Jeff Rutherford: The German Army on the Eastern Front: An Inner View of the Ostheer's Experiences of War

For further discussion of the former, see Rutherford, Combat and Genocide on the Eastern Front , pp. 307-315; for an examination of the latter, see Christopher Rass, ‘ Menschenmaterial’: Deutsche Soldaten an der Ostfront , pp. 381-82.

IX. Armeekorps/Ia, Betr.: Zerstörung im Falle ‘Büffel,’, 20.2.1943, NARA T-315, Roll 388.

126. Infanterie-Division/Ia, KTB, 21.3.43, BA-MA RH 26-126/153.

8. Panzer-Division, Kommandeurbesprechung am 5.6.43, NARA T-315, Roll 499.

For more on German efforts to destroy the partisan movement, see chapter 5.

For more on large-operations, see Ben Shepherd, War in the Wild East: The German Army and Soviet Partisans , pp. 121-24 and Christian Gerlach, Kalulierte Morde, Die Deutsche Wirtschafts und Vernichtungspolitik in Weißrußland 1941 bis 1944 . pp. 884-958.

Auffrischungsstab 3/Ia, Tagesmeldung 6.6.1943, NARA T-315, Roll 390.

The term ‘gangs’ (German: Banden) refers to partisans in the National Socialist and military terminology of that time and was officialy used from 1942 on, as for example in the Führerweisung No 46. See Walter Hubatsch, Hitler’s Weisungen für die Kriegsführung. Dokumente des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht . See also chapter 5 for some discussion of this issue.

In his study Hitler’s Army: Soldiers, Nazis and War in the Third Reich , Omer Bartov states that the 18th Panzer Division’s participation in the operation led it to suffer “only a few casualties”; p. 92.

For recent examinations of the Kursk battle, see Karl-Heinz Frieser, ‘Die Schlacht im Kursker Bogen,’ in Die Ostfront 1943/44 , Roman Töppel, Kursk 1943: Die größte Schlacht des Zweiten Weltkriegs , Dennis Showalter, Armor and Blood: The Battle of Kursk, the Turning Point of World War Two .

7. Infanterie-Division/Ia, Zustandsmeldung vom 1.8.1943, NARA T-315, Roll 392.

Hiwi is the short form of Hilfswillige , or volunteer, used to describe Soviet citizens who worked within the ranks of the German army.

306. Infanterie-Division/Kdr, An Gruppe Schwerin mit der Bitte um Weitergabe an Gen.Kdo. LVII. Pz.Korps und 1. Panzer-Armee, 4.12.43, BA-MA RH 21-1/120a.

German infantry units up to the level of regiments were renamed as “Grenadier” units in October 1942. The term is French, but it had a long tradition in the German army going back to Frederick the Great.

Schreiben von [Oldwig von] Natzmer, Oberst i.G [Ia PzGrenDiv GD] an [Oberst Hellmuth] Laegeler, 1.12.1943, BA-MA RH 21-1/120.

Alarm units ( Alarmeinheiten ) were units organized in rear units to be used in case of emergency, normally for defensive deployment to free real combat forces for counter-attacks. Usually, these were of platoon or company strength. Because most of the men in the rear units had limited tactical and weapon training, there was a need for additional training. From 1943 on, most rear units had to form such alarm units, in particular to act against airborne operations or partisans.

Auszüge aus den vom Oberkommando der Heeresgruppe Süd an O.K.H. eingereichten Berichten über die Hebung der Kampfkraft der Infanterie, 1943, BA-MA RH 11-I/44.

Cited in Marco Sigg, Der Unterführer als Feldherr im Taschenformat: Theorie und Praxis der Auftragstaktik im deutschen Heer 1869 bis 1945 , p. 116.

7./I.R. 211, Schilderung der Kämpfe um Kiew in den Tagen vom 6.-9.8.41, 28.9.41, BA-MA RH 24-29/29.

Fernschreiben Chef des Generalstabes an die Herren Chefs der Generalstäbe der Heeresgruppen und Armeen, 6.1.42, BA-MA RH 20-16/80.

OKH/GenStdH/Ausb.Abt. (II), Betr.: Kampferfahrungen, 10.6.42, BA-MA RH 2/2853.

Armeeoberkommando 4/Ia, Nr. 166/42 geh. (Abschrift), 23.1.42, BA-MA RH 2/2854.

Stellvertretendes General-Kommando VII. Armeekorps/Ia/Id, Betr.: Ausbildungsanregungen nach Fronterfahrungen, 27.7.42, BA-MA RH 53-7/v 234b.

Auszüge aus den vom Oberkommando der Heeresgruppe Süd an O.K.H. eingereichten Berichten über die Hebung der Kampfkraft der Infanterie, 1943, BA-MA RH 11-I/44.

Panzer-Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland/Ia, Gliederung, Führung und Ausbildung unterster Einheiten der Panzergrenadiere, 24.5.1943, BA-MA RH 26-1005/41.

58. Infanterie-Division/Ia, Divisionsbefehl für die Führerausbildung Winter 1941/42, 14.11.41, BA-MA RH 26-8/37.

Anlage zum Divisionsbefehl für die Führerausbildung der 58. Infanterie-Division im Winter 1941/1942, BA-MA RH 26-58/37.

Combat motivation will be discussed in chapter 7.

58. Infanterie-Division, Anleitung als Ausbilder etc., Winter 41/42 , BA-MA RH 26-58/37.

Generalstab des Heeres/General der Infanterie, Richtlinien für die Ausbildung der Unteroffiziere bei der Feld-Unteroffiziers-Schule, 24.3.42, BA-MA RH 53-7/v.234b.

GenStdH/GendInf, Richtlinien für die Ausbildung der Unteroffiziere bei der Feld-Unteroffiziers-Schule, 24.3.42., BA-MA RH 53-7/v.234b.

Numbers according to OKW/AWA/WVW(V), Gesamtausfälle der Wehrmacht, Stand 31.12.1944, in: BA-MA, H. 6/737. The research of Rüdiger Overmans indicates even higher numbers as the German reporting system on losses had some defects.

Omer Bartov, The Eastern Front 1941-45: German Troops and the Barbarization of Warfare , pp. 12-18.

8. Panzer-Division/Divisions-Nachrichten-Führer, Betr.: Nachrichten-Lage der 8. Panzer-Division, 27.11.43, NARA T-315, Roll 504.

Radio net traffic in which several stations communicated one at a time with the net control station, while the other stations listened in.

The German army used portable radio sets, typically carried on the back of soldiers like backpacks, from which the German name Tornisterfunkgerät came. They could transmit messages up to 25 kilometres and weighed more than 20 kilograms.

Armee-Oberkommando 6, Fahrten des Oberbefehlshabers vor Stalingrad am 15.10.42, BA-MA RH 20-6/225.

Armee-Oberkommando 6, Frontfahrt des Oberbefehlshabers am 29.10.1942, BA-MA RH 20-6-227.

Armee-Oberkommando 6, Frontfahrt des Oberbefehlshabers am 1.11.42, BA-MA RH 20-6-227.

Merkpunkte (anlässlich des Besuchs des Div.Kdr. in Welish) am 5.10.42, BA-MA RH 26-205/32.

The following is from Herr’s personal file, BA-MA Pers 6/191. While much of his service information can be found in the literature or on the internet, the date generally given for his wounding (25th September 1942) is wrong (31st October 1942), stemming from the passing over of divisional command to his successor on that date. His personal file contains a medical report, briefly describing the action.