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.
Book Dedication
I once read that for every Medal of Honor, Knight’s Cross, Hero Award, or Victoria Cross presented, a score of similarly noteworthy actions will have gone unnoticed.
When you read the citations for bravery awards, if you are anything like me, you will conjure up pictures of valiant actions and superhuman courage on behalf of the recipients, many of whom so often paid the full price for their actions.
If you visit war cemeteries, you will find a nation’s young lying in neat rows, often alongside comrades who fell in the same fight, and occasionally find the grave of a soldier who has received such an honour.
Of course, such headstones will attract attention.
However, I also spare some thought for the soldier alongside, whose headstone carries only a name and some numbers, and perhaps an inscription chosen by a grieving family.
Maybe the bones laid to rest there belong to one of the score who died, but whose valiant contribution went unnoticed?
Perhaps it is fitting that this book, Sacrifice, is dedicated to such men, and women, who died for their country and comrades, and whose deserving actions will forever remain a secret.
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, ‘Soldiers off the Streets’ 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 ‘Soldiers off the Streets,’ and would encourage you to do so too.
In Impasse, I made a mistake in the name of the island on which the B-29 crashed. It should have read Østerskær Island, which is part of the Christiansø Archipelago, also known as Ertholmene. Perhaps the greater sin was in stating sovereignty belonged to Sweden, whereas in fact the island belongs to Denmark. My apologies.
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]
Map
Chapter 126 – THE OPPONENTS.
It is forbidden to kill, therefore all murderers are punished, unless they kill in large numbers, and to the sound of trumpets.
The Soviet Union.
At the start of the new war, the units of the Red Army’s ground forces had been at different strengths. Some had received reinforcements before 6th August, mainly those with specific and important tasks in the new plan, whereas others that had been decimated in the heavy fighting of the final days of the German War were left in a reduced state.
The overall effect of the constant fighting against their new adversaries had been to remove a number of formations from their order of battle, and to make others shadows of their former selves. The Red Army at the start of ‘Sacrifice’ is not as numerous as it was at the start of the war, as casualties had been extreme.
By example, Artem’yev’s Guardsmen, the 179th Guards Rifle Regiment, of the 59th Guards Rifle Division, of the 34th Guards Rifle Corps, of the 5th Guards Army.
5th Guards Army was still an effective fighting formation, as other units were slipped into its order of battle to replace some of the casualties it had sustained. However, 34th Guards Rifle Corps had been virtually destroyed, along with the 59th Division, and most of Artem’yev’s regiment. Admittedly, the 179th saw some brutal fighting, and was virtually in constant action for weeks on end. By the time that the unit was withdrawn from combat, post Muggenhausen and Strassfeld, taking into account men returning from hospitals, the 179th cadre consisted of 467 capable men, which meant that it had lost 2147 men killed or so severely wounded that they could not return to combat. That represented an incredible loss of over 81% of the regimental strength. Whilst the 179th’s war was unusual, it was by no means the only example of 80% plus casualties in the Soviet OOB.
By February 1946, the cold had also taken its toll, and there were very few frontline units from August 1945 that were at anything like full strength in manpower, weapons, and supplies.
Soviet ground force morale had been excellent in August, and had continued at a high level, except where heavy casualties and local reverses made themselves known. Such drops in morale tended to be temporary.
Two of the major factors that started to reduce morale permanently were the initial supply problems and the growing power of the Allied Air forces. As the advance slowed or was halted, morale started to decline across the board, assisted by the worsening weather.
The Soviet infantryman in Europe, during the early months of 1946, was not a happy soul. His kit was sufficient to keep him relatively warm, and food, although often a meal went missing, was enough to keep him on his feet and about combat effective, although the rations did not put meat on a man’s bones.
Small arms ammunition was in plentiful supply, but there were decided issues with large calibre rounds, and the replacement of lost vehicles and weapons. The appearance of older tanks, removed from frontline service during the German War, gave sufficient warning that all was not well, although new types were also available and arriving with prime formations. Soviet artillery, for so long the powerful arm of the Red Army, was proving much less effective than previously, as Allied counter-battery fire, air attacks, and lack of ammunition combined to reduce their power. With regard to the artillery arm, casualties far outstripped replacements that made it to the front.