For more than one year I have been gathering information on Soviet Red Army ground units which Dean will use to design Guderian's Blitzkrieg II. I am writing this article to summarize some of this information. After Origins this year everyone with an interest in OCS on the East Front will see how Dean translates the data into Guderian's Blitzkrieg II. This article tells everyone the sources for the Soviet OOB information. Any criticism about Soviet order of battle (OOB) errors in GB II should come to the source: me.

Many people helped in many ways to make this project go forward. I need to mention one person in particular. Without the help of Robert Rossiter the Soviet OOB information would not be as extensive as it is. He translated nine months of Soviet OOB tables and even more importantly gave me a translation glossary which allowed me to extend his translation work. Thanks Bob, you were literally indispensable.

Now before I get on with this article let me put the "consumer warning" statement right up front. I am not a professional historian and I don't speak or read Russian. While I lack these professional credentials nevertheless I was able to do OOB research on the Soviet Army OOB for two good reasons.

First, I had lots of great help. Second, I had access to two main sources with a great deal of useful information. Source I was the 12 volume Soviet Order of Battle, World War II by Charles C. Sharp published by George F. Nafziger. Source 2 was the 1200 page, 5 volume Order of Battle of the Soviet Army (Boevoy Sostav Sovetsoy Armii) 1941 to 1945. This work was published by the Military-Academic Directorate of the General Staff of the Soviet Army. The copy I worked from was dated 1963 from the Military Archives of the General Staff (VAGSH). This document is large but simple. It is basically a table listing all the units in the Soviet ground and air forces for each month from June 1941 to May 1945. This source has one major drawback for me; it is written in Russian. The most time consuming task in using this source was translating the data to English. My job was to study these sources (and others) and extract information that Dean could use to develop the Soviet OOB for Guderian's Blitzkrieg II.

Scope

Guderian's Blitzkrieg II (GB II) is a big project. When I volunteered to help with this project Dean asked me if I would tackle the Soviet COB. I was thinking the project was an extension of the original Guderian's Blitzkrieg adding the northern portion of the TYPHOON operation. I thought one possible addition could be the Soviet operation MARS. MARS was the counter-part to operation URANUS which begins the battles covered in Enemy at the Gates. MARS was fought over much of the same terrain as TYPHOON but in 1942. To my surprise, Dean told me he wanted the Soviet OOB from September/October 1941 to March/April 1943!

GB II will allow recreation of 20 months of operations in the central region of Russia stretching roughly from Lake Illmen in the north to Kursk/Voronezh in the south. The GB II map will extend farther West to include Velikiye Luki and farther East of Moscow than the existing GB I map. This region and time span will allow scenarios to recreate all of TYPHOON and the Soviet winter counteroffensive from 1941 into early 1942. In addition operations at Demyansk, Velikiye Luki and Rzhev are possible scenarios playable on less than the whole map. Soviet Operation MARS and the German northern flank thrust to Voronezh at the start of the 1942 summer campaign are also possible scenarios. For the truly adventurous gamer or gaming group there is the prospect of the GB II campaign; 20 months at nine game turns to the month.

The twenty months of GB II is a time period of substantial change in the Soviet ground forces. GB II begins just before the last great encirclement success of the invading German force in 1941 and ends just before the first German summer offensive failure at Kursk in 1943.

At the start ofGB IIthe Soviet forces were mostly surviving and arriving (from reserve call-up) infantry divisions. The largest deployed Soviet artillery unit was the regiment. By the start of TYPHOON most artillery units had less than half the personnel and 1/2 to 2/3 the guns of a Soviet pre-war artillery regiment. Pre-war Soviet tank and mechanized divisions were reduced to splinters. The first tank brigades appearing in GB II were combinations of remnant tank units and/or new tank production. The combination of these tank brigades and horse cavalry "divisions" provided operational mobility for the Soviet winter counter offensive in 41-42.

At the end of the GB II time frame, the backbone of the Soviet army was still the infantry force but the best infantry units now carried the Guards designation. Soviet gun and rocket artillery had expanded into a force that could open holes in the German defender's lines with massed firepower. By the end of the period covered in GB II, Soviet tank, mechanized, and cavalry forces operated in corps units and the first tank armies appeared.

Six different Soviet Fronts operated wholly or partially in the map area of GB II. At the start of TYPHOON Northwest, West, Bryansk, Southwest and Reserve fronts were facing German Army Group Center. By the end of October 1941 Reserve front HQ was removed and the Kalinin front appeared between the Northwest and West fronts. Three fronts, Kalinin, West and Bryansk, operated throughout the GB II period in the region covered by the game map. Northwest front remained the northernmost frontal organization. Most or all of the armies of Northwest front were usually present on the GB II map area. Throughout this period the Southwest front remained the southernmost front. However the northern boundary for Southwest front roughly coincides with the southern map edge of GB II. This means that for most of this period, one army or less of Southwest front actually operates on the GB II map.

Infantry

207 different Soviet infantry divisions operated in the map area during the GB II time span. Infantry divisions disappeared from the OOB when they were surrounded and destroyed, when they were disbanded, and when they were redesignated as Guards Infantry. The GB II time frame is long enough that infantry division numbers for units destroyed during TYPHOON reappear on new infantry division formations later in the game. One small piece of infantry division trivia appears in GB II. The Soviet Army was generally careful to keep units individually numbered but two infantry divisions with the same number (160) operated on the GB II map area for a short time after May 1942.

Guard infantry divisions appear at the beginning of GB 11. The number of Guard designated units increases steadily through theGB IItime period. Initially the Guard designation was a morale boosting device given to units with superior combat performance. In the first four months of the GB II period Guards designation meant a good combat outfit. In many cases it also marked a unit that had experienced heavy losses. It was only later (mid 42) that Guards designated units became better equipped with a Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE) superior to the standard infantry division.

At the end of 1941 the first Soviet infantry brigades started to appear. Over the time period of GB II 100 different infantry brigades appear in the COB. By the start of GB II the Soviet army had a desperate shortage of trained and experienced leaders, especially in field grade officers (major to colonel in western armies). The infantry brigade was one solution to the lack of leaders. The early infantry brigade TOE listed a brigade HQ, 3 infantry battalions, 2 mortar battalions, I artillery battalion, I antitank battalion and support organizations usually of company size. TOE strength was listed as 4,356 officers and men. In late 41 early 42, Soviet infantry divisions assigned to front line duty typically had from 3000 to 8000 officers and men present for duty. The infantry brigade with 4000 + men would put the same number of rifles in the front line as a typical infantry division but it did not have the regimental HQs (and their staffs). Despite the listed TOE for infantry brigades, they varied widely in composition. Sharp states that "... there are probably no units in the Soviet Army that had more organizational variations at the front."

The infantry brigade along with the early tank brigade and the simplified artillery regiment were improvised solutions to the Soviet Army's lack of sufficient trained leadership. The infantry brigade provided a maximum amount of infantry combat strength in a simple organization. However the brigade lacked staying power and operational flexibility and had very weak logistical support. By the end of GB II the number of infantry brigades was reduced asbrigades were upgraded to full divisions.

Cavalry

Horse cavalry units were active in the Soviet Army throughout World War 2. Horse cavalry units had been almost eliminated in other armies and they were viewed as ineffective on the European battlefield by all but the most ardent cavalry officers.

Cavalry on Siberian ponies
A big gun blocking the road to Moscow (left)

The Eastern Front in Soviet Russia provided the last great cavalry battleground. In Russia the combination of long distances, difficult terrain and the lack of an all-weather road system away from the railroads meant that a horse cavalry unit could provide reliable operational mobility. Cavalry units were not tactically mobile in the face of fixed defense or equal to mechanized firepower. However in roadless terrain or bad weather horse cavalry could move combat power farther and faster than either walking infantry or mechanized forces.

At the start of the German invasion there were 13 cavalry divisions in the Soviet Army. Twenty new cavalry divisions were formed in the first three weeks following the German invasion. Before the war Soviet cavalry divisions were cavalrymechanized forces. Divisions formed under the July 1941 TOE were light cavalry. Sharp states that, "The result was a 'light' cavalry division of about 3500 men ... )" and further that "The official Shtat (Table of Organization) called for a tank battalion for each of these [cavalry] divisions, to provide some mobile firepower, but this was largely a mythical unit." Sharp makes one further comment which emphasizes the importance of horse-mounted cavalry, especially at the start of the GB II time frame.

"In the winter counteroffensives at Moscow and in the Ukraine between Rostov and Kharkov, the cavalry was the only force that had any operational mobility. The new tank brigades simply did not have the technical expertise and support to keep running, and most of the rifle units were as snow-bound as the Germans. The 'standard' Operational or Pursuit Group in that first winter offensive consisted of a cavalry division, (or two), a rifle brigade or detached rifle regiment, some ski battalions, and whatever tank support could keep running long enough. Brigade or division-sized, these ad-hoc groups gave the Soviets their first wartime experience in attempting to sustain a mobile offensive, under the most adverse conditions imaginable."

Early 1942 was the high water mark for Soviet Army cavalry. On 1 January 1942 the Soviet Army had a total of 81 cavalry divisions and 7 separate cavalry regiments. Early in 1942 many of these cavalry divisions were grouped into new cavalry corps. These units had the strength of a full-strength infantry division or tank corps but the firepower of neither. They had better mobility but only in special circumstances of terrain and/or weather. By December 1942 there were only 31 cavalry divisions and 4 separate cavalry regiments left in the Soviet Army.

In the region covered by GB II, 19 separate cavalry divisions were in the front lines on 1 January 1942. By February 1942 that number dropped to 4. However on 1 February 1942 6 cavalry corps were operational in the GB II area.

Mechanized Forces

Eighty separate tank brigades, 16 tank corps, and 3 mechanized corps operated in the GB II area at one time or another over the 20 months. Tank brigades in 1941 were assembled from remnant units of the tank and mechanized divisions as well as new battalions activated from reserves or coming from training.

Soviet tanks and infantry showing what was probably better than typical coordination during 1941.

Equipment was just as varied, including tanks remaining from the huge prewar Soviet tank inventory as well as new T-34 and KV-1 models fresh from the factories.

There is an interesting contrast between infantry divisions and tank brigades in the monthly Soviet OOB table. Most often infantry divisions appear in the OOB and remain with a particular Soviet army for a long time. After the encirclement losses of Soviet infantry divisions in TYPHOON, most infantry divisions remain in the Soviet OOB for the whole GB II time period. Soviet infantry divisions often stay in the same army and if assigned to a different army it is usually an army in the same Front. Separate tank brigades appear and disappear from the Soviet OOB with much greater frequency. This reflects the concentration of tanks in offensive operations and a tendency for these units to be "used up" and then withdrawn for rebuilding.

In October 1942 there were 14 tank brigades operational in the GB II area. The number of tank brigades assigned to front line armies or present as Frontal reserves steadily increased over time until the start of operation MARS. In September 1942, 45 separate tank brigades were in the OOB. The number of separate tank brigades operational with armies and fronts in the GB II area declined from this point up to April of 1943, reflecting the Soviet defensive build up before the German summer offensive at Kursk.

Tank corps first appeared in the GB II area operational armies in May 1942. Mechanized corps first appeared in October - November 1942, just prior to the start of operation MARS. These units were deployed in Soviet offensive operations. The presence of tank and mechanized corps in the GB II OOB coincides with such operations as the Soviet Kharkov offensive in May 1942 and operations around Rzhev culminating in operation MARS at the end of 1942.

Artillery

Starting with Guderian's Blitzkrieg 1, Dean chose to depict the Soviet non-divisional artillery in brigade-size units. This format has been maintained throughout the other east front OCS titles and will continue with GB II. Historically, however, Soviet brigade-size artillery organizations first appear at the beginning of 1943. From the start of the German invasion until January 1943 the largest Soviet operational artillery organization is the artillery regiment. Following OCS convention these artillery regiments will appear grouped as brigades.

At the start of GB II, 60 non-divisional artillery regiments were operational in the fronts and armies on the GB II map. The number of separate artillery regiments declined to a low of 49 in December 1941 and then rose steadily to a high of 136 at the end of GB II. Starting in January 1943, Soviet artillery brigades also appeared, rising to a total of 37 in the GB II operational area.

In addition to the above "tube" artillery the Soviet army deployed rocket artillery. Quoting from Sharp, "While almost every combatant had some kind of rocket artillery by the end of World War Two, no one made greater use of ground rockets than the Soviets. From a peculiar beginning, the 'Katyushas', 'Stalin's Organs' or 'Guards Mortars' became one of the most specifically Soviet weapons of the war."

just as with tube artillery, the largest Soviet rocket artillery unit was the regiment until 1943. Starting from a low point of 3 regiments at the beginning of October 1941, the number of Guards Mortar regiments rose to a high of 47 in theGB IIoperational area in December 1942. The greatest number of operational rocket artillery units occurred in February 1943 when 14 brigades and 37 regiments of Guards Mortars were listed in the Soviet OOB within the GB II area.

Odds and Ends

So far this article has summarized the major Soviet operational units. Infantry divisions and brigades, cavalry divisions and corps, tank brigades, tank corps, mechanized corps, artillery and rocket units represent the majority of the combat power of the Soviet Army on the GB II map. But what about the "chrome"? Those are the units tucked into the OOB which give an army some unique identity. The Soviet force inGB IIwill include airborne units, naval infantry brigades, NKVD units, ski units, aerosans, and even the forerunner of the SPETZNAZ.

Most people reading this article will know most of the above list of special units, but how many recognize aerosans? I certainly didn't know what an aerosan was until I began to search for the Soviet OOB. I will close this article with a description of aerosans quoted from Sharp:

"No discussion of ski formations in the Red Army in world war two would be complete without a reference or two to the "aerosan" - the motorized sleds used in the winter months. These vehicles were, in fact, primitive snow mobiles, developed in the 1930's for the arctic regions of the Soviet Union and first used militarily in the Winter War against Finland in 1939 - 40.

Originally little more than a plywood box carrying 2 or more men and a machine gun, the aerosans were all powered by old aircraft engines driving rear-mounted propellers and mounted on skis. In the winter of 1941 - 42 the first armored version of the aerosan, the NKL-26, was introduced, but the armor was never more than 10mm thick, and none of the various models was armed with anything heavier than a single machine gun....

The advantage of the aerosan was that it could move fast over snow or ice for long distances. This made it an excellent supply vehicle or heavy weapons hauler for ski units, but as a combat vehicle it had serious disadvantages. First, no one ever used a snow mobile to sneak up on an enemy. The open aero engines were anythingbut silent, and the aerosan, even painted white still presented a large boxy silhouette sitting high off the ground and visible for thousands of meters."

So there you have it. GB II will have everything for the east front gamer including Soviet snowmobiles*