Soviet Replacement/Reserve Units

[Art]

Because the auto-translate feature I've used to read the document you linked (thanks again) isn't great, is it clear in your opinion that 2.54mil "assigned to work in national economy" means "assigned [from the armed forces]..." Or does does that number include people conscripted into national service in the economy but never put into the armed forces (untrusted minorities like Volga Germans, children of kulaks, etc.).

Well, early in the war a number of construction battalions were formed from drafted personnel (mostly of older ages or certain ethnic groups) and were employed either on military works (construction of fortifications) or by civil agencies. In September 1941 in order to rationalize expenses for army's subsistence they were reorganized as labor columns/construction columns and attached to respective civil agencies, which were now fully responsible for their supply. Additional formation of labor columns and assignment to civilian agencies continued after that. In January-February 1942 conscription of Soviet Germans subject to military service to labor columns was additionally ordered. As of 1 April 1942 there were 1487 labor columns with 1.326.330 men (including 105 "German" columns with 98,484 men). In April 1942 it was ordered to stop further formations and return from labor columns all officers as well as enlisted men suitable for military service for replenishment of the army. However, in October 1942 additional drafts of Romanian, Finns, Hungarian and Italian men of military age as well as German teenagers, old men and women to labor columns were ordered as a well as a draft of 350,000 natives of Central Asia. On a smaller scale transfers of conscripts to civil works continued in the following years, i.e. when there was a need in workforce in some specific place or for some specific project which couldn't be met they were drafted or transferred from military. At the same time workers reserved in national economy were gradually replaced with conscripted personnel of older ages or unfit for health reasons.
If these transfers of personnel occurred from military units and immediately after draft is IMO irrelevant from arithmetical point of view. They were drafted according to the law on military service and must be included in the aggregate mobilization stats.

Lopukhovsky's The Price of Victory reproduces Schadenko's Sept 1, 1942 report as Appendix C.

That was a crude estimate which missed many substantial elements. It seems that Shchadenko didn't have direct and complete information on either losses or the number of men mobilized and used indirect estimates instead.

[Art]

Do you know if "executed" means 'actually executed' or 'condemned to death'.

The numbers from OBD Memorial pertain to executed sentences, i.e. those deaths sentences which were not revoked or replaced with prison terms. Those sentenced to jail were listed separately. For example, a known military writer colonel G. Isserson was sentenced to death by the military tribunal of the Volga Military District on 21.1.42. Several months later after his appeal the death sentence was substituted with 10 years in camps. Therefore, in the list of personnel sentenced by the tribunal submitted on 12.5.42 and available online on the OBD Isserson is listed as sentenced to a 10 year term on 21.1.42 (not quite correct formally).
On the other hand the OBD doesn't include jail sentences which were deferred until the end of the war, among them personnel going to penal units. A pretty large number of sentences were those pronounced in absentia to defectors, they are not displayed on Memorial either.

Keep in mind that as of August 2021 the numbers of records in the OBD are actually larger than I posted some time ago. Properly speaking, the database results today are as follows:

killed (mostly in action) - 5,651,978
fallen (*) - 810,969
of wounds - 1,243,979
of disease - 243,427
missing - 2,929,753
death sentences - 72,909
"other reason"(**) - 29,098

* - the term was used pretty arbitrary by operators typing data. Sometimes it stood for deaths in battle, sometimes for non-battle casualties.
** - frequently an euphemism for suicides

Also, they results include overlapping or duplicating records, so the number of corresponding physical casualties is smaller by unknown %. On the other hand these casualties lists contained large gaps, mostly relating to the early phase of the war.

[AriX]

What about the recovered WIA ? They were included into the march battalions before rejoining Active Army ?

[thorwald77]

Thank you Art, your explanation has clarified the issue. You have done an excellent job. Now I understand that the convicts were duplicated in the Soviet figures.

• KIA 5,226.8
  WIA 1,102.8
  Non Combat 555.5
  MIA 500.0
  POW 4,559.0
  Freeded (2,016.0)
  Reservists 500.0
  Penal units 422.7
  Executed 71.7
  Irrecoverable losses 10,922.5
  
  Duplication convicts 562.9
  Balance per reports 11,485.4

[Art]

What about the recovered WIA ? They were included into the march battalions before rejoining Active Army ?

By default arrangement - yes.

[thorwald77]

[

• A.
  KIA 5,187,100
  Non combat 541,900
  DOW 1,100,300
  POWs 2,939,700
  MIA 500,000
  Penal units 422,700
  Executions 72,900
  Suicides 29,000
  Natural deaths 530,700
  OMD Army/Navy 11,324,300
  

• B.
  KIA 39,600
  Non combat 13,600
  DOW 2,500
  POWs 103,400
  Border/Security 159,100

• C.
  Duplications 939,700
  Civilians 4,500,000
  Leningrad 658,000
  Stalingrad 40,000
  2nd emigration 451,000
  Military deserters 180,000
  Balance with civilian losses 6,768,700
  

• D.
  Total of A.B and C. 18,252,100
  -

• Krivoshveev 8,668,000
  Forced labor 2,164,000
  Exterminated civilians 7,420,000
  Total losses 18,252,000
  
  

This how they did it
[youtube]https://youtu.be/PANMgwhvFVw[/youtube]

[thorwald77]

Lets try again

• Killed 5,226,800
  DOW 1,102,800
  Non Combat 555,500
  MIA 500,000
  POW 1,283,300
  Subtotal Krivosheev 8,668,400
  
  Subtotal forced labor 2,164,300
  
  Civilians in military 94,600
  Convicts executed 135,000
  Convicts penal units 422,000
  Duplications 939,700
  Civilians killed 4,500,000
  Siege Leningrad 658,000
  Bombing Stalingrad 40,000
  2nd Emmigration 451,000
  Military deserters 180,000
  Subtotal Civilians killed 7,420,300
  
  Demographic loss 10,000,000
  2nd Emmigration (451,000)
  Military deserters (180,000)
  Post war emmigration (622,000)
  Other Losses 8,747,000
  
  Grand total war dead 27,000,000

[Art]

Dispatch of replacements in 9 months of 1943 (1.1-25.9.43):

with march units to the front - 662 542 men
NCOs from training brigades - 81 100 men
for rebuilding units in the Stavka's reserve - 1 063 754 men
personnel dispatched for new formations:
rifle units and rifle corps HQ - 75 211
artillery units - 182 450
armored - 112 742
anti-aircraft - 78 692
airborne - 48 000
rocket - 13 805
signal - 12 750
misc. - 73 383
Total 597 033 men

Total dispatched to the front, Stavka's reserve and new formations - 2 406 787.

Additionally dispatched to the front:
to penal units from interior districts (penal march companies) - 148 001
to service units of the fronts for replacement of fit men (service companies) - 266 625 men
411 626 men combined

to military schools - 247 884 men
to NKVD troops, security guard, MPVO - 43 197
to service elements of interior military district - 45 620 men

Replacements received by the fronts from replacement units and hospitals of the operational army - 2 053 800 men
conscripted from previously occupied territories in the operational zone - 480 000
personnel released from service elements, from reorganization and disbandment of units - 349 610

Personnel available in replacement units as of 25.9.43:
in replacement rifle brigades (excl. Far East, Transbaikal and Transcaucasus Fronts) - 131 500
in training rifle units and rifle schools - 146 600
artillery units - 16 265
tank - 75 064
cavalry - 23 582
signal - 21 432
automobile - 23 123
others - 42 786
Total 480 252

(Shchadenko to Stalin on 24.9.43, Smorodinov to Stalin on 5.10.43)

[AriX]

By default arrangement - yes.

There were 15M WIA in the Red Army , of whom more than 10M returned to duty.

March replacements sent to the front from military districts - 12,161,643 men, incl.:
1941 - 2,216,406
1942 - 3,999,569
1943 - 1,911,513
1944 - 2,716,122
1945 - 1,318,033

So, the numbers doesen't respond to each other in this case.

[thorwald77]

You need to reconcile the balances @ 6/1941 of 2.9 million at the front with the ending balance of 6.3 million @5/45 Put the numbers on a spreadsheet that ties out. What you have posted so far is quite confusing, it tells us nothing.

[Stiltzkin]

The basic principle of manpower generation = listed strength - Σ respective casualties (timeframe) + Σ returns (usually 0.1 of wounded unfit for service, 0.3-0.4 assigned to other duties/industry) + Σ arrivals.
New strength = reduced strength + generated strength.

Only as useful and accurate as the figures themselves, needless to say. The individual strength categories have to be considered. The availability of manpower does not automatically imply employment in frontline service, as labour force has to be freed or shuffled, as they are fixed by vital tasks contributing to the upkeep of the economy or war effort. In the Nazi and Soviet case this was alleviated by utilizing forced labour/slaves. One might argue that this is how the Soviets actually survived Barbarossa.

[Art]

There were 15M WIA in the Red Army , of whom more than 10M returned to duty.

And also about 3 million recovering sick. Briefly, there were wounded ans sick evacuated to interior districts, and there were those who stayed in hospital of the operational zone. Numbers of march replacements dispatched from interior districts don't include the second group.

[thorwald77]

On page 217 of the 3rd edition of Krivosheev we are shown a balance sheet that begins on 22 June 1941 and ends on 1 July 1945. The beginning balance is 4,901.8 million and an ending balance 12,839.8 million. The bottom line is a net loss in the war of 11,944.1 million. The Russians have attempted to explain away the actual details of the loss of 11.944 million primarily because it includes 562 million convicts, 395 million deserters and 560 million non combat deaths due to natural causes and suicides.

The following schedules detail Soviet war losses

Figures in millions (1,000)

• KIA 5,187.1
  Non Combat 541.9
  DOW 1,100.3
  Border Security 55.8
  MIA 500.0
  
  POWs 5,059.0
  Returned USSR (1,836.0)
  Deserted to west (180.0)
  
  Penal units 427.0
  Executions 135.0
  
  Natural causes 530.0
  Suicides 29.0
  
  Deserted to west 180.0
  Vlasovites, SS Troops 215.0
  
  Irrecoverable losses 11,944.1

135 million were convicted to be executed, however some were sent to prison, the actual number is 72,900 executed.

Reconciliation of POW losses
POW Germany 5,734
POW Romania 82
POW Finland 64
Escaped (70)
Filtration centers (355)
Golikovs repatration (2,016)
POWS dead/missing 3,439

Deserted to west (180)
Vlasovites, SS Troops (215)
Actual POW deaths 3,044

[stg 44]

On page 217 of the 3rd edition of Krivosheev we are shown a balance sheet that begins on 22 June 1941 and ends on 1 July 1945. The beginning balance is 4,901.8 million and an ending balance 12,839.8 million. The bottom line is a net loss in the war of 11,944.1 million. The Russians have attempted to explain away the actual details of the loss of 11.944 million primarily because it includes 562 million convicts, 395 million deserters and 560 million non combat deaths due to natural causes and suicides.

You may want to edit those numbers.

[thorwald77]

I have posted the reconciliation of Soviet forces during the entire course of the war. We need to see a monthly statements of the changes made to arrive at the balance of 11.944 million irrecoverable losses. The replacements that are sent to the front should be included as well as the losses and the other deductions such as medical reasons ect. The The replacements that are sent to the front should tie out to the beginning balance at the front shown in Krivosheev p. 245 For example a balance of 3.334 million is shown for the 3rd Q of 1941 as well as 2.744 million losses. The balance for the 4th Q is 2.818 million. The beginning balances are averages, we need to see the exact beginning and ending balances in order to determine the actual losses and replacements. The Russians have not provided this information in Krivosheev. I am hoping that the researchers here at the Axis History Forum will be able to solve this problem. You are well informed and know the Russian internet, good hunting.

As far as Krivosheev is concerned, folks where I come say that dog won't hunt.