When was Army Group Centre created?
Army Group Centre was officially created on the 18th of December 1940, when Adolf Hitler issued Führer Directive 21 ordering German forces to prepare for an attack on Soviet Russia.
Questions about Army Group Centre
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who commanded Army Group Centre during World War II?
Army Group Centre was commanded in succession by Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, Field Marshal Ernst Busch, Field Marshal Walter Model, and finally Ferdinand Schörner, who deserted on the 8th of May 1945 after Germany's surrender.
What was Operation Bagration and how did it affect Army Group Centre?
Operation Bagration was the Soviet summer offensive launched on the 22nd of June 1944 against Army Group Centre, the third anniversary of Germany's own invasion. The attack by 185 divisions and 2.3 million soldiers destroyed most of the 850,000-strong Army Group Centre, resulting in over 450,000 German casualties killed, wounded, or captured.
How many soldiers were captured east of Minsk during Operation Bagration?
57,000 German soldiers were captured east of Minsk. Stalin ordered them paraded through Moscow on the 17th of July 1944 as proof of the scale of the Soviet victory.
What anti-partisan operations did Army Group Centre conduct in Belarus?
Army Group Centre conducted several major anti-partisan operations in its rear areas. Operation Bamberg in spring 1942 killed at least 5,000 people south of Bobruisk. Operation Fruhlingsfest in spring 1944 near Polotsk recorded around 7,000 deaths, and Operation Kormoran between Minsk and Borisov recorded around 7,500 deaths.
How did Army Group Centre end the war in 1945?
Army Group Centre, by then a redesignated formation, fought in the defence of Slovakia and Bohemia-Moravia and sustained 140,000 casualties between January and February 1945. Some elements resisted until the 11th of May 1945, surrendering to Soviet forces during the Prague Offensive. Commander Ferdinand Schörner deserted on the 8th of May and was arrested by Americans in Austria on the 18th of May 1945.