2nd Mech Corps strength, July 4th 1941

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CNE503
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2nd Mech Corps strength, July 4th 1941

#1

Post by CNE503 » 30 May 2021, 21:25

Hello,

Leo Niehorster's website gave me the information that the 2nd Mechanized Corps was 489 tanks strong on the eve of "Barbarossa": http://www.niehorster.org/012_ussr/41_o ... orces.html
Its 11th Tank Division had between 150 and 180 old T-26, but also 46 T-34 and 10 KV.
Its 16th Tank Division had only around 150 BT-5 and BT-7.
Its 15th Mechanized Division had circa 60 BT.

Could someone tell me whether these figures are accurate for July 4th, 1941, when the corps counterattacked the German XI. Armeekorps in the vicinity of Bratuseni in Bessarabia?

Thank you for your help!
Regards,
CNE503
"Sicut Aquila" / "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre" / "par l'exemple, le coeur et la raison" / "Labor Omnia Vincit"

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Jeff Leach
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Re: 2nd Mech Corps strength, July 4th 1941

#2

Post by Jeff Leach » 31 May 2021, 08:44

On 12 July 1941

11th Tank Division 10 x KV, 50 x T-34, 117 x BT, 6 x T-26
16th Tank Division 34 x BT, 56 x T-26
15th Motorized Divsion 167 x BT

Механизированные корпуса РККА в бою, Евгений Дриг, 2005 page 102. I would accept Drig over Neihorster

Note that the 2nd Mechanized Corps had real trouble organizing an attack. The attack on 04 July 1941, was to be made by the whole corps but at best it was made by a regiment of motorized infantry and a battalion of tanks of the 16th Tank Division. Just a few days after the attack the tank regiments of the tank division were withdrawn to Kotovsk for repair and maintenance.

I think the German side of things is covered in 'Fla-Btl (Mot) 22, Seine Geschichte' page 17-19. The battalion claimed 17 tanks knocked out and the picture in the booklet shows a BT-7.


CNE503
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Re: 2nd Mech Corps strength, July 4th 1941

#3

Post by CNE503 » 31 May 2021, 09:06

XI. Armeekorps claimed the destruction of 47 Soviet tanks on July 4th, 1941. I don't know whether the two tanks destroyed by Korps-Vorausabteilung "Lindemann" around 1400 and the two other ones by the Romanian 1st Armored Division a little bit later are included.
2nd Mech Corps suffered another losses the following days, but less.

If the corps had so many tanks at hand on July 12th, either its losses were lesser than claimed by the Germans, or it have been refilled with replacements, or its initial strength was stronger.

Thank you for your help!
Regards,
CNE503
"Sicut Aquila" / "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre" / "par l'exemple, le coeur et la raison" / "Labor Omnia Vincit"

Art
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Re: 2nd Mech Corps strength, July 4th 1941

#4

Post by Art » 31 May 2021, 14:10

Jeff Leach wrote:
31 May 2021, 08:44
On 12 July 1941

11th Tank Division 10 x KV, 50 x T-34, 117 x BT, 6 x T-26
16th Tank Division 34 x BT, 56 x T-26
15th Motorized Divsion 167 x BT

Механизированные корпуса РККА в бою, Евгений Дриг, 2005 page 102.
I.e strongly suspect that's a typo and you should read 12 June. From the page 112 on 11 July 1941 the corps had (operational or total?):
10 KV, 46 T-34, 275 BT-7, 38 T-26, 9 KhT, 13 T-37/28
That probably indicates a loss of 4 T-34, 43 BT-7, 24 or 15 T-26.

Slava2012
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Re: 2nd Mech Corps strength, July 4th 1941

#5

Post by Slava2012 » 02 Sep 2021, 14:02

Greetings.
I live in Kotovsk and am very interested in history. I reread all the battles in Moldova and Ukraine, I want to comment on the battles of the 2nd mechanized corps that the whole tragedy for him arose later. After repairs in Kotovsk, the 2nd mechanized corps received an order to move to the Uman (Talnoe) area where the Umansky Katel was brewing. So on the road, and this is about 219 km, half of the tanks broke.
The rest of the tanks got into the battles near Uman and the Uman cauldron there and died without shells and fuel. That is, my conviction would be better if they fought to the end near Kishinev with shells and fuel, dying as heroes and inflicting the maximum possible losses on the enemy than to shamelessly end the war from breakdowns on bad roads and throwing tanks without fuel in the Ukrainian steppes.

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