First Battle of Târgu Frumos
1944 CE.
Shown on the map at 47.231°, 27.001°.
The First Battle of Târgu Frumos was fought during World War II between Axis powers commanded by Otto Wöhler and Soviet forces led by Ivan Konev. Historian David Glantz has described it as part of a failed Soviet invasion of Romania, while Russian and German sources have described it as part of the Târgu Frumos Operation. David Glantz claims that by early April 1944, Stavka (the Main Command of the Soviet Armed Forces) ordered its two major units involved in operations in south-western Ukraine to mount a strategic offensive in north-eastern Romania. General Konev's 2nd Ukrainian Front approached Târgu Frumos and Botoșani regions by 5 April and commenced its offensive towards Târgu Frumos on 8 April. The Romanian 4th Army, under the command of Lieutenant-General Ioan Mihail Racoviță, was charged with the defense of the region. It was being reinforced by German panzer elements of the 24th Panzer Division, and was preparing to hold an initial Soviet advance. However, these defenses proved to be no match for the Soviet assault on the town and by the next day Târgu Frumos had been secured by two 27th Army rifle divisions.
Text from the Wikipedia article First Battle of Târgu Frumos, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.