Minsk offensive
1944 battle on the Eastern Front of World War II
The Minsk offensive (Russian: Минская наступательная операция) was part of the second phase of the Belorussian strategic offensive of the Red Army in summer 1944, commonly known as Operation Bagration.
The Red Army encircled the German Fourth Army in the city of Minsk. German dictator Adolf Hitler ordered the Fourth Army to hold fast, declaring the city to be a fortified place (fester Platz) to be defended even if encircled.
The Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army attacked from the north-east, while the 2nd Guards Tank Corps moved in from the east, and the 65th Army advanced from the south. About 100,000 Axis soldiers from the Fourth and Ninth Armies were encircled, of whom some 40,000 were killed and most of the rest captured. The result was a complete victory for the Red Army, the liberation of Minsk, and the rapid destruction of much of the German Army Group Centre.
Role in the conflict
The capturing of Minsk played an important role in Operation Bagration and in WWII itself. The destruction of the 4th Army freed up more men to fight towards the end of WWII.
Planning
Operational goals
The role of the 3rd Belorussian Front in the first phase of Operation Bagration was essentially complete by 28 June, when the cavalry-mechanised units halted at the Berezina. The same day, with the initial objectives fulfilled, Stavka issued a new order, No. 220124.
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