The Classic Eastern Front Tour

Day One: Arrive.
We fly from London to Moscow and check into a hotel for two nights. This is an epic tour, covering the three turning points of the Second World War: Hitler’s failed winter offensive against Moscow in 1941, the defeat and loss of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad, now Volgograd, in 1942-3 and the climactic clash of armor around the Kursk salient in 1943. Such an epic historical landscape by definition involves some travel, by rail and air as well as road; the Kursk bulge salient for example is the size of Wales.  This trip is very much an off-piste exploration of contemporary Russia, as well as its history.

We fly from London to Moscow and check into a hotel for two nights. This is an epic tour, covering the three turning points of the Second World War: Hitler’s failed winter offensive against Moscow in 1941, the defeat and loss of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad, now Volgograd, in 1942-3 and the climactic clash of armor around the Kursk salient in 1943. Such an epic historical landscape by definition involves some travel, by rail and air as well as road; the Kursk bulge salient for example is the size of Wales. This trip is very much an off-piste exploration of contemporary Russia, as well as its history.

Day Two: Operation Typhoon and the defense of Moscow.
The day begins with a drive to Borodino, the site of the 1812 Napoleonic battle, some 80 miles west of Moscow. We pick up the 1941 story in October 1941 immediately after the massive encirclement of four Soviet armies as part of Operation Typhoon during the double encirclement battles at Vyazma and Bryansk. This penetrated the outer defense ring screening Moscow. The second defense ring formed part of the Mozhaisk line, and it is the battles to pierce this defense network at Borodino, that we investigate. Coincidentally the battle at Borodino in 1941 was fought over the same ground contested by Napoleon and Marshal Kutuzov in 1812. The Soviets occupied virtually the same line in 1941 facing an invader coming down the same roads in 1812. The fascination is that many of the villages have not fundamentally changed in size since 1941 and many traditional single storey wooden constructions remain. By investigating the attempts by the SS Das Reich and 10th Panzer Division’s to outflank the position, we find that like Napoleon in 1812, they opt to shatter the center of ‘Borodino Field’.

Later in the day we follow the route of the Das Reich Division driving east until it is halted on the outskirts of the final ring defending Moscow at Lenino, near Snegeri, about ten miles from the city outskirts. From here they claimed to see Moscow’s spires in clear weather. This is also the site where we discuss the difficulties of combat in near arctic conditions and continue with the theme just how near to the Kremlin the Germans penetrated, before covering the unexpected Soviet winter counter-offensive. The day ends with a stop at the massive commemorative anti-tank barrier at Khimki, to discuss the exploits of a German unit that penetrated to within a 30 minute drive to the Kremlin. The night is spent in Moscow.

Day Three: Stalingrad – The Assault.
There is an early morning start and flight to Volgograd where three days are spent discussing the battle. On arrival the flight often flies alongside the majestic Volga River, one mile wide at this point. It gives a clear picture of the massive military task the Germans were taking on, 30 to 40 miles long of urban spread and five miles wide at the time of the battle. The aircraft lands at Gumrak, a former Luftwaffe airbase and briefly Von Paulus’s headquarters. After checking in to the hotel we walk up the Mamayev Kurgan, topped by the epic ‘Mother Russia’ statue, the highest point contested during the battle, where a visual summary of the German attacks and Soviet defense can be pointed out. Moving on to the southern suburbs we pause at the massive edifice of the grain elevator near the Volga, fought over for eight days and still in situ today.

Day Four: Stalingrad – The Defence.
Volgograd is an atmospheric holiday city, with much of its leafy parkland center restored since the battle. There are plenty of opportunities to relax in riverside bars and enjoy the cultural ambiance of a city completely different from Moscow in far warmer temperatures. The morning starts by following in the footsteps of Lieutenant Edelbert Holl’s 276th Regiment German infantry company attack, supported by two Stürmgeschutz III self-propelled guns, fighting its way from Sovietskaya Street, to the banks of the Volga near the present day ferry. This decisive penetration to the Volga is used as a vehicle to describe German and Soviet street-fighting tactics. Normally, we board one of the Volga river ferries at this point to give the Soviet perspective reinforcing the city from the east bank and visually appreciating the linear scale of the fighting and the change in urban landscape between the commercial south, the parklands center and factory north sectors of the city.

One of the highlights is the visit to Pavlov’s house on the riverbank alongside the historic ruined Grundinin Mill, left as a devastated reminder of the total destruction visited on the city by the fighting. Here also is the excellent Stalingrad Panorama Museum, with its circular epic painting of the fighting conducted around the Mamayev Kurgan. Exhibits include Zaitsev’s sniper rifle and the ‘Stalingrad Sword’ presented by the British after the battle. The day finishes with a visit to the Univermag Department store where von Paulus surrendered at the end of January in 1943 and a visit to the poignant ‘Soldier’s Field’ amid the balkas on the outside of the city, that impeded the advance of the Sixth Army panzers.

Day Five: Victory in Stalingrad.
Nothing encapsulates the grandeur and emotion of the battle so much as the annual VE Day military victory parade through the streets of Volgograd, which passes our hotel, headed by an original T-34 tank. Security restrictions and the crowds impede movement on this day and require a degree of tolerance, but the emotion, which Russians exude on this day, can be cut with a knife. Citizens mass march after the military parade with placards displaying the images of loved ones lost to the war, making their way to the eternal flame and the statue of Mother Russia at the Mamayev Kurgan.

We travel to the north of the city to bypass the crowds and cover the German attacks on the factory district and the Soviet epic defense of Lyudnikov’s ‘island’ bastion fought within it. Tonight is the final opportunity to enjoy a riverside drink amid the city celebrations with a late night firework display, for those with the energy to stay awake remembering an early morning start.

Day Six: Back to Moscow.
We fly back in the morning with hopefully some brief sightseeing around Red Square before visiting the Great Patriotic War Museum. This includes a stunning array of railway guns and tanks outside as well as excellent epic artwork and historical artifacts within. After an evening meal in a traditional Russian restaurant we board the night train bound for Kursk.

Day Seven: Northern Shoulder Kursk Salient.
Normally on arrival we check in at the hotel and enjoy breakfast before setting off to the northern shoulder of the Kursk salient. Here we follow German General Model’s Ninth Army attempts to break through the concentric Soviet lines near the Teplov Heights protecting the north of the salient. The limits of the German penetrations are followed including the epic battle for Ponyri, the ‘Stalingrad of Kursk,’ and around the picturesque railway station. The town has an excellent local museum that charts the fighting. On the way back to Kursk we stop off at Soviet General Rokossovky’s preserved underground bunker headquarters.

Day Eight: The Southern Advance to Prokhorovka.
This is an interesting day, broadly following the line of advance of the SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Panzergrenadier Division as it fights its way through successive Soviet defense lines, before clashing with the Rotmistrov’s 5th Guards Tank Army at Prokhorovka. The terrain differs in nature to that we saw the previous day. We follow the line of the railway embankment and pause at ‘Ribbentropp Ridge’, before entering the memorial complex, to discuss the nature of the tank tactics that characterized the clash, which resulted in the Germans winning the field but ultimately losing the battle. There are surviving tank scrapes, outlines of original trench lines as well as authentically restored Soviet trench complexes to explore, as well as an interesting museum at Prokhorovka, where finds of scrap tank wreckage is displayed outside. Following an evening meal at the hotel or local restaurant we board the night train that will take us back to Moscow.

Day Nine: Victory Park and Kubinka Tank Museum.
On arrival, time permitting, we attempt some Moscow Kremlin area sight seeing before travelling out to Victory Park and Kubinka tank museum. These two locations contain the finest examples of surviving Eastern Front tanks, guns and armored vehicles still in existance. They include the gigantic Maus Mark VIII panzer, the biggest tank ever produced, only two of which were built, and the German tracked Karl mortars, that bombarded Brest-Litovsk, Sevastopol and Warsaw. Virtually every armored vehicle that served on the Eastern Front is represented. A highlight depending on availability is a ride inside and on top of the war winning Soviet T-34 tank, the outstanding tank design of the war, and an opportunity to sample the physical realities of armored warfare on the Russian front. The final farewell dinner is held at the hotel this evening.

Day 10: Moscow and Home.
The morning is taken up by either Moscow sightseeing or a visit (except Mondays) to the National Army Museum, which has an indoor and outdoor section for exhibits, prior to the flight back to London.

Book this battlefield tour via Alan Rooney’s Cultural Experience