History 25/01/20 bad did General frost for the red Army
to Justify its own failures to external factors was loved by all the opponents of Russia. The myth of the invincible ally of the Russian “General Frost” appeared for a long time and had been even Napoleon’s army, which with difficulty escaped in 1812. In 1941, Hitler repeated the same thing. How else to explain the failure of the Wehrmacht, which conquered almost all of Europe? However, one should not forget that the weather conditions were the same for each party. Moreover, the red army suffered from the cold even more than the Germans.
the Traitor General frost
the Historian Alexey Isaev, who wrote many of the great Patriotic war, at a conference said, “If General Mud and General frost served in the red Army, they would be shot for treason”. And with his words it is difficult to argue — just look at the weather reports the end of 1941 and the position of the parties. Just at that time was the battle of Moscow which, if it lost the Soviet Union — with high probability would decide the outcome of the war does not favor the Soviet Union.
As written in the memoirs of General Gunther Blumentritt, who served as chief of staff of the 4th army, November of the first year of the war was relatively warm. Frost stayed at around -7…-10°C. Only for a few days mid-month mark on the temperature dropped to -17°C. At the end of November and is observed the warming, even rains. However, by the time the German offensive was exhausted. By this time in the constrained ground frost German troops had the opportunity to move without any problems. In December 1941, the temperature dropped below -20°C. to Attack the Germans already had.
General frost against the red army
of Course, the twenty degrees of frost was equally unpleasant for both sides, but the Wehrmacht and the red army were in different position. The Germans were defending in settlements, where there is always it was possible to organize hot meals, transportation and hospitalization of the wounded. Soviet soldiers fought in the field. Kitchens often do not have time or simply not made their way to the front. Even the lightly wounded had to be evacuated to the rear: the loss of blood in such cold weather threatened a quick death. Anyway to arrange overnight stays in field conditions was a risky and complicated.
for Example, a platoon commander Ivan Nikonov in an interview on the website “I remember” tells of the harsh everyday life on the Volkhov front. In the evenings the soldiers with bayonets digging their own individual cells, in which slept inside the tents. This did not improve the situation dramatically, but while the soldiers worked, they were warm, which saved many from certain death. Here’s what Nikonov said: “the Attack, as a rule, were not more than four days. Usually on the second or third day we had a night crawl and check how many are left alive. Crawl, which not killed — moves, and metering — means dead, as it was a cold winter”.
the Danger of vodka and a fire
Attempts to keep warm around a fire, often ended in failure. Tired and exhausted soldiers often fell asleep near an open flame. And from the smallest spark cotton uniforms could flare up like gunpowder. Had extinguished it, according to the recollections of soldiers, is not easy. In the end, a careless soldier not only received burns, but was deprived of warm clothes in conditions of cold weather and the onset was like death.
it Seemed that the warm up will help “narkomovskih hundred grams”. But experienced officers are not encouraged its soldiers to even do that. Alcohol did become warm, but only in the first hours, and then the man was sober and very quickly froze. Often in the morning took to the chest was found stiff.
Yaroslav Gorbunov
Source:
© Russian Seven
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