December 24, Vitebsk / Alena Tikhonova - BELTA /. Celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the district's liberation from the Nazi invaders will be held today in the district centre of Gorodok, Vitebsk region, the district executive committee informed a BELTA correspondent.
The main events of the day will be a solemn memorial rally "Let Generations Remember" at the memorial sign to the 12 military units and formations that took part in the liberation of Gorodok, and a festive concert "Keeping Faith with Distant Courage".
Participants of the events will visit the exhibition "Echoes of War" by local artist, WWII veteran, Candidate of Art History, member of the Belarusian Artists Union Anatoly Kovalev at the House of Crafts and Folklore, and will familiarise themselves with the exhibition "Feat. Victory. Memory" at the district local history museum. Documents from the war years, photographs and museum exhibits dedicated to the Gorodok Offensive Operation and its heroes are presented here.
The Gorodok Offensive Operation of the First Baltic Front under the command of Army General I.Kh. Bagramyan lasted from December 12 to 31. As a result, the troops advanced 60 km, defeated 6 infantry and one tank divisions of the enemy, and eliminated the Gorodok salient. On December 24, 1943, the city of Gorodok was liberated, and conditions were created for further offensive operations in the Vitebsk region.
The troops that participated in the liberation of Gorodok were commended. In their honour, a salute of 12 artillery volleys from 124 guns was fired in Moscow. -0-