Having presented the Battle of Kursk, I perceived the Rzhev Pocket as the Soviet's version of the Kursk manuver. Both these operations consisted of a massive amount of soldiers, tanks, and aircraft that would be used in encircling their enemy with a giant pincher move. Another similarity with these two operations was that they occurred roughly in the same area of the Eastern Front. Both took place in the center where the German Army Group B was located. I still can't get over Hitler's lack of ambition with completing his pincher at Kursk.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Rzhev Pocket and Kursk
The aspect to this operation that I found most disturbing was the exceptionally high level of casualties on both sides. Particularly on the Soviet side. I am unable to recall the exact number on both sides but I vaguely remember that the Germans lost around 50,000 soldiers while the Soviets lost a far more non proportional 300,000 soldiers. The capacity to kill that existed on the the Eastern Front was disturbing according to just the Rzhev Pocket.
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2 comments:
I enjoyed the presentations in class this week. I also am dumbfounded as the enormous high cost of the war in the East. Germany and USSR would lose as many men in one day as the US and Britain combined would lose over the entire war. Crazy, I know. Makes you wonder as to who really won the war? The Allies or was it really just the Russians?
Great presentaions. I thought it was very interesting the impact that the Meditteranean had on the war in the East. I am not a military genius by any stretch of the imagination, but I would think if you are going to start battles on different fronts you would make sure you had the man power to do so.
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