SigUp
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Monthly Report: November 1941 In November temperature drop and snowfall ended the rasputitsa and restored mobility to the German forces. However, by the the combination of strong Soviet defenses and weaker German units meant that ambitious operations were impossible. Instead the German leaders concentrated their forces for one hammering blow against the Soviet positions around Kaluga which pointed threateningly into the plains between Kaluga and Bryansk. Led by the newly appointed commander of 3rd Panzer Group, Erich von Manstein, the German forces succeded in evicting the Soviets out of the city and secured an anchorpoint for the frontline. Meanwhile the Soviets continued to mobilize forces and looked poised for a massive counterattack from Kalinin to the Sea of Azov. OKH was alarmed by this development and despite Hitler's insistence on them falling prey to a feint, ordered the frontline commanders to devise plans for a defensive conduct of operations. However, by month's end the freezing temperaturs completely overwhelmed the ill-prepared German forces, placing them in serious peril. Losses After a relatively calm October the resumption of fighting increased German losses to over 100.000 men. 28.779 soldiers were killed, while another 824 were reported to be missing. Gun losses were registered at 778, while AFV losses stood at 373. The Luftwaffe in those four weeks lost 29 fighters, 7 fighter bombers, 19 tactical bombers, 57 level bombers, as well as 75 reconnaissance aircraft and 11 transports. Soviet losses in the same timespan dropped to a new low with only around 160.000 men. 35.208 Red Army soldiers were killed, while 9.507 were captured by German forces. 2.154 guns were reported as being destroyed, as were 585 tanks. The VVS lost 394 fighters and fighter bombers, 58 tactical bombers and 162 level bombers. With the German offensive running dead in the last week of November it was apparent that Operation Barbarossa had failed. The ambitious goal of destroying the Red Army in a swift campaign fell way short and the Germans now had to prepare for a war of attition they weren't equipped to deal with. Especially the heavy losses would be difficult to replace. In five months of fighting the Wehrmacht and its allies lost close to 650.000 soldiers of which 196.541 were killed with another 3.926 missing. In terms of equipment losses 5.415 guns and 2.949 tanks were destroyed. The Luftwaffe on the other hand suffered moderate losses which were replaceable. 348 fighters, 89 fighter bombers, 226 tactical bombers and 517 level bombers were lost. In addition 437 reconnaissance and 79 transport aircraft didn't return from their mission. The Soviets suffered devastating defeats from June to September, but their vast industry and reserves kept the Germans at bay. Over 2.8 million men were logged as casualties with 234.315 killed and 1.650.513 captured. Equipment losses were equally high with 38.088 guns, 15.769 AFVs and 107.118 vehicles. In total, 21 tank, 12 motorized, 109 rifle, 5 cavalry and 4 mountain divisions were obliterated by the German advance. Likewise the VVS also suffered atrocious losses without being destroyed. 6.416 fighters, 581 tactical bombers and 2.110 level bombers were downed. Reserves Afer reaching a high of 83.380 men in late October, German manpower reserves quickly dwindled in November. By December 1941 only 26.611 men remaind. Armaments reserves meanwhile held up better and stood at 168.893. OOB On 4th December 1941 the German forces in the East consisted of 3.445.662 men, 34.579 guns, 2.390 AFVs (1.871 in panzer divisions) and 3.362 aircraft. Opposing them were 5.556.293 Soviets with 47.874 guns, 3.623 AFVs and 7.226 aircraft. Heeresgruppe Nord (v. Leeb) 16. Armee (Busch) - 204.721 men, 2.117 guns, 0 AFVs II. AK (v. Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt) - 4 infantry divisions X. AK (Hansen) - 4 infantry divisions LI. AK (Reinhard) - 4 infantry divisions 18. Armee (v. Küchler) - 224.602 men, 2.457 guns, 0 AFVs VI. AK (Laux) - 3 infantry divisions XXVI. AK (Wodrig) - 3 infantry divisions XXVIII. AK (v. Wiktorin) - 3 infantry divisions L. AK (Lindemann) - 3 infantry divisions 4. Panzerarmee (Hoth) - 223.938 men, 2.262 guns, 724 AFVs V. AK (Ruoff) - 3 infantry divisions XXXX. AK (mot.) (Schaal) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 SS motorized brigade XXXXI. AK (mot.) (Reinhardt) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division LVI. AK (mot.) (Kirchner) - 1 panzer division, 1 motorized division, 1 SS division Heeresgruppe Mitte (v. Bock) 2. Armee (v. Weichs) - 207.088 men, 2.284 guns, 32 AFVs 4. G.D. 8. SS-K.B. XII. AK (Marcks) - 4 infantry divisions XIII. AK (Angelis) - 3 infantry divisions XXXV. AK (Kämpfe) - 4 infantry divisions 4. Armee (Heinrici) - 242.750 men, 2.926 guns, 26 AFVs 1. G.D. VII. AK (Fahrmbacher) - 3 infantry divisions IX. AK (Hell) - 3 infantry divisions XXXXIII. AK (Rendulic) - 3 infantry divisions LIII. AK (v. Tippelskirch) - 4 infantry divisions 9. Armee (Strauss) - 228.399 men, 2.531 guns, 55 AFVs VIII. AK (Heitz) - 2 infantry divisions, 1 flieger division XX. AK (Materna) - 3 infantry divisions XXIII. AK (Stemmermann) - 3 infantry divisions XXXXII. AK (Mieth) - 3 infantry divisions 2. Panzerarmee (Guderian) - 191.858 men, 2.025 guns, 521 AFVs III. AK (mot.) (v. Mackensen) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division XXIV. AK (mot.) (v. Schweppenburg) - 2 panzer divisions, 2 motorized divisions XXXXVII. AK (mot.) (Lemelsen) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division 3. Panzerarmee (v. Manstein) - 246.570 men, 2.568 guns, 442 AFVs I. AK (Model) - 3 infantry divisions XXXVIII. AK (Strecker) - 3 infantry divisions XXXIX. AK (mot.) (Schmidt) - 2 panzer divisions, 2 motorized divisions, 1 motorized brigade LVII. AK (mot.) (v. Arnim) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division Heeresgruppe Süd (v. Rundstedt) 6. Armee (v. Reichenau) - 253.252 men, 2.769 guns, 0 AFVs XVII. AK (Schmidt) - 4 infantry divisions XXIX. AK (v. Obstfelder) - 3 infantry divisions XXXXIV. AK (v. d. Chevallerie) - 3 infantry divisions LV. AK (Vierow) - 2 infantry divisions, 1 Slovakian division 11. Armee (v. Schobert) - 267.980 men, 2.694 guns, 21 AFVs XI. AK (v. Kortzfleisch) - 3 infantry divisions XXX. AK (v. Salmuth) - 2 infantry divisions, 1 airlanding division XXXIV. AK (Hollidt) - 3 infantry divisions LIV. AK (Hansen) - 3 infantry divisions 17. Armee (Hoepner) - 222.963 men, 2.519 guns, 21 AFVs IV. AK (Herzog) - 4 infantry divisions XXXXIX. GK (Kübler) - 4 infantry divisions LII. AK (v. Briesen) - 4 infantry divisions 1. Panzerarmee (v. Kleist) - 201.253 men, 2.371 guns, 481 AFVs XIV. AK (mot.) (v. Knobelsdorff) - 1 panzer division, 1 SS division, 1 SS motorized brigade, Großdeutschland, 1 Slovakian mobile division XXXXVI. AK (mot.) (v. Vietinghoff) - 1 panzer division, 2 SS divisions XXXXVIII. AK (mot). (Kempf) - 2 panzer divisions, 1 motorized division Armata 3 (Dumitrescu) - 233.421 men, 2.083 guns, 105 AFVs Corp. 1 (Ionescu) - 4 infantry divisions Corp. 4 (Sanatescu) - 4 infantry divisions Corp. de Munte (Avramescu) - 3 mountain brigades Corp. de Cav. (Racovita) - 1 armoured division, 3 cavalry brigades Armata 4 (Ciuperca) - 207.627 men, 1.712 guns, 4 AFVs Corp. 2 (Macici) - 3 infantry divisions Corp. 3 (Atanasiu) - 3 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade Corp. 5 (Levanti) - 3 infantry divisions Corp. 11 (Constantinescu-Claps) - 1 infantry division, 2 infantry brigades CSIR (Messe) - 2 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry division Hungarians - 1 motorized brigades, 1 cavalry brigade
< Message edited by SigUp -- 3/7/2014 1:27:51 PM >
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