The Road to Berlin (140 page)

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Authors: John Erickson

Tags: #History, #Europe, #Former Soviet Republics, #Military, #World War II

BOOK: The Road to Berlin
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FHO
, Beurteilungen/Feindlage: 7.4.43–27.5.43 (Intelligence reports and appreciations, Soviet expectations of Anglo-American operations, growing Soviet military-industrial capability.) T-78/R466, 6445957–978.
FHO
(I), Übersicht uber die Verwendung der sowt.-russ. Panzer-u. mech. Korps seit März 1943. (Table of Soviet deployment, tank/mechanised formations.) T-78/R462, 6441617–21.
FHO
(IIc), Kriegsgliederungen der Roten Armee (Organization/establishments Soviet formations and units: winter 1942–3, 1943–4.) T-78/R462, 6440637–1465.
Hgr. Mitte
(AGp Centre), Neugliederung der russ. Mot.-Truppen (June/July 1943); also detail on rifle and artillery units; Stalin Order 038 15.1.43 on setting up Motor Transport Administration. T-78/R486, 6470777–803.
AOK
9 (9th Army). Anlage zu KTB Nr 8: orders, preparations for
Citadel
(Operationsbefehl Nr 6); see also, as example, ‘Gliederung der feindl. Pz–Abwehr und ihre Bekämpfung’, 18.4.43 (Soviet anti-tank defence). T-312/R320, 7888473–682 (also 7888747–51).
(Origin?), Entwicklung der russ. Wehrmacht … (A manpower study, covering period pre-1941 to August 1943.) T-78/R486, 6470898–906.

Soviet sources

IVOVSS
, 3, pt 2, pp. 245–53, Soviet planning for Kursk battle, Front command appreciations, planning for summer/autumn operations, planning of attack on German Orel group, Soviet reinforcements and reserves, defensive lines and systems, Party-political work. (A certain prominence is allotted to the Voronezh Front, where Khrushchev was a member of the Front military soviet.) Role of the civilian population, pp. 254–8.
IVMV
, 7 (1976), pt 1, pp. 114–21, Soviet planning spring 1943, Stalin’s meeting 12 April, decision for defensive operation/Kursk, Steppe MD as strategic reserve, Soviet strengths on N, NW, W, SW and Caucasus sectors (table, p. 120); pp. 128–33, Soviet air operations (six air armies); pp. 390–99, Kuban air operations, Soviet air attack on German communications, German air attack on Soviet airfields.
Koltunov, Col. G.A. and Solov’ev, Col. B.G.,
Kurskaya bitva
(Moscow: Voenizdat 1970). This remains the standard Soviet work on Kursk. See Soviet military literature and Kursk, pp. 5–12; Soviet planning for summer-autumn campaign 1943, pp. 27–40; Central Front planning/command decisions, pp. 48–51; Voronezh Front planning/command decisions, pp. 51–5; Steppe Front planning/command decisions, pp. 55–6; strength and deployment of artillery, armour, aviation, pp. 64–79; utilization of local population in defensive works/measures, pp. 95–100.

Documentary-memoir materials

Bagramyan, I. Kh.,
Tak shli my k pobede
, pp. 183–91, on meeting with Stalin, alteration of assignment of 11th Guards Army.
Bagramyan, I.Kh., ‘Flangovy udar 11-i gvardeiskoi armii’,
VIZ
, 1963 (7), pp. 81–90 (changes in operational plan).
Collective authorship,
Sovetskie voenno-vozdushnye sily v VOV 1941–1945 gg
. (Moscow: Voenizdat 1968), pp. 155–78, Soviet air operations Kuban, air attacks on German communications/Kursk.
Collective authorship,
16-ya vozdushnaya
, pp. 71–90, 16th Air Army operations, April–May 1943.
Getman, General A.L.,
Tanki idut na Berlin (1941–1945)
(Moscow: Nauka 1973), pp. 78–83, Getman’s 6th Tank Corps assigned to 1st Tank Army, transferred to Voronezh Front, defensive positions on river Psël.
Golushko, Lt.-Gen. I., ‘Rabota tyla v vazhneishikh operatsiyakh vtorovo perioda voiny’,
VIZ
, 1974 (11), pp. 35–42 (‘Rear Services’/logistics, defensive preparations at Kursk).
Golushko I., ‘Instruktsiya po rekognosstirovke i stroitel’stvu polevykh oboronitelnykh rubezhei’ (GS instruction 27 April 1943: construction of fortifications, Kursk),
VIZ
, 1976 (6), pp. 66–70.
Katukov, M.E.,
Na ostrie glavnovo udara
, pp. 198–207, 1st Tank Army (631 tanks) to Kursk salient, in
Stavka
reserve, Stalin–Katukov (p. 204) on raising additional corps, co-operation with Chistyakov’s 6th Guards Army.
Koltunov, G., ‘Kurskaya bitva v tsifrakh’,
VIZ
, 1968 (6), pp. 58–68. (Defensive preparations, defensive phase, strengths, deployments, extent of defensive systems.)
Koniev, Marshal SU I.S.,
Zapiski komanduyushchevo frontom 1943–1944
(Moscow: Nauka 1972). See pp. 8–11,
Stavka
decision to establish strategic reserve, Reserve Front formed into Steppe Military District (15 April), Steppe Front (as from July), Mekhlis member of Military Soviet, conversation with Stalin and Zhukov (p. 9),
Stavka
directive (23 April, p. 10), appointment of experienced commanders to formations.
Kozhevnikov, M.N.,
Komandovanie i shtab VVS Sovetskoi Armii v VOV 1941–1945 gg
. (Moscow: Nauka 1977), pp. 119–39, battle for air superiority, Kuban attack on German air strength,
Stavka
directive 4 May for air attack on German communications, target assignments (table, p. 138). (Important, detailed and documented study.)
Kumanev, G.A.,
Na sluzhbe fronta i tyla. Zheleznodorozhnyi transport SSSR … 1938–1945
(Moscow: Nauka 1976), pp. 230–38, Soviet railways and Soviet defensive preparations, Kursk. (Very detailed monograph.)
Markin, Col. I.I.,
Kurskaya bitva
(Moscow: Voenizdat 1958). See ‘Dva plana, dve strategii’, pp. 13–31. (Earlier account, now superseded.)
Parotkin, Maj.-Gen. I.V. (ed.),
Kurskaya bitva
(Moscow: Nauka 1970). Memoirs, documents, tables of strengths/deployments. Soviet translation,
The Battle of Kursk
(Moscow: Progress Pub. 1974).
(Note:
Soviet translation omits some memoir material, German military documents, detailed tables on Soviet deployments/tactical densities, appendices 5–31. See supplements 2–4, pp. 341–3, for translations of Zhukov’s appreciation to Stalin (0530 hours 8 April 1942); pp. 344–5, Central Front appreciation 10 April to General Antonov; pp. 346–7, Voronezh Front to General Staff 12 April. (Translations in the text are my own.)
Plotnikov, V.M.,
Rol tyla v pobede na Kurskoi duge
(Kharkov: Kharkov Univ. 1969). Detailed study of the rear, ‘rear services’, construction of massive defensive system.
Plotnikov, V.M., ‘Pomoshch naseleniya prifrontovykh raionov sovetskim voiskam nakanune i v period bitvy pod Kurskom’,
VIZ
, 1968 (8), pp. 20–28. (Civilian population: assistance to Red Army.)
Popel, Lt.-Gen. N.K.,
Tanki povernuli na zapad
(Moscow: Voenizdat (VM) 1960), pp. 75–103, on 1st Guards Tank Army deploying at Kursk. (Highly personalized memoir, criticized for ‘subjectivism’.)
Rokossovskii, K.K., A
Soldier’s Duty (Soldatskii dolg.)
pp. 184–93, defensive preparations/Central Front.
Rokossovskii, K.K., ‘Bitva, ne imeyushchaya sebe ravnykh’ in
Na ognennoi duge
, ed. Col. V.S. Lokshin (Moscow: Voenizdat 1963), pp. 8–27, on German and Soviet strengths, Soviet divisional strengths (p. 26).
Rokossovskii, K.K., ‘On the Central Front …’, in
The Battle of Kursk
, pp. 77–86 (Soviet plans, strength, deployment).
Rudenko, Air Marshal S. and Braiko, Col.-Gen. (Air) P., ‘16-ya vozdushnaya armiya v bitve pod Kurskom’,
VIZ
, 1963 (7), pp. 21–6 (planning air operations, strengths/deployments: 16th Air Army).
Ryazanskii, Maj.-Gen. A.P.,
V ogne tankovykh srazhenii
(Moscow: Nauka 1975), pp. 52–64, 5th Guards Mech. Corps assigned 5 th Guards Tank Army, deployed with Steppe MD (Steppe Front). (Detailed formation history.)
Shtemenko, S.M.,
Generalnyi shtab v gody voiny
, see Soviet translation,
The Soviet General Staff at War
, ch. 7, ‘Before the battle of Kursk’, pp. 148–67, problem of offensive/defensive, Zhukov’s appreciation (8 April), Central Front decisions, air operations, intelligence reports on German attack plans and timing, Vatutin proposes preemptive blow, instructions to Steppe Front, uncertainty about deployment of German armour.
Solov’ev, Col. B.G.,
Vermakht na puti k gibeli
(Moscow: Nauka 1973), ch. 3, ‘Dva plana, dve strategii’, pp. 63–93, German planning for
Citadel;
pp. 93–101, Soviet planning. (Extensive bibliographical references.)
Vasilevskii, A.M.,
Delo vsei zhizni
(2nd edn), pp. 321–37. See ‘Na Kurskoi duge’, strengthening of reserve armies, 9 armies in reserve by 1 April, creation of Reserve Front under Lt.-Gen. M.M. Popov, offensive or defensive decision, General Staff supports Zhukov’s appreciation (p. 332), Stalin’s conference 12 April, Soviet deployments and order of battle (pp. 335–6), Stalin’s instructions for Operation
Kutuzov
(attack on German Orel group), Vasilevskii sent by Stalin to Bryansk Front and left-flank W Front, mid-May.
Vershinin, Air Chief Marshal K.A.,
Chetvertaya vozdushnaya
(Moscow: Voenizdat (VM) 1975), pp. 208–33, 4th Air Army operations, Kuban April–May 1943,
Stavka
plans for massive air strikes, battle for air superiority. (Detail on command and control of Soviet air operations.)
Yakubovskii, Marshal SU I.I.,
Zemlya v ogne
(Moscow: Voenizdat (VM) 1975), pp. 114–25, formation of 3rd Guards Tank Army.
Zakharov, Marshal SU M., ‘O sovetskom voennom iskusstve r bitve pod Kurskom’,
VIZ
, 1963 (6), pp. 15–25 (planning, defensive preparations).
Zhukov, G.K.,
Vospominaniya i razmyshleniya
, vol. 2, pp. 138–63. 8 April appreciation (pp. 139–41), Central Front appreciation, Voronezh Front appreciation, decision to assume
defensive
, sent by Staiin to Grechko’s 56th Army, planning of attack on Crimea, increase in Soviet armour, artillery, air strength, Front response to Stalin’s demand for reconnaissance/readiness (Central Front report 8 May, No. 00219, p. 155), refutation of Vatutin’s proposal for pre-emptive blow, Zhukov’s report to Stalin on state of Central Front 22 May (pp. 158–60), Soviet deployments including Steppe Front. (See
Memoirs of Marshal Zhukov
, pp. 427–51, for translation of above text, translation of orders and directives.)
Zhukov, G.K., ‘Na Kurskoi duge’,
VIZ
, 1967 (8), pp. 69–83.

Organization, production, armament pp.
76

86

Alexander, Jean,
Russian Aircraft since 1940
(London: Putnam 1975).
Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon,
Soviet Air Force Fighters
, pts 1 and 2 (London: Macdonald and Jane’s 1977–8).
Milsom, John,
Russian Tanks 1900–1970
(London: Arms and Armour Press 1970). (Not always entirely accurate: see wartime
FHO
files.)
Norman, Major Michael,
AFV
, No. 17, Russian KV and IS (Windsor: Profile Publns nd.). Also No. 47, Russian T-34/76B.

GMD materials on Soviet war economy, production, weapons (select items)

FHO
to
OKW/Feldwirtschaftsamt
. File: on Soviet war economy, war industry, for 1943, also to 1944. T-78/R478, 6461656–816.
FHO
(IId). Folder: tables, charts, maps showing location/volume of Soviet production of tanks and assault guns, also losses 1941/42/43. Total losses for this period
56,780
tanks/assault guns. T-78/R479, 6462293–300/on to 335.

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