Battle for Velikye Luki

[Kevin Kenneally]

Can anyone direct me to links, books or magazines with information on the battle for Velikye Luki?

Thanks is advance.

[Thomas McPeek]

Hope this helps: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Velikiye_Luki

[Thomas McPeek]

And this:http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomfr...2Fstal_14.html

[Thomas McPeek]

Heres a book:http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomfr...Fbk_siege.html

[Andrey]

The battle for Velikiye Luki was a part of Soviet Operation "Mars" in November-December of 1942.

Operation "Mars" is described in the David Glantz's "Operation "Mars": The largest Zhukov's Defeat".

According Glantz's opinion operation "Mars" in the region of Rzhev was the same scale advance operation like Operation "Uran" in the region of Stalingrad. He writes that the Germans defeated the Soviets in Operation "Mars" and that it was large German success and Zhukov's defeat.

According Russian opinion Operation "Mars" was a huge scale diversionary operation. The task of Operation "Mars" was to prevent the Germans to transfer troops and reserves in the region of Stalingrad from their rears and from the central part of the Soviet-German Front.

When Glantz was writing his book he didn't know about a very important source - the memoirs of Sudoplatov, who was one of the leaders of Soviet NKVD intelligence during WWII. Sudoplatov wrote in his memoir that Soviet Supreme Command itself warned the Germans about Operation "Mars" through a NKVD agent who was considered by the Germans as their reliable agent in Moscow.

The actions against Velikiye Luki began in November, 25th by the troops of the right flank of the Kalinin Front.

In November, 28th the troops of the 3rd Shock Army ouflanked Velikiye Luki from both sides and encircled there the most part of the German 83rd Infantry Division (about 7,000 men).

The Germans sent two panzer, and one motorized divisions and one motorized brigade (it was in the time when Manstein tried to save the German troops in Stalingrad and to stop the Soviet advance) to breakthrough the encirclement around Velikiye Luki but their attempts had failed. The German panzers approacjhed to Velikiye Luki on the distance of 10 kms but then they were repelled.

In January, 13th of 1943 the remains of Velikiye Luki's garrison had surrendered. The Soviets captured 4,000 soldiers and officers of the German 83rd Infantry Division there.

[tigersqn]

Ask and ye shall receive.

http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/BOOKS/WWII/20234/20-2343.htm

.....and a series of memoirs from pilot's from the various belligerents. Scroll through and there is an account of combat ABOVE Velikye Luki.

http://www.jg54greenhearts.com/eyewitne.html

[Feldwebel Crin]

The encirclement of a large portion of the 83rd in Velikiye Luki was even worse than the battle at Stalingrad which overshadowed it. German casualties were over 90 percent, so the fighting was very desperate. The German breakout from the Citadel could not even be considered a success since only a few scattered squads found there way to German lines.

I don't know of any actual histories of the battle, but Siege is a good novel about Velikiye Luki, which is basically the story's climax. When the point switches Scherer, the commander of the 83rd, it is basically switching from a novel to a historical account and back to a novel when the main characters are again the center.

Here is Siege at the official page: http://russschneider.net/bk_siege.html

[Kevin Kenneally]

Originally Posted by Feldwebel Crin

The encirclement of a large portion of the 83rd in Velikiye Luki was even worse than the battle at Stalingrad which overshadowed it. German casualties were over 90 percent, so the fighting was very desperate. The German breakout from the Citadel could not even be considered a success since only a few scattered squads found there way to German lines.

I don't know of any actual histories of the battle, but Siege is a good novel about Velikiye Luki, which is basically the story's climax. When the point switches Scherer, the commander of the 83rd, it is basically switching from a novel to a historical account and back to a novel when the main characters are again the center.

Here is Siege at the official page: http://russschneider.net/bk_siege.html

I just found this book at a local book store. i will be reading it and give you my answers.

Also, if anyone can findout other information, please let me know.

Thanks again.