1 9 4 3 . ▁▁ 1 9 4 4 ▁By ▁ 1 9 4 4 , ▁the ▁ 9 th ▁Army ▁was ▁exha usted , ▁but ▁it ▁had ▁received ▁some ▁badly ▁needed ▁rein for c ements ▁and ▁was ▁def ending ▁the ▁area ▁of ▁Bob ru isk ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁that ▁year . ▁On ▁ 2 2 ▁June , ▁the ▁third ▁anni versary ▁of ▁Operation ▁Bar bar ossa , ▁the ▁S ovi ets ▁began ▁their ▁col oss al ▁Operation ▁B agr ation ▁whose ▁overall ▁objective ▁was ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁Army ▁Group ▁Center . ▁The ▁action ▁against ▁the ▁ 9 th ▁Army ▁was ▁called ▁the ▁Bob ru y sk ▁Off ensive . ▁The ▁ 9 th ▁Army ▁suffered ▁nearly ▁ 8 0 , 0 0 0 ▁cas ual ties ▁during ▁B agr ation ▁of ▁which ▁ 6 5 , 0 0 0 ▁were ▁taken ▁prisoner . ▁Near ly ▁ 4 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁ 9 th ▁Army ▁was ▁destroyed ▁in ▁the ▁summer ▁of ▁ 1 9 4 4 . ▁The ▁army ▁was ▁then ▁re built ▁by ▁German ▁units ▁re deploy ed ▁from ▁Italy ▁and ▁was ▁involved ▁in ▁the ▁defence ▁of ▁Wars aw ▁in ▁aut umn ▁and ▁winter ▁of ▁ 1 9 4 4 . ▁▁ 1 9 4 5 ▁The ▁Red ▁Army ▁crossed ▁Germany ' s ▁border ▁on ▁January ▁ 1 2 , ▁ 1 9 4 5 , ▁and ▁forced ▁the ▁ 9 th ▁Army ▁to ▁retre at ▁all ▁along ▁the ▁front ▁until ▁it ▁was ▁deployed ▁west ward ▁to ▁the