Editing Gomel (section)

===World War II===
[[File:Homiel, Prabojnaja-Reźnickaja. Гомель, Прабойная-Рэзьніцкая (12.1941).jpg|thumb|War-torn Homel in 1941]]
During [[World War II]], Gomel was under [[German occupation of Byelorussia during World War II|German occupation]] from the [[Operation Barbarossa|19th of August 1941]] until the [[Battle of the Dnieper|26th of November 1943]]. The occupiers operated a prison and [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camps for [[prisoners of war]] and civilians, part of whom were Jews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1552|title=Gefängnis Homel'|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=23 February 2025|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1944|title=Zivilarbeitslager und Straflager für Gefängnisinsassen Homel'|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=23 February 2025|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1550|title=Lager für Kriegsgefangene und Zivilbevölkerung Nr. 121 Homel'|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=23 February 2025|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100002195|title=Jüdisches Arbeitsbataillon Homel'|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=23 February 2025|language=de}}</ref>

The city was taken by [[Konstantin Rokossovsky|Rokossovsky]]'s [[1st Belorussian Front|Belorussian Front]] during the Gomel–Rechitsa Offensive. Eighty percent of the city had been destroyed, and the population of Gomel had dropped dramatically. According to the data of the registry, it numbered less than 15,000 inhabitants, compared to 144,000 in 1940.