Penal battalions and barrier detachments of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War. Armed forces of the ussr

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, the Air Force, Navy, Air defense troops of the country's territory, Logistics of the 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 highest leadership of the country's defense and 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. He coordinated all activities aimed at strengthening the military potential and increasing the defense capability of the USSR by 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 (from May 1940, People's Commissar Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko) and the People's Commissariat of the Navy (from April 1939, People's Commissar of the Fleet Flagship 2nd Rank, from June 1940, Adm. N.G. 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 Kr. The army was headed by Gen. army G.K. Zhukov.

The situation grew rapidly in the late 1930s. the threat of war placed high demands on the organization and training of the USSR Armed Forces, increasing their combat readiness and combat effectiveness. The most important tasks in the construction of the Armed Forces at that time were to increase the number of troops (forces), increase their technical equipment, and establish an optimal ratio of the number of types of Armed Forces.

Based on the conclusions of Sov. military science that the main role in a future war will be assigned to the Ground Forces, the ratio of types of armed forces in terms of the number of personnel as of 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 rifle troops, armored forces, artillery. The cavalry, airborne troops, railway, road, engineering, chemical forces, Signal Corps. The Air Force focused on the development of fighter and bomber aircraft, and created attack aircraft. The Navy was replenished with new surface ships and submarines.

Particularly noticeable was the increase in the technical equipment of the USSR Armed Forces in 1939 - 1st half. 1941. Compared to 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 guns and powerful rocket weapons for salvo firing at area targets were developed, new types of fighters, a dive bomber, an attack aircraft, and several types of warships for light naval forces were created.

Scientists and designers ensured high quality and reliability of the owls. military equipment in many respects is 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. Koshkin) and heavy KV (Zh.Ya. Kotin), rocket artillery combat vehicle BM-13 “Katyusha” (I.T. Kleimenov and G.E. Langemak) and others. Geologists discovered new deposits of strategic materials (bauxite, manganese, molybdenum). Methods were developed for demagnetizing warships (I.V. Kurchatov, A.P. Aleksandrov), automatic welding of armor (E.O. Platon), and automatic machines for producing cartridges were designed. Great strides have been made in the field of military medicine, which made it possible to subsequently return St. 70% of 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 RVGK artillery was further developed. 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 corps. In the airborne troops, which consisted of brigades, airborne corps were formed. There has been a transition to a divisional organization in the Air Force.

Simultaneously with the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, their numbers increased. The Law on General Military Duty, adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on September 1, 1939, legally completed the transfer of the Red Army and 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 at the stage of formation). However, not all planned organizational and other measures for the armed forces were completed by the beginning of the war. Motorization of the infantry remained insufficient; the rearmament of formations and units with new types of weapons and military equipment was not completed. Most of the units transferred to 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 by 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 of military educational institutions could not keep up with the pace of deployment of the armed forces. The consequences of political repression in 1937–39 and in subsequent years, to which many Sovs were unjustifiably subjected, had an impact. military leaders, commanders and political workers. Most of the reserve command personnel were unable to undergo retraining before the start of the war. The share of command personnel with higher military education in 1940 decreased by more than 2 times compared to 1936. Due to a large reshuffle of personnel in the top and middle levels of management, which was carried out in the midst of rearmament and the transition to new forms of organization, commanders promoted to responsible positions and bosses did not have enough time to acquire the experience necessary to work in new, higher positions.

Major miscalculations were made in determining the timing, direction and force of the blows. troops. Serious errors occurred in the selection of aviation basing areas and the placement of material and technical supplies, most of which were located near the state. borders. The deployment of armed forces groups did not have a clear plan. The Red Army did not have sufficient experience in conducting modern warfare, organizing the interaction of troops, or effectively using new weapons and military equipment.

After the attack of Germany on June 22, 1941, the USSR began a radical restructuring of the entire military organization of the state. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was formed - the State Defense Committee (GKO) under the chairmanship of I.V. Stalin, who also became People's Commissar of Defense (July 19, 1941) and Supreme Commander-in-Chief (August 8, 1941). For the strategic leadership of the Armed Forces, the Headquarters of the Main Command was formed on July 10, 1941 (see. Headquarters of the Supreme High Command), the main body of which became the General Staff of the Red Army, intermediate leadership bodies were created - the main commands of the troops of the directions (abolished in May - June 1942). On the basis of the border military districts, 5 fronts were formed (during the war there were 10–15 of them at different periods), which became operational-strategic formations of the Armed Forces. On July 1, 1941, 5.3 million people were drafted into the Armed Forces for mobilization. Active Army from June 1941 to November. 1942 increased from 2.9 million to 6.6 million people. Mobilization made it possible to expand preparations reserves and strengthen the main troop groups.

However, in the initial period of the war, the advanced strategic echelon of the Red Army was defeated, the enemy captured significant territory of the USSR and approached Moscow and Leningrad. By the end of 1941, through extraordinary measures, the self-sacrifice of the people, and the heroism of the army and navy, it was possible to stop the enemy and thwart his “blitzkrieg” plan. The Battle of Moscow 1941–42 dispelled the myth of his invincibility. army. In the summer of 1942, the center of military operations moved to the southern wing Soviet-German front.

In ever-increasing sizes, the army received weapons and military equipment, and above all their main types - artillery, tanks, and airplanes. From Dec. 1941 to Nov. 1942 the number of the most important combat weapons increased: for guns and mortars - from 22 thousand to 77.8 (without anti-aircraft guns), for tanks - from 1954 to 7350, for combat aircraft - from 2238 to 4544 units. The organizational structure of all military branches and special forces continued to be improved. 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, engineer armies, regiments, battalions and radio communications divisions, companies of high-explosive flamethrowers, and departments were formed. flamethrower tank battalions and dept. flamethrower-tank brigades of the RVGK, automobile battalions, railway brigades.

By the end of the first period of the war, the striking power of the Ground Forces increased, which was determined by the quantitative and qualitative growth of armored and mechanized forces, artillery and military air defense. In Aug. 1941 The Air Force was reorganized - the number of regiments and divisions and aircraft in the regiments decreased. Regiments for night operations, reserve aviation groups, and, from March 1942, attack aviation groups at the disposal of the Supreme High Command Headquarters were formed. From May 1942, operational aviation associations—air armies—began to be formed at the air force bases of the fronts. From Nov. 1941 began a radical reorganization of air defense. In the Navy, units and formations of fleets were transferred to wartime levels in a short time, and new units were formed. By the end of 1941, 46 new ships of the main classes entered service.

With the beginning of the war, the system of training and education of command personnel and specialists underwent restructuring. Academies and military school cadets graduated early. 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-line and army courses were created for accelerated training of junior officers. In July 1941, the institution of military commissars was introduced (abolished on October 9, 1942). The power of the USSR Armed Forces continued to grow: by the summer of 1942, they included approx. 11 million people, including in the active army - St. 5.5 million people From mid-1942, the defense industry began to increase the output of military products and 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 were significantly strengthened organizationally, their technical equipment improved, the troops acquired combat experience, and the combat skills of the personnel increased. In fierce battles and battles, the Red Army and Navy inflicted heavy defeats on the enemy near Leningrad, in Moscow and Battle of Stalingrad, 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 types of armed forces and branches of the military. By mid-1943, in the USSR Armed Forces, compared to the end of 1942, the number of weapons increased by 1.3 times, armored vehicles - by 1.4, aircraft - by 2.3 times. The Red Army surpassed him. troops in tanks and artillery almost 2 times, in aircraft 3 times. Total in the active army in December. In 1943 there were 11 fronts, 66 directorates of combined arms armies and 3 tank armies. The massive production of weapons in 1943 made it possible to strengthen divisional artillery and 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 homogeneous 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 determined the need for new, significant organizational changes in the Air Force. The composition of air divisions, corps and air armies has increased. The country's Air Defense Forces have strengthened organizationally and grown in numbers. The Navy continued to create naval defensive areas, the number of marines increased, and new naval formations were formed. The problem of creating strategic reserves was successfully resolved. Thus, during the winter campaign of 1942/43, the Headquarters transferred to the fronts from its reserve 4 tank armies, 29 tank and mechanized corps, 108 rifle, 23 artillery, 26 anti-aircraft artillery, 19 aviation divisions, 16 engineering brigades and other formations and units, and in the summer and autumn of 1943 there were 2 times more combined arms formations, and 3 times more tank and aviation formations than in winter.

In 1943, a qualitatively new stage in the construction of the USSR Armed Forces was completed: significant changes took place in their military-technical equipment and organizational structure, in the development of military art, and the personnel accumulated a wealth of experience in conducting combat operations. This was reflected in the newly published statutory documents: the Combat Manual of the Infantry (1942), the draft Field Manual of the Red Army and a number of regulations of the military branches. At the beginning of 1943, new insignia were introduced - shoulder straps. In order to increase the authority of command personnel and their responsibility, in July 1943 the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established a new procedure for assigning military ranks. All command and management personnel in the rank of ml. Lieutenant up to and including colonel 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 of 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 liberated it. invaders a significant part of the occupied Soviet Union. territories. 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 to the first period of the war, the number of fronts on the fronts increased: tanks and self-propelled guns - by 4-6 times, guns and mortars - by 4-5, aircraft - by 4-8 times. By the beginning of 1945, there were 9.4 million people and 144.2 thousand troops in the active army, in the Reserve Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, on the southern and Far Eastern borders. and mortars, 15.7 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 22.6 thousand combat aircraft. Compared to June 1944, the number of 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 Soviet-German front, where they outnumbered the enemy in guns and mortars by almost 4 times, in tanks and self-propelled guns by 3 times, and in combat aircraft by 8 times. The dominant position was still occupied by the Ground Forces. In terms of personnel, by the end of the war they accounted for 80%, the Air Force - St. 8%. The share of air defense troops increased from 3.3% in December. 1941 to 5% in May 1945, and the Navy fell 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 World War II for the Sov. The union became the Soviet-Japanese war of 1945 in the Far East, in which the USSR Armed Forces quickly defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army.

During the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Armed Forces covered themselves with unfading glory. For the military feats of St. 7 million owls soldiers were awarded orders and medals, approx. 11.6 thousand were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Union. Mass heroism was characteristic not only of individual soldiers, but also of entire units, formations and associations. For distinction in battles for the Fatherland with him. The invaders awarded regiments and divisions 10.9 thousand military orders. Many of them were awarded orders several times. Moscow saluted the valiant owls 354 times. troops and navy. Hundreds of military formations and units were awarded honorary titles.

The defeat of the most powerful and dangerous armed forces for the world community, fascist Germany and militaristic Japan, was a severe test for the armed forces and peoples of the USSR, and they passed this test with honor. The Soviet Armed Forces expelled the enemy from the USSR and defended the independence and territorial integrity of the country. The fascist bloc suffered a complete and crushing defeat, Germany unconditionally capitulated. The USSR Armed Forces played a decisive role in ridding the peoples of Europe and Asia from the threat of the Nazis. enslavement brought them freedom and peace. The entry of the USSR into the war in the Far East accelerated the defeat of militaristic Japan.

Research Institute (Military History) VAGS of the RF Armed Forces

Special forces units during the Great Patriotic War

1st volunteer partisan detachment of the Institute of Physical Culture named after. P.F. Lesgaft (1st DPO IFK named after P.F. Lesgaft) intelligence department of the Northern Front.

Formed on June 29, 1941 by the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Leningrad Military District from students and teachers of the IFC named after. P.F. Lesgafta.

On June 23–28, 1941, at the institute’s sports base in Kavgolovo, reconnaissance commanders of the LVO briefly familiarized volunteers with small arms (machine gun, self-loading rifle) and the technique of using explosives. Classes were also conducted on the tactics of raids on “headquarters, vehicles, columns of troops and other objects.”

On June 29, 1941, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Leningrad Military District, brigade commander P.P. Evstegneev signed secret order No. 005 on the formation of the 1st DPO (volunteer partisan detachment) numbering 254 people (some sources indicate the number of the detachment at 300 people).

The detachment was divided into 12 independent groups of 20–25 people each (later the groups began to be called detachments and received the corresponding numbering from 1 to 12), had 6 walkie-talkies.

Group (detachment) commanders:

No. 1 E.V. Mironov;

No. 2 K.P. Vlasenko;

No. 3 V.N. Zimerberg;

No. 4 M.I. Nemchinov;

No. 5 D.F. Kositsyn;

No. 6 V.M. Wenzel;

No. 7 F.M. Ermolaev;

No. 8 E.S. Bogdanov;

No. 9 V.M. Shamin;

No. 10 A.D. Seleznev;

No. 11 N.K. Ponomarev;

No. 12 I.F. Artamonov.

On June 29, 1941, all groups of the 1st DPO set off in cars along the route Leningrad - Luga - Strugi Krasnye.

The main tasks of the detachment:

“... b) Upon arrival in the specified areas, first of all, secretly locate the groups’ supply bases in the forests of the specified areas, ensuring proper storage of both food and ammunition.

c) When the enemy is detected in the areas where they are located, the groups begin active combat operations by committing minor sabotage - disabling vehicle engines and drivers with armor-piercing bullets, attacking single following vehicles and destroying them, seizing documents from messengers - messengers on motorcycles, etc. - to cause panic in the moving parts of the enemy, to force them to slow down the pace of movement at every step, especially as a result of violating road structures - bridges, gates and creating artificial obstacles - rubble, mining, burning tanks, etc.

d) When large enemy forces are detected, through local Soviet and party organizations, seek to involve the entire local population in the work - collective farmers, employees and workers, who will be used to create artificial obstacles on a large scale - rubble, wolf pits, ditches, etc.

3. Upon receiving information about the enemy and the areas of his advance, it is necessary to urgently inform the center about the areas of concentration, the number of vehicles (tanks) and the direction of the columns. Radio communication - twice a day..."

On June 30, 1941, soldiers of the 1st DPO settled in the forests in the area north and northwest of Pskov and, with the further advance of the fascist troops, remained in their rear.

Group No. 1 – Sloboda district;

Group No. 2 – area northeast of Pskov, 5 km;

Group No. 3 – Patrovo-Terekhovo district;

Group No. 4 – Maromorka district;

Group No. 5 – Voshkovo district;

Group No. 6 – Zarechye district;

Group No. 7 – Kotseritsa area;

Group No. 8 – Panfilovka district;

Group No. 9 – Pokhony district;

Group No. 10 – Ludoni region;

Group No. 11 – Chatkovitsa area;

Group No. 12 – Zapolye district.

In July–August 1941, Group No. 5 operated in the Pskov–Porkhov–Novoselye triangle.

In July–September 1941, the combat groups of the 1st DPO inflicted the following losses on the enemy (according to incomplete data):

over 40 attacks were carried out on columns of tanks, armored vehicles, motorized infantry, convoys, airfields and enemy garrisons;

over 150 enemy soldiers and officers were destroyed, 1 tank, 17 trucks, 3 passenger cars, 16 motorcycles, 1 handcar, 2 ammunition depots were blown up (one of them with 6.5 thousand shells), 5 bridges, 5 were derailed trains with manpower, equipment and ammunition, 4 tanks, 1 armored personnel carrier, 2 passenger cars were destroyed, 3 soldiers were captured (handed over to the headquarters of the 41st Corps);

Numerous blockages have been created on the roads, telephone and telegraph communications and the railway track have been damaged in many places;

a group of 200 fighters from the 4th People's Militia Division and the 519th Civil Aviation Regiment (howitzer-artillery regiment) was withdrawn from encirclement;

Valuable intelligence data was transferred to the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Northern Front (from August 23 of the Leningrad Front) (until July 16, regular radio communication was carried out with 6 groups, on July 21, radio communication was regularly maintained with one group, and through delegates, personal contact was established with two groups).

According to incomplete data, the losses of the combat groups of the 1st DPO amounted to 56 people killed and missing, 3 people captured.

On July 2, 1941, the intelligence department of the Northern Front sent the 2nd DPO (53 people) to the southwestern regions of the Leningrad region, and on July 10 - the 3rd DPO (100 people), a significant part of the personnel of which were students and teachers of the Institute. Lesgafta. There is no data on the actions of these units.

By the end of September 1941, most of the groups of the 1st DPO left the front line due to heavy losses. The remaining fighters were used by the Leningrad Front RO for reconnaissance and sabotage in small groups or joined army units.

2nd special brigade of the reconnaissance department of the headquarters of the North-Western Front

One of the first long-term raids on enemy rear lines was carried out by the 2nd Special Brigade. When it appeared in the Velikiye Luki region in January 1942, the Nazis decided that several strong partisan detachments were operating there. But it was one raiding brigade, formed in September 1941, in the midst of the retreat of Soviet troops, on the initiative of the chief of staff of the Northwestern Front N.F. Vatutin and the head of the intelligence department of the front headquarters K.N. Derevianko. The brigade commander was Major Alexey Litvinenko, the assistant was a career intelligence officer, senior lieutenant Alexander German. They met people emerging from encirclement, checked them, selecting fighters for themselves. They were trained by Senior Lieutenant Belash, Chief of Staff of the 2nd Special Forces. The head of communications was Lieutenant Klimanov, the detachment commanders were Lieutenants Tarasyuk and Zagorodnyuk. The headquarters was located in Ostashkovo, Kalinin region. The partisan detachments of the nearest areas were placed at the disposal of the brigade.

In October 1941, the 2nd Special Brigade was sent behind the front line and by November 7 reached the Penovsky district (Kalinin region). The brigade did not set up forest camps; the partisans stopped for the night in villages, having previously knocked out the Germans from them. Soon the brigade was joined by a detachment named after Chkalov, where there were about a hundred soldiers who were surrounded.

Until the end of 1941, the brigade raided the Kalinin and Leningrad regions. The partisans destroyed bridges, weapons depots, posts, and committed sabotage on railways.

“During October - December 1941, it destroyed about 1 thousand people. enemy, captured 39 of his soldiers and officers, destroyed over 50 trucks, 39 motorcycles, 3 ammunition warehouses, 2 fuel warehouses.”

In addition to battles and raids on enemy garrisons, the partisans were engaged in reconnaissance, monitored the movements of troops, reported the situation in the area to the front headquarters and gave recommendations on the organization of reconnaissance, reported information on traitors, and sometimes carried out trials and reprisals themselves. They reported information about the fascist defense along the banks of the Lovat, Volga and Western Dvina rivers.

A warehouse of shells with toxic substances was discovered near the city of Kholm. During the raid, local underground party organizations and partisan detachments came under the command of the brigade.

After the liberation of the Ostashkovsky district, the brigade again went behind the front line, this time to the area of ​​the Novosokolniki railway station. She struck at Art. Nasva on the Novosokolniki - Dno section in the Pskov region, then - at Maevo station on the Riga - Moscow line. At this time, the brigade consisted of about 350 partisans, divided into mounted, ski and fire groups. The Nazis took it for a cavalry corps.

In February 1942, the 2nd special unit operated in the German rear in the Kalinin region. Among the daring exploits of the partisans was such as holding a solemn parade in honor of Red Army Day on February 23, 1942 in the village of Churilovo, when 300 brigade soldiers solemnly marched in front of the assembled peasants. And the enemy was in a neighboring village, but the road was such that the Germans were never able to reach the partisans.

However, the punishers soon pinned them down. The headquarters of the security forces of the German Army Group North sent several regiments against the brigade. The partisans, who by that time had almost no ammunition and medicine, evaded the fighting and left, the Nazis followed them, and on the heels of the Nazis was one of the detachments of the 2nd brigade, which had previously completed a special task. Now they were looking for their own and decided that the easiest way to find them would be to follow the punishers.

On March 3, the brigade fought its last major battle, and at the end of March crossed the front line. For this raid, Major Litvinenko was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was recalled to the active army and reached Berlin. He celebrated the victory as the commander of the 20th Guards Mechanized Brigade.

The chief of staff of the brigade, Alexander Viktorovich German, remained with the partisans - on the basis of the 2nd Special Brigade, the 3rd Leningrad Partisan Brigade was formed, German became its commander, and died in battle in 1943. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (1944).

3rd Special Purpose Regiment of the Intelligence Department of the Northern Front Headquarters

Commander: Makovkin I.A., captain.

He acted on the communications of the 4th Tank Group - the Plyussa - Lyady highway and other communication routes west of Luga (Leningrad Region).

88th separate rifle brigade (88th OSB).

It began to be created in mid-1941 for reconnaissance and sabotage operations behind Japanese troops.

The brigade was formed on the basis of two special camps: Northern, or camp “A”, located near the city of Voroshilov (now the city of Ussuriysk, Primorsky Territory), and Southern, or camp “B”, located on the outskirts of the city of Kerki (Turkmenistan), where interned Chinese and Korean communists, active participants in the guerrilla movement against the Japanese occupiers in Northeast China. The brigade's personnel were also recruited from Soviet citizens of Chinese and Korean origin from various regions of the Soviet Union, Russians and representatives of national minorities.

By mid-1942, one unit of the 88th OSB was formed in the Southern camp. It consisted of three separate rifle battalions, a separate sapper company, a separate anti-tank rifle company, a separate auto delivery company, one mortar and two artillery battalions, a separate reconnaissance company, a separate communications battalion, a separate machine gun company, a separate air defense platoon, a separate NKVD platoon, a medical sanitary company, field postal station and unit control.

At the same time, another part of the 88th OSB was formed in the Northern camp. The combat composition of this unit consisted of a headquarters and administration, a political department, four separate rifle battalions, a separate company, a battalion of machine gunners, a separate artillery battalion, a separate reconnaissance company, a separate communications battalion, a separate sapper company, a separate auto delivery company, rear services and a military prosecutor's office.

All combat training of the unit was aimed at practicing the tasks of preparing small reconnaissance and sabotage detachments for operations in the Japanese rear. Soldiers and commanders systematically carried out forced marches, parachute jumps, and studied radio communications and demolition. During almost the entire Great Patriotic War, the personnel of the 88th OSB, based on two camps - Southern and Northern - were actively preparing to participate in the fight against the Japanese occupiers. However, for a number of objective reasons of a political nature, the 88th OSB was not involved in hostilities.

In October 1945, the brigade was disbanded.

For political purposes, a group of Chinese consisting of 378 people was sent from the disbanded brigade to Manchuria. Another group consisting of Koreans, led by the former commander of the 1st battalion of the brigade (North Camp) Jing Zhicheng (aka Kim Il Sung, the future leader of the DPRK) was sent to North Korea for the same purposes.

In 1946, with the outbreak of the Third Civil War in China, almost the entire Chinese composition of the former 88th RSF returned to their homeland and took an active part in the battles against the Kuomintang. Together with them, the Korean brigade departed to Manchuria, and later, with the formation of the DPRK, to Korea.

9903rd military unit of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Western Front.

In reconnaissance and sabotage work on the Western Front, a special unit “military unit 9903” (later the 3rd (sabotage) department of the Intelligence Department of the Western Front Headquarters), formed in June 1941, played a huge role. Then it was a small group of seven commanders: the head was Colonel A.E. Svirin, comrade-in-arms of Y.K. Berzina, a participant in the war in Spain, Major A.K. Sprogis, captain A.Ya. Azarov, senior lieutenants I.N. Banov, F.I. Kovalenko, I.I. Matusevich, A.K. Shrew. The command staff of the unit was staffed by students of military academies. The unit was supposed to engage in active reconnaissance, sabotage - explosions on railways and highways, destruction of bridges, warehouses, communications, and the creation of partisan detachments.

It was difficult to work. In the chaos of the retreat, there was no point in even thinking about maintaining stable contact with the sabotage groups - they had to be released “in a free search.” There was no experience of reconnaissance work behind enemy lines. In the summer, several groups were prepared and sent to the German rear, but contact was maintained with only three.

At the end of August 1941, Major Sprogis was appointed commander of the unit, and regimental commissar N.D. was appointed military commissar. Dronov. They managed to restructure the work. First of all, the problem of personnel was solved by recruiting Komsomol volunteers from Moscow and the Moscow region. About three thousand people went through the selection commission, of which two thirds were enrolled in the unit.

During the Battle of Moscow and the counter-offensive of the Soviet troops, military unit 9903 trained more than 45 combat units for operations in the German rear. In total, during this time, 86 trips to the German rear were made, some groups went behind the front line two or three times. In September 1941, 8 exits took place, in October - 11, in November - 36, in December - 14, in January and February 1942 - 17.

In the fall of 1941, four special forces units, each consisting of 100–120 people, also operated in the German rear.

Particularly distinguished were the groups of Mikhail Ostashev, operating in the Dorogobuzh region, Grigory Sizakov and Matvey Gusakov in the Mogilev region, Korneev in the Gomel region, Ilya Shary in the Kalinkovichi region, Boris Krainov in the Polotsk region, Fyodor Morozov in the Glusk region. These groups derailed an average of 10–12 enemy trains and helped local partisans.

Operations center under the command of I.F. Topkin, who operated in the Brest region, united around himself and led the activities of several partisan detachments. Some groups themselves became detachments. And Grigory Sazonov’s group became a partisan brigade with several hundred people.

After the defeat of the Germans near Moscow, military unit 9903 began to engage in slightly different activities - it trained groups of 10-12 people, usually equipped with radio communications, which were transferred by plane to deep behind enemy lines. In August–September 1942, four operational centers of 35 people each were prepared and sent to the German rear.

In December 1942, unit 9903 was transferred to the disposal of the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Red Army, and in the summer of 1943, several groups and detachments again came under the control of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Western Front.

For heroism shown behind enemy lines, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, Lela Kolesova, Ivan Banov, Grigory Linkov, Nikita Dronov were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, about 500 people were awarded orders and medals.

"Arap" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Ukrainian Front

Deployed behind enemy lines in April 1944.

"Arthur" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Baltic Front

Landed in September 1944 on the territory of East Prussia.

"Ataman" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Baltic Front

The group commander is captain Fedor Filimonovich Konnik.

Number of people: 9 people.

"Boris" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Leningrad Front

Commander: Boris Grigorievich Emchenko, captain.

Number of people: 7 people.

It was withdrawn behind enemy lines in the summer of 1942.

It operated in the area of ​​the city of Luga, the Warsaw railway and the Kyiv highway (Leningrad region).

She stayed in the occupied territory for over a hundred days.

"Brook" - operational intelligence center

In the summer of 1943, an operational intelligence center of the Intelligence Directorate was created, headed by A.P. Brinsky (“Brook”), operating in the area of ​​​​the cities of Kovel and Kamenets-Podolsky. An extensive intelligence network was formed here, which regularly sent valuable information to the Center about the groupings of German troops and their transfers. Brinsky's information was important, for example, for the planning and conduct of the Belarusian offensive operation of 1944. Here are just some of the messages he sent to the Center:

“11/15/43. From Korosten to Shepetovka, the Nazis are transferring one infantry regiment from the 339th Infantry Division... Brook.”

“7.12.43. During December 5–7 this year. The 24th Division was transferred by rail from Rovno to Kovel. During this time, 189 tanks, more than 180 guns, 426 trucks and cars, and about 70 motorcycles were transported. 182 carriages with personnel were noted... Brook.”

"1.2.44. Tank and motorized units are being transferred along the highway from Kolka to Vladimir-Volynsky. In Lutsk, a large concentration of enemy troops was noted, which are expected to be transferred to the Vladimir-Volynsky area. The movement of troops along the Rivne-Kovel railway stopped... Brook.”

Vasilyeva Yu.V. reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Northern Front

In July - August 1941, it operated in the Tsapelka - Dvorki - Podborovye area of ​​the Leningrad region.

In August 1941, as a result of an ambush on a highway organized by the detachment's fighters, the commander of the SS police division, Police General Mühlerstedt, was killed.

In October 1941, she continued to be behind enemy lines.

"Vol" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

The group commander is Sergeant Major Valuev Pavel Mikhailovich.

"Voronkin" - reconnaissance and sabotage group

Landed behind enemy lines in August 1944 on Polish territory.

"Groza" - reconnaissance and sabotage group

The group commander is Sergeant Major Vasily Semenovich Korotkov.

Number of people: 13 people.

"Jack" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

Number of people: 10 people.

Commanders: Captain Krylatykh Pavel Andreevich (“Jack”) - died on July 30, 1944; Lieutenant Shpakov Nikolai Andreevich ("Hedgehog") - died in September 1944, foreman Melnikov Ivan Ivanovich ("Mole") - was removed by order of the Center from command of the group due to his inability to read topographic maps, from November 13, 1944, Lieutenant Morzhin ( "Gladiator") - sent from behind the front line.

Tasks of the group: “Jack” was instructed to monitor railways and highways, establish the level of transport capacity, determine the state of communication lines, their saturation and branching, identify the presence of fortified enemy defensive lines, the number of garrisons and their weapons, detect aircraft concentration areas, equipment, warehouses and headquarters of the German troops, reveal the enemy’s preparations for the use of chemical weapons, as well as find out his plans for further combat operations, analyze the mood of the local population and the level of discipline in military units.

Area of ​​activity: rear of the East Prussian group of enemy forces. And to be absolutely precise, the area where Adolf Hitler’s “Wolf’s Lair” headquarters was located at that time.

Landed behind the front line on the night of June 26-27, 1944 in the area of ​​the Koeningsberg-Tilsit (now Sovetsk) highway.

In mid-November 1944, she received permission from the Center to enter Poland. On December 27, 1944, "Jack" was surrounded and almost completely destroyed. In fact, the group ceased to exist as an independent unit. At the end of January 1945, only two scouts from the “Jack” group were able to reach the Soviet rear.

Sabotage and reconnaissance companies (DRR) of the 24th Army of the Reserve Front

Formed by order of the army commander, Major General K.I. Rakutin dated July 28, 1941.

The main tasks of the DRR:

sabotage and reconnaissance activities behind enemy lines;

assistance to army units in combat operations.

Sabotage and reconnaissance companies were formed from among volunteers of the 19th, 120th, 103rd, 106th, 105th divisions of the 24th Army. The composition of the companies was 120–150 people, armed with machine guns or self-loading rifles, light machine guns at the rate of one per three people, grenades, signal flares, two or three rounds of ammunition, dry rations designed for a couple of days.

The combat activities of the DRR began simultaneously with the Elninsky offensive operation of the troops of the 24th Army of the Reserve Front (August 30 - September 8, 1941).

During the attack on the city of Yelnya, the actions of the DRR were highly praised by the command of the divisions and the 24th Army. During the battle for height 251.1, in the area of ​​​​the villages of Dubovezhye and Vyazovka, reconnaissance saboteurs in a captured German armored vehicle burst into the enemy’s location, where they set fire to four enemy tanks with combustible bottles. A daring raid by reconnaissance saboteurs contributed to the capture of an important height by Soviet troops.

In turn, the commander of the Reserve Front, Army General G.K. Zhukov repeatedly pointed out to the command of the 24th Army the enemy’s poor reconnaissance during the offensive.

"Doc" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

The group size is 8 people.

Landed on October 13 (according to other sources), October 24, 1944 in the Insterburg area. All members of the group are missing.

"Iskra" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

Group commander - ml. Lieutenant Gushchin Konstantin Ivanovich.

Number of people: 7 people.

"Kashtan" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

Group commander - Art. Lieutenant Misnik Nikolai Martynovich.

Number of people: 11 people.

Kivshika I.F. - reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of intelligence departments of the headquarters of the Northern and Leningrad fronts

Commander - Kivshik I.F., lieutenant.

Number of people: 250 people.

From a message from the Sovinformburo dated August 12, 1941: “The partisan detachment under the command of Comrade. Kivshika tracked down and captured two enemy tanks that had lagged behind his unit, and destroyed 7 German motorcyclists.”

In July–August 1941 he operated on the Gdov–Slantsy road in the Leningrad region.

In August 1941 he returned to the Soviet rear.

The detachment was withdrawn from the front line for the second time in September 1941. Main task: to discover the headquarters of Major General Andrei Nikitich Astanin; commander of the Southern Operational Group, which was surrounded. Kivshik’s group complied with the command’s order. The headquarters was provided with radio communications, and possible routes to escape the encirclement were reported.

"Klen" - reconnaissance group (later operational center "Onegin") of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Ukrainian Front

Commander – Shorokhov N.P.

"Klen" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 2nd Belorussian Front

The group commander is Sergeant Major Konstantin Aleksandrovich Tsepkov.

Number of people: 11 people.

"Fang" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

The group commander is captain Nikolai Ivanovich Petrov.

Number of people: 7 people.

"Cross" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

The group commander is Major Mikhail Ivanovich Mednikov.

Number of people: 9 people.

"Los" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

Group commander - Art. Lieutenant Ugarov Ivan Trofimovich.

Number of people: 11 people.

"Lvov" - reconnaissance and sabotage group

Deployed behind enemy lines in April 1944 on Polish territory.

"Leonid" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Ukrainian Front

Commander – Lesnikovsky S.F.

It was withdrawn behind enemy lines in the summer of 1944.

"Maxim" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the 3rd Belorussian Front

Commander - Major Vladimir Ivanovich Maksimov.

Number of people: 20 people.

The area of ​​deployment is East Prussia.

Only five people returned from the mission.

Medvedev reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of the reconnaissance department of the headquarters of the Leningrad Front

Commander – Sergey Andreevich Medvedev, associate professor.

The number of members of the unit is 29 people. It was staffed by students of the Leningrad Mining Institute. All fighters had practical experience in drilling and blasting operations during training practice. Unlike most similar units that were withdrawn behind enemy lines in the first months of the war, about a month was spent on special training for the fighters of this unit.

In September - October 1941 he operated in the Luga and Tosnensky districts of the Leningrad region.

In October 1941, an ambush destroyed a headquarters convoy and killed a Wehrmacht colonel. Documents were confiscated from him containing data on “the situation of the Nazi troops (18th Army of the Wehrmacht. – Note auto.), their composition and grouping on a huge front from Moscow to Leningrad. Tables of call signs of associations, formations and other documents were no less valuable.”

The detachment was withdrawn to the Soviet rear in December 1941.

"Michigan" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Baltic Front

It was withdrawn into the territory of East Prussia behind enemy lines in September 1944.

“Moroz” is a reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front.

Group commander - Art. Lieutenant Pavlov Joseph Artemyevich.

Landed on the night of July 25, 1944 at 02.30 near the village of Rosenwalde with 14 people. The main task - to establish contact with the station located in the occupied territory - was completed.

"Moroz" - reconnaissance and sabotage group

Commander: Tarasov A.F..

“Morskaya” - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 2nd Baltic Front

Commander - Rosenblum Sh.P..

"Neman" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

Group commander - ml. political instructor Pavel Petrovich Nikiforov.

Number of people: 10 people.

"Ovin" - reconnaissance group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 4th Belorussian Front

Commander - Bratchikov Gennady Ivanovich (“Gadfly”), major.

Operated in the rear of the 2nd German Army.

"Om" - reconnaissance group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Ukrainian Front

Commander – Skripka I.I.

It was withdrawn behind enemy lines in the summer of 1944.

Omega - Operations Center

Since January 1943, in the detachment N.P. Fedorov, the operational center of military intelligence "Omega" began to operate. He controlled the areas of Pripyat, Kyiv, Piryatin, Bakhmach and promptly sent information to Moscow about the groupings of German troops in these areas.

It was his intelligence officers who operated in the Minsk region on the basis of the special military intelligence detachment “Dima” under the command of D.I. Keimakh, participated in the liquidation of the General Commissioner of Belarus, Wilhelm Kube, in Minsk in 1943. The direct executors of the action are E.G. Mazanik, who worked as a servant in the Kube house, and M.B. Osipova, who handed her the mine. The mine was placed under the mattress of the Gauleiter's bed, and at 2:20 a.m. on September 22, 1943, Kube was killed. For this feat, Mazanik and Osipova were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and Fedorov was awarded the Order of Lenin.

After this operation, Fedorov was sent to Rovno with the task of destroying the Reich Commissioner of Ukraine Koch. However, the operation did not take place. Then Fedorov led a special forces detachment in the Kovel region, where, in cooperation with other partisan detachments, he established control over the railway lines. (In 1943, partisan detachments controlled such railway junctions in Ukraine and Belarus as Luninets, Zdolbunov, Korosten, Kovel, Brest, Sarny.) His people not only sent important information to the Center, but also committed numerous acts of sabotage behind enemy lines.

In 1944, Fedorov’s detachment crossed the Western Bug and reached the Lublin region, where, having established contact with Polish partisans, they began to carry out sabotage on railways and highways. April 17, 1944 N.P. Fedorov died in battle. On November 21, 1944, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

"Orion" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Baltic Front

Commander - Captain Denisov Vladimir.

Number of people: 10 people.

In September 1944 it operated in East Prussia.

Only three remained alive.

Special detachment of the reconnaissance department of the headquarters of the Leningrad Front

Commander – Usmanov A.M.

Sent to enemy lines on September 9, 1941. He was behind the front line for 30 days.

Separate mountain rifle detachments (OGSO) of the headquarters of the Transcaucasian Front

They began to form in August 1942 by order of the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, Army General I.V. Tyuleneva.

The formation of the detachments was entrusted to the commander of the 46th Army, Lieutenant General K.N. Leselidze. Since August 15, 1942, formations and units of the army fought defensive battles to hold the passes in the central part of the Main Caucasus Range.

The personnel of the OGSO were recruited from volunteers of reserve units and internal troops of the NKVD. Each detachment had experienced climber-instructors. Specially armed and equipped detachments consisting of a company-battalion (50–150 people) were intended to conduct combat operations in isolation from the main forces in the most difficult areas in the mountains.

By the end of 1942, 12 OGSOs were formed in the 46th Army. During the same period, in accordance with the order of the USSR NCO, a large number of climbers were recalled from the units where they served and sent to the disposal of the Transcaucasian Front. Work to send climbers to the Caucasus was also carried out by the All-Union Committee for Physical Education and Sports and the Moscow NKVD Troops Station (1st NKVD Regiment). In total, more than 200 highly qualified climbers were concentrated in the Caucasus. The climbers were used by the command to organize and conduct mountain training in mountain rifle units, and worked as instructors in the school of military mountaineering and skiing created on the Transcaucasian Front. They participated in the development of special instructions on warfare in the mountains, compiling reference books and memos about the natural dangers of the mountains. They were entrusted with the organization and control of the security service against avalanches and rockfalls in the area where the troops were located. Climbers were used by the command as terrain consultants when planning combat operations in the mountains. They took a personal part in these operations (as part of the OGSO or in individual mountaineering groups), conducted ground and air reconnaissance in the mountains, participated in the evacuation of the population of Nalchik and mountain villages, and in the transfer of troops through the Donguz-Orun and Becho passes in the winter of 1942/43 .

Since December 1942, OGSO took part in special operations in Klukhor (Klukhor pass), Elbrus (southern slopes of Mount Elbrus, Khotyu-Tau, Chiper-Azau passes), Marukh (Marukhsky pass), Sanchar (group of Sanchar passes), Umpyr (passes Umpyrsky, Aishkha, Pseashkha) and Belorechensky (Belorechensky pass) directions in the central part of the Main Caucasus Range.

In the period January 5–12, 1943, fearing encirclement due to the successful offensive of the troops of the Transcaucasian Front, the enemy began to leave the passes of the Main Caucasus Range and fight to withdraw its units in the Khadyzhe-Apsheron direction.

At the end of January - beginning of February 1943, most of the OGSO were transformed into separate battalions of machine gunners, which became part of the troops of the Transcaucasian Front.

Special Forces Detachment No. 1 of the Intelligence Department of the Western Front Headquarters

Commander - Nikita Vasilievich Radtsev, senior political instructor.

Squad structure:

headquarters (8 people):

chief of staff;

military paramedic;

medical instructor;

two radio operators;

Five platoons (including reconnaissance and sapper).

The number of the detachment is 115 people.

Formed on the basis of the 273rd airfield service battalion of the 20th air base area.

It was first deployed behind the front line on September 10, 1941, north of the city of Andreapol near the village of Moscow, Kalinin Region.

During October and until November 10, 1941, the detachment carried out missions in the areas of Toropovets - Andreapol - Kholm - Velikiye Luki (the junction of the Novgorod and Kalinin regions).

The second time behind the front line was in November - December 1941 (Istra - Novopetrovskoye region, Moscow region).

Special Forces Detachment No. 2 of the Intelligence Department of the Western Front Headquarters

Commander - Shevchenko Alexander Iosifovich, captain.

Squad structure:

headquarters (8 people):

chief of staff;

military paramedic;

medical instructor;

four radio operators;

The number of the detachment is 93 people.

Manned by soldiers of the 57th Tank Division.

Place of deployment of the detachment: north-west of the Smolensk region.

From December 12 to 18, 1941, the detachment was behind the front line for the second time, now in the Novopetrovsk area (Moscow region).

Special Forces Detachment No. 3 of the Intelligence Department of the Western Front Headquarters

Commander - Andrey Alekseevich Alekseev, captain.

Squad structure:

headquarters (8 people):

chief of staff;

military paramedic;

medical instructor;

four radio operators;

Three platoons. Each platoon has three sections of 9 people.

The total number of the detachment is 94 military personnel (7 officers and 87 privates).

The detachment was formed in the Uvarovka area from personnel of the 17th Tank Division.

He was withdrawn behind enemy lines on October 4, 1941, near the city of Bely. He returned to the Soviet rear on December 20, 1941.

Special Forces Detachment No. 4 of the Intelligence Department of the Western Front Headquarters

Commander – Khudyakov Pavel Nikolaevich, captain.

The total number of the detachment is about 100 people.

Formed in August 1941 in Yukhnov from the ground personnel of the bomber regiment, which suffered significant losses, and some other units.

The task of the detachment: “Cross the front line and march to the area of ​​Velikie Luki, Kholm, Toropets, where to begin carrying out combat missions in cooperation with local partisans.”

The detachment returned to the Soviet rear in the second half of November 1942.

“Sergey” – reconnaissance group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 1st Ukrainian Front

Commander – Petrov I.P.

It was withdrawn behind enemy lines in the summer of 1944.

Svetov reconnaissance group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Leningrad Front

Commander - Svetov.

Skorodumov reconnaissance group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Leningrad Front

Commander - Skorodumov.

It was withdrawn behind enemy lines in September 1941.

"Spartak" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Karelian Front

Commander – Nazarov V.V.

"Falcon" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

The group commander is Sergei Yakovlevich Prokhorov.

Number of people: 8 people.

Special battalion of miners of the 56th Army of the Southern Front

Formed in January 1942 for reconnaissance and sabotage operations behind enemy lines in the defense zone of the 56th Army.

The initiator of the creation of the special battalion was the head of the operational engineering group (OIG) of the Southern Front, Colonel I.G. Starinov.

Commander of the special battalion - Art. Lieutenant N.I. Moklyakov.

The unit was formed from JIU volunteers and the 26th Brigade of the 8th Engineer Army. The total strength of the battalion is 500 people, of which 26 people. - Spanish internationalists, participants in the Spanish Civil War (at the insistence of Starinov, the Spaniards pretended to be Uzbeks). The battalion units were stationed in the city of Yeisk, the settlements of Shabelskoye and Port Katon.

In February - March 1942, fighters of the special battalion (combat groups of sailors of the Azov military flotilla took part in some operations) made 110 forays behind enemy lines (the northern shore of the Taganrog Bay); laid 744 mines on enemy communications; killed over 100 soldiers and officers; 56 vehicles and 2 tanks were disabled; 74 telegraph poles, 2 bridges, 2 barges and 4 searchlight installations were blown up.

As a result of the actions of the special battalion, an important communication line between Mariupol and Rostov-on-Don was disabled. The enemy was forced to deploy two infantry divisions on the northern coast of Taganrog Bay to defend their rear areas.

In the second half of March 1942, the special battalion was disbanded.

Tatarinova I.V. reconnaissance and sabotage detachment of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Northern Front

Deployed behind enemy lines in July 1941.

"Steel" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

The group commander is Sergeant Major Ignatov Semyon Konstantinovich.

Number of people: 4 people.

"Tiger" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the 3rd Belorussian Front

The group commander is captain Radyuk Alexander Ivanovich.

Number of people: 9 people.

Tretyakova N.A. reconnaissance and sabotage group of intelligence departments of the headquarters of the Northern and Leningrad fronts

Commander - Tretyakov Nikolai Aleksandrovich, sergeant.

It was deployed behind enemy lines for the first time in early August 1941. She was parachuted from the wing of an R-5 aircraft north and east of Lake Syaberskoye.

At the end of September 1941, she was parachuted behind enemy lines in the Vyritsa area (Leningrad region).

"Ural" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the 3rd Belorussian Front

The group commander is Vladimir Nikolaevich Dokshin.

Number of people: 10 people.

"Charon" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the 1st Baltic Front

The group commander is foreman Matvey Tikhonovich Shiryaev.

Number of people: 11 people.

"Chaika" - reconnaissance and sabotage group of the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Western Front

It was withdrawn behind enemy lines in August 1942. It operated in the occupied territory of Belarus until 1944.

"Yuri" - raid detachment of the reconnaissance department of the Northern Front headquarters

Commander – V.S. Znamensky, captain.

From a message from the Sovinformburo dated August 12, 1941: “The partisan detachment under the command of Comrade. Znamensky made a bold raid on the headquarters of the fascist unit. The detachment's soldiers destroyed an enemy tank, 5 soldiers and 4 officers and captured 2 staff vehicles. In the village of M., the partisans killed 20 German soldiers and captured two trucks and two heavy machine guns.”

He was withdrawn to the Soviet rear in August 1941.

author Daines Vladimir Ottovich

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Operations of submarines of the Northern Fleet during the Great Patriotic War

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"Branches of troops during the Great Patriotic War"

Border troops

The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 was a severe test of the strength of the social and state system, the economic development of the country and the combat power of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Border guard soldiers also made a significant contribution to the victory over the enemy. They were the first to engage in mortal combat with the fascist invaders and courageously defended our Motherland, defending every inch of Soviet land.

The main purpose of the Border Troops of any state is to protect its state border, ensure its sovereignty on land, river areas and in the territorial waters of the sea, based on international legal documents. In some states they have a different name: border guards, border guards, border police, but the essence of these formations is the same.
In June 1941, the USSR Border Troops were an integral part of the Soviet Armed Forces. The range of tasks solved by the Border Troops was determined by the legislation of the country, and the legal situation was regulated by the USSR Law on universal military service, regulations on military service, charters and instructions of the Red Army and Navy.

Cavalry

Cavalry (cavalry) - a branch of the military in which horseback riding was used for combat operations and/or movementhorse .

How did the cavalry operate during World War II?

Horses were used as a means of transportation. There were, of course, battles on horseback - saber attacks, but this was rare. If the enemy is strong, sitting on a horse, it is impossible to cope with him, then the command is given to dismount, the horse handlers take the horses and leave. And the horsemen work like infantry. Each horse breeder took five horses with him and led them to a safe place. So there were several horse handlers per squadron. Sometimes the squadron commander said: “Leave two horse handlers for the entire squadron, and the rest in a chain to help.”

Infantry

Infantry (Infantry people) - main genus troops V ground forces , armed forces states .

Infantry intended for maintainingmilitary operations on foot (on your ownfeet ), is the most ancient and massive branch of the military (previously calledtype of weapon ) in the history of wars andarmed conflicts .

Decades after the end of the war, the German commander Eike Middeldorf, while holding the rank of lieutenant colonel in the German Army, published the book “Tactics in the Russian Campaign,” which, according to Western historians and our military experts, is considered a fairly objective source. In this book, Middeldorf paid a lot of attention to Russian soldiers: “The Russian soldier is a master of forest combat. Russian troops have the ability to move over any terrain, off roads. They fight for every meter of territory and can go for days without supplies. If in the summer and autumn of 1941 we surrounded and destroyed Russian units that were tactically poorly prepared and had no combat experience, then already at the beginning of the winter of 1941 the Russians were able to master the skills of conducting defense" For example, by the end of 1941, Soviet troops began to use defensive tactics using reverse hill slopes, establishing positions outside the line of sight of German observers.

In many ways, the failure of the blitzkrieg was due precisely to the courage and tenacity of the infantry units of the Red Army, which, in fact, resisted the latest German developments in the field of weapons with small arms and hand grenades. According to Middeldorf, the national character of the Russians also played a role - the soldier’s ability to endure everything, endure and die in his rifle cell. All this was very important for organizing a fierce and stubborn defense.

Artillery

Artillery - one of the three oldestmilitary branches , main impact forceground forces whose main weapons areartillery pieces - firearms relatively largecaliber : guns, howitzers, mortars, etc.

Soviet artillery played an extremely important role in the Great Patriotic War and became the main firepower of the Ground Forces. It was the backbone of the defense of the Soviet Army and was the force that helped stop the enemy. In the battle of Moscow, the myth of the invincibility of the fascist army was dispelled. Soviet artillery demonstrated formidable fighting qualities in the great Battle of the Volga. In the battles near Kursk, artillery with its fire played a decisive role in creating a turning point in the course of hostilities, and then ensured the advance of our troops.

The strategic offensive of the Soviet Army after the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk continued until the very end of the Great Patriotic War. Each operation of our troops began under the thunder of artillery cannonade from hundreds and thousands of guns and developed with continuous artillery support. The main defense was anti-tank artillery. It accounts for over 70% of enemy tanks destroyed. Respect for artillery was so great that since 1940 it was called the “god of war.”

During the years of the Great Patriotic War, our artillery increased quantitatively 5 times. The Soviet Union outsold Germany in the production of guns and mortars by 2 and 5 times, respectively, the USA by 1.3 and 3.2 times, and England by 4.2 and 4 times. During the war, our industry supplied the front with 775.6 million shells and mines, which made it possible to deliver crushing fire strikes against the enemy. The power of artillery, mass heroism and military skill of Soviet artillerymen together ensured victory in this difficult war.

"Katyusha"

Katyusha - a unique combat vehicle of the USSRwhich had no analogues in the world. The unofficial name for barrelless field rocket artillery systems (BM-8, BM-13, BM-31 and others) was developed during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.

There is no single version of why the BM-13 began to be called “Katyusha”. There are several assumptions. The most common and well-founded are two versions of the origin of the nickname, which are not mutually exclusive:

• Based on the name that became popular before the warsongs Blantera to words Isakovsky "Katyusha" . The version is convincing, since the captain's batteryFlyorova fired at the enemy, firing a volley into the city's Market SquareRudnya . This was one of the first combat use of Katyushas, ​​confirmed in historical literature. The installations were shooting from a high, steep mountain - the association with the high, steep bank in the song immediately arose among the fighters. Finally, until recently, Andrei Sapronov, a former sergeant of the headquarters company of the 217th separate communications battalion of the 144th Infantry Division of the 20th Army, was alive until recently, later a military historian, who gave it this name. Red Army soldier Kashirin, having arrived with him at the battery after the shelling of Rudnya, exclaimed in surprise: “What a song!” “Katyusha,” answered Andrei Sapronov (from the memoirs of A. Sapronov in the Rossiya newspaper No. 23 of June 21-27, 2001 and in the Parliamentary Gazette No. 80 of May 5, 2005). Through the communications center of the headquarters company, the news about a miracle weapon called “Katyusha” within 24 hours became the property of the entire 20th Army, and through its command - the entire country. On July 13, 2012, the veteran and “godfather” of Katyusha turned 91, and on February 26, 2013 he passed away. On the desk he left his latest work - a chapter about the first salvo of Katyusha rockets for the multi-volume history of the Great Patriotic War, which is being prepared for publication.
• The name may be associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Comintern plant. And front-line soldiers loved to give nicknames to their weapons. For example, a howitzerM-30 nicknamed “Mother”, the ML-20 howitzer gun - “Emelka”. Yes, and the BM-13 was at first sometimes called “Raisa Sergeevna,” thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).

The weapon was inaccurate, but very effective when used in large numbers. The emotional effect was also important: during the salvo, all the missiles were fired almost simultaneously - within a few seconds, the territory in the target area was literally plowed up by rockets. The mobility of the installation made it possible to quickly change position and avoid a retaliatory strike from the enemy.

Tank forces

At the end of the thirties, on the eve of the start of World War II, the tank forces of the USSR had no equal. The Soviet Union had a colossal superiority over all potential opponents in the number of units of equipment, and with the advent of the T-34 in 1940, Soviet superiority began to be of a qualitative nature. At the time of the invasion of Poland by German troops in September 1939, the Soviet tank fleet already consisted of over 20 thousand vehicles.

Thanks to its combat qualities, the T-34 was recognized by a number of experts as the best medium tank of the Second World War. During its creation, Soviet designers managed to find the optimal balance between the main combat, operational and technological characteristics.

Medium tank T-34 was created by a group of designers headed by M.I. Koshkin.

Wehrmacht General and engineer Erich Schneider wrote: “The T-34 tank created a sensation... The Russians, having created an exceptionally successful and completely new type of tank, made a great leap forward in the field of tank building... An attempt to create a tank modeled after the Russian T-34 after its a thorough check by German designers turned out to be impracticable.”

From to 1945 basic large-scale production of the T-34 was launched at powerful machine-building plants in the Urals and Siberia, and continued in the post-war years. The leading plant for modifying the T-34 wasUral Tank Plant No. 183 . Latest modification (T-34-85 ) is in service with some countries to this day.

The T-34 tank is the most famous Soviet tank and one of the most recognizable symbols of the Great Patriotic War.

Modern Russian battle tank T-90SM. New digital technologies are a distinctive feature of the modernized tank. Moreover, the entire system was both conceived and produced by Russian enterprises, which means it does not depend in any way on foreign supplies.

Aviation in the Great Patriotic War

In the first days of the war, “enemy aviation reigned supreme in the air, so all regroupings, movements and offensive actions had to be carried out at night, since during the day the enemy’s bomber and fighter aircraft inflicted huge losses and thwarted any plans,” this is how the twice Hero of the Soviet describes the events of these days Union Army General Lelyushenko D.D. , then commander of the 21st Mechanized Corps of the North-Western Front.

This required the creation of specialized aircraft capable ofhit enemy infantry from low altitudes with machine-gun fire and small-caliber fragmentation bombs.

The successful single-engine two-seat attack aircraft Il-2 was created at the end of 1939 under the leadership of Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin.

The Soviet attack aircraft Il-2 became the most popular combat aircraft in history. He took part in battles in all theaters of military operations of the Great Patriotic War. The designers called the aircraft they developed a “flying tank,” and German pilots nicknamed it Betonflugzeug—“concrete airplane”—for its survivability.

It had an armored engine and cabin, special safety tanks and powerful weapons. During the Great Patriotic War, the Il-2 was the main aircraft of attack aircraft, and also became the most popular military aircraft in the world - over 36,000 copies were produced. The plane deservedly received the name flying "tank" , although the enemy called it nothing more than “black death” - the demoralizing effect of his attacks was so great that when the Il-2 appeared, the crews of German tanks simply abandoned their vehicles.

This aircraft was produced in 1941-1944.

The war is over, but time does not stand still.

Modern, newest domestic attack aircraft SU-39.

This is a perfect “shock complex”. Although its main purpose is to strike tanks and surface targets, it effectively hits fortified positions, enemy infrastructure, aircraft and helicopters in the air, and air defense systems. The Su-39 independently identifies targets, determines the priority one and the type of weapon.

The new Su-39 has a NUMBER OF INNOVATIONS: the Su-39 pilot is placed in an all-welded cabin made of aircraft-grade titanium armor, but its total weight, compared to its predecessor, has been reduced by 153 kg or 25%. At the same time, the mass of polyurethane foam and the rapidly swelling outer protector of fuel tanks of increased capacity has increased almost as much. Filling the compartments adjacent to the fuel tanks with elastic porous materials prevents the impulse splashing of fuel through holes from shells and their fragments, preventing a fire. The gaps between the fuel tanks and the air intake channels virtually eliminate the possibility of a fire from fuel entering the engine inlet.

Navy

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany treacherously attacked our country.
The command of the German army counted on the fragility of the Soviet state, on the weakness of the Red Army and Red Navy. Hitler's generals and admirals, arrogantly neglecting the combat effectiveness of the Red Army soldiers and sailors, drew up a plan for the “lightning-fast” defeat of the armed forces of the Soviet Union. With regard to our fleet, they hoped to weaken the Red Fleet with a sudden powerful air strike on ships and bases, a mine and underwater blockade of bases and communications, and then capture the bases and remnants of the fleet from land. But the barging enemy miscalculated.
The attack of Nazi Germany did not take the Navy by surprise. The Navy countered the surprise of the attack with a high degree of combat readiness; on June 22, 1941, we did not lose a single ship or naval aircraft. All attacks on fleet bases were repelled by naval and coastal artillery fire. And in August 1941, when our troops were retreating on all fronts after heavy fighting, long-range naval aviation aircraft flew to bomb Berlin.

The Navy guarded our external and internal sea communications and inflicted heavy damage on the enemy’s sea communications, sinking thousands of ships and transports with troops and cargo from the Germans and their allies.

Submarines

During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet submarines performed a wide range of important combat missions. Possessing great autonomy of navigation, they reached the enemy’s sea communications, and without detecting themselves, attacked enemy ships.In the Barents, Baltic and Black Seas, submarines destroyed more than 300 transports with a total capacity of over 1 million gross tons and about 100 warships with torpedo and mine weapons.

Submarines played an important role in solving such tasks as protecting their sea communications and naval bases, reconnaissance, patrol duty, delivery of ammunition and food to besieged Sevastopol, and navigation and hydrographic support for amphibious assault forces.
The active actions of submarines forced the Nazi command to divert significant forces and resources from solving other tasks, in particular from providing assistance to their ground forces in coastal areas, which reduced the combat capabilities of the fascist fleet as a whole.

The Great Patriotic War was not only a serious and comprehensive test of the combat qualities of Soviet submariners, but also an important stage in the development of tactics for the use of submarine forces. At the beginning of the war, the positional method of using submarines was mainly practiced; later, the Soviet naval command began to plan cruising in limited areas and redeployment of boats using the method of maneuvering positions. At the end of the war, the group use of boats in curtains became widespread in the Northern Fleet.

From the first day and continuously during the four years of the war, the Navy of the Soviet Union waged an active war on water, under water, in the air and in coastal areas using all combat means.

The Russian fleet is still considered one of the largest in the world, with powerful potential for carrying out combat and reconnaissance missions.

According to a statement by Russian Defense Minister S. Shoigu, the Navy will receive 24 new submarines by 2020. Such ships of different designs and classes will help update and raise the combat potential of the fleet to a qualitatively new level. The Ministry of Defense has a clear plan for the development of the submarine navy over the coming decades. It is divided into three stages, each of which has its own goals and characteristics. The first period is already in full swing and will end in 2020, immediately after it the second will begin, which will end in 2030, and the last will last from 2031 to 2050.

During the Great Patriotic War, the combined arms and tank armies of the Red Army were large military formations designed to solve complex operational problems.
In order to effectively manage this army structure, the army commander had to have high organizational skills, be well aware of the features of the use of all types of troops included in his army, but also, of course, have a strong character.
During the fighting, various military leaders were appointed to the post of army commander, but only the most trained and talented of them remained there 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.
Thus, it is known that during the war years, a total of 325 military leaders served as commanders of a combined arms army. And the tank armies were commanded by 20 people.
At 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, until his death in battle on July 17, 1942), 1st commanded (16 days) artilleryman K.S. Moskalenko, 4th (for two months) - cavalryman V.D. Kryuchenkin and the shortest TA commander (9 days) was the combined arms commander (P.I. Batov).
Subsequently, the commanders of tank armies during the war were the most stable group of military leaders. Almost all of them, having begun 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 combined arms military commanders who ended the war as army commanders, 14 people before the war commanded corps, 14 - divisions, 2 - brigades, one - a regiment, 6 were in teaching and command work in educational institutions, 16 officers were staff commanders at various levels, 3 were deputy division commanders and 1 deputy corps commander.

Only 5 generals who commanded armies at the start of the war ended 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, 30 military leaders from among the army commanders died during the war, of them:

22 people were killed 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 to avoid capture,

2 people died in plane (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 success in planning and carrying out combat operations during the war and immediately after its end, 72 military commanders 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 there 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 dated April 30, 2004. a rating of commanders of the Second World War was published, below is an extract from this rating, an assessment of the combat activity 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. Since September 1942 - commander of the 62nd (8th Guards) Army. He particularly distinguished himself in the Battle of Stalingrad.

Batov Pavel Ivanovich (1897-1985) - army General. Commander of the 51st, 3rd armies, assistant commander of the Bryansk Front, commander of the 65th army.

Beloborodov Afanasy Pavlantievich (1903-1990) - army General. Since the beginning of the war - commander of a division, rifle corps. Since 1944 - commander of the 43rd, in August-September 1945 - 1st Red Banner Army.

Grechko Andrey Antonovich (1903-1976) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From 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 Nikolai Ivanovich (1903-1972) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. From July 1943 he commanded the 21st and 5th armies. He had unique experience in the defense of besieged large cities, being the chief of staff of the defense of Odessa, Sevastopol and Stalingrad.

Moskalenko Kirill Semenovich (1902-1985) - Marshal of the Soviet Union. Since 1942, he commanded the 38th, 1st Tank, 1st Guards and 40th Armies.

Pukhov Nikolai 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. Since June 1943 - commander of the 3rd Army.

Kuznetsov Vasily Ivanovich (1894-1964) - Colonel General. During the war years he commanded the troops of the 3rd, 21st, 58th, 1st Guards Armies; since 1945 - commander of the 3rd Shock Army.

Luchinsky Alexander Alexandrovich (1900-1990) - army General. Since 1944 - commander of the 28th and 36th armies. He especially distinguished himself in the Belarusian and Manchurian operations.

Lyudnikov Ivan Ivanovich (1902-1976) - Colonel General. During the war he commanded a rifle division and corps, and in 1942 he was one of the heroic defenders of Stalingrad. Since May 1944 - commander of the 39th Army, which participated 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. Since 1942 he commanded the 66th (5th Guards) Army.

Glagolev Vasily Vasilievich (1896-1947) - Colonel General. Commanded the 9th, 46th, 31st, and in 1945 the 9th Guards armies. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Kursk, the battle for the Caucasus, during the crossing of the Dnieper, and the liberation of Austria and Czechoslovakia.

Kolpakchi Vladimir Yakovlevich (1899-1961) - army General. Commanded the 18th, 62nd, 30th, 63rd, 69th armies. He acted most successfully in the Vistula-Oder and Berlin operations.

Pliev Issa Alexandrovich (1903-1979) - army General. During the war - commander of guards cavalry divisions, corps, commander of cavalry mechanized groups. He particularly distinguished himself by his bold and daring actions in the Manchurian strategic operation.

Fedyuninsky Ivan Ivanovich (1900-1977) - army General. During the war years, he was commander of the 32nd and 42nd armies, the Leningrad Front, 54th and 5th armies, deputy commander of the Volkhov and Bryansk fronts, commander of the 11th and 2nd shock armies.

Belov Pavel Alekseevich (1897-1962) - Colonel General. Commanded the 61st Army. He was distinguished by decisive maneuvering actions during the Belarusian, 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 Nikolai Erastovich (1904-1945) - Colonel General. Commander of the 27th and 34th armies, deputy commander of the 61st and 20th armies, commander of the 39th and 5th shock armies. He particularly distinguished himself 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 is the commander of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, 1st Guards Tank Corps. Since 1943 - commander of the 1st Tank Army (since 1944 - Guards Army).

Bogdanov Semyon Ilyich (1894-1960) - Marshal of the Armored Forces. Since 1943, he commanded the 2nd (since 1944 - 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 and a corps and distinguished himself in the Stalingrad operation. Since 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, rapid actions during the Manchurian strategic operation.

It is known that army commanders who were in their positions for a relatively long time and showed fairly high leadership abilities were selected for this list.

From the first days of its existence, the Red Army had a tradition of forming national military units (continuing trends that existed before the revolution), but on March 7, 1938, by a special resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR "On national units and formations of the Red Army" a single national the procedure for military service for representatives of all nationalities of the country. However, the difficult situation at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War forced the Soviet government to abandon this principle. The formation of national units resumed.

The defeats suffered by the Red Army during the first months of the war were catastrophic for the Soviet Union. consequences. By December 1941, the enemy occupied over 1.5 million square meters. km. Soviet territory, where 74.5 million people lived before the war. It was possible to evacuate or conscript only part of this population. Military mobilizations carried out in territory not occupied by the enemy significantly depleted the country's human resources by the fall of 1941. The situation at the front was such that additional mobilization of forces and accelerated training of combat reserves were required. Among the conscription contingents of a number of union and autonomous republics, especially the Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Bashkiria, and Kalmykia, there were many people who had little command of the Russian language or did not know it at all. As a result, their training in military affairs was complicated, and the time frame for training combat reserves was extended. Therefore, it was important to establish work with personnel in their native language.

A decision was made to form national units and formations. The first national formation was the 201st Latvian Rifle Division, created by a special decision of the State Defense Committee on August 3, 1941. The formation of the division took place in the Moscow Military District. The composition of the first formation of this division is of interest. 70% were volunteers, 90% were citizens of the Latvian SSR, including 51% Latvians, 26% Russians, 17% Jews, 3% Poles, 6% other nationalities. Every fifth person was a communist or Komsomol member. By the end of November the division was formed.

On the morning of December 20, 1941, near the Nara River (about 70 km from Moscow), she entered into battle. During their three weeks at the front, its soldiers liberated 23 settlements. After the Battle of Moscow, the 201st Latvian Division distinguished itself in the battles of Demyansk and Velikiye Luki, then liberated the Latvian SSR from the enemy. For heroic actions, it was transformed into the 43rd Guards and awarded the honorary name “Rizhskaya”.

At the request of the party and government leadership of Estonia and Lithuania, on December 18, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted resolutions on the formation of the 7th Estonian and 1st Lithuanian rifle divisions, and in February 1942 - another national unit - the 249th Estonian rifle division. Personnel commanders of the Red Army, as a rule, of Estonian and Lithuanian nationality, as well as officers of the former Estonian and Lithuanian armies, were appointed to senior positions. At the end of September 1942, on the basis of the 7th and 249th divisions, the command of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps was formed, the commander of which was General L. Pern. Among the management officers there were 61.3% Estonians, 30.7% Russians, 4.6% Ukrainians, 3.4% Jews. The combat path of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps began in December 1942 near Velikiye Luki, where it participated in the defeat and capture of an enemy group. Since February 1944, the corps was on the Leningrad Front. His soldiers thoroughly prepared for the liberation of their native republic. On the eve of this decisive test, among the corps personnel there were 79.5% Estonians, 17.3% Russians, 3.2% soldiers of other nationalities. 82% of the fighters and commanders were citizens of the Estonian SSR. In the 7th and 249th Rifle Divisions, the proportion of soldiers of Estonian nationality was even higher and reached 89.5%.

On September 22, 1944, soldiers of the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps hoisted red banners over Tallinn, for the liberation of which the corps, like all of its units and formations separately, received the honorary name “Tallinn”. Residents of Estonia welcomed their liberator - the Red Army, in which their compatriots fought. Rallies spontaneously arose in populated areas. Almost every Estonian regiment on the third or fourth day of the offensive was accompanied by dozens of carts: peasants voluntarily helped the advancing units in transporting ammunition and food. Subsequently, the corps distinguished itself in the battles for the liberation of the islands of the Moonsund archipelago and in the defeat of the Courland enemy group. For special services in the Great Patriotic War, he was awarded the rank of guards.

Following the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps, the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division under the command of General F.R. Zemaitis joined the active army. Its combat path began in February 1943 on the Bryansk front, and continued on the Central, Kalinin and 1st Baltic fronts. As part of the Central Front, the division took part in the famous Battle of Kursk, occupying positions near the Zmievka railway station. From this line, she went on the offensive, during which she fought about a hundred kilometers, liberating 54 settlements. Since the autumn of 1943, the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division fought for the liberation of the eastern regions of Belarus. In these battles, the brave machine gunner Danute Staniliene, who was awarded the Order of Glory of three degrees, distinguished herself once again. Before the start of the battles for the liberation of Lithuania, in mid-March 1944, in the 16th division, soldiers of 29 nationalities fought, of which 39% were Russians, 32.3% Lithuanians, 22% Jews and 6.7% soldiers of other nationalities. 88% of the soldiers were citizens of the Lithuanian SSR. The division published the newspaper “Tivine Sauke” (“The Motherland Calls”) in Lithuanian and Russian. With the entry into the territory of Lithuania, the division was replenished with young citizens of the republic. In August 1944, another national unit was formed - the 50th Lithuanian Reserve Rifle Division, which trained thousands of soldiers for the Red Army. The combat path of the 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division ended under the command of Colonel A. I. Urbshas in East Prussia. For heroism and courage, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and given the honorary name “Klaipeda”.

On the eve of the battles for the liberation of Latvia, in May 1944, a decision was made to form the 130th Latvian Rifle Corps, the administration of which was created on the basis of the 43rd Guards (formerly 201st) Latvian Rifle Division. Together with the latter, the 308th Latvian Rifle Division entered the corps, the formation of which ended in early July. It received its personnel mainly from the 1st separate reserve Latvian Rifle Regiment. 47.8% of the soldiers of the new formation were Russians, 36.3% were Latvians, 7.8% were Jews, over 2% were Ukrainians, about 1% were Belarusians and 5% were other nationalities. Taking into account this national composition, the newspaper of the 308th Infantry Division “Padomju Strelnieks” (“Soviet Fighter”) was published in Russian in the amount of 900 copies. and in Latvian - 600 copies. Units of the 130th Corps were the first to enter the territory of Latvia. They acted decisively, proactively, and successfully completed combat missions. In October 1944, the corps distinguished itself in the battles for the liberation of Riga. Now he received reinforcements from the local population. In his divisions the proportion of soldiers of Latvian nationality increased sharply. At the end of March 1945, citizens of the republic who had previously lived in the occupied territory of Latvia accounted for 60 to 90% of the total number of soldiers in the units and divisions of the corps. His military journey ended after the defeat of the Courland enemy group.

In November and December 1941, taking into account the current situation in the country and at the front, the State Defense Committee obliged the command of the Central Asian and North Caucasus military districts to form, together with state, Soviet and public organizations of the corresponding union and autonomous republics, 15 separate rifle brigades and 20 cavalry divisions: 87 1st and 88th brigades, 97th and 98th cavalry divisions - in the Turkmen SSR; 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96th and 97th brigades, 99, 100, 101, 102nd and 103rd cavalry divisions - in the Uzbek SSR; 98th and 99th brigades, 104th cavalry division - in the Tajik SSR; 100th and 101st brigades, 96th, 105th and 106th cavalry divisions - in the Kazakh SSR; 107th, 108th and 109th cavalry divisions - in the Kirghiz SSR; 110th and 111th Cavalry Divisions in the Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; 112th and 113th cavalry divisions - in the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; 114th Cavalry Division - in the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; 115th Cavalry Division - in the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

In the spring of 1942, part of the national cavalry divisions arrived in the active army. These were: the 110th Kalmyk, 112th Bashkir and 115th Kabardino-Balkarian cavalry divisions and the 255th Chechen-Ingush cavalry regiment, formed on the basis of the 114th cavalry division. Since July 1942, in connection with the breakthrough of enemy troops on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front, the 110th, 112th and 115th cavalry divisions and the 255th cavalry regiment took part in battles to repel the Nazi offensive in the direction of the North Caucasus and Stalingrad . They did not flinch in the face of superior enemy forces, although often the Nazis’ offensive was supported by tanks and aircraft. The feat of Sergeant E. Delikov, commander of an anti-tank rifle crew from the 110th Cavalry Division, became a symbol of the tenacity, courage and courage of Soviet soldiers. Defending the crossing across the Don near the Pukhlyakov farm, E. Delikov destroyed three German armored cars with precise shots and set fire to three trucks with machine gunners. Being seriously wounded, he found the strength to take another aimed shot. For this feat he was awarded the highest award of the Motherland - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. For its distinction in the Battle of Stalingrad, the 112th Cavalry Division was reorganized into the 16th Guards Division. Her fighting career ended in the battle for Berlin. For outstanding services in the Great Patriotic War, she received the honorary name “Chernigovskaya” and was awarded the Orders of Lenin, Red Banner, Suvorov and Kutuzov, II degree. 75 of its soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Among them are representatives of ten nationalities: 33 Russians, 13 Bashkirs, 10 Ukrainians, 6 Tatars, 5 Turkmens, 3 Uzbeks, 2 Chechens, an Armenian, a Jew and a Kazakh.

In the fall of 1942, during one of the most difficult periods of the war, the 87th Turkmen, 90th and 94th Uzbek, 100th and 101st Kazakh separate rifle brigades. During the historical offensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad, they courageously fulfilled their military duty. Two months after the start of hostilities, senior sergeant of the 87th Infantry Brigade Aydogdy Takhirov accomplished the feat. On the night of January 29-30, 1943, at the head of a squad of nine fighters, he entered a military outpost, from where the enemy was several tens of meters away. That night, the Nazis unleashed a barrage of mortar fire on the outpost positions and then launched an attack. A mine explosion damaged communications with the platoon. The soldiers steadfastly repulsed the attacks. The moment came when, against many enemies, only Takhirov remained, wounded in the leg. Moving from position to position, he shot the approaching fascists. The cartridges in the magazines of his machine gun and his fallen comrades were spent, leaving only a few grenades. And then the brave warrior launched his final attack. Having used up the grenades and received several more wounds, Takhirov lost consciousness. By morning, our rifle unit knocked the enemy out of the outpost trench. Only two remained alive from Takhirov’s squad, but they were seriously wounded. 47 fascist corpses remained at the battle site. The retreating Nazis took the wounded Takhirov with them. When our troops went on the offensive, they discovered Takhirov’s corpse in one of the villages with traces of brutal torture. Aydogdy Takhirov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

National military formations were also created in the republics of Transcaucasia. The commander of the Transcaucasian Military District (later the front), Army General I.V. Tyulenev, wrote on this occasion in his memoirs: “We had to resolve an equally important issue - to replenish the district’s troops with personnel trained for combat.” The first among them was the 89th Armenian Rifle Division. And a month and a half later, by order of the command of the Transcaucasian Military District on February 3, 1942, they began to form six more national rifle divisions: the 223rd and 402nd Azerbaijani, the 392nd and 406th Georgian, and the 408th Armenian. Another month later, the formation of the 414th Georgian and 416th Azerbaijani rifle divisions began. In the fall, at the height of the battle for the Caucasus, four rifle divisions, which had suffered heavy losses, were recruited, as the order for the troops of the Transcaucasian Front said, “on a national basis.” These were: 77th Azerbaijani, 261st Armenian, 276th and 349th Georgian divisions. And in the summer of 1943, the 296th Infantry Division was staffed with personnel mainly of Georgian nationality, who arrived from spare parts. In total, thus, 14 national formations were formed in Transcaucasia. Losses in personnel of national formations and units during the Great Patriotic War were not taken into account separately. At the same time, they, as in all other troops, were inevitable. To replenish them, the republics created a network of reserve regiments and battalions in which conscripts and conscripts were trained in the relevant military specialties (riflemen, machine gunners, grenade launchers, signalmen and others). Such a training system made it possible to take into account national traditions and customs, allowed personnel to quickly adapt to the harsh conditions of a combat situation and significantly increase the cohesion and combat coordination of units. Conditions were also created for instilling in those called up a sense of pride in their fellow countrymen who showed courage and bravery on the battlefields, and a desire to increase their military glory. Subsequently, the importance of national military formations during hostilities increased so much that on February 1, 1944, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a law allowing each union republic to have its own military formations.

During the Great Patriotic War, the formation of national units and formations was one of the major unscheduled military mobilization events, thanks to which it was possible to successfully carry out additional mobilization of human and material resources into the active army.

In the post-war period, national military formations existed until the mid-50s. The emergence of new branches of the Armed Forces, branches of the military, security interests and an increase in the country's defense capability showed the need to move to a more efficient, extraterritorial recruitment of the army and navy, abandoning national formations.

Gabriel Tsobekhia

Evgenia Grigorieva

Vladislav Zherebtsova

Military University of the Russian Defense Ministry

Literature:

1. Artemyev A.P. Fraternal combat union of the peoples of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War. M., 1975.
2. Kirsanov N. A. In the battle formation of brother nations. M., 1984.
3. Likas A.L. Brothers fight together. M., 1973.
4. 50 years of the USSR Armed Forces. M., 1968.
5. CPSU on the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union: Documents 1917-1981. M., 1981.