Soviet Land Forces
Of all the forces of the Soviet Empire, the greatest cause of concern for the United States was the land forces. While nuclear ICBMs occupied much of their attention, American generals could never discount the possibility of masses of infantry and armor pouring over the Soviet border into Western Europe. This scenario was in actuality one of the leading possibilities for the use of nuclear strikes. This was because the striking power of the Soviet Union’s land forces was massive. During peace time, the army retained roughly 2 million men; however, during war time, the army could swell to 21 to 23 million men in the span of just 10 days[1].
The overall organization of the land forces was quite complex in the Soviet Union. The largest grouping was the Front, made up of Armies which themselves were divided into divisions then into battalions. Soviet Command did not organize each Front and Army into predetermined designs. Each Front and Army could vary immensely from one to another in terms of number and types of divisions and battalions. However, Soviet Command did this purposely. The first reason was to prevent American intelligence from accurately determining the entire strength and positioning of the Soviet land forces by simply looking at one Army or Front. The second was that the Soviet leadership had calculated and designed the Fronts and armies based on their role in contingent plans[2].
The basic unit types of the army were very simple by contrast. The Soviet leadership divided their land forces into seven major groups; motor-rifle troops, tank troops, artillery/ rocket troops, air defense troops, airborne assault troops, diversionary troops known as Spetsnaz, and fortified area troops. The Soviet high command kept the existence of the latter three hidden[3]. The Spetsnaz and airborne troops will be discussed in the latter article.
The motor-rifle troops provided the basic skeleton from which the rest of the Soviet Land Forces would be built upon. These troops are a blend of tank, anti-tank, SAM, chemical, and sapper units. This eleven man group served as the basic all around unit for the Soviets throughout the Cold War. While nothing special in of themselves, their numbers provided fear. Armed with simple but effective Kalashnikov weapons and RPGs, the motor-rifle troops could cause a great impact on the battlefield[4].
Tank forces formed the main striking power of the Soviet Union Land Forces. Consisting of 54,000 tanks in peace time, tank troops would work in unison with the motor-rifle troops on the battlefield. Each would support and protect each other. Tank units almost served as a sign of position. Each unit commander would have his own tank force dependent on his rank. Most tank troops belonged to tank regiments or attached battalions to motor-rifle regiments. However, there was a special independent battalion. These independent battalions were Soviet commanders’ ace in the hole. If a supposed battle teetered on victory or defeat, the commander could use this battalion to shift the scales in Soviet favor. The independent battalions were larger than the run of the mill tank units, and consisted of the newest tanks. Finally, these independent battalions had anti-air, reconnaissance, and engineer contingents which made them resemble a regiment rather than a battalion[5].
After World War II in 1959, Soviet Command created a separate service for the Strategic Rocket Forces. Rocket troops who did not move into this service became part of the artillery and rocket troops. These men would be used to support attacks and provided defense during war. There were four major types of weapons employed by artillery and rocket troops; rocket, rocket launcher (multiple rockets), anti-tank, and general purpose artillery. Depending on the unit and the commander, they could use a combination or all four types of artillery[6].
The last rank and file types of troops were the air defense troops. The Soviet Command divided these troops into national and military groups. The difference between these two is that the national was solely for defense of the Soviet Union while the military moved with the land forces. The primary goal of air defense troops was to protect the tank troops as they were the most valuable targets. Air defense troops would employ guided rocket systems as well as heavy machine guns to defend other forces[7].
Throughout all these units, the general approach was more is better. While strategy would be employed, the Soviet Command hoped to use numbers to counter the United States’ superiority in technology. Soviet weapons, tanks, and supplies were all simplistic as to make as many as possible with the greatest ease. However, it was when détente failed and military spending skyrocketed, that the size of the Soviet forces would become an Achilles hill. Ultimately, the reality of a full-scale Soviet invasion of the West never formulated.
[1] Suvorov, Viktor. Inside the Soviet Army. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company 1982, 68.
[2] Ibid, 68-69.
[3] Ibid, 74-78.
[4] Ibid, 69-71.
[5] Suvorov, Viktor, 71-72.
[6] Ibid, 72.
[7] Ibid, 72-73.
Article Bibliography:
Suvorov, Viktor. Spetsnaz: The Inside Story of the Soviet Special Forces. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
1988.
The overall organization of the land forces was quite complex in the Soviet Union. The largest grouping was the Front, made up of Armies which themselves were divided into divisions then into battalions. Soviet Command did not organize each Front and Army into predetermined designs. Each Front and Army could vary immensely from one to another in terms of number and types of divisions and battalions. However, Soviet Command did this purposely. The first reason was to prevent American intelligence from accurately determining the entire strength and positioning of the Soviet land forces by simply looking at one Army or Front. The second was that the Soviet leadership had calculated and designed the Fronts and armies based on their role in contingent plans[2].
The basic unit types of the army were very simple by contrast. The Soviet leadership divided their land forces into seven major groups; motor-rifle troops, tank troops, artillery/ rocket troops, air defense troops, airborne assault troops, diversionary troops known as Spetsnaz, and fortified area troops. The Soviet high command kept the existence of the latter three hidden[3]. The Spetsnaz and airborne troops will be discussed in the latter article.
The motor-rifle troops provided the basic skeleton from which the rest of the Soviet Land Forces would be built upon. These troops are a blend of tank, anti-tank, SAM, chemical, and sapper units. This eleven man group served as the basic all around unit for the Soviets throughout the Cold War. While nothing special in of themselves, their numbers provided fear. Armed with simple but effective Kalashnikov weapons and RPGs, the motor-rifle troops could cause a great impact on the battlefield[4].
Tank forces formed the main striking power of the Soviet Union Land Forces. Consisting of 54,000 tanks in peace time, tank troops would work in unison with the motor-rifle troops on the battlefield. Each would support and protect each other. Tank units almost served as a sign of position. Each unit commander would have his own tank force dependent on his rank. Most tank troops belonged to tank regiments or attached battalions to motor-rifle regiments. However, there was a special independent battalion. These independent battalions were Soviet commanders’ ace in the hole. If a supposed battle teetered on victory or defeat, the commander could use this battalion to shift the scales in Soviet favor. The independent battalions were larger than the run of the mill tank units, and consisted of the newest tanks. Finally, these independent battalions had anti-air, reconnaissance, and engineer contingents which made them resemble a regiment rather than a battalion[5].
After World War II in 1959, Soviet Command created a separate service for the Strategic Rocket Forces. Rocket troops who did not move into this service became part of the artillery and rocket troops. These men would be used to support attacks and provided defense during war. There were four major types of weapons employed by artillery and rocket troops; rocket, rocket launcher (multiple rockets), anti-tank, and general purpose artillery. Depending on the unit and the commander, they could use a combination or all four types of artillery[6].
The last rank and file types of troops were the air defense troops. The Soviet Command divided these troops into national and military groups. The difference between these two is that the national was solely for defense of the Soviet Union while the military moved with the land forces. The primary goal of air defense troops was to protect the tank troops as they were the most valuable targets. Air defense troops would employ guided rocket systems as well as heavy machine guns to defend other forces[7].
Throughout all these units, the general approach was more is better. While strategy would be employed, the Soviet Command hoped to use numbers to counter the United States’ superiority in technology. Soviet weapons, tanks, and supplies were all simplistic as to make as many as possible with the greatest ease. However, it was when détente failed and military spending skyrocketed, that the size of the Soviet forces would become an Achilles hill. Ultimately, the reality of a full-scale Soviet invasion of the West never formulated.
[1] Suvorov, Viktor. Inside the Soviet Army. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company 1982, 68.
[2] Ibid, 68-69.
[3] Ibid, 74-78.
[4] Ibid, 69-71.
[5] Suvorov, Viktor, 71-72.
[6] Ibid, 72.
[7] Ibid, 72-73.
Article Bibliography:
Suvorov, Viktor. Spetsnaz: The Inside Story of the Soviet Special Forces. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
1988.