Real time Discusion thread

   lordroel ,

  On today's WWII post you have.

There were massive encirclements of Soviet troops from Leningrad in the North to the Sea of Azov on the Black Sea, with the largest pockets in the middle around Bryansk and Vyasma. Coupled with the destruction of Soviet Southwestern Front around Kiev, these cauldron battles (Kesselschlacht) will result in 2 million unrecoverable Soviet losses. However, Stalin knows from his spy in Tokyo (Richard Sorge) that the Japanese have no plans to attack USSR and instead intend to expand South by moving on British and American interests. Stalin transfers troops from the Far East to protect Moscow. Stalin orders twelve divisions (1700 tanks, 1500 planes, 2,500,000 men) from eastern Siberia and Outer Mongolia to come to the defense of Moscow. Soviet reserves move into defensive positions on the direct approaches to Moscow. The Mozhaisk Defensive Line was still incomplete but Zhukov rushed troops into the line to block the gaps. Six rifle divisions, six armoured brigades, ten artillery regiments and machine-gun battalions. Rokossovsky and his men escaped the Vyazma pocket reached the headquarters of the Western Front. Zhukov ordered Rokossovsky to defend 100 odd km at the northern part of the Mozhaisk Defensive Line. There he began to form a new 16th Army from the remnants of Lukin’s old 16th Army, Lev Dovator’s Cossacks, the 316th Rifle Division, a regiment of cadets from the School of the Supreme Soviet, the remnants of the 18th (Leningrad) Volunteer Division, and some artillery and other supporting units. The 316th Rifle Division, under General Panfilov, was up to establishment, was well trained, and fully equipped. As soon as it entered the line it earned the respect of the Germans. 316th Rifle Division deployed on the left flank of 16th Army to the west and southwest of the small city of Volokolamsk. A howitzer battalion of cadets from the Krasin Artillery School in Moscow supported 16th Army’s Cossacks, 316th Rifle Division, and the cadet infantry. Although well trained the artillery cadets had never fired their weapons before they entered combat. They had artillery tractors for their guns but the tractors could go at most 8 km / hour. A detachment of Soviet NKVD troops prevented a company of German Brandenburg 800 Division saboteurs from destroying the Istra Water Reservoir near Moscow. General Artemev assumed command of a newly formed Moscow Reserve Front. Despite the reinforcements the Germans continued to advance. Kaluga, Borodino, Kalinin, Maloyaroslavers, and Mozhaisk fell. Elements of German 2.Panzerarmee began attacking toward Kursk. The 1st Guard Rifle Corp was committed at Mtsensk and temporarily stopped Guderian’s tanks from moving closer to Moscow. The Germans contained Russian attempts to breakout south of Bryansk.

  I have read sources that suggest it was less the far east than western Siberia and Central Asia he drew the bulk of this wave of experienced troops from.  Also while there might have been say 12 divisions of regulars the bulk of those ~2.5M new forces would have been new recruits, largely little more than militia initially because of their lack of training and equipment.  They were however enough to hold and then defeat the Germans who were themselves approaching exhaustion given the long [for them] campaign and logistical overstretch].

  Steve