April 1944

Eastern Front

The Stavka implements a number of command and formation changes. Meretskov is appointed to command the Karelian Front (7th and 32nd Armies west and north of Lake Onega). North of Leningrad the 21st Army has joined the Leningrad Front alongside the 23rd Army. The Leningrad Front forces south of the city, facing the German 18th Army, are redesignated Operational Group Narva (2nd Shock and 8th Armies). South of Lake Peipus is the new 3rd Baltic Front under Gen Maslennikov, with Eremenko's 2nd Baltic Front to its left and Bagramyan's 1st Baltic Front on the southern flank.

New 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts are raised north of the 1st Belorussian in the place of the now defunct West Front. Sokolovsky commands the 3rd Belorussian and Gen Zakharov the 2nd. Rokossovsky retains command of the 1st on the long southern flank from Bobruisk to Kovel.

During April the Germans have committed 1 SS panzer grenadier and 1 infantry division to the line but loses 1 panzer, 3 infantry and 1 Luftwaffe division from their order of battle, leaving the Ostheer with 22 panzer, 10 panzer grenadier and 137 infantry divisions.

In the far north, Dietl's 20th Mountain Army, fighting in the Arctic Circle, has 85,000 men, while in Finland there are 350,000 Finnish soldiers, 180,000 of whom are in the combat line. Despite its heavy defeat before Leningrad in the early months of 1944, Army Group North still deploys 350,000 men while Army Group Center has around 580,000. In the Ukraine, Army Group North Ukraine deploys 423,000 men while South Ukraine has 360,000. Fighting the partisans in Yugoslavia and Greece the Germans have another 163,000 men.