History of Warfare Summary 11 - WWII 16: Soviet Advance into Eastern Europe

On the Eastern Front, the Soviet Union's large-scale counteroffensive continued. In 1944, the Soviets launched Operation Bagration in Belarus, inflicting heavy losses on the German Army Group Center. The German forces lost numerous troops and equipment, retreating westward. The Soviet army advanced through Poland and the Baltic region, approaching the German border. Germany's allies, such as Romania and Bulgaria, successively withdrew from the war or switched to the Allied side. In Hungary, German forces strengthened their defenses, but struggled to halt the Soviet advance. In early 1945, the Soviets crossed the Vistula River and launched a massive offensive towards German territory. Germany concentrated its forces on the Eastern Front, but already lacked sufficient resources to continue the war. As the Soviet army pushed towards Berlin, they seized key German industrial areas and transportation networks. With most of Eastern Europe falling under Soviet influence, the post-war political order of Europe underwent significant changes. Germany now faced the challenge of defending its capital from attacks on both its western and eastern fronts.