July 1944

Eastern Front

The 5th Panzer Division comes under heavy attack east of Minsk as the 1st and 3rd Belorussian Fronts draw closer together. Furious fighting rages at Krasnoye and Molodechno, the latter being retaken by 5th Panzer after ferocious fighting with the 3rd Belorussian Front. However, the 31st Army then slices through the German defenses and, supported by the 5th Guards Tank Army, reaches the outskirts of Minsk. Smolovichi falls. The 3rd Army also draws up from the south, outpacing the retreating 9th Army. With the loss of Minsh imminent, Hitler agrees to the evacuation of the city. It was already too late, the bulk of the 4th Army being far to the east.