25 – 31 December: I can look? - Can't I?
The final week of December saw both sides exchanging attacks, and in some sectors the Axis forces starting to fall back.
Behind the lines, Soviet partisans hit their rail nets around Minsk, Velikie Luki and cut all the lines across the Dniepr from Kiev to Cherkassy.
However, in the north, Stavka ordered a switch of tactics with elements of the Leningrad network ordered to attack Finnish units around Povlovo. Using hit and run tactics and selecting isolated formations, by the end of the week, the Axis had lost 423 men for no losses amongst the partisans [1]. Even if Soviet forces in the north were on the defensive and starved of resources, it was a useful reminder to the Finns that Leningrad had not been forgotten.
On the main battle front, the pattern and tempo of combat varied from sector to sector. North of Moscow, the Germans retook Povarovo from 52 Army but in doing so they had to commit all their reserves.
In consequence North West Front's 22 and 55 Armies went over to the offensive around Klin threatening the flanks of the German forces committed at Povarovo. Kalinin Front continued to probe for weak spots and prevent the Germans releasing formations to deal with either NW or Leningrad Fronts.
In the course of these operations, 20 Army caught elements of 38 Infantry Corps off guard, not only breaking the German lines but being able to commit 92 Tank Brigade into the gap. This overran a hastily constructed German fortified zone and forced several Luftwaffe airbases to evacuate. For the first time, Kalinin Front had broken into the German rear.
Western Front mostly remained on the defensive after German counterattacks drove back 3 and 10 Armies from around Kaluga.
However, south of Kaluga, Leningrad and Bryansk Fronts continued to press the Germans back. 1st Shock reached the outskirts of Peremyshl and 2 Shock threatened Belev.
The main action took place around Orel. The 25th saw a heavy German counterattack that drove in the advanced guards probing for crossings of the Zusha
However, the full weight of 34, 43 and 50 Armies fell on the Germans almost reaching the outskirts of Orel. Among their problems was 10 Panzer was badly handled on the approach to Orel, leaving 30 German tanks burning in the snow covered fields.
(Soviet cavalry passing a destroyed Pzr III near Orel)
The only thing that stood between them and disaster was the defense by their 4 Mountain Division south of Orel where two sequential Soviet assaults were driven back.
[2]
On the Kharkov sector the Germans fell back again, but first launched a series of counterattacks on SW Front's spearheads. As a result, SW Front opted to rest and consolidate on its current lines rather than carry on pursuing the retreating Germans.
By contrast, the Voroshilovgrad sector saw both sides fully committed.
German counterattacks took Rodakovo and Lutugino, but again they had to draw in their reserves for this operation. In consequence, 9, 18 and 54 were able to make significant gains and inflict heavy losses on the mostly Rumanian forces in this sector.
Around Rostov, both sides remained mostly on the defensive. Caucasus Front lacked the power to dislodge the substantial German forces on the lower Don, but Stavka hoped this sector might be abandoned if the offensive to the north continued to make steady gains.
OOB
By the end of 1941, the Red Army had just over 6 million men, almost 60,000 guns, 4,000 tanks and 6,500 aircraft in European Russia.
Of these, 1.6 million were in fresh formations forming up in the rear (600,000 directly linked to Stavka and the rest in the 4 Military Districts),1.6 million were in the 4 Fronts in action around Moscow (NW, Kalinin, Western, Leningrad), 1 million were in the northern Ukraine (Bryansk and SW) and 1.4 in the southern Ukraine and Caucasus (Southern, Trans Cauc, Cauc) [3]. Volkhov front had 400,000 covering the front from Kalinin to Lake Onega in the Arctiv.
Review
By the end of the fourth week of the Soviet counteroffensive for all the victories and losses inflicted, very little ground had been retaken.
Ironically, the largest territorial gain had been by SW Front where very little actual fighting had taken place. For all the victories around Moscow, the Germans were still firmly lodged to the north of the city, Kaluga was a major bastion and while the victories at Orel were welcome, they did little to convince Stavka that the city was safe.
However, there was some evidence that the Germans would struggle to defend their current lines. Their counterattacks around Orel and at Povarovo had stripped them of their operational reserves, allowing both NW and Bryansk Fronts to make significant gains.
Losses over the 4 weeks were heavy for both sides. The Soviets had lost 155,000 men, 640 tanks (half in the last week alone) and 550 aircraft. Axis losses were 267,000 men, 330 tanks and 140 aircraft. More importantly, the Red Army could replace its losses. In the 4 weeks it had grown by 330,000 men and maintained tank and aircraft numbers, and, despite production problems, had added 9,000 artillery pieces.
The Axis had been reduced by 300,000 men (so effectively no replacements?), 1,000 guns and 100 tanks.
Soviet production was still badly disrupted by the evacuations in the summer and autumn. However, almost all factories originally west of the Volga were now relocated to the Urals [4].
Aircraft production remained high and 550 Hurricanes and P40s had been received via lend-lease. Tank production was more problematic and only limited lend-lease was being received. Of these the Valentines were proving their value unlike the Matildas.
(Hurricanes near Moscow)
In general armaments, and specifically artillery, were the main problem. Manpower reserves were adequate, even given the build up of forces for the spring and summer 1942 battles and truck reserves were dropping but still sufficient for current operations.
Commentary (still fussing about 1942)
One thing I am trying to do is to impose order on my rear area and think in terms of which units exist for which purpose. I have basically four types.
First, is a collection of rifle divisions that I am using to replace low morale front line units. These are effectively being rotated into and out of the combat armies and attached to whichever MD makes most sense. While rebuilding their morale, they are of course building up my rear defenses.
Second are a number of armies, some fully formed, some slowly filling out, and attached to either Moscow or Volga MD, What I basically intend to do is to slot these into the front at the end of the Winter battles so that my main units (Leningrad Front and the various Cavalry Armies can be pulled back into reserve). That way, if, as I expect, my front is breached and pocketed, what is lost is run of the mill rifle divisions, not my better units.
Third are a collection of armies directly under Stavka. At the moment this is 3 and 4 Shock and a freshly raised combined arms army. These are going to be my strategic reserve, and I'll use them to organise the first wave of tank corps (till the Tank Armies can be used).
Fourth is the deep rear. Over the last 2 turns, I've raised about 20 rifle brigades and will add a lot more over January-February. These have 2 roles. One is to build up a final defensive belt in some key sectors, such as Stalingrad and along the Oka and the rail lines running east from Moscow. The other is that as armies are chewed up in pockets, they are a ready made set of replacements which can be fed into the front, keeping my basic plan of keeping my best formations out of the front line.
Of course, always so much easier to write than keep to, but in addition to using the MD for a geographical split, they are also each playing a different role in terms of how I plan to use the unit in the longer term.
[1] – pretty wierd, I'll admit
[2] – this captured my basic problem, if I keep enough back for an effective exploitation I am on the margins of victory/defeat in the initial attack. Here, if I'd committed all 4 Cavalry Corps in one go, I would have taken their position but I hoped that 2 would be enough and I could then take advantage with fresh forces.
[3] – roughly half of the Trans-Caucasus Front formations are locked for another turn on the Iranian border. I guess they will be in combat by the third week of January, which has some bearing on my plans for the offensive in the Stalino-Rostov sector (especially as there are no Panzers in that sector).
[4] – all I have to move are a cluster of armament and truck factories in Stalingrad. Even the 1-2 point residual factories have all been shifted eastwards.
