The Southwestern Theater

1941-43

By: Kirill Moskalenko

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Kirill Moskalenko commanded Red Army forces from the first day of the Great Patriotic War to the last. His remarkable path led him from the border battles that began the war to the left flank of the Battle of Moscow, to the Kharkov Offensive of May 1942, to Stalingrad and on to the campaigns of Southwestern Theater forces that resulted in the creation of the Kursk Salient. This first volume of his memoirs ends in early 1943.

Moskalenko moved from one unit to another with what may seem astonishing rapidity. In his case it was no reflection—or perhaps little reflection—on his perceived competence as a battlefield commander. Stalin and, to some degree, the generals who made up Stavka, the Supreme Command, insisted on the impossible and often relieved those who did not deliver it. Moskalenko never goes so far as to criticize Stalin personally, but he is surprisingly candid in his complaints about unrealistic objectives. He argues that, before Stalingrad, the best the Red Army could do was to slow the German advance with a dynamic defense. If you appreciate detail, I have included links to Red Army maps from the time and created a gazetteer with the Cyrillic spelling of place names allowing the reader to study them.

The author describes in great detail many episodes in the first two years of the war. The reader may not be familiar with some. Moskalenko commanded troops during

—the desperate fighting retreat from the border that culminated in the disastrous encirclement cauldron outside Kiev.

—the Red Army counter-offensive that stymied Operation Typhoon, the German attempt in conquer Moscow in the first year of the war.

--the indecisive (and little discussed) offensive operations early in the next year, culminating in the catastrophic Red Army Kharkov Offensive of May 1942.

—the active defense against German Operations Frediricus I, Wilhelm and Frediricus II, which were preparation for the massive German offensive of summer 1942. Moskalenko's Thirty-Eighth Army withdrew under constant threat from the Northern Donets River to the outskirts of Stalingrad.

—the counterstrikes on the periphery of Stalingrad by First Tank Army and First Guards Army, both commanded by Moskalenko. Those who study Stalingrad are familiar with the famous battle of Chuikov’s Sixty-Second Army within the city. Chuikov gets well-deserved credit, but, when operations outside the city are discussed, they are often described as failures. Moskalenko maintains otherwise. He argues that his armies fought effectively against superior German forces and refutes Chuikov’s contention that large enemy forces were not diverted away from the direct assault on the city. His account differs in other details from that of Chuikov. That, in itself, makes this first volume worth a read.

After Stalingrad, Moskalenko commanded Fortieth Army and gained heady victories in November 1942 through February 1943, resulting in the liberation of Voronezh, Kastornoe, Belgorod and Kharkov. Then, the confidence and optimism resulting from Red Army victories once more led to poor decision-making. In an unrealistic attempt to exploit those victories against the underestimated remaining German forces, the Red Army lost Kharkov once more. The Wehrmacht pushed back depleted and overextended Soviet forces to the northeast, preparing the ground for the decisive Battle of Kursk in the next summer.

This first volume of Moskalenko's memoirs ends on the eve of the Battle of Kursk. The second volume, The Southwestern Theater 1943-45, is now available.