page_title: Ivan Chernyakhovsky
section_title: Battles for Belarus
hierarchical_section_title: Ivan Chernyakhovsky / World War II / Battles for Belarus
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Накануне битвы за Днепр. Слева направо: член военного совета генерал-майор В.М. Оленин, командующий 60-й армией генерал-лейтенант И.Д. Черняховский и начальник штаба генерал-майор Г.А. Тер-Гаспарян. 1943 г.
context_page_description: Ivan Danilovich Chernyakhovsky was the youngest ever Soviet general of the army. For his leadership during World War II he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union twice. He died from wounds received outside Königsberg at age 37 while in command of the 3rd Belorussian Front.
context_section_description: Operation Bagration was launched after a four-month break in activities because of the spring thaw. The Soviets launched their attack on June 22 on four fronts with 146 infantry and 43 armored divisions. General Bagramyan's 1st Baltic Front and General Chernyakhovsky's 3rd Belorussian Front struck to the north and south of Vitebsk and took the city on June 27. Chernyakhovsky's left wing then took Orsha – this meant that the Moscow–Minsk highway could now be used to threaten the German rear. To the south, General Zakharov's 2nd Belorussian Front, north of the Pripet Marshes, destroyed a force of 70,000 at Babruysk on that day. Chernyakhovsky's army now headed for Minsk. On July 2 his mobile forces reached Stolbtsy within pre-war borders of Poland, 40 miles away. General Rotmistrov's tanks entered Minsk on 3 July and 100,000 Germans were trapped.
  The offensive pressed on to Baranavichy (8 July) and to Grodno (13 July). In the south Rokossovsky cleared the Pripet Marshes taking Pinsk and Kovel on 5 July. In the north Bagramyan turned to the Baltic States and took Vilnius in Lithuania and Daugavpils in Latvia on 13 July. This split the Army Group North in two (East Prussia and the Baltic States). The Soviets arrived on the current Polish border within 24 days and, after 23 days, claimed to have taken 158,000 men, 2,000 tanks, 10,000 guns, and 57,000 motor vehicles. They also claimed to have killed 381,000 Germans. It was a resounding defeat for the Germans and Hitler dismissed Busch from the command of Army Group Centre, replacing him with Model. The Soviets had swept the Germans from Belorussia by mid-July 1944 and they pressed their advantage by attacking Poland. In the north Generals Chernyakhovsky and Zakharov joined to take Białystok on 18 July.
caption: Chernyakhovsky and other members of his military council on the eve of the Battle of the Dnieper, 1943
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