I struggled to get through this week with challenging obstacles. On top of all this, I watched Liberty lose an embarrassing game against Kennesaw State. Liberty went into the game 5-0, while Kennesaw State was 0-6. There is no chance for Liberty to get ranked this season or get into the playoffs. This result only confirms that Liberty's football team was less disciplined than last year, going undefeated in conference play. My student gave me a tough time about their loss. I could have been more upset, but I was pleasantly surprised. These students paid attention to Liberty, which was a big enough win for me.
Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the Battle of Boydton Plank Road. Grant believed another success would aid Lincoln's chances at the polls in November of 1864. Grant attempted to retake the Southside Railroad with a diversionary attack north of the James River. Unfortunately, the diversion north of the James led to a severe loss of life for the Union despite Grant's order not to attack fortified positions. On the Boydton Plank Road, Grant determined the exact position the Union needed to capture from the Confederates to turn their flank. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty of the terrain and the onset of night, Warren suspended the operations against this position. Upon further inspection, Grant saw the Confederate lines were too strong for any attack and abandoned the attack despite driving rebel forces off the field. A more thoughtful account of the Sixth Offensive comes from Hampton Newsome's book Richmond Must Fall.
As I delved into Max Hastings' Inferno: A World at War, 1939-1945, he concluded that the Russian generals achieved greater success than their American and British counterparts. However, the shock came when I learned that they could sustain 25-40% casualties in battles without criticism from the public or political institutions. This stark contrast in military culture between the Soviet Union and the Western allies was a revelation. Russian Field Marshal, Georgy Zhukov, a key figure in this disparity, trapped the German army at Stalingrad, won the Battle of Kursk, and encircled Berlin. At the Battle of Stalingrad, Zhukov was responsible for battling Friedrich Paulus's Sixth Army outside the city. Zhukov and Stalin believed a decisive battle would be fought outside of the city center. In his first attempt to relieve the city of Stalingrad, he launched the Kotluban Offensives.
In his attempt to win a decisive victory, he suffered horrendous casualties. In just two days of fighting, the Soviet First Guards Army suffered 36,000 casualties. The Soviets outnumbered the Germans 5:1 and fielded 123,000 soldiers. The 9th Reserve Army lost roughly 52,000 supporting soldiers in that same period while losing half their tanks. The First Guards Army lost 29% of its forces in the first offensive against Stalingrad. They did manage to force the German high command to shift resources, primarily air support, to the German defenders north of the city, but it came at a high cost to the Soviets.
Zkuhov's Kotluban offensives at Stalingrad are not well known to most amateur historians today, but his victory at Kursk is more memorable. Most people remember this battle as one of the most significant tank battles of the entire war. Adolf Hitler wanted to go on the offensive after the Allied invasion of Sicily. Therefore, the Germans attempted to pierce multiple lines of Soviet defenses in the center of the Russian Oblast. The Soviet counteroffensive gained lost ground, and the capture of Kharkov ceded the initiative to Zhukov and the Soviets. It was a sanguine affair. According to David Glantz, 2.5 million Soviet soldiers were facing 940,000 Germans. This battle lasted almost two months, with each side losing heavily. Erich von Manstein's German army lost roughly 185,000 men or 20% of his overall strength. Zhukov lost 685,000 men, or 27% of his overall strength.
Finally, the Soviet armies arrived outside of Berlin with the American and British agreement that the Soviets would take the city. This decision was mainly due to George Patton's displeasure. Max Hastings mentioned that the Soviets did a majority of the fighting and that it kept the peace between the allies. The Americans had other concerns as they contended with the Japanese in the Pacific Theater. Zhukov opted to surround Berlin and try to break through German defenses at Seelow Heights, launching multiple attacks against a heavily defended position. It was suggested that Zhukov took the shortest route to Berlin by attacking Seelow Heights, but he was trying to link up with Marshal Ivan Konev's men. Also, had Zhukov moved his men to attack from the north towards Berlin, it would have exposed the northern flank of the First Belorussian Front. Throughout April 16-19, 1945, Zhukov lost 33,000 men.
These casualties are staggering. Hastings was correct in concluding that the Soviet marshals won more victories than any other Allied commander and contributed more to the fighting than other allies. Yet, to what cost? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Soviets could avoid high losses because their political necessities vastly differed from American British political objectives. There is a need for Western military officers to care for their soldiers and prevent as few casualties as possible. Not only is it one of the most significant values in our culture, but it would also not be supported by a republican form of government. It could also lead to the dismissal of a general if casualties are too significant. The only two generals in American history that come close to these Soviet casualty ratios are Robert E. Lee and John Bell Hood, with casualty ratios above 20%. These men fought for a government that vastly supported their commands, with little concern for replacement. Even after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee offered to resign, but Davis kept him on and was later promoted to general-in-chief. A culture that respects the life of its soldiers on the frontlines is one that gives more political and economic freedom to its people.
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