The Road to Stalingrad by John Erickson

Author:John Erickson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Zhukov's arguments found immediate support from Voznesenskii, who emphasized that the necessary supplies for simultaneous offensive operations on all fronts simply could not be forthcoming. Stalin was quite unconvinced. He announced that he had talked to Marshal Timoshenko, who was in favour of attacking: 'We must grind the Germans down with all speed, so that they cannot attack in the spring.' Malenkov and Beria supported Stalin. Voznesenskii's objection was itself ground underfoot with the remark that he always brought up difficulties which would have to be overcome. Stalin invited any further observations. There were none, whereupon Stalin declared the session and the matter closed. General Zhukov left the Stavka meeting, convinced that the decision had already been taken long before the meeting convened, which indeed it had, and that Stalin had more or less set up this Stavka session to 'ginger up' (podtolknut) the soldiers. Marshal Shaposhnikov, with whom Zhukov talked briefly, confirmed this impression immediately by telling Zhukov that he had argued back for nothing: the directives had gone to Front commanders some time ago, Stalin had decided the matter well before the Stavka met and offensive operations were to begin almost at once. It was also clear to General Zhukov from Marshal Shaposhnikov's manner and mien that it was not the General Staff which had fathered this general offensive.

The results of the Stavka meeting were not long in showing themselves. In less than forty-eight hours Zhukov had the new operational directive in his hand:

To Commander Western Front

To Commander Kalinin Front:

7 January 1942 20.40 hrs.

The Stavka of the Supreme Commander orders the reinforced Western and Kalinin Fronts to aim at the encirclement of the Mozhaisk-Ghatsk-Vyazma concentration of enemy forces, in pursuit of which:

I Commander Kalinin Front, having split off part of his forces for the destruction of enemy forces at Rzhev, with a Front shock force consisting of two armies made up of 14-15 rifle divisions, cavalry corps and large tank forces to mount an attack in the general direction of Sychevka-Vyazma, with the aim of cutting the railway and the highway running from Gzhatsk-Smolensk to the west of Vyazma, thus depriving the enemy of his basic line of communications. In the further pursuit of operations together with troops of the Western Front to encircle, then to take prisoner or to annihilate the entire enemy Mozhaisk-Gzhatsk concentration.

2 without waiting for the movement of the cavalry corps and the final concentration of the whole force of the shock group in the area of Rzhev, using the existing forces of 39 Army as the basic strength of the shock group, to develop with all speed offensive operations in the direction of Sychevka-Vyazma, and with the remaining forces to establish a second echelon behind the main shock group, so calculating as to be in the area of Sychevka and capturing Sychevka not later than 12 January 1942.

3 Commander of Western Front, having destroyed no later than 11 January the Yukhnov-Mossalsk enemy concentration, to mount the main attack with a shock group made

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.