Barbarossa Derailed, Volume 3 by David M. Glantz

Author:David M. Glantz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War II
ISBN: 9781912174300
Publisher: Helion and Company
Published: 2014-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

18. Notes of a Conversation of the Chief of Staff of the Western Front of 28 August with the Chief of the Operations Department of the Western Front’s Headquarters about the Situation on the Front’s Right Wing

Conversations of Lieutenants General Malandin and Sokolovsky

Time: 0340 hours on 28 August 1941

Malandin – First. According to our information, the enemy is conducting an offensive with his main forces along the Toropets axis. Two of his columns were noted operating toward the northeast: one was approaching Skvortsovo Station by evening, and the other – Kostino. The northern axis – up to two infantry divisions are operating toward Ozerets. The enemy is trying to cut off the Toropets-Velikie Luki route and, apparently, toward Staraia Toropa, with the enemy’s forward units. Along the Skvortsovo and Kostino axes, our units, which were protecting these axes, have withdrawn to the Ozerets, Skvortsovo, and Kostino line. A counterattack was repelled at Ozerets, but, to the west, the enemy succeeded in cutting the route to Velikie Luki.

Sokolovsky – I do not understand where our detachments protecting the Skvortsovo axis divide, and also toward Ozerets. Are not Ershakov’s units there?

Malandin – Second. 170th RD withdrew with up to 300 men on 28 August. It has no commander and headquarters and also no equipment. [Other strength reports include]: 174th RD – up to 400 men but no headquarters, and its equipment includes one 122mm gun. 186th RD – up to 2,000 men, three 76mm guns, two 45mm guns, two 122mm guns, and nothing else. 214th RD – up to 2,500 men, but no equipment. 48th TD – up to 2,500 men and two 76mm guns, and 98th RD – up to 300 men, but no equipment and headquarters. 126th RD – up to 3,100 men. It appears better than the others. Equipment, two 76mm guns and 17 machine guns. 179th RD – up to 300 men but no equipment. RGK [Reserve of the High Command] equipment – only two guns of 360th HAR. There are personal weapons. The information is being verified.

Today, of the commanders, [the following] arrived: the commander of 186th RD, Biriukov; the temporary commander of 112th RD, Gavrilov; the commander of 29th RC, Samokhin; the commander of 214th RD, Rozanov; 22nd Army’s chief of staff, Pigarevich; and the chief of artillery, Nichkov.

The [following] have not yet arrived: the commander of 174th RD, Zygin; the commander of 62nd RC, Karmanov; the commander of 170th RD, Colonel Laskin; and Colonel Bunin. Of the commissars, [the following have arrived]: Udolov, Evseev, and Osadchev. Up to this time, Ershakov and Leonov [have not arrived].

Third. The withdrawn commands do not represent full value because of losses in personnel and equipment, and also in light of the considerable disorder in their command organs.

Fourth. We cannot fulfill the orders in regard to occupying the army’s forward line due to the difficult situation. The forward detachments sent out on 26 August were pushed back to their jumping-off positions by the enemy, and the units dug in along the main line with adjustments made as a consequence of the fighting on 27 August.

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