the soviet partisan movement 1941-1944 by edgar m. howell

PART ONE
GERMAN PLANNING FOR THE INVASION AND
OCCUPATION OF RUSSIA
CHAPTER 1
BACKGROUND
In the military history of few countries of the world have topography,
climate, and population played such decisive roles as Russia. The
sheer size of the land, its formidable array of natural obstacles, the
violent seasonal variations of climate, and the e-mindedness of the
civilian populace in the face of alien pressure are unmatched. Time and
again great powers have invaded Russia with powerful military
machines, winning striking victory after victory, only to be ultimately
defeated and driven out.
The USSR, which comprises astern half of Europe and the
northern and central part of Asia, is the largest continuous political unit
in the world. Occupying some 8,400,000 square miles, roughly onesixth
of the habitable land surface of the earth, it is nearly three times
the size of the United States, and larger than all North America.
It extends from Romania, Poland, the Baltic Sea, Finland in the
west to China, Manchuria, and the Pacific Ocean in the east, a distance
of some 6,000 miles. From north to south it stretches from the Arctic
Circle to Turkey, Persia, Afghanistan, and Mongolia, a maximum distance
of some 3,000 miles.
In this huge area are something over 200 million people, about onetenth
of the world's population, including 174 races, nationalities, and
tribes, speaking 125 different languages or dialects, and professing faith to
some 40 different religions. Of the ethnic groups, however, only 93 are
composed of more than 10,000 people. Of the total population,
153,000,000 are of Slavic origin, divided roughly as follows: Great
Russians, 105 millions; Ukrainians, 37 millions; and White Russians,
8½ millions, with a scattering of Poles, Bulgars, and Czechs. The Slavs
are chiefly of the Greek Orthodox faith. In addition, there are some 21
million Turko-Tartars, predominantly Mohammedan.
European Russia
European Russia-with which this study is primarily concernedmay
be considered that portion of the USSR lying between Central
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