August 1944

Eastern Front

The 5th Guards Tank Army deploys north of the 2nd Guards Army to cover Siauliai. The XXXIX and XL Panzer Corps strike the 5th repeatedly but suffer heavy losses in protracted fighting.

The Stavka plans to unleash its next major offensive, this time against the German an Rumanian forces in Rumania. Prior to the attack the German and Soviet forces have been substantially reinforced. The 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts are poised to strike the flanks of the German 6th Army, destroying the 3rd and 4th Rumanian Armies in a campaign that mirrors the destruction of the original 6th as Stalingrad.

Malinovsky's 2nd Ukrainian front comprises the 40th and 27th Armies on the right wing, 52nd and 53rd in the center, and 7th and 4th Guards Armies on the left wing. The 6th Tank Army is in reserve. In all Malinovsky has 771,000 men, 11,000 arty pieces, 1,300 tanks and Su's and 900 aircraft. Tolbukhin's 3rd Ukrainian has 523,000 men, 8,000 arty pieces, 600 tanks and Su's and 1,000 aircraft between the 5th Shock Army on the northern wing, 37th and 46th in the center and 57th Army to the south.

Ths Stavka plan calls for the 2nd Ukrainian Front to crush the Rumanian 4th Army between the Prut and Siret and open up the eft wing of the German 6th Army. Other elements of the 2nd Ukrainian Front is to simultaneously force the German 8th Army to the west, away ftom the 6th Army. The 3rd Ukrainian front is to destroy the 3rd Rumanian Army on the Black Sea coast, unhinging the right flank of the 6th Army. With both its flanks uncovered, the 6th would then be enveloped and destroyed by the inner pincers of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts. The second stage of the offensive will see the 3rd Ukrainian Front seize Bucharest and the Ploesti oilfields crossing the Bulgarian border. Bulgaris is in a unique position of being at war with the Western Allies but not with the Soviet Union. A declaration of war by the Russians as the offensive begins paved the way for the invasion of Bulgaria. Meanwhile, the 2nd Ukrainian Front is to drive Army Group North Ukraine into Hungary, uncovering the rear of the German forces occupying Greece and Yugoslavia.

Friessner's Army Group South Ukraine deploys the 8th Army, 4th Rumanian Army, 6th Army and 3rd Rumanian Army. Wohler's 8th Army is on the left wing covering the Carpathians with the XVII Corps (1 infantry, 1 mountain division), Rumanian VII Corps (2 Rumanian mountain brigades), Rumanian I Corps (2 Rumanian infantry divisions) and LVII Corps (1 German and 2 Rumanian infantry divisions). This gives 8th Army 43,000 German and 112,000 Rumanian troops. Between the Siret and Prut Rivers is Gen Avramescu's 4th Rumanian Army. This force deploys the Rumanian VI Corps (2 Rumanian infantry and 1 German infantry division), Rumanian IV Corps (2 Rumanian and 1 mountain division), and Meith;'s German IV Corps (2 infantry, 1 Rumanian infantry division) with 43,000 German and 88,000 Rumanian soldiers. Fretter-Pico's 6th Army, between the Prut and Dniestr Rivers with 212,000 German and 25,000 Rumanian soldiers, has the VII Corps (2 German and 1 Rumanian infantry divisions), XLIV Corps (4 infantry divisions), LII Corps (3 infantry divisions) and XXX Corps (5 infantry divisions).

On the Black Sea coast there is the 3rd Rumanian Army under Gen Dumitrescu with 14,000 German and 75,000 Rumanian troops. This army comprises the German XXIX Corps (1 Rumanian mountain brigade, 1 infantry division and the German 9th Infantry Division), the Rumanian II Corps (1 infantry division) and the Rumanian III Corps (3 Rumanian infantry divisions). In reserve the 6th Army and its 2 Rumanian armies can call upon the 13th Panzer Division. To support the army group the Germans have the 4th Luftwaffe Kommando with 318 aircraft. In all Army Group South Ukrain deploys 340,000 German and 310,000 Rumanian soldiers and 400 panzer or assault guns. When compared to the 929,000 Soviet troops deployed by the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, the Axis forces are facing odds of three to one.