Belorussian Strategic Direction
Through the ProgresS of operations by the Red Army in the European Theatre and their increased complexity, from the second half of 1943 there was an increasing reduction in the size of forces commanded by Front commanders. Coordination of several fronts within the Teatre was vested with a senior of several Front commanders, and the Belorussian Strategic Direction allowed this on the narrower front. Although it possibly briefly existed during the immediate period after the start of war in 1941, the strategic direction came into being in the Summer of 1943 when the Belorussian Front was divided into three. The Belorussian Strategic Direction usually comprised the three Fronts until May 1945, although on occasion other Fronts such as the 1st Baltic Front during the Rogachev-Zhlobinsk offensive operation were subordinated to it for specific operations.
3rd Belorussian Front Commanders:
- General-Colonel, later General of the Army I.D. Chernyakhovskiy (April 1944 - February 1945) Killed in combat on February 18 in the region Melzak
- Marshal A.M. Vasilevsky (February - April 1945)
- General of the Army I.Kh. Bagramyan (April - August 1945)
2nd Belorussian Front
- General-Colonel P.A. [[Kurochkin] (February - April 1944)
- General-Colonel, I.E. Petrov (April - June 1944)
- General-Colonel, General of the Army G.F. Zakharov (July - November 1944)
- Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky (November 1944 - June 1945)
1st Belorussian front
- General of the Army , later Marshal K.K. Rokossovskiy (February - November 1944)
- Marshal G.K. Zhukov (November 1944 - June 1945)
Operations
The Fronts of the Strategic Direction participated in the following operations during its existence:
- Polesskaya offensive operation
- Rogachev-Zhlobinsk offensive operation
- Vitebsk-Orshansk offensive operation
- Mogilev offensive operation
- Bobruysk offensive operation
- Minsk offensive operation
- Vilnyus offensive operation
- Belostock offensive operation
- Lublin-Brest offensive operation
- Kaubas offensive operation
- Osovetsk offensive operation
- Warsaw-Poznan offensive operation
- Insterburg-Konigsberg offensive operation
- Mlavsk-El'ba offensive operation
- Rastenburg-Heilsberg offensive operation
- Braunsberg offensive operation
- Assault of Konigsberg offensive operation/Battle of Königsberg
- Zemland offensive operation
- Danzig offensive operation
- Arnsval'de-Kolberg offensive operation
- Al'tdam offensive operation
- Stettin-Rostock offensive operation
- Zeelow-Berlin offensive operation
- Brandernburg-Ratenow offensive operation
Sources and references
- Похлебкин, В.В., Великая война и несостоявшийся мир. М., 1997. cc. 202-208
Pokhlebkin, V.V., The Great War and the unmaterialised Peace. Moscow, 1997, pp.202-208 (for names of commanders only)
- Захаров М.В. Генеральный штаб в предвоенные годы. — М.: Воениздат, 1989
Zakharov, M.V. General Staff in the pre-war years, Moscow, Voenizdat., 1989 (chapter 6)2