| Summary/Abstract |
Of the numerous events that comprised the Russo-German conflict of 1941–1945 but have since been almost forgotten, one of the most significant may have been the Soviet offensive that swept across the western Ukraine during the spring of 1944. Generally referred to as the second stage of the Soviet Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive Operation, in reality this offensive had a major, if usually unappreciated, influence upon the course of the Second World War. By closely examining the impact it had upon the German Wehrmacht, specifically in terms of German force dispositions and resource allocations, this article argues that the Soviet spring offensive in the western Ukraine played a major role in shaping the subsequent course of events in both Normandy and across the Eastern Front during the summer of 1944.
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