A Tank Divsion with no tanks...?

Discussion in 'The Eastern Front' started by Owen, Feb 16, 2010.

  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Reading The Siege of Leningrad by Glantz, page 61.
    Dec 1941.

    Fediuninsky's Fifty-Fourth Army , which consisted of eight rifle divisions , one tank division without tanks , two rifle and two tank brigades and two ski battalions , was to launch it's main attack west of Volkhov and at Voibokalo, link up with Fourth Army near Kirishi, and encircle and destroy Boeckmann's forces.

    Chapter notes say it was: the 21st Tank Division (with no tanks).

    I'm assuming they only had the motorised rifle regiment to use or did they also use the tankless tank crews as Infantry?
    If so seems a waste of trained crews.
    Anyone know when the 21st Tank Divison got some more tanks?
     
  2. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Yep, when you run out of tanks sometimes you'll be ordered to stay on the front line and fight with what you have if the situation is desperate enough. And I have no idea when they did receive other tanks (if any). If undesirable, this situation was not uncommon in the Red Army in the 1st phase of the war, and seemed to recur later on at the end of offensives, but then both recovery of battlefield losses and replenishments were more certain.

    I remember the sarcastic joke by a Tank Army commander: "My army is called 6 Tank Army because I have 6 tanks!"
     
  3. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I see 21st Tank Div were in 10th Mechanised Corps in 23rd Army , Northern Front on 22nd June 1941, there fore I'm not surprised they had no tanks left after 6 months of fighting.
    I see they were heavily engaged with 8 Pz Div in mid-July.

    8th Panzer Divsion had penetrated 40km to reach the town of Sol'tsy late on july 13th.
    ...X Mechanised Corps , skillfully exploiting the difficult terrain , stuck back at the 8th Panzer Division , isolating it from the 3rd Motorised division to it's left and the SS Totenkopf Division still laggingg well to the rear.
     
  4. slaphead

    slaphead very occasional visitor

    ... the SS Totenkopf Division still laggingg well to the rear.

    And what atrocities were this bunch of b****rds commiting "well in the rear" I wonder???
     
  5. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Owen -
    Not too surprising that Tank crews stood as Infantry as we found on the Senio in Northern Italy when we were bogged down in the swamps - gave the Infantry a chance to have a rest and train their reinforcements, but we always had a full complement of Tanks - you lose one - another is there next morning - that was the big difference - sometimes they ran out of ammo - we never ran out of Tanks

    Cheers
     
  6. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  7. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member

    Sad state of affairs when the 21st Panzer Division has no tanks...

    Kev
     

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