Having recently completed work on our summer release boardgame Stand and Die, Siberians are much on my mind of late, especially the 32nd Rifle Division. This was one of the first Siberian divisions to come west, and it arrived just in time to single- handedly (or very nearly so) stop the 40th Panzer Corps at Borodino on the Moscow-Smolensk highway in mid-October. That was a fascinating battle, which is why I've run parts of it as Command Decision games countless times and finally done a boardgame on it. One reinforced rifle division takes on SS Das Reich and the 10th Panzer Division, both at full strength and with a full head of steam, and stops them dead in their tracks for a week. Das Reich starts with three regiments of motorized infantry, each with three battalions, which makes it the biggest motorized division in the German force structure. Half way through the battle they disband one of the regiments to bring the other two up to strength. All told the Germans lose 10,000 men and over 100 tanks. What the hell is going on here? Part of the answer lies in the many reinforcing units added to the 32nd Division, but a large part of it has to do with the division itself., which brings us to the subject of this article, the Siberian rifle division in 194 1. This is a subject that could consume page after page of analysis, but let me try to hit the high points without boring you too much. The divisions in the Far East enjoyed a number of unique advantages over their western comrades. For one thing, the Great Purge left the Far Eastern armies relatively untouched, which gutting those stationed in the west. Consequently, the Far Eastern armies were able to pull off Khalkin Gol, the first true mechanized "blitzkrieg" campaign (coming before even the Polish campaign), while a short time later the western armies made a total hash out of the Russo-FinishWar. From this example alone it is obvious that the competence level remained higher in the east. Second, the eastern divisions retained the early 1941 TO&E long after the western divisions had been forced to accept a lower level of manpower and equipment. Most of the western divisions had never reached their authorized strength levels in any event, and then had been raided to create high command reserve formations. Divisional recon battalions were stripped off and given to the newly formed mechanized corps; howitzer regiments were stripped off to form corps artillery brigades; antitank and antiaircraft battalions were folded into reserve units at army and front level. Once the war started, the western divisions were quickly reduced even further in strength, and many new recruits went to form new units rather than bringing exiting units up to strength. The revised October TO&E reflected the dramatic reduction in Soviet strength at the rifle division level. By contrast, the pre-war eastern divisions retained their original TO&E and, without the eroding effects of combat casualties, gradually recruited up to strength. When committed in October, the 32nd Division was at full TO&E strength, and the Germans were astonished to confront a Soviet division with more men, and more firepower, than their own formations. 1941 Order of Battle This order of battle lists the half-month during which the division in question entered combat in the west. Only the strong pre- war Siberian divisions are listed; those divisions raised after the war started and immediately shipped west are not included. Early September: 21st Late September: 26th Early October: 32nd, 93rd Late October: 65th Early November: 78th, 92nd SIBERIAN RIFLE DIVISION, 1941 DIVISION HEADQUARTERS 1 command stand 1 zampolit stand 2 cars 1 staff radio wagon 1 motorcycle infantry stand 3 RIFLE REGIMENTS, each with Headquarters 1 command stand 1 zampolit stand 1 staff radio wagon 1 engineer stand SUPPLY COMPANY 4 ammunition wagons 2 support stands MORTAR BATTERY 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 120mm mortar 1 limber ANTITANK COMPANY 2 gun crew stands 2 45L46 antitank guns 2 limbers REGIMENTAL GUN COMPANY 1 gun crew stand (ds) 176L19 regimental gun 1 limber ANTIAIRCRAFT' MACHINE GUN COMPANY 2 AAMG stands (ds) THREE INFANTRY BATTALIONS, each with HEADQUARTERS 1 command stand 1 patrol stand 1 infantry stand THREE RIFLE COMPANIES 1 command stand 3 infantry stands 1 weapons stand MACHINE GUN COMPANY 3 MMG stands MORTAR COMPANY 1 82mm mortar stand (ds) HOWITZER REGIMENT HEADQUARTERS COMPANY 1 command stand 1 car 1 staff radio truck 3 medium ammo trucks with trailers TWO MEDIUM BATTALIONS, each with HEADQUARTERS 1 command stand 1 FO stand 2 cars 1 medium truck with trailer THREE BATTERIES, each with 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 122mm howitzer 1 medium truck ONE HEAVY BATTALION HEADQUARTERS 1 command stand 1 FO stand 2 cars 1 medium truck with trailer THREE BATTERIES, each with 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 152mm howitzer 1 tractor LIGHT ARTILLERY REGIMENT HEADQUARTERS COMPANY 1 command stand 1 car 1 staff radio truck 3 medium ammo trucks with trailers TWO BATTALIONS, each with: HEADQUARTERS 1 command stand 1 FO stand 2 cars 1 medium truck with trailer TWO GUN BATTERIES, each with 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 76.2mm field gun 1 medium truck HOWITZER BATTERY 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 122mm howitzer 1 medium truck AAA BATTALION HEADQUARTERS BATTERY: 1 command stand and 1 car TWO LIGHT BATTERIES 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 37mm AA gun 1 medium truck ONE HEAVY BATTERY 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 76.2mm AA gun 1 medium truck RECON BATTALION HEADQUARTERS COMPANY 1 command stand and 1 car MOTORCYCLE COMPANY 1 motorcycle command stand and 4 motorcycle infantry stands ARMORED CAR COMPANY 1 command BA-20 and 1 recon BA-20 and 1 recon BA- 32 TANK COMPANY 1 command T-38 tank anf 2 T-38 tanks CAVALRY SQUADRON 1 cavalry command stand and 2 cavalry stands ENGINEER BATTALION HEADQUARTERS 1 command stand and 1 wagon with 2 tons of engineer stores THREE ENGINEER COMPANIES 1 command stand and 3 engineer stands FLAMETHROWER COMPANY 1 command stand and 3 flamethrower stands 65TH ANTI-TANK BATTALION HEADQUARTERS 1 command stand and 1 car THREE BATTERIES 1 gun crew stand and 1 45mm antitank gun and 1 light truck or tractor Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Newsletter #6 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by Greg Novak. 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