List of military intelligence reports (January-June 1941)

LIST OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE REPORTS ON THE PREPARATION OF GERMANY FOR WAR AGAINST THE USSR (JANUARY - JUNE 1941) *

Nr	Source	Message time	Reported Attack time	Contents of the report
1	Max	2.11.40	After defeating England	The attack is expected from two flanks. Flanking from the north (Finland) and from the Balkan Peninsula. He doesn't talk about reasons.
2	Skornyakov VAT	12.25.40	Spring of 1941	Anonymous. The offensive plan: from Lublin along the Pripyat River to Kiev; from Romania - between Yasen and Bukovina to Teterev; from East Prussia
3	Vkh.891ss (1 det.)	15.2.41	In 2-3 months	Germany does not have food and therefore seeks to seize the Ukraine. The attack will take place through Romania.
4	Vkh.0356ss O VS	6.3.41	After defeating Greece	The Military Attache of Czechoslovakia Smakovich is convinced that the capture of Greece precedes the attack on the USSR. The exit of the Germans to the Dardanelles is an act against the USSR.
5	A.G.	February 1941	After signing peace with England	The USSR will be fully prepared for war in 1942, and Germany may be exhausted by this time.
6	Alta	17.1.41	In the spring of 1941	The Aryan said that the war with the USSR was not just rumors, but Hitler's order, which is known to a limited circle of people involved in preparing for a war against the USSR.
7	Doj	17.1.41	March 1941	It is said in military and diplomatic circles that after the defeat of England or conclusion of peace with her, the USSR will be Germany's closest enemy.
eight	Khlopov, mil. attache assistant	8.1.41		An assistant to the American mil. attache in Germany, in a conversation with our assistant to the mil. attache, said: “We now have information from very reliable sources that Germany is preparing to start a war against the USSR. The exact date is not indicated, but it is emphasized that the information is reliable.
9	Vkh.751ss (1 det)	7.2.41	In the spring of 1941	The Aryan repeats once again that in the spring there will be a clash between Germany and the USSR. It is believed in military circles and the Foreign Office that the war will bring about the end of the National Socialist regime.
10	Savva	26.2.41		German troops in Romania are intended for action against the USSR ... The flow of "tourists" to Finland and military transports to Slovakia and Galicia (mechanized units) has increased.
eleven	Dixon, mil.attache	2.3.41		The envoy in Belgrade was informed at the Foreign Office that the Nazi Party and the army had agreed on the expediency of launching an offensive against the USSR soon. The envoy assesses it as German propaganda fabricated for the Balkan governments.
12	Sophocles, mil.attache	9.3.41	April - May	It is known from the Minister of the Court in Belgrade that the German General Staff has refused to attack the English Isles. The immediate task was set - the capture of Ukraine and Baku. Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria are now preparing for this.
thirteen	Yeshchenko (1 division)	15.3.41	In 3 months	Lawyer Sakar said that the Germans allegedly have completely changed their plan and are going to attack the USSR. We, the Germans say, will take grain, coal and oil from the USSR. The main headquarters of the Romanian army, together with the Germans, is developing a plan for a war against the USSR.
14	Savva, mil.attache	22.3.41		According to officials of the Ministry of Trade, on March 20 the Germans issued a secret order to suspend the fulfillment of orders for the USSR by the industry of the Protectorate. The attache of the Yugoslav trade agency Tserovych showed the stamps of the Ukrainian People's Republic.
15	Yeshchenko (1 det.)	24.3.41	May 1941	ABC data: when Antonescu met with Goering, they discussed the role of Romania in the upcoming war with the USSR. Rumors about the inevitability of war are widespread in Berlin. It is asserted here that the Red Army is weak, that an invasion as far as Moscow and the Urals will not present any difficulties for the Germans. If there is a war, England will not help the USSR. At present, a huge amount of weapons is being transferred from France to the border with the USSR.
sixteen	Savva, mil.attache	24.3.41	April 14, 1941	According to unverified information, the deadline for speaking out against the USSR is April 15. The termination of our orders in the Protectorate is confirmed.
17	Bart (1 division)	24.3.41		Here they openly talk about the war with the USSR. The conscripts move towards our border. Recently, people under the age of 50 are conscripted. New troops arrive in Koenigsberg from the West.
18	Tomasz (1 det.)	24.3.41	April 15, 1941	Over the past week and a half, the masters are brazenly pursuing. Instructions were received to delay the shipment of equipment on orders from the USSR. By April 15, the question of the German campaign to the East must be finally decided.
nineteen	Tomasz (1 det.)	26.3.41		The acceptance of all cargoes to Peremyshl was stopped, with the exception of equipment, food and fodder. They confirmed from another source the preparation of the German campaign to the East.
twenty	Yeshchenko (1 det)	25.3.41.		On March 24, Antonescu had a meeting at which the latter offered his services to fight against the USSR. German officer Herbert said: “Reds are dogs. Soon we will have an account with them. We will take Ukraine away from them.”
21	Yeshchenko (1 det.)	25.3.41	May	ABC: "Hoffmann said that he had a conversation with Antonescu a few days ago, who said that back in January of this year he was privy to the German war plan against the USSR."
22	Yeshchenko (1 det.)	25.3.41	May	The USSR is the behind-the-scenes enemy of Germany. The USSR is trying with all its might to prolong the war, and there is a danger that the advance of the German armies to the southeast will be subjected to a flank attack by the Red Army. The food crisis is forcing Ukraine to be taken away. The main reason for the war is the possibility of the USSR joining England.
23	Yeshchenko (1 det.)	26.3.41	After 2-3 months	The Romanian General Staff has accurate information that 80 divisions are being prepared on the territory of East Prussia and Poland for an offensive against the Ukraine. At the same time, the Germans will also enter the Balkan countries, where they hope to raise an uprising against the USSR. The Romanians intend to participate together with the Germans in the war against the USSR in order to get Bessarabia.
24	Arnold	27.3.41	May - August 1941	Romanian conveyed to Yugoslavia that Germany would oppose the USSR, if not in May, then in August 1941.
25	Yuri (Tokyo)	25.3.41		The German offensive against England may fail. In this case, there is a second plan of attack in the Middle East. Germany will not reckon with the USSR, since the Red Army has demonstrated its weakness in Poland and Finland.
26	Maro	27.3.41		The grouping of troops created by the Germans in the Balkans is directed mainly against Ukraine, which should become the food and oil base of Germany in the event of a protracted war with England.
27	Skornyakov	11.3.41	Within 4-6 months	Assessment of the situation by the Chinese mil.attache: “1. An invasion of England is now presented as a very difficult undertaking. 2. The Red Army does not have sufficient combat capability. 3. The Russians do not have any plan for a broad offensive against Germany, and their opposition will be reduced to holding back the German offensive.
28	Doj	First half of March 1941	War between Germany and USSR is inevitable	Hitler justifies the plan to seize the Ukraine with the following motives: The creation of a 50 million Ukrainian state would solve the problem of feeding Europe. This plan is supported by Hitler's adherents - the old National Socialists. 1. The military does not approve of such a plan, as this will lead to a bloody war, which will end in no one knows how. 2. Some reliability of the existence of such a plan is confirmed by the support of the Ukrainians in the General Government.
29	Khlopov, vkh. 1651	13.3.41		Statement by mil.attache Sweden: "The danger of a German attack on the USSR is growing: the transfer of German troops to the border of the USSR continues. Propaganda against the USSR intensifies in Germany. Contradictions between Germany and the USSR on the Balkan question are escalating."
thirty	Likhterov, vkh. 1590	12.2.41		The press officer of the Romanian embassy in Budapest said that he had spoken to a prominent German officer who said that if Germany needed oil during the war, she would extract it by force from the Soviet Union. The war of Germany against the USSR is inevitable.
31	Mars	4.3.41		A high-ranking Hungarian official heard from German officers that already this year Germany would oppose the USSR.
32	Yeshchenko	12.3.41		It was planned to transfer the Germans to Bulgaria on February 27-28, 1941, but there was an order from Berlin that part of the troops that were scheduled for transfer to Bulgaria should be sent to Moldova. There is a large concentration of Germans in Moldova and Bukovina. In German circles they say: "We will defend Romania and Bulgaria from England and the USSR."
33	Yeshchenko	24.3.41	May 1941	During the meeting between Antonescu and Goering in Vienna, the question of the role of Romania in the upcoming war of Germany against the USSR was discussed. Goering gave Antonescu a number of instructions to coordinate the plan for the mobilization of the Romanian armies with the plans for the mobilization of the German army, referring to the general plan for the war with the USSR. It is believed that the war should begin in May 1941.
34	Yeshchenko	26.3.41		There are rumors of an upcoming conflict between Germany and the USSR. Antonescu, when visiting Berlin on January 1, 1941, was personally privy to the German war plan against the USSR, and this was discussed in detail when Antonescu met Goering in Vienna.
35	Yeshchenko	26.3.41	After 2-3 months	Germany is expected to attack Ukraine in 2-3 months, at the same time the Baltic countries will act, where the Germans expect an uprising against the USSR.
36	Alta	25.3.41	Between May 15 and June 15, 1941	To secure his food base and maintain his authority, Hitler would oppose the USSR. Facts to support this: 120 divisions are concentrated in Poland. Western airfields in Poland are occupied by bomber squadrons. There is an intensive construction of air defense facilities in the East of Germany. Three army groups are formed: a) under the command of Field Marshals Bock, Rundstedt and Ritter von Leeb; b) the 1st army group "Kenigsberg" is moving in the direction of Leningrad; The 2nd Army Group is moving towards Moscow; The 3rd Army Group "Posen" is moving in the direction of Kiev.
37	"X"	5.2.41	After the end of the war with England	1. On the border with the USSR there is such a number of German troops that is more than necessary to protect the border. 2. Immediately after the war with France, Hitler gave the order to build eastern fortifications. 3. In the eastern cities of Germany, an enhanced installation of air defense systems is underway ...
38	"X"	27.3.41		In early March, a press conference was convened in Berlin, at which Hitler forbade writing anything about the USSR. Hitler declared that not everything was in order with regard to the friendship treaty with the USSR, and that public opinion should be prepared regarding a change in Germany's policy towards the USSR. In the circles of the NSDAP, the opinion prevails that if Germany does not achieve a decisive victory over England in the near future, then Germany will oppose the USSR in order to seize Ukraine. Others believe that Germany should oppose the USSR in June.
39	"X"	5.4.41	May 15-June 15, 1941	Government adviser Thode from the German Ministry of Economy declared that the most responsible circles in Berlin were convinced of the impending war against the USSR. The dates are called May 15, 1941, but due to the events in the Balkans, the speech was postponed to June 15, 1941. Berlin circles believe that the Red Army is easy to defeat, since it has concentrated its main forces on the central sector of the front. The Germans are going to drive several wedges into these units in the south and north, driving them into a hollow, and prepare the second Kutno. The initial attacks will be made in the south and in the north.
40	"X"	17.4.41		At present, the majority of German representatives of firms, frightened by persistent rumors about the upcoming war with the USSR, have left Moscow. Judging by the ongoing preparations (the concentration of troops in the east, especially in East Prussia), a war with the USSR is not excluded in the very near future. Up to 100 divisions are concentrated on the borders with the USSR.
41	"X"	29.4.41		Schulenburg was not accepted by Ribbentrop. Only on April 23, 1941, Hitler suddenly summoned him. Timm, a correspondent for German newspapers, was given the task of urgently reporting about the quality of the Moscow-Minsk highway. Colonel Krippe stated that the Germans expect to carry out the entire operation against the USSR up to the occupation of Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Odessa in a maximum of 4 weeks. The Hitlerites are quite openly preparing German public opinion for a war against the USSR.
42	"X"	29.4.41	In 6 weeks	Schulenburg was not received by either Hitler or Ribbentrop, which is analogous to the position of the German ambassador Moltke in Warsaw, who was summoned to Berlin six weeks before the start of the German attack on Poland. Hitler's refusal to accept Schulenburg means that the question of war with the USSR is finally resolved.
43	"X"	29.4.41.	15 May 1941	The Germans intend to transfer all the rubber from Asia to Germany before May 15, 1941, or leave it in Asia altogether. Embassy employees urgently send valuables to Berlin.
44	"X"	7.5.41	June 1941	Göring's adjutant reported that the adventure with the concentration of German troops in the east had gone over the edge and threatened with serious consequences for Germany. The High Command gave the order to complete the preparation of the theater of war and the concentration of troops in the East by June 2. The number of troops after concentration: East Prussia - 2 million, former Poland - 3 million, Romania, Hungary and the Balkans - 2 million. Thus, up to 7 million troops should be concentrated against the USSR.
45	"X"	7.5.41	June 2, 1941	The war with the USSR has already been decided. Facts: In Warsaw and other cities there are schools for infirmaries. The German population from the General Government must be evacuated. The Baltics, Russians and Ukrainians must be gathered for military training. The order was given to complete all preparations by June 2, 1941. On the coast of the Baltic Sea, the Germans concentrated a large number of ships intended for landing. It is possible that Hitler, at the same time as making a move on the land borders, will try to land troops in the Baltics in order to leave the army defending the borders in the rear and turn the front from the north.
46	"X"	23.5.41	June 1941	Soldiers in the General Government openly talk about an imminent war with the USSR. Up to 2 million soldiers are concentrated in Poland.
47	"X"	29.5.41		Tippelskirch decided to send important classified material to Berlin.
48	"X"	5.6.41	June 20, 1941	Most of the embassy workers sent their families to Berlin. In the embassy, ​​the general situation is assessed extremely pessimistically. They believe that in the next three weeks they should finally decide the situation that has arisen, that is, if the war between Germany and the USSR does not begin before June 20, then it will not happen at all.
49	"X"	10.6.41	June 20-June 23, 1941	The days before June 20 or 23, 1941 are, according to Schieber, decisive. Hitler invited Stalin to come to Germany. The answer must be given before June 12, 1941. If Stalin does not come to Berlin, then war is inevitable. Germany made demands on the USSR: a) additional supplies of 2.5 million tons of grain, b) free transit to Persia and military occupation of Soviet grain warehouses for 4-5 million tons. The deadline for accepting proposals is June 23, 1941. I am convinced that in a few weeks after the start of the war, the most important parts of the USSR will be occupied by the Germans. Unprecedented in the history of preparations for this campaign.
50	"X"	10.6.41		Hilger declared that he was aware that German military circles were afraid that the Red Army might concentrate its main forces inside the country. Then the Germans would have been able to occupy most of the country's territory, but they would not have been able to defeat the Red Army even in the first phase of the war.
51	"X"	14.6.41.	First half JUNE	In the German embassy in Moscow, anxiety and uncertainty reign. Information from Berlin indicates that military preparations are continuing and the ministries are convinced that the war will begin in the first half of June this year.
52	"X"	19.6.41	June 1941	The embassy is firmly convinced that Germany is facing an attack on the USSR within the next few days. The deadlines are June 15, June 20 and June 24. Adviser Shiber stated that he believed the attack would take place in the coming days, namely June 23 or June 24. There is an order that heavy artillery on June 19 be transferred from Krakow to the border with the USSR. Tippelskirch believes that some kind of border conflict on the Soviet-Romanian border will be the reason for the war. Mobilization has been announced in Romania and Finland.
53	"X"	19.6.41	June 20, 1941	The embassy is convinced that from June 20 the possibility of the outbreak of hostilities between Germany and the USSR should be taken into account every day. The embassy was instructed to immediately send all children and women. I received an order to leave Moscow from the German naval attache along with the staff. Hilger received a conditioned telegram that the war had been decided. Hilger stated that it was now perfectly clear that war was inevitable.
54	"X"	20.6.41	June 23, 1941	The departure of the naval attache and the children has been made. Regular diplomatic couriers were instructed not to leave Berlin. Representatives of industrial firms in Moscow were instructed (telegrams) to immediately leave for Berlin.
55	"X"	21.6.41 in the morning	In the next 48 hours	The Embassy received a telegram from the Foreign Office in Berlin. From 4 o'clock in the morning there is a meeting at the Tippelskirch. The source is convinced that the war will begin in the next 48 hours.
56	"X"	21.6.41 19.00	Immediately	The embassy in the morning was instructed to destroy all secret papers. All employees of the embassy were ordered to pack their things before the morning of June 22 and hand them over to the embassy. Living outside the embassy - move to the embassy. It is believed that the coming night will be a decision. This solution is war.

* Most likely, the document was prepared on June 28, 1941, when Golikov, together with Timoshenko and Zhukov, was summoned to report to Stalin, where he stayed for 1.5 hours.

Source: "Military intelligence informs. January 1939 - June 1941." International Fund "Democracy", Moscow, 2008. Pp. 701-713

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