ABSTRACT
As in 1941, in the summer and fall of 1942 the STAVKA carefully marshaled strategic reserves. It formed ten reserve armies and new armored forces (tank armies and mechanized corps) under STAVKA control and judiciously used some of these reserves to halt the German drive. Although three of the four new Soviet tank armies created in June 1942 had been expended in defensive fighting on the approaches to Voronezh and Stalingrad, one of the original four remained intact; and a new fifth tank army was formed to increase substantially Soviet mobile reserves. The High Command also made a concerted effort to capitalize on its war experiences through systematic collection and analysis and, on the basis of this analysis, issued orders and directives to correct improper practices in virtually every aspect of military operations.
