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In order to bait the Germans into thinking they were attacking the south of the border. Stalin ordered army trucks to retreat from the frontlines towards the south during the day only for them to drive back camouflaged at night.

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Germans relied heavily on land mines

so the night before invasion the soviets sent out minesweepers who managed to clear 34000 mines before dawn

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When the soviets finally attacked, the small remaining German forces facing the soviets tried to rush to support the south but the tanks broke down in the muddy, marshy terrain during the maneuver so the south received no help.

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1. Strategic shift in Eastern Europe:

complete collapse of German Army Group Centre > massive gap in Eastern front > Soviet Union advance deeper into Eastern Europe

2. Weakening of Germany Eastern Front:

German military lost significant portion of its experienced troops, tanks and equipment > Germans unable to effectively recover from losses > overall position on Eastern Front weakened

3. Liberation of German conquered territories:

Soviet Union freed Poland, the Baltic States, parts of Romania and Czech > German forces pushed westwards

4. Red Army approaching Germany borders:

Red Army went to Berlin > Battle of Berlin 1945, fall of German capital, end of WW2 in Europe

5. Impact on Allied Strategy:

lessened pressure on Western Allies by diverting German resources and attention to Eastern Front

timing of Operation Bagaration coincide with D-Day, further stretching German forces

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In order to maximize the chances of success, the maskirovka was a double bluff.

Soviets left four tank armies in the L'vov-Peremyshl area and allowed the Germans to know it.

Soviets were convinced that the Axis powers in Romania needed to be removed and kept the Germans concerned about their defences there and in southern Poland, drawing German forces to the L'vov sector.

The offensive against Army Group Centre which lacked mobile reserves and support created a crisis in the central sector, forcing the German armoured forces north to Byelorussia from Poland and Romania, despite the presence of powerful Soviet concentrations threatening German-occupied Poland

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Soviets used deception tactics such as leaving four tank armies in the L'vov-Peremyshl area and intentionally allowing the Germans to know it.

Once the offensive against Army Group Centre, which lacked mobile reserves and support, had been initiated, it would force the German armoured forces north to Belarus from Poland and Romania and force it to fight against powerful Soviet concentrations.

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Deep penetration of the German frontline:

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Deep penetration of the German frontline:

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Multiple Soviet fronts, primarily the 1st Belorussian Front (under Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky), the 2nd Belorussian Front (under General Georgy Zhukov), and the 3rd Belorussian Front (under General Ivan Chernyakhovsky), attacked along a broad front in Belorussia, with the goal of overwhelming the German defenses.

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Northern Pincer Movement - Vitebsk-Ostrov Offensive: The 1st Baltic Front, commanded by Marshal Ivan Bagramyan, launched an offensive in the north, conducting a pincer movement with the 1st Belorussian Front. This northern offensive aimed to encircle German forces around Vitebsk.

Southern Pincer Movement - Bobruisk Offensive: Simultaneously, the 1st Ukrainian Front, under Marshal Ivan Konev, launched an offensive in the south, conducting a pincer movement with the 1st Belorussian Front. The southern offensive targeted the city of Bobruisk and contributed to the encirclement of German forces.

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The Soviet strategy also involved coordination with partisan forces operating behind German lines. Partisans bombed German supply lines, further adding to the chaos and complicating German efforts to respond effectively.

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1. Logistical Challenges:

The rapid advance of Soviet forces sometimes outpaced their supply lines. The extensive distances covered by the advancing fronts created logistical challenges, leading to difficulties in providing consistent and timely supplies to the advancing troops.

2. Weather conditions

Heavy rains during the latter stages of the operation turned the terrain into mud, Rasputitsa, impeding the movement of both Soviet and German forces. The adverse weather conditions slowed down the Soviet advance and made maneuvering difficult.

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Operation Bagration

- was a 1944 counteroffensive by the soviets against the germans in the eastern front

- took place in 22 june and 19 august 1944

- at the same time the Allies such as the USA and Britain had begun the invasion of German occupied France 2 weeks ago in Normandy

- the allies were also in Italy tying up the axis troops

- the Germans had to fight a battle on three fronts and thus spread thin

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June 23

Operation commenced

a deception attack in the south to fool Germans into thinking main attack will come from the south

main attack was in the Belorussian corridor

first phase of Operation Bagration focused like a trident on three major German positions of Army Group Centre.

Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive

resulted in the towns of Vitebsk and Orsha being liberated while German armies were either pushed back or encircled.

June 23 to 28 1944

Mogilev offensive

Mogilev Offensive fulfilled all its immediate objectives

not only was the city itself taken

4th Army was successfully prevented from disengaging in time to escape encirclement in the Minsk Offensive

Bobruysk offensive

24 June

strategic offensive to the main

2nd phase

retake minsk

complete encirclement of german forces

Minsk offensive

june 28

Polotsk offensive

retaking of polotsk

3rd phase

Šiauliai offensive

Vilnius offensive

Lublin–Brest offensive

Kaunas offensive

Osovets offensive

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750k Russians, 450K Germans

3 weeks of war= total American casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan

The Wehrmacht had redeployed one-third of Army Group Centre's artillery, half of its tank destroyers, and 88 per cent of tanks to the south in anticipation of attack, as well as 18 infantry and mechanized divisions (whole of the reserve

580 German tanks, tank destroyers and self propelled guns vs 4000+ of Russia

Due to this, Germany was deprived of 100,000 personnel and 552 tanks, assault guns and self-propelled guns at the start of Operation Bagration.