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==Result== |
==Result== |
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===Politico-military result=== |
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After 14 months pointing "the Rzhev-Vyazma pistol" to Moskva, finally on March 1943 the German had to abandon that "pistol", losing a strategically important bridgehead which was called by Horst Grossman as "the base of the Eastern Front".<ref name="Grossman H. Rzhew 1980"/> Although the Nazi Germany still possesed many other "bases" in Eastern Front such as the industrial area [[Donbass]], the huge granaries of Ukraine,... however the strategical importance of the Rzhev - Vyazma salient is enough to regret its loss. Therefore, it is easy to understand the doubts of general [[Heinz Guderian]] about the strategical aims of the later [[Battle of Kursk]], since the German had to abandon the strategically important Rzhev-Vyazma for gathering troops to take a much less valuable one at Kursk.<ref>[http://militera.lib.ru/memo/german/guderian/09.html Гудериан Гейнц. Воспоминания солдата. — Смоленск.: Русич, 1999. (Guderian Heinz. Erinnerungen eines Soldaten. — Heidelberg, 1951.''. Rossiya Publisher. Smolensk. 1999. Chapter IX: Chief Inspector of Armoured Units)] {{ru icon}}</ref> In other words, the retreat of the German in [[operation Buffel]] is tactically and militarily successsful, but the abandon of "the Rzhev-Vyazma pistol" is a strategicall lost of the Nazi Germany in the Eastern Front.<ref>[http://militera.lib.ru/research/alexander/index.html Бевин Александер. 10 фатальных ошибок Гитлера. — М.: Яуза; Эксмо, 2003. (Alexander Bevin. How Hitler Could Have Won World War II: The Fatal Errors That Lead to Nazi Defeat. — L.: Times Books, 2000. Published at Moskva in 2003. Chapter 10: The lost at Moskva; Chapter 19: "Citadel" collapsed)] {{ru icon}}</ref> |
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The Soviet Army paid a costly price to recover the Rzhev salients, but with this territorial gain they successfuly eliminated an important bridgehead which could enable the German to threaten Moskva. In addition, after the battles of Rzhev, the Red Army managed to apporach the [[Smolensk]] region and had one step nearer to the [[Operation Bagration|liberation of Byelorussia]]. In other words, while tactically the Soviet offensives ends up with unfavourable results, retaking the Rzhev salient gained them considerable advantage in the Eastern Front.<ref>[http://militera.lib.ru/h/samsonov2/11.html Самсонов, Александр Михайлович. Крах фашистской агрессии 1939-1945. — М.: Наука, 1980. (Aleksandr Mikhilovich Samsonov. The failure of the Nazi Germany's invasions. Science Publisher. Moskva. 1980. Chapter 11, section 1)]</ref> |
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===Military losses=== |
===Military losses=== |
Revision as of 22:21, 28 January 2013
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Rzhev Battles | |||||||
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Part of the Eastern Front of World War II | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
Initial: 668,000 men 2,000 tanks Earmarked for Operation Jupiter: 415,000 men 1,265 tanks | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Soviet sources: 362,664 irrecoverable 746,485 sanitary[1] |
Russian sources: 330,000 irrecoverable 450,000 sanitary.[2] German sources: not clear |
Rzhev Battles (Russian: Ржевская битва) is a general term for a series of World War II offensives launched from January 8, 1942 to March 31, 1943 by the Soviet Red Army in the general directions of Rzhev, Sychevka and Vyazma against a German salient in the vicinity of Moscow, known as the "Rzhev meat grinder" ("Ржевская мясорубка") for these battles' huge losses.
This part of the Second World War was poorly covered by Soviet military historiography, and what coverage exists occurred only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when historians gained access to relevant documents. Exact dates of particular battles, their names, outcomes, significance, and even losses have not been fully clarified.
A reminder of these until recently 'nameless' battles is found in the poem by Aleksandr Tvardovsky which contains the evocative phrase I was killed near Rzhev... (Я убит подо Ржевом, 1945–1946).
The major operations that were executed as part of the strategic offensive were:
- Rzhev–Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation (Russian: Ржевско-Вяземская стратегическая наступательная операция) (8 January – 20 April 1942) of the Kalinin Front, Western Front, Bryansk Front, and Northwestern Front
- Sychevsk–Vyazma offensive operation (Russian: Сычевско-Вяземская наступательная операция) (8 January – 20 April 1942) of the Kalinin Front
- Mozhaisk–Vyazma offensive operation (Operation Jupiter) (Russian: Можайско-Вяземская наступательная операция) (10 January – 28 February 1942) of the Western Front
- Toropets-Kholm Offensive Operation (Russian: Торопецко-Холмская наступательная операция) (9 January – 6 February 1942) of the Northwestern Front and re-assigned to the Kalinin Front from 22 January 1942
- Vyazma airborne operation (Russian: Вяземская воздушно-десантная операция) (18 January – 28 February 1942) (see also Operation Hannover) of the Western Front
- Rzhev operation (3 march – 20 April 1942) (Russian: Ржевская наступательная операция)
- Operation Seydlitz and the Soviet defensive battles around Belyi, Kholm and Zharkovsky (Russian: Оборонительная операция в районе города Белый, Оборонительная операция под Холм-Жирковским, Холм-Жирковская оборонительная операция) (2–23 July 1942) launched by 9th Army of Germany to eliminate the salient in the vicinity between Bely and Kholm–Zhirkovsky and annihilate the 39th Army and 11th Cavalry Corps of the Kalinin Front [3]
- First Rzhev–Sychevka Offensive Operation (Russian: Первая Ржевско-Сычёвская (Гжатская) наступательная операция) (30 July – 23 August 1942, other sources say ending on 30 September or 1 October 1942) by forces of the Kalinin Front and Western Front
- Second Rzhev–Sychevka Offensive Operation (Operation Mars) (Russian: Вторая Ржевско-Сычёвская наступательная операция) (25 November – 20 December 1942) by the forces of the Kalinin Front and Western Front
- Battle for Velikiye Luki (Russian: Великолукская наступательная операция) (24 November 1942 – 20 January 1943) by 3rd Shock Army of the Kalinin Front
- Third Rzhev–Sychevka Offensive Operation (Russian: Ржевско-Вяземская наступательная операция) (2–31 March 1943) by the forces of the Kalinin Front and Western Front, at the same time, the southern flank offensive operations on the Bryansk Front. The German retreat resulting from this operation was known as the Operation Büffel
Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation
During the Soviet winter counter-offensive of 1941, and the Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation (8 January 1942 - 20 April 1942), German forces were pushed back from Moscow. As a result, a salient was formed along the front line in the direction of the capital, which became known as the Rzhev-Vyazma Salient. It was strategically important for the German Army Group Centre due to the threat it posed to Moscow, and was therefore heavily fortified and strongly defended.
Initial Soviet forces committed by the Kalinin and Western Front included the 22nd, 29th, 30th, 31st, 39th of the former, and the 1st Shock, 5th, 10th, 16th, 20th, 33rd, 43rd, 49th, and 50th armies and three cavalry corps for the later. The intent was for the 22nd Army, 29th Army and 39th Armies supported by the 11th Cavalry Corps to attack West of Rzhev, and penetrate deep into the western flank of the AG Centre's 9th Army. This was achieved in January, and by the end of the month the cavalry corps found itself 110 km in the depth of the German flank. To eliminate this threat to the rear of the Army Group Centre's 9th Army, the Germans had started Operation Seydlitz by 2 July. However, due to the nature of the terrain the supply route the troops of the Soviet 22nd Army, 29th Army and 39th Armies which attempted to enlarge the penetration became difficult, and they were encircled. The cutting of a major highway to Rzhev by the cavalry signalled the commencement of the Toropets–Kholm Offensive.
Sychevsk-Vyazma Offensive
Mozhaisk-Vyazma Offensive (Operation Jupiter)
Toropets–Kholm Offensive|Toropets-Kholm Offensive
This offensive was conducted by the Western Front against the Wehrmacht's 4th Panzer Army and the 4th Army.
Vyazma Airborne Operation
This was a major Soviet airborne operation of the Great Patriotic War, conducted by the 4th Airborne Corps in seven separate landing zones, five of them intended to cut major road and rail line of communication to the Wehrmacht's 9th Army.
Operation Seydlitz
This operation conducted by the resulted in the complete elimination of the trapped Soviet forces on 12 July, the attempted rescue of 2nd Shock Army (13 May 1942 - 10 July 1942) and the Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive Operation (30 July 1942 - 23 August 1942). The front line around the salient was pushed closer to the city of Rzhev by Wehrmacht forces. During this period, the city of Zubtsov was liberated by the Red Army.
Rzhev-Sychevka Strategic Offensive (Operation Mars)
The next Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive (25 November 1942 - 20 December 1942) codenamed Operation Mars. the operation consisted of several incremental offensive phases
- Sychevka Offensive Operation 24 November 1942 - 14 December 1942
- Belyi Offensive Operation 25 November 1942 - 16 December 1942
- Luchesa Offensive Operation 25 November 1942 - 11 December 1942
- Molodoi Tud Offensive Operation 25 November 1942 - 23 December 1942
- Velikie-Luki Offensive Operation 24 November 1942 - 20 January 1943
This operation was nearly as heavy in losses for the Red Army as the first offensive, and also failed to reach desired objectives, but the Red Army tied down German forces which may have otherwise been used to try to relieve the Stalingrad garrison, which was fighting for its life in Stalingrad.
The information about offensive was provided to OKH by an NKVD double agent known as Heine as part of the plan to distract German forces from Stalingrad.[4]
However, due to the general course of the war, Hitler ordered German forces to withdraw from the salient in March 1943 during Operation Büffel. The Stavka used this as an opportunity to pursue the retreating Wehrmacht troops.
Result
Politico-military result
After 14 months pointing "the Rzhev-Vyazma pistol" to Moskva, finally on March 1943 the German had to abandon that "pistol", losing a strategically important bridgehead which was called by Horst Grossman as "the base of the Eastern Front".[5] Although the Nazi Germany still possesed many other "bases" in Eastern Front such as the industrial area Donbass, the huge granaries of Ukraine,... however the strategical importance of the Rzhev - Vyazma salient is enough to regret its loss. Therefore, it is easy to understand the doubts of general Heinz Guderian about the strategical aims of the later Battle of Kursk, since the German had to abandon the strategically important Rzhev-Vyazma for gathering troops to take a much less valuable one at Kursk.[6] In other words, the retreat of the German in operation Buffel is tactically and militarily successsful, but the abandon of "the Rzhev-Vyazma pistol" is a strategicall lost of the Nazi Germany in the Eastern Front.[7]
The Soviet Army paid a costly price to recover the Rzhev salients, but with this territorial gain they successfuly eliminated an important bridgehead which could enable the German to threaten Moskva. In addition, after the battles of Rzhev, the Red Army managed to apporach the Smolensk region and had one step nearer to the liberation of Byelorussia. In other words, while tactically the Soviet offensives ends up with unfavourable results, retaking the Rzhev salient gained them considerable advantage in the Eastern Front.[8]
Military losses
For the whole series of Rzhev battles, the numbers are not clear yet. But, since the mobilized manpower of both sides were enormous and the fighting is violent, casualties should be very high. According to A. V. Isayev, the Soviet losses from January 1942 to March 1943 is 392,554 irrecoverable and 768,233 sanitary.[9] The Soviet losses during the beginning period of 1942 (including "operation Jupiter") are 272,320 irrecoverable and 504,569 sanitary; with 25.7% of total manpower participated in these battles is killed in the battlefield.[10] According to V. V. Beshanov, the casualties of the July–September Rzhev offensive are 193.683 all cases,[11] and during Operation Mars the Soviet suffered 250.000 casualties with 800 tanks were damaged or destroyed.[12] Isayev provided a lower number: 70,340 irrecoverable and 145,300 sanitary.[13] The total gross casualties of Operation Mars is very high, but they only make up about 13.2% troop strength (and KIA is not over 6%); meanwhile, during the beginning phase of 1942 (including "Operation Juniper"), total losses are up to 75.2% troop strength (and dead rate are 25.7%).
The retired German general, Horst Grossmann, in his book Rzhev, the basement of the Eastern Front did not provide the total casualties of the German side. But according to his description, from 31 July to 9 August, one German battalion at the front line, after being exhausted in the violent battles, only had one commandant and 22 soldiers, and in 31 August there were battalions which had only one commandant and 12 soldiers (equal to one squad). According to Grossmann, during Operation Mars, the German suffered 40,000 casualties.[14]
According to the German reports which are still stored at the Storage Center of National Document of Germany, from March 1942 to March 1942, the casualties of the 2nd, 4th, 9th, 2nd Panzer, 3rd Panzer and 4rd Panzer Army (The 4rd Panzer Army only have data from March to April 1942) amount to 162,713 KIA, 35,650 MIA, 469,747 WIA. The number of soldiers who died during treatment in the hospital are still unknown.[15][16] After collecting and synthesizing these data, the casualties of the German force during the Battles of Rzhev may reach 452,000 irrecoverable and 469,747 sanitary. The casualties of German forces from January 1942 to March 1943, according to Mikhail Yuryevich Myagkov, is about 330,000 irrecoverable and more than 450,000 sanitary.[17]
Civilian losses
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/RIAN_archive_982_Ruins_of_a_house.jpg/256px-RIAN_archive_982_Ruins_of_a_house.jpg)
Before the war, Rzhev had more than 56,000 people, but when it was liberated on 3 March 1943, there were only 150 people left, and if the population at the rural area were taken in, the population was still only 350. Most of its inhabitant were transported to the Holocaust at Germany and Eastern Europe. Among 5,443 houses, only 297 remained. The total material loss was 500 million Ruble according to the current price of 1941.[18]
Vyazma was also virtually destroyed during the war. In this city, two death camp of the Nazi Germany, named Dulag No. 184 and Dulag No. 230 were established. Prisoners in these camps were Soviet soldiers and Soviet civilians in the area of Smolensk, Nelidovo, Rzhev, Zubstov, Gzhatsk, Sychyovka...[19] According to the German's data that Soviet SMERSH collected after the battles, there were 5,500 people who died because of wounds. During the winter 1941-42, in these camps, about 300 people each day were killed by diseases, cold, starvation, torture and other causes. After the war, there were two mass graves discovered in this place, each have the size of 4 x 100 m and 70,000-80,000 unidentified bodies.[20] The German also discovered and executed 8 local political leaders, 60 commissars and political instructors, and 117 Jews in the camp No.230.[21]
Controversies about the battles of Rzhev
This part of the Second World War was poorly covered by Soviet military historiography, and what coverage exists occurred only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when historians gained access to relevant documents. Exact dates of particular battles, their names, outcomes, significance, and even losses have not been fully clarified and there are still many controversies about these topics.
Casualties of the Soviet forces
In 2009 a television movie was aired in Russia entitled "Rzhev: Marshal Zhukov’s Unknown Battle"; it made no attempt to cover up the huge losses suffered by Soviet forces, as a consequence there were public calls in Russia for the arrest of some of those involved in its production.[22] In the movie, the casualties of Soviet forces is provided as 433,000 KIA. The journalist Alina Makeyeva, in an article of Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper which was published on 19 February 2009, wrote: "The number presented by the historian is too low. There must be more than one million Soviet soldiers and officers was killed ! Rzhev and its neighboring towns were completely destroyed."; however Alina could not present any proof. Journalist Elena Tokaryeva in her article which was published on the newspaper "The Violin" (Russia) on 26 February 2009 also claimed that more than 1,000,000 Soviet soldiers were killed at Rzhev. "The race of the numbers of casualties at Rzhev" continued with the data of researcher Svetlana Aleksandrovna Gerasimova from National Museum at Tver. In her thesis Rzhev-Sychyovka, the first offensive in 1942 under a new point of view, Gerasimova claimed that 1,325,823 Soviet troops lost their lives during the four offensives at this area.[23] The number of casualties again was raised with the claimed of journalist Igor Elkov in his articled published in the "Russian Weekly" on 26 February 2009. Igor said: "The accurate number of casualties of both sides is still dubious. Recently, there are some opinions about from 1.3 to 1.5 million Soviet soldiers was killed. It may be reach the number of 2 million".[24]
All these data was heavily criticized by the Reserved Colonel, Doctor of History A. V. Isayev. By providing the data in the stored documents of Russian Ministry of Defence, Isayev stated that the "research" of Svetlana Aleksandrovna Gerasimova belongs to the type of "research on the high-heel shoes". The claimed of aboved journalist are also judgment of people without adequate knowledge of history, and are the results of demagogic motivation under the slogan "every information must be shown to the people". Using very detailed documents with clear origins, A. V. Isayev provied the casualties of the Soviet forces as below:[25]
- Casualties of Western Front on Rzhev direction, from January to April 1942: 24,339 KIA, 5,223 MIA, 105,021 WIA. (data of Ministry of Defence, code name TsAMO RF, shelf 208, drawer 2579, folder 6, volume 208, pp. 71–99).
- Casualties of Kalinin Front on Rzhev direction, from January to April 1942: 123,380 irrecoverable, 341,227 sanitary. (data of Ministry of Defence, code name TsAMO RF, shelf 208, drawer 2579, folder 16, volume ll, pp. 71–99).
- Total casualties of Western and Kalinin front during Jan-Apr 1942: 152,943 irrecoverable, 446.248 sanitary (aboved sources).
- Total casualties of 29th and 30th Army (Kalinin Front), 20th and 31st Army (Western Front) in August 1942: 57,968 irrecoverable and 165,999 sanitary. (data of Ministry of Defence, code name TsAMO RF, shelf 208, drawer 2579, folder 16, volume ll, pp. 150–158)
- Total casualties of 20th, 29th, 30th, 31st (Western Front) and 39th Army (Kalinin Front) on September 1942: 21,221 KIA and 54,378 WIA.(data of Ministry of Defence, code name TsAMO RF, shelf 208, drawer 2579, folder 16, volume ll, pp. 163–166).
- Total casualties of Kalinin Front during Operation Mars: 33,346 KIA, 3,620 MIA, 63.757 WIA. (above source).
- Total casualties of 20th, 30th, 31th Army and 2nd Guard Cavalry Corps from 21 to 30 November 1942 (first phase of Operation Mars): 7,893 KIA, 1,288 MIA, 28.989 WIA. (data of Ministry of Defence, code name TsAMO RF, shelf 208, drawer 2579, folder 16, volume ll, pp. 190–200).
A. V. Isayev also used the research of Colonel-General G. F. Krivosheyev, his senior workmate at Russian Military History Institute and pointed out the common results between Isayev and Krivosheyev. On the Website "Soldier" of Russian Military History Institute, Isayev also said that the electronic draft of Krivosheyev was stolen and illegally used by the hackers, hence these drafts were completely deleted from the Institute Website. Nowadays, only the book whose copyright is holded by Krivosheyev himself is recognized as legal document.[26][27]
Finally, A. V. Isayev claimed that the Soviet casualties at Rzhev from January 1942 to March 1943 is only 392,554 KIA and 768,233 WIA. The document film of Aleksey Vladimirovich Pivovarov was also heavily criticized by Isayev, he stated that in this film, many important events of the Rzhev battles is not mentioned such as the breakout of 1st Guard Cavalry Corps,the breakout of more than 17.000 remaining troops of 33rd Army during Operation Seydlitz, and the breakout of the 41st Army. According to A. V. Isayev, if the film of Aleksey Vladimirovich Pivovarov and the thesis of Svetlana Aleksandrovna Gerasimova were true, many living people should have been recorded as KIA. Until now, there has not been any Russian articles or works which objects the arguments of A. V. Isayev.[28]
Role of G. K. Zhukov in Operation Mars
The role of Zhukov in this infamous offensive is also a debated topic. American military history, Colonel David M. Glantz (Hoa Kỳ) claimed that G. K. Zhukov had to take the main responsibility in the tactical failure of this operation, and this is "the greatest defeat of Marshal Zhukov". In more detail, David Glantz asserted that Zhukov's command in this offensive was not careful, too ambitious, too clumsy and all these lead to a disaster.[29] However, Antony Beevor disagreed with Glantz's comment. According to Beevor, at that time Zhukov had to concentrated on Operation Uranus at Stalingrad battlefield hence he had little time to care for what was happening at Rzhev.[30]
The Russian authors Vladimir Chernov and Galina Yaroslavovna also disagreed with Glantz. They pointed out that, Glantz and other Western historians paid too much attention to "the idol" G. K. Zhukov and forgot about an important fact: from 26 August 1942 Zhukov did not command the Western Front any longger, and from 29 August he had his hand busy with the serious matters at Stalingard.[31] The highest commander of the Soviet Fronts at Rzhev salients was no one different from the Supereme Commander I. V. Stalin.[32] Zhukov only took part in the commanding at Rzhev during its later periods as a "firefighter" who was solving the serious problems of the battlefield at that moment[33]. Therefore, the comments of Glantz about Zhukov's responsibility were not correct.[30]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Rzhev_town_of_military_glory.jpg/200px-Rzhev_town_of_military_glory.jpg)
The Title "City of Military Glory" of Rzhev
Rzhev was conferred the status of “City of Military Glory” by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin on October 8, 2007, for “courage, endurance and mass heroism, exhibited by defenders of the city in the struggle for the freedom and independence of the Motherland”.[34] This act also caused heated debate and controversy. Many people believed that Rzhev cannot be "City of Military Glory" since it was in the Nazi German occupation and then the Russian retook it back. However, according to the law, being occupied does not prevent a city from receiving this honorary title. As long as its citizens, military personnels and goverment officers paid large contribution for the Great Patriotic War and expressed their great heroism, bravery and patriotism in these contributions, that is enough. Furthermore, the fierce and heroic resistance of Soviet citizens at Rzhev did not only occurs during the 1942-1943 period, but also during the defence of Moskva in 1941.[35][36][37] According to all these facts, Rzhev, Vyazma and many other cities have enough conditions to have the title "City of Military Glory", no matter what they were occupied or not.
References
- ^ Гриф секретности снят: Потери Вооруженных Сил СССР в войнах, боевых действиях и военных конфликтах: Стат. исслед./ Г. Ф. Кривошеев, В. М. Андроников, П. Д. Буриков. — М.: Воениздат, 1993.
- ^ Мягков Михаил Юрьевич "Вермахт у ворот Москвы, 1941-1942" - Глава II. Поворот
- ^ [Military improvisations during the Russian Campaign http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/milimprov/ch01.htm]
- ^ Tennant H. Bayley, Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries and Deadly Games, 2007, Yale University Press, p. 117. Bayley cites Pavel Sudoplatov, Anatoly Sudoplatov, and Jerrold and Leona Schecter's book Special Tasks, published by Little, Brown in 1994, p. 158-159. He also quotes a KGB chief as writing, "Marshal Zhukov knew his offensive was an auxiliary operation, but he did not know that he had been targeted in advance by the Germans."
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Grossman H. Rzhew 1980
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Гудериан Гейнц. Воспоминания солдата. — Смоленск.: Русич, 1999. (Guderian Heinz. Erinnerungen eines Soldaten. — Heidelberg, 1951.. Rossiya Publisher. Smolensk. 1999. Chapter IX: Chief Inspector of Armoured Units) Template:Ru icon
- ^ Бевин Александер. 10 фатальных ошибок Гитлера. — М.: Яуза; Эксмо, 2003. (Alexander Bevin. How Hitler Could Have Won World War II: The Fatal Errors That Lead to Nazi Defeat. — L.: Times Books, 2000. Published at Moskva in 2003. Chapter 10: The lost at Moskva; Chapter 19: "Citadel" collapsed) Template:Ru icon
- ^ Самсонов, Александр Михайлович. Крах фашистской агрессии 1939-1945. — М.: Наука, 1980. (Aleksandr Mikhilovich Samsonov. The failure of the Nazi Germany's invasions. Science Publisher. Moskva. 1980. Chapter 11, section 1)
- ^ http://actualhistory.ru/isaev-rzhev2
- ^ Krivosheev, Grigoriy (2001). “Soviet Casualties and Combat Losses in the Twentieth Century” Template:Ru icon. Olma.
- ^ Бешанов Владимир Васильевич. Год 1942 — «учебный». — Мн.: Харвест, 2003.
- ^ Бешанов Владимир Васильевич. Год 1942 — «учебный». — Мн.: Харвест, 2003.
- ^ Исаев, Алексей Валерьевич. Краткий курс истории ВОВ. Наступление маршала Шапошникова. — М.: Яуза, Эксмо, 2005.
- ^ Гроссманн Хорст. Ржев — краеугольный камень Восточного фронта. — Ржев: «Ржевская правда», 1996. German name: Grossmann H. Rzhew: Eckpfeiler der Ostfront. — Friedberg : Podzun-Pallas-Verlag, 1980.
- ^ http://ww2stats.com/cas_ger_okh_dec42.html
- ^ [1]
- ^ Мягков Михаил Юрьевич "Вермахт у ворот Москвы, 1941-1942" - Глава II. Поворот
- ^ http://rshew-42.narod.ru/rshew_history.html
- ^ http://dulag184.vyazma.info/
- ^ http://www.stapravda.ru/20090619/poisk_rodstvennikov_soldat_pogibshikh_vo_vremya_vov_38220.html
- ^ http://www.jewniverse.ru/RED/Shneyer/glava2os_v%5B2%5D.htm#_ftnref23
- ^ Film Spurs Russia to Squelch Criticism of Soviet War Tactics » HistoryNet
- ^ Герасимова Светлана Александровна - кандидат исторических наук. Первая Ржевско-Сычевская наступательная операция 1942 года (новый взгляд) научный сотрудник Тверского государственного объединенного музея
- ^ [2]
- ^ A. V. Isayev. Soviet casualties during the war at Rzhev Salient. "Modern history" Magazine, July 2012
- ^ Trang web chính thức mang tên "Người lính" của Viện lịch sử quân sự Nga
- ^ Cuốn sách chính thức "Tổn thất của quân đội Liên Xô và Nga trong các cuộc chiến ở thế kỷ XX" do NXB Olma. Moskva ấn hành năm 2001 thuộc bản quyền của Grigoriy Krivosheev
- ^ A. V. Isayev. Soviet casualties during the war at Rzhev Salient. "Modern history" Magazine, July 2012
- ^ Гланц, Дэвид М. Крупнейшее поражение Жукова. Катастрофа Красной Армии в операции «Марс» 1942 г. — М.: ACT: Астрель, 2006. Bản gốc: David M. Glantz Zhukov's Greatest Defeat: The Red Army's Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, 1942. — Lawrence (KS): University Press Of Kansas, 1999. (David M. Glantz. Thất bại lớn nhất của Zhukov - Thảm họa của Hồng quân trong Chiến dịch "Sao Hỏa" năm 1942 - Moskva: ACT: Astrel, 2006.)
- ^ a b Beevor, Anthony (2012). Chiến tranh thế giới thứ hai . London: W & N. ISBN 0297844970
- ^ Vladimir Aleksnadrovich Chernov và Galina Yaroslavovna Grin. Kỷ niệm lần thứ 70 các chiến dịch Pogorelov-Gorodishche và Rzhev-Sychevska (lần thứ hai) năm 1942. Giới thiệu Bộ sách cơ bản của Bảo tàng Chiến tranh vệ quốc vĩ đại Trung ương Nga. Solda.ru. 1-8-2012
- ^ S. M. Stemenko. The Soviet General Staff in War. Moskva 1985. page 51.
- ^ Исаев, Алексей Валерьевич. Георгий Жуков: Последний довод короля. М.: Яуза, Эксмо, 2006. (Aleksei Valeryevich Isayev. Georgy Zhukov, the final solution for the king. Yauza & Penguin Books. Mát-xcơ-va. 2006. Chapter 10: Single-handedly settling the disaster)
- ^ Президент Российской Федерации. Указ №1345 от 8 октября 2007 года «О присвоении городу Ржеву почётного звания Российской Федерации „Город воинской славы“». (The President of the Russian Federation. Ukaz #1345 of October 8, 2007 On the assignment to Rzhev of the Honorary title of the Russian Federation “City of Military Glory”. ).
- ^ http://graph.document.kremlin.ru/page.aspx?869039
- ^ http://docs.kodeks.ru/document/90201672
- ^ http://docs.kodeks.ru/document/902039651