Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

Discussions on WW2 in Eastern Europe.
Post Reply
ML59
Member
Posts: 414
Joined: 26 Dec 2007, 12:09
Location: GENOVA

Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

#1

Post by ML59 » 15 Oct 2014, 20:31

It's widely known and generally accepted that the total strength of Heer and W-SS units detached for Barbarossa was about 3.050.000. In addition, there were 250.000 men from AOK Norwegen in Finland and Northern Norway to support operation against Murmansk and Soviet Karelia.
Much more difficult, for me, is the determine the strength of all other branches of the Wehrmacht and the auxiliary forces employed in direct or indirect support of the Ost Heer: Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Polizei, RAD, NSKK, OT.
I guess that the Luftwaffe manpower in flying and support units, including Flak, detached for Barbarossa had to be very substantial, maybe one third or more of its total manpower that reached about 1.700.000 in June 1941.
For the auxiliary units, i just know that there were more than 400 RAD abteilung, each 400 men strong, in the East around June 1942 and about 46.000 men in the Polizei battalions securing rear areas. NSKK mobile columns were probably about 40.000 strong, including foreign drivers and porters, but this is only a rough guess.
Is any detailed information about the matter available?
Thanks for answering.

Michate
Member
Posts: 1433
Joined: 02 Feb 2004, 11:50
Location: Germany

Re: Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

#2

Post by Michate » 17 Oct 2014, 11:24

Basically not much, at least to my knowledge, and I have tried to collect data on such issues for a couple of years.

All I could find is a couple of isolated data points scattered over many primary and secondary sources.

Another data point out of the top of my head: 80,000 men in Org. Todt allocated to the Eastern theater in 1941.

Otherwise I can basically agree to your estimates.


ML59
Member
Posts: 414
Joined: 26 Dec 2007, 12:09
Location: GENOVA

Re: Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

#3

Post by ML59 » 17 Oct 2014, 23:03

Dear Michate, thanks for your info. Putting together all bits and pieces, we probably can say that for the war in the East Germany mobilized more than 4.000.000 men in combat and support/auxiliary units. I'm especially interested in RAD history, it was a very important organization often involved not only in supporting roles but also in real combat. I'll have a look on Amazon to seek for some good books on the matter.

ML59
Member
Posts: 414
Joined: 26 Dec 2007, 12:09
Location: GENOVA

Re: Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

#4

Post by ML59 » 18 Oct 2014, 12:30

Expanding a bit the topic, actually a bit off-topic, I just found the following figures related to June 1941:

Hungarian Karpat Group in Ukraine: 44.000 men (other sources say 40.000)
Hungarian Labour Service supporting Karpat Group: 23.000 men
Finnish mobilized Army: 450.000 men
Finnish support troops and auxiliaries (air defense, anti-raid protection, territorial units etc): 150.000
Slovak Expeditionary Corps: 50.000 (despatched piecemeal)

Including Romanians and Slovak units, it means that more than 5.000.000 men were mobilized for Barbarossa on June 1941.
Last edited by ML59 on 18 Oct 2014, 13:24, edited 2 times in total.

Art
Forum Staff
Posts: 7041
Joined: 04 Jun 2004, 20:49
Location: Moscow, Russia

Re: Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

#5

Post by Art » 18 Oct 2014, 12:45

That is a table with the Finnish mobilized army strength from the official history:
http://www.picshare.ru/uploads/141018/8CgBvUF89u.jpg
As of 26 July 1941 there were 475 035 men in the armed forces including 13 408 hospital patients. Of them 353 615 in the field ground forces, 39 450 - Navy, 16 457 - Air Forces, 37 039 - forces of interior, 15 366 - units under Supreme Command HQ. See also some earlier topic:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=76874

ML59
Member
Posts: 414
Joined: 26 Dec 2007, 12:09
Location: GENOVA

Re: Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

#6

Post by ML59 » 18 Oct 2014, 13:02

Thank you, Art, very interesting.

ML59
Member
Posts: 414
Joined: 26 Dec 2007, 12:09
Location: GENOVA

Re: Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

#7

Post by ML59 » 18 Oct 2014, 13:42

This is what I was able to find, so far:

Polizei strength in the East, late 1941, about 46.000 men
RAD strength in the East in June 1942, 426 companies of about 400 men each (they were directly drafted into Heer and Luftwaffe units on August 1942)
NSKK strength in the East unknown, just traced some information about NSKK Transport Brigade Speer whose 1st-2nd-3rd-8th-9th regiments supported Barbarossa (maybe 15.000 men??)

ML59
Member
Posts: 414
Joined: 26 Dec 2007, 12:09
Location: GENOVA

Re: Heer auxiliary forces strength for Barbarossa

#8

Post by ML59 » 31 Oct 2014, 11:24

To relive a bit the topic, I just update the list of my findings for June 1941:

Ostheer 3.050.000
W-SS 100.000
Polizei 46.000
RAD 160.000
OT 80.000
NSKK 20.000
AOK Norwegen 250.000 (including W-SS in area)
Luftwaffe 600.000 (my guess including Contruction troops-Flak-Signals troops-Ground crew-Flying crew)
SD 4.000
Abwehr 3.000

Grand total 4.313.000 German personnel, excluding Kriegsmarine.

Adding to it the 450.000 Finns, 67.000 Hungarians (inclding support troops), 50.000 Slovaks (support troops included), 330.000 Rumanians, the grand total of Axis forces mobilized for Barbarossa stands at an amazing 5.210.000.
One could question if to include or not the total number of Finns (they had no other theater of operation than the east front and all of their ground forces were committed there) but, even removing some numbers from the total we still have a number that was vastly superior to the soviet forces available in all the western district at the start of the campaign.
Please add your comments.

Post Reply

Return to “WW2 in Eastern Europe”