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Old 15th May 2005, 13:04
Mirek Wawrzynski Mirek Wawrzynski is offline
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Re: Credibility of Krivosheev? Rather low, :-(

Some of you are talking about a book Grif Sekretnosti Sniat, edited by Colonel-General G. F. Krivosheev. I wonder what edition do you think about. This book has 2 edition : first in 1993 (about) and secon in 2001 (Poteri voruzonnych sil Rosji i CCCP w XX wiekie) form 2001. I have the second the first I had seen some times ago.
My impresion about this books as following.

What is for me "shocking" in both books are political manipulation of statictic provided by Russians/Soviets historians. Both book do not have credible datas.
When you check the tables about the Soviet tanks in June 1941 you will get to know that Soviets had about 22.600 tanks in the Red Army.
Other Russian sources edited also in the last years given highr fighyres (I think about Kolomyjetz and his series Frontovaja Ilustratzya) in his series he can specifiy tanks according the types and their serviceability - he put the total figure of Soviet tank force on about 26.000 on June 1941. -all category of tanks.
The sem you will have when you check the amount of Soviet planes in June 1941.
Krivosheev simply uderestimate own forces and overestimate enemy power (no matter tanks, planes ect).

When you check Soviet VVS RKKA losses over Poland during Russian agression on Poland you will get figure of 4 killed (differen reasons of killed given in both edition: 1993-2001). Some time ago I have got form my Russian firneds a list of Soviet airmen killed during invasion on Poland and there is the names of 11 Russian killed form various reason. I can give other such "cases" different figures given in Krivosheeev and other Russian officila sources written according documents.
This is not the point.
I think that these both book do not presnets credible datas and figures as we should expected from such sources "Krivosheev team".
Some of your calculation based according mentioned sources (both books) can easly provide you with flase picture of Soviet losses and war statisctic.

I have realised this when I did start to resarch some of figures given in this official Russian book and other Russian sources. I think about "Air war over Chalchingol" Air war over Poland IX/X 1939" and "Barbarossa period".
Being an author of several articles concerning mentioned titles I just see Krivosheev books as a additional sources of any estimation and calculation because fact and figures given in other Russian sources, documents presents quite differen picture then both books because erlier mentioned reason " underestimate own power and losses over estimate enemy strengh and losses. Last biut not least the language of Krivosheev books is also far of being objective and balanced and have strong political (red/Soviet oriented) colour/flovour.

Regards
Mirek Wawrzyński


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