The Road to Berlin (157 page)

Shtemenko, S.M.,
General’nyi shtab v gody voiny
, vol. 2, pp. 118–28, initial instruction to 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts to plan attack May 44, command changes (Malinovskii to 2nd Ukrainian Front), aim to destroy German Army Group South Ukraine, regrouping complete early July, Tolbukhin argues for ‘Kitskan’ bridgehead,
Stavka
meeting July 3 Timoshenko present, Stalin’s emphasis on both military and political aspects, final
Stavka
directive signed at 2300 hours Aug. 2.

Zakharov, Marshal SU M.V. (ed.),
Osvozhdenie Yugo–vostochnoi i Tsentral’noi Evropy voiskami 2-vo i 3-vo Ukrainskikh frontov
(Moscow: Nauka 1970). See ch. 2, ‘Zamysli i plany’, pp. 47–97, on German plans and intentions, Soviet planning for Jassy–Kishinev operation:, very detailed study of planning/preparation, emphasizing Soviet deception measures and the risk in the Soviet plan—if the Germans discerned the Soviet plan, the flanks of the assault armies would be exposed and particularly the assault force of 3rd Ukrainian Front in the ‘Kitskan bridgehead’ (see p. 93), German assessment Aug. 15 that only a
limited
Soviet operation likely and feasible. (Compiled by ‘collective authorship’. This is an important study drawing both on Soviet military records and the recollections of commanders, as well as utilizing some captured German documentation.)

Zavizion, G.T. and Kornyushin, P.A.,
I na Tikhom Okeane …
(16th Guards Tank Army), pp. 60–66, intensive training for 6th Tank, army commander Kravchenko and A.V. Kurkin (chief of armoured forces, 2nd Ukrainian Front) supervise exercises, training concluded end July, 6th Tank Army equipped with 398 medium tanks and 153
SP
guns, movement to concentration area Aug. 16, army assignment for rapid exploitation of breakthrough.

Jassy–Kishinev operation, drive into Rumania pp.
369
–
380

Allen, W.E.D. and Muratoff, Paul,
The Russian Campaigns of 1944–1943
, ch. VI,. ‘Catastrophe in Rumania’, pp. 163–76. (Emphasizing the importance of Tolbukhin’s attack from the ‘Kitskan bridgehead’, even though it involved crossing a wide river and deploying first in apparently unfavourable ground.)

Ionescu, Ghita,
Communism in Rumania
, pt 1, pp. 83–93, on the coup Aug. 23, armistice, first Sanatescu government, collaboration and resistance.

Philippi, Alfred and Heim, Ferdinand,
Der Feldzug gegen Sowjetrussland
, pt 2, pp. 257–60, Soviet offensive operations, Rumania/Hungary: position of H.Gr. Südukraine, the Army Group in the wake of the Rumanian defection.

Seaton, Albert,
The Russo–German War
, ch. 28, Rumania: emphasizes elements of Soviet–Rumanian conspiracy before the attack (deliberate transfer of Rumanian commanders who ‘might put old loyalties before new ones’—p. 474—Alea, confidant of the King, in touch with Malinovskii after Aug. 21: see also Hillgruber,
Hitler, König Carol und Marschall Antonescu)
, also Soviet accounts over-emphasize success of
maskirovka
(deception); yet Friessner did consider Tolbukhin’s attack merely to ‘pin Axis forces on the lower Dniester’, pp. 467–8. (See also Friessner, H.,
Verratene Schlachten
, Hamburg, 1956, translated into Russian as
Proigrannye srazheniya
, Voenizdat, 1966; Kissel, H.,
Die Katastrophe in Rumänien 1944
, Darmstadt, Wehr u. Wiss. Verlag, 1964; A. Rehm,
Jassy
, Neckargemünd, Vowinckel, 1959.)

GMD

OKH/Kriegsgesch. Abt
. Maps, Hgr. Südukraine: ‘Schlacht um Rumänien u. den Beskiden v. 20.8–29.9.44’. T-78/R136, 6065352–392.

FHO
(I), Teil A: Zusammenstellung … , Assessment Nr 2494/44: 30.7.44 Kurze Beurteilung … Hgr. Südukraine, Soviet build-up 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts. Nr 2683/44 15.8.44 Gesamtfeindlage under para. 5, air recon. shows enemy build-up south of Tiraspol and north of Jassy. Nr 2713/44/17.8.44 Beurteilung: Hgr. Südukraine, anticipation of Soviet attack in
sector Jassy. Targul Frumos
. Nr 2896/44 31.8.44. Beurteilung/Hgr. Südukraine, possible Soviet moves hard to predict—could either aim for Bulgaria, or to drive west, to the ‘Iron gates’, on to Transylvania. T-78/R466, 6446183–191.

Soviet materials

Sovinformbyuro
. ‘Itogi Yassko–Kishinevskoi operatsii’, vol. 3, 1945, pp. 157–8: list of German losses (106,600 German prisoners, including 2 corps commanders, 11 divisional commanders).

Eronin, Colonel N. and Shinkarev, Colonel I., ‘Razgrom nemetsko-fashistskikh voisk v Rumynii (mart-oktyabr. 1944 goda)’,
VIZ
, 1967 (9), pp. 51–63. (Review of Soviet operations against Rumania; considerable assembly of figures and statistics.)

Loktionov, I.I.,
Dunaiskaya flotiliya v Velik. Otech. Voine (1941–1943 gg.)
(Moscow: Voenizdat 1962), pp. 63–114, Danube Flotilla operations (Aug.-Sept.), planning of Jassy–Kishinev operation, assignments to Black Sea Fleet and Danube Flotilla, Flotilla co-operation/co-ordination with 46th Army Aug. 21–23, also on the Lower Danube. (Note: Rear-Admiral Gorshkov—presently C-in-C, Soviet Navy—commanded the Danube Flotilla.)

Malinovskii, R.Ya.,
Yassko–Kishinevskie Kanny
, ch. 3, pp. 106–67, Soviet offensive, 27th Army/52nd Army operations, 37th Army (3rd Ukrainian Front) operations,
Stavka
instruction Aug. 21 (p. 134), first stage completed Aug. 22, encirclement of 3rd Rumanian Army, 6th Guards Tank Army and 18th Tank Corps at Vaslui and Husi, Dragomir–Sanatescu (p. 148), 18 enemy divs. encircled Aug. 24; ch. 4, pp. 168–206, second stage of offensive, battle in rear of 52nd Army, commander of 18th Tank Corps killed, heavy fighting in rear of 2nd Ukrainian Front, necessary reserves badly deployed, General Staff largely responsible (p. 172), German attempt to break through to Prut, elimination of encircled German divisions, Sanatescu plea to commander 6th Tank Army (also to 46th Army) but rejected by 2nd Ukrainian Front command (p. 195), plans to enter Bucharest, Malinovskii wounded in flight over Husi (p. 201).

Matsulenko, V.A.,
Udar s dnestrovskovo platsdarma
, ch. 3, pp. 87–159, 37th Army operations, breakthrough and pursuit; also ch. 4, on ‘operational-tactical’ lessons.

Matsulenko, Colonel V.A. and Pchelkin, Colonel V.D., ‘Proryv oborony protivnika voiskami 35-vo Gvardeiskovo strelkovo korpusa 27-i Armii 2-vo Ukrainskovo fronta v Yassko–Kishinevskoi operatsii’. See
Proryv podgotovlennoi oborony strelkovymi soedineniyami
, Sbornik statei (Voenizdat 1957) (Frunze Academy), pp. 165–93 (text), pp. 350–58 (operational documents, 35th Corps). An important, highly technical study of 35th Corps, Trofimenko’s 27th Army, 2nd Ukrainian Front.

Matsulenko, V.A., ‘Nekotorye osobennosti voennovo iskusstva v Yassko–Kishinevskoi operatsii’,
VIZ
, 1969 (8), pp. 12–30. (Analysis of operational features.)

Minasyan, M.M.,
Osvobozbdenie …
, pp. 128–63, Jassy–Kishinev operation, Rumanian coup: operational narrative 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts (also material from
KTB/OKW
H.Gr. Südukraine, Soviet captured German documents—Mil.-Hist. Section/General Staff): German losses (from captured documents) recorded as 5 Corps HQs, 18 divisions (note to p. 161).

Sharokhin, Col.-Gen. M., ‘37-ya armiya v Yassko–Kishinevskoi operatsii’,
VIZ
, 1969 (8), pp. 100–8. (Commander, 37th Army, on operations.)

Tolubko, General V.F. and Baryshev, N.I.,
Na yuzbnom flange
(Moscow: Nauka 1973). (Combat history of 4th Guards Mech. Corps 1942–45.) See ch. 5, pp. 186–210, extremely detailed record of 4th Corps operations (3rd Ukrainian Front), Jassy-Kishinev operation, much emphasis on performance of sub-units.

Tolubko, V.F., ‘Artilleriya 3-vo Ukrainskovo Fronta v Yassko–Kishinevskoi operatsii’,
VIZ
, 1979 (8), pp. 37–42. (Artillery in Jassy–Kishinev operation.)

Zakharov, M.V. (ed.),
Osvobozbdenie.…
See ch. 3, Jassy–Kishinev encirclement, pp. 98–147; ch. 4, from Kishinev to Bucharest, pp. 148–94. (Detailed operational narrative, less breezy than the study bearing Malinovskii’s name: much cross-referencing with Minasyan, though here I have relied on the Zakharov chapters for precise dating/timing of
Stavka
instructions and revised directives.)

Zavizion, G.T. and Kornyushin, P.A.,
I na Tikhom Okeane
… , pp. 64–87, 6th Tank Army operations, committed into breakthrough zone of 27th Army—sole instance in entire war when a complete tank army passed through in the middle of the first day of the attack—Aug. 21 5th Mech. Corps in open country, capture of Vaslui, army moving 40–50 km per day, commander of 5th Tank Corps killed, Kravchenko orders drive for Focsani, 5th Mech. Corps turned south–west to drive on Bucharest Aug. 26, one corps to take Ploesti by Aug. 29, third corps to position north of Bucharest, at 0530 hrs Aug. 31 5th Mech Corps driving into Bucharest, 18th Tank Corps coming in from the east, 5th Tank Corps cleared Ploesti Aug. 29.

IVMV
, 9, pt 1, pp. 104–19, Jassy–Kishinev operations, liberation of Soviet Moldavia, eastern Rumania, Rumanian national armed rising, further Soviet operations.

IVOVSS
, 4, pt 2, pp. 267–82, Soviet offensive,
Stavka
directive Aug. 21 (p. 269), encirclement of Axis forces,
Stavka
to Timoshenko Aug. 24 to continue operations along external front (p. 271), resistance ceases east of Pruti, ‘August anti-Fascist rising of the Rumanian people’ (pp. 275–80),
Stavka
directive Aug. 29 to 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts (p. 281), Rumanian forces moving over to Soviet side.

Rumanian materials

Ilie, Lt.-Col. P. and Stoean, Lt.-Col. Gh.,
România in rãzboiul antihitlerist
. Contributii bibliografice (Bucharest: Editura Militara 1971). See index under IV, Rumanian army operations (also III, index to material on the Aug. 23
coup)
.

Romanescu, Colonel G. and Loghin, Colonel L.,
Cronica participārii Armatei Române la rāzboiul antihitlerist
(Bucharest: Editura Militara 1971). Documented chronology of Rumanian Army operations, transition under Soviet command, with details (appendices) Rumanian armament, operational diary, command/field organization.

Rumanian armistice, Bulgarian defection pp.
369
–
380

Ionescu, Ghita,
Communism in Rumania
, pt I, pp. 87–99, armistice terms, ‘Rumania: 90 per cent’, first Sanatescu government.

Irving, David,
Hitler’s War
, pt 5, pp. 731–2, Hitler’s expectation of collision between Russia and Allies, British permitting withdrawal of
Wehrmacht
to S Hungary, Soviet troop movements presage thrust on Dardanelles (Eastern Thrace), British ‘standing by’ to protect vital interests.

MacLean, Fitzroy,
Disputed Barricade
, pp. 279–89. On Tito’s visit to Moscow, preparation for liberation of Belgrade.

Oren, Nissan,
Revolution Administered: Agrarianism and Communism in Bulgaria
(Baltimore/London: Johns Hopkins Press 1973). See esp. ch. 3 on the war years, pp. 62–78, and ch. 4 on the Soviet entry/Bulgarian Communists, pp. 79–86. (Extensive use of a wide range of Bulgarian sources: see also Nissan Oren,
Bulgarian Communism: The Road to Power, 1934–1944
, New York, 1971.)

Sweet-Escott, Bickham,
Baker Street Irregular
(London: Methuen 1965), ch. VII, ‘Mediterranean Maelstrom’, pp. 214–20, details of Rumanian and Bulgarian armistice negotiations, SOE interests.

Warlimont, Walter,
Inside Hitler’s Headquarters
, pt VI, pp. 470–71, collapse of fronts and alliances, Bulgarian defection, Hitler’s reaction, delay in orders for general withdrawal.