The Nazis' Winter Warfare on the Eastern Front, 1941–1945

By Ian Baxter

Graphically describes the appalling hardships faced by German troops on the Eastern Front 1941-1945.

Hitler’s shock decision to launch the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 was arguably the turning point of the Second World War. Spectacular early victories saw the Nazis close in on Moscow but the Soviet 1941/42 winter counter offensive changed the odds entirely. Without doubt Russian winter conditions were a major factor compounded by the Germans’ woeful lack of preparedness. As this fascinating book reveals, Wehrmacht and SS units only began to be issued with winter clothing in late 1941 and many had to improvise well into 1942. In an attempt to restore morale adversely affected by the harsh conditions and military reversals ‘The Winter Warfare Handbook’ (Winter Buch) was produced in 1942 and extracts are quoted in this work. Commanders had to adapt to the snow, freezing conditions and, almost worse, the impassable roads during the melt. With customary thoroughness and drastic measures the Germans largely mastered the climatic challenges but nothing could mask the reality of the ruthless and numerically superior enemy that they faced.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781526768087

Ian Baxter

Ian Baxter is a military historian who specialises in German twentieth-century military history. He has written more than fifty books. He has also reviewed numerous military studies for publication, supplied thousands of photographs and important documents to various publishers and film production companies worldwide, and lectures to various schools, colleges and universities throughout the United Kingdom and Southern Ireland.

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Introduction

Prelude to Winter Operations

When the German soldier ventured into Russia as Operation Barbarossa was unleashed, the Red Army were a complete enigma to him. He had very little information about the country which he was invading. He simply saw the Russians as a race of inferior Slavic people. The propaganda was that all Russians were living in poverty and its antiquated army was totally unprepared for war. The German soldiers were amazed by the immense forests, the huge expanses of marshland, and the many rivers that were continuously flooding. There were few roads and those that they came across were in a terrible state of repair.

In spite of this, the Russian Army was overwhelmed by the Wehrmacht’s furious onslaught, and as the first phase of the attack on Moscow began at the end of September 1941 – Operation Typhoon – German commanders were confident that victory would soon come. However, by early October the weather began to change. Cold driving rain fell on the troops and the roads and fields around Moscow became boggy swamps and virtually impassable.

Moreover, by the time Army Group Centre assembled to capture the Russian capital, it had lost 35,000 men, excluding the sick and injured. Some 240 tanks and heavy artillery pieces and 800 other vehicles had either developed mechanical problems or been destroyed. Most vehicles had not fallen to enemy fire but were lost to the muddy terrain. Supplies were becoming dangerously low, and fuel and ammunition were hardly adequate for the forthcoming attack.

The opening phase of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia, which was launched on 22 June 1941. This photograph shows a multitude of vehicles including the Pz.Kpfw.I, II and IV advancing along a road supported by a motorcyclist and infantry. The bulk of an infantry division rode in trucks, cars, wagons, and carts or on horses, bicycles and motorcycles, but its rifle companies walked.

Infantry are seen here clambering into an Sd.Kfz.251 halftrack as another soldier runs to catch up the column in an attempt to climb into the vehicle as well. The halftrack offered infantry armoured protection and mobility until they were close enough to attack enemy positions on foot. The use of motorized infantry was an example of rapid tactical deployment that would change the way that battles were fought forever. These troops had been trained always to be on the move, and during an attack often supported by advancing armour, protecting their flanks and being dropped in the middle of a battle to mop up a bewildered and shocked foe.

During the summer of 1941 and what appears to be a signal unit, with its equipment stowed in brown leather cases loaded on pack mules, crosses a minefield with a cleared lane marked by white tape. Mules were often used by the Gebirgsjäger (mountain troops).

In October 1941 the rains came in Russia. The mud produced from a few hours of rain was enough to turn a relatively typical Russian road into a quagmire. Here soldiers struggle with their motorcycle combination through a road section churned into mud.

Another photo showing infantry struggling through mud with their BMW R61 or R66 motorcycle combination. Note the white tactical marking on the front of the sidecar, which identifies the unit as the staff of a pioneer battalion.

A motorcycle rifle unit or Kradschützen, probably in late September or early October 1941, watches as a crew push-starts their motorcycle combination along a typical road churned up by continuous traffic. These units were employed basically for reconnaissance, screening, flank security, and other similar missions. One of the hazards of travelling by motorcycle, especially in the Soviet Union, was the lack of good-quality roads. Motorcyclists who decided to avoid the roads and travel cross-country often regretted their choice. The casualty rate among motorcyclists was high.

A converted Sd.Kfz.221 radio car drives through a Russian village following a downpour. Note the ‘Y’ insignia painted in yellow, indicating it belongs to the 7th Panzer Division. This retrofitted frame antenna looks distorted, indicating hard service.

A civilian vehicle has been commandeered for the advance through Russia and can be seen accompanying an infantry column through a muddy village in October 1941. Note the vehicle on the right with the tactical symbol E painted in yellow on the back. This denotes that it belongs to the 3rd Panzer Division. The 3rd operated initially on the central sector of the advance but was redirected south to participate in the Battle of Kiev. From there it participated in the Battle of Moscow, advancing towards Tula. With the Soviet counterattacks in the winter of 1941/2 the division acted as a stand-by emergency force until operations resumed in the spring.

A column of armoured vehicles, part of Army Group Centre, during operations in October 1941. Here units are facing the horrors of mud in the Orel sector. In western Russia the roads had not been constructed to carry vast amounts of heavy traffic. This road is on the Roslavl highway and has been reduced to a mud track. In some parts of the advance units found the mud around 1 metre deep.

Along a muddy road and a support vehicle has become stuck in the quagmire. A Raupenschlepper Ost or Caterpillar Tractor East, or RSO halftrack, is about to pull the vehicle out. This fully tracked vehicle was brought to the front in response to the poor performance of wheeled and half-tracked vehicles in the mud and snow during the Wehrmacht’s first autumn