Question regarding Chuikov's 62nd Army

[davidmich]

Hi

I’ve been searching high and low for the exact number of troops in Chuikov’s 62nd Army. No luck. How many troops were thrown against Paulus’s 6th Army.
I look forward to your feedback

[Stinky_Pete]

Do you mean at one specific time? Or do you mean over the course of the Battle of Stalingrad? If the latter, then when do you consider the Battle of Stalingrad to have begun? It ended, of course, when Paulus surrendered but then even after the surrender of the Field Marshall there were some pockets of German troops that held out for a little while longer.

I suspect there might not have been even one front line soldier under Chuikov’s command who remained in combat from the start of the battle until Paulus’s surrender. Russian casualties were terribly high. However his army always managed to receive enough new troops to keep the battle going.

[davidmich]

@Stinky_Pete

Do you mean at one specific time? Or do you mean over the course of the Battle of Stalingrad? If the latter, then when do you consider the Battle of Stalingrad to have begun? It ended, of course, when Paulus surrendered but then even after the surrender of the Field Marshall there were some pockets of German troops that held out for a little while longer.

I suspect there might not have been even one front line soldier under Chuikov’s command who remained in combat from the start of the battle until Paulus’s surrender. Russian casualties were terribly high. However his army always managed to receive enough new troops to keep the battle going.

Thanks Stinky Pete.
I found this:
http://www.globeatwar.com/article/october-1942-stalingrad

“At best, by October 1942 the 62nd Army numbered 50,000 men and 80 tanks. According to those present it was nowhere near these numbers and the Germans held overwhelming advantages in men and machines.”

[dropzone]

@davidmich

Thanks Stinky Pete.
I found this:
October 1942 in Stalingrad | The Globe at War

“At best, by October 1942 the 62nd Army numbered 50,000 men and 80 tanks. According to those present it was nowhere near these numbers and the Germans held overwhelming advantages in men and machines.”

As the Rolls-Royces of the time were described, “sufficient.”

[Dissonance]

I found this (warning, pdf file) online which might be helpful, its David M. Glantz (2008) The Struggle for Stalingrad City: Opposing Orders of Battle, Combat Orders and Reports, and Operational and Tactical Maps. Part 2: The Fight for Stalingrad’s Factory District-14 October–18 November 1942, The Journal of Slavic Military Studies, 21:2, 377-471. The closest thing to a complete strength report:

THE COMMANDERS, DISPOSITIONS, AND STRENGTHS OF THE 62ND ARMY’S FORCES, 13 NOVEMBER 1942 (SEE MAP 8)
[ul]
[li]• Group Gorokhov—Col. S. F. Gorokhov [/li][li]• 124th and 149th Rifle Brigades (500–600 men each, for a total of 1,000–1,200 combat troops) [/li][li]• Defending in the Rynok and Spartanovka regions[/ul][/li]
[ul][li]• 138th Rifle Division—Col. I. I. Liudnikov [/li][li]• 344th, 650th, and 768th Rifle Regiments, with the remnants of the 308th Rifle Division and the 118th Guards Rifle Regiment, 37th Guards Rifle Division (up to 1,500 men) [/li][li]• Defending the 400 by 700 meter strip between the Barrikady Factory and the Volga River[/ul][/li]
[ul][li]• 95th Rifle Division—Col. V. A. Gorishnyi [/li][li]• 161st and 241st Rifle Regiments, with Composite 685th Rifle Regiment, 193rd Rifle Division – MG F. N. Smekhotvorov, and the remnants of the 92nd Rifle Brigade (about 1,500 men) [/li][li]• Defending the 300 by 500 meter sector south of the ravine south of the Barrikady Factory[/ul][/li]
[ul][li]• 45th Rifle Division—Col. V. P. Sokolov [/li][li]• 10th and 61st Rifle Regiments (roughly 1,200 men) [/li][li]• Defending the 300 by 500 meter sector northeast of the Krasnyi Oktiabr’ Factory[/ul][/li]
[ul][li]• 39th Guards Rifle Division—MG S. S. Gur’ev [/li][li]• 120th and 112th Guards Rifle Regiments, with the 253rd Rifle Regiment, 45th Rifle Division (about 1,200 men) [/li][li]• Defending Halls 4 and 8a and the eastern outskirts of the Krasnyi Oktiabr’ Factory[/ul][/li]
[ul][li]• 284th Rifle Division—Col. N. F. Batiuk [/li][li]• 1043rd, 1045th, and 1047th Rifle Regiments (roughly 1,200 men)[/li][li]• Defending from the lower Krutoi Ravine to the ravine southwest of the Krasnyi Oktiabr’ Factory[/ul][/li]
[ul][li]• 13th Guards Rifle Division—MG A. I. Rodimtsev) [/li][li]• 34th, 39th, and 42nd Guards Rifle Regiments (about 1,500 men) [/li][li]• Defending the sector from Stalingrad’s center city to the southern edge of the Krutoi Ravine[/li][/ul]

The last few paragraphs from 62ND ARMY’S COMBAT REPORT, 12 NOVEMBER 1942 are worth quoting in relationship to the above:

The absence of replacements and the tardiness with the transfer of the battalions of the 92nd RB [Rifle Brigade] and 90th RR [Rifle Regiment] have placed the army in an extremely difficult condition. Only the exceptional heroism of the personnel and their steadfastness in the fighting has allowed them to hold on to today’s positions and, having overcome the offensive by a significantly superior enemy force, inflict heavy losses on him in personnel and equipment.

The units of the army, having suffered great losses in the fierce fighting, require personnel replacements.

The army commander appeals to the Stalingrad Front with a request concerning the dispatch of march-replacements of up to 10,000 men, to facilitate the supply of ammunition, and take measures to increase the army’s crossing means [boats].

[davidmich]

@Dissonance

I found this (warning, pdf file) online which might be helpful, its David M. Glantz (2008) The Struggle for Stalingrad City: Opposing Orders of Battle, Combat Orders and Reports, and Operational and Tactical Maps. Part 2: The Fight for Stalingrad’s Factory District-14 October–18 November 1942, The Journal of Slavic Military Studies, 21:2, 377-471. The closest thing to a complete strength report:

The last few paragraphs from 62ND ARMY’S COMBAT REPORT, 12 NOVEMBER 1942 are worth quoting in relationship to the above:

Thanks Dissonance. Very helpful.