Battle of Smolensk 1812 year

<> "What were the causes of the Second Battle of Smolensk.

On the Soviet side, Stalin was determined to liberate the German-occupied territories, a process that had begun in late 1942 with Operation Uranus, which led to the liberation of Stalingrad. The Battle of the Dnieper achieved the goal of liberating Ukraine and pushing the southern front westward. However, in order to further weaken the German defenses, Operation Smolensk was carried out at the same time, which would force the Germans to move their reserves to the north, thereby weakening the German defenses in the south.

Both operations were part of the same strategic offensive operation aimed at recovering as much as possible the territory of the Soviet Union that had been controlled by the Germans.

Geographical location. The area of attack is a slightly covered plain, hilly ravine, and with large areas of swamps and forests, which would limit military operations. Its most important hilly heights reached 250 to 270 metres (750 800 ft), sometimes even more, thus improving the defense against artillery.

In 1943, most of the area was covered with pine and mixed forests and thick bushes.

Numerous rivers also pass through the region, the most important of which are the Donetsk Basin, the Western Dvina, the Dnieper, the Desna, the Volost'and the Ugra River. These rivers are not very wide, with divisions ranging from 10 to 120 metres (30 to 360 ft) and not particularly deep, about 40 to 250 cm (1 to 8 ft), respectively. However, the extensive swamps around it are difficult to cross, especially for mechanized troops.

Transport infrastructure.

For the Soviet army, the offensive was further complicated by the lack of adequate transport infrastructure in the region, the road network was not well developed, and paved roads were rare. After the rains, which are common in Russia in the summer, most of them turn into mires (this phenomenon is known as the Everglades), which significantly slows down the advance of mechanized troops and exacerbates logistical problems. As for the railways, the only main railway line available to the Soviet army was the Kwanzev-Vyazma-Kirov line.

On the other hand, the Wehrmacht took control of more of the road network and railway lines, centered on Smolensk and Roslavl. Both cities were important logistics centers, allowing the Germans to receive rapid ** and reinforcements. The most important railway lines for the Germans were the Smolensk-Bryansk line and the Nevel-Orsha-Mogilev line, which linked the German forces concentrated in Orel with their troops to the west.

However, as part of the Soviet plan, the German railway communications were attacked by partisans as a result of the Soviet Army's Operation **, one of the largest railway sabotage operations of World War II.