ARMED FORCES OF THE USSR, a state military organization that formed the basis of the military power of the USSR.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, they consisted of the Ground Forces, Air force, Navy, Air defense troops of the country's territory, Rear Armed Forces... The Armed Forces also included border troops and internal troops. At the beginning of the war, on the territory of the country, there were 16 military districts, 1 front (Far Eastern), and there were also 4 fleets (Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, Pacific) and 3 separate military flotillas (Pinsk, Caspian and Amur).
The supreme leadership of the country's defense and the Armed Forces was carried out by the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. Coordinated all measures aimed at strengthening the military potential and increasing the defense capability of the USSR, a special body of the Council of People's Commissars - the USSR Defense Committee.
Direct control of the Armed Forces was carried out by the People's Commissariat of Defense (since May 1940, People's Commissar Marshal of the Soviet Union SK Timoshenko) and the People's Commissariat of the Navy (since April 1939, People's Commissar, flagship of the fleet, rank 2, since June 1940, Adm. NG Kuznetsov). Under the chairmanship of the People's Commissar of Defense and the People's Commissar of the Navy, the main military councils of the Kyrgyz Republic functioned as collegial bodies. army and navy. General Staff of the Kr. army was headed by the general. army G.K. Zhukov.
The situation was rapidly growing in the late 1930s. the threat of war made high demands on the organization and training of the USSR Armed Forces, increasing their combat readiness and combat effectiveness. The most important tasks of the construction of the Armed Forces at that time were to increase the number of troops (forces), increase their technical equipment, and establish the optimal ratio of the number of services of the Armed Forces.
Based on the conclusions of the Sov. military science that the main role in a future war, assigned to the Ground Forces, the ratio of the Armed Forces services in terms of the number of personnel in June 1941 was (in%): Ground Forces - 79.3; Air Force - 11.5; Navy - 5.8; Air defense troops of the country's territory - 3.4. In the Ground Forces, the main emphasis was on development infantry troops, auto arm tank troops, artillery. The cavalry, airborne troops, railway, automobile, engineering, chemical troops, Signal Corps... In the Air Force, the main attention was paid to the development of fighter and bomber aviation, and assault aviation was created. The navy was replenished with new surface ships and submarines.
The increase in the technical equipment of the USSR Armed Forces was especially noticeable in 1939 - the first half. 1941 In comparison with 1939, the volume of military production in 1941 increased by 30%. During this period, new types of heavy and medium tanks were put into mass production, new artillery pieces and powerful jet weapons for salvo firing at area targets were developed, new types of fighters, a dive bomber, an attack aircraft, and several models of warships for the light forces of the fleet were created.
Scientists and designers ensured the high quality and reliability of the owls. military equipment in many respects the best in the world: La-5 fighters (designer S.A. Lavochkin) and Yak-9 (A.S. Yakovleva), Il-2 attack aircraft (S.V. Ilyushin), Pe-2 bomber ( V.M. Petlyakov), medium tank T-34 (M.I. strategic materials (bauxite, manganese, molybdenum). Methods were developed for demagnetizing warships (IV Kurchatov, AP Aleksandrov), automatic welding of armor (EO Platon), and automatic machines for the production of cartridges were designed. Great successes have been achieved in the field of military medicine, which allowed the subsequent return of St. 70% of the wounded soldiers.
The organizational structure of the troops has improved significantly. The rifle division included tanks, more powerful divisional artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, which significantly increased their firepower and striking power. The artillery of the RVGK received further development. Instead of separate tank and mechanized brigades, the formation of tank and motorized divisions began. In 1941 it was planned to form approx. 20 mechanized buildings. In the airborne troops, which consisted of brigades, airborne corps were formed. A transition to a divisional organization in the Air Force was outlined.
Simultaneously with the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, their numbers increased. The Law on General Military Obligation, adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on September 1, 1939, legally completed the transfer of the Red Army and the Navy to a personnel system, and allowed them to increase their numbers, which by mid-1941 amounted to 4.6 million people. In total, the Ground Forces by this time had 303 divisions (of which about 1/4 were in the stage of formation). However, not all of the planned organizational and other measures for the Armed Forces were completed by the beginning of the war. The motorization of the infantry remained insufficient, the rearmament of formations and units with new types of weapons was not completed and military equipment... Most of the units transferred to the new states were not fully equipped with weapons, military equipment and vehicles... Sov. military science in the pre-war years did not fully take into account the possibility of a sudden invasion of large enemy forces and did not sufficiently develop methods of conducting defense on an operational and strategic scale.
Despite the large scale of training military personnel, the system military schools did not keep pace with the pace of deployment of the Armed Forces. Affected by the consequences of political repression in 1937–39 and in subsequent years, to which many Sov. military leaders, commanders and political workers. Most of the reserve command personnel could not undergo retraining before the start of the war. The share of command personnel with a higher military education in 1940 decreased by more than 2 times compared with 1936. Due to the large reshuffle of personnel in the highest and middle levels of management, which was carried out at the height of rearmament and the transition to new forms of organization, commanders were promoted to responsible posts and the bosses did not have enough time to acquire the experience necessary to work in new, higher positions.
Major miscalculations were made in determining the time of application, the directions and strength of the blows by it. troops. Serious mistakes took place in the choice of areas for basing aviation and placing stocks of material and technical means, most of which were located near the state. borders. The deployment of the Armed Forces groupings did not have a clear plan. The Red Army did not have sufficient experience in conducting modern warfare, organizing the interaction of troops, and effectively using new weapons and military equipment.
After the attack of 6/22/1941 by Germany in the USSR, a radical restructuring of the entire military organization of the state began. 6/30/1941 an emergency body was formed - State Committee Defense (GKO) chaired by I.V. Stalin, who also became the People's Commissar of Defense (07/19/1941) and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (08/08/1941). For the strategic leadership of the Armed Forces, on July 10, 1941, the Headquarters of the High Command was formed (see. Headquarters of the Supreme Command), the main body of which was the General Staff of the Red Army, intermediate leadership bodies were created - the main command of the forces of the directions (in May - June 1942, they were abolished). On the basis of the border military districts, 5 fronts were formed (during the war there were 10-15 of them in different periods), which became operational-strategic formations of the Armed Forces. On 1.7.1941, 5.3 million people were called up to mobilize in the Armed Forces. Active army from June 1941 to Nov. 1942 increased from 2.9 million to 6.6 million. Mobilization enabled the deployment of training reserves and to strengthen the main groupings of troops.
However, in the initial period of the war, the advanced strategic echelon of the Red Army was defeated, the enemy captured a significant territory of the USSR and approached Moscow and Leningrad. By the end of 1941 it was possible to stop the enemy and thwart his "blitzkrieg" plan by extraordinary measures, the self-sacrifice of the people, the heroism of the soldiers of the army and navy. The battle of Moscow 1941–42 dispelled the myth of his invincibility. army. In the summer of 1942, the center of hostilities moved to the south wing Soviet-German front.
In an ever-increasing size, the army received weapons and military equipment, and above all their main types - artillery, tanks, aircraft. From Dec. 1941 to Nov In 1942, the number of the most important combat assets increased: for guns and mortars - from 22 thousand to 77.8 (excluding anti-aircraft guns), for tanks - from 1954 to 7350, for combat aircraft - from 2238 to 4544 units. Improvement of the organizational structure of all combat arms and special forces continued. In June 1941, the formation of rocket artillery units began. In September, in the battles near Yelnya, the Soviet guard was born. In 1941–42, mechanized corps, artillery divisions of the RVGK, sapper armies, regiments, battalions and radio communications battalions, companies of high-explosive flamethrowers, dep. flamethrower-tank battalions and det. flamethrower-tank brigades of the RVGK, automobile battalions, railway brigades.
By the end of the first period of the war, the striking force of the Ground Forces had increased, which was due to the quantitative and qualitative growth of armored and mechanized troops, artillery and military air defense. In aug. 1941, the reorganization of the Air Force was carried out - the number of regiments and divisions and aircraft in the regiments was reduced. Regiments for night operations, reserve air groups were formed, and from March 1942 - strike air groups, which were at the disposal of the Supreme Command Headquarters. In May 1942, operational aviation formations - air armies - began to form on the basis of the air forces of the fronts. From nov. 1941, a radical reorganization of the air defense began. In the Navy, in a short time, the units and formations of the fleets were transferred to wartime states, and new units were formed. By the end of 1941, 46 new ships of the main classes had entered service.
With the outbreak of the war, the system of training and education of command and control personnel and specialists underwent a restructuring. Early graduations of students of academies and cadets of military schools were made. In 1942, 53 new military schools were opened. The capabilities of the pre-war network of military educational institutions were also increased by increasing their capacity and reducing the duration of training. A large number of front and army courses were created for the accelerated training of junior officers. In July 1941, the institution of military commissars was introduced (abolished on October 9, 1942). The build-up of the power of the USSR Armed Forces continued: by the summer of 1942, they included approx. 11 million people, including in the active army - St. 5.5 million people From the middle of 1942, the defense industry began to increase the output of military products, to more fully meet the needs of the front. As a result of the measures taken by the USSR Armed Forces, despite the losses incurred, by mid-November. 1942 organizationally strengthened significantly, their technical equipment improved, the troops gained combat experience, the combat skill of the personnel increased. In fierce battles and battles, the Red Army and the Navy inflicted a heavy defeat on the enemy near Leningrad, in Moscow and Stalingrad battles, in the North Caucasus and seized the strategic initiative in the war.
In the second period of the war (November 1942 - December 1943), organizational measures in the army and navy were aimed at ensuring the massive use and effective use of military equipment, a significant increase in the fire and strike power of all branches of the Armed Forces and combat arms. By the middle of 1943, in the USSR Armed Forces, compared with the end of 1942, the number of weapons had increased by 1.3 times, armored vehicles by 1.4 times, and aircraft by 2.3 times. The Red Army surpassed him. troops on tanks and artillery almost 2 times, on aircraft 3 times. In total in the active army in December. 1943 there were 11 fronts, 66 directorates of combined arms armies and 3 tank armies. The massive release of weapons in 1943 made it possible to strengthen divisional artillery, to create corps, army and powerful artillery of the RVGK. A significant number of tank and mechanized corps were formed, most of which were later consolidated into tank armies of a uniform composition. Armored and mechanized troops became the main striking force of the Ground Forces (by the end of 1943 they included 24 tank and 13 mechanized divisions, about 50% were part of 5 tank armies).
The increasing role of aviation during the war, the quantitative and qualitative growth of the aircraft fleet necessitated new, significant organizational changes in the Air Force. The composition of aviation divisions, corps and air armies... Organizationally, the Air Defense Forces of the country's territory have grown stronger and more numerically. In the Navy, the creation of naval defensive areas continued, the number of marines increased, and new ship formations were formed. The problem of creating strategic reserves was successfully solved. Thus, during the winter campaign of 1942/43, the Stavka transferred 4 tank armies, 29 tank and mechanized corps, 108 rifle, 23 artillery, 26 anti-aircraft artillery, 19 air divisions, 16 engineering brigades and other formations and units to the fronts from its reserve, and in the summer and autumn of 1943 there were 2 combined arms formations, and 3 times more tank and air formations than in winter.
In 1943 it was completed qualitatively new stage in the construction of the USSR Armed Forces: there have been significant changes in their military-technical equipment and organizational structure, in the development of military art, the personnel have accumulated a wealth of experience in conducting hostilities. This was reflected in the newly issued statutory documents: the Combat Regulations of the Infantry (1942), the draft Field Manual of the Red Army and a number of regulations of the combat arms. At the beginning of 1943, new insignia were introduced - shoulder straps. In order to increase the authority of commanding and commanding personnel and their responsibility in July 1943, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established new order assignment of military ranks. All command and control personnel in the rank of ml. lieutenant to colonel inclusive began to be called officers. The growth of combat power and the strengthening of the morale of the troops allowed the USSR Armed Forces to win victories in Battle of Kursk, battle for the Dnieper 1943, successfully carry out a number of other operations. From nov. 1942 to Dec. 1943 The Red Army fought from 500 to 1300 km and freed from it. invaders a significant part of the occupied owls. territory. And by the end of 1944 the territory of the USSR was completely cleared of the enemy.
In the third period of the war (Jan 1944 - May 1945), the Red Army continued to be equipped with weapons and military equipment. Compared with the first period of the war, the number of fronts increased: tanks and self-propelled guns - 4-6 times, guns and mortars - 4-5, aircraft - 4-8 times. By the beginning of 1945, there were 9.4 million people in the active army, in the Supreme Command Headquarters Reserve, on the southern and Far Eastern borders, 144.2 thousand op. and mortars, 15.7 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 22.6 thousand combat aircraft. Compared to June 1944, the number of the Armed Forces increased by more than 300 thousand people, the number of tanks and self-propelled guns - by 3.9 thousand, guns and mortars - by 11 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. Most of the USSR Armed Forces were concentrated. in Sov.-German. the front, where they outnumbered the enemy in guns and mortars by almost 4 times, in tanks and self-propelled guns by 3 times, in combat aircraft by 8 times. The dominant position was still occupied by the Ground Forces. In terms of the number of personnel by the end of the war, they accounted for 80%, the Air Force - St. eight%. The share of air defense troops increased from 3.3% in December. 1941 to 5% in May 1945, and the Navy dropped from 5.8% in 1941 to 3.6% in June 1943, and then increased to 5.3% in May 1945.
In 1945, the USSR Armed Forces, together with the allied armies of the countries anti-Hitler coalition liberated Europe from occupation and finally defeated Germany and its allies.
The final act of the Second World War for the Sov. Union became the Soviet-Japanese war 1945 on Far East, in which the USSR Armed Forces defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army in the shortest possible time.
During the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Armed Forces covered themselves with unfading glory. For the feats of arms of St. 7 million Sov. soldiers were awarded orders and medals, approx. 11.6 thousand were awarded the title of Hero of the Owls. Union. Mass heroism was characteristic not only of individual soldiers, but also of whole units, formations and formations. For differences in the battles for the Fatherland with him. the invaders, regiments and divisions were awarded 10.9 thousand military orders. Many of them have been awarded orders several times. 354 times Moscow saluted the valiant owls. troops and navy. Hundreds of military formations and units were awarded honorary titles.
Defeat of the strongest and most dangerous for the world community of the Armed Forces fascist Germany and militaristic Japan was a severe test for the Armed Forces and the peoples of the USSR, and they passed this test with honor. The Soviet Armed Forces drove the enemy out of the USSR, defended independence and territorial integrity country. The fascist bloc suffered a complete and crushing defeat, Germany surrendered unconditionally. The USSR Armed Forces played a decisive role in ridding the peoples of Europe and Asia from the threat of fasc. enslavement, brought them freedom and peace. The entry of the USSR into the war in the Far East hastened the defeat of militarist Japan.
Research Institute ( military history) VAGSh RF Armed Forces
> Red (Soviet) Army 1941-1945 Organization In June 1941. The Red Army consisted of: 198 divisions of rifle troops (rifle, mountain rifle and motorized rifle); 61 tank; 31st motorized division; 13 cavalry divisions (4 of them are mountain cavalry); 16 airborne brigades (10 more such brigades were additionally formed). In terms of organization and level of equipping with military equipment, all these units had no equal in the world. At the same time, the training of command personnel formed in the pre-war years of the Red Army formations left much to be desired. The active measures carried out by the NKVD authorities to "ruthlessly uproot Trotskyist-Bukharin and bourgeois-nationalist elements from the army environment" not only led to the removal from the armed forces of about 40,000 commanders of different levels, but also caused a stream of unforeseen, unplanned movements up the career ladder. This, in turn, further exacerbated the situation with command personnel - due to the massive formation of new formations, there was an acute shortage of them.
The shortage of command personnel took on astronomical proportions. For example, only in the Kiev military district 3400 platoon commanders were lacking, persons who did not have experience in commanding units were appointed commanders of the formations. The commander of the Trans-Baikal Military District, Lieutenant General I. S. Konev, spoke about the same, in particular, at one of the meetings: never commanding a regiment. "Therefore, it is not surprising that after the sudden blow of the Nazi troops on June 22, 1941, the control of many Red Army formations was lost and they ceased to exist as combat units. / 100 rifle division of the main composition included 3 rifle regiments and, unlike the infantry divisions of armies of other countries of the world, not one, but two artillery regiments.
In addition to these units, the division included anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery divisions, and direct fire support for the actions of rifle subunits was carried out by artillery and mortar batteries that were part of rifle regiments and battalions. Each rifle regiment, except for three rifle battalions, included a battery of 76.2 mm regimental cannons, a battery of 45 mm anti-tank guns and a battery of 120 mm mortars. The battalion had a platoon of 45mm anti-tank guns and a company of 82mm mortars. Each of the division's 27 rifle companies had two 50-mm mortars.
Thus, a rifle division was supposed to have 210 guns and mortars (excluding 50-mm mortars), which made it possible to classify it as an infantry artillery formation (already in 1935, 40% of the division's personnel were artillerymen and machine gunners). Another feature of the division was strong enough reconnaissance battalion, which included, besides other units, a company of amphibious tanks (1b vehicles) and a company of armored vehicles (13 vehicles). Before the start of the massive deployment of mechanized copus in 1940, many rifle divisions of the Red Army had a tank battalion of two or three companies of light tanks (up to 54 vehicles). Taking into account the presence of an automobile battalion in the division (more than 400 vehicles, in war time- 558), the division commander had the opportunity, if necessary, to form a powerful mobile unit consisting of reconnaissance and tank battalions and a rifle regiment on trucks with artillery. By the beginning of World War II, tank battalions remained in three rifle divisions of the Trans-Baikal Military District. These divisions also included additional transport units and were called motorized rifle divisions. Each of the motorized rifle divisions numbered 12,000 men.
According to the state number 4/100, the strength of the rifle division was 10,291 people, all of its units were deployed, and in case of mobilization for replenishment up to wartime, the division was to receive an additional 4200 personnel, 1100 horses and about 150 vehicles. The staffing and equipment of the Soviet wartime 1941 rifle division and the Wehrmacht infantry division on the eve of the war are shown for comparison in the table below. 
Mu was followed by a sharp reduction in cavalry units and formations - ten cavalry divisions and a separate Cavalry brigade were disbanded. The personnel of these units and formations entered the formed formations of the armored forces. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army had 4 directorates of cavalry corps, 9 cavalry divisions and 4 mountain cavalry divisions, as well as four spare cavalry regiments, 2 spare mountain cavalry regiments and one spare horse artillery regiment Three cavalry corps included two cavalry divisions , and in one, in addition, there was a mining division. Unlike the infantry corps, any special units, except for the communications division, the cavalry corps did not have.
In this paragraph, we will consider the key points related to the participation of the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War and its state after the end of the war.
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact, concluded in 1939, was violated on June 22, 1941, when the USSR was attacked by German troops.
By the day of the surprise attack of the German forces, the number of Red Army field troops was 303 divisions and 22 brigades, which amounted to 4.8 million people. 9 brigades and 166 divisions, with a total number of 2.9 million people, were located at the western borders of the USSR. The Axis states concentrated on the Eastern Front 18 brigades and 181 divisions, numbering 3.5 million people. The first months of the invasion cost the Red Army the loss of hundreds of thousands of people in the cauldrons of the encirclement, the loss of various weapons, combat aircraft, tanks and artillery. The Soviet leadership urgently announced a general mobilization. As a result of this, already by August 1, 1941, the Red Army included 401 divisions, despite the loss of 46 divisions in battle. Large losses are explained by the low readiness for a surprise attack, poor coordination of the leading echelons, the focus on switching to an instant counterattack, in a situation, when a systematic retreat and regrouping of forces could bring tangible military benefits.
The first significant success of the Soviet army was the counter-offensive near Moscow, which took place on December 5, 1941. As a result of this counter-offensive, German troops were driven back from the capital, but the subsequent attempt by the Red Army to go over to a general, massive offensive ended in disaster.
The Soviet government resorted to a number of emergency measures in order to stop the retreating Red Army. One of the most effective means was to shoot soldiers trying to escape from the battlefield. This measure was sanctioned by Stalin's order, which received the unofficial title "Not a step back."
In the conditions of a rapid, mobile war, political commissars, positioned as ambassadors of the party, assigned to keep an eye on the commanders, were losing their power. They were renamed as deputies for political affairs, and became subordinates in command of the units to which they were assigned. The restoration of pre-revolutionary insignia and military ranks, albeit with minor changes.
On November 19, 1942, during Operation Uranus, the German-Romanian troops were encircled in Stalingrad, which was preceded by powerful artillery preparation. Enemy troops surrendered on February 2, 1943. Then, in the summer of 1943, during Operation Citadel, German troops attempted to destroy the Kursk salient, but the Wehrmacht's offensive was stopped by the Red Army, which in the fall of 1943 launched a massive counteroffensive. The advancing Red Army reached the state border of the USSR in the summer of 1944. During the 1944 offensive, the Red Army moved on to liberate the countries of Eastern Europe from the German invaders. Soviet troops fought in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Yugoslavia, occupied Bulgaria, and occupied East Germany.
The victorious step of the Red Army also had a long-term foreign policy perspective. The liberation of a number of Eastern European countries laid the foundation for the subsequent formation of the "socialist camp" in Europe. Although it should be noted, for example, that the communists in Yugoslavia came to power thanks to the partisan People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, which was de facto independent from Moscow. The Soviet troops did not conduct hostilities on the territory of Albania either.
The military and socio-economic situation in Germany deteriorated further after the Allies opened a second front in Europe in 1944. On April 16, 1945, Soviet troops launched the Berlin operation, which ended with the surrender of the German troops on the night of May 8-9, 1945.
During the Great Patriotic War, 29,574,900 people were drafted into the ranks of the Red Army, not counting the 4,826,907 who were under arms at the very beginning of the war. According to the data published during the reign of Stalin, the losses amounted to 6,329,600 people killed, 555,400 - died from diseases, 4,559,000 - missing (most of them prisoners). At the same time, of these 11,444,100 people, 939,700 joined the army in the liberated territories, and 1,836,000 people returned from German captivity.
Initially, at the first stage of the war, the Red Army had at its disposal weapons and military equipment of various quality. The plus was that the Soviet army had excellent artillery, but the shortage affected in the field of automotive technology. As a result, the Wehrmacht was able to capture most of it. Soviet tanks T-34s were the best until 1943, but very often experienced supply problems.
Air Force Soviet Union initially they were much inferior to the Luftwaffe, moreover, a significant part of them were destroyed in the first days and months of the war (many aircraft were lost on the first day, since the main object of the German attack was airfields - as a result, most of the aircraft were destroyed without even having time to take off). The rearmament process was significantly complicated by the fact that a significant part of the military industry of the Soviet Union ended up in the occupied territory.
A feature of the Red Army during the war was the BM-13 Katyusha rocket launchers, which gained wide popularity among the troops.
The evacuation of industry to the east of the USSR became an important step of the Soviet leadership, which made it possible to further stabilize the process of reproduction of military equipment and constantly accelerate its pace. The military production deployed there made it possible to provide the Soviet army with the necessary weapons. Soviet superiority over Germany in the last stages of the war is estimated, for example, in 10,200 Soviet military aircraft against 3,100 Luftwaffe aircraft on the Eastern Front (1944), 6 million 354 thousand soldiers and officers of the Red Army against 4 million 906 thousand soldiers and officers Wehrmacht, SS troops, and allied troops of Germany, 95 604 artillery pieces of the Red Army against 54 570 German guns, 5 254 tanks and self-propelled guns of the Red Army against 5 400 tanks and assault guns of the enemy.
The question of the role of Lend-Lease (American military supplies) in the Red Army's achievement of its superiority over Germany remains debatable in historiography to this day. The supporters of the first point of view emphasize that such supplies constituted only a minority of their own volume of military production, namely, no more than a quarter of the total amount of weapons and provisions. Proponents of a different point of view draw attention to the fact that deliveries were concentrated on the most important, for example, automotive technology, high-quality fuel for combat aircraft.
At the end of World War II, the Soviet army was the most powerful army in the world. It possessed more tanks and artillery than all other countries put together, more soldiers.The Red Army in subsequent years began to play the role of the guarantor of the Eastern Europe socialist camp. The technical improvement of military equipment in service with the USSR continued.
In this section, we analyzed the main stages of the Red Army's military operations during the Great Patriotic War, identified the ideological, mobilization, technical and production factors that contributed to the success in the war.
In June 1941. The Red Army included:
198 divisions of rifle troops (rifle, mountain rifle and motorized rifle);
61 tank;
31st motorized division;
13 cavalry divisions (4 of them are mountain cavalry);
16 airborne brigades (10 more such brigades were additionally formed).
In terms of organization and level of equipping with military equipment, all these units had no equal in the world. At the same time, the training of command personnel formed in the pre-war years of the Red Army formations left much to be desired.
The active measures carried out by the NKVD authorities to "ruthlessly uproot Trotskyist-Bukharin and bourgeois-nationalist elements from the army environment" not only led to the removal from the armed forces of about 40,000 commanders of different levels, but also caused a stream of unforeseen, unplanned movements up the career ladder. This, in turn, further exacerbated the situation with command personnel - due to the massive formation of new formations, there was an acute shortage of them.
The shortage of command personnel took on astronomical proportions. For example, only in the Kiev military district 3400 platoon commanders were lacking, persons who did not have experience in commanding units were appointed commanders of the formations. The same was said, in particular, at one of the meetings, the commander of the Trans-Baikal Military District, Lieutenant General I.S. Konev: “I consider it completely unacceptable for all the need for cadres that exists for commanders to be appointed to the post of divisional commander without ever commanding a regiment.” Therefore, it is not surprising. that after the sudden blow of the Nazi troops on June 22, 1941, the control of many formations of the Red Army was lost and they ceased to exist as combat units.
Rifle troops
In accordance with the state No. 4/100 approved on April 5, 1941, the main infantry division consisted of 3 rifle regiments and, unlike the infantry divisions of armies of other countries of the world, not one, but two artillery regiments. In addition to these units, the division included anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery divisions, and direct fire support for the actions of rifle units was carried out by the Red (Soviet) Army 1941-1945. - The organization was artillery and mortar batteries that were part of rifle regiments and battalions.
Each rifle regiment, except for three rifle battalions, included a battery of 76.2 mm regimental cannons, a battery of 45 mm anti-tank guns and a battery of 120 mm mortars. The battalion had a platoon of 45mm anti-tank guns and a company of 82mm mortars.
Each of the division's 27 rifle companies had two 50-mm mortars. Thus, a rifle division was supposed to have 210 guns and mortars (excluding 50-mm mortars), which made it possible to classify it as an infantry artillery formation (already in 1935, 40% of the division's personnel were artillerymen and machine gunners). Another feature of the division was a fairly strong reconnaissance battalion, which, in addition to other units, included a company of amphibious tanks (1b vehicles) and a company of armored vehicles (13 vehicles).
Before the start of the massive deployment of mechanized copus in 1940, many rifle divisions of the Red Army had a tank battalion of two or three companies of light tanks (up to 54 vehicles).
Given the presence of an automobile battalion in the division (more than 400 vehicles, 558 in wartime), the division commander had the opportunity, if necessary, to form a powerful mobile unit consisting of reconnaissance and tank battalions and a rifle regiment on trucks with artillery.
By the beginning of World War II, tank battalions remained in three rifle divisions of the Trans-Baikal Military District. These divisions also included additional transport units and were called motorized rifle divisions.
Each of the motorized rifle divisions numbered 12,000 men.
According to the state number 4/100, the strength of the rifle division was 10,291 people, all of its units were deployed, and in case of mobilization for replenishment up to wartime, the division was to receive an additional 4200 personnel, 1100 horses and about 150 vehicles.
The staffing and equipment of the Soviet wartime 1941 rifle division and the Wehrmacht infantry division on the eve of the war are shown for comparison in the table below.
Red (Soviet) Army 1941-1945 - Organization
The table shows that in terms of the number of personnel, the Wehrmacht infantry division surpassed the Red Army infantry division. At the same time, the latter had an advantage in automatic small arms (here it must be borne in mind that, among other things, a significant part of the Soviet infantrymen were armed with self-loading rifles SVT-38 and SVT-40), mortars and armored vehicles.
Since it was not possible to keep all rifle divisions under the main staff number 4/100 for economic reasons, part of the divisions was formed in a reduced composition according to staff number 4/120, according to which only 9 out of 27 rifle companies were deployed, and the rest " denoted by "frames. The division numbered 5,864 people, it had almost all the weapons and military equipment provided for by the wartime state. When mobilizing the division, it was necessary to take 6,000 reservists and receive 2,000 horses and about 400 vehicles missing to the wartime state.
At the same time, the deployment of "designated" cadres of combat units took place, the crews of artillery guns and mortars were supplemented with auxiliary numbers, and rear units were formed. To prepare a reduced-strength division for combat use it took about 20-30 days: 1-3 days - arrival at the part of the assigned staff; 4th day - putting together units; 5th day - completion of formation, preparation for combat use; 6th day - completion of combat coordination of regiment units, preparation for tactical exercises; 7-8 days - battalion tactical exercises; 9-10 days - regimental tactical exercises. The rest of the time is the completion of the formation and preparation of the division for combat operations.
Along with the rifle divisions intended for conducting combat operations mainly on flat terrain, the Red Army had 19 mountain rifle divisions at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Unlike the rifle division, this division included 4 mountain rifle regiments, each of which consisted of several mountain rifle companies (there was no battalion link). The personnel of the mountain rifle divisions underwent training for conducting combat operations in highly rugged and wooded terrain; the divisions received mountain guns and mortars adapted for transportation in horse packs. These divisions were formed according to the state number 4/140, which provided in each of them 8,829 personnel, 130 guns and mortars, 3,160 horses and 200 motor vehicles.
Of the 140 divisions of rifle troops of the border districts, 103 (that is, more than 73%) were stationed on the western borders of the USSR on the eve of the war. Their average staffing was: Leningradsky - 11 985 people, Baltic Special - 8712, Western Special - 9327, Kiev Special - 8792, Odessa - 8400 people.
The rifle and mountain rifle divisions were united into rifle corps, which were the highest tactical formations of the Red Army's Ground Forces. The corps, as a rule, consisted of three rifle divisions (mountain rifle divisions were included in the corps intended for operations in mountain areas, in particular in the Carpathians), as well as two corps artillery regiments, a separate anti-aircraft artillery division, a sapper battalion, a communications battalion, and several special units.
The catastrophic losses suffered by the Red Army in the first months of the war required a radical restructuring of the rifle troops. Due to the lack of experienced command personnel to staff the newly formed formations and formations, the corps link had to be eliminated in the structure of the rifle forces. By the end of 1941, of the 62 corps directorates that were available by the beginning of the war, only 6 remained. At the same time, the number of combined-arms army directorates increased from 27 to 58. The armies were created in a reduced composition (5-6 rifle divisions), which made it possible to manage combat operations quite quickly troops.
Already in December 1941, a new state entered into force, according to which the number of submachine guns in the division increased almost 3.5 times, mortars - more than 2 times. The division's armament included 89 anti-tank rifles and additional anti-tank guns.
In March 1942, a company of anti-tank rifles was introduced into each of the 9 rifle battalions, and a third division consisting of two
batteries (8 guns).
In accordance with the state adopted in July 1942, mortar subunits, which had previously been reduced to mortar battalions of rifle regiments, were returned to the rifle companies and battalions in order to centralize the use of the fire weapons available in the regiments.
In December 1942, the People's Commissariat of Defense put into operation a new staff of the rifle division, which, with minor changes, remained until the end of the war. By this state, the number of the division was set at 9435 people, it received an additional automatic weapon and anti-tank weapons. A platoon of 45-mm anti-tank guns (2 guns) was introduced into each rifle battalion of the division, which were subsequently replaced by more powerful 57-mm anti-tank guns.
Along with the transfer of the rifle divisions of the active army to the state adopted in December 1942, during 1943 83 new rifle divisions were formed in this state, mainly due to the reorganization of individual rifle brigades. The creation of these brigades in the second half of 1941 and at the beginning of 1942 was a temporary measure, which made it possible to speed up the replenishment of the active army with trained reserves.
Cavalry
The Red Army traditionally had a very strong cavalry. According to contemporaries, these were "wonderful troops in discipline, in order and in their equipment and training." However, already at the beginning of World War II, the inability of the cavalry to provide significant resistance to armored forces and its extreme vulnerability to enemy air strikes became obvious.
Therefore, the Red (Soviet) Army 1941-1945. - The organization was followed by a sharp reduction in cavalry units and formations - ten cavalry divisions and a separate Cavalry brigade were disbanded. The personnel of these units and formations entered the formed formations of the armored forces.
On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army had 4 directorates of cavalry corps, 9 cavalry divisions and 4 mountain cavalry divisions, as well as four spare cavalry regiments, 2 spare mountain cavalry regiments and one spare horse artillery regiment Three cavalry corps included two cavalry divisions , and in one, in addition, there was a mining division. Unlike the infantry corps, the cavalry corps did not have any special units, except for the communications division.
The 8,968-man cavalry division included four cavalry regiments, a horse-artillery division consisting of two four-gun batteries of 76-mm cannons and two four-gun batteries of 122 mm howitzers, a tank regiment of four squadrons of BT-7 tanks (64 vehicles), an anti-aircraft battalion in consisting of two batteries of 7b-mm anti-aircraft guns and two batteries of anti-aircraft machine guns, a communications squadron, a sapper squadron, a degassing squadron and other support units. The number of horses in the division was 7,625.
The 1428-man cavalry regiment consisted of four saber squadrons, a machine-gun squadron (16 heavy machine guns and 4 mortars of 82 mm caliber), regimental artillery (4 guns with a caliber of 76 mm and 4 guns of 45 mm), an anti-aircraft battery (3 guns with a caliber of 37 mm and three machine-gun installations M-4), a half-squadron of communications, a sapper and chemical platoons and a support unit.
At the end of 1942 and the beginning of 1943, the cavalry divisions that had retained their combat effectiveness were replenished with personnel and brought together into ten cavalry corps, including the first three guards cavalry corps. Each corps had three cavalry divisions, but the units of the combat and material support were almost completely absent.
The strengthening of the cavalry forces began in the summer of 1943. According to the new states introduced at that time, the cavalry corps, in addition to three cavalry divisions, included the Red (Soviet) Army 1941-1945. - Organization anti-tank artillery regiment, self-propelled artillery regiment, anti-aircraft artillery regiment, guards mortar regiment, anti-tank destroyer battalion, reconnaissance battalion, communications battalion, corps rear units and mobile field hospital.
In each of the three divisions of the corps there were 3 cavalry regiments, a tank regiment, an artillery-mortar regiment, an anti-aircraft division (12.7 mm DShK machine guns), a reconnaissance squadron, a communications squadron, a sapper squadron, rear and other units. The number of personnel of the division was about 6,000 people, the total number of personnel in the corps was 21,000 people, it had 19,000 horses. Thus, the cavalry corps in the new staff organization turned into formations of mechanized cavalry troops capable of rapid operational maneuver and a powerful strike against the enemy.
Along with this, the number of cavalry was reduced by about half in comparison with the two previous years and on May 1, 1943 amounted to 26 cavalry divisions (238,968 personnel and 222,816 horses).
Airborne troops
The Red Army is rightfully considered a pioneer in the field of creating airborne troops and the development of a theory of their combat use. Already in April 1929, in the area of the Central Asian city of Garm, a small detachment of Red Army men was landed from the aircraft, which ensured the defeat of the Basmach bands operating there, and on August 2, 1930, at an aviation exercise in the Moscow Military District, a "classical" drop of a small parachute assault was demonstrated and through the air of weapons and ammunition necessary for battle.
The main deployment of the airborne troops began in March-April 1941, when the formation of five airborne corps of more than 10,000 people each began in the western military districts. The corps included control and headquarters, three airborne brigades of 2896 people each, an artillery division and a separate light tank battalion (up to 50 light amphibious tanks). The personnel of the airborne units had only automatic and self-loading small arms.
The combat training of paratroopers was carried out using six heavy bomber aviation regiments, reorganized into airborne bomber regiments. To control the combat training of the corps on June 12, 1941, the Red Army Airborne Troops Directorate was formed.
By the fall of 1941, some of the corps practically ceased to exist during border battles, in which paratroopers were used as ordinary infantry. Therefore, the formation of ten new airborne corps and five maneuverable airborne brigades began. The formation of these formations and units was completed in the first half of 1942, but the dramatically aggravated situation in the southern Red (Soviet) army of 1941-1945. - The organizations in the sector of the Soviet-German front demanded literally within a week to reorganize airborne formations into 10 Guards rifle divisions, 9 of which were sent to the Stalingrad front and one to the North Caucasian front.
The last "wave" of airborne units during the Great Patriotic War was formed in August 1944. from the composition of units and formations that arrived from the active army, as well as from newly formed units. These were three Guards airborne corps, each of which included three airborne divisions with a staff of 12,600 people. In October of the same year, the corps were brought together into the Separate Guards Airborne Army. In this capacity, the army lasted no more than a month - already in December it was reorganized into the 9th Guards Combined Arms Army (corps and divisions became known as Guards Rifle), and in February 1945 it was concentrated in the Budapest area as a reserve of the Supreme Command Headquarters. Even on the march, when all three corps were on their way to Hungary, the divisions were reinforced with artillery brigades trained in the Zhitomir camps. Thus, the sad experience of 1942 was taken into account, when the guards rifle divisions formed from the paratroopers were thrown into battle with practically no artillery.
In mid-March, the army dealt a powerful blow to the flank and rear of the 6th SS Panzer Army, thus completing the defeat of the Nazi forces in the area of Lake Balaton, and then participated in the liberation of Vienna and in the Prague operation.
Armored troops
The first staff of a separate wartime tank battalion was adopted in September 1941. According to this state, the battalion had 3 tank companies: one - medium T-34 tanks (7 vehicles), two - light T-60 tanks (10 tanks in each); two tanks were in the control group. Thus, the battalion consisted of 29 tanks and 130 personnel.
Since the combat capabilities of the battalions formed by the state in September 1941 were limited due to the predominance of light tanks in them, the formation of more powerful mixed battalions began in November. These 202-man battalions included tank companies heavy tanks KV-1 (5 vehicles), T-34 medium tanks (11 vehicles) and two companies of T-60 light tanks (20 vehicles).
But already in September 1942, separate tank regiments (339 personnel and 39 tanks) were formed to directly support the infantry. These regiments had two Red (Soviet) armies 1941-1945. - Organization of a company of medium tanks T-34 (23 vehicles), a company of light tanks T-70 (16 vehicles), a company technical support, as well as reconnaissance, transport and economic platoons. During the war, light tanks were replaced by T-34 tanks, and regimental support and maintenance units were reinforced. The regiment consisted of 386 personnel and 35 T-34 tanks.
Also in September 1942, the formation of separate heavy tank regiments of the RVGK breakthrough began. These regiments were intended for a joint breakthrough with the infantry and artillery of the enemy's defensive lines prepared in advance. The regiment consisted of four companies of heavy KV-1 tanks (5 vehicles each) and a technical support company. In total, the regiment had 214 personnel and 21 tanks.
With the entry into service of the Red Army of the new IS-2 tanks, heavy tank regiments were rearmed and transferred to new states. The staff adopted in February 1944 provided for the presence in the regiment of four companies of IS-2 tanks (21 vehicles), a company of machine gunners, a sapper and economic platoons, as well as a regimental medical center. The number of the regiment's personnel was 375 people. When these regiments were created, they were given the honorary name of the Guards.
In December of the same year, in order to concentrate heavy tanks on the directions of the main strikes of the fronts and armies, the formation of guards heavy tank brigades began, including 3 regiments of heavy tanks, one motorized battalion of machine gunners, and support and service units. In total, the brigade consisted of 1,666 people, 65 IS-2 heavy tanks, three SU-76 self-propelled artillery mounts, 19 armored personnel carriers and 3 armored vehicles.
At the end of March 1942, the first 4 tank corps were formed on the basis of already created and still being created tank brigades. Each corps first had two and then three tank brigades and a motorized rifle brigade, which consisted of three motorized rifle battalions, artillery and anti-aircraft artillery divisions, support and service units. According to the state, the corps was supposed to have 5603 personnel and 100 tanks (20 KV-1, 40 T-34, 40 T-60). The presence of artillery, reconnaissance and engineering units of corps subordination was not provided, and the corps headquarters consisted of only a few officers who were supposed to coordinate the combat actions of the brigades. These obvious shortcomings in the organizational structure of the tank corps had to be eliminated in the course of the combat use of the corps. Already in July 1942, they included reconnaissance and motorcycle battalions, a separate guards mortar division (250 people, 8 BM-13 combat vehicles), two mobile repair bases, as well as a company for the supply of fuels and lubricants.
The experience of the first months of battles on the Soviet-German front showed that in order to conduct offensive operations, it is necessary to have large army-type formations in shock groupings, in which tanks would be concentrated organizationally. Therefore, already in May 1942, at the direction of the State Defense Committee, armies of a new type for the Red Army began to be created - tank. The first two tank armies (TA) - 3rd and 5th - were formed in May-June 1942.The 3rd TA included 2 tank corps, 3 rifle divisions, 2 separate tank brigades, an artillery regiment and a separate guards mortar regiment.
The 5th TA had several Red (Soviet) Army 1941-1945. - Organization of a different composition: 2 tank corps, a cavalry corps, 6 rifle divisions, a separate tank brigade, a separate motorcycle regiment, 2 separate tank battalions. On the Stalingrad front, the 1st and 4th TA were formed, but after about a month they had to be disbanded.
In terms of their organizational structure, the first tank armies resembled Soviet shock armies or German tank groups and, along with tank formations, included sedentary combined-arms formations. The experience of using these armies in defensive and offensive operations in the Voronezh direction (5th TA) and in the Kozelsk region (3rd TA) showed that they are cumbersome, insufficiently maneuverable and difficult to control. Based on these conclusions, on January 28, 1943, the State Defense Committee adopted a resolution "On the formation of tank armies of the new organization", which obliged the commander of the armored and mechanized troops of the Red Army, Ya.L. Fedorenko to begin the formation of tank armies in the composition of two tank and one mechanized corps. Artillery and mortar regiments, other units and subunits were organizationally assigned to each tank army. The new tank formations were the means of the VKG Headquarters and were transferred to operational subordination to the fronts.
An important factor in strengthening the armored forces was the transfer to them at the end of April 1943 of all self-propelled artillery regiments, created by that time in the system of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army.
Soviet tank and mechanized corps were superior to the German motorized division in their combat capabilities. Before the inclusion of a tank battalion and self-propelled artillery divisions in the staff of the motorized division, this superiority was overwhelming, and at the final stage of the war, the Soviet corps outnumbered the enemy division by 14 - 1.6 times.
At the same time, comparison with the German tank division does not always speak in favor of the Soviet mechanized or, even more so, the tank corps. The most dangerous enemy were the tank divisions of the SS troops, which were well trained, equipped with powerful military equipment and fully staffed with personal ones from the Red (Soviet) Army 1941-1945. - Organizationavom. With an approximately comparable number of tanks, the German division had a significant superiority in artillery. The Soviet corps lacked heavy field artillery, and tank division The SS had 4 guns of 105 mm caliber, 18 caliber 150 mm and 36 self-propelled howitzers of 105 mm caliber. This allowed her to hit the enemy at their initial positions even before the latter entered the battle, and also provided the necessary fire support during the battle.
Immediately before the war, armored train units, previously subordinate to the Main Artillery Directorate, were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Main Armored Directorate of the Red Army.
As of June 22, 1941, the Red Army had 53 armored trains (of which 34 belonged to the light class), which included 53 armored locomotives, 106 artillery armored platforms, 28 air defense armored platforms and more than 160 armored vehicles adapted for movement by rail, and in addition, 9 armored tires and several motor armored wagons.
Artillery
In total, 94 corps artillery regiments and 54 corps anti-aircraft battalions were formed before the start of the war. According to wartime states, the number of corps artillery personnel was 192,500 people
The artillery of the reserve of the High Command before the war included the following units and formations:
1.27 howitzer regiments consisting of four three-battery battalions of 152-mm howitzers or howitzer-guns (48 guns);
2. 33 howitzer artillery regiments of high power, consisting of four three-battery divisions of 203-mm howitzers (24 guns);
3. 14 cannon artillery regiments consisting of four three-battery divisions of 122-mm cannons (48 guns);
4. high-power cannon artillery regiment, consisting of four three-battery battalions of 152-mm cannons (24 guns);
5.8 separate howitzer battalions of special power, in each battalion there are 3 batteries of 280-mm mortars (6 guns).
Immediately before the war, five separate artillery divisions of special power were also formed as part of the ARGK, each of which was to be armed with 8 howitzers of 305 mm caliber (4 batteries with two guns in each). The number of personnel of each division is 478 people There is also information about the presence in the ARGK at this time of a separate cannon division of special power, consisting of three batteries of 210 mm caliber cannons (6 guns).
Since the armor of German tanks during the entire initial period of the Great Patriotic War was easily pierced by shells of 45-mm anti-tank guns, the Soviet defense industry already in 1941 restored their production, which had been curtailed, and the People's Commissariat of Defense began mass formation of anti-tank artillery regiments, consisting of 4 5 batteries of such guns (16-20 guns). For the Red (Soviet) Army 1941 - 1945. - Organization of the staffing of these regiments material part it was necessary to exclude individual anti-tank divisions from the composition of the rifle divisions, and the corresponding platoons from the rifle battalions. A number of scarce anti-aircraft guns were also used, although they were not special anti-tank guns and therefore did not meet the necessary requirements for weight, dimensions, maneuverability, and the time of transfer from the traveling position to the combat position.
On July 1, 1942, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense, the anti-tank artillery was renamed the anti-tank artillery of the Supreme High Command reserve, with the inclusion of anti-tank rifle companies in its regiments. The entire officer corps, which was part of the anti-tank artillery units, was taken on a special account and subsequently received appointments only in them (this procedure existed for the personnel of the guards units). The wounded soldiers and sergeants, after being cured in hospitals, also had to return to anti-tank artillery units.
For its personnel, an increased salary was introduced, a bonus was paid to the calculation of the weapon for each destroyed enemy tank, and also, which was especially appreciated, the wearing of a distinctive sleeve insignia.
The first rocket artillery units were created in accordance with the adopted in June 1941. the decree of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on the deployment of serial production of M-13 shells, BM-13 launchers and the beginning of the formation of rocket artillery units.
The first separate battery, which had 7 BM-13 installations, entered the battle on July 14, 1941, striking at the accumulation of German echelons with troops at the Orsha railway station. The successful combat operations of this and other batteries contributed to the fact that by December 1, 1941, the Red Army had 7 regiments and 52 separate divisions of rocket artillery.
The exceptional importance of this weapon was emphasized by the fact that already during the formation of batteries, divisions and regiments of rocket artillery, the Red (Soviet) army of 1941-1945 was assigned. - Organization of the name of the Guards, hence their common name - Guards Mortar Units (GMCh). The commander of the GMCh was the deputy people's commissar of defense and was directly subordinate to the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command.
The main tactical unit of the GMCh was the Guards Mortar Regiment, which included 3 battalions of combat vehicles (launchers), an anti-aircraft artillery battalion, and support and maintenance units. The divisions consisted of three batteries of four combat vehicles in each. In total, the regiment numbered 1,414 people (of which 137 were officers), in service were 36 combat vehicles, 12 anti-aircraft guns 37 mm, 9 anti-aircraft machine guns DShK and 18 light machine guns, as well as 343 trucks and special vehicles.
To be included in the mechanized, tank and cavalry corps, separate guards mortar divisions were also formed, consisting of two batteries of four combat vehicles each. However, the dominant trend in the development of GMS was the creation of large guards mortar formations. Initially, these were the operational groups of the GMCh, which provided direct control of the combat activities and supply of the guards mortar units at the front.
On November 26, 1942, the People's Commissar of Defense approved the staff of the first GMCh formation - a heavy guards mortar division consisting of two brigades armed with M-30 launchers and four BM-13 regiments. Until the end of 1942, four divisions were formed in this state, each of which had 576 M-30 launchers and 96 BM-13 combat vehicles. The total weight of her salvo of 3,840 shells was 230 tons.
Since, due to the variety of weapons, such a division turned out to be difficult to control in the dynamics of the battle, in February 1943 a new staff of the heavy guards mortar division was put into operation, consisting of three homogeneous brigades M-30 or M-31. The brigade consisted of four three-battery divisions. The salvo of such a brigade was 1152 shells. Thus, the division's salvo consisted of 3,456 shells weighing 320 tons (the number of shells in a salvo decreased, but due to the larger caliber of shells, the weight of the salvo increased by 90 tons). The first division was formed in this state already in February 1943, it was the 5th Guards Mortar Division.
At the end of the war, the Red Army had 7 divisions, 11 brigades, 114 regiments and 38 separate divisions of rocket artillery. In total, more than 10 thousand multiply-charged self-propelled launchers and more than 12 million rockets were manufactured for arming the guards mortar units.
When conducting large offensive operations, the Red Army command usually used guards mortar units in conjunction with the artillery divisions of the RVGK, the formation of which began in the fall of 1942. The first 11 divisions consisted of eight regiments, to simplify the control of divisions, an intermediate command link was soon introduced into it - a brigade. Such a division, consisting of four brigades, included 248 guns and mortars of caliber from 76 mm to 152 mm, a reconnaissance division and an air squadron.
In the spring of 1943, a new step was taken in the organizational development of the RVGK artillery - artillery divisions and breakthrough corps were created. The 6-brigade breakthrough division consisted of 456 guns and mortars of caliber from 76 mm to 203 mm. Two breakthrough divisions and a heavy rocket artillery division united into a breakthrough corps, numbering 712 guns and mortars and 864 M-31 launchers.
Anti-aircraft artillery was, obviously, the only weak link in the powerful Soviet artillery... Although during the war, of the 21 645 enemy aircraft shot down by ground air defense systems, anti-aircraft artillery accounted for 18 704 aircraft, the coverage of Red Army units and formations from air strikes was clearly insufficient throughout the war, and the losses they suffered were sometimes simply catastrophic. ...
On the eve of the war, the divisions and corps of the Red Army were supposed to have one anti-aircraft artillery division each. The anti-aircraft division of corps subordination consisted of three batteries of 7b-mm anti-aircraft guns (12 guns in total). The anti-aircraft division of the rifle division had two batteries of 37 mm anti-aircraft guns (total of 8 guns) and one battery of 7b-mm anti-aircraft guns (4 guns). Thus, the standard means of the division did not allow it to have a sufficient density of guns on a 10 km front (only 1.2 anti-aircraft guns per 1 km of the front). However, such a density could not always be provided due to a lack of material. The situation was no better with the training of command personnel for anti-aircraft units. Anti-aircraft schools and advanced training courses produced an obviously insufficient number of anti-aircraft commanders, so it was necessary to retrain field artillery commanders for anti-aircraft gunners.
At the final stage of the war ground troops The Red Army was covered by about 10,000 anti-aircraft artillery pieces.
Air Force
By the summer of 1941, 53.4% of the Air Force were fighter aircraft, 41.2% bomber aircraft, 0.2% assault aircraft, 3.2% reconnaissance aircraft. Relatively small Red (Soviet) army 1941-1945. - The largest share of ground attack aircraft is explained by the fact that it includes regiments armed with the latest Il-2 attack aircraft. At the same time, there were assault regiments flying on assault modifications of fighters.
On the eve of the war, the restructuring of the Air Force was in full swing. Therefore, the losses of aircraft incurred by the Red Army turned out to be comparable to the losses of armored vehicles, artillery, etc. ... The corresponding GKO decree was adopted in August of the same year.
In long-range bomber aviation, air corps administrations were abolished, in front-line bomber and fighter aviation, the number of regiments in divisions was reduced to two instead of three or four. (And in the reduced composition, the frontline and army aviation divisions existed only until January 1942, when they were disbanded in accordance with the directive of the Headquarters.) In the air regiments, the number of aircraft decreased from 60-63 to 32-33, and then to 20 (two squadrons 10 aircraft each).
From November 1, the formation of regiments of night bombers, armed with Po-2 and R-5 aircraft, began.
Since the Stavka needed aviation reserves to reinforce frontal aviation in the most important sectors, in August 1941 the formation of formations of a new type began - reserve aviation groups, and in March-April 1942 - strike air groups. These air groups included 3-6 different air regiments, depending on the task at hand. After completing the task, they were usually disbanded.
An important stage in the restoration of the former might of the Soviet Air Force was the creation in May 1942 of air armies, which united all aviation units operating in the fronts. At the same time, the formation of uniform aviation Red (Soviet) Army of 1941-1945 was started. - Organization of divisions (fighter, assault and bomber). Soon, 18 such divisions were created, as well as 11 air groups and 179 separate air regiments. This allowed the Supreme High Command and the command of the fronts to centrally control aviation and concentrate its forces on decisive sectors.
By the beginning of 1945, the operational aviation and the RVGK had 13 directorates of the air armies and 155 air fighter, assault and bomber divisions. These formations were armed with 15,815 combat aircraft of the latest types. In addition, 975 Po-2 aircraft were used in the active army. And in total during the war years, the Soviet aviation industry supplied the Air Force with 136.8 thousand aircraft, including more than 59 thousand fighters, more than 37 thousand attack aircraft and 17.8 thousand bombers. In addition, another 18.7 thousand aircraft were received from the United States and Great Britain under Lend-Lease,
In connection with the quantitative growth of Soviet aviation, the number of aircraft directly supporting the ground forces increased from year to year. If about 1170 aircraft took part in the counteroffensive near Moscow, then in the battle of Kursk - already 2900, and in the Berlin operation - 7500.
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During the Great Patriotic War, the combined arms and tank armies as part of the Red Army were large military formations designed to solve the most complex operational tasks.
In order to effectively manage this army structure, the army commander had to have high organizational skills, to know well the features of the use of all branches of the army that make up his army, but also of course to have a strong character.
In the course of hostilities, various commanders were appointed to the post of army commander, but only the most trained and talented of them remained on it until the end of the war. Most of those who commanded armies at the end of the Great Patriotic War occupied lower positions before it began.
So, it is known that over the years of the war, 325 military leaders in total were in the post of commander of the combined arms army. And the tank armies were commanded by 20 people.
In the beginning, there was a frequent change of tank commanders, for example, the commanders of the 5th Tank Army were Lieutenant General M.M. Popov (25 days), I.T. Shlemin (3 months), A.I. Lizyukov (33 days, before his death in battle on July 17, 1942), 1st commanded (16 days) artilleryman K.S. Moskalenko, 4th (within two months) - cavalry officer V.D. Kryuchenkin and the least of all commanded the TA (9 days) - combined arms commander (PI Batov).
Later, the commanders of tank armies during the war years were the most stable group of military leaders. Almost all of them, starting to fight as colonels, successfully commanded tank brigades, divisions, tank and mechanized corps, and in 1942-1943. led the tank armies and commanded them until the end of the war. http://www.mywebs.su/blog/history/10032.html
Of the general military commanders who ended the war as an army commander, 14 people before the war commanded corps, 14 divisions, 2 brigades, one regiment, 6 were in the teaching and teamwork in educational institutions, 16 officers were staff commanders of various levels, 3 were deputy division commanders and 1 deputy corps commander.
Only 5 generals commanding the armies at the start of the war finished it in the same position: three (N.E.Berzarin, F.D. Gorelenko and V.I.Kuznetsov) - on the Soviet-German front and two more (M. F. Terekhin and L.G. Cheremisov) - on the Far Eastern Front.
In total, during the war, 30 military leaders from among the army commanders were killed, of which:
22 people died or died from wounds received in battle,
2 (K. M. Kachanov and A. A. Korobkov) were repressed,
2 (M.G. Efremov and A.K.Smirnov) committed suicide in order to avoid captivity,
2 people died in air (S.D. Akimov) and car accidents (I.G. Zakharkin),
1 (P.F.Alferyev) went missing and 1 (F.A.Ershakov) died in a concentration camp.
For their successes in planning and carrying out combat operations during the war and immediately after its end, 72 military leaders from among the army commanders were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, 9 of them - Twice. After the collapse of the USSR, two generals were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
During the war years, the Red Army consisted of about 93 combined-arms, guards, shock and tank armies, of which were:
1 seaside;
70 combined arms;
11 guards (from 1 to 11);
5 drums (from 1 to 5);
6 tank guards;
In addition, the Red Army had:
18 air armies (from 1 to 18);
7 air defense armies;
10 sapper armies (from 1 to 10);
In the Independent Military Review of 30.04.2004. the rating of the commanders of the Second World War was published, below is an extract from this rating, an assessment of the combat activities of the commanders of the main combined arms and tank Soviet armies:
3. Commanders of combined arms armies.
Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich (1900-1982) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From September 1942 - Commander of the 62nd (8th Guards) Army. Particularly distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad.
Batov Pavel Ivanovich (1897-1985) - army General. Commander of the 51st and 3rd armies, assistant to the commander of the Bryansk front, commander of the 65th army.
Beloborodov Afanasy Pavlantievich (1903-1990) - army General. Since the beginning of the war - the commander of a division, a rifle corps. Since 1944 - commander of the 43rd, in August-September 1945 - the 1st Red Banner armies.
Grechko Andrey Antonovich (1903-1976) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. Since April 1942 - Commander of the 12th, 47th, 18th, 56th Armies, Deputy Commander of the Voronezh (1st Ukrainian) Front, Commander of the 1st Guards Army.
Krylov Nikolay Ivanovich (1903-1972) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From July 1943 he commanded the 21st and 5th armies. He had a unique experience in the defense of besieged large cities, being the chief of staff for the defense of Odessa, Sevastopol and Stalingrad.
Moskalenko Kirill Semenovich (1902-1985) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From 1942 he commanded the 38th, 1st Tank, 1st Guards and 40th Armies.
Pukhov Nikolay Pavlovich (1895-1958) - Colonel General. In 1942-1945. commanded the 13th Army.
Chistyakov Ivan Mikhailovich (1900-1979) - Colonel General. In 1942-1945. commanded the 21st (6th Guards) and 25th armies.
Gorbatov Alexander Vasilievich (1891-1973) - army General. From June 1943 - Commander of the 3rd Army.
Kuznetsov Vasily Ivanovich (1894-1964) - Colonel General. During the war he commanded the troops of the 3rd, 21st, 58th, 1st guards armies from 1945 - Commander of the 3rd Shock Army.
Luchinsky Alexander Alexandrovich (1900-1990) - army General. Since 1944 - Commander of the 28th and 36th armies. Especially distinguished himself in the Belarusian and Manchurian operations.
Lyudnikov Ivan Ivanovich (1902-1976) - Colonel General. During the war he commanded a rifle division, a corps, in 1942 he was one of the heroic defenders of Stalingrad. Since May 1944 - Commander of the 39th Army, which took part in the Belarusian and Manchurian operations.
Galitsky Kuzma Nikitovich (1897-1973) - army General. Since 1942 - Commander of the 3rd Shock and 11th Guards Armies.
Zhadov Alexey Semenovich (1901-1977) - army General. From 1942 he commanded the 66th (5th Guards) Army.
Glagolev Vasily Vasilievich (1896-1947) - Colonel General. He commanded the 9th, 46th, 31st, in 1945 - the 9th Guards armies. Distinguished himself in the Battle of Kursk, the battle for the Caucasus, during the crossing of the Dnieper, the liberation of Austria and Czechoslovakia.
Kolpakchi Vladimir Yakovlevich (1899-1961) - army General. He commanded the 18th, 62nd, 30th, 63rd, 69th armies. He acted most successfully in the Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.
Issa Pliev (1903-1979) - army General. During the war years - the commander of the guards cavalry divisions, corps, the commander of the cavalry-mechanized groups. He was especially distinguished by his bold and daring actions in the Manchurian strategic operation.
Fedyuninsky Ivan Ivanovich (1900-1977) - army General. During the war, he was the commander of the 32nd and 42nd armies, the Leningrad front, the 54th and 5th armies, the deputy commander of the Volkhov and Bryansk fronts, the commander of the 11th and 2nd shock armies.
Belov Pavel Alekseevich (1897-1962) - Colonel General. He commanded the 61st Army. He was distinguished by decisive maneuvering actions during the Belorussian, Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.
Shumilov Mikhail Stepanovich (1895-1975) - Colonel General. From August 1942 until the end of the war, he commanded the 64th Army (from 1943 - the 7th Guards), which together with the 62nd Army heroically defended Stalingrad.
Berzarin Nikolay Erastovich (1904-1945) - Colonel General. Commander of the 27th and 34th armies, deputy commander of the 61st, 20th armies, commander of the 39th and 5th shock armies... He was especially distinguished by his skillful and decisive actions in the Berlin operation.
4. Commanders of tank armies.
Katukov Mikhail Efimovich (1900-1976) - Marshal of the armored forces. One of the founders of the Tank Guard was the commander of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade and the 1st Guards Tank Corps. Since 1943 - Commander of the 1st Tank Army (since 1944 - Guards).
Bogdanov Semyon Ilyich (1894-1960) - Marshal of the armored forces. From 1943 he commanded the 2nd (from 1944 - the Guards) Tank Army.
Rybalko Pavel Semenovich (1894-1948) - Marshal of the armored forces. From July 1942 he commanded the 5th, 3rd and 3rd Guards Tank Armies.
Lelyushenko Dmitry Danilovich (1901-1987) - army General. From October 1941 he commanded the 5th, 30th, 1st, 3rd Guards, 4th Tank (from 1945 - Guards) armies.
Rotmistrov Pavel Alekseevich (1901-1982) - Chief Marshal of the Armored Forces. He commanded a tank brigade, corps, distinguished himself in the Stalingrad operation. From 1943 he commanded the 5th Guards Tank Army. Since 1944 - Deputy Commander of the Armored and Mechanized Forces of the Soviet Army.
Kravchenko Andrey Grigorievich (1899-1963) - Colonel General of Tank Forces. Since 1944 - Commander of the 6th Guards Tank Army. He showed an example of highly maneuverable, swift actions during the Manchurian strategic operation.
It is known that this list included the commanders of the armies who had been in their posts for a relatively long time and had shown rather high military leadership abilities.