Onslaught The German Invasion of Russia [Combat Camera №2].pdf

Onslaught

Combat camera 2

The German invasion of soviet russia

KARL BERNE

Firefly

collection

THE OLIVER

PUBLISHING

GROUP

ISBN 978-0-9806593-3-7

PRINTED IN AUSTRALIA

Onslaught

The german invasion of soviet russia

KARL BERNE

ISBN 978-0-9806593-3-7

135 Koloona Avenue, Mount Keira NSW 2500

Australia

private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under

the Copyright, Design and Patent Act, 1988, no part of this

publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical,

chemical, mechanical, optical photocopying, recording or

otherwise, without prior written permission of The Oliver

Publishing Group. All enquiries should be addressed to the

publisher.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Heinz Fischer, Alfred Gabel, Guy

Delan, the staff of the Hauptbücherei am Gürtel in Vienna and

Diana Arbenz who kindly assisted with German to English

translation.

Publisher’s Note

The illustrations in this book were all created using contemporary

photographs as a reference and we have attempted to create as

faithful a reproduction as possible - including the shape and

position of any camouflage pattern, markings and the style of

lettering used. In the few cases where we have been forced to

speculate we have tried to make this clear.

Illustrations

Dennis Oliver

Submissions

Authors who wish to submit material should contact the editor at

the address shown above

Printed in Australia by

Printmedia

32 Swan Street Wollongong NSW 2500

Front cover: Pzkw III ausf H of I/Panzer Regiment 31, 5 Panzer

Division. The photograph on which our illustration is based was

taken shortly before June 1941.

At 3 : 1 5 a m o n S u n d ay, 2 2 J u n e 1 9 4 1 , t h r e e G e r m a n A r my G ro u p s b as e d

in East Prussia in the north, occupied Poland in the centre and

Rumania in the south, set out on the largest and costliest military

o p e r a t i o n i n h u m a n h i s t o r y - t h e i n v a s i o n o f t h e S o v i e t U n i o n .

M o st a r m i es o f t h e d ay, o bs es s ed w i t h t h e n e ed fo r s e c u r i t y, wo u l d a n d

did forbid similar practices among their troops. In fact, with

photography still just barely out of its infancy in 1939, most soldiers

simply would not have been able to afford the luxury of what was then

a n ex p e n s i v e h o b b y.

Prepared in the strictest secrecy for almost a year, the overriding

concern of the planners was that the campaign must be brought to a

speedy conclusion and that the Red Army must not be allowed to

escape destruction by retreating into the vast interior of Russia: “The

G e r m a n We h r m a c h t m u st b e p r e p a r ed to c r u s h S o v i et R u s s i a i n a q u i c k

campaign.” Hitler stated on 18 December 1940 as he approved War

Directive No. 21, the High Command's plan for the invasion and

conquest of European Russia. By then the operation had been

c h r i ste n ed B a r b a ro s s a - a n a l l u s i o n t o t h e c r u s ad i n g 1 2 t h C e n tu r y H o l y

R o m a n E m p e ro r.

However the German army not only allowed the practice but made

available lightweight, affordable cameras and stocks of film. Although

inexpensive, the quality of some of these cameras was extremely high

a n d m a ny c a n s t i l l b e fo u n d i n u s e b y e n t h u s i a s t s t o d ay.

It is from these photographs, taken by ordinary German soldiers, that

this collection is overwhelmingly composed. In the very few instances

were soldiers “snapshots” have not been used, the images are taken

from postcards mailed home by a son, brother or father serving in a

faraway and alien land. A few photographs are blurred and somewhat

unclear as could be expected of enthusiastic amateurs. These I have

included as they portray subjects or events of more than passing

interest. Many images however, are sharp and imaginatively

c o m p o s ed , t h e w o r k p e r h a p s o f p r e - w a r h o b b y i s t s .

O p e ra t i o n B a r b a ro s s a , wa s a l m o st c e r ta i n l y t h e s i n g l e m o st i m p o r ta n t

episode of the 20th Century and events set in motion by the invasion,

a n d t h e s u b s e q u e n t t i ta n i c s t r u g g l e , a f fe c t o u r l i v e s t o t h i s v e r y d ay.

The German Army alone fielded almost 4 million men arrayed in over

1 6 0 d i v i s i o n s a n d n u m e ro u s s m a l l e r fo r m a t i o n s . T h i s n u m b e r d o es n o t

include Luftwaffe or Kriegsmarine personnel, or members of the

numerous paramilitary organisations such as the Reichsarbeitdienst.

Nor does it include the contingents of Germany ’s allies - Slovakia, Italy

a n d H u n ga r y.

The scale of the struggle would only be matched by its brutality,

culminating in the fever-pitched slaughter of the battle for Berlin in

M a y 1 9 4 5 .

The following pages therefore chronicle the invasion of Russia as seen

t h ro u g h t h e e yes o f t h e m e n w h o pa r t i c i pa ted i n i t . T h e i m a g es h av e n o t

been created as they would have been by the photographers of the

Propaganda Kompanien - who had always to be mindful of the

i m p res s i o n t h at t h e i r p h o t o s w o u l d m a ke o n t h e H o m ef ro n t - b u t ra t h e r

c a p t u r e t h e s c e n e s a n d e v e n t s t h a t i m p re s s e d t h e a v e r a g e F e l g r a u .

Although this book is not, strictly speaking, a history of the campaign, I

have included a table on the following page which shows the major

German ground units and their affiliation. Many of these units are

mentioned in the captions and the table will hopefully give the reader

a n a d d e d p e rs p e c t i v e .

As in the previous campaigns in Poland and France - both relatively

easy victories for the Germans - the military authorities encouraged

s o l d i e r s t o c a r r y c a m e ra s a n d t o r e c o rd t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e s o n f i l m .

A weary driver of 3 Infanterie Division (Mot) pauses for a cigaret te on the road to Moscow. In the original print of this photograph a tactical sign

identifying the 6th battery of Artillerie Regiment 3 can be seen above the number plate on the right fender. German manufacturers were never

a b l e to m e et t h e A r my ' s d e m a n d s fo r m o to r t r a n s p o r t a n d m a ny t h o u s a n d s o f c i v i l i a n c a r s o f fo r e i g n o r i g i n w e r e p r es s ed i nto s e r v i c e . T h i s v e h i c l e

i s a S i m c a 5 p r o d u c e d i n Fr a n c e b e t w e e n 1 9 3 6 a n d 1 9 4 0 .

OPERATION BARBAROSSA

22 JUNE 1941

Oberkommando des Heeres (Generaloberst Halder)

Heeresgruppe Nord

(Von Leeb)

Heeresgruppe Mitte

(Von Bock)

Heeresgruppe Süd

(Von Rundstedt)

16 Armee (Busch)

II Armeekorps (von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt)

12 Infanterie Division

32 Infanterie Division

121 Infanterie Division

X Armeekorps (Hansen)

30 Infanterie Division

126 Infanterie Division

XXVIII Armeekorps (von Wiktorin)

122 Infanterie Division

123 Infanterie Division

(Reserve)

206 Infanterie Division

251 Infanterie Division

253 Infanterie Division

18 Armee (von Küchler)

I Armeekorps (von Both)

1 Infanterie Division

11 Infanterie Division

21 Infanterie Division

XXVI Armeekorps (Wodrig)

61 Infanterie Division

217 Infanterie Division

291 Infanterie Division

XXXVIII Armeekorps (von Chappuis)

58 Infanterie Division

254 Infanterie Division

Panzergruppe 4 (Höpner)

XLI Armeekorps (Reinhardt)

269 Infanterie Division

1 Panzer Division

6 Panzer Division

LVI Armeekorps (von Manstein)

290 Infanterie Division

8 Panzer Division

(Reserve)

3 Infanterie Division (mot)

36 Infanterie Division (mot)

SS Division Totenkopf

XXIII Armeekorps in reserve (Schubert)

LIII Armeekorps (Weisenberger)

29 Infanterie Division

2 Armee, Brest-Litovsk (von Weichs)

4 Armee, Brest-Litovsk (von Kluge)

VII Armeekorps (Fahrmbacher)

7 Infanterie Division

2 Infanterie Division

258 Infanterie Division

26 Infanterie Division

X Armeekorps (Geyer)

137 Infanterie Division

263 Infanterie Division

29 Infanterie Division

XIII Armeekorps (Felber)

17 Infanterie Division

87 Infanterie Division

78 Infanterie Division

XLIII Armeekorps (Heinrici)

131 Infanterie Division

13 Infanterie Division

25 Infanterie Division

9 Armee (Strauss)

VII Armeekorps (Heitz)

8 Infanterie Division

28 Infanterie Division

16 Infanterie Division

XX Armeekorps (Materna)

16 Infanterie Division

25 Infanterie Division

XLII Armeekorps(Kuntze)

10 Infanterie Division

129 Infanterie Division

Panzergruppe 2 (Guderian)

XII Armeekorps (Schroth)

31 Infanterie Division

34 Infanterie Division

45 Infanterie Division

XXI Armeekorps (von Schweppenburg)

1 Kavallerie Division

255 Infanterie Division

267 Infanterie Division

10 Infanterie Division (mot)

3 Panzer Division

4 Panzer Division

XLVI Panzerkorps (von Vietinghoff-Scheel)

Infanterie-Regt Grossdeutschland(mot)

10 Panzer Division

SS Division Reich

XLVII Panzerkorps (Lemelsen)

167 Infanterie Division

29 Infanterie Division (mot)

17 Panzer Division

18 Panzer Division

Panzergruppe 3 (Hoth)

V Armeekorpsi (Ruoff)

5 Infanterie Division

35 Infanterie Division

VI Armeekorps (Förster)

6 Infanterie Division

26 Infanterie Division

XXXIX Armeekorps (motorisierte)(Schmidt)

14 Infanterie Division (mot)

20 Infanterie Division (mot)

7 Panzer Division

20 Panzer Division

LVI Armeekorps (Kuntzen)

18 Infanterie Division (mot)

12 Panzer Division

19 Panzer Division

6 Armee (von Reichenau)

XVII Armeekorps (Kienitz)

56 Infanterie Division

62 Infanterie Division

XLIV Armeekorps (Koch)

9 Infanterie Division

297 Infanterie Division

LV Armeekorps (Vierow)

168 Infanterie Division

213 Sicherungs Division

17 Armee (Stülpnagel)

IV Armeekorps (von Schwedler)

24 Infanterie Division

71 Infanterie Division

262 Infanterie Division

295 Infanterie Division

296 Infanterie Division

XLIX Gebirgs-Armeekorps (Kübler)

68 Infanterie Division

257 Infanterie Division

1 Gebirgs Division

LII Armeekorps (von Briesen)

101 Leichte Infanterie Division

444 Sicherungs Division

454 Sicherungs Division

(Reserve)

97 Leichte Infanterie Division

100 Leichte Infanterie Division

Panzergruppe 1 (von Kleist)

III Armeekorps (von Machensen)

44 Infanterie Division

29 Infanterie Division

14 Panzer Division

XIV Panzerkorps (von Wietersheim)

9 Panzer Division

SS Division Wiking

XXIX Armeekorps (von Obstfelder)

111 Infanterie Division

299 Infanterie Division

XLVIII Panzerkorps (Kempf)

57 Infanterie Division

75 Infanterie Division

11 Panzer Division

(Reserve)

16 Infanterie Division (mot)

25 Infanterie Division (mot)

13 Panzer Division

16 Panzer Division

Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler

11 Armee (von Schobert)

XI Armeekorps (von Kortzfleisch)

76 Infanterie Division

239 Infanterie Division

XXX Armeekorps (von Salmuth)

198 Infanterie Division

LIV Armeekorps (Hansen)

50 Infanterie Division

170 Infanterie Division

(Reserve)

22 Infanterie Division

72 Infanterie Division

(Reserve)

99 Leichte Infanterie Division

For Operation Barbarossa the German forces

were organised into three separate army

groups or Heeresgruppen - designated

North, Center and South. Each Army Group

was assigned specific regions and cities of the

Soviet Union which they were to capture.

Heeresgruppe Nord was to advance through

the Baltic States and capture or destroy the

city of Leningrad while Heeresgruppe Mitte ,

the strongest Army Group, would advance to

Smolensk as a prelude to capturing Moscow.

Heeresgruppe Süd was to strike through the

Ukraine, occupying Kiev and then advancing

east to the Volga and the oilfields of the

Caucasus. This huge undertaking involved

more than 160 army divisions as well as units

of the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe. The

latter are not included in this table nor are

the allied contingents from Italy, Slovakia

and Hungary.

Above: Russian prisoners of war are herded towards the

rear. During the early stages of the invasion, prisoners were

generally treated humanely by both sides. The losses

suffered by the Soviet army were staggering and average

German soldiers, like those seen here, must have been

c o n f i d e nt t h a t t h e w a r w o u l d s o o n b e o v e r.

Right: Jubilant villagers greet the advancing Germans with

cheers and bouquets of flowers. The oppression of the

Stalinist regime had only succeeded in alienating peasant

communities, particularly in the Ukraine and Byelorussia,

a n d t h e f i r s t We h r m a c h t u n i t s w e r e v i e w ed a s l i b e r a t o r s .

Below: An early model Panzer III advances through a dusty

Russian village. The lack of good roads would be a constant

p r o b l e m f o r t h e i nv a d e r s .

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