This attack began on the morning of 22 June, 1944, three years to the day after the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union.

It pitted over 2,000,000 Soviet soldiers in 200 divisions with 6000 tanks and massed artillery against the 34 German divisions of Army group center. This resulted in the death or capture of nearly 350,000 German troops and brought the Soviet forces to the gates of Warsaw in less than 6 months. Operation Bagration also cut off and isolated the German units fighting in east Prussia, and allowed the Soviet Union to advance into the Balkans.

The Germans had transferred units to meet the invasion of Normandy two weeks before. Four Soviet “Fronts” (i.e. Armies) totaling over 120 divisions smashed into the thinly-held German line.

The Soviets achieved a ratio of ten to one in tanks and seven to one in aircraft. At the points of attack, the numerical and quality advantages of the Soviets were overwhelming. The Germans crumbled. Minsk, fell on 3 July, trapping fifty thousand Germans. Ten days later the Red Army reached the prewar Polish border. Overall the annihilation of Army Group Center cost the Germans two thousand tanks, fifty-seven thousand other vehicles and over one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers.

The German army never recovered from the materiel and manpower loses sustained during this time.