First Jassy–Kishinev offensive
The first Jassy–Kishinev offensive, named after the two major cities Jassy and Kishinev in the area, was a series of military engagements between 8 April and 6 June 1944 (according to David Glantz) by the Soviets and Axis powers of World War II. Richard C. Hall also refers to a first Jassy–Kishinev operation which began on 5 April, without providing an exact date for its end.[6] According to Glantz, the purported offensive was 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.[7]
This article is about the April–June 1944 offensive. For the later operation, see Second Jassy–Kishinev offensive.
Glantz claims that the plans of the main command of the Soviet military (Stavka) envisioned 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.[8] Glantz considers 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,[9] mainly due to the poor combat performance of Soviet troops and the effectiveness of German defensive preparations.
Glantz claims this operation is part of a series of battles almost completely ignored by Soviet archival records and historiography:[10] "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 Jassy–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."[10]