Vanity: YouTube video "Rzhev: General Zhukov's Unknown Battle"

YouTube ^ | January 11, 2012 | Staff

[C19fan]

The Red Army came to Rzhev and Vyazma after their success in Moscow. They stopped here in January 1942 and couldn't move for 13 months, despite enormous efforts and sacrifices. That's why Rzhev battle was conviently forgotten after the war. In textbooks the battle for Moscow is followed by Stalingrad. But there was a year between them, a year of battle near Rzhev. Much of what we will describe is officially still considered secret. The documents are classified. But the truth can't be hidden. And today we can reconstruct events with docum documentary precision. рпрпа

[C19fan]

For WW II buffs I found this really interesting documentary about the battles at the Rzhev salient. This is what has been called one of the Forgotten Battles of the Eastern Front. The Russians suffered an estimated 1.2 MM casualties trying to drive the Germans out of the salient that was a dagger at Moscow. Zhukov in Operation Mars threw more men at the Germans than at the much more famous Operation Uranus. From what I understand this revisionist documentary caused quite a stir in Russia. Mind boggling Russia suffered more KIA in single battles than the US lost in the entire war.

[C19fan]

The Russian who fought in Rzhev called it the Rzhev Meat Grinder.

[C19fan]

My one quibble with the documentary is it claimed the Germans evacuated the salient because it was worried about getting cut off. Actually the Germans evacuated to shorten the line and free up troops for Kursk.

[niteowl77]

I guess there haven't been a lot of books I have read that had much to say about Rzhev. For so many years, there weren't a lot of books in English that went very far beyond Stalingrad, Kursk and the other well-known battles in the East. Only in the last ten years or so I have found many books that go into greater detail on such atrocious slaughter pens as - for example - the Courland pocket.

Mr. niteowl77

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

later

[gaijin]

Later

[AndyJackson]

bkmk

[The FIGHTIN Illini]

Bfl

[bravo whiskey]

I will have to check this out as i am teaching a class on THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR in the spring.

[bravo whiskey]

Just ordered a book through public library on this battle

[Western Phil]

Zhukov’a memoirs would be a good source, although they may be geared down because Stalin viewed Zhukov as a rival and took major credit for winning the Great Patriotic War.