Page 156 - The Chief Culprit

Blitzkrieg in Poland and Mongolia y 117

of tanks, the picture also favors the Red Army. e Pz-I was the most prevalent German tank
that participated in the blitzkrieg in Poland. ere were 1,445 of them. is tank had a 100-
horsepower engine. Earlier models of it had 57-horsepower engines. e second in numbers
was the German Pz-II. ere were 1,226. e earlier models of it had 130-horsepower en-
gines, the later models, 140-horsepower. Germany had only 98 Pz-IIIs, and 211 Pz-IVs. e
first models of these tanks had 250-horsepower engines, the later ones, 300-horsepower.
In contrast, Soviet troops in Mongolia used the BT-5 tanks, with 400-horsepower en-
gines, and the BT-7 with 500-horsepower. e sum power of tank engines used in Mongolia
constituted more than half of the sum power of tank engines used by Germany in Poland.
In the area of tank armament, the Red Army clearly surpassed the Germans. At Khalkhin-
Gol, practically all Soviet tanks were armed with the most powerful tank cannon of that
time, with 45-mm .46-caliber barrels. In addition, Soviet armored automobiles were armed
with the same cannon. e German army, or any other army in the world, had nothing
comparable at the time. e majority of German tanks during the blitzkrieg in Poland had
no cannon at all. e Pz-I only had machine guns. e Pz-II had 20-mm cannon. e Pz-
III had weak 37-mm cannon, and there were less than a hundred tanks of this model. e
Pz-IV had 75-mm cannon with a very short barrel, which was not meant for and not fit for
battle against enemy tanks.
In 1939, the same arms gap could be seen between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht
in terms of artillery. Germany entered World War II with field artillery developed in the time
of World War I, while the Red Army had the best cannons, howitzers, and mortars in the
world, developed right on the eve of World War II. For every thousand German soldiers dur-
ing the blitzkrieg in Poland there were less than two tanks. For every thousand Soviet soldiers
in Mongolia there were almost nine much more powerful tanks. In other words, Soviet troops
at Khalkhin-Gol formed a relatively small army, but were equipped to the limit with the most
modern and sophisticated weapons.
ere was also a big difference in the conditions under which the operations were
conducted. In September 1939, the conditions for conducting a lightning war in Poland
were superb. A continuous defense by the Polish army along the perimeter of the country
was impossible. Poland, to its misfortune, was an ideal location for the demonstration of
tank capabilities. Western Poland formed a wide protrusion, surrounded on three sides by
German territory. Its border with Germany stretched two thousand kilometers; after German
occupation of Czechoslovakia, the German-Polish border increased by another eight hundred
kilometers.
5
e German army did not have to break through defenses. Ahead of it lay flat terrain,
ideal for advance and totally unfit for defense. e river Vistula flows through Poland, but
there was no need to cross it. Hitler’s troops were located on both sides of the Vistula. ere
were no other serious water barriers. An attack on Warsaw could be carried out from any
direction. e distance from mainland Germany to Warsaw was 230 kilometers, and from
the border of Eastern Prussia to Warsaw was 110 kilometers. is meant that there was no
need to relocate supply bases—troops could be supplied from stationary bases built during
peacetime. ere was no need to transfer thousands of tons of ammunition, fuel, and other
equipment. In theory, a thrust on Warsaw could be carried out without refueling tanks. Fill
up the tanks in Germany, and go! ere were no defenses ahead, since they were impossible.
ere was no need to set up field hospitals, because the wounded could be taken to stationary