Russian WW2 interesting stats and facts

The short legged one was originally "donated" in the plane by Swedish count von Rosen in 1918 and it stayed our symbol.

http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=6577

http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/swedish_aviators/sweden_rosen.htm

I think they could be called von Rosen crosses.

 

Thank you

 

Interesting, they appear to be wearing Russian tank crew hemets (spot the anorak). Have you ever seen one of the helmets the tank crewmen are wearing Kai?

 

Yea I have noticed the same thing.....whats the story with that??

 

It's strange, it looks like the Wehrmacht reviewing Russian tankers [except for the emblems on the tanks]

 

To be honest I think our army was somewhat sort of everything so our army could be expected to wear anything that could be used, really.

We never had any tank force to start with so I would say there were no Finnish tanker clothes/helmet etc either.

In some WW2 pics ( not in these I think ) you can see the Finnish troops wearing the Red Army helmet or the German WW1 type as well...

 

From " Stopped at Stalingrad ":

On the 17th October 1942 the 6th Army sent its strength report. The army had a total of 334,000 men, but only 66,549 were combat troops. ( The figures did not incl the 4th Army troops then subordinated to Paulus ). Zeitzler issued a companion directive to all German army commands, ordering an immediate 10% reduction in Headquarters´ personnel, from Army Group down to divisions.

 

Maj. general Mihail Lascar

http://www.worldwar2.ro/generali/?article=95

22 November 1942: Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross

He was taken to the Kranogor camp, then to Suzdal and Ivanov and finally to the special Camp no. 48, reserved for generals. On 12 April 1945 he was named commander of the second Soviet sponsored Romanian volunteer unit: Horia, Closca si Crisan Division, which he commanded until 12 September.

 

Looking closer, those helmets look like they are leather and have ear pieces built in, which I'm not sure RKKA ones did. Still, would be interesting to have a closer look.

 

When the new heavy tank was named KV ( Klim Voroshilov ) it raised many eyebrows , since it was common knowledge that the Marshal distrusted advanced weaponry.

From Stalin´s Folly by Pleshakov

 

Definitely. It's amazing how to our democratic eyes we see Stalin or his minions naming or renaming cities like Stalingrad, Stalino, Stalinogorsk, or from his cronies Gorky, Voroshilovgrad, Kalinin, Ordzhonikidze, Sverdlovsk, Ulianovsk, Kirov, Kirovabad, Togliatti (for the Italian communist leader of the time).

Leningrad we still can understand, the 'founding father' in the city where he started the ball rolling, but post-Stalin "Brezhnev", "Chernenko" and "Ustinov" or "Gottwaldov" in Czechoslivakia (Zlin) are even more ridiculous.

Western equivalents might be Montgomeryville, Pattonburgh, McArthurtown

 

How about 'Custer' in Dakota?

Apparently in Volgograd there is currently a movement to re-name the town Stalingrad again. Seems fair to me, after all, it is an important page in the cities history.

 

That was for another Custer Stefan, using hero's names (ok, later we can discuss if Custer qualifies or not) is one thing, using your party yesmen's is something else entirely different.

 

I used to live in a communist town, and it was quite fun how the streets and public equipments were named after USSR related things and personality, and even funnier, after unknown French communist who had some local responsabilities few decades ago and that nobody knows nowadays who the hell they are.

For example, the avenue I used to live was named "Boulevard de Stalingrad", and there was a Gagarine sport facility

Of course, Stalingrad and Gagarine belong to history, not sole communism, but I'm still looking for a Okinawa plazza downtown or a Armstrong swimming pool lol

 

or a Gare de Waterloo

 

Kai,

Just read the Fin propogana signs posted in Russian, dont know how but I missed them earlier.

Here is the translation " You are unable to fight against such an enemy- the freezing cold. You dont see him but he is all around "

This is the second one with the corpse in the
snow.

The last one says " We give you advice on how to save yourselves " and then you see other corpses.

 

Hayward " Stopped at Stalingrad"

The Germans:

The army staff worked hard to strengthen the Army Group South´s forces in time for "Blau". 25% of replacements ( I think the author means here of the replacements to the Ostfront ) went to AGS in February 1942, 34% in March, and 39% in April. On 1 May, according to a detailed report prepared by the OKW operations staff, AGS infantry strength still stood at only 50% of its 1941 level ( while the other two army groups stood at a mere 35% ). Although additional replacements arrived in May and June the AGS never reached more than three-quarters of its 1941 level.

OKW also deprived the other two AG`s of most of their motor vehicles to ensure that Bock´s forces regained at least 85% of their former mobility.

Despite having receiced 1,100 000 fresh troops up to 1 may 1941, all the three Army groups were still 625,000 short of establishment.

 

From the book on Red Army under Stalin´s questioning during April 1940 on the failures of the Winter War:

General Pjotr Psennikov, 142. division commander:

47% of the Red Army soldiers were not trained or familiar with the weapon they were instructed to use during the fighting. Up to 60% had not shot even once during the last three years.

Of the officers only 17% knew how to use a compass and a map and walk in the given compass direction.

 

what did this tanks consist of? I read such destruction but what tanks were the Germans against?

 

By then the main tanks must have been T-34´s or Klims as all the older versions had been wiped out during the autumn 1941. Of course some light tanks but the T-34 the main tank at that point I presume.