Report about the delay of Vistula river crossing.

REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OFFICER OF THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE RED ARMY TO THE DEPUTY SUPREME COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF ON THE REASONS FOR THE DELAY IN THE CROSSING OF VISLA RIVER BY THE TROOPS OF 8TH GUARDS ARMY

August 3, 1944

to Comrade ZHAROV

Troops of the 8th gds Army during August 2, 1944, the armies fought an unsuccessful battle on the western bank of Vistula river and continued to transport infantry, artillery, ammunition and horses.

I consider the reason for the unsuccessful offensive for the expansion of the bridgehead on the western bank of Vistula river to be:

• Indecisive actions of the infantry without appropriate amounts of reinforcing, namely: absence of tanks and an insufficient amount of artillery on the western bank of Vistula river and especially in the morning.
• The increase of the resistance of the enemy, since the latter had planned, according to the testimony of the prisoners, to throw off our units from the occupied bridgehead with the help of aviation. During August 2, 1944, enemy aircraft had disabled a large number of crossing facilities, which slowed down the crossing of troops and equipment.

The absence of a built pontoon bridge and an insufficient number of floating crossing facilities makes it impossible to transfer divisional mechanically tracted artillery, tanks and other equipment to the western coast in a timely manner.

By 20.00 2.8.1944, in two days, the following were transported in total:

• of the 29th gds rifle corps fully: infantry of the 27th and 74th guards rifle division, 82-mm mortar units and 45-mm guns, 2, 76{mm} regiment artillery - 7, 76{mm} divisional artillery - 2.
• of the 28th rifle corps fully: infantry of the 79th, 39th gds rifle division, 76-mm guns of regiment artillery - 20; 76 mm divisional artillery - 33; 45 mm - 26; 82-mm mortars - 83; 120-mm mortars - 12; self-propelled regiment 1061 - 7 guns.
• In the 4th Guards. sk in full: 57th, 35th gds rifle division, all 45-mm and 76-mm horse-drawn regiment artillery, 82-mm mortar units and 28 76-mm divisional artillery guns, self-propelled guns. regiment 1087 - 20 guns.

In addition to infantry and equipment, horses were transported to the western bank of the Vistula - 2 horses for each gun and the necessary amount of ammunition.

An attempt to transport tanks to the western bank of the Vistula river under water did not give any result: the first 2 KV tanks to attempt that remained under water. After this underwater crossing attempts were stopped. For the crossing of heavy equipment (tanks, wheeled artillery), it is necessary to speed up the construction of a heavy pontoon bridge.

General Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Drabkin

Source: Печ. по: ЦАМО РФ. Ф. 233. Оп. 178503. Д. 2. Л. 98–99. Подлинник.