THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR IN THE DECLINE OF COMBAT EFFICIENCY  OF WEHRMACHT PANZER DIVISIONS ON THE SOVIET-GERMAN FRONT

Alexander Polishchuk

doi:10.36906/2311-4444/26-3/02

UDC 93 UDC 94

2 more Collapse

THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR IN THE DECLINE OF COMBAT EFFICIENCY OF WEHRMACHT PANZER DIVISIONS ON THE SOVIET-GERMAN FRONT

Published in Bulletin of Nizhnevartovsk State University · Issue 3 · Pages 18–33 · Rubric: General History

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36906/2311-4444/26-3/02

Received: 21.02.2026 Accepted: 18.03.2026 Published: 25.09.2026 Language of publication: RUS

Authors

Alexander Polishchuk

ORCID

Alexander Polishchuk

Ecocenter Municipal Autonomous Institution Russian Federation · Megion

Nizhnevartovskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet Russian Federation · Nizhnevartovsk

ORCID

ABSTRACT

The purpose and objective of this scientific study is to consider how such a perfect organizational and staff structure as the German panzer division, which defeated or brought to the brink of defeat all the armies of Europe, turned out to be powerless in the final result, which ended in the defeat of the Third Reich. How did it happen that the best examples of armored vehicles, which allowed tank aces to achieve excellent personal accounts, eventually froze in the fields of the USSR and Europe, broken, burned out and abandoned? The author chooses an interdisciplinary approach in the study and believes that officers who held command positions in Wehrmacht tank formations played a huge role in this. In the article, the author tried to trace the combat biographies of the commanders of German Wehrmacht tank divisions, whose careers declined as a result of fighting on the Soviet-German front, and who instead of high awards and military positions He found himself at the rear and administrative posts far from the front. The results obtained indicate that even with the most perfect organizational and staff structure of the formations, an incorrectly selected command staff will lead the troops to failure in the operation and defeat in the war. The main conclusion is that in the military sphere, it is the "phenomenon of a man in his place" that plays a huge role and the training of military personnel is the most important task for the state. Organizational and staff structures may change with the development of military thought, but the ability of military personnel to adapt to any changes on the battlefield should be laid down in military schools at the training level of junior officers. It should also be constantly developed and maintained in the future at various courses and academies. At the same time, there should be a sufficient number of these trained command personnel.

KEYWORDS

Soviet-German front, tank division, tank corps, losses, command position

Text

Text (RU) (PDF)

Read Download

1. Balck, H. (2015). Order in Chaos: The Memoirs of General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck. Ed. and Trans. Major General David T. Zabecki, USA (Ret.) and Lieutenant Colonel Dieter J. Biedekarken, USA (Ret.). UP Kentucky, Lexington. 578 s. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt14qrzg3

2. BArch, RW 6-573. Gesamtzahl der Verluste des Pz.A.O.K.1.

3. BArch, RW 6-574. Gesamtzahl der Verluste des Pz.A.O.K.2.

4. BArch, RW 6-575. Gesamtzahl der Verluste des Pz.A.O.K.3.

5. BArch, RW 6-576. Gesamtzahl der Verluste des Pz.A.O.K.4.

6. Frisner, G. (2016). Lost battles: Translated from German. Moscow: Veche, 288 p. (in Russ.).

7. Goth, G. (1961). Tank operations: Translated from German. Moscow: Voenizdat, 207 p. (in Russ.).

8. Guderian, G. (1957). Tanks – forward!: Translated from German. Moscow: Voenizdat, 260 p. (in Russ.).

9. Guderian, G. (1998). Memoirs of a soldier: Translated from German. Smolensk: Rusich Publ., 653 p. (in Russ.).

10. Guderian, G. Is it possible to protect Western Europe: Translated from German. Moscow: Voenizdat, 1954. 64 p. (in Russ.).

11. Halder, F. (2010). War diary (June 1941 September 1942): Translated from German. Moscow: ACT, 704 p. (in Russ.).

12. Ilinich, V. 2026. Tank troops of the Wehrmacht: Structure, organization, tactics. Moscow: Eksmo, 336 p. (in Russ.).

13. Jentz Thomas, L. (1998). Panzer Truppen: 1943–1945 v. 2: The Complete Guide to the Creation and Combat Employment of Germany’s Tank Force • 1943–1945. Schiffer Military History Book, 300 s.

14. Jentz Thomas, L. (2004). Panzer Truppen: 1933–1942 v. 1: The Complete Guide to the Creation and Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force • 1933–1942. Schiffer Military History Book, 287 s.

15. Mackensen, E. (2004). From the Bug to the Caucasus. The III Tank Corps in the campaign against Soviet Russia 1941–1942 – in: From the Bug to the Caucasus: Translated from German. Moscow: AST, 496 p. (in Russ.).

16. Manstein, E. (2002). Lost victories: Translated from German. Moscow: ACT; St. Petersburg Terra Fantastica, 896 p. (in Russ.).

17. Mellenthin, F. (1957). Tank battles of 1939–1945: Translated from German. Moscow: Voenizdat, 304 p. (in Russ.).

18. Mitcham, Jr. Samuel W. The Panzer Legions. A Guide to the German Army Tank Divisions of World War II and Their Commanders. Greenwood, 2000. 352 s.

19. Mitcham, S.W. (2008). Panzer Commanders of the Western Front. Stackpole Books. 272 s.

20. Mitcham, S.W. (2008). Rommel's Desert Commanders: The Men Who Served the Desert Fox, North Africa, 1941–42. Stackpole Books, 240 s.

21. Mitcham, S.W. (2012). Hitler's Commanders: Officers of the Wehrmacht, the Luftwaffe, the Kriegsmarine, and the Waffen-SS. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 380 s. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5771/9781442211544

22. Nehring, V. (2016). German armored troops. The development of military equipment and the history of combat operations. 1916–1945: Translated from German. Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf, 415 p. (in Russ.).

23. Nevenkin, Kamen (2008). Fire brigades. The Panzer Divisions 1943–1945. J.J.Fedorowicz Publishing.Inc. Copyright, 940 s.

24. Rouse, E. (2006). Tank battles on the Eastern Front: Translated from German. Moscow: AST, 523 p. (in Russ.).

25. Tippelskirch, K. (1999). The history of the Second World War: Translated from German by St. Petersburg: Polygon; Moscow: AST, 796 p. (in Russ.).

26. Varlimont, V. (2005). At Hitler's headquarters. Memoirs of a German general: Translated from German. Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf, 575 p. (in Russ.).

27. Zalessky, K.A. (2005). Kriegsmarine. The Navy of the Third Reich. Encyclopedia reference book. Moscow: Yauza, 640 p. (in Russ.).

28. Zalessky, K.A. (2005). Luftwaffe. The Air Force of the Third Reich. Encyclopedia reference book. Moscow: Yauza, 739 p. (in Russ.).

29. Zalessky, K.A. (2005). The Wehrmacht. The ground forces and the High Command. Encyclopedia reference book. Moscow: Yauza, 660 p. (in Russ.).

30. Zalessky, K.A. (2011). The military elite of Germany. 1870–1945. Encyclopedia reference book. Moscow: Veche, 560 p. (in Russ.).

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

PDF JATS XML

Editor in Chief

Sergey Gorlov

Executive editor

El'vira Yumagulova

eco-vestnik@nvsu.ru

Executive editor

Liliya Ibragimova

mpro-vestnik@nvsu.ru

Executive editor

Valery Tsys

his-vestnik@nvsu.ru

The Issuing Editor

Anastasiya Yakovleva

red@nvsu.ru +7(346)624-50-51

downloads

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Creative Commons

GOST

Polishchuk A. A. THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR IN THE DECLINE OF COMBAT EFFICIENCY OF WEHRMACHT PANZER DIVISIONS ON THE SOVIET-GERMAN FRONT // Bulletin of Nizhnevartovsk State University. 2026. no. 3. pp. 18-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36906/2311-4444/26-3/02. (Date of access 18.10.2026).

MLA

Alexander Polishchuk. "THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR IN THE DECLINE OF COMBAT EFFICIENCY OF WEHRMACHT PANZER DIVISIONS ON THE SOVIET-GERMAN FRONT." Bulletin of Nizhnevartovsk State University.3 (2026): 18-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36906/2311-4444/26-3/02.

APA

Polishchuk A. A. (2026). THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR IN THE DECLINE OF COMBAT EFFICIENCY OF WEHRMACHT PANZER DIVISIONS ON THE SOVIET-GERMAN FRONT. Bulletin of Nizhnevartovsk State University(3), 18-33. https://doi.org/10.36906/2311-4444/26-3/02

Chicago

Alexander Polishchuk. "THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR IN THE DECLINE OF COMBAT EFFICIENCY OF WEHRMACHT PANZER DIVISIONS ON THE SOVIET-GERMAN FRONT." Bulletin of Nizhnevartovsk State University, no. 3 (2026): 18-33. https://doi.org/10.36906/2311-4444/26-3/02.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Polishchuk A. A. | title = THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR IN THE DECLINE OF COMBAT EFFICIENCY OF WEHRMACHT PANZER DIVISIONS ON THE SOVIET-GERMAN FRONT | journal = Bulletin of Nizhnevartovsk State University | year = 2026 | issue = 3 | pages = 18-33 | doi = 10.36906/2311-4444/26-3/02 }}

Copy

Export: BibTeX EndNote RefMan RusMARC

THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR IN THE DECLINE OF COMBAT EFFICIENCY OF WEHRMACHT PANZER DIVISIONS ON THE SOVIET-GERMAN FRONT

Confirmation