The Road to Berlin (160 page)

Read The Road to Berlin Online

Authors: John Erickson

Tags: #History, #Europe, #Former Soviet Republics, #Military, #World War II

Food supplies/agriculture

Arutyunyan, Yu.V.,
Sovetskoe krestyanstvo v gody VOV
(Moscow: Nauka, 1st and 2nd edns 1963 and 1970). (Much debated, much discussed pioneer work on Soviet agriculture/Soviet peasantry in wartime.)
Chernyavskii, U.G.,
Voina i prodovol’stvie snabzhenie gorodskovo naseleniya v VOV 1941–1945 gg
. (Moscow: Nauka 1964), 208 pp. (Soviet rationing/food supply, nutrition.)
Zelenin, I.E.,
Sovkhozy SSSR (1941–1950)
(Moscow: Nauka 1969). See pt 1 for the
sovkhoz
in wartime, pp. 19–130. (Specialist monograph, using mainly archival material.)

Medical / military medical services

Smirnov, Col.-Gen. (Med.) E.I.,
Voina i voennaya meditsina 1939–1945 gody
(Moscow: Meditsina 1979), 528 pp. (See esp. pts 2–3; General Smirnov’s study includes his own reports as head of Red Army medical service, with detailed studies of medical organization in the main military operations.)
Also Ivanov, F.I.,
Reaktivnye psikhozy v voennoe vremya
(Leningrad: Meditsina 1970). See chs 4–5.
Vishnevskii, Col.-Gen. (Med.) A.A.,
Dnevnik khiruga. VOV 1941–1945 gg
. (Moscow: Meditsina, 2nd edn 1970). Foreword by Marshal Zhukov. (Wartime diary, ‘diary of a surgeon’, also much material on military-medical services.)

Soviet women at war

Murmantseva, Major V., ‘Sovetskie zhenshchiny v VOV 1941–1945 godov’,
VIZ
, 1968 (2), pp. 47–54. (Soviet women on active service.)

The Moscow meeting (October 1944) pp.
411

422

Bryant, Arthur,
Triumph in the West 1943–1946
(Diaries, autobiographical role of Field-Marshal Viscount Alanbrooke) (London: Collins 1959), pp. 234–45, the Moscow meeting, conference with Antonov (Oct. 14), briefing on situation in Far East, Soviet concentration of ‘adequate forces’, Stalin’s emphasis on the
political aspects
, Stalin explains at next meeting logistics/rail movement problems—Alanbrooke much impressed—Polish political discussions ‘hanging fire’. (On Far East discussions, cf. S.M. Shtemenko.)
Churchill, Winston S.,
The Second World War
, vol. 6, pp. 179–206, prelude to the Moscow visit (Oct. 44), Stalin’s cordial invitation; ‘90 per cent Soviet predominance in Rumania’ (pp. 194–5), Churchill to Roosevelt, Churchill memorandum to Stalin on common policy in Balkans (pp. 198–9), meeting with ‘Lublin Poles’, planning for Soviet entry against Japan, the Polish question, impression of a successful visit.
Moran, Lord,
Winston Churchill: Struggle for Survival
, pt 3, pp. 215–28, on Moscow visit/conference, PM–Eden discussion (Oct. 9), PM–Mikolajczyk, Churchill on Stalin.
Wheeler–Bennett, John and Nicholls, Anthony,
The Semblance of Peace
. On the Moscow meeting Oct. 1944, see ch. 10, pp. 195–200. (Though brief, this account I found to be the most astute and at the same time very even-handed.)
Woodward, Sir Llewellyn,
British Foreign Policy
(single volume, 1962), pp. 306–11, Moscow conference, Churchill’s misgivings over the Balkans, wishes to convince Stalin of genuine British desire for co-operation, first discussions Bulgaria/Rumania, the Polish question, Stalin intent on securing Curzon line.
Woodward, Sir L.,
British Foreign Policy
, vol. III, ch. XXXVIII (iv, vi), Eden memorandum 9 Aug. on Soviet policy in Europe, outside Balkans, some risk of Anglo–Soviet conflict over policy to Hungary, danger of rift over Poland … , pp. 123–31; Moscow meeting, question of degree of overall Soviet co-operation with Western powers, Churchill’s misgivings over the Balkans as imperilling future Anglo–Soviet co-operation, American doubts over Soviet policy (footnote, p. 147), bargaining over ‘Balkan percentages’, pp. 146–52; also ch. XL(ii), the Polish question at the Moscow meeting, Churchill–Stalin conversations, Eden–Stalin–Molotov (Oct. 15) on draft declaration, Stalin insists on Lvov and deletion of references to ‘Prime Minister Mikolajczyk’, only Stalin and Molotov in Soviet leadership who wished to deal ‘softly’ with Mikolajczyk, pp. 224–31.

Diplomatic correspondence/diplomatic documents

Perepiska
… , vol. 1, No. 326, Churchill to Stalin, mention of Stalin’s ill health, possible visit to Moscow, Sept. 27, pp. 305–6; No. 328, Stalin–Churchill, cordial invitation to Moscow, Sept. 30, p. 307; No. 331, Stalin and Churchill to Roosevelt, on programme for Moscow meeting, Harriman to be present, Oct. 4, p. 308; No. 332, Churchill–Stalin, to arrange talks on ‘military matters’ for Oct. 14, Oct. 12, pp. 310–11; No. 336, Churchill–Stalin, on further conversations with Mikolajczyk who wishes to see Stalin alone, Oct. 17, pp. 312–13.
Perepiska
… , vol. 2, No. 230, Roosevelt–Stalin, Harriman to attend but
not
to commit US government, Oct. 5, pp. 171–2; No. 231, Stalin–Roosevelt, disclaims knowledge of ‘points to be discussed in Moscow’, Oct. 8, p. 172; No. 234, Stalin–Roosevelt, results of meeting ‘very useful’, ‘more favourable prospects’ for solution over Polish question, possibility of meeting in November (1944), Oct. 19, pp. 173–4.
Sherwood, Robert E.,
Roosevelt and Hopkins
, pp. 832–4, President Roosevelt’s draft signal (Oct. 3) to Stalin with implication that Churchill might speak for the USA as well as Great Britain, stopped by Hopkins, revised message to Stalin with Moscow meeting merely ‘preliminary to a conference of the three of us’, Harriman as President’s personal observer.
Documents on Polish–Soviet Relations
, vol. 2, Doc. No. 237, Moscow Conference/ proceedings—Polish affairs, Moscow, Oct. 13 (5–7.30 pm), stenographic record, pp. 405–15; No. 238, observations, Mikolajczyk–Harriman (sent 18.10.44) dated Moscow Oct. 14, pp. 415–16; No. 239, Mikolajczyk–Churchill, conversation Oct. 14 (11.30 am–2 pm) on the territorial question, reconstruction of the Polish government, pp. 416–21; No. 241, Mikolajczyk–Churchill, on the Curzon line, with members of Polish delegation, Moscow, Oct. 14, pp. 423–4; No. 243, Molotov–Grabski, on leaving Lvov with Poland, Oct. 15, pp. 425–7; No. 246, Mikolajczyk’s farewell visit to Stalin, conversation, conditions of existence of Poland in the future, Stalin’s views and stipulations, Oct. 18, pp. 430–33; No. 250, Mikolajczyk–Churchill
et al
., discussion in London on Polish position in face of Soviet demands, Oct. 26, pp. 439–41.

Soviet materials

IVOVSS
, 4, pt 4, ch. 21(2–4), on the EAC, Moscow conference, Dumbarton Oaks (in that order): on the Moscow conference, pp. 665–9, Quebec conference and planning for war in Pacific, American ‘official circles’ trying to drag USSR ‘prematurely’ into war with Japan, threat of cancelling Lend-Lease, collapse of Churchill’s plans for a ‘Balkan strategy’, the Polish question and Polish frontiers, general agreement on the Balkans, discussions on the future of Germany.
Israelyan, V.L.,
Diplomaticheskaya istoriya VOV
, pp. 248–64, Dumbarton Oaks (pp. 248–53), Moscow conference, discussions on future of Germany, Balkans–Soviet policy based on non-interference in internal affairs of other states, hence rejection of ‘spheres of influence’ (p. 260), the Polish question, Anglo–Soviet agreement ‘in general terms’ on future Polish frontiers, military reports on the strategic situation, Moscow meeting affirmed the idea of post-war collaboration among the Great Powers, supported by popular feelings.
Israelyan, V.L.,
Antigitlerovskaya koalitsiya 1941–1945
, pt 3, ch. XIX, Dumbarton Oaks, Quebec, Moscow conferences, esp. pp. 462–72 on Moscow conference, with more detailed discussion of the Polish question. See also
Sovetskii Soyuz na mezhdunarodnykh konferentsiyakh
… , Tom III, ‘Konferentsiya … v Dumbarton–Okse’. Sbornik dokumentov (Moscow: Politizdat 1978).
Shtemenko, S.M.,
The Soviet General Staff at War 1941–1945
. See here ch. 14, creation in 1942 of post of Deputy Chief/GS, Far East, Lomov and Shevchenko change places, pressure from Western allies to draw USSR into war with Japan, Stalin orders estimates of deployment/logistics requirements
for Far East
(Sept. 44), Stalin uses these estimates at Moscow meeting (cf. FM Alanbrooke), pp. 322–4. (Soviet text,
General’nyi shtab
… , vol. 1, 1968, ch. 14, pp. 332–4.)

Baltic operations: Riga–Memel–Courland pp.
422

430

Allen, W.E.D. and Muratoff, Paul,
The Russian Campaigns
, pp. 206–16, autumn operations in the Baltic, border of E Prussia.
Philippi, A. and Heim, F.,
Der Feldzug gegen Sowjetrussland
, pt 2, pp. 265–8, Soviet autumn offensive in the Baltic, loss of Estonia, drive on Memel.
Seaton, Albert,
The Russo–German War
, pp. 522–6, on the Soviet offensive into the Baltic States (1st, 2nd and 3rd Baltic Fronts), Soviet change of plan to strike for Memel, Bagramyan’s regrouping from right to left flank, fall of Riga, Courland bridgehead, 3rd Belorussian Front thrust into E Prussia. (An extremely valuable review of Soviet and German operations.)

GMD

OKH/Kriegsgesch. Abt
. Maps:
1 u 2 Schlacht um Kurland
, Durchbruch auf Memel;
1 Schlacht um Ostpreussen
(Goldap–Gumbinnen), 5.10.44–7.11.44. T-78/R136, 6065208–262. (Very clear and very dramatic maps.)

Soviet materials

IVOVSS
, 4, pt 2, pp. 354–63, Soviet offensive operations, Memel–Riga: 2nd and 3rd Baltic Front operations for Riga, Volskii’s 5th Guards Tank Army in drive for Memel, Stalin’s wish to liquidate Courland group, reinforcement not available due to operations in E Prussia and W Poland, assault on Memel inevitably delayed. (A good chronology of
Stavka
decisions.)
Bagramyan, I.Kh.,
Kak my shli k pobede
, pp. 419–80, the shift from the ‘Riga axis’ to the ‘Memel axis’, thrust to E Prussia. (Highly detailed but highly informative, with much analysis and evaluation.)
Bor’ba za Sovetskuyu Pribaltiku
… , vol. 2, pp. 127–33, situation in Sept. 44, drive on Riga, Leningrad Front drive into Estonia, fighting on the ‘Sigulda line’, 1st and 3rd Baltic Front operations for Memel, fall of Riga. (A terse unadorned operational narrative, using military archives almost exclusively.)
Portnov, S.I. (ed.),
V srazheniyakh za Sovetskuyu Latviyu
, pp. 148–76, operations in central region of Latvia, fall of Riga. (Very detailed operational narrative.)
Shtemenko, S.M.,
The Soviet General Staff at War 1941–1945
, pp. 289–93, the Baltic Fronts, decisive operations Sept. 14, regrouping for Memel thrust, Bagramyan’s ‘highly original generalship’, capture of Riga, blockading of German forces/ Courland grouping.
Vasilevskii, A.M.,
Delo vsei zhizni
. On the Baltic strategic operation, autumn 1944, pp. 483–7. (Short summary, outlining main operational decisions, including the ‘Memel drive’.)
Yeremenko, A.I.,
Gody vozmezdiya
, ch. 11, pp. 437–88, the drive on Riga—with rebuttal of the criticisms levelled by
Sandalov
on Yeremenko’s performance, missing the opportunity to deal a mortal blow to Army Group North.

The balance sheet, end 1944: Soviet strategic planning pp.
422

430

Allen, W.E.D. and Muratoff, Paul,
The Russian Campaigns (1944–45)
, pp. 221–9, general situation, eve of last winter campaign (Dec. 44).
Irving, David,
Hitler’s War
, pp. 733–6, Hitler’s preparations for Ardennes counter-blow, quiet on Eastern Front save for Hungary, Hitler’s departure from E Prussia, postponement of Ardennes attack, anticipation of the collapse of the Allied coalition—‘this entire artificially erected common front’.

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