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Osprey Combat #7
German Infantryman vs Soviet Rifleman – Barbarossa 1941
Featuring full-color artwork, specially drawn maps and archive photographs, this study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, combat performance and subsequent reputations of six representative German and Soviet infantry battalions pitched into three pivotal actions that determined the course of the "Barbarossa" campaign at the height of World War II.
The Axis invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 pitted Nazi Germany and her allies against Stalin's forces in a mighty struggle for survival. Three German army groups - North, Center and South - advanced into Soviet-held territory; Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock's Army Group Center, the largest of these three, was tasked with defeating General of the Army Dmitry Pavlov's Western Front in Belarus, and was assigned two Panzer Groups to achieve this. Bock's command would complete the encirclement and destruction of vast numbers of Soviet personnel and materiel at battles such as Białystok-Minsk in June-July and Smolensk in July-August before being halted as German efforts centered on the conquest of the Ukraine, only to resume the offensive at the end of September. As the dust of summer gave way to the mud of autumn, the ensuing German drive on Moscow was slowed and then halted by a Soviet counteroffensive mounted by Konev's Kalinin and Timoshenko's Southwestern Fronts in December amid unusually harsh winter conditions, marking the failure of the German Blitzkrieg; Army Group Centre was forced back and Moscow remained in Soviet hands.
At the forefront of the German advance, fighting alongside the spearhead Panzer divisions, were the lorry-borne infantrymen of the motorized infantry divisions. Unlike the Schutzen, the specialist armored infantry integral to the Panzer divisions, these highly trained motorized formations were organized, armed and equipped as per their footslogging counterparts in the standard infantry divisions; together, these two troop types were the forerunners of the formidable Panzergrenadier formations that would provide the Germans with their mobile infantry forces in the climactic years of World War II.
Opposing the German mobile forces, the Soviets deployed rifle divisions and motorized rifle divisions, some of which would be upgraded to Guards status following outstanding combat performance. The Soviet forces fought tenaciously in the teeth of sometimes overwhelming local German superiority and with the threat of savage reprisals from the NKVD troops at their backs, suffering huge losses but remaining in the fight until the lines could be stabilized in the worsening winter conditions outside Moscow. Their clashes with the motorized infantrymen of the German vanguard would shape the outcome of this mighty battle for survival.
The Axis invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 pitted Nazi Germany and her allies against Stalin's forces in a mighty struggle for survival. Three German army groups - North, Center and South - advanced into Soviet-held territory; Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock's Army Group Center, the largest of these three, was tasked with defeating General of the Army Dmitry Pavlov's Western Front in Belarus, and was assigned two Panzer Groups to achieve this. Bock's command would complete the encirclement and destruction of vast numbers of Soviet personnel and materiel at battles such as Białystok-Minsk in June-July and Smolensk in July-August before being halted as German efforts centered on the conquest of the Ukraine, only to resume the offensive at the end of September. As the dust of summer gave way to the mud of autumn, the ensuing German drive on Moscow was slowed and then halted by a Soviet counteroffensive mounted by Konev's Kalinin and Timoshenko's Southwestern Fronts in December amid unusually harsh winter conditions, marking the failure of the German Blitzkrieg; Army Group Centre was forced back and Moscow remained in Soviet hands.
At the forefront of the German advance, fighting alongside the spearhead Panzer divisions, were the lorry-borne infantrymen of the motorized infantry divisions. Unlike the Schutzen, the specialist armored infantry integral to the Panzer divisions, these highly trained motorized formations were organized, armed and equipped as per their footslogging counterparts in the standard infantry divisions; together, these two troop types were the forerunners of the formidable Panzergrenadier formations that would provide the Germans with their mobile infantry forces in the climactic years of World War II.
Opposing the German mobile forces, the Soviets deployed rifle divisions and motorized rifle divisions, some of which would be upgraded to Guards status following outstanding combat performance. The Soviet forces fought tenaciously in the teeth of sometimes overwhelming local German superiority and with the threat of savage reprisals from the NKVD troops at their backs, suffering huge losses but remaining in the fight until the lines could be stabilized in the worsening winter conditions outside Moscow. Their clashes with the motorized infantrymen of the German vanguard would shape the outcome of this mighty battle for survival.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
David Campbell
17 booksDavid Campbell has worked as a new media producer and content specialist for many years, including roles at IBM, the BBC, various Internet consultancies and the British civil service. He is the author of a number of titles for Osprey.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 28, 2019
Describes the fighting of German an Soviet troops in the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa, so a combination of first line Soviet troops and the new armies that were hastily thrown into battle in July.
There's a lot of Glantz but not much in terms of accounts by Soviet participants, which would have been a great boon in understanding what it was like for Russian soldiers.
The choice to show three encounters from this early phase of Barbarossa can be defended although I think a comparison of fighting in June/July, August/September and October-December would have better shown the development of fighting capabilities of the Wehrmacht and Red Army over time.
I guess the Combat series is picking up for me, but it has not reached its potential.
There's a lot of Glantz but not much in terms of accounts by Soviet participants, which would have been a great boon in understanding what it was like for Russian soldiers.
The choice to show three encounters from this early phase of Barbarossa can be defended although I think a comparison of fighting in June/July, August/September and October-December would have better shown the development of fighting capabilities of the Wehrmacht and Red Army over time.
I guess the Combat series is picking up for me, but it has not reached its potential.
January 22, 2024
A comparison of the German (Motorized) Infantryman and the Soviet Rifleman through three battles that took place in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa: Zhlobin, Smolensk, and Vas'kovo-Voroshilovo. The accompanying analysis goes into the strengths and weaknesses shown by both organizations.
The usual combination of photographs, art and maps present in most Osprey books help make this a good supplement to any study of Operation Barbarossa.
Fair warning, all three German units covered are Motorized Infantry, and not regular infantry. In addition, the unit in the third example is the Grossdeutchland Regiment which was a unique unit that did not follow standard German TO&Es. All three are typical in the sense that the Motorized units were the ones that were most often in contact with Soviet units, more so than the regular Infantry at this stage in the war.
The usual combination of photographs, art and maps present in most Osprey books help make this a good supplement to any study of Operation Barbarossa.
Fair warning, all three German units covered are Motorized Infantry, and not regular infantry. In addition, the unit in the third example is the Grossdeutchland Regiment which was a unique unit that did not follow standard German TO&Es. All three are typical in the sense that the Motorized units were the ones that were most often in contact with Soviet units, more so than the regular Infantry at this stage in the war.
October 19, 2019
Opsrey Publishing Duel publicaton.
Want to Read
July 3, 2014Received from Osprey Publishing 7/3/14.
August 14, 2018
Interesting showcase. Helps to explain the vast differences between both armies, and the reasons behind their successes and failures. Very few color drawings, but of high quality.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews