Battle of Smolensk (1943) The second Battle of Smolensk (7
August–2 October 1943) was a Soviet strategic offensive
operation conducted by the Red Army as part of the Summer-Autumn
Campaign of 1943. Staged almost simultaneously with the Lower
Dnieper Offensive (13 August–22 September), the offensive lasted
two months and was led by Generals Andrei Yeremenko commanding
the Kalinin Front and Vasily Sokolovsky commanding the Western
Front. Its goal was to clear the German presence from the
Smolensk and Bryansk regions. Smolensk had been under German
occupation since the first Battle of Smolensk in 1941. Despite
an impressive German defense, the Red Army was able to stage
several breakthroughs, liberating several major cities including
Smolensk and Roslavl. As a result of this operation the Red Army
was able to start planning for the liberation of Belarus.
However, the overall advance was quite modest and slow in the
face of heavy German resistance, and the operation was therefore
accomplished in three stages: 7–2