First Jassy-Kishinev Offensive

First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive

Advance of the Red Army, 1943–1944

Date	8 April–6 June 1944
Location	Eastern Romania
Result	Axis victory

Belligerents

Soviet Union

Commanders and leaders

Strength

300,000 men

830,000 men

Casualties and losses

45,000 casualties

150,000 casualties

The First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive, named after the two major cities (Iași and Chișinău) in the area, refers to a series of military engagements between 8 April and 6 June 1944 by the Soviets and Axis powers of World War II. According to David Glantz, the offensive was supposedly a coordinated invasion of Romania conducted by Red Army's 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts, in accordance with Joseph Stalin's strategy of projecting Soviet military power and political influence into the Balkans.

According to the plans of the Main Command of the Soviet Military (Stavka), the two Soviet fronts would cut off vital Axis defensive lines in Northern Romania, facilitating a subsequent advance by the Red Army into the entire Balkan region. The Soviet attack commenced with the First Battle of Târgu Frumos and the Battle of Podu Iloaiei, and culminated with the Second Battle of Târgu Frumos. Soviet forces failed to overcome German defenses in the region and the offensive operation ultimately failed, mainly due to the poor combat performance of Soviet troops and the effectiveness of German defensive preparations.

This operation is part of a series of battles almost completely ignored by Soviet archival records and historiography. According to military historian David Glantz, "During the almost 60 years since the end of World War II, Soviet and Russian military historians and theorists have carefully erased from the historical record any mention of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts' first Iasi–Kishinev offensive, during which the Red Army's two fronts attempted to invade Romania in April and May 1944. As is the case with so many other military operations the Red Army conducted during the war, they have done this deliberately, in the process relegating this offensive to a lengthy list of "forgotten battles" of the Soviet–German War."

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