OPERATION BAGRATION/LIBERATION OF MINSK

“...an accessible, well-written, lightweight account of the initial phases of the operation. The maps and photos provide a good basic overview and flavor for the operation.” – AMPS

Often overshadowed by D-Day Operation Bagration, the code name for the Red Army's summer offensive of 1944, broke the back of the Axis on the Eastern Front. Coincidentally beginning on the third anniversary of Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, Bagration demonstrated that the Red Army had learnt the lessons of mobile warfare and was capable of putting them into ruthless practice. A series of well-coordinated attacks combined with major partisan strikes struck the defence lines of Army Group Centre in Belarus. Weak in armour and air support AGC had not been the target Hitler had anticipated that the Soviets would chose for this operation. It was only when the Red Army had almost outrun its supply lines and panzer formations had be relocated from elsewhere on the Eastern Front in early July that the Germans managed to defend effectively.

 However, this book only covers the fighting until the liberation of Minsk in early July. The Soviet's summer offensive would not officially end until the last week of August by which time Finland had sued for an armistice, Romania had switched sides and the German forces had been savaged, holding a line hundreds of kilometres to the west of its original positions outside the gates of Warsaw

Nik Cornish is a former head teacher whose passionate interest in the world wars on the Eastern Front and in Russias military history in particular has led to a series of important books on the subject including Images of Kursk, Stalingrad: Victory on the Volga, Berlin: Victory in Europe, Partisan Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-1944, The Russian Revolution: World War to Civil War 1917-1921, Hitler versus Stalin: The Eastern Front 1941-1942 Barbarossa to Moscow, Hitler versus Stalin: The Eastern Front 1942-1943 Stalingrad to Kharkov and Hitler versus Stalin: The Eastern Front 1943-1944 Kursk to Bagration.