Was the Soviet Union preparing to attack Germany?

[ljadw]

They recreated the tank divisions, who had been abolished a short time before .But they made the big fault to give the tank divisions too much tanks in the erroneous belief that tank divisions with 300 tanks were stronger than tank divisions with 200 tanks ." They" being the military, later, after the death of Stalin, they blamed him of course .

[Omeganian]

That time is also when they actually started working on the offensive plans (not so much because of France as because of the Baltic states - now there was actually a point to do so).

[Appleknocker27]

"Strange that you would talk about "conventional wisdom" while doing nothing but repeating meaningless mottoes without showing the slightest hint of actual understanding."

Apparently you disagree... I've read your posts and your little outburst actually is a solid description of you. Clearly you subscribe to Suvorov and his school of thought. Asking what DP-41 was after stating "repeating meaningless mottoes without showing the slightest hint of actual understanding" is priceless.

[Omeganian]

"Strange that you would talk about "conventional wisdom" while doing nothing but repeating meaningless mottoes without showing the slightest hint of actual understanding."

Apparently you disagree... I've read your posts and your little outburst actually is a solid description of you. Clearly you subscribe to Suvorov and his school of thought. Asking what DP-41 was after stating "repeating meaningless mottoes without showing the slightest hint of actual understanding" is priceless.

You still haven't explained what it is, and how it is relevant.

[Appleknocker27]

MP41 was the Soviet mobilization plan, DP41 was the State Defense Plan which dictated the deployment locations, schedule and future conduct of operation for 1941.
Why do you need this explained to you?

[Omeganian]

MP41 was the Soviet mobilization plan, DP41 was the State Defense Plan which dictated the deployment locations, schedule and future conduct of operation for 1941.
Why do you need this explained to you?

The MP is a document which only shows you don't need what's in the plans in order to win. As for what you call DP41, I am not sure what you refer to. Mind elaborating?

[Appleknocker27]

Do have access to any of Glantz' books that cover Barbarossa or perhaps Stumbling Colossus?

[Omeganian]

Do have access to any of Glantz' books that cover Barbarossa or perhaps Stumbling Colossus?

You mean that book where Glantz criticized Suvorov without bothering to read his books first... or his own, for that matter?

[Appleknocker27]

No, the one where he demonstrates the Soviet mobilization plan, deployment plan, Red Army dispositions, equipment readiness (OR rate and percent of MTOE fill) and personnel readiness (training level, deficiencies in MTOE fill) from Red Army archives, reports and eye witness accounts.

Did you read that one?

[Omeganian]

No, the one where he demonstrates the Soviet mobilization plan, deployment plan, Red Army dispositions, equipment readiness (OR rate and percent of MTOE fill) and personnel readiness (training level, deficiencies in MTOE fill) from Red Army archives, reports and eye witness accounts.

Did you read that one?

Did you read the footnotes in the Russian edition?

[Appleknocker27]

For the benefit of the discussion:
https://books.google.com.kw/books?id=SD ... 41&f=false

[Omeganian]

For the benefit of the discussion:
https://books.google.com.kw/books?id=SD ... 41&f=false

Hmmm... interesting. Glantz states that there was a "cardinal assumption that the Red Army would begin military operations in response to an aggressive attack". The source he gives says... that it's what the leaders' public statements said. With this kind of talent for quoting, you can prove anything.

[Appleknocker27]

I see since August when I left this discussion for its poor quality it hasn't improved. So once again...Ciao

[antfreire]

Of course it is a silly discussion. To deny that Stalin was not preparing for an invasion of Western Europe is foolish. If we put ourselves in 1942 and enter the dictator's mind we would see that while he did not want the war with Germany yet, he was preparing for an eventual intervention in one or two years when, according to his plans, both Germany and the rest of Europe would be like In 1918 ruined and ready to be conquered. Unfortunately for Stalin, things did not happen in 1940 as he had planned them.

[Appleknocker27]

The Soviets were preparing for war there is no doubt, an invasion is also likely. What isn't clear is when, but the evidence clearly shows that the Soviet military in the west in 1941 was not ready or even capable of a strategic attack. They're deficiencies were so great that 1942 would have taken major efforts and a good amount of luck to be prepared.