Barbarossa Flashcards
(116 cards)
1
Q
What was the name of the German railway troops?
A
Eisenbahntruppe
2
Q
Who commanded the Eisenbahntruppe?
A
General Rudolf Gercke, Chief of Transport for the OKH and the OKW
3
Q
From which organisation did the Eisenbahntruppe pull poorly trained and motivated reinforcements?
A
Reichsbahn
4
Q
What were the Eisenbahntruppe doing in winter 1941/42 instead of training?
A
repairing railways within Germany
5
Q
How did Russian rail track differ from European rail?
A
wider gauge, lower weight tolerance, wooden sleepers, fewer sleepers
6
Q
How did Russian rolling stock differ from German rolling stock?
A
larger onboard water storage (wider distances between water stations), no external water tanks (immune to freezing)
7
Q
Why could the Germans not use captured Russian fuel?
A
Russian gasoline had lower octane content, Russian coal had high impurities and lower carbon content
8
Q
What was the name of the transport regiments tasked with bringing supplies from railheads to divisional depots?
A
Grosstransportraum
9
Q
Who commanded the Grosstransportraum?
A
General Eduard Wagner, Quater-Master General for the OKW
10
Q
How many regiments did the Grosstransportraum have during Barbarossa?
A
three
11
Q
How many men did the Grosstransportraum have at the start of Barbarossa?
A
9000
12
Q
How many trucks did the Grosstransportraum have at the start of Barbarossa?
A
6600 (20% under repair at any time)
13
Q
What was the logistical capacity of the Grosstransportraum at the start of Barbarossa?
A
19500 tons
14
Q
How many divisions could the Grosstransportraum reasonably supply with their resources?
A
33 divisions over a distance of 300 miles
15
Q
What was the name of the transport sections which were attached to each German division?
A
Kleinkolonnenraum
16
Q
How many trucks were in the authorised complement of each German Infantry Division?
A
942
17
Q
How many horse wagons were in the authorised complement of each German Infantry Division?
A
1200
18
Q
How many models of truck were used by the Wehrmacht during Barbarossa?
A
over 2000
19
Q
How many different model of trucks were used by the 18th Panzer Division?
A
111
20
Q
How many different type of spare part would be required for the trucks of Heeresgruppe Mitte?
A
1,000,000
21
Q
What percentage of German locamotives were destroyed by cold in winter 1941/42?
A
80%
22
Q
What percentage of the Grosstransportraum’s fleet of trucks was broken within 19 days of the campaign?
A
25%
23
Q
How long did it take before 25% of the Grosstransportraum’s fleet of trucks was out of action?
A
19 days
24
Q
In practice, how far from the railheads could the Grosstransportraum take supplies?
A
60 miles
25
What percentage of their trucks did Heeresgruppe Sud replace with horse carts in August 1941?
50%
26
In what month did Heeresgruppe Sud replace 50% of their trucks with horse carts?
August 1941
27
How many horses did the Wehrmacht begin the campaign with?
700,000
28
What proportion of their horses did the Wehrmacht lose over the latter half of 1941?
one third
29
How far did the 12th Infantry Division march per day from June to July 1941?
15 miles
30
Between which months did the 12th Infantry Division average a daily march of 15 miles?
June - July 1941
31
In October 1941, the 12th Infantry Divisional Doctor noted shortages of which food items?
meat, potatoes, pulses, sugar
32
In which month did the 12th Infantry Divisional Doctor note shortages of meat, potatoes, pulses and sugar?
October 1941
33
By which month were soldiers of the 12th Infantry Division eating horse fodder?
February 1942
34
In which encirclement were the soldiers of the 12th Infantry Division forced to eat horse fodder in February 1942?
Demyansk Pocket
35
In which month did the 18th Panzer Division cut food rations by one third?
February 1942
36
By what proportion did the 18th Panzer Division cut food rations in February 1942?
one third
37
What decision did Hitler make in August 1941, overuling his generals in the process?
Divert troops from the attack on Moscow to encircle Kyiv
38
In which month did Hitler make the Lötzen decision to divert forces from Moscow to Ukraine?
August 1941
39
In which month did Hitler order troops to encircle rather than break into Leningrad?
September 1941
40
What decision did Hitler make in September 1941?
Ordered forces to encircle rather than capture Leningrad
41
In which month did the offensive on Moscow resume?
October 1941
42
In which month did Hitler refuse to allow the 6th Army to retreat?
November 1942
43
What did Hitler refuse to allow in November 1942?
Retreat of the 6th Army from Stalingrad
44
How many divisions were surrounded at Stalingrad?
21
45
What did Stalin abolish in October 1942?
The dual command powers of the politruks
46
When did Stalin abolish the dual command powers of the politruks?
October 1942
47
In which month did Stalin heed Zhukov's advice on the disbandment of two tank corps?
September 1942
48
What did Stalin do on Zhukov's advice in September 1942?
Reverse the disbandment of two tank corps
49
In April 1943, what did Stalin decide on the advice of the Stavka?
To launch the Smolensk-Donbass offensives in the summer rather than spring
50
When did Stalin decide to delay the Smolensk-Donbass offensives on the advice of the Stavka?
April 1943
51
What was significant about the air combat on 22 June 1941?
Largest air battle in history
52
How many Soviet planes were destroyed on 22 June 1941?
c.4000
53
What is the German term for battles of encirclement?
Kesselschlacht
54
Between which two months was the first series of major German offensives?
June - December 1941
55
How many Soviet field armies were surrounded in the battles of Minsk, Smolensk, Uman, Bryansk and Kyiv?
17
56
In which encirclements were 17 Soviet field armies destroyed?
Minsk, Smolensk, Uman, Bryansk, Kyiv
57
What was the name of the major German offensive into the Caucasus region in summer 1942?
Fall Blau
58
Between which months was the Fall Blau offensive?
June - November 1942
59
What happened to Army Group A during Case Blau?
halted just short of Caucasus oil fields
60
What happened to Army Group B during Case Blau?
Halted at Stalingrad and Astrakhan
61
Between which months did the Great Purge affect the Red Army?
June 1937 - November 1938
62
How many army officers were discharged during the Great Purge?
35,000
63
How many marshals were purged during the Great Purge?
3/5
64
How many Army commanders were purged during the Great Purge?
13/15
65
How many corps commanders were purged during the Great Purge?
50/57
66
Between which months were the Purge of 1941?
October 1940 - February 1942
67
Which institutions did the 1941 Purge begin with and which did it ultimately hit hardest?
Began: armaments manufacturing ministeries; Hardest Hit: Red Air Force
68
Which new defensive line did Stalin decide to construct in Poland?
Molotov Line
69
Which defensive line had its guns removed for transport west in 1940?
The Stalin Line
70
How many Soviet Mechanised Corps were stationed in border military districts in June 1941?
20/29
71
What percentage of the Soviet Union's newest tanks were stationed in border military districts in June 1941?
80%
72
Which Soviet general argued for defence in depth but was executed in July 1938?
Alexander Svechin
73
When was Alexander Svechin executed?
July 1938
74
Which GRU agent warned the Soviets of the impending invasion?
Richard Sorge
75
Where did Richard Sorge, a GRU agent, work?
German embassy in Tokyo
76
In which month did Stalin reintroduce the dual command powers of the politruks?
July 1941
77
What did Halder's notes of Hitler's speech of 30 March 1941 say about the conflict in the East?
'This fight will be very different from the in the west'
78
On what day did Hitler give a speech to his generals explaining the reasons for Barbarossa?
30 March 1941
79
On what day did von Reichnau issue his severity order?
10 October 1941
80
How did von Reichnau's severity define the German soldier?
'the ruthless standard bearer of a völkischen ideal'
81
What did von Reichnau's severity order claim that the war was being fought against?
'the Jewish-Bolshevik system'
82
In which month did the Central Rear Area convene a special SS-Heer conference on partisans?
October 1941
83
Which message came from the SS-Heer conference on partisans in early October 1941?
'where there's a Jew there's a partisan, and where there's a partisan there's a Jew'
84
What is the German word for a war of annihilation?
Vernichtungskrieg
85
What did von Reichnau's severity order (10 Oct 1941) claim that Barbarossa would exterminate?
'the Asiatic influence in European civilisation'
86
In which month did the 18th Panzer Division's Catholic Priest note increased demand for religious booklets?
March 1942
87
In which month did the 18th Panzer Division's Catholic Priest note 'high rate of participation' in religious services?
October 1943
88
In which did the 18th Panzer Division's Lutheran Pastor note how 'absolutely necessary a firm religious basis' was?
October 1942
89
In which month did the 18th Panzer Division's Command note that educational officers were 'welcomed enthusiastically'?
October 1942
90
In which month did the 12th Infantry Division's educational officer note the continued interest in politics and current affairs?
June 1943
91
By which month were the majority of Infantry Divisions below 50% strength with OKW reserves exhausted?
November 1941
92
Between which months did the 12th Infantry Division lose 118% of its authorised strength?
June 1941 - October 1943
93
What percentage of authorised strength did the 12th Infantry Division lose between June 1941 and October 1943?
118%
94
What percentage of authorised strength did the Großdeutschland Division lose between July 1942 and September 1943?
98%
95
Between which months did the Großdeutschland Division lose 98% of authorised strength?
July 1942 - September 1943
96
By what date had the 18th Panzer Division lost 61% of their tanks?
9 July 1941
97
What percentage of their tanks had 18th Panzer Division lost by 9 July 1941?
61%
98
How many new commanders did a Grenadier Company within the Großdeutschland Division have over 16 weeks in late 1943?
16
99
How much guard duty did the soldiers of 12th Infantry Division average during the winter of 1941?
5-6 hours per night
100
When were the soldiers of 12th Infantry Division averaging 5-6 hours of guard duty per night?
winter 1941
101
When did Hitler order his troops to 'immediately open fire in case of insubordination'?
February 1943
102
Approximately how many soldiers did the German Army execute in the Second World War?
15,000
103
How many soldiers did the German Army execute during the First World War?
48
104
By what percentage did death sentences in German court martials increase between 1939/40 - 1943/44?
800%
105
Between which years did death sentences in German court martials increase by 800%?
1939/40 - 1943/44
106
How many court martials did the 12th Infantry Division hold between July 1941 and June 1943?
560
107
Between which months did the 12th Infantry Division hold 560 court martials?
July 1941 - June 1943
108
Of the 560 court martials held by the 12th Infantry Division between July 1941 and June 1943, how many were for looting?
20
109
In which month did the Commander of the 18th Panzer Division predict that looting would drive the population 'back into the Bolshevik camp'?
July 1941
110
What did the Commander of the 18th Panzer Division predict in July 1941?
that looting would drive the population 'back into the Bolshevik camp'
111
In what month did 6th Army HQ order that 'after the POWs have been organised into work-battalions they should not be attacked and shot'?
July 1941
112
What did 6th Army HQ order in July 1941?
'after the POWs have been organised into work-battalions they should not be attacked and shot'
113
In which month did the Großdeutschland Division warn that atrocities would lead to 'a stiffening of the enemy's resistance'?
April 1943
114
What did the Großdeutschland Division warn of in April 1943?
That atrocities would lead to 'a stiffening of the enemy's resistance'
115
What did 6th Army HQ note in August 1941?
'cases of off-duty soldiers volunteering to help the SD with their executions or acting as spectators and taking photographs'
116
In which month did 6th Army HQ warn against 'cases of off-duty soldiers volunteering to help the SD with their executions or acting as spectators and taking photographs'?
August 1941
