warsaw capitulated to the blue Nazis Bagration North had cost the crowd army About a quarter of its Eastern Front Manpower German losses were 300,000 Killed or missing 120,000 captured 250,000 wounded and an enormous and Irreplaceable loss of equipment the

Krauts never recovered from the disaster Between the Tapscott warsaw the final Destruction of three armies of Army Group center was the most calamitous Defeat suffered by the Germans at World War two the Soviets could still sit Calmly on the Vistula reorganizing and Resupplying their forces supremely Confident of their ability to drive to The Oder and nice rivers and on to Berlin the Reds were supremely confident Because while the Red Army had been Winning the war in the north that we Have just reviewed it had also been Winning in the south liberating the Balkans at Easter Central Europe that We’re going to review in the next Lecture And that brings us to a conclusion of This one