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The Soviet Red Army went on the offensive after changing the Second World War’s fortunes with its epic victory at Stalingrad. After other decisive triumphs at Kursk and Leningrad, the USSR was ready to sweep through the Eastern Front.
Soviet forces advanced in the south, driving Nazi Germany out of Ukraine in the spring of 1944. In the summer, the Red Army set its sights north. Operation Bagration, launched on June 22, was aimed at liberating Belarus.
The Red Army mobilized more than 1.5 million soldiers, nearly 4 thousand tanks and 8 thousand aircraft and had the wind in its sails to overwhelm German forces.
The offensive had some initial success, driving back the enemy from its positions, and a key victory was the liberation of Minsk in the early days of July. The Soviets, with assistance from partisans behind enemy lines, advanced on the city from three directions and completely overran the Nazi defenses. The swift movement left 100,000 German soldiers completely encircled and effectively destroyed the Wehrmacht’s Fourth Army.
Operation Bagration ran until August 19 and was a resounding success for the USSR. Not only did it completely liberate Belarus, delivering a huge blow to Nazi Germany in the process, it also set up the Red Army for renewed offensives in the Baltic states and Poland. The end was near for Hitler.
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Texy: Ricardo Vaz. Artwork: Miguel Guerra.