10-08-2003, 02:59 PM
Just a short note which I hope will highlight the relative value and accuracy of sources.
I am currently researching the 153rd Rifle Regiment. The only way to do this is to research its Rifle Division, once I had identified that - the 80th RD (2nd formation).
Conner and Poirier do not tend to distinguish between the different divisional formations which is a grave error as more than a third of Soviet rifle division numbers were used more than once during the war. Several dozen were in fact used three times. The C&P entries for the 80th RD were confusingly a short mix of selections from both the 1st and 2nd formation of the units as well as a few which did not apply to either and were simply wrong. Sadly, this meant that the info provided was less than 1/3 correct depending of which formation one wanted to research.
Charles Sharp’s history was much better, which is not surprising considering what he had access to compared to C&P’s pioneering work. He lists the 1st and 2nd formation of the 80th RD separately (but in separate volumes). His history of the short lived 1st formation catches all the key activities of the unit. However, his history of the 2nd formation, though containing no errors, misses out on more than half the Operations which the division participated in.
To come up with the final picture took access to several books by David Glantz, some very rare privately published ones and some mainstream, as well as a couple by other authors. There are still some holes as there is no good up to date study yet of the Leningrad Front’s Pskov-Ostrov operation in July 1944 and, more disturbingly, of the Vistula-Oder operation of January-February 1945.
Shawn
I am currently researching the 153rd Rifle Regiment. The only way to do this is to research its Rifle Division, once I had identified that - the 80th RD (2nd formation).
Conner and Poirier do not tend to distinguish between the different divisional formations which is a grave error as more than a third of Soviet rifle division numbers were used more than once during the war. Several dozen were in fact used three times. The C&P entries for the 80th RD were confusingly a short mix of selections from both the 1st and 2nd formation of the units as well as a few which did not apply to either and were simply wrong. Sadly, this meant that the info provided was less than 1/3 correct depending of which formation one wanted to research.
Charles Sharp’s history was much better, which is not surprising considering what he had access to compared to C&P’s pioneering work. He lists the 1st and 2nd formation of the 80th RD separately (but in separate volumes). His history of the short lived 1st formation catches all the key activities of the unit. However, his history of the 2nd formation, though containing no errors, misses out on more than half the Operations which the division participated in.
To come up with the final picture took access to several books by David Glantz, some very rare privately published ones and some mainstream, as well as a couple by other authors. There are still some holes as there is no good up to date study yet of the Leningrad Front’s Pskov-Ostrov operation in July 1944 and, more disturbingly, of the Vistula-Oder operation of January-February 1945.
Shawn
