Eighty years ago a titanic Soviet offensive begins with a hugely successful deception
Once Stalin had the assurance that Britain and the USA were fully commited to the invasion of Europe, he launched Operation B agration (named after a general killed at the Battle of Borodino in the 1812 war), the largest offensive on the eastern front involving 166 Red Army divisions. The intitial thrust was in Byelorussia towards Minsk. Adroit and extensive deception measures had persuaded the Germans that the Soviets would attack north and south of the true area, which gave the Red Army a superiority of 7:1 over the German Army Group Centre on which the assault fell. The Japanese army had persisted in its attacks on Kohima even though there was no prospect of success. This destroyed any hope there might have been of an orderly retreat. The two British-led 14th Army forces relieving the siege met north of Imphal, marking the decisive defeat of the Japanese offensive. All that was left was piecemeal, chaotic withdrawal. At the western end of the Normandy beachhead the US a...