BDV wrote:MarkN wrote: The 12.Armee was not "repurposed for Maritsa". Operation Marita was given the formal go-ahead before Barbarossa.
And the plan for the Twelfth Army to strike from Moldova was put out by the Army in February, long after the formal go-ahead for Marit(s)a.
Indeed.
Weisung Nr.20 (Unternehmen Marita viz Greece) was written on 13 December 1940. It stated no specific date for commencement of the operation and only offered this.
nach Eintreten günstiger Witterung - voraussichtlich im März - diese Kräftegruppe über Bulgarien hinweg zur Besitz nähme der Ägäischen Nordküste und - sollte dies erforderlich sein - des ganzen griechischen Festlandes anzusetzen (Unternehmen Marita).
Weisung Nr.21 (Unternehmen Barbarossa viz Russia) was written on 18 December 1940. It gave 15 May 1941 as kick off.
No doubt there had been much political and military discussion and planning before the two Weisung were issued. However, what cannot be denied is the fact that Marita (Greece) was officially on the books before Barbarossa (Russia). The point of this is simple, the forces planned to be used in the attack on Greece must have either been discounted from the Barbarossa planning or it was assumed Marita would be over in a couple of days with no great losses.
12th Army was the command HQ for Marita and the entry into southern Yugoslavia when that came onto the table.
Are you, BDV, suggesting that in February 1941, the OKW/OKH planned to...
a) be finished with Greece in a very short space of time - thus allowing for 12th Army to reposition for the attack on Ukraine, or
b) have 12th Army commanding both actions simultaneously, or
c) have some other formation commanding Marita and 12th Army was chosen after February 1941?
Moreover, when you use the words
12th Army, are you writing of just the Stab 12. Armee or are you writing of all the various corps and divisions it commands? I mean, moving Stab 12. Armee from one place to another would not be too taxing and would make little change to the outcome of Barbarossa. However, if by 12th Army you mean its entire combat potential, that's a different matter.
BDV wrote: Significant details were changed in BOTH plans, in my reading of Directives 20 and 21 and comparison with the historical attacks.
And what were those "
significant details".
BDV wrote: Also while armored units of the 2nd Army were back in line in time, units of the 12th Army weren't.
And why was that?