The 2nd Belorussian Front (, Vtoroi Belorusskiy Front, also romanized "Byelorussian"), was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army group.

It was created in February 1944 as the Soviets were pushing the Germans back towards Byelorussia. General Colonel Pavel Kurochkin was its first commander. On hiatus in April 1944, its headquarters were reformed from the army headquarters of the disbanding 10th Army. They took part in the capture of Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany.

History

The 2nd Belorussian Front was formed on the western axis on 24 February 1944 in accordance with a Stavka directive of 17 February, and included the 47th, 61st, 70th Armies, supported by the 6th Air Army and the Dnieper Flotilla. General-polkovnik Pavel Kurochkin was appointed its commander. The field headquarters of the army was formed from that of the Northwestern Front. Subsequently, the 69th Army joined the front. Between 15 March and 4 April the front conducted the Polesskoe offensive, during which it defeated the German troops around Kovel and created conditions for the offensive on the Brest and Lublin axis. After the conclusion of the offensive, the front was disbanded on 5 April, its troops transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front, and the field headquarters withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command.thumb|Soldiers of the front on a halt, 1944The front was reformed on 24 April in accordance with a Stavka directive of 19 April, including the 33rd, 49th, and 50th Armies from the Western Front, under the command of General-polkovnik Ivan Petrov. The field headquarters of the army was formed from that of the 10th Army. In May the front's troops took part in localized fighting in Belorussia. Petrov was replaced in command by General-polkovnik Georgy Zakharov in June. The front conducted the Mogilev offensive during the first phase of Operation Bagration between 23 and 28 June, with its troops forcing the Dnieper in all sectors and liberating Mogilev on 26 June. Continuing the advance, the front took part in the Minsk offensive between 29 June and 4 July, mopping up remains of Army Group Centre's Fourth Army under the command of General von Tippelskirch and the remains of the Ninth Army in a large pocket southeast of Minsk. The front continued driving west in the Belostok offensive from 5 July, which culminated in the liberation of Białystok on 27 July. Between August and November the front's forces liberated western Belorussia, reached the Polish and East Prussian borders, and captured the Rozan bridgehead on the west bank of the Narew, north of Warsaw. Most of the NGF's forces were drawn from the 2nd Belorussian Front, along with some elements of the 1st Byelorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts.

Component armies

The Armies that were part of the 2nd Belorussian Front included:

  • 2nd Shock Army
  • 19th Army
  • 49th Army
  • 50th Army
  • 65th Army
  • 70th Army
  • 5th Guards Tank Army
  • 4th Air Army

Notes

References

  • Antill, P., Battle for Berlin: April – May 1945, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_berlin.html