“One of the most outstanding operations”: the Ministry of Defense declassified documents on the liberation of Chisinau from the Nazis

By the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Chisinau from German occupation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation created on its official website a multimedia section dedicated to the Iasi-Chisinau strategic offensive operation of the troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts in cooperation with the forces of the Black Sea Fleet. It was held from August 20 to 29, 1944 and was aimed at the defeat of the southern army of the German Army Group.

So, the agency has published combat plans, operational and intelligence reports, newspaper clippings and much more.

“The key events of the Chisinau operation of August 1944 appear in a detailed diagram with the order of the distribution of troops in the front line, combat reports and reports,” the report said.

In particular, the ultimatum of Army General Fyodor Tolbukhin to the command of the 3rd Romanian Army and the 9th German Division, issued after the liberation of the capital of the Moldavian SSR, was published. Tolbukhin guaranteed, upon the cessation of resistance, to save life and ensure the safety of all those who surrendered, and after the end of the war - to return prisoners of war to any country at their request.

As follows from the data presented, 55.8 thousand German and Romanian soldiers and officers were taken prisoner. At that, initially the fascist group consisted of 197 thousand soldiers and officers, 9.5 thousand machine guns, 1.5 thousand mortars, 800 anti-tank and 190 assault guns, 90 tanks.

The Ministry of Defense also indicates that after the final release of Chisinau from the invaders, it became known about the cruelty and atrocities to which prisoners of war and the civilian population were subjected.

• An article by Major S. Shukhmin’s Guard, “In Chisinau Prison,” published on August 27, 1944 in the newspaper “Soviet Fighter” of the 5th Shock Army
• © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The published materials of the front-line newspapers and military reports became living illustrations of all the horrors committed by the German and Romanian troops.

You can also learn about the "atrocities" of the Nazis from a certificate prepared by the head of the political department of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, Major General Ivan Anoshin.

“The invaders in every possible way suppressed the Moldavian national culture: the opera and drama theaters were barbarously destroyed, most of the schools were closed. The population of the city, which reached 300 thousand under the Soviet regime, fell ten times during the Romanian occupation, ”the document says.

As indicated in the department, the entire population was taken through special courts of the Romanian security service, the “suspicious” were immediately arrested and subjected to severe punishment.

“All Jews were evicted from the city by the Romanians and sent to the Odessa region, where they were subsequently shot. Residents of the city report that “some Soviet citizens German-Romanian monsters dug up alive in the ground,” the note says.

• The certificate prepared by the head of the political department of the 3rd Ukrainian Front reported on the condition of the liberated cities of the Moldavian SSR and atrocities in its capital based on the testimonies of the residents of Chisinau.
• © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

As the Russian Ministry of Defense notes, on August 24, 1944, the 5th shock army under the command of General Nikolai Berzarin took Chisinau. On the same day, the troops participating in the liberation of the capital of the Moldavian SSR were thanked. In honor of this event, a salute of 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns took place in Moscow. In total, over 140 fighters and commanders received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for participating in the battles for the liberation of Moldova.

The Iasi-Chisinau operation was one of the most prominent during the Great Patriotic War, military historian Yuri Knutov said in an interview with RT. According to him, it is unique in many ways.

“Hitler gave the order to turn every captured city into a fortress. Accordingly, the calculation was such that our troops could not break through. But the Soviet command had serious experience, as a result of which this operation was developed. We proceeded from the fact that there was a group consisting of German and Romanian troops, the latter were distinguished by lesser fighting efficiency. Instead of stepping on the shortest distance, it was decided to strike from the flanks precisely on the Romanian troops. When conducting an offensive operation, a double fire shaft was used for the first time in history. Moreover, the fire was so powerful that the German fortifications were almost destroyed. On the dugouts were found dead Romanian and German soldiers who died precisely from the shock wave. Chisinau was taken with complete surprise for the Germans, ”the historian explained.

According to him, the Iasi-Chisinau operation was so well prepared that the Germans did not even assume that the offensive would begin.

“Chisinau was taken quickly, bursting into shoulders, there were feats. One of our sergeants breasted an embrasure. The offensive was swift, aviation was heavily used, the Black Sea Fleet also acted well. The Germans were then demoralized, no one even escaped from captivity. When our troops liberated Chisinau, the population met them with flowers, ”Knutov stated.