Gulf^ of^ Finland
B
a
l
t
i
c
S
e
a
Sea of
Azov
Prut
Bug
Dniester
Dnieper
Bug
Vi
st
ul
a
Pripet
Do
n
D
on
et
s
Dvina
Lake
Ladoga
Lake
Ilmen
Valdai Hills
Lake
Peipus
CR
IM
EA
B
ES
SA
RA
BI
A
BELORUSSIA
EAST
PRUSSIA
LATVIA
ESTONIA
U
S
S
R
FI
N
L
A
N
D
H
U N G A R Y
LI
TH
UA
NIA
G R
E A
T
E
R
G E
R M
A
N
Y
GE
N
ER
A
L^
GO
VE
RN
M
EN
T
RO
M
A
N
IA
U
K
R
A
I
N
E
Army Group
North
North-West Front
Kalinin Front
Bryansk
Front
Center Front
Steppes
Front
Voronezh Front
South
Front
West Front
Volkhov Front
Leningrad Front
South-West
Front
Army Group
Center
Army Group
North Ukraine
Army Group
South Ukraine Army
Group A
German
17th Army
Novgorod
Leningrad
Maladzyechna
Novorossiysk
Staraya Russa
Novozybkov
Velikiye Luki
Sevastopol
Lubny
Fastov Lyutezh
Michurinsk
Chernobyl
Chernivtsi
Zhytomyr
Mykolaiv
Perekop
Smolensk
Cherkassy
Korosten
Babruysk
Belgorod
Mariupol
Białystok
Konotop
Balashov
Memel Moscow Arzamas
Warsaw
Tarnopol
Helsinki
Bryansk
Vyazma
Grodno
Kharkov
Odessa
Murom
Volkhov
Poltava
Orsha
Narva
Mazyr
Rzhev
Pskov
Kerch
Kursk
Kovel
Sumy
Tartu
Lutsk
Kirov
Brest-Litovsk
Orel
Luga
Kalinin
Kiev
Riga
Tula
Rostov
180 TURNING THE TIDE 1943–1944
Encircled German forces
Soviet-held territory by Mar 2, 1944
Soviet-held territory by Apr 17, 1944
PUSHING AGAINST AXIS BORDERS
MARCH–APRIL 1944
By March 1944, Soviet forces had reached the
border with Estonia. In the far south, they reached
the Bug River in March and approached the
border with Romania in April. The port of
Odessa, Ukraine, was taken on April 10.
4
△ Soviet momentum
The Red Army launched new offensives in the
wake of the Battle of Kursk. This propaganda
poster, distributed in July 1943, reads “Over
enemy land, forward to victory!”
Soviet bomber
attacks
Soviet attacks
German evacuation
route
LIBERATION OF CRIMEA
APRIL–MAY 1944
As the Soviets advanced through southern
Ukraine, the German 17th Army became trapped
in Crimea. The Soviets attacked Crimea on April
8, both from the north and from the east across
the Sea of Azov. By May 9, Sevastopol’s German
garrison had surrendered, and the surviving Axis
troops fled to Romania under heavy Soviet
bomber and submarine attack.
5
Mar 1, 1944
Soviets reach the
Estonian border.
Apr–May 1944 Romanian and
German warships evacuate
113,000 Axis troops from
Sevastopol in Crimea.
Apr 17, 1944
The Soviets
occupy Tarnopol.
Jan 27, 1944
The lengthy siege
of Leningrad is
ended when the
railroad line to
Moscow is cleared.
Jan 19, 1944
Novgorod is
recaptured
by the Soviets.
Jan 19, 1944 Fearing
encirclement, the
German Army Group
North is forced to
retreat into Latvia.
Jun 10, 1944 The
Soviets breach Finnish
defensive lines.
Nov 6, 1943
Kiev falls to
the Soviets.
Mar 15, 1944 Soviets
reach the Bug River in
southern Ukraine.
Sep 25, 1943
The Germans
withdraw behind the
Panther–Wotan Line.
Sep 30, 1943
The Soviets begin
to cross the
Dnieper River
along a 500-mile
(800-km) front.
May 9, 1944
Sevastopol falls
to the Soviets
as the German
garrison surrenders.
Apr 8, 1944
The Soviets
cross into
northern
Crimea.
Sep 25, 1943
The Soviets
take Smolensk.
US_180-181_Soviets_sweep_forwards.indd 180 20/03/19 2:18 PM