Today in World War II History—October 24, 1941
Sunday, October 24, 2021 by Sarah Sundin
Germans entering Kharkov, Ukraine, late Oct 1941 (German Federal Archive, Bild 183-B13548)
80 Years Ago—Oct. 24, 1941: Germans take Kharkov, Ukraine and Belgorod, Russia.
What a remarkable photograph, with the Germans entering Kharkov looking more like a 19th Century Army than, as we imagine them, a 20th Century one.
Yes, the German army in WWII was far less mechanized than we give them credit for. The Blitzkrieg warfare technique depended on an overwhelming spearhead of tanks and aircraft, but in the rear, they relied a lot on horses. And on the Eastern Front the tanks were useless in the autumn mud.