Battle of Kiev (September 1941)

General Heinz Guderian

September 1941

I failed to pursade Hitler to change the decision of turning my panzer group around and going for the Kiev. He reasoned that the raw materials and agriculture of Ukraine are more important for the future of the war, and added, “My generals know nothing about the economic aspects of war”. There’s no turning back now. The order had been made and the advance of Army Group Centre on Moscow will stop.

Our task now is to destroy the Russian Fifth Army and help Army Group South with the crossing of the Dnieper. After a month of bitter fighting, we were finally able to bring an end to the Battle of Kiev, destroying or capturing much of the enemy forces, on 26^th September.

About 665,000 Red Army soldiers were capture, among which was the Commander of the Fifth Army (Hereby referred to as FAC). I had a conversation with this officer.

I: “When did you learn that y tanks had penetrated behind you?”

FAC: “About the 8^th of September.”

I: “Why did you not evacuate Kiev at once?”

FAC: “We had received orders from the Army Group to evacuate the area and withdraw eastwards and had already begun to do so, when we received contrary orders to turn about and to defend Kiev in all circumstances.”

Undoubtedly, we achieved a great tactical victory at Kiev.

Heinz Guderian

End of Phase 1 (September 1941)

General Friedrich Paulus

September 1941

The development of the Eastern campaign went well thus far, but did not go exactly as we planned it. The Supreme Headquarters decided to hold the attack on Leningrad to avoid the high amount of losses that come with the capture of a big city. For the time being, we will seal it off.

Army Group Centre advanced so deep into enemy territories that its south flank is exposed and is ordered to halt to wait for Army Group South to advance. In the meantime, it is decided that Army Group Centre should turn south and go after enemy forces in the east of the Dnieper. In the north, Army Group North is reported to be having some difficulties dealing with its task and needed reinforcement from Army Group Centre.

Finally on 10^th September, the Kiev fell, but bitter fighting continued in Smolensk throughout. The Russians are fighting harder that we had thought they will. The headquarters ordered Army Group North to take Tikhvin and Volkhov to seize the bauxite mines, establish an eastern screen to seal off Leninggrad and establish contact with the Finnish Army.

The weather is getting from bad to worse and the winter is fast approaching. We must now decide whether to go on the defensive and hold our ground until spring next year. It is clear that the campaign will not be concluded within the timeframe we set ourselves.

Heil Hitler

Friedrich Paulus

Advancing through Russia

Summoned. (September 1941)

ZHUKOV, Moscow
Commander of the Reserve Front

September 8 1941

I commend the Soviet Army for making known to the Germans who exactly they have decided to invade! My comrades have fought an excellent and resilient offensive against the Germans off Smolensk. We've forced the German Fourth Panzer Army to evacuate from the Yelnya salient. We are responsible for Guderian's misery. Our vacillation between offensive and defensive strategies worked marvelously. We've managed to absorb much of the shock our of Hitler's Blitzkrieg warfare and finally turned the tables on them in terms of casualties and strategic advantage. Our shield is the 'Smolensk Line'! Curse to the Germans for attempting to hold onto Yelnya. We've manged to claim as many as five divisions of the German Army in the salient alone! Everything has gone as planned, save for that minor glitch with Stryana. We won't need to be on the offensive for now,

Stalin summoned me back to Moscow right after that minor success in Yelnya. He acknowledged I was right and that the Yelnya victory would be instrumental in defendingMoscow. Leningrad however, is now in peril danger. Voroshilov has lost his plot and the Leningrad Front would be hard to defend against the surrounding German forces. The priority remains with Stalingrad. Army Group Center will have to consolidate her forces and positions. I predict that the Germans will not begin an offensive towards Moscow just yet, but we have to be prepared nonetheless. Stalin seemed to listen to my opinions and took them into consideration. I was able to warn Stalin about the dangerous situation in Ukraine and the Southwestern Front. Once again I had to emphasize the need to abandon Kiev as there was simply no other way out. Army Group South would overwhelm our 21st Army and may break into the rear end of our Southwestern Front. I hope Stalin takes my word for it.

ZHUKOV, Moscow

Commander of the Reserve Front

Move of Soviet Union factories (September 1941)

Alexander Yakovlev, Soviet aircraft designer

1st September 1941

Orders from above, Gosplan, the state planning agency for the economy. We have been ordered to move, together with our factory, further into the depths of Western Siberia, a harsh place of extremely cold weather. Once production of the last Yak planes are completed, we are instructed to pull apart and bring every single part of our factory aboard trains, to be reassembled once we reached our final destination. We must leave Moscow before September is over.

It is clear why we are ordered to move. The war does not seem to be going well for us. Those German dogs draw closer to Moscow, their tanks staining the land of the mother Russia with each passing day. Every day, the threat of war to our beautiful capital becomes a reality, as German planes continue to bomb our glorious city to frightening our civilians into submission, and attempt to destroy our Army’s morale.

Though I much rather be anywhere else other than the cold of Siberia, a desolate place where one hardly sees deadlight, it seems a straight forward enough choice once the alternative of facing the German bombs is considered. Once we are back up in production in Siberia, I believe the planes we will produce will help pay the Germans back in kind the same type of misery they have heaped onto us.