page_title: German Radio Intelligence Operations during World War II
section_title: Early 1943 and Volgograd steam ferries traffic
hierarchical_section_title: German Radio Intelligence Operations during World War II / Intercept operations during World War II / Soviet Front 1941–1945 / Early 1943 and Volgograd steam ferries traffic
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Кинешма. Промышленная часть города. Почтовая открытка. Издание Л.М.Гольдфейна. 1900-е г.г.
context_page_description: German Radio Intelligence Operation were signals intelligence operations that were undertaken by German Axis forces in Europe during World War II. In keeping with German signals practice since 1942, the term communication intelligence had been used when intercept units were assigned to observe both enemy radio and wire communication. When the observation of only enemy radio communication was undertaken, the term was radio intelligence. The term intercept service was also used up until 1942.
context_section_description: In front of Volgograd (Stalingrad) toward the end of 1942 and the beginning of 1943, German intercept units succeeded in intercepting messages from Volga steam ferries indicating the number of their nightly crossings which required six hours whenever ice jams were present. Other messages conveyed an impressive picture of the shipments of infantry, artillery, guns, tanks, horses, vehicles, ammunition, and miscellaneous supplies which were moved across the river. Since the daily strength reports of the Soviet (Russian) units in action were currently intercepted, it was possible to establish that only a very few of the reinforcements and supplies were intended for the decimated troops engaged in the fighting. The obvious conclusion was that the enemy was moving up entire divisions which he did not intend to commit until the beginning of a major offensive.
  In some instances, German intercept units were able to follow movements by rail of newly organised divisions from the interior of the Soviet Union up to the front, first by plotting their location through D/F procedures, then by picking up their trail as soon as they established contact with the headquarters to which they were assigned.
caption: Steamboat and rail connection on Volga River at Kineshma, 1900
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