Operation Barbarossa: NAZI Invasion Force

Barbarossa Wehrmacht horses
Figure 1.--The popular image of the German force invading the Soviet Union is the Panzers and motorized infantry. Often forgotten are the 750,000 horses that carried the Wehrmacht east. The massive NAZI force in fact was not a fully motorized army. Here apparently Russian boys were recruited to help care for the horses. I am not sure how willing they were. The German soldiers seem to be having fun at shaving the boy's head to delouse him. The photograph is undated, but was probanly taken in late-November 1941, just before the Red Army counter attack before Moscow.

Hitler assembled what Goebbels claimed was the greatest concentation of forces in world history. They were correct -- up to 1941. The Germans invasion force totaled 153 divisions and more than 3 million men. It was not an all-German force, but it was except for the Finns, totally under Hitler's control. The Barbarossa invasion force was the high point of the NAZI war effort. It was a much more powerful force than had struck in the West. And Hitler would never again be able to assemble a force of such magnitude. The Axis divisions were equipped with 600,000 million motorized vehicles, 3,580 tanks, 7,184 artillery pieces, and 2,740 air planes. Finish, Hungarian, and Romanian divisions accompanied the Whermacht and were soon joined by Italian divisions and the Spanish Blue Dvision. Hitler had wanted the French to participate, but Petain had refused. Even so, it was the most powerful military force ever assembled up to that time. And the heart of the force were the German Panzer forces, capable of rapidy driving deep into enemy lines and surrounding string points. The Luftwaffe was at the time the most powerful air frce in the world. The Barbarossa strike force included 2,000 planes. The Luftwaffe was, however, to be less of a factor on the vast battlefield in the East. There the Luftwaffe's size meant that it would not prove as critical as it had on the smaller battlefields in the West. The NAZI force, however, had an even more serious weakness. Despite the superb Panzer divisions, the Germans did not have a fully motorized army. And the trucks and other vehicles cobbeled together from all over Europe were of many different types, greatly complicating logistics and maintenance. Even worse, the Ost Heer was not yet a motorized force. You do noy gett that impression grom Goebbeks propaganda machine. His photographers were ordered to photofraph tanks, not horses. Unmotorized infantry was 80 percent of the Ostkrieg. Entering the Soviet Uniion with the Germans were 750,000 horses. Horse power still played a major role in the Wehrmact, both for transport and artillery. And as the weather turned cold, the Germans discovered that their horses did not have the stmina for the rigors of the Russian winter.

Greatest Invasion Force in History

The Barbarossa invasion force was the high point of the NAZI war effort. Hitler assembled what Goebbels claimed was the greatest concentation of forces in world history. They were correct -- up to 1941. The Germans invasion force totaled 153 divisions and more than 3 million men. A massive fiorce of well trained soldiers. The Gernas woulkd be able to mainain gyheir numbers in 1942 and 43, but becaus of Red Armny resustance, nerver such well trained and ecperienced soldiers. And never again woulkd they face another unprepared eneny fiorce. The odds from the beginning were against germany winning the War, but striking and defeating inpreoared countries had enabked the Germans to fielkd an invasion force of increduble strangth and competence. Germany was nit going to win a war if attriutioin, but if they coukd destroy the Red Army thry had a real chance of winning the War. And by Decembedr the Germans would in bruillkiabntky executed Blitzkrieg operationsd had wittked diwn the numerical superiority of the Red Armyy

Germnan Allies

The Barbarossa invasion force was not an all-German force, but it was except for the Finns, totally under Hitler's control. Some 0.8 million men were privided by Germnan allies. A Finnih Army was part of Army Group North. Substantuial foreign units made up Atmy Group South. At the onmset yhis was primarily the Romnanian 3rd and 4th Army. Thisd meant 14 Finish divisions and Romania 13 divisions and eight brigades. [Glantz] After the initial assault, Mussolini felt cipoelled to commit an Italian Expeditiuonary Force. There were smaller forces committed by Hungary and Slovkia. They totaled a substantil force, espcially the Italians and Romanians. Hitler would demand hat Hungary make a much more substantyial ommitmnt in 1942. The Finns and Roimanians joined the Germans because of Soviet aggression (1939-40). Nonr of the NAZI allies, exceopt the Finns, proved to have the same combat effectiveness of the Geramns. To a large extent this was dur to theie equioment. Only 20 percent of the Geram foirces were motorized. The Axius allies were even less adequately equipped. It is unclar just how well equoippoed Hitler wanbted them, but given the fact he couild only motorized 20 oercenbt of his army, Germany just did not have yhe industrial capacity to equip them.

Strengthened Force

The German Barbarossa force was a much more powerful army than they had fieded in the West (1939-40). Stalin had calculated tht by signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pct (Augysdt 1939) that Germans armies wsould be weakened by a debilitating Westerrn campaign. Anf he could pick ip he pieces, instead the Germns gaind qwuicvk victories. Ghis gained them emormous experince jin perfrcting Blitzkrieg tactics. Theu were able to train more men and added captured Allied equioment to the expanding output of German factories prodicing impfived desisns., nd theu used stickpoles og resoueces in France along wuth Sovietr shioments to better equio their firces. The only area that was not improived was the Luftwaffe as a resresukt of losses in the Battle of Britain. And Hitler would never again be able to assemble a force of such magnitude. The Axis divisions were equipped with 600,000 million motorized vehicles, 3,580 tanks, 7,184 artillery pieces, and 2,740 air planes. Finish, Hungarian, and Romanian divisions accompanied the Whermacht and were soon joined by Italian divisions and the Spanish Blue Dvision. Hitler had wanted the French to participate, but Petain had refused. Even so, it was the most powerful military force ever assembled up to that time. And the heart of the force were the German Panzer forces, capable of rapidy driving deep into enemy lines and surrounding string points. The Luftwaffe was at the time the most powerful air force in the world. The Barbarossa strike force included 2,000 planes. The Luftwaffe was, however, to be less of a factor on the vast battlefield in the East. There the Luftwaffe's size meant that it would not prove as critical as it had on the smaller battlefields in the West.

Unmotorized Infantry

Germany's best chance to win the war was Barbarossa. It had to destroy the Red Army in a quick, sharp camapign or face a debikitaring war of attritiin that it could not win. It had neither the resources nor industrial capacity to win a war of attrition. This is why it lost World War I. The problem for Germany was that destoying the Red Army required a highly motorizrd force that could strike deep into the Russian heratland and defeat the Red Army before the Siviet Union could mobilize it considerable population and resources. It alsmost did that but faltered befor Moscow as the Russian winter set in. And the primary reason it failed was that the Ostheer was not a mortorized force. There were brillant Panzer and Motorized Infantry divsions, but despite Goebbels propaganda, that was only 20 percent of the Ostheer. Some 80mpercent of the Ostheer was unmotorized infantry moving east on foot with horse-drawn carts. That was not very sufferentbthan the army with which Mapoleon invaded Russia in 1812. There was just no way, no matter how brilliant the German commanders, that such a force moving east on foot with horse-drawn carts was going to achieve a victory in a few months given the dimensions of the Soviet Union. This was Germany's fundamental weakness. Despite the superb Panzer divisions, the Germans did not have the kind of motorized army needed for victory in the East. And the trucks and other vehicles cobbeled together from all over Europe were of many different types, greatly complicating logistics and maintenance. And may of the vehicles could not withstand the riggors if the primitive Soviet road system. Entering the Soviet Uniion with the Germans were 750,000 horses--more horses than in World War I. Horse power still played a central role in the Wehrmact, both for transport and artillery. And as the weather turned cold, the Germans discovered that their horses did not have the stamina for the rigors of the Russian winter. And if this was not bad enough for the Germans, once Hitler launched Barbarossa, yje deliveries of Soviet oil ceased, many that thd Germands would hgave troubkler fueling the vehicles it had.

Sources

Glantz, David. Barbarossa Derailed: The Battle for Smolensk Vol. 1. (Helion & Company: 2010).







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Created: 6:34 PM 12/8/2007
Last updated: 6:34 PM 12/8/2007