German Battle Tactics on the Russian Front, 1941-1945: (Schiffer Military Aviation History)

the Amazing Tenacity And Cohesion Of The German Army In Russia From 1941-1945, Fighting Against Overwhelming Odds But Refusing To Disintegrate, Has Fascinated Readers For Decades. But Most Of The Available Sources Concentrate On The Maneuvers Of Armies And Panzer Corps, Leaving The Divisions, Regiments, And Individual Soldiers In The Background. This Fact Has Obscured Skillful Use Of Tactics Employed By The German Soldiers At The Divisional Level And Below. Until Now, This Information Has Been Sequestered In Manuscript Reports In Various Archives. In German Battle Tactics On The Eastern Front, 1941-1945, Professor Steven H. Newton Has Retrieved, Retranslated, And Annotated The Detailed Tactical Accounts Of Combat In Russia That German Officers Provided Their American Captors After The War. In This Collection Of Ten Essays, The Chief Of Staff Of The Xxxxi Panzer Corps Describes The Final Furious Dash Toward Moscow. One Of The Commanders Of The Relief Force Narrates The Rescue Of The Troops Trapped In The Demyansk Pocket. A Corps Commander On Manstein's Right Flank At Kursk Analyzes The Tactical Failures Of The Battle. And, In One Of The More Controversial Documents In The Early Cold War, The Last Commander Of Army Group South Recalls His Futile Attempt To Interest General Patton In Assisting In The War Against The Soviets. A Wide Variety Of Tactical Situations--from Winter Warfare To Desperate Infantry Defenses, And Unit Types--from Panzer Divisions To Cavalry Brigades--are Covered In This Collection. COVER......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 5 INTRODUCTION......Page 7 Editor's Introduction......Page 13 The Breakthrough Prior to the Battle of Vyazma......Page 15 The Attack......Page 18 The Thrust Toward Kalinin......Page 24 The Defense of Kalinin......Page 30 The Advance Toward Moscow......Page 33 The Withdrawal......Page 36 Conclusion......Page 44 Order of Battle......Page 50 Editor's Introduction......Page 55 Introduction......Page 57 Withdrawal from the Volga to the Molodoy-Tud position......Page 69 Fighting in the Molodoy-Tud position......Page 70 Lessons learned: experiences in winter warfare......Page 76 Editor's Introduction......Page 81 Report of Marshal Timoshenko and General Zhukov on Soviet aims for the winter of 1941-1942 (captured Soviet document)......Page 82 German retirement to the "Winter Line"......Page 83 Estimate of the situation as of 19 December 1941......Page 84 Air Situation......Page 85 Situation, Fourth Panzer Army and Ninth Army,as of 7 February 1942......Page 88 Enemy situation as of 23 February 1942......Page 91 Estimate of the enemy situation......Page 93 Order of Battle......Page 96 Editor's Introduction......Page 109 Unusual aspects of the late winter 1941-42......Page 110 Detraining and initial sheltering of troops......Page 112 Plan of attack: reconnaissance......Page 113 Winter Roads......Page 115 Assembly for the attack and solution of difficulties presentedby snow and cold......Page 116 Advance to the Redya River......Page 118 Attack from Onufrievka in the direction of Cherenchitsi......Page 124 Ski troops and troops with oversnow mobility penetrate thelarge forest east of the Redya......Page 126 Attack on Yazvy......Page 127 Attack through the large forest east of Redya......Page 128 Attack on Ramushevo......Page 129 General von Seydlitz......Page 132 Order of Battle......Page 133 Editor's Introduction......Page 137 Introduction......Page 138 Organization of the brigade......Page 140 Commitment of the brigade......Page 145 Conclusion......Page 146 Order of Battle......Page 148 Editor's Introduction......Page 151 Introduction......Page 152 Mission of III Panzer Corps......Page 153 Plans......Page 155 The attack......Page 157 Experiences......Page 166 Conduct of battle......Page 167 Traffic control in the rear area......Page 169 Officer and noncommissioned officer replacement pool......Page 170 Order of Battle......Page 171 Editor's Introduction......Page 175 The Defensive battle......Page 177 Disengagement......Page 180 The withdrawal to the Oredezh area......Page 182 Flank protection in the Sagorge-Oredezh area and fighting near Oredezh......Page 183 The struggle for the northern flank......Page 185 Order of Battle......Page 187 Editor's Introduction......Page 193 The Relief of Kovel......Page 194 Order of Battle......Page 203 Editor's Introduction......Page 207 Development of the situation in the area around Vilno from 23 June to 15 July 1944......Page 208 The movement of the 6th Panzer Division to Kovno; order and preparation for the relief of Vilno......Page 209 The return march of the covering party on 16 July 1944......Page 215 Summary......Page 216 Editor's Introduction......Page 219 Historical context of the narrative - Moscow, April 1, 1947......Page 221 Army Group rear area threatened......Page 226 U. S. Forces close in......Page 229 The final days......Page 231 Order of Battle......Page 233 Appendix One: Military Careers of the Authors......Page 255 Appendix Two: German Corps Organization......Page 261 Appendix Three: Estimating Divisional Strength......Page 264 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 269 COVER......Page 273