Reason for delay of Eleventh Army's attack in 1941 (Operation Munich)?

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historygeek2021
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Reason for delay of Eleventh Army's attack in 1941 (Operation Munich)?

#1

Post by historygeek2021 » 09 May 2022, 01:10

Operation Barbarossa began on June 22, 1941. The German armies in Poland and East Prussia all launched their attacks on this date. But the 11th Army in Romania did not launch its attack (Operation Munich) until July 2. Does anyone know the reason for 11th Army's delay?

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TheMarcksPlan
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Re: Reason for delay of Eleventh Army's attack in 1941 (Operation Munich)?

#2

Post by TheMarcksPlan » 13 May 2022, 21:28

I've always assumed this was due to Romanian unpreparedness. Hitler told Antonescu of his plans on June 12, the latter didn't brief his army until June 20. From GSWW v.4:
In his new capacity of ‘commander-in-chief of the army front Romania’,
Antonescu on 20 June 1941 at last issued the order which briefed the
Romanian general staff beyond the defensive task on the concept of ‘follow-up’ and
Operation Munich, i.e. on the attack across the Pruth.'
In almost identical appeals to the unprepared Romanian nation and
the troops, on 22 June 1941 Antonescu proclaimed the ‘holy war’ for the
reconquest of the rights inherited from their fathers, and also against the
greatest ‘enemy of the world, Bolshevism’ . Two days later came the official
declaration of war against the Soviet Union.94 Combat operations were at first
confined to raiding-patrol forays, artillery duels, and air raids. On 25 June 1941
the Eleventh Army issued the ‘ Order for the execution of Operation Munich’ .95
12 days to prepare an offensive is a vanishingly small window. 11th Army and its 6 (IIRC) divisions probably wasn't going to cross the Pruth without the Romanians on its flanks.

That's seems the clearest inference anyway, open to other interpretations or conflicting direct evidence.
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Huszar666
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Re: Reason for delay of Eleventh Army's attack in 1941 (Operation Munich)?

#3

Post by Huszar666 » 22 May 2022, 19:04

Morning,

Part of it was the lagging concentration of forces on 22nd June. Much of 11th Army wasn't on the line even on the 30th.
Moldova had an abyssmal road and rail network, pushing up the 11th Army AND parts of the Rumanian army simply took that much time.

historygeek2021
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Re: Reason for delay of Eleventh Army's attack in 1941 (Operation Munich)?

#4

Post by historygeek2021 » 22 May 2022, 21:46

Huszar666 wrote:
22 May 2022, 19:04
Morning,

Part of it was the lagging concentration of forces on 22nd June. Much of 11th Army wasn't on the line even on the 30th.
Moldova had an abyssmal road and rail network, pushing up the 11th Army AND parts of the Rumanian army simply took that much time.
Thanks. Can you please provide your source regarding the time it took for 11th Army to get into position?

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