Total War by Michael Jones

Author:Michael Jones [JONES, MICHAEL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Murray
Published: 2011-09-05T16:00:00+00:00

The Red Army struck its first blow against Vitebsk. On the night of 22 June troops from the First Baltic and Third Belorussian Fronts stormed the town’s outlying defence positions. The German garrison was soon in deadly danger. On 23 June Colonel General Hans-Georg Reinhardt asked permission to pull Wehrmacht forces back. Field Marshal Busch – making a rapid return from his holiday – countermanded Reinhardt and insisted Vitebsk be held. On 25 June Soviet troops encircled the town. That evening Hitler grudgingly authorized a partial withdrawal – leaving a division to man Vitebsk’s defences – but the decision came too late. The German break-out attempt was cornered in a forest southwest of the city, and the troops annihilated by artillery fire and air strikes. Vitebsk’s depleted garrison was overrun the following day.

As Operation Bagration was unleashed, Hans Jürgen Hartmann, a German officer with XXXIX Panzer Corps, recorded in his diary on 23 June 1944: ‘In the central section of our front, the Russians have begun another major offensive. They have often given themselves a bloody nose attacking Orsha and Vitebsk, so we remain quite confident. Nevertheless, our thoughts go out to our fighting comrades.’

By the following day, Hartmann was less optimistic:

I visited the HQ to find out more news of the Russian offensive against Army Group Centre. Things have been rapidly worsening since 22 June, the enemy’s attack is widening – and every day the situation looks more serious … Here everything is quiet for the moment, but all of us suspect that it will not last much longer – our army bulletins warn that strong enemy tank and infantry forces have penetrated east of Mogilev – pushing forward on both sides of the motor highway – aiming for Vitebsk.

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