Soviet Airborne Troops- 1941

[MPK]

Can anyone point me in the right

direction for information on

this topic?

I am most curious about the

TO&E of the Airborne Brigades

just before the Great Patriotic

War, and their method of landing

their heavy equipment.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

[Zveroboy]

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/csi.asp

The Soviet Airborne Experience by Glantz (pdf).

Scroll down the page it is located under Research Surveys

I think the heavy weapons were supposed to be airlanded after the initial para detachment had secured a landing zone.

The only support weapons mentionned are antitank rifles, 82 mm mortars and light mortars. The Germans also report Soviet troops with machine guns and grenade launchers along the Smolensk-Vyaz'ma highway.

So I dont know if they received all the 45mm guns and flamethrowers they had on the TOE. Concerning the light tanks (T-37) I am pretty sure they didnt have any at least in the Viaz'ma operation in 1942.

[MPK]

Thanks Zveroboy;

The site is down at this moment;

I'll check it out later (or buy

the book).

Zaloga mentions a "Paratroop Tank Bn"

of 50 T-38's for 1940...

I have a vague recollection of

reading somewhere that light

howitzers (of the Mountain Gun

type)were part of the Soviet

Airborne Brigade TO&E and would

be surprised if this were not so...

But then, I am often surprised...

[JasonC]

MPK - by TOE they had lots of heavy weapons - 76mm IGs, 45mm ATGs, some light armor even. By my actual readings about air drops, they never took these along. If was the squad infantry, a few MGs, and 82mm mortars - that's it. Nothing you would find above battalion level in the German infantry. The heavier stuff would be with them when they deployed by truck along the front, which was often. But actual combat air drops, they just left it behind.

[MPK]

Thanks Jason...

"But actual combat air drops, they just

left it behind"... why? lack of transport

aircraft/gliders?

Given that my scenario idea is defiantly

ahistorical- a battle between Sov Airborne

and Rumanian frontier troops during the

annexation of Bessarabia- I figured I might

use the full range of equipment available to

the Airborne Brigade whether or not such

was the actual practice...

I know this is wrong, and I'm trying hard to change...

Seriously, Mollo ['The Armed Forces of WW2',

Orbis, 1981] lists a Frontier Division

for the Rumanian army, and I am wondering

if these were better-quality troops, as is

sometimes the case with units tasked with

border security...

If anybody can shed light on this, or has

other pertinent information, please post...

Thanks again,

Matt

[Zveroboy]

I dont think the site is down, but it surely takes a while to load (the pdf is 30 meg).

The problem is that the Soviets were reorganizing their army in 1940 but Barbarossa forced them to proceed to another reorganization shortly after. So you have a TOE for 1940 and another for 1941 but it is difficult to know what equipment they really had in practice and what was only paper strength.

Airborne Brigade 1940 :

Strength : 3000 men and 11 tanks

It had the following elements :

1/ A parachute group with 2 battalions (546 men each). Each battalion had 3 companies of 141 men; and each company had a 50mm mortar platoon. On top of this they also had a signal platoon, a sapper/demolition platoon and a small recon platoon (37 men) and possibly a company with motorcycles/bicycles.

2/ A glider group with the same organization as the parachute group.

3/ An airlanded group with the heavy weapons consisting of :

1 mortar company (9x82mm)

1 aa company (12 heavy aa mgs)

1 tank company (11 T-40 or T-38)

1 arty battalion with a battery of 4x45mm and a battery of 4x76mm

Then in 1941 the new airborne brigade TOE seems to get rid of the gliders, increase the number of light tanks, reinforce the battalions and equip them with flamethrowers (1 platoon/battalion )

Airborne Brigade 1941 :

4 parachute battalions (678 men each)

1 tank battalion (50 T-37 later reduced to 32)

1 brigade arty with 6x76mm, 12x45mm and 6x82mm

1 recon company (bicycles)

1 aa mg company

So yes there was a tank battalion, well at least in theory. In practice it seems that although the airborne corps were at full personel strength, they lacked equipment especially tanks and radio. Besides it was not until mid 1942 that the reorganization was complete.

[MPK]

That's very helpful & interesting...

Much appreciated.

BTW I had not previously known

that Tukhachevsky was an ardent

proponent of airborne forces...

I hope there is a biography of him

out there somewhere (in English, my

Russian's pretty rudimentary).

I guess I can choose from 1940 or

1941 brigade TOEs, since one might

argue that a particular brigade in

1941 might be either reorganized

or be about to...

Thanks to you both,

Matt

[jacobs_ladder2]

I think there is a book in the Charles C. Sharp series dedicated to the airborne forces.

Vol 4 - "Red Guards", Soviet Guards Rifle and Parachute Infantry Units, 1941-45

Look for it on the George Nafziger website here .

Cheers

Paul

[jacobs_ladder2]

Originally posted by Zveroboy:

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/csi.asp

The Soviet Airborne Experience by Glantz (pdf).

Scroll down the page it is located under Research Surveys

Great source. Thanks. I had forgotten about this one.

Cheers

Paul

[Bannon DC]

The source I have only goes back to 1943. But interestingly, it lists an "airborne cavalry" company as part of the brigade. I wonder what that airdrop must have looked like!?

What would constitute airborne cavalry? Could that be bicycles?

This is from "The handbook of the Eastern Front." Editor: Keith Bonn.

[MPK]

"What would constitute airborne cavalry? Could that be bicycles?"

Could it perhaps be motorcycles?

Did the Soviets have the parachutist's

folding motorbike like the West?