Enduring the Whirlwind: The German Army and the Russo-German War 1941-1943

by Gregory Liedtke

Overview

Despite the best efforts of a number of historians, many aspects of the ferocious struggle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during the Second World War remain obscure or shrouded in myth. One of the most persistent of these is the notion - largely created by many former members of its own officer corps in the immediate postwar period - that the German Army was a paragon of military professionalism and operational proficiency whose defeat on the Eastern Front was solely attributable to the amateurish meddling of a crazed former Corporal and the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Red Army. A key pillar upon which the argument of German numerical-weakness vis-à-vis the Red Army has been constructed is the assertion that Germany was simply incapable of providing its army with the necessary quantities of men and equipment needed to replace its losses. In consequence, as their losses outstripped the availability of replacements, German field formations became progressively weaker until they were incapable of securing their objectives or, eventually, of holding back the swelling might of the Red Army.

This work seeks to address the notion of German numerical-weakness in terms of Germany's ability to replace its losses and regenerate its military strength, and assess just how accurate this argument was during the crucial first half of the Russo-German War (June 1941-June 1943).

Employing a host of primary documents and secondary literature, it traces the development and many challenges of the German Army from the prewar period until the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. It continues on to chart the first two years of the struggle between Germany and the Soviet Union, with a particular emphasis upon the scale of German personnel and equipment losses, and how well these were replaced. It also includes extensive examinations into the host of mitigating factors that both dictated the course of Germany's campaign in the East and its replacement and regeneration capabilities.

In contrast to most accounts of the conflict, this study finds that numerical-weakness being the primary factor in the defeat of the Ostheer - specifically as it relates to the strength and condition of the German units involved - has been overemphasized and frequently exaggerated. In fact, Germany was actually able to regenerate its forces to a remarkable degree with a steady flow of fresh men and equipment, and German field divisions on the Eastern Front were usually far stronger than the accepted narratives of the war would have one believe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911096870
Publisher:	Helion and Company
Publication date:	09/19/2016
Series:	Wolverhampton Military Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	570,780
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Gregory Liedtke is a military historian and doctoral graduate of the War Studies Program at the Royal Military College of Canada. An enthusiast of Military History in general, his particular research interests reside in both the study of the German Army during the Second World War and the Russo-German War of 1941-45.

Table of Contents

List of Maps vii

List of Tables viii

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations xii

Table of Military Ranks xviii

Series Editor's Preface xix

Introduction xxi

1 Prequel to Götterdämmerung. Rebuilding the German Army: From Rearmament to the fall of France, 1919 to June 1940 45

2 Preparing for Barbarossa, June 1940 to June 1941 86

3 Barbarossa Unleashed: The Invasion of Russia, June to October 1941 113

4 Requiem for a Kriegsspiel: The Failure of Barbarossa and the Rebuilding of the Ostheer, November 1941 to June 1942 160

5 Resurgence. The Ostheer between June and November 1942 228

6 Catastrophe and Reconstitution on the Eastern Front, November 1942 to July 1943 275

Conclusion 315

Appendix

I Equipment Requirements of Independent Units belonging to the German Army on 1 October 1939 320

II Equipment Requirements of Independent Units of the German Army on 1 May 1940 322

III Equipment Requirements of Independent Units of the German Army on 1 June 1941 324

IV Estimated Strength of German Infantry and Motorised Infantry Battalions, 1941 327

V German Reinforcements to the Ostfront, October 1941 - June 1942 328

VI Estimated German Armour Strength on the Eastern Front, 1 July 1942 330

VII Divisional Personnel Shortages among the Ostheer, early September 1942 332

VIII Divisional Personnel Shortages among the Ostheer, early November 1942 334

IX Equipment Requirements of Independent Units belonging to the German Army, 1 October 1942 336

X Estimated Material Requirements of the Enatzheer, October 1942 340

XI German Reinforcements sent to Southern Russia, December 1942 to June 1943 343

XII Status of Infantry Battalions with the 1. Panzerarmee and Armee Abteilung Hollidt, Late February 1943 345

XIII Authorized and Actual Divisional Equipment Holdings on the Eastern Front, 1 July 1943 347

XIV Arrival of Replacements and Divisional Shortages by 1 July 1943 350

Bibliography 353

Index 380

Editorial Reviews

This is a fascinating read. 4 stars.

Soldier Magazine

"This book is likely to stand as the definitive reference work for the largest and most costly land campaign in military history."

Military History Monthly

Enduring the Whirlwind provides welcome new insights into strategy and tactics... Gregory Liedtke's discerning assessment of German manpower and equipment deployed during the Ostkrieg reveals a more resilient and robust Wehrmacht than received opinion would have it. In so well-plowed a field of scholarship, this is no small achievement.

Michigan War Studies Review

It is good at detailing the strength and regenerative work done by the Wehrmacht at various points leading up to and early in the war… if you are interested in the numbers (especially in terms of losses and replacements regarding both men and machines) underlying the fighting on Germany's Eastern Front during the Second World War then there is much to enjoy in this book.

Globe at War

"For the historian and wargamer, this is a treasure trove of information on the pre-Kursk period, and I hope the author will produce a like volume on the second half of the war."

Miniature Wargames

"...a valuable addition to the revisionist literature on the Russo-German War."

The NYMAS Review

"For the historian and wargamer, this is a treasure trove of information on the pre-Kursk period, and I hope the author will produce a like volume on the second half of the war.” ---Miniature Wargames

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