Red Army Retakes Smolensk

Soviet troops recapture Smolensk after offensive operations.

After the German defeat at Kursk, the Soviet command intensified offensives on several sectors. Smolensk remained an important communications hub.

On 25 September, Soviet forces entered the city. German troops withdrew while attempting to preserve an organised defence farther west.

Smolensk had been under occupation since 1941. Liberated areas revealed the severe consequences of occupation policies and wartime destruction.

The advance toward Smolensk altered the situation on the central sector of the Eastern Front ahead of the major operations of 1944.

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