New Soviet Eastern Front website

[Commanderski]

Found this through the Digital History Archive.
Here is an amazing Russian-language website that details the movements of the Soviet Eastern front units down to regimental level. You can also drill down to Russian situation maps and source documents (in Russian but some translatable). What a great use of maps and primary documents!

It's in Russian but if you bring up the site in Google Chrome you can translate the page and most of its' in English. The maps will stay in Russian but most of us can figure out what's going on with the maps.

Here is a link to the site: https://pamyat-naroda.ru/

[xhoel]

Great site, thanks for posting!

[Bear1888]

Thank you. The map section is outstanding. You can see historical red army staff maps about each operation!

[joelmar]

Cool stuff, thanks

[56ajax]

Very interesting, thanks

[MaXXOltt]

Try this one - bdsa DOT ru. (I still can't give a direct link[8|]). It's a great resourse, unfortunately in russian too.
One of the great features - the list of actual composition of Red Army per month. With units from diviosional size to regimental size.

For example:
September 1st, 1942
Сталинградский фронт:
1 гвардейская армия
38, 39 и 41 гв., 24, 64, 84, 116, 315 сд
671 аап, 1158 пап, 1184 иптап, 23 и 57 гв. мп, 114/79 гв. мп, 309 и 324 огв. мдн, 536 огв. тмдн, 1259 зенап
4 тк (45, 47, 102 тбр, 4 мсбр),
7 тк (3 гв., 62, 87 тбр, 7 мсбр),
16 тк (107, 109, 164 тбр, 15 мсбр)

Or in English

Stalingrad Front
1st Guards Army
38th, 39th, 41st Guards Rifle Divisions, 24th, 64th, 84th, 116th and 315th Rifle Diviosons
671st Army Artillery Regiment, 1158 Gun Regiment,1184 AT-Gun Regiment, 23 and 57 Guards Mortar Regiments, 309 and 324 Guards Mortar Battalions, 536th Guards Separate Heavy Mortar Battalion, 1259 AA Regiment
4th Tank Corps(45th, 47th, 102nd Tank Brigades, 4th Motorized Infantry Brigade)

etc...

[Bear1888]

If you use chrome browser, you can translate the entire site into common languages pretty accurate.

[Aufklaerungs]

Can anyone explain why so many soviet references, sources, sites seem to have an aversion to using scale military grid maps? The sketch maps so often encountered seem so unauthentic and omit many cartographic details required for objective analysis.[&:] At times, I wonder if unit leaders ever had access to genuine tactical military maps. Without using common grid reference points, must have been extremely difficult forward observers adjust indirect battery fire or to coordinate planned fire from multiple locations.

[Hardradi]

I think I know what you mean, maybe they were originally map overlays.

There are such maps if you drill down on the https://pamyat-naroda.ru/ website. Also didn't the German cartographers utilise captured Soviet maps simply writing the Germans names for town over the top of the Russian wordings.

[MaXXOltt]

I think the fact is that until recently, until the 90s, most of the materials were simply classified.
As an example, there is such a “List of Forces of the Active Army” - it was published in Moscow in the 50s-60s. Until 1974 this work was classified as “top secret”. From 1974 to 1990, secrecy was reduced to “secret”.
And only in 1990 this work was declassified.

Some of the Soviet archives were destroyed or simply thrown away, after declassification. Part of the archives has not yet been digitized.

As for tactical military maps, they exist. And fortunately, their number, as well as the number of original documents posted on the Internet, is increasing.