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Soviet Mechanised Corps (IV)
Soviet Mechanised Corps (IV)

By 1944 the Soviet Mechanised Corps had matured and developed into powerful, flexible formations that could sit at the heart of Tank Armies or be used as independent assault groups.

Soviet Mechanised Corps (III)
Soviet Mechanised Corps (III)

From February 1943, the Mechanised Corps adopted their final organisation 010/418 which would see them through to the end of war albeit with numerous small changes. The key to this organisation was the pooling of transport at Brigade level which allowed the Corps to move quickly but efficiently.

The reality of modernity - Motor vehicles in the Red Army
The reality of modernity - Motor vehicles in the Red Army

For a poor country such as the USSR the struggle in the 1930s to motorise its military represented a major national effort - this is the story of how they fared.

Soviet Mechanised Corps (II)
Soviet Mechanised Corps (II)

The first six Mechanised Corps were raised in September 1942 with establishment 010/290 which can be largely recreated from Albums held in TsAMO, only care must be taken in interpreting this dataset.

Soviet Mechanised Corps
Soviet Mechanised Corps

Mechanised Corps represented the most expensive divisional sized combat units in the Red Army yet we know relatively little about how they were organised and equipped. Although only a small number of these corps were raised, they were important indicators as to STAVKAs strategic intentions as Mechanised Corps were deployed in many of the key offensives. New information for Russia now allows a more comprehensive look at these interesting units.

German Infantry Divisions of the Great War
German Infantry Divisions of the Great War

Mobility was key to German plans at the opening of the Great War and yet I could find little about the establishment of Infanterie Divisionen in 1914, so this article aims to address the question of what transport was available to the hard marching men of the first summer of the war and comparing this to the forces of 1918.

The Influence of Railways on Military Operations in the Russo-German War 1941–1945
The Influence of Railways on Military Operations in the Russo-German War 1941–1945

Railways were at the heart of logistics during the Second World War for the continental European powers and a comparative study of Soviet and German railway systems is vital to understanding the course of events of the war and how these limited strategic options for the leaders.

Digital History - Hacking the ПАМЯТЬ НАРОДА website
Digital History - Hacking the ПАМЯТЬ НАРОДА website

While Pamyat Naroda offers some unique opportunities, working with the actual website can be frustrating however there are ways round this using third party software. The second consideration is what is being revealed to us? TsAMO are following a definite policy of releases that have specific objectives, can we see what these are?

Digital History - Research Guide to ПАМЯТЬ НАРОДА "Memory of the People" website
Digital History - Research Guide to ПАМЯТЬ НАРОДА "Memory of the People" website

The website Pamyat Naroda, "Memory of the People" marked a sea change in the research of the Soviet Union's military effort during the Soviet-German War. The sheer scale of the project alone, the level of detail and the breadth of coverage made it a significant new source with which to counter the previously, largely German written, orthodoxy. Also it began to make the common Soviet soldiers real and human as never before which only heightened the tradegy and loss of the war.

Assessing the Soviet Economy as a war economy?
Assessing the Soviet Economy as a war economy?

This blog aims to collect interesting facts and opinions around the question of Military Efficiency and the factors that influence and contribute to it, whether economic, social, military or generic.