Official statistics

[Ружичасти Слон]

I hope someone can help my understanding of some official Soviet statistics.

I have been going through the following document: БОЕВОЙ И ЧИСЛЕННЫЙ СОСТАВ ВООРУЖЕННЫХ СИЛ СССР В ПЕРИОД ВЕЛИКОЙ ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОЙ ВОЙНЫ (1941-1945 гг.) Статистический сборник № 1 (22 июня 1941 г.)

A pdf copy can be found on the internet and a transcription into html here: http://www.teatrskazka.com/Raznoe/BiChS ... tavVS.html

My first question is to ask whether this document represents a summary of unit and formation returns or numbers authorized by the high command. In otherwords, are the figures a representation of actual numbers present or numbers planned?

Then l have some problems with the data itself. There seems to be some significant errors and data laid out in a format as if the compilers did not understand the material they were working with.

For starters, the total number of ground troops shown in TABLE 18 seems to have double-counted the troops in STAVKA Reserve. Compare the data with TABLE 16 and TABLE 2.

Then there seems to be a severe lack of understanding of the whereabouts of the campers (бус). I hope you follow this to try and show my concern.

TABLE 14 shows УрВO (Ural MD) consisting of 54.379 regular troops and 47.184 campers. From that total, 83.162 are reassigned to STAVKA Reserve. Clearly the troops assigned to STAVKA Reserve consist of both regular troops and recently called up campers. Only 18.401 remain under MD command.

УрВО formed 22nd Army and TABLE 6 shows its strength correspondingly as 83.162. So far so good.

However, TABLE 2 shows STAVKA Reserve not consisting of any campers. Not from УрВО nor any other MD. The campers are all still assigned to the originating MD included under the other two columns.

Is this an example of more double counting of the data?

The campers cannot be counted in both the STAVKA Reserve total AND under their mobilizing MD.

The same problem runs through the data for each MD providing troops to STAVKA Reserve.

Does anybody have a clear understanding of this data and can clarify it to me and confirm/deny whether the date represents actual or planned numbers.

Thank you.

[Art]

All numbers stand for actual availability and are based on personnel returns as of 1 June 1941. Since there wasn't anything about "General Command Reserve" in those returns, all numbers relating to "Reserve" were estimated by the authors. For a lack of information division between regular personnel and reservists is arbitrary here, it is the sum that matters.

[Ружичасти Слон]

Thank you Art.

Just to clarify, your interpretation is that there is no double counting in TABLE 1, but that the data is presented in a misleading way.

In other words, in the row по списку, the numbers 618.745 and 1.578.079 should be combined as a single figure spanning two columns and the 495.024 in the row БУС should also span two columns with the separation of the Резерв ГК and Недейств. войска data only coming in the totals row below.

That makes sense and is one of the possibilities l had originally come up with.

Thank you.