Re: Importance of Operation Bagration and Operation Cobra
On Bagration:
The heaviest tank fighting took place to the NW of Minsk. The main strength of the German 5th Panzer division, supported by Tiger tanks of sPzAbt 505, fought a costly series of battles on 1st and 2nd July against elements of Rotmistrovīs 5th Guards Tank Army. In a week of fighting , the 5th Panzer division claimed to have destroyed 295 Soviet armoured vehicles of which 128 were credited to Tigers. By July 8, the 5th Panzer Division had been reduced from 125 tanks to 18, and all ( 29 to start with ) of the Tigers had been lost.
Also the Germans were at the time of Bagration re-equipping their panzer arm, as several of the AGCīs panzer regiments were in Germany receiving new Panthers. The small number of Panther tanks was due to the higher priority that had been given to the Western Front since November 1943.
Air superiority was never in doubt during Bagration for the Soviets. Luftwaffe had only 40 fighters at the beginning of the campaign.
From Bagration 1944 by Zaloga
__________________
|