Soviet heavy tank regiments pdf

The tactical sign of 7th guards heavy tank brigade is2 the emblem of 41st guards tank brigade of 7th mechanized corps ussr. The basic element of soviet mechanized infantrythe squadhas declined in size from 14. T34 was pretty efficient both against infantry and armor. This was the last soviet heavy tank to enter service. When soviet units were withdrawn, mujaheddin forces reappeared. Mar 15, 2015 soviet wwii cavalry divisions the m42 cavalry division kavaleriyskaya diviziya, introduced 6 january 1942 with 4,443 personnel, had seven companysized divisional hq units. Handbook on ussr military forces chapter iii, field organization war department washington, dc comments the copy digitized was borrowed from the marshall center research library, apo, ae 090534502. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. A brigade was organized with 3 heavy tank regiments, a motorised submachinegun battalion, as well as. The soviet army, counterinsurgency, and the afghan war.

By the beginning of the 1936, it had already had four mechanised corps, six separate mechanised brigades, six separate tank regiments, fifteen mechanised regiments within cavalry divisions and considerable number of tank. The ba64 left soviet service in 1954 the year that the pt76 started production. Soviet motor rifle and tank regiments circa 1980 by david myers. Based upon an assessment of the t34 delivered on 25. Soviet commanders subdivided tank regiments and battalions into small groups and counterattacked from march formation without proper reconnaissance or use of maneuver. The best soviet tank, the t34, was the most modern in the world, and the kv series the best armoured. These support units may also include special troops and services. When the need and mission called for it a heavy tank regiment with is2 heavy tanks replaced the heavy assault gun regiment with its su152s. The is3 known as object 703 is a soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944. The formation of independent guards heavy tank brigades began in december of 1944.

Plus in 1961 begin formation of the separate tank battalions of the army subordination 2 spg comp and 1 tank comp. One hq tank and five companies of two platoons, each with two tanks. The is2 uses the heavy breakthrough gun special rule with its main gun 122mm d25 and with at 15, the 122mm makes the infamous tiger i front armor 9 an easy kill. Soviet domination of the warsaw pact led to effective standardization on a few tank designs. This field manual is part offm series 1002, 1besovietarmy. All are well known soviet types, some of which have been recently improved. Corps hq 3 mechanized brigades bg20 1 tank brigade bg37 or 2 tank regiments bg22 or 2 tank brigades bg37 guards mortar battalion bg15 motorcycle battalion bg31 armored car battalion bg32 engineer company me11 in january 1943 add. These divisions were authorised two panzer regiments, but in actuality the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th panzer divisions had only one panzer regiment each. Soviet heavy tanks kv1 or is2 were organized into regiments of 21 tanks. Heavy tank the red army, soviet armed forces, german armed. The division was one of the two major divisions deployed in moscow in august 1991 as part of the attempted hardline coup against soviet president mikhail gorbachev. Is3 heavy tank, technical description and manual, russian motor books. Battlegroup cwwp01 soviet tank divisionguards tank division a a a guards formation was organisationally identical to a nonguards formation. The soviet army, counterinsurgency, and the afghan war scott r.

The is3s belonged to 71st guard heavy tank regiment of 2nd guards. Heavy tank regiment 4 x heavy tank company, 1 x heavy tank ghq, 1 x ba64 support units. Version 2, july 29, 2010 this effort was largely inspired by viktor suvorovs book, inside the soviet union, and is a representation, in panzerblitzaiw terms, of the motor rifle regiment described by suvarov on pages 84 86 of the berkeley books paperback edition. The origin of the is1 project came from numerous reports regarding the kv1.

Its pike nose design was also mirrored by other tanks of the is tank family such as the is7 and t10 tank. This field manual is part of fm series 1002,the soviet army. Gehlen ran the entire german intelligence command for the easter front. Sometimes everything but the tanks was missing, but by toe and most of the time in practice, it was a combined arms formation, just very tank heavy. This new soviet tank clearly came as a significant surprise to american and british leaders. The t64a also has a new, manual transmission system that. In 19311935, the red army adopted light, medium, and later heavy tanks of different. These organizations remained in effect to the end of the war. Soviet mechanised and tank corps are the equivalent to other nations armoured divisions, with the mechanised corps being infantry heavy and tank corps being armour heavy. The term guards was simply an honorific title left over from ww2 and was only of historical interest. Many regiments were still armed with kv1e, kv1s, kv85 and churchill heavy tanks. The soviets assault gun regiments followed the same organization as the heavy tanks and could be. As a result of the soviet assessment of the tank corps as being unwieldy and difficult to control, shown by repeated traffic jams caused by the tank corps in poland, the main military council ordered their disbandment on 21 november, replacing the tank corps with 15 motorized divisions, each with two motorized rifle regiments, an artillery regiment, and a tank regiment. This gave the kv2 an unmistakable profile, with its towering turret, which was only accessible by a ladder an obvious target which was also notably top heavy, compromising the lateral stability of the tank while crossing a sloped terrain, a problem which would later haunt soviet tank crews.

World war ii armed forces orders of battle and organizations. The immediate postwar period saw the final fielding of heavy tanks, including the us m103 heavy tank, the british fv214 conqueror, and the french arl 44 in very limited numbers for the arl 44, all in response to the soviet heavy tanks of the period. Kv2 soviet heavy assault tank 1940 tank encyclopedia. An artillery regiment the main firepower of the divisionwhich consists of three battalions of 152 selfpropelled howitzers and one battalion of bm27. Soviet motor rifle and tank regiments circa 1980 by david. Red army tank tactics armchair general and historynet. Soviet tank formations units and equipment combat mission. Soviet union 1943 heavy tank 3,854 built a new standard in hell. Improvements in heavy mortars of which one at least is capable of firing. In august, a light artillery regiment of twentyfour 76mm guns was added. When the advanced t64 mbt became available it replaced the t10 in front line formations. Weighing nearly 50 tons, it was the backbone of russian heavy tank units in 1941.

In 1989, the 43rd guards tank regiment was replaced by the 14th guards tank regiment. Dec 12, 2012 tank operation, panzer corps tank forces organization 193845. Its pike nose design would also mirrored by other tanks of the is tank family such as the is7 and t10 tank. Each tank division consisted of two tank regiments and one motorized infantry regiment. Meet the mbt70the super tank that was ahead of its time.

Estimate, soviet estimate, soviet military estimate, tgdnotsu. In 1930, the first mechanised brigade had its own tank regiment of 110 tanks. The tank brigade had a motor rifle battalion, which included a battery of 82mm mortars at various times, 6, 8 or 9 mortars, an at battery with 4 76mm guns, and an aa battery with 9 50 cals. Battlegroup cwwp01 soviet tank divisionguards tank division a a a guards formation was organisationally identical to a non guards formation. Use of boolean tank warfare and world war ii, light tank and world war ii and development, and world war ii and heavy tank yield. Technical manual, tm 30430, chapter iii, 1 march 1946. The kv1 on wikipedia all ww2 soviet tanks posters the first kv1 prototype in finland with the 91st tank battalion of the 20th heavy tank brigade, near suma, 1719 december 1939, alongside two t100s and one smk.

Oct 12, 2016 in researching guards heavy tank regiments for my brother, this turned up. May 12, 2015 i think he is asking a more nuanced question than just the organization of a generic tank regiment in the gsfg. The complete illustrated history of soviet armoured theory and design, harrisburg penn stackpole books. The t57 heavy tank was an experimental heavy tank developed by the american military during the cold war era as a further development of the m103 heavy tank. This new soviet tank clearly came as a significant surprise to. Soviet order of battle and doctrine in the cold war.

The tank division was built around an armored shock element of three medium tank regiments and one heavy tank and assault gun regiment. The red army organized the 1932 mechanized corps in three brigades, with over 400 tanks and a large number of subordinate units. The structure and organization of the red armys tank forces. When more specialised weapons were required, those were transfered. This tank was distinguished from the tanks of world war two by many features.

Reorganization of soviet ground forces in east germany central. The 10 1940 panzer divisions varied widely in their organization and equipment. Its pike nose design would also be mirrored by other tanks of the is tank family such as the is7 and t10. The evolution of then deep operation panzer operation concept led to a change in the organization of soviet armoured and mechanized forces in order to meet the requirements for largescale offensive actions. Orders of battle organisation of the soviet units some of the great historical information we just didnt have enough room to include in hammer and sickle were the complete organisations and orders of battle of the four soviet corps featured in the book. This raised the number of assault guns in the corps to sixtythree. Apart from soviet union and poland is2 heavy tanks. According to this cia report, link and fm 10023, link a tank regiment in an mrd has no organic motor rifle support. As the escalation between german and russian engineers reached a new point with the introduction on the german side of the panther and tiger, and the knowledge that something bigger was brewing, the is2 was pressed into introduction as soon as its main armament was ready. The is3s belonged to 71st guard heavy tank regiment of 2nd guards tank army. Tank operation, panzer corps russian tanks, soviet tanks.

Modernized as the kv1s, then kv85, this model was soon replaced by the is1 for iosif stalin and the upgunned is2 in 1944, which could deal with the latest german tanks. T35 of the 67th tank regiment, 34th tank division red army t35 soviet heavy tank model 1939 t35 soviet heavy tank 1 t35 abandoned on the roadside during the fighting in ukraine in junejuly 1941 intact heavy tank t35 abandoned by its crew due to a malfunction details of the turret of soviet tank t. Stalin nearly cancelled all heavy tank development in 1943 but, in that summer, the panther and tiger. Handbook on ussr military forces unl digital commons. The is85 heavy tank is the logical next step in soviet heavy tank design, incorporating the strengths of its predecessors. An artillery regimentthe main firepower of the divisionwhich consists of three battalions of 152 selfpropelled howitzers and one battalion of bm27. Units are task organized in modular expeditionary forces, tailored for. Heavy, light and medium in the beginning, then heavy were moved in independent regiments. The insignia of 90th tank brigade t34 124th tank brigade, kv1 previously 24th tank division. Early in their invasion, the germans destroyed the main soviet heavy tank factories. Though light tanks were now known to be ineffective, they were still better for supporting infantry than no tanks at all, and so the soviets introduced their last light twoman tank. Unfortunately, it did not due to the tanks heavy weight.

Still in use by motorised rifle regiments within soviet tank divisions in 1979. The result was a tank heavy division with the engineering, antiaircraft, artillery, and aviation assets needed to operate in the enemys rear areas without outside support from its parent front. The world war ii concept of heavy tanks, armed with the most powerful guns and heaviest armour. A brigade was organized with 3 heavy tank regiments, a motorised submachinegun battalion, as well as administration and supply units, for a total of 1666 men, 65 heavy is2 tanks, 3 su76 selfpropelled guns, 19 armored personnel carrier and 3 armored cars. These include formations and vehicles deployed outside europe, such as in north america or the asiatic ussr. T35 soviet heavy multiturreted tank world war photos. Personnel of a t3l tank crew tank commander gun commander gun loader mechanic assistant mechanic or rifleman equipment polish armored units are outfitted primarily with t34 medium tanks and heavy js2 tanks. Heavy tank company with such a high proportion of officers in the company, guards heavy tank companies use more sophisticated tactics than most soviet troops. There was no qualitative edge, organisational difference or technological edge. The js6 with the purely mechanical transmission was even less reliable.

These were used to reinforce tank or mechanized corps, or could be attached to rifle and cavalry divisions to provide support. Tank development world war ii university of hawaii. During the cold war 19451990, the two opposing forces in europe were the warsaw pact. Mcmichael the military situation that confronted the soviet army in afghanistan during its nineplus years of occupation december 1979 to february 1989 differed significantly from the soviets prewar expectations. As of june 2015, within 2 years after the division was reconstituted, the russian armed forces are planning to rebuild the famous soviet era 1st guards red banner tank army by including both the 4th guards tank division and the 2nd guards motor rifle division as well as one tank and rifle brigade from the 1990s up to its 1998 disbandment the.

Soviet order of battle and doctrine in the cold war steven. There are a total of 24 ww2 soviet artillery 19391945 entries in the military factory. I think you are specifically asking about a tank regiment in an mrd in the gsfg. Besides the independent heavy tank regiments mentioned earlier, in september 1942, gabtu also introduced independent tank regiments composed of t 34s and light tanks. The soviets assault gun regiments followed the same organization as the heavy tanks and could be armed with su76, su85, su100 or su122 vehicles. Tank brigade tank brigades tank brigades of the far east command 9 august 1945 brigade commander. The is3 also known as object 703 is a soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944. Abstract tm 30340, handbook on ussr military forces, was published in installments to expedite dissemination to the field.

The germans developed a number of different tanks in response to the soviet unions kv1 and t34, and the soviets, in turn, responded to these german developments by creating the js joseph stalin1 heavy tank. Soviet union 1943 heavy tank 207 built based on the kv85. Not all soviet guards heavy tank regiments were equipped with the is2 heavy tank during 1944. The is3 heavy tank was first seen by the western powers during the sept. In 19311935, the red army adopted light, medium, and later heavy tanks of different types.

The shock administered to the german armed forces when they encountered the much more powerful soviet kv and t34 tanks during operation barbarossa in 1941 forced them to initiate the development of their own medium and heavy tank capable of overturning the red armys tactical advantage. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily primary operator. The 300lb gorilla of stalins onslaught is the gvardeyskiy tyazhelyy tankovy polk guards heavy tank regiment and gives red army players the list they always dreamt of a joseph stalin 2 is2 heavy tank regiment. Is2 heavy tank in foreground with t3485s in center and back left of picture and what appears to be an isu152 in the back right of the photo source unknown. Wwii micro squad battalion tables of organization and. The tank regiment battalion may be reinforced with heavy tanks, self propelled. The largest tank guns were approaching maximum calibre whose shell could still be handled by.

This is a list of tanks produced in factories of the russian empire, soviet union, the russian federation, and ukraine. Featuring heavy armour and a long range 120 mm rifled gun, the t57 was supposed to serve as a replacement to the m103 in service with american heavy tank units in europe. A soldier in one of the russian tanks approaching the. Is85 guards heavy tank regiments the is85 has already featured in midwar monsters as an experimental tank, but it saw actual service during the.

Often called a land battleship, it was the only fiveturreted heavy tank in the world to reach production, but proved to be slow and mechanically unreliable. Battalion tables of organization and equipment soviet light tank battalion 1939mid 1940 cohesion. The transmission was also of questionable reliability. Its the oob over time of soviet tank formations, as determined by reinhard gehlens foreign armies east. During the cold war, the division was maintained at 80% strength. Mechanised corps make the initial thrust through broken enemy lines, taking key objectives and destroying any withdraw ing forces. Soviet tanks and combat vehicles of world war two, london. Some units may have tractortrailers to carry heavy tracked equipment on long. Creating the boolean revolved around using certain key words that i believed would bring results. Is2s were assigned to separate heavy tank regiments, normally of 21 tanks each. Tank division 22 june 1941 tank divisions 22 june 1941 division and commander. The t35 was a soviet multiturreted heavy tank of the interwar period and early second world war that saw limited production and service with the red army.