Blitzkrieg Russia
By Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell
()
About this ebook
Read more from Jon Sutherland
Arnhem 1944 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Air War in East Africa, 1940–41: The RAF Versus the Italian Air Force Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle of Jutland Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Air War Malta: June 1940 to November 1942 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Holy Boys: A History of the Royal Norfolk Regiment and the Royal East Anglian Regiment 1685–2010 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Berlin Airlift: The Salvation of a City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Churchill's Pirates: The Royal Naval Patrol Service in World War II Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Farming Industry Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5El Alamein 1942 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWho Is Dracula's Father?: And Other Puzzles in Bram Stoker's Gothic Masterpiece Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Grand Battery: A Guide & Rules for Napoleonic Wargames Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrankenstein's Brain: Puzzles and Conundrums in Mary Shelley's Monstrous Masterpiece Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Berlin Airlift: The Salvation of a City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Is Heathcliff a Murderer?: Puzzles in Nineteenth-Century Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can Jane Eyre Be Happy?: More Puzzles in Classic Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dickens Dictionary: An A-Z of Britain's Greatest Novelist Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to Blitzkrieg Russia
Titles in the series (100)
Armoured Warfare in Northwest Europe, 1944–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTirpitz: The First Voyage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAllied POWs in German Hands 1914–1918 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hitler's Defeat on the Eastern Front Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) at War, 1939–1945: A History of the Division on the Western and Eastern Fronts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Germans on the Somme Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Armoured Warfare on the Eastern Front Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdolf Hitler Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5B-17 Memphis Belle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Armoured Warfare and the Waffen-SS, 1944–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArmoured Warfare in the North African Campaign Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5T-54/55: The Soviet Army's Cold War Main Battle Tank Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chiang Kai-shek Versus Mao Tse-tung: The Battle for China, 1946–1949 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5D-Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Armoured Warfare in the Italian Campaign, 1943–1945 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Crushing of Poland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/56th SS Mountain Division Nord at War, 1941–1945 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Blitzkrieg in the West Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Final Days of the Reich Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHitler's Headquarters, 1939–1945 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Afrika-Korps Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Great War Fighter Aces, 1916–1918 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Germans at Arras Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHitler's Mountain Troops, 1939–1945: The Gebirgsjager Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlitzkrieg Russia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGerman Guns of the Third Reich Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Armoured Warfare and Hitler's Allies, 1941–1945 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Retreat to Berlin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Armoured Warfare in the Battle of the Bulge, 1944–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWaffen-SS on the Western Front, 1940–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
The Battle for Kharkov, 1941–1943 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings5th SS Wiking at War, 1941–1945: A History of the Division Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Hitler's Defeat on the Eastern Front Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5German Army on the Eastern Front: The Retreat, 1943–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGerman Army on the Eastern Front—The Advance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crushing of Army Group North 1944–1945 on the Eastern Front Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front, 1941–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGerman Halftracks at War, 1939–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArmoured Warfare in Northwest Europe, 1944–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle for Budapest 1944 - 1945 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crushing of Poland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hitler versus Stalin: The Eastern Front 1944–1945 - Warsaw to Berlin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHitler's Heavy Tiger Tank Battalions, 1942–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOperation Typhoon: The German Assault on Moscow, 1941 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOperation Barbarossa: Hitler's Invasion of Russia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArmoured Warfare from the Riviera to the Rhine, 1944–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWaffen-SS Armour on the Eastern Front, 1941–1945 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Luftwaffe Flak and Field Divisions, 1939–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOperation Bagration: The Soviet Destruction of German Army Group Center, 1944 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Soviet Destruction of Army Group South: Ukraine and Southern Poland 1943-1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend: Volume 2 - From Operation Goodwood to April 1946 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Armour of Rommel's Afrika Korps Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Eastern Front: Encirclement and Escape by German Forces Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Armoured Warfare and Hitler's Allies, 1941–1945 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle for Crimea, 1941–1944 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Defense of Moscow 1941: The Northern Flank Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOperation Barbarossa: The German Invasion of Soviet Russia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SS Foreign Divisions & Volunteers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, 1941–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe German Army from Mobilisation to First Ypres Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eastern Front Campaign: An Operational Level Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Antiques & Collectibles For You
Illustrated Guide to Jewelry Appraising (3rd Edition): Antique, Period & Modern Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHorny Stories And Comix # 3 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Brick Bible: A New Spin on the Old Testament Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCoin Collecting For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Brick Bible Presents Brick Genesis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shuffle and Deal: 50 Classic Card Games for Any Number of Players Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWacky Packages Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Guide to Gunsmithing: Gun Care and Repair Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Book of Glock: A Comprehensive Guide to America's Most Popular Handgun Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The NES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History Behind Ordinary Objects Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5There is Nothing to Pay! Get It All for Free... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brick Flicks: A Comprehensive Guide to Making Your Own Stop-Motion LEGO Movies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coin Collecting - A Beginners Guide to Finding, Valuing and Profiting from Coins: The Collector Series, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Guide to Electronic Dance Music Volume 1: Foundations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Vroom! How Does A Car Engine Work for Kids Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Simple Sabotage Field Manual Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings101 More Items To Sell On Ebay: 101 Items To Sell On Ebay, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlaying Cards: History of the Pack and Explanations of Its Many Secrets Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Madman's Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Southwest Treasure Hunter's Gem and Mineral Guide (5th ed.): Where and How to Dig, Pan and Mine Your Own Gems and Minerals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGarbage Pail Kids Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Coin Collecting Book: All You Need to Start Your Collection And Trade for Profit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBibliophile: Diverse Spines Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Blitzkrieg Russia
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Blitzkrieg Russia - Jon Sutherland
Introduction
Operation Barbarossa shattered the early hours of 22 June 1941 as four immense German panzer groups, supported by hundreds of thousands of infantry, massed artillery and a curtain of air cover, struck at the Soviet Union. The Russians knew it was coming, there had been tell-tale signs for weeks, but inexplicably, Stalin had prevented his forces from taking any countermeasures. The German attacks were split between three vast Army Groups:
Army Group North under Field Marshal Ritter von Leeb, consisting of twenty-six divisions, including three panzer divisions.
Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock consisted of fifty-one divisions, including nine panzer divisions.
Army Group South under Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt consisted of fifty-nine divisions, including five panzer divisions, fourteen Rumanian and three Hungarian.
These Army Groups were supported by three air fleets boasting over 3,000 aircraft, and a fourth air fleet operating in the far north:
Luftflotte I under Colonel General Alfred Keller, supporting Army Group North.
Luftflotte II under Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, supporting Army Group Centre.
Luftflotte IV under Colonel General Alexander Lohr, supporting Army Group South.
Luftflotte V under Colonel General Hans-Jurgen Stumpff, supporting the mountain troops aiming to strike at Murmansk.
The Soviet Union had a population of some 190 million, of which 16 million were of military age. If the frontier defences could be held and the German penetrations kept to a minimum, it would only be a matter of time before the Russians could mobilize their vast resources. We have a somewhat false image of the German Army crossing into Russian-held Poland and other points along the frontier. The cutting edge was tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, along with expensively trained and equipped panzergrenadiers, but the bulk of the force would have had to advance at a much more sedate pace. Mobility-wise, they were no more advanced than the French troops that had invaded Russian nearly 130 years before. The bulk of the men would have to march on foot and the reliance on the horse (some 750,000) was still immense. Of the 153 divisions that were involved in the invasion, I 19 still had horse-drawn transport.
Facing them were three large groups or Military Districts with massive potential reserves:
On the Baltic front, the Russian forces consisted of twenty-four divisions, of which four were armoured.
Opposite the Pripet Marshes were thirty divisions with eight armoured.
Around Kiev there were fifty-eight divisions, sixteen of which were armoured.
On the Rumanian border were twelve divisions, four of which were armoured.
Not only were these units not deployed to fight a defensive campaign, but some were as much as 300 miles to the rear and would take days to reach the front. As it was, by 23 June the Germans had penetrated some 62 miles into Russian-held Poland; they had bypassed the vast fortress at Brest-Litovsk on the River Bug (it would surrender on 24 July).
On 3 July, Stalin broadcast to his people:
Comrades, citizens, brothers and sisters, men of the Army and Navy! I speak to you my friends. A grave threat hangs over our country. It can only be dispersed by the combined efforts of the military and industrial might of the nation. There is no room for the timid or the coward, for deserters or spreaders of panic, and a merciless struggle must be waged against such people. History shows us that there are no invincible armies. The enemy must not find a single rail way-wagon, not a wagon, not a pound of bread or a glassful of petrol. All the Kolkhozes [collective farms] must bring in their herds and hand their stocks of wheat over to official bodies to be sent to the rear. Everything that is usable but cannot be sent back must be destroyed.
On the very day that the broadcast was made the pocket of resistance at Bialystock was reduced and surrendered. Some 290,000 Russians were taken prisoner, 2,500 tanks destroyed and 1,500 artillery pieces taken. Just six days later, the Germans had overwhelmed Latvia, Lithuania, and the bulk of Estonia, and taken Minsk, trapping another 300,000 Russian troops. The outskirts of Kiev were reached on 11 July. The Germans encircled it, and thanks to Stalin’s decree that the city should be held at all costs, another 665,000 prisoners, 900 tanks and 3,179 artillery pieces were taken.
On 22 July, 127 German aircraft hit the Soviet capital, Moscow. Five days later, the Germans pushed towards Leningrad, which would have to withstand a siege of 900 days before Russian troops beat their way through to the fortress city; by that time some 800,000 city dwellers would have perished.
The relentless progress of the German advance showed no signs of slowing up; by 5 August, the pocket around Smolensk had surrendered, bagging 5 10,000 prisoners. Two days later, the Uman pocket surrendered and another 100,000 men surrendered. Although this all made grim reading, the Germans were beginning to realize the true costs of taking on the Russians. In the period September 1939 to May 1941, taking all of the campaigns into account, the Germans had suffered 218,109 casualties, of which 97,000 were killed. As 15 August dawned, the sobering news was that in the first fifty-three days of the war with Russia there had been 389,924 casualties, of which 98,600 were dead.
At the beginning of September 1941, Hitler decreed that the primary target must be Moscow. Armoured units that had been transferred to the north and the south were to be returned and Army Group Centre was to go hell-for-leather for the Soviet capital. Although the capital would never fall, had it done so, it would have been a massive blow to the Russians, perhaps knocking them out of the war before the United States joined. The capture of the city would have effectively split the country in two, making communications between the north and south impossible.
As we know, a combination of over-ambitiousness on the part of the Germans, simply unable to comprehend the vast distances and spaces and their effect on supply and reinforcement, the weather and, of course, the stubborn resistance of the Russians, all conspired to preserve Russia. Barbarossa was arguably the last and the greatest blitzkrieg campaign, flawed by its sheer size and over-elaboration. Blitzkrieg Russia chronicles the early stages of Germany’s war with Russia: the successes, the overwhelming power of the advance, and the crippling losses suffered by the Russians.
We have selected the best photographs from five albums, which focus on that first year of war in the East, now in the collection of James Payne. Unfortunately, only one of the albums