The Trains Must Run

As enemy forces closed in on Minsk, it was imperative for the Germans to keep the rail lines open. Not only for supplies but more importantly to evacuate the wounded. Arriving to help was the 5th Panzer Division…

1944-07-02

RB5

As enemy forces closed in on Minsk, it was imperative for the Germans to keep the rail lines open. Not only for supplies but more importantly to evacuate the wounded. Arriving to help was the 5th Panzer Division and it's subordinate 505th Heavy Panzer Battalion. A series of titanic clashes unfold North of the city between the desperate defenders and the onrushing mass of Soviet might.

Minsk, Russia

The Minsk Offensive was part of the second phase of the Belorussian strategic offensive of the Red Army in summer 1944, commonly known as Operation Bagration. The Red Army encircled the German Fourth Army in the city of Minsk. Hitler ordered the Fourth Army to hold fast, declaring the city to be a fortified place and defended even if encircled. The Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army attacked from the north-east, while the 2nd Guards Tank Corps moved in from the east, and the 65th Army advanced from the south. About 100,000 Axis soldiers from the Fourth and Ninth Armies were encircled, of whom some 40,000 were killed and most of the rest captured. The result was a complete victory for the Red Army, the liberation of Minsk, and the rapid destruction of much of the German Army Group Centre.

Wikipedia: Minsk Offensive

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