First Jassy – Kishinev Offensive The First Jassy – Kishinev Offensive , named after the two major cities ( Iași and Chișinău ) in the area , was fought between 8 April and 6 June 1944 by the Soviets and Axis powers of World War II . The offensive was actually a coordinated invasion of Romania conducted by Red Army ' s 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Front s , in accordance with Joseph Stalin ' s strategy of projecting Soviet military power and political influence into the Balkans . According to the plans of the Main Command of the Soviet Military ( " Stavka " ) , the two Soviet fronts would cut off vital Axis defensive lines in Northern Romania , facilitating a subsequent advance by the Red Army into the entire Balkan region . The Soviet attack commenced with the First Battle of Târgu Frumos and the Battle of Podu Iloaiei , and culminated with the Second Battle of Târgu Frumos . Soviet forces failed to overcome German defenses in the region and the offensive operation ultimately failed , mainly due to the poor combat performance of Soviet troops and the effectiveness of German defensive preparations . This operation is part of a series of battles almost completely ignored by Soviet archival records and historiography . According to military historian David Glantz , " During the almost 60 years since the end of World War II , Soviet and Russian military historians and theorists have carefully erased from the historical record any mention of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts ' first Iasi – Kishinev offensive , during which the Red Army ' s two fronts attempted to invade Romania in April and May 1944 . As is the case with so many other military operations the Red Army conducted during the war , they have done this deliberately , in the process relegating this offensive to a lengthy list of " forgotten battles " of the Soviet – German War . " Planning . On 5 March 1944 , Colonel General Ivan Konev — commander of the 2nd Ukrainian Front — commenced the Uman – Botoşani Offensive operation in the Ukraine . This operation succeeded in separating Army Group South ' s 1st " Panzer - Armee " from 8th Army by 17 March . by early April Soviet units approached the Romanian border . Starting with early April 1944 , " Stavka " ordered the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Front s to mount a major offensive with strategic implications in western Romania . " Stavka " s strategic intentions were to break German and Romanian strategic defenses in northern Romania , capture the key cities of Iași and Chișinău , and afterward project forces deep into Romanian territory , if possible as deep as Ploiești and Bucharest . By 5 April , Konev ' s front had crossed the upper reaches of Dniester and Prut rivers , captured Khotyn and Dorohoi , and approached Târgu Frumos and Botoşani regions — northwest of Iași — facing only light Romanian resistance . On 8 April , Konev ordered the 27th and 40th Armies to conduct a coordinated offensive southward along the Târgu Frumos axis , in close cooperation with Semyon Bogdanov ' s 2nd Tank Army . While Konev ' s shock group was advancing toward Târgu Frumos , Konstantin Koroteev ' s 52nd Army and elements of Andrei Gravchenko ' s 6th Tank Army — which were operating north of Iași — were conducting operations alongside the Iași axis in order to support Konev ' s main effort . As Konev ' s armies prepared to launch their offensive toward Târgu Frumos , Otto Wöhler ' s 8th Army was involved in the heavy fighting taking place in and around the village of Popricani , north of Iași , where two Soviet corps were fighting with armored " Kampfgruppe n " , distracting the Germans ' attentions and forces away from the critical Târgu Frumos sector . Exploiting the 52nd Army diversionary operations in the Iași region , the three armies of Konev ' s shock group began advancing southward early in the morning of 8 April . The advance was quite slow due to mud - clogged roads during the " rasputitsa " ( the twice yearly period of water - logged ground ) , as well as crossing to the west bank of the Prut River northwest of Iași . Konev ' s armies ' initial mission was to reach Târgu Frumos , Pașcani , and Târgu Neamț regions — west of Iași — and capture the three towns from their Romanian defenders by surprise . While three divisions of 51st Rifle Corps were ordered to press southward toward Pașcani , another two rifle divisions were protecting their advance in the region north and northwest of Târgu Neamţ . Further to the east , seven rifle divisions assigned to 35th Guards and 33rd Rifle Corps of 27th Army would advance southeastward along the Prut starting on 7 April , forcing the Romanian 8th Infantry Division to retreat toward Hârlău , north of Târgu Frumos . Meanwhile , another two divisions of 33rd Rifle Corps joined by two corps of the 2nd Tank Army would press the Romanian 7th Infantry Division back toward Târgu Frumos .