Three years after the Germans' invasion of the Soviet Union and overshadowed by the Allied landing in Normandy on 6 June 1944, the Soviet Union’s Operation BAGRATION was launched 23 June. After halting the German offensive at Kursk in summer 1943, the Red Army permanently seized the strategic initiative. Continuing into spring 1944, the Red Army liberated almost all of the Ukraine on the southern flank of the Eastern Front and similarly pushed back German forces in the north. In the central sector of the front in Belarus, German Army Group Center under command of Field Marshal Ernst Busch occupied a large bulge facing east, called “Belarus Balcony” by the Soviet High Command..
OF 7 RACE FOR THE BEREZINA: By 28 June, the Red Army steamroller smashed through the German defences of Army Group Centre and were closing in on the city of Minsk. Hastily the Tigers of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 505 was rushed forward to a railway station outside the village of Krupki to block the Russians and keep the highway open.
OF 8 THE FIFTH'S REARGURD: The Russian armoured forces fought a sharp engagement through the night, but finally managed to captured Krupki Station. As day broke, following up mechanized forces continued their westward advance, overtaking German stragglers as they went. The German 14.Infanterie Division left its Infanterie Regiment 11 as a rearguard on the approaches to Borisov, hoping to gain some time to allow the stragglers to get across the Berezina River.
OF 9 FORCING THE BEREZINA: The Soviet juggernaut surged forward, overrunning German defences as it went. The 3rd Byelorussian Front closed on the city Minsk, but was struggling with German's 5.Panzer Division, to find a crossing of the Berezina River. As the Soviet armoured forces probed north of Borisov, they were being rebuffed by German Panzer-Abteilung Aufklarung 5 time after time.
OF 10 BRIDGE OVER THE BEREZINA: The Soviet armoured spearheads were unstoppable - the Germans could only hope to buy time for the evacuation of Minsk. As five rifle divisions of the Soviet 11th Guards Army closed with Berezina River, the lead armoured foreces of the 3rd Guards Tank Corps smashed its way into Borisov, attempting to capture the bridges over the Berezina from the Germans who were trying to hold them open as long as possible to allow forces to evacuate across them.
OF 11 STIFFEST RESISTANCE: The Soviet spearheads were converging on Minsk from three directions (North, East, and South). The Germans' 5.Panzer Division with support of the Tigers of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 505 had mounted an effective defence east of Minsk, centred along the Moscow-Minsk Highway, intended to keep the railway lines open to allow evacuation of the city. The Soviets pushed the 5th Guards Tank Army north attempting to flank the strong German defences.
OF 12 LIBERATION OF MINSK: The Soviet Armoured spearheads closed in on the city from the North, East, and South; standing in their way was 1,800 poorly organized troops who were tasked to keep at bay, while the 35,000 unarmed stragglers, wounded, and rear echelon staff from Army Group Centre Headquarters could flee the city by train. In the early morning hours, the Soviets load up as many infantry as possible on to its tanks raced forward.
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