Upper Silesian offensive | |||||||
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Part of the Silesian offensives on the Eastern Front of World War II | |||||||
Russian map of the Silesian offensives | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Germany | Soviet Union | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ferdinand Schörner | Ivan Konev | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | 408,400[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 66,801 (including 15,876 irrecoverable)[1] |
The Upper Silesian offensive (Russian: Верхне-Силезская наступательная операция) was a strategically significant Soviet offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II in 1945. It was aimed at capturing the considerable industrial and natural resources located in Upper Silesia and involved forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front under Marshal Ivan Konev. Due to the importance of the region to the Germans, considerable forces were provided to Army Group Centre for its defence and the Germans were only slowly pushed back to the Czech border. Fighting for the region lasted from mid January right until the last day of the war in Europe on May 8, 1945.