"The ‘Siberian’ Divisions and the Battle for Moscow ..." Topic

…in 1941-42.

Of possible interest?

"According to current historical wisdom, large numbers of veteran and well equipped Siberian divisions were deployed protecting the USSR's eastern borders against a possible attack by Japan on 22nd June 1941. They were then apparently transferred west from October to November 1941 in time to have a decisive influence on the battle for Moscow. According to the same historical wisdom these divisions were released from October to November 1941, after Stalin had learned from his spy network in Japan, run by Richard Sorge, that the Japanese had no intention of attacking the USSR. Apparently by November 1941 these same Siberian divisions were being encountered all along the front protecting Moscow.

The following quote typifies the current common perception, "The Siberians are coming! It was a cry that spread terror through the ranks of the German Wehrmacht in the winter of 1941. Since June 22, the Red Army had lost millions of dead, wounded and captured soldiers, while the Wehrmacht had advanced to the very gates of Moscow itself. Now, however, new armies seemed to be springing out of the Russian soil as if by magic as the Germans prepared their final thrust toward the Soviet capital. The ever distrustful Josef Stalin had primarily put his faith in the word of one man (Richard Sorge), and had ordered division after division of his armies in the Far East to be transported as quickly as possible to the west to blunt the German advance…"

See here
link

Amicalement
Armand

The key that opened the door for transfer of the USSR's forces from Manchuria to the Moscow Front was (a) the defeat imposed by the Soviets upon Japan in the Khalkin Gol campaign of 1939 and (b) the consequent establishment of a five year Japanese-Soviet neutrality agreement in April 1941 (broken by the USSR in August 1945 as the result of another deal made with Roosevelt).

Interesting factoid – This same agreement also enabled continuous wholesale transport of Lend-Lease supplies from the US across the North Pacific to Vladivostok without Japanese interference of any kind.

B

Much of the problems with the soviet army was that with the purge of the officer corp and expansion of the Soviet army most of the units were not combat ready. Due to the Siberian divisions being left in the East till October/November of 1941 the divisions were able to train those additional months which had a major impact when they went into combat.

If I were Stalin and faced with losing either Vladivostok or Moscow, I know which I'd choose.