Russia's Great Patriotic War 1944: Red Steamroller Quiz

Answer: 2,850,000 Germans and 600,000 Axis allies

Germans in the East reached peak strength of 3,480,000 troops in July 1943 during Battle of Kursk. By late 1943, when Soviets crossed Dnieper, German strength shrank to under 3 million troops. These German forces in the East in early 1944 amounted to approximately 70 percent of total Wehrmacht strength. Other 30 percent were mostly stationed in the West with 1 million troops in France and 300,000 in Italy.
Germany's Axis allies in the East in early 1944 had approximately 600,000 troops of whom 300,000 were Finns, 200,000 were Romanians and 100,000 were Hungarians.

Answer: Red Army constantly used human wave attacks to overwhelm the Germans with massive numbers on a wide front until German defenses would be destroyed

Even in 1941-42 human wave tactic was never an option. It was only used in separate cases as a last resort when command ran out of options, which showed a lack of skill, not competence. After 1942 Soviets never used it. To maximize success, from 1943 basis of Soviet offensive was military deception aimed to fool Germans about actual place of attack. Once their forces were weakened at true location of attack, Soviets would unleash powerful, accurate artillery barrage on its defenses.

When defenses were breached, Soviets would deploy mobile tank units to penetrate German rear and encircle its forces. To strengthen encirclement, Soviets would bring mechanized shock armies which denied the chance for Germans to escape.

These attributes became a hallmark of Soviet Deep Operations in 1944-45.

Answer: Over half of Germans escaped with rest being killed or captured. Commander Stemmermann was killed during breakout attempt

Due to good coordination with German relief forces, over half of 60,000 encircled Germans managed to escape. However, approximately 18,000 Germans were captured and 7,000 killed. Even more damaging was that during breakout all heavy weaponry had to be abandoned which significantly weakened Germans against future Soviet operations. Commander Stemmermann was killed during breakout when his car was hit by Soviet antitank gun. German relief forces and its 5 divisions also suffered high losses. Germans also managed to escape due to gaps in Soviet encirclement ring which was not strong enough. By summer 1944 Soviets learned to fully close the gaps and deny Germans the chance of escaping.

This was particularly evident in Operation Bagration.

Answer: Troops of 2nd Ukrainian Front were the first troops to reach official state border of USSR and take the war onto enemy's territory

Although the Red Army reached the old Soviet-Polish border earlier in January 1944, it was not the official border which USSR had prior to German invasion. Meanwhile on 26th March 1944, Soviets did reach and crossed the official state border of USSR. In addition to having great military value, the Uman-Botosani offensive was also morally important for the Soviets because after painful defeats and long retreats of 1941-42, they finally managed to push the invader back from their land and as a result the morale of Soviet troops was very high.

After crossing the border, Soviets took the war onto enemy's territory by entering Romania's north-eastern province and capturing the Romanian city of Botosani.

Answer: The proximity of Red Army forces to Hungarian border forced Hungary to sign an armistice with the Allies and leave Axis

Proximity of Red Army to Hungary did influence pro-Nazi Hungarian leader Admiral Miklós Horthy to begin secret peace talks with Allies. Having learned about this, Hitler ordered Wehrmacht to launch "Operation Margarethe"- German occupation of Hungary on 12th of March 1944.

While as an Axis country Hungary did have limited sovereignty, German occupation removed it all. As a result, over half a million Hungarian Jews and other ethnic minorities considered as "sub-human", were deported to German extermination camps.

When Soviets entered Romania in March 1944, Romanians also began secret peace talks with Soviets. Germans had similar plans for Romania too but after managing to temporarily stabilize the front, Romania stayed on the German side. Renewed Soviet offensive in August 1944 resulted in Romania switching sides.

Answer: 18 Wehrmacht divisions destroyed, 68 divisions reduced to 50 percent strength or below. Approximately 670,000 casualties

In the course of the offensive, 18 Wehrmacht divisions were destroyed, of which 10 were completely destroyed and 8 disbanded due to suffering over 70 percent losses. In addition, 68 divisions were reduced to 50 percent strength or below, of which 60 divisions suffered 50 percent losses and 8 divisions suffered 50 to 70 percent losses. Breakdown of German losses: 211,613 killed/missing, 86,364 Germans captured, over 370,000 wounded and sick.
Though not accurately known, Romanian losses were heavy, likely to be in the range of 75,000-100,000.

Answer: Joseph Stalin

Stalin said this in meeting with General Staff and Soviet High Command in April 1944, stressing the importance to refit and replenish Soviet forces as quickly as possible and not give Germans the opportunity to recover. By the end of April 1944 the Soviet Dnieper-Carpathian offensive was running out of steam as Soviet troops were exhausted and supply lines overstretched. To prevent the collapse of German southern wing, Germans were bringing strong reinforcements to Romania, including the elite SS Division "Totenkopf" (Death's Head) and Panzer Grenadier Division "Großdeutschland" (Greater Germany).

Answer: Stavka planned to launch 4 successive offensives one after another, from North to South, so that one offensive would create conditions to launch an offensive elsewhere

Under the cloak of a major deception, Soviets planned 4 major successive blows, each capitalizing on results of preceding offensive to break the spine of Wehrmacht. In order, 4 offensives were:
1. Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive from 9 June to August 1944 against Finnish forces which forced Finland to exit the war from the Axis side;
2. Operation Bagration from 22 June to August 1944 - the biggest and main Soviet summer offensive which resulted in destruction of Army Group Centre;
3. Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive from 13 July to August 1944 which led to German defeat in Western Ukraine and Soviet advance to Eastern Poland;
4. Jassy-Kishinev Offensive from 20 August to September 1944 which led to destruction of German forces in Romania while Romania joined the Allies.

Answer: All of these aspects played a crucial part in Soviet success

Soviet success in Ukraine during Dnieper-Carpathian offensive in early 1944, convinced Germans that main Soviet summer offensive would come here and this is where they put their strongest Panzer forces. Soviets deliberately strengthened these German beliefs by executing a major military deception which further convinced the Germans that Soviets would strike in Ukraine, thereby weakening Germans in Belarus. Germans would never be able to detect a massive buildup of Soviet troops in Belarus until it was too late.

The offensive itself was perfectly executed as Soviets skilfully mastered combined arms warfare on tactical and operational levels and coordinated their actions well, which led to numerous encirclements and destruction of German forces, while tank units raced westwards.

Answer: Soviets advanced up to 550km (340 miles) and destroyed 28 German divisions. 500,000+ German casualties

In just 4 weeks the Soviets advanced from their starting positions around the city of Vitebsk in Belarus all the way to Vistula river in Central Poland and its capital Warsaw, advancing an epic 550km (340 miles). Soviets inflicted the biggest defeat in history on German military as Wehrmacht's 28 divisions were destroyed. German losses from June 22 to August 19 1944 were: 230,000 killed/missing, 150,000 captured, 160,000 wounded or sick. This defeat surpassed even German defeat at Stalingrad where they lost 22 divisions. During the opening of second front and D-Day landings, Allies in Normandy were facing fewer than 300,000 Germans while almost 1 million Germans were fighting in Belarus trying to hold up Soviet advance.

Answer: Stalin gave order to start operation "The Great Waltz"- to parade 57,600 German prisoners, captured in Operation Bagration, through the streets of Moscow

Named after a popular U.S. film of 1938, Stalin gave order to start operation "The Great Waltz"- to bring German prisoners, captured around Minsk, to Moscow. On 17 July it was announced to public that 57,600 Germans would be paraded through the streets of Moscow.

The procession was led by 19 captured German generals in full uniform. They were followed by more than 1,000 officers. After them marched columns of weary, unshaven soldiers. People of Moscow watched for the most part in silence. This startling display made a huge impression on foreign observers, as was its intention.

Afterwards, symbolically, street cleaners washed away all the traces of the hated Nazis. This was also done because many German PoW's had poor hygiene, suffered dysentery and other diseases.

Answer: All of these aspects/results are related with Jassy-Kishinev Offensive

Ironically, Soviets faced same formations as they did in Stalingrad- German 6th Army, since Germans decided not to change this unlucky number, and Romanian forces on 6th Army flanks. Just like in Stalingrad, due to good Soviet deception, Germans didn't expect Soviet offensive in Romania. Soviets destroyed these forces again. Also surprising was that considering the size of this offensive, Soviets suffered very low casualties - 13,000 were killed/missing, 54,000 wounded. Meanwhile Germans suffered high losses- 120,000 killed, missing, wounded and 115,000 captured.

The Soviet advance also forced Romania to switch sides and join Allies but not until Soviets captured 170,000 Romanian PoW's. To avoid being cut off, Germans began evacuating the Balkans and Greece.

Answer: The Red Army conducted the only major military operation ever undertaken in an Arctic environment in modern warfare

The Red Army, with the help of Soviet Northern Fleet, conducted the only major operation ever undertaken in an Arctic environment during Petsamo-Kirkenes Offensive in October 1944. Since daytime and sunlight are very limited in the Arctic, the fact that offensive was launched in October, further reduced visibility and made it difficult to coordinate fire. Also, Arctic climate is harsh and supply conditions are very difficult, with roads almost non-existent. Considering this, Soviets performed very well and overcame these major obstacles by way of maneuvering and amphibious landings.

In the end, Soviets liberated Norwegian city Kirkenes where they were greeted by Norwegian resistance units.

Answer: 2,200,000 casualties in the East and 650,000 in the West

From January to May 1944, Soviet offensives in Ukraine, Crimea, Belarus and Leningrad, cost the Germans 1 million casualties of whom 670,000 were inflicted during Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive in Ukraine. At the same period, the only significant action that took place in the West was in Italy where small German forces managed to hold out for 4 months against the Allies in Battles of Anzio and Monte Cassino, and suffered 80,000 casualties. From June to December 1944, Soviet offensives across the entire front inflicted 1,200,000 casualties on the Germans and 320,000 on its Axis allies.

In the West, Allied landings during Operation Overlord and Operation Dragoon inflicted 570,000 casualties on the Germans.

Answer: Winston Churchill

The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill paid his tribute to Red Army in his letter to Stalin in September 1944, a month before the Fourth Moscow Conference where Allied leaders discussed the plans for postwar Europe and the possibility of Soviet Union joining the war against the Japan.