German pistol ammo stocks on the opening day of Barbarossa

[Kyrie]

I can think of some other ways to describe the War on the Eastern Front [wince!].


By the time the Germans were close to Moscow the worst winter in 140 years had settled in. Temperatures reach 40 degrees below zero (F), and fifty mile per hour winds were not unusual. Taking a dump frequently resulted in a serious frostbite case - no joke! The Russian doctrine of destroying all buildings, burning all crops, and slaughtering any livestock that could not be carried away and dumping the carcasses into wells and streams left the average German with little shelter and only the food brought in by his supply columns.


The Russian knew full well that any remaining shelter would be chock full of German soldiers come nightfall, and made a practice of infiltrating after dark and grenading any shelter they could get to. Roving bands of Russian cavalry would ride up, set up machineguns and mortars, shoot up a German bivouac, and fade back into the night. Many Germans were faced with the choice of spending the night in the open and freezing, or going into whatever shelter was available knowing the chances were about even it would be blown up during the night.


In addition to all of this there were never fewer than about one quarter of a million (250,000!) Russian troops behind the German lines. While these were mostly small bands of poorly equipped men, they were also desperate men. They were largely without food and lived by raiding German supply columns.


The whole situation reminds me of a line out of the play "Doctor Faustus". A one point Mephistopheles remarks, "Why, this is Hell, nor am I out of it." That sums up the Eastern Front pretty well.


Best regards,


Kyrie