Doppelgänger: the Untold Story of the Third Reich
Thursday June 25th: after a good night’s sleep, I was able to look on the past 6 days more dispassionately. I also had the benefit of being able to read the opinions of some the greatest military minds available. A certain Herr Desslok has pointed out that our operations north of the Pripyat were almost completely successful. This had escaped me, but can probably be ascribed to the far better supply situation that exists there, as a result of the better infrastructure and more importantly, the existence of several large ports close to the front. This allows not only plenty of supply for the ground troops, but better conditions for the Luftwaffe, which also has more airbases closer to the action.
Putting that to one side, I was not unhappy with the past week. It is true that casualties were far higher than sustainable, but I knew that would be the case. The test will be if we can reduce our losses while maintaining the tempo.
The night of 24th to 25th was slightly unusual in that only two sizeable battles began, but there were quite a few smaller clashes, one of which (
Parfino) was quite ferocious. The two major conflicts were different, at least in the size of the opposition. (Both Rittau and Völckers had only their own divisions).
Brovary was held by 111,000 men, but as Rittau insisted on pointing out, the three Border Guard Brigades were in reserve and not yet available for combat: he hopes to have won the battle before they arrive. In
Pryluky, however, all 60.ID (mot) had to overcome was two armoured divisions – a walk in the park! There was one other new engagement, but that was started by the Russians, and hardly worth mentioning: the 10,000 men of “Tihookeanskaya” testing themselves against the 20,000 strong 2.ID (mot). Blaskowitz, judging to tone of his communications to von Mackensen at III Panzerkorps, is very relaxed about his chances of retaining
Toropets.
Brovary: General Rittau must move fast to gain victory
Three battles concluded, with mixed results. The first, the battle of
Melun, was just what I wanted. The SS for once faced a spirited opposition, but numbers and firepower finally triumphed. The next was a reminder of the bad old days, and a warning that some of our divisions cannot endure pitched battles against determined and well equipped foes. 3rd Marine Division lost 60% of its strength in
Chisinau, and all for nothing. Enemy losses were miniscule. The final result was from
Chateauroux, a tiny clash that was characterised by the very low casualties on both sides.
The morning was dominated by the Red Army: all small attacks, but sufficient to cause problems.
Tesovo and
Simsk were both subject attacks from solitary tank units, while in
Velizh General Weiss and 11.ID were hit by the disorganised remnants of some previously destroyed units. Not a light threat, however, as they totalled just under 32,000 men. As if to confirm the Soviet domination of the morning, they also won the battle of
Krasnyy, as Hoepner regretfully had to accept that his men were unable to continue. Together with the earlier defeat in
Chisinau, a poor start to the week.
A Maxim in operation in Krasnyy: resistance to our attack was too strong
For a bit of variety, it was France that contributed most of the news in the afternoon. Arndt was first to get in his report which raised some interest. Not because of its tactical or strategic importance, as
La Souterrainne was not particularly significant. It was his target, a group of ten headquarters with General Pétain himself in command. More significant from a military point of view was von Pfeffer-Wildenbruch’s advance into
Meaux: he has 52nd SS ID “Berlin” and the SS Slovakian ID and is up against Desmazes’ 21e Division d’Infanterie. We think that this is one of the few effective formations left to the Vichy government. (Desmazes had just started to attack
Beauvais when forced to concentrate on his own defence). It was the French who were the aggressors in
La Palisse, as General Wodrig, VI Armeekorps, found himself under attack from 43ème Division Cuirrassée.
The east was the area of calm, with just one more clash for the day. I am not sure that the encounter in
Kotovsk was good idea. Notfallgruppe was not intended for offensive operations, having been created as an emergency defence unit. We will have to see how it performs in its task of clearing out 6th NKVD Rifle Division.
There was a bit of good news to end the day: von Kleist’s motorised infantry routed the NKVD detachments in
Rahachow, with a commendably low casualty rate.
Our motorised troops continue their advance
Overnight the news was better, much better. Soviet forces were defeated in four separate provinces, with total enemy losses far higher than ours. Not enough to offset our losses on Thursday, but a good start.
Nieswiez was the best, from our point of view, as our two panzer divisions celebrated their obliteration of 62nd “Turkestan” Rifle Division. Another Turkestan division, the 83rd Gorno-Rifle, suffered badly in
Korosten, and Popov’s brief foray into
Toropets was over.
Borodjanka was the closest result, but even in this blood-soaked province near
Kyiv we were clear victors against a much more powerful opposition.
Not that the overall intensity of fighting in the east declined. Just after midnight, 207.ID burst into
Cheryakiv, General Strecker trying to catch Yevdokimov off-guard. Hopefully he has succeeded as he needs all the help he can get, with 27th “Omsk” Division’s numbers boosted by the presence of tens of thousands of Opolcheniye. Stavka, obviously not happy at the loss in
Toropets, sent 90th Rifle Division to try again. The second attempt is likely to receive the same treatment as the first. Brandenburger has chased “Tihookeanskaya” into
Andreapol which is also the base from which 90th Rifle launched its attack, but he may have fallen into Popov’s trap. 1st Guards Moscow Rifle Division was lying in wait, and 16.PzD may a hard fight to avoid defeat. Von Prittwitz und Gaffron was well aware of what 231.ID faced in
Malyn, and know beforehand that his men would be called upon to make a huge effort to recapture the province we briefly held months ago.
As if that were not enough, more battles began as the sun climbed higher in the sky. Von Schobert has the responsibility to hold
Druzhnaya Gorka, with 50.ID possibly our closest troops to
Leningrad. Again, it will not be easy, as the Red Army is clearly anxious about the threat to its link with its forces in southern Finland and has given General Susalkov armour, mechanised troops and infantry totalling nearly 50,000 men and orders to throw out our forces. Paulus will no doubt be a bit more capable of responding appropriately following General Karl’s success in
Petrodvorets. The other battle was far to the south, in
Krasnyy. Jodl has seen an opportunity to strike at a group of unprepared Soviet divisions, and is ignoring the enemy strength on paper and relying on their disorganisation to give him the edge.
Thankfully there was a pause in the series of fresh clashes. A pause that extended to nightfall, to my great relief. We must keep the number of combats within reason. In the east only one battle ended, which was a slight disappointment, though it was definitely good to hear that Strecker’s gamble in
Cheryakiv had paid off. There was another successfully completed fight, that in
La Palisse in France. Wodrig and his attached flak unit and kradschutzen were able to see off the French armour.
As the sun set, the Wehrmacht kept up the restraint it had shown for most of the day. The Red Army may as well have done the same, as the two attacks made have little hope of success. Volskiy at least had a whole division to use against Bohnstedt in
Dubrouna, but Martiroysa had just a naval brigade with which to take on 3.ID (mot) in
Borodjanka.
Borodjanka: one would think that Jaschke is quite safe, but nothing is certain in war.
After midnight OKW did approve some activity, though I think it should have continued its more cautious policy. Both von Knobelsdorff in
Ilyushino and Weyer in
Gatcina have chosen to attack forces far larger than their own, and our short forays into the wetlands of
Marevo and
Parfino achieved no more than our previous expeditions. Von und zu Gilsa may have a better chance in
Vesele, though he too is grappling with a far more numerous foe. Only in
Nikopol would I be more positive, as Grase has armour and infantry operating together which might give him a lift against Isayev’s 83,000 soldiers.
Having said that, the results for battles that ended overnight were all extremely pleasing, so perhaps I am being too pessimistic about our chances.
Simsk, Toropets and
Ivanika were all comfortable win, with Soviet losses far higher than ours.
In France, Pétain has realised that the end is nigh. The Vichy government has passed extreme legislation in the face of the destruction of its armed forces. The days when French units burst over the borders are long gone, and virtually forgotten. Now the German-Italian pincer movement is crushing the life out of the treacherous regime, with the latest offensive Vlasov’s attack on a group of 16 headquarters under the overall command of General Weygand. As if to confirm our domination, Desmazes and 21e Division d’Infanterie were emphatically defeated in
Meaux, “Berlin” and the Slovakian Division chalking up another victory.
A prime target, a huge concentration of Vichy headquarters
With things going so well, it was of course time for a major shock – I am never to be allowed an extended period of confidence.
Orhei was not just a shock to me: its effect reverberated throughout the Wehrmacht, shaking the resolve of even our most experienced soldiers and leading to a drop in organisation and therefore our ability to wage war. 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions have had more than 50% casualties, unable to hold back the 124,000 enemy soldiers that Smirnov threw at them. Our attempts to eliminate the
Odessa pocket have a long way to go. With that wound still fresh, news arrived from the north, where von Schobert has lost
Druzhnaya Gorka. Paulus was unable to assist 50.ID in time and it lost several thousand men. More importantly, our drive on
Leningrad has been halted, at least temporarily. Von Arnim’s victory over the international volunteers in
Chasuvy was eclipsed by the bad news.
Mercifully there was no further bad news on Saturday – in fact very little news of any sort. I suppose it was fairly upsetting to hear that von Kleist warned that he estimated more than 100,000 enemy soldiers had either entered or were on the verge of entering
Rahachow, but he does have an opportunity to extricate 14.ID (mot) so it would be presumptuous to class it as a disaster yet.
Staraja Russa seems secure: Schmidt has 50,000 troops to repel 51st “Perekop”. It is true that von Leeb’s adventurous decision to drive Pavlov from
Slawharad seems doomed to failure, but I refuse to count my disasters before they happen.
While many in the realms of power pay no attention to something as humble as the operations of the work gangs of the Todt Organisation that follow our troops into Russia, thinking that road repair or railway regauging is beneath them, I make sure that I kept informed of all progress, developments and problems. Napoleon may have claimed that an army marches on its stomach, but in today’s modern world it depends on its umbilical cord: the road and rail links to its production centres. As a result, I as informed first thing Sunday that work in
Minsk, Vapnyarka, Rusnitsa and
Lubomi was complete and that while there was more to be done in the first two mentioned provinces, the other two gangs were to be sent to
Novovorontsova and
Novy Buh. We are getting quite adept at this task, and the cost and time consumed are constantly dropping, although they are still very expensive. It is essential work however, as essential as building tanks or aircraft. We must keep supplies and reinforcements flowing freely and fast.
A Storch reconnaissance aircraft flies over a long and dusty road: we need to upgrade this before rain turns it into a quagmire
We lost
Malyn and
Brovary overnight, but at least we made the Russians pay for the former. It took three days for Rittau to admit that 37.ID (mot) could not take
Brovary by itself, and his men suffered because of his stubbornness. Von Prittwitz und Gaffron had the sense to abandon his attack in
Malyn after just 48 hours, acknowledging the defence was too strong, despite his good progress to that time.
Sometime during the night
Radomyshi came under attack, although it didn’t appear from the very short message from General Clössner that it meant much. I didn’t spend much time on it: there was more depressing news on the way. Defeats in
Zhubrovychi, Pryluky and
Gatcina cost us another 10,000 lives.
Gatcina was especially galling, as our jägers were roughed up by three Soviet mechanised brigades.
The rest of the day was quiet, the Red Army tentatively pushing into
Melitopol and
Pyriatin. OKH was a little more forceful, Agricola leading two infantry divisions into
Ovruch. That was it until 6PM when some much awaited good news arrived. Admittedly half the victories announced were from France (
Angerville and
La Souterraine) but
Nikopol and
Staraja Russa were both respectable wins. Even this slight consolation, however, was reduced by the accompanying defeat in
Velizh. The “small attack” on Weiss had been enough to force him to retreat with more than 10% losses.
The results of Sunday made up my mind. A message issued from the Reichskanzlei and urgent “streng geheim” telegrams were sent from OKH to the various army headquarters in the east. Rostav Armee, Armee of the Crimea and Panzer Armee von Manstein are to immediately go on the defensive. All aggressive activity is to be halted, unless specifically approved in situations where a not-to-be missed opportunity arises. This is to remain the case until further notice. I hope that this will allow us to send all supplies and reinforcements north, where we are close to reaching
Leningrad. It will also allow our bombers time to reduce the dock facilities of
Odessa to rubble, starving those Soviet units inland from the port.
In addition, another telegram was sent to the west, to General Krüger, commander of XX SS Armeekorps. His five divisions are to halt all action and make their way to the nearest railway station for transfer east, to
Tulchyn. Kampfgruppe Kempf, LSSAH, “Totenkopf”, Slovakian and “Siegfried” will be used to eliminate the
Odessa pocket, it now being obvious that the Army of the Crimea is too weak to complete the job.
Possibly the impact of the new orders was immediate. At any rate, it seemed that a dampener had been placed on activity in the east. In
Rahachow von Kleist reported that the vast force that had been assailing his defensive positions simply faded away. He had expected days more fighting, his men being subjected to wave after of attackers. Instead, with losses about equal, Bogdanov had pulled his men back. Auer was also able to quickly dispose of the poorly run attack on
Melitopol. The only offensive action overnight was General Karl’s attack in
Gatcina, hoping to avenge the deaths of the jägers, though it was not long after dawn that 5th Tankovaya moved into
Kamianka.
Preparing for the attack on Gatcina: it will be risky and no chances can be taken
Von und zu Gilsa lifted his reputation, as if it needed any boosting, with his victory in
Vesele. He achieved a great result, with casualties at nearly 10 to 1 in his favour. This was despite the enemy having armour as well as several infantry divisions. It was a pity that this notable success occurred at the same time as Leeb, facing a similar foe, was thrown back with heavy losses.
I was distracted for a short time by Vlasov’s report on his slaughter of the French administrative troops in
Argentan sur Creuse. As could have been predicted, the regular infantry were virtually unscathed, while the various Vichy headquarters lost more than half their strength, officers they will be hard pressed to replace.
The distraction was not for long: the conclusion of hostilities in both
Pyriatin and
Ovruch forced me to turn my thoughts east again. One victory, one defeat, with losses about equal. Another disastrous probe into
Marevo and a very bloody finale to the battle for
Piatykhatky: 5,500 dead make it a victory that will be hard to celebrate, and both 8.PzD and the Condorgruppe desperately need replacement soldiers and equipment.
Two hours later, a sense of déjà vu as the results came in from
Ilyushino and
Nontron: one win and one loss. The unfortunate difference was that the defeat was in Russia and the victory in France. I find it hard to be angry at von Knobelsdorff, though he did attack a force of 75,000. He probably could not have expected the defenders would swell to more than 130,000.
The start of the battle for
Golynki (how slowly we are approaching Smolensk) and the end of Soviet resistance in
Dubrouna, rounded off the day.
Finally the end of the month, one year after the beginning of Barbarossa. It would be fair to say that our bright hopes of a whirlwind campaign have been dashed. Never did we anticipate that we would lose more than 2.5 million men in a year, nor that we would still be at the gates of
Leningrad, Kyiv and
Odessa, that the Kremlin would still be unreachable. Now we face an enemy who has absorbed 3.5 million dead and missing and still possesses an army that dwarfs the Wehrmacht.
The Red Army may not be as technically advanced as the Wehrmacht, but it has numbers on its side, as this mass of BA -20 armoured cars demonstrates
Not that we are ready to give up. We are still moving forward, albeit slowly. Our morale is high, our new weapons are proving to be successful and despite our losses, we have more troops in the east than ever before. As if to emphasise that point, XXIX SS Armeekorps has been attacked to the Leningrad Armee. It is now in the
Pskov area and is awaiting orders.
The struggle is still ongoing, as Höhne’s hopeful attack in
Ilyushino demonstrates. Even with the memory of the savage beating that von Knobelsdorff’s division suffered still fresh in everyone’s mind, 25.ID has been asked to take on Borisov’s massive defensive force. Another sign that things were in a state of flux came from the other end of the front. I and V Kampffliegerkorps had to abort their mission to assist the Hungarian attack in
Pervomaysk when their base in
Nova Odesa was attacked and the Hungarian defenders broke and ran. Not only will this mean that von Richthofen and Sperrle will need to reorganise their commands, keeping the planes out of action for days, but the Soviet forces will have captured substantial supplies in the province.
Obukhiv was the first province to be attacked on Tuesday, when at midnight 48th Tankovaya began firing on the positions of 60.ID (mot). Von Schwedler, another of our commanders who apparently has an inflated view of either his own skill or his men’s capacity, attacked
Demidov, ignoring the 8 to 1 odds in the defenders’ favour. There wasn’t much in the way of news overnight, so I was dismayed to see that both finalised battle reports were negative. Our defeat in
Kyiv was not a surprise, but that in
Borodjanka came out of the blue. The original information had been that Jaschke was being attacked by a naval brigade, a threat that his motorised division would rapidly repel. It seems that the naval troops were just the vanguard and more Soviet forces had joined in. 3.ID (mot) must have already been under-strength, because it was unable to withstand the increased pressure (which included armour) and after losing 3,400 men has retreated.
There was a slight improvement with a victory in
Radomyshi, where Clössner inflicted a blow to the “Armenian” division that it will remember for some time. Clössner wasted no time in following up his success, 18.ID crossing into
Malyn in hot pursuit. He may have been shocked to find his opposition was not the demoralised 76th “Armenian” Rifle Division (which was moving rapidly to the rear), but 4th Tankovaya, 2nd NKVD Rifle and a large number of Opolcheniye. He could decide that discretion is the better part of valour and order a quick pull-back.
The only other new conflicts for Tuesday were started by the Red Army. Both were very large, with the assault on
Staraya Toropa involving 84,000 men (though only one regular infantry division) and the attack on
Rahachow being made by 111,000 men including two amour divisions and a heavy tank brigade.
So the last day of the first year was one of the least tumultuous: the only other report was that 48th Tankovaya had given up its attempt to take Obukhiv and had turned tail. An intimation of things to come? Or an aberration?
Finalised Battles for Barbarossa Days 360 to 365 (June 25th to 30th 1942)
Location (Armee)
| Result
| German losses (engaged)
| Soviet losses (engaged)
|
| | | |
Chisinau (AotC)
| Defeat
| 6,347 (10,982)
| 27 (67,434)
|
Krasnyy (PAH)
| Defeat
| 6,593 (39,009)
| 3,201 (48,590)
|
Rahachow (PAH)
| Victory
| 73 (25,757)
| 2,798 (47,899)
|
Nieswiez (PAH)
| Victory
| 164 (24,043)
| 3,857 (19,967)
|
Korosten (AotP)
| Victory
| 874 (21,888)
| 1,411 (54,857)
|
Toropets (PAH)
| Victory
| 223 (42,710)
| 1,469 (10,969)
|
Borodjanka (PAvM)
| Victory
| 2,390 (19,792)
| 3,232 (79,943)
|
Petrodvorets (LA)
| Victory
| 2,565 (50,142)
| 2,445 (47,911)
|
Cheryakiv (AotP)
| Victory
| 346 (21,941)
| 550 (51,535)
|
Simsk (LA)
| Victory
| 1,107 (33,756)
| 2,200 (8,485)
|
2nd Toropets (PAH)
| Victory
| 384 (42,487)
| 2,762 (27,458)
|
Ivanivka (PAvM)
| Victory
| 124 (19,464)
| 632 (25,226)
|
Orhei (AotC)
| Defeat
| 13,734 (21,959)
| 4,595 (123,842)
|
Druzhnaya Gorka (LA)
| Defeat
| 2,993 (22,706)
| 668 (48,902)
|
Chavusy (PAH)
| Defeat
| 1,615 (57,412)
| 4,916 (23,982)
|
Brovary (PAvM)
| Defeat
| 3,696 (21,477)
| 2,314 (151,904)
|
Malyn (AotP)
| Defeat
| 2,630 (21,939)
| 1,018 (35,267)
|
Zhubrovychi (AotP)
| Defeat
| 3,175 (21,727)
| 1,572 (58,397)
|
Pryluky (PAvM)
| Defeat
| 3,675 (19,801)
| 1,973 (29,207)
|
Gatcina (LA)
| Defeat
| 3,139 (10,832)
| 42 (22,570)
|
Nikopol (PAvM)
| Victory
| 126 (49,902)
| 4,246 (83,473)
|
Staraja Russa (LA)
| Victory
| 261 (49,902)
| 2,079 (17,463)
|
Velizh (MA)
| Defeat
| 2,480 (22,379)
| 1,774 (42,328)
|
2nd Rahachow (PAH)
| Victory
| 839 (25,979)
| 898 (120,120)
|
Melitopol (PAvM)
| Victory
| 19 (17,007)
| 1,270 (10,778)
|
Vesele (PavM)
| Victory
| 427 (19,322)
| 3,977 (90,656)
|
Slawharad (PAH)
| Defeat
| 3,439 (40,969)
| 2,620 (92,860)
|
Pyriatin (PAvM)
| Defeat
| 2,766 (19,126)
| 355 (55,945)
|
Ovruch (AotP)
| Victory
| 866 (44,923)
| 2,846 (76,204)
|
Piatykhatky (PAvM)
| Victory
| 5,555 (25,164)
| 3,938 (33,254)
|
Ilyushino (PAvM)
| Defeat
| 4,963 (25982)
| 1,622 (130,090)
|
Dubrouna (PAH)
| Victory
| 2,165 (19,372)
| 1,002 (12,968)
|
2nd Borodjanka (PAvM)
| Defeat
| 3,392 (17,399)
| 213 (48,561)
|
Radomyshi (AotP)
| Victory
| 593 (42,295)
| 1,714 (14,816)
|
Obukhiv (PAvM)
| Victory
| 72 (52,068)
| 363 (28,420)
|
| | | |
Total
| 20/15
| 83,450
| 70,599
|
Probe
Location (Armee)
| Attacker
| Result
| German losses
| Soviet losses
|
| | | | |
Tesovo (MA)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| 25
| 17
|
Velizh (MA)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| 16
| 16
|
Rezina (AotC)
| German
| Victory
| 13
| 3
|
Parfino (LA)
| German
| Defeat
| 496
| 31
|
Telenisti x 3 (AotC)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| 9, 3, 1 (13)
| 26, 60, 6 (92)
|
Deniskowicze x 5 (PAH)
| German
| Defeat
| 34, 76, 13, 14, 24 (161)
| Nil, Nil, Nil, Nil, 1 (1)
|
Nieswiez (PAH)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| Nil
| 113
|
Marevo x 4 (MA)
| German
| Defeat
| 906, 788, 299, 1,625 (3,618)
| 16, 15, 2, 23 (56)
|
Marevo (PAH)
| German
| Defeat
| 704
| 19
|
Parfino x 5 (MA)
| German
| Defeat
| 510, 143, 418, 482, 318 (1,871)
| 23, 1, 6, 5, 5 (40)
|
Yakmivka (PAvM)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| 12
| 741
|
Mintzevo x 3 (LA)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| Nil, Nil, Nil
| 167, 178, 173 (518)
|
Nikopol x 2(PAvM)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| 1, 3 (4)
| 33, 37 (70)
|
Hlusk (PAH)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| 1
| 111
|
Kholm (PAH)
| Soviet
| Defeat
| 8
| 528
|
Krychaw (MA)
| German
| Victory
| 397
| 386
|
Velizh (PAH)
| German
| Victory
| 522
| 695
|
Kyiv (RA)
| German
| Defeat
| 860
| 779
|
| | | | |
Total
| | | 8,721
| 4,216
|
Bombing Summary for Barbarossa Days 360 to 365 (June 25th to 30th 1942)
Luftwaffe
Location (Armee)
| Commander
| Air unit(s)
| Casualties
|
| | | |
Petrodvorets (MA)
| Fröhlich
| III Kfk
| 167, 131 (298)
|
Borodjanka (AotP)
| Korten
| VII Kfk
| 149, 185, 122, 184 (640)
|
Kremenchuk (PavM)
| Dessloch
| IV Kfk
| 158, 141, 186, 162, 189, 138 (974)
|
Dniprodzerzhynsk (RA)
| Keller
| VIII Kfk
| 173, 111, 199, 107 (590)
|
| Sperrle and Keller
| I and VII Kfk
| 263, 256, 129, 140, 296 (1,084)
|
| Sperrle, Keller and Grauert
| I, VII and IX Kfk
| 373
|
Dniprodzerzhynsk (PavM)
| Dessloch
| IV Kfk
| 154, 129 (283)
|
Andreapol (MA)
| Lörzer
| III Kfk
| 153, 173 (326)
|
| Schweickhardt
| VI Kfk
| 170
|
| Wever
| II Kfk
| 175, 152, 149 (476)
|
Brovary (AotP)
| Korten
| VII Kfk
| 189, 174, 63 (426)
|
Melitopol (RA)
| von Richthofen
| V Kfk
| 178, 156 (334)
|
Nikopol (PavM)
| Dessloch
| IV Kfk
| 193
|
Pervomaysk (RA)
| Sperrle + Hun (2 x Hvy Ftr + 2 x TAC)
| I Kfk
| 154
|
| Grauert
| IX Kfk
| 178, 194, 52 (424)
|
Vesele (RA)
| von Richthofen
| V Kfk
| 85
|
| Sperrle and von Richthofen
| I and V Kfk
| 254, 276 (530)
|
Parfino (MA)
| Schweickhardt and Lörzer
| VI and III Kfk
| 249, 300, 206 (755)
|
Soljonoje (RA)
| Keller
| VIII Kfk
| 165, 100 (265)
|
Ivankov (PAH)
| Pflugbeil
| Escuadrilla Azul
| 53
|
Gatcina (MA)
| Kühl
| C.S.I.R.
| 53, 66, 58, 44 (221)
|
Novgorod (MA)
| Fröhlich
| III Kfk
| 168, 124, 39 (331)
|
Velizh (MA)
| Schweickhardt
| VI Kfk
| 178, 157 (335)
|
Krasnyy (PAH)
| Pflugbeil
| Escuadrilla Azul
| 49, 48 (97)
|
Ilyushino (MA)
| Lörzer
| III Kfk
| 188, 206 (394)
|
Berezan (RA)
| Keller
| VIII Kfk
| 141, 47 (188)
|
Malyn (AotP)
| Korten
| VII Kfk
| 202, 54 (256)
|
Boryspil (PavM)
| Dessloch
| IV Kfk
| 158
|
| | | |
Total
| | | 10,143
|
VVS
Location
| Commander
| Air units
| Casualties (Interceptor)
|
| | | |
Novovorontovska
| Abramovich
| 328 IAD, 42 BAD (MRF, TAC)
| Abort (Mensching)
|
Piatykhatky
| Gerasimov
| 19, 110 ShAD (2 x CAS)
| 14 (Mensching)
|
Ivanivka
| Bogulyubov
| 214, 215 ShAD (2 x CAS)
| 19
|
Orsha
| Sergeyev
| 1st Ftr, 13 BAD, 7th Tac (MRF, 2 x TAC)
| 38
|
Maryina Horka
| Sergeyev
| 1st Ftr, 13 BAD, 7th Tac (MRF, 2 x TAC)
| Abort (Klepke)
|
Lienza
| Komoriv
| 207, 211 ShAD (2 x CAS)
| Abort (Klepke)
|
| | | |
Total
| | | 71
|
Unternehmen Barbarossa: Days 360 to 365 (25th to 30th June 1942)
Nationality
| Ground Losses
| Bombing Losses
| Total
|
| | | |
German
| 83,450 + 8,721 = 92,171
| 71
| 92,242
|
Soviet
| 70,599 + 4,216 = 74,815
| 10,143
| 84,958
|
Unternehmen Gegenreaktion
Finalised Battles
Melun
| Victory
| 2,123 (65,653)
| 5,833 (27,521)
|
Chateauroux
| Victory
| 13 (13,591)
| 18 (5,067)
|
La Palisse
| Victory
| 79 (1,996)
| 36 (9,760)
|
Meaux
| Victory
| 59 (44,159)
| 740 (21,681)
|
Angerville
| Victory
| 209 (22,985)
| 5,738 (25,223)
|
La Souterraine
| Victory
| 32 (20,479)
| 1,713 (4,814)
|
Nontron
| Victory
| 2,586 (41,476 )
| 2,648 (15,421)
|
| | | |
Total
| 7/Nil
| 5,101
| 16,726
|
Probe
Vierzon
| French
| Defeat
| 2
| 35
|
Beauvais
| French
| Defeat
| 10
| 2
|
Amiens
| German
| Victory
| 3
| Nil
|
Abbeville
| German
| Victory
| 1
| 139
|
| | | | |
| | | 16
| 176
|
Luftwaffe
Nontron
| Deichmann
| V Skfk
| 76, 151, 144, 101, 133, 105, 95, 162, 122, 103, 141, 113, 97, 157, 125 (1,825)
|
Ongoing Battles
Time to catch a breath before continuing the onslaught
Unternehmen Gegenreaktion: Ongoing Casualties
| Current
| Prior
| Total
|
| | | |
German Ground Losses
| 5,101 + 16 = 5,117
| 47,551
| 52,668
|
German Bombing Losses
| Nil
| 227
| 227
|
German Total Losses
| 5,117
| 47,778
| 52,895
|
| | | |
French Ground Losses
| 16,726 + 176 = 16,902
| 149,146
| 166,048
|
French Bombing Losses
| 1,825
| 17,881
| 19,706
|
French Total Losses
| 18,727
| 167,027
| 185,754
|
Barbarossa at midnight 30th June 1942: ongoing battles
Leningrad Armee (Paulus)
Objective: Kohlta Järve, Simsk, Petrodvorets
Victories: Petrodvorets, Simsk, Staraja Russa
Defeats: Druzhnaya Gorka, Gatcina
Gatcina (Forest): 12.2 degrees
Karl (Shock): 79.ID
Kondrusev (Delay): 8th Mechanised Brigade
The Russians will crack within hours
Moskva Armee (List)
Objectives: Kholm, Demjansk
Victories: Nil
Defeats: Velizh
Ilyushino (Forest): 7.5 degrees
Höhne (Assault): 25.ID
Borisov (Defend): 24th “Samara-Ulyanov Iron” Rifle, 35th Tankovaya, Bakshiri Cossack Divizya RES: 47th “Georgian Gorno-Rifle, 46th “Dnepropetrovsk”, 36th “Translbaikalin” Rifle Divizya, NKVD detachment, Red Army remnants
Höhne may have had a chance, as all Borisov’s units are close to total disorganisation, but the Soviet attack on his base in Staraya Russa has exposed his men to a flank attack and he must pull out.
Staraya Toropa (Forest): 7.5 degrees
Batiuna (Shock): 8th “Minsk” Rifle Divizya, 2 x Red Army remnants
Zorn (Elastic Defence): 44th Reichsgrenadier, 25.ID
Batiuna’s attack is designed purely to save his comrades in Ilyushino who are on the point of collapse: he cannot defeat Zorn’s two divisions.
Demidov (Plains): 7.5 degrees
Von Schwedler (Shock): 1st Ostmark Division
Korotkin (Defend): 84th Tankovaya Divizya, 3 x Red Army remnants, 2ya Territorial Corps headquarters
Even though the Russians, other than the armour division, are of low quality, the Ostmark Division is finding it hard going
Panzerarmee Hoth (Hoth)
Objectives: Vitsyebsk, Smolensk, Krasnyy
Victories: Rahachow x 2, Nieswiez, Toropets x 2, Dubrouna
Defeats: Krasnyy, Chavusy, Slawharad
Malkowicze (Swamp): 7.4 degrees
Von Borowietz (Attack): 13, 386.ID (mot)
Moskalenko (Defend): 65th “Tyumen” Rifle Diviziya, Opolcheniye
Not a hope of success (18/6)
But still von Borowietz persists (24/6)
Still our soldiers fight on, in what everyone must know is a losing cause
Rahachow (Plains): 7.3 degrees
Fedorov (Shock): 25th, 99th Tankovaya 55th “Kursk”, 2nd Guards Taman, 2nd Guards Motorizannaya Diviziya, 5th Heavy Tank Brigade
Von Kleist (Backhand Blow): 14.ID
We have held off two prior attacks, but this one is so strong it may be too much
Andreapol (Forest): 7.5 degrees
Brandenberger (Shock): 16.PzD
Popov (Defend): 1st Guards Moscow, 3rd “Tihookeanskaya” Rifle Diviziya, 133rd Mechanised Brigade
This battle appears to be a race between our losses and Russian lack of organisation.
Krasnyy (Plains): 7.3 degrees
Jodl (Masterful Blitz): 85.ID (mot)
Kondratchev (Elastic Defence): 16th, 25th Kavaleriy Diviziya, 1st Guards Rifle Corps headquarters
Jodl is blasting his way through the cavalry
Golynki (Plains): 7.2 degrees
Gräser (Shock): 86.ID (mot)
Muzichenko (Defend): 4th “Smolenskaya”, 21st NKVD Rifle, 63rd Tankovaya Diviziya
The outcome cannot be predicted
Hlusk (Plains): 7.3 degrees
Krüger (Attack) (nullified): 345.ID (mot)
Sinenko (Counter-attack): 97th Tankovaya Diviziya
Despite his aggressive stance, Sinenko is losing this battle
Armee of the Pripyat (Dollman)
Objectives: Borodjanka, Malyn, Korosten, Zhytomyr, Volodarsk Volynski
Victories: Korosten, Cheryakiv, Ovruch, Radomyshi
Defeat: Zhubrovychi
Malyn (Plains): 7.2 degrees
Clössner (Shock): 18.ID
Loginov (Defend): 4th Tankovaya, 2nd NKVD Rifle Diviziya, Opolcheniye RES 76th “Armenian” Rifle Diviziya
Some more work to be done, but Clössner’s men are doing well
Panzerarmee von Manstein (von Manstein)
Objective: Kirovgrad, Svitlovodosk, Novo Ukrainka
Victories: Borodjanka, Ivanivka, Nikopol, Melitopol, Vesele, Piatykhatky, Obukhiv
Defeats: Brovary, Pryluky, Pyriatin, 2nd Borodjanka, Ilyushino
Kremenchuk (Plains): 7.4 degrees
Von Hubicki (Masterful Breakthrough): 9.PzD, 13.ID (mot), 277.ID, 4th Gebirgsjäger Division
Fyodorov (Defend): 24th , 49th Tankovaya, 2nd “Zaporezh’ye” Kavaleriy Diviziya RES 5th Tuvanskaya, 21st Tankovaya Diviziya
Stumme is hopeful, but I do not share his confidence. (24/6)
Stumme and his original force have been completely replaced and the fresh troops are grinding down the defence – the “reserves” are actually fleeing soldiers
Kamianka (Plains): 7.3 degrees
Fogel (Shock): 5th Tankovaya Diviziya
Balck (Defence): 19.PzD
19.PzD is quite capable of seeing off this annoyance
Rostov Armee (Henrici)
Objectives: Kherson, Mikolaiv, Chaplynka, Snihurivak
Victories: Nil
Defeat: Nil
Henrici’s army is exhausted, and the situation was not helped by the strange decision to send a dozen divisions to the rear to clear up a province once held by a small partisan group. It will take days before they return to their positions at the front (24/6)
The units that pulled back are still making their way forward: this unauthorised movement is costing us dearly.
Army of the Crimea (von Falkenhorst)
Objectives: Cahul, Romanesti
Victories: Nil
Defeats: Chisinau, Orhei
Kotovsk (Plains): 7.2 degrees
Brennecke (Shock): Notfallgruppe, 10th Gebirgsjäger Division
Poplawski (Defend): 59th Tankovaya Diviziya
Our lightly armed units are doing their best: it may be enough
Cornesti (Plains): 7.4 degrees
Meindl (Shock): 22nd Luftlande Division
Bogdonov (Defend): 16th “Turkmeni” Gorno-Rifle Diviziya
The air landing troops may have chosen a unit able to outlast them (24/6)
Losses are growing, but Meindl is a little more confident
Unternehmen Barbarossa: Ongoing Casualties
| Current
| Prior
| Total
|
| | | |
German Ground Losses
| 92,171
| 2,631,675
| 2,723,846
|
German Bombing Losses
| 71
| 5,763
| 5,834
|
German Total Losses
| 92,242
| 2,637,438
| 2,729,680
|
| | | |
Soviet Ground Losses
| 74,815
| 3,079,466
| 3,154,281
|
Soviet Bombing Losses
| 10,143
| 366,640
| 376,783
|
Soviet Total Losses
| 84,958
| 3,446,106
| 3,531,064
|
War at Sea
|
| Current
| Prior
| Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
U-boat losses
|
| Nil
| 12
| 12
|
|
|
|
|
|
Convoys
| German
| 1
| 28
| 29
|
|
|
|
|
|
| British
| 3
| 361
| 364
|
| French
| Nil
| 25
| 25
|
| Canadian
| 1
| 27
| 28
|
| South African
| Nil
| 7
| 7
|
| New Zealand
| 1
| 51
| 52
|
| Australian
| Nil
| 32
| 32
|
| Belgian
| Nil
| 5
| 5
|
| Norwegian
| Nil
| 37
| 37
|
| Greek
| Nil
| 17
| 17
|
| Soviet
| Nil
| 10
| 10
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
| Allied Convoy Losses
| 5
| 572
| 577
|
