the main mission of the army in the initial stages was to screen the three german divisions in the triangle formed by the dniepr and berezina rivers, while assisting the breakthrough of 3rd army to the north with an assault by 42nd and 29th rifle corps against the german positions north of rogachev; this would form the northern pincer seeking to encircle the german 9th army. by the evening of 24 june the soviet corps were 5 km west of that town, the 296th infantry division had been overwhelmed, and the breakthrough was being exploited by 9th tank corps into the german rear. advancing towards bobruisk, the army captured zhlobin on 26 june and along with the 65th army destroyed german troops surrounded in the bobruisk area. on 29 june, army troops captured bobruisk. continuing the attack towards baranovichi and brest, 28th, 65th and 48th armies defeated german troops around baranovichi during three days of fighting. at the end of july, the army was south of surazh. during august and early september, the army advanced 150 kilometers and reached the narew by 8 september in the area of ruzhany and pułtusk. the army went on the defensive and transferred to the 2nd belorussian front on 22 september 1944. on 15 december 1944, lieutenant general nikolai gusev became the army's commander.