Soviet forces structure

**Rodion Romanovich** · 11-24-2005, 18:07

I think this explains some of it: http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/jun41/f22jun41.htm

(it's a good chronology too btw, I read through it entirely)

**Franconicus** · 11-25-2005, 10:15

Excellent information! Thank you all!

**Rosacrux redux** · 11-25-2005, 10:28

Topic's covered for the greater part by the links, only one minor nitpick: the Guard units would be the first to get new equipment and they'd also have priority in support.

**Kraxis** · 11-25-2005, 14:35

Originally Posted by Rosacrux redux

Topic's covered for the greater part by the links, only one minor nitpick: the Guard units would be the first to get new equipment and they'd also have priority in support.

Agreed... They were more than 'just' units with a citation, more along the lines of the German Volksgrenadiers (before Hitler began forming new half-crap units called that). They are a sort of Heer elite units that also had priority to an extent.

**Franconicus** · 11-25-2005, 14:46

What is a Volksgrenadier? I know Panzergrenadier (which means motorized infantry) and Volkssturm (which means cannon fodder).

**Kraxis** · 11-25-2005, 15:35

Originally Posted by Franconicus

What is a Volksgrenadier? I know Panzergrenadier (which means motorized infantry) and Volkssturm (which means cannon fodder).

They started out as a given name to infantrydivisions that did very good in battle. But over time Hitler thought it was good to expand their ranks, and gave the name to pretty much every division he liked to. And finally a whole structure was built up around that, so that the Volksgrenadier divisions were more like weakened infantrydivisions filled with worst of the accepted soldiers.

The soldiers were enrolled in the army unlike the Volksturm and they had a real command structure and divisional level equipment, something the Volksturm always lacked.
In battle these formations were meant to soak up allied or Russian attacks so that the real army units could move in and deal with them. A very wasteful strategy, but it actually worked quite well in the east.

**JimBob** · 11-25-2005, 18:13

If I remember correctly one of the Soviet Guard brigades reinforced the Stalingrad factory area at a crucial moment, when the Soviet Operation Uranus was about to be launched. Holding the city and thus the line in front of the German 6th Army city was important for Operation Uranus to be as successful as it was. That's probably one of the more important tasks where Soviet Guards brigades were involved during ww2.

Rodmitsev's 13th Guards Division. They landed to the south and saved the rail station. The lead units took 30% casualties going up the riverbank alone. That was earlier, by Uranus 62nd was getting only the minimum it needed to not be overrun. The factories were held primarily by Batyuk's 286th Siberean Division.

Fun facts to break out at parties.

**Rodion Romanovich** · 11-25-2005, 14:49

If I remember correctly one of the Soviet Guard brigades reinforced the Stalingrad factory area at a crucial moment, when the Soviet Operation Uranus was about to be launched. Holding the city and thus the line in front of the German 6th Army city was important for Operation Uranus to be as successful as it was. That's probably one of the more important tasks where Soviet Guards brigades were involved during ww2.