

HILL 621, Near Minsk, July 1,1944: In late June. 1944, the Soviets began what eventually would be known as the 'destruction of Army Group Center.' The key to this offensive was the city of Minsk. Should it be captured, numerous German units would be hopelessly cut off. One of the key routes for the Gerrnan retreat was via Stolboltsky Highway which ran behind a series of low ridges and then crossed the Herezina River south of Minsk. On July 1st, the much overworked and understrength German 170th Infantry Division, in reality a large battalion, was overwhelmed by elements of Rotmistrov's Filth Guards Army. The survivors took to their heels and attempted to patch together a defense along the last line of ridges overlooking the vital escape route to Minsk. This scenario portrays a typical struggle alongjust one of those ridges. Russians, in probing for a weakness in the German line, have managed to overrun the German held village of Letornovski and are now boiling out towards a key series of ridges that overlook the German lines of communication in this sector. Hurriedly gathered German units converge in an attempt to patch up the line and hold Hill 621 which is the key to the German defense in this sector.
	
Aftermath:The Germans briefly crystallised and held the Russian onslaught. Field Marshall Model formed a regimental Kampfgruppe from remnants of the 4th, 5th, and 12th Panzer Divisions to counterattack the Russian breakthroughs, but there were too many breakthroughs and not enough Germans. Desperately, he sent whatever armor remained to the last ditch fighting along the ridges that flanked the Stolboltsky highway. Gradually one ridge after another was cleared by the Soviets. The remaining German mobile forces darted here and there in an attempt to stabilize one and then another of the ridges, but their efforts were too little, too late. By .July 2nd. both the ridges and the highway were Russian, and on July 3rd, the Soviets entered Minsk, the former headquarters of Army Group Center.


