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Sabre21 -> Soviet Tactical Doctrine-Offense (9/26/2002 10:44:27 PM)
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I wanted to bring this up for nothing more than as information for people to read.
The Soviet tactical doctrine expected the vast majority of their engagements to occur during a "Meeting Engagement". This is where opposing forces meet each other while on the move.
The Soviet Division would be deployed along 2 or maybe 3 parallel avenues of approach with a regiment moving along each axis. The extra regiments would trail behind the leading ones by several kilometers.
The Soviet Division had 4 maneuver regiments, 3 mech and 1 tank (Motorized Rifle Division) or 3 tank and 1 mech (tank division). The Regiment had 4 battalions, again 3 motorized rifle and 1 tank for a motorized rifle regiment or 3 tank and a motorized rifle battalion for a tank regiment. The tank regiment in a motorized rifle division did not have the rifle battalion, but there was usually an extra motorized rifle battalion as a division asset.
Divisional Recon would lead the Division by as many as 50 kilometers, staying in touch using HF radio when necessary. Regimental recon then preceeded the Regiment by as much as 25 kilometer's.
The next element is referred to as the "Combat Reconnaissance Patrol". This is the lead infantry ir tank platoon with a mix of 3 bmp's or btr's, a brdm or two, and a tank. If the lead battalion was tank...then the mix would be reversed. A rifle platoon also had an SA-7
The next element would follow behind the CRP by about 5 kilometers. This was called the "Forward Security Element". This was the lead company from where the lead platoon came from. It consisted of the remaining two rifle platoons, a tank platoon, a battery of howitzers, a couple brdm's, and an engineer btr. Sometimes a ZSU-23-4 was added.
The next element was the "Advance Guard". This was the remainder of the lead battalion which followed the FSE by about 5 k's. The advance guard would have the remaining two rifle companies, hq company, the remainder of the attached tank company, an air defense section of usually a pair of ZSU's or 2S6's, an engineer detachment, the remainder of the attached battalion, and a chemical recon section.
Just to make clear, the majority of the type of vehicles present in the CRP and FSE was dependant on what type of battalion was the Advance Guard. If the Advance Guard was a BPM unit, then the CRP had 3 bmp's and 1 tank. If it was a BTR unit...then 3 btr's and 1 tank. If it was a tank unit, then 3 tanks and 1 bmp.
Also the FSE would have the same ratio depending on the parent battalion. The only difference was that if the unit was bmp or tank, the arty was made up of 2S1's (122 sp). If it was a btr battalion, the arty was towed 122's.
Once contact was made, the element in contact would pin the force while the follow on unit would attempt to flank the enemy unit. If this was not possible, they would then reinforce the first unit allowing the next higher unit to conduct the flanking maneuver.
As the Soviet units approched the enemy force, they would deploy from battalion in column to company columns about 2 k's out. Then from company to platoon column at around 1-1.5 k and finally to platoon on line from 500-1000 meters. If the enemy unit was heavy in anti tank, the infantry would then dismount and preceed the armor by a couple hundred meters, otherwise they remained mounted.
Of course this is a textbook perfect situation. Terrain, weather, and time might dictate modifications to the deployment.
Any questions, feel free to ask.
Sabre21
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