Neither side could claim that their units were all at full strength, and information on the relevant strengths over the period this book is set in is limited as far as the Allies are concerned and relatively non-existent for the Soviet forces.
I have had to use some licence regarding force strengths and I hope that the critics will not be too harsh with me if I get things wrong in that regard. A Soviet Rifle Division could vary in strength from the size of two thousand men to be as high as nine thousand men, and in some special cases could be even more.
Indeed, the very names used do not help the reader to understand unless they are already knowledgeable.
A prime example is the Corps. For the British and US forces, a Corps was a collection of Divisions and Brigades directly subservient to an Army. A Soviet Corps, such as the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, bore no relation to a unit such as British XXX Corps. The 2nd G.T.C. was a Tank Division by another name and this difference in ‘naming’ continues to the Soviet Army, which was more akin to the Allied Corps.
The Army Group was mirrored by the Soviet Front.
Going down from the Corps, the differences continue, where a Russian rifle division should probably be more looked at as the equivalent of a US Infantry regiment or British Infantry Brigade, although this was not always the case. The decision to leave the correct nomenclature in place was made early on. In that, I felt that those who already possess knowledge would not become disillusioned, and that those who were new to the concept could acquire knowledge that would stand them in good stead when reading factual accounts of WW2.
There are also some difficulties encountered with ranks. Some readers may feel that a certain battle would have been left in the command of a more senior rank, and the reverse case where seniors seem to have few forces under their authority. Casualties will have played their part but, particularly in the Soviet Army, seniority and rank was a complicated affair, sometimes with Colonels in charge of Divisions larger than those commanded by a General. It is easier for me to attach a chart to give the reader a rough guide of how the ranks equate.
Also, please remember, that by now attrition has downsized units in all armies.
Book Dedication
History is a strange beast.
It contains lessons from which we never seem to truly learn.
And yet, the recorded matters of our past are constantly scrutinised and replayed by academicians and amateurs alike, criticising and second-guessing those who did what they thought was right at the time, and did so without either the benefit and safety of armchair comforts or time to make an extended and reasoned judgement.
World War Two has been replayed in minds since the final shots echoed into history and, in some cases, whilst the firing was still going on.
The armchair warriors and professors often decide that things were not done right, opportunities were missed, or that moral lines were overstepped.
On that last point, I almost always find myself in total disagreement with those who would seek to undermine and criticise those who undertook the missions and tasks that fall under scrutiny post-era.
RAF’s Bomber Command was vilified for many years, a stance first adopted by Churchill, who offered up an opinion about the attack on Dresden that was interpreted as critical, and as distancing himself from the efforts made in the bombing offensive.
We British, as a nation, should be disgusted that we only chose to honour their efforts recently, when most of the survivors had passed away.
The truth is quite simple.
We were at war, total war, and the bombing of civilians and towns was undertaken by all sides.
Not an excuse but an undeniable fact.
History simply teaches that the RAF, USAAF, and Allied units were far better at it than our then enemy, and had far better equipment with which to wage total war.
The dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been criticised from the moment they were detonated.
Even now, the arguments continue to evolve, and criticism is laid at the door of the pilots and men who flew the Silverbirds, and those who commanded them to do the deeds over Japan.
Regardless of how you see the Lancaster over Dresden or the B-29 over Nagasaki, the boys inside were doing a job for their country, under orders, and doing it to the best of their ability, and far too often, at the cost of their lives.
No matter what the arguments, we cannot disparage those who fought for us and carried the battle to the enemy and who did their duty, and what they thought was right, and certainly not because they were more proficient or had technology in excess of the enemy.
They honoured us with their efforts, so how can we dishonour them with criticism of their motivation and their morality?
So, to all those who did their duty and were pilloried by act or omission, I dedicate ‘Initiative’ to you.
May I remind the reader that his book is written primarily in English, not American English. Therefore, please expect the unashamed use of ‘U’, such as in honour and armoured, unless I am using the American version to remain true to a character or situation.
By example, I will write the 11th Armoured Division and the 11th US Armored Division, as each is correct in national context.
Where using dialogue, the character uses the correct rank, such as Mayor, instead of Major for the Soviet dialogue, or Maior for the German dialogue.
Otherwise, in non-dialogue circumstances, all ranks and units will be in English.
Although I never served in the Armed forces, I wore a uniform with pride, and carry my own long-term injuries from my service. My admiration for our young service men and women serving in all our names in dangerous areas throughout the world is limitless. As a result, ‘the Star and Garter Homes’ is a charity that is extremely close to my heart. My fictitious characters carry no real-life heartache with them, whereas every news bulletin from the military stations abroad brings a terrible reality with its own impact, angst, and personal challenges for those left behind when one of our military pays the ultimate price. Therefore, I make donations to ‘the Star and Garter Homes’, and would encourage you to do so too.
Book #1 – Opening Moves [Chapters 1–54]
Book #2 – Breakthrough [Chapters 55–77]
Book #3 – Stalemate [Chapters 78–102]
Book #4 – Impasse [Chapters 103–125]
Book #5 – Sacrifice [Chapters 126–148]
Book #6 – Initiative [Chapters 149–171]
Book #7 – Endgame [Chapters 172–?]
Map
Chapter 149 – THE POWER
Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds.
It was the eighty-third anniversary, and the French Foreign Legion’s most important and significant day of the year.
Camerone Day celebrated the lost battle of Camerone,[1] named for a hacienda in Mexico, where sixty-five legionnaires resisted a force of nearly three thousand Mexican soldiers.
It, above all other Legion battles, had created the mystique that surrounded the unit from that day forward.
The commander on the day, a Captain Jean Danjou,[2] was killed early on in the battle, but his false wooden hand was subsequently found, and became the subject of veneration each Camerone Day, when the icon, the symbol of the Legion’s fighting spirit against all odds, was paraded in front of ranks of legionnaires.