This Soviet-produced documentary film shows the Red Army’s long offensive of 1944 that led to victory against the Fascist Wehrmacht. It contains fascinating footage, rarely seen in the west. (The film covers early 1944 through January of 1945.)
Narrator: “Soviet military forces fully obtained strategic initiative by 1944. The final victorious period of the war between the Soviet Union and Fascist Germany began. Military leaders planned to start a large offensive campaign from White Sea to Black Sea in 1944 since the political background was favorable. Winter campaigns of 1944 were supposed to defeat the enemy near Leningrad and Novgorod, in Ukraine and Crimea. (01.39) The attack near Leningrad was the first. The Red Army defeated the enemy and finally put an end to the siege of Leningrad. 900 days of suffering were over. (02.37) In winter and spring of 1944, Soviet forces launched an offensive in the Right-Bank Ukraine. 93 divisions of the enemy were located there, the biggest strategic force. 10 divisions were destroyed during the most important operation of the first stage, the enemy lost access to Dnepr. Our forces reached the border of Romania on March 26, all the military action moved outside of our motherland. (04.34) The Right-Bank Ukrainian campaign lasted for 3.5 months, many tank divisions were involved. Its success provided suitable conditions for the liberation of Crimea. On April 8, 1944, our forces began the Crimean operation. The enemy was unprepared for a forceful attack. It took Soviet forces only five days to retake Sevastopol, while Hitler’s army had spent 250 days on taking it over. (07.01)
The success of USSR’s military campaigns proved that our country alone could fight the Fascists, which forced the Allies to open a second front in Europe. (07.33) On June 6, 1944, English-American forces landed in northern France. Nevertheless, the Soviet-German front remained the most important one. In summer 1944, the Soviet Army launched an offensive in Belorussia. The enemy was surrounded by four fronts. By June 27, a 30,000 division near Vitebsk was eliminated. (12.15) By June 29, a 40,000 group of German soldiers was defeated near Bobruisk. On July 3, the capital of Soviet Belorussia, Minsk, was liberated. (14.50) By July 4, a 100,000 group of the enemy forces was surrounded to the east of Minsk. By July 11, it was completely destroyed. (15.40)
Our forces kept moving in the western direction during the second half of July and in August. (17.09) They reached Poland and the border of East Prussia. As a result of a campaign in Belorussia, it was fully liberated, as well as parts of the Baltic states and eastern regions of Poland. (18.08) Overall, 4 million people, 60,000 weapons and mortars, 7,500 tanks, and more than 9,000 planes took part in it. (18.40) The new attack was launched in Moldova and Romania. From 25 to 29 of August, Soviet military destroyed 17 divisions of the enemy that had been surrounded, and simultaneously kept moving in the direction of Bucharest. (21.16)
On August 31, Soviet forces entered Bucharest. Soon, Soviet soldiers would be welcomed in many European cities, welcomed as good news of freedom, as friends and brothers. Many nations and countries gained access to freedom, independence, and social progress thanks to the success of the Soviet military campaigns. In general, by the beginning of 1945, the political situation was very favorable for the USSR and Soviet forces, and very disadvantageous for Fascist Germany, which was experiencing a crisis symbolizing a near catastrophe. (23.21) During the summer and autumn of 1944, Germany lost 1,600,000 soldiers at our front. Italy, Romania, and Bulgaria ended their allegiance with Germany and launched military campaigns against it. (23.52) English and American forces freed the Netherlands and Belgium from the Fascist forces. On January 17, 1945, Warsaw was liberated. On February 13, attack on Budapest was finished. In two more months, one more European capital, Vienna, was liberated by the Soviet army. (29.30)
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
