German command's guidelines on training of Wehrmacht's military units at Soviet-German front based on the front-line experience in 1941-1942

The article analyzes the guidelines of the training division of the General Staff of German land forces on improving the fighting techniques of Wehrmacht's military units on the basis of the front-line experience gained in armed hostilities with the Red Army in 1941-1942. The study of archives allowed the author to reveal drawbacks and shortcomings of Wehrmacht's military units training in the period preceding the second major German advance in Summer of 1942. In particular, the following drawbacks were revealed: incatious movement through monitored terrains, insufficient camouflage security, lack of proper skills in overhead shooting, poor field engineering of the infantry, poor land navigation, defeat of tank attacks and finally, tank combating at close range. The article also contains the characteristics of profound and thorough training of German command for the summer campaign of 1942, which covered all major issues such as the actions of reconnaissance forces, the organization of officers and non-commissioned officers' training, close combat instructions, training of infantry's field engineering, night training, making reports etc. At the end of the article the author comes to the conclusion that despite the intensified training and correction of previous mistakes, German command failed to achieve radical turning point in the war, which ended in the total defeat of fascist Germany.