Rasputitsa

Rasputitsa (Russian: распу́тица [rɐsˈputʲɪtsə]) is the Russian-language term for a mud season, when travel on unpaved roads or across the country becomes difficult due to muddy conditions caused by rain in Autumn and/or snowmelt during Spring. It specifically refers to those conditions that occur in Belarus, Ukraine, and European Russia. Rasputitsa has repeatedly "rescued" Russia during wars; tanks, troop carriers and artillery pieces all become mired down in the soggy earth. It will turn into one of Ukraine's major assets as it fights the Russian invasion.

Etymology[edit]

The term rasputitsa is derived from the root: путь (put, [putʼ]), meaning "road" or "way" or "travel"; + рас- (ras, [ʀas]), a word prefix meaning "discrepancy" or "divergence"; + -иц (-its, [it͡s]), a diminutive suffix; + а ([a]), a feminine noun ending. In the Finnish language, it is referred to as a "kelirikko" or "rospuutto".

In Russia, the term refers to two periods during the year — spring and autumn — and also refers to common road conditions during such a period,^[1] specifically the heavy rains of October and the thaw of the frozen steppe in March.^[2]

Effects[edit]

These conditions in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine are caused by the poor drainage of underlying heavy clay soils (chernozem) found in the region. Roads are subject to weight limitations and closures during the period in certain Russian districts. The phenomenon was a notable hindrance in the early 20th century, since 40% of rural villages in the erstwhile Soviet Union were not served by paved roads.^[1] In Canada there is definitely a rasputitsa period, though it does not occur everywhere or necessarily in the fall, and it is not considered a rasputitsa by name.^[3]

Armed conflict[edit]

The rasputitsa seasons are well-known as a defensive advantage in wartime.^[4]^[5] As such, "General Mud" and "Marshal Mud" are common nicknames. There is speculation that a spring thaw probably saved Novgorod from being overrun during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' in the 13th century.^[6] The season also proved to be a great hindrance in November 1812, in and after the Battle of Krasnoi, when many horses, carriages and cannon were stuck in the mud and left behind during the French retreat from Russia.^[4]^[5] Rasputitsa reduced the mobility of both armies but it seem to be more favorable to the defender.

During World War II, the months-long muddy period slowed the German advance into the Soviet Union during the Battle of Moscow (September 1941 to January 1942) on the Eastern Front, and may have helped save the city from falling under a German military occupation.^[7] The advent of Blitzkrieg had the disadvantage that while tanks could operate effectively in summer or in winter, they proved less useful in spring and autumn,^[8] when the functioning of an efficient railway system came into its own.^[9]

References[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Siegelbaum, Lewis H. (2011). Cars for Comrades: The Life of the Soviet Automobile. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801461484. Search this book on
↑ Jones, Seth G.; Wasielewski, Philip G. (2022-01-13). "Russia's Possible Invasion of Ukraine".
↑ https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/13149/do-siberia-and-canada-have-a-rasputitsa
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 FAQ regarding what made Napoleon fail in invading Russia, Napoleon -series website
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Thiers, M. Adolphe (1864). History of the Consulate and the Empire of France under Napoleon. IV. Translated by D. Forbes Campbell; H. W. Herbert. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. p. 243. whilst it was almost impossible to drag the gun-carriages through the half-frozen mud Search this book on (regarding November 20, 1812)
↑ May, Timothy Michael, ed. (2016). The Mongol Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia. Empires of the World. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 65. ISBN 9781610693400. During the Mongol invasion of the Rus' principalities in 1238–1240, Novgorod escaped destruction by the Mongols due to an early spring, which transformed the routes to Novgorod into a muddy bog. Search this book on
↑ Overy, Richard (1997). Russia's War. London: Penguin. pp. 113–114. ISBN 1-57500-051-2. Both sides now struggled in the autumn mud. On October 6 [1941] the first snow had fallen, unusually early. It soon melted, turning the whole landscape into its habitual trackless state – the rasputitsa, literally the 'time without roads'.... It is commonplace to attribute the German failure to take Moscow to the sudden change in the weather. While it is certainly true that German progress slowed, it had already been slowing because of the fanatical resistance of Soviet forces and the problem of moving supplies over the long distances through occupied territory. The mud slowed the Soviet build-up also, and hampered the rapid deployment of men and machines. Search this book on
↑ Pinkus, Oscar (2005). "Death of Barbarossa". The War Aims and Strategies of Adolf Hitler. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 241. ISBN 9780786420544. By the time the Germans approached their major objectives such as Rostov, Moscow, or Leningrad the campaigning season was over and Barbarossa was off his horse. [...] [Hitler] had not planned to fight in Russia during the fall and winter. He had stated in his Directive No. 21 that this was to be a 'lightning campaign' to be won in two to four months maximum. [...] the cause of failure was the proposition that the Soviet Union could and would be defeated in a blitzkrieg. Search this book on
↑ Willmott, H. P. (1989). The Great Crusade: A New Complete History of the Second World War (revised ed.). Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, Inc. (published 2008). p. 153. ISBN 9781597971911. While the Germans were to blame many factors, and particularly the rasputitsa, for the failure of Operation Taifun, the fact was that logistically the German attack on Moscow was in difficulty before it even began. German rail and road facilities were not sufficient to sustain the offensive beyond Smolensk [...]. Search this book on

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[Comrades-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Siegelbaum, Lewis H. (2011). Cars for Comrades: The Life of the Soviet Automobile. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801461484. Search this book on

[2] Jones, Seth G.; Wasielewski, Philip G. (2022-01-13). "Russia's Possible Invasion of Ukraine".

[3] ttps://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/13149/do-siberia-and-canada-have-a-rasputitsa

[napoleon-series-4] 4.0 ^4.1 FAQ regarding what made Napoleon fail in invading Russia, Napoleon -series website

[Adolphe_Thiers,_1864,_p._234-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Thiers, M. Adolphe (1864). History of the Consulate and the Empire of France under Napoleon. IV. Translated by D. Forbes Campbell; H. W. Herbert. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. p. 243. whilst it was almost impossible to drag the gun-carriages through the half-frozen mud Search this book on (regarding November 20, 1812)

[6] May, Timothy Michael, ed. (2016). The Mongol Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia. Empires of the World. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 65. ISBN 9781610693400. During the Mongol invasion of the Rus' principalities in 1238–1240, Novgorod escaped destruction by the Mongols due to an early spring, which transformed the routes to Novgorod into a muddy bog. Search this book on

[7] Overy, Richard (1997). Russia's War. London: Penguin. pp. 113–114. ISBN 1-57500-051-2. Both sides now struggled in the autumn mud. On October 6 [1941] the first snow had fallen, unusually early. It soon melted, turning the whole landscape into its habitual trackless state – the rasputitsa, literally the 'time without roads'.... It is commonplace to attribute the German failure to take Moscow to the sudden change in the weather. While it is certainly true that German progress slowed, it had already been slowing because of the fanatical resistance of Soviet forces and the problem of moving supplies over the long distances through occupied territory. The mud slowed the Soviet build-up also, and hampered the rapid deployment of men and machines. Search this book on

[8] Pinkus, Oscar (2005). "Death of Barbarossa". The War Aims and Strategies of Adolf Hitler. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 241. ISBN 9780786420544. By the time the Germans approached their major objectives such as Rostov, Moscow, or Leningrad the campaigning season was over and Barbarossa was off his horse. [...] [Hitler] had not planned to fight in Russia during the fall and winter. He had stated in his Directive No. 21 that this was to be a 'lightning campaign' to be won in two to four months maximum. [...] the cause of failure was the proposition that the Soviet Union could and would be defeated in a blitzkrieg. Search this book on

[9] Willmott, H. P. (1989). The Great Crusade: A New Complete History of the Second World War (revised ed.). Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, Inc. (published 2008). p. 153. ISBN 9781597971911. While the Germans were to blame many factors, and particularly the rasputitsa, for the failure of Operation Taifun, the fact was that logistically the German attack on Moscow was in difficulty before it even began. German rail and road facilities were not sufficient to sustain the offensive beyond Smolensk [...]. Search this book on

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Rasputitsa

Contents

Etymology[edit]

Effects[edit]

Armed conflict[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]