Soviet "Panzertruppen" Equivalent?

[Commissar]

For those of you familiar with the "Panzertruppen" books, is there any book(s) that is the Soviet equivalent? I would be great to get the raw data on Soviet armor and units that "Panzertruppen" does for German armor.

[Jeff Duquette]

Not sure there is an equivelent series of volumes ala Jentz's work. A great web site focusing on soviet wwii armour:

http://www.algonet.se/~toriert/index.html

In addition

Wolfgang Fleishers: "Russian Tanks and Armoured Vehicles 1917 - 1945" is a real nice reference.

Steven Zaloga has also done numerous works for Osprey detailing Soviet WWII Armour and Soviet WWII armour doctrine. He also has cranked out a handy reference called; "Red Army Handbook, 1939-1945"

Also take a gander at: "Soviet Armour Tactics in WWII" by Charles Sharp. Its available from the Nafziger Collection.

http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/books.html

US War Department also produced "The Russian Army Handbook" (1939 - 1945). It's similar in make-up to its sister volumes "The German Army Handbook" (1939 - 1945) & "Japanese Army Handbook" (don't have the Japanese study personally). The Soviet and Japanese handbooks have both been reprinted by Military/Info.

[This message has been edited by Jeff Duquette (edited 12-14-2000).]

[The Commissar]

Tovarish,

I dont think you will have much luck finiding very detailed information on Soviet tactics or armor, especially from the source itself.

Soviets were very secretive, and modern-day Russians continue this practice. There is some good info in several good books I've seen about the place. Most of these are from Western historians, however.

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"...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..."

- Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

[Bastables]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The Commissar:

Tovarish,

I dont think you will have much luck finiding very detailed information on Soviet tactics or armor, especially from the source itself.

Soviets were very secretive, and modern-day Russians continue this practice. There is some good info in several good books I've seen about the place. Most of these are from Western historians, however.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You could try gleaning through David M. Glantz works for which tends to keep to the Battalion level, but you will find the OOB for the various Soviet forces.

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From the jshandorf

"Why don't we compare reality to the game like Bastables likes to do all the time?"

Mr T's reply

"Don't touch me FOO!"

<BilgeRat> synopsis= "Im a dickhead"

[Valera Potapov]

No, there is no such books.

[Splinty]

Weren't the "Guards" units considered elite?

[Commissar]

The Guards designation today may mean a unit is elite but it is more a reflection on the units past achievements and may or may not indicate current fighting quality. I get conflicting info on this one. Some books say yes they are elite while some say maybe. Either way, these units were supposed to be better equipped than reg units. During the Cold War, the Soviets used to seperate one class of unit from another by what category they were in (A, B, or C). The category rating was supposed to reflect its current fighting readiness and how much of its equipment was ready to roll for a fight. Needless to say, the A category units were the ones most ready and stationed close to the frontline.

[Grisha]

Guards units weren't 'elite' in the sense that Spetsnaz is, but they were better than regular Red Army units. As Commissar points out they were given the best equipment, and first priority in reinforcements/replacements.

Another thing is skilled soldiers were frequently transferred to Guards units, and I'm sure the best graduates/technicians from the many Soviet military academies were also assigned to Guards units.

Finally, Soviet combat experience was rigorously collected, and evaluated to determine the most effective methods of operational and tactical maneuver. Those found most valuable were published in yearly combat regulations. As the years passed these regulations became more and more refined, so that by '44-'45 Soviet operational art and tactics were very effective. The level of elite training within the Guards units most likely followed this progression, though I sure exceptions did occur.

So, to finally answer your question, the level of training/experience within Guards units was probably within a range that stayed higher than regular troops, but steadily increased until the end of the war. And if I had to put my finger on it, I'd say Guards units were at least a step above the general level of troop training, if not two, for any given year.

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Best regards,

Greg Leon Guerrero

[Jeff Duquette]

Hey Greg:

Nice bit of info. One of my above references "Soviet Armour Tactics in WWII" translated by Charles Sharp is actually a reprint of a Soviet Training manual for WWII armoured tactics. Originally issued in February of 1944. Copies were apparently captured by the Germans and translated into German for familierization in Soviet TAnk Doctrine. It's only recently been translated into English.

(Its available from the Nafziger Collection: http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/books.html)

[Jeff Duquette]

Does anyone have any idea what happend to the Russian Military Zone? Did it move? It is also an excellent resource on Soviet WWII equipment etc, but unfortunately I have been unable to access it recently.

[Commissar]

Try this URL

http://history.vif2.ru/