Two Faces of One City: Trostenets and the Liberation of Minsk July 3, 1944 — a date that forever divided the history of the Belarusian capital into "before" and "after." Thousands of Minsk residents, who had survived 1100 days and nights under German occupation, took to the streets to welcome their liberators. The city lay in ruins: over 80 percent of buildings were destroyed, streets were littered with debris, and the air still smelt of smoke. But it was the smell of victory. Just a few weeks after the liberation, on the outskirts of Minsk, in the Trostenets ravine, investigative commissions would begin to uncover the terrible truth hidden by the forest thickets. It turned out that next to the city that was celebrating, there was one of the most terrible places on Earth — a death camp, comparable in scale to Auschwitz. Two faces of one city: one — bright and festive, the other — dark and sorrowful. Operation Bagration: A Lightning Strike By summer 1944, the Soviet Army began implementing a plan to liberate Belarus from German fascist occupiers. Operation Bagration, named after the hero of the 1812 War of Liberation, became one of the largest military campaigns of World War II. It began on June 23 and was aimed at destroying Army Group Center — the most powerful German Wehrmacht formation on the Eastern Front. The liberation of Minsk was the climax of the operation. On June 29, troops of the 3rd and 1st Belarusian Fronts delivered converging strikes on the Belarusian capital. The fascists, realizing that the city was doomed, tried to turn it into a fortress, but Soviet tank crews, displaying acts of bravery, burst into Minsk on July 3. By the end of the day, the city was completely cleared of occupiers. The cost of victory was high. Over 100,000 German soldiers were encircled and destroyed in the so-called "Minsk Cauldron." But thousands of Soviet soldiers gave their lives to liberate Belarusian land. Today, July 3 is celebrated in Belarus as Independence Day ... Read more