Grodno (1939). 2 October The Battle of Kock begins with a German advance. 6 October The Battle of Kock ends with the surrender of defending Polish forces. This is the final significant military resistance to the German or Soviet invasions. 1940 Spring Dr. Franz Six, a former professor of political science and head of the Vorkommando (SS forward unit) for Einsatzgruppe B (Einsatzgruppen), made contact with the local branch of the Belarusian "self-help" organization in Warsaw and put together a task force of some thirty to forty trusted Belarusians to serve as guides, administrators and informers. 1941 22 June Operation Barbarossa launched — Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, including Byelorussian SSR. 22 June – 9 July Battle of Białystok-Minsk — Soviet 3rd and 10th armies encircled. 10 July – 10 September Battle of Smolensk — Soviet 16th and 20th armies encircled. August Following bloody encirclement battles, all of the Byelorussian SSR territory was occupied by Nazi Germany. Battle of Vyazma-Bryansk. 13 October - establishment of the Belarusian Self-Help (Беларуская Самапомач), a nationwide Belarusian charitable organisation offering medical assistance and material support to the local population. 1942 January – April Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive (1942) — disastrous Soviet attempt to cut off the Rzhev salient. 10 May Maly Trostenets extermination camp. July First Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive in Russia. July - establishment of the Maly Trascianiec extermination camp November – December Second Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive — another disastrous Soviet attempt to cut off Rzhev salient; Georgy Zhukov's worst defeat. 24 December - padre Vincent Hadleŭski, a leader of the Belarusian antifascist pro-independence movement, executed by Nazis in Maly Trascianiec 1943 March - Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive (1943) in Russia. 22 July - establishment of the Union of Belarusian Youth, an influential nationalist group 30 July In the largest partisan sabotage action of the entire Second World War, the so-called Asipovičy diversion: four German trains with supplies and Tiger tanks were destroyed. August Donbas strategic offensive (August 1943) August Battle of Belgorod. Battle of Smolensk (1943). October Battle of Lenino. 5 December: assassination of Vaclaŭ Ivanoŭski, mayor of Minsk December: establishment of the Belarusian Central Rada, a Belarusian self-government. 1944 22 June - the Second All-Belarusian Congress took place in Minsk Opera a few days before the city was recaptured by the Red Army. The Congress gathered 1,039 delegates from all Belarusian provinces and proclaimed the independence of Belarus. 28 June The SS assigned a special train that