May 1944

Eastern Front

After a last massive assault, the German line on the Khersonnes Peninsula collapses, sealing the fate of 25,000 German soldiers. Nearly 15,000 surrender after a final bloody battle on the cliffs. In all the 17th has evacuated 130,000 of its men from the Crimea but 80,000 have been lost during the battle. The army is scratched off the German order of battle.

The fall of the Crimea allows the Stavka to release the armies of the 4th Ukrainian Front for service on the main combat line. However, most need reinforcement as the battle for the peninsula has cost the 4th Ukrainian Front 13,000 killed and 50,000 wounded and the Coastal Army 4,000 killed and 16,000 wounded.

The US 8th Air Force has begun the concentrated bombing of German oil and fuel production facilities. Germany loses nearly 90% of its fuel production capacity during May alone.

The Stavka develops its plans for the next major offensive against the German. Deceiving them into believing that the main attack will fall in the Ukraine, the Stavka prepares to launch its offensive in Belorussia against Busch's Army Group Center.

For this offensive, code-named BAGRATION, the Soviet armies are considerably strengthened. The 1st Baltic Front receives a new tank corps and the 3rd Belorussian Front the 11th Guards Army and 2nd Guards Tank Corps. The 2nd Belorussian receives a single rifle corps but Rokossovsky's 1st gets the lion's share of the new forces. On his right wing, facing the German 9th Army around Bobruisk, it receives the 28th Army and 4 tank or mechanized corps, while the left wing, projecting out from the Pripet Marshes, receives the 8th Guards and 2nd Tank Armies. The 51st Army and 2nd Guards Army just released from the Crimea, move into the Stavka reserve.

The Stavka has disbanded the 4th Ukrainian Front and, as Tolbukhin no longer has an active command, the front commanders are moved along the line. Koniev takes over the 1st Ukrainian Front, Malinovsky the 2nd and Tolbukhin the 3rd.

The Stavka also prepares for a major offensive against the Finnish armies north of Leningrad. It plans to knock the Finns out of the war once and for all and regain the territory won during the Winter War of 1939-40. Facing the northern perimeter of Leningrad are the II and IV Finnish Corps of the South Eastern Army while the Army of Karelia is dug in along the line of the Svir River between Lakes Onega and Ladoga and to the north. The VII Finnish Corps holds the Svir line and the VI the line north of Lake Onega. By first attacking the South Eastern Army and breaking through its extensive defenses, the Leningrad Front hopes to draw in the Finnish reserve and elements of the Karelian Army. Once this has been achieved, the Soviet Karelian Front will unleash its attack. To overcome the 180,000 Finnish soldiers the Leningrad and Karelian Fronts deploy 450,000 men, 10,000 arty pieces, 800 tanks and Su's and 1,000 Katyusha's. To support the attack there are more than 530 aircraft.