Hitler's visit to Army Group Centre at Borisov

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SleeperService
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Hitler's visit to Army Group Centre at Borisov

#1

Post by SleeperService » 17 Dec 2022, 21:58

Hi There
I've been reading other posts and pages and came across the following statement:
In Borisov on August 4, 1941, Hitler stayed only two hours, participating in a meeting of the leadership of Army Group Center.However, these two hours seriously affected the course of the entire Wehrmacht campaign in the east, and therefore had an impact on the history of the Second World War, which could have had a completely different character.

The fact that the Nazi leader of Germany was in Borisov in August 1941 became known long ago from the memoirs of German military leaders and close associates of the Fuhrer published in the 50-60s of the last century.

This fact was first recorded in Soviet cinema 35 years ago. In the second film of the epic “Battle for Moscow” there is an episode showing this meeting and marked with the credits: “Borisov. Army Group Center. August 4, 1941."

The details of the memories of this event differ among memoirists, but in the end, some Western historians, in particular, Alfred Turney, tend to believe that the day of August 4, 1941 was the turning point in the German campaign in Russia.
While this may or may not have been so I'm interested in who would have been present at such a meeting. It seems a huge decision to make without others being involved whether among those who traveled with Hitler (BTW who would these be?) or those from Army Group Centre.
If this is a dumb question I apologise although I have searched this forum as best I can, however my main area of interest is the British Army so my depth of knowledge is pretty shallow.
Thanks for reading this.

Art
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Re: Hitler's visit to Army Group Centre at Borisov

#2

Post by Art » 01 Jan 2023, 09:43

According to the Guderian's memoir present on the meeting were: Hitler, Schmundt (Hilter's adjutant), colonel Heusinger (chief of operations department of the General Staff), von Bock, Guderian and Hoth.


SleeperService
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Re: Hitler's visit to Army Group Centre at Borisov

#3

Post by SleeperService » 01 Jan 2023, 16:03

WOW! Such a huge decision to make with only 6 people. I'm stunned. Thank you for the reply.

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Yuri
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Re: Hitler's visit to Army Group Centre at Borisov

#4

Post by Yuri » 01 Jan 2023, 17:58

SleeperService wrote:
01 Jan 2023, 16:03
WOW! Such a huge decision to make with only 6 people. I'm stunned. Thank you for the reply.
In Borisov No decision was made on August 4, 1941. There was just an exchange of views. And no more. Discussions on how to continue operations after the failure of the Barbarossa plan, which became obvious to everyone, lasted for more than two weeks until August 21, 1941, when Hitler made the final decision.

SleeperService
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Re: Hitler's visit to Army Group Centre at Borisov

#5

Post by SleeperService » 02 Jan 2023, 12:06

Thank You again. It makes more sense to me now but I keep forgetting how much power Hitler wielded at that time.

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AbollonPolweder
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Re: Hitler's visit to Army Group Centre at Borisov

#6

Post by AbollonPolweder » 02 Jan 2023, 21:23

SleeperService wrote:
17 Dec 2022, 21:58
...
While this may or may not have been so I'm interested in who would have been present at such a meeting. It seems a huge decision to make without others being involved whether among those who traveled with Hitler (BTW who would these be?) or those from Army Group Centre.
...
Thanks for reading this.
The meeting on August 4, 1941 was attended:
Hitler, Keitel, Jodl, Schmundt and Heusinger flew in from Berlin. Army Group Center was represented by Bock, Greiffenberg, Treskov, Guderian and Goth. The Fuhrer made no final fateful decisions. As Halder wrote in his diary 4 August 1941:
1) the justification for his delay in supplying the troops with tanks (he did allocate 350 engines for T-III tanks, not knowing that OKH had already done so; the engines would be delivered by aircraft);
2) the Führer's already well-known point of view regarding the nature of the continuation of operations (he attaches particular importance to Leningrad, as well as the capture of the southern regions - coal, iron, destruction of the enemy air base in the Crimea; the capture of Moscow the Führer attaches no importance).
Earlier Hitler explained his reluctance to supply tanks to the front by the fact that the enemy could seize and declassify the tanks, now he found another reason. Tanks are needed in Germany so that they can be used against England. What a great idea! :milwink:
https://archive.org/details/kriegstageb ... =theater
https://sites.google.com/site/krieg1941undnarod/
Better to lose with a clever than with a fool to find

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