The aim of this article is to give the modern wargamer some information on the organisation, weapons and uniforms of the Soviet infantry today. Information is fairly readily available on larger units - I have therefore concentrated on the smallest ones. Current discussion on warfare in the 1970's might leave the casual observer with the view that battles are fought entirely with masses of tanks, aircraft and missiles. While these weapons are spectacular they cannot be decisive on their own and in the last few years the introduction of large numbers of easily operated one-man anti-tank and antiaircraft weapons has made the infantry a more versatile and well-armed branch of modern armies than ever before. Even the Soviet army, which has always retained a vast force of tanks now equips its infantry with extremely sophisticated vehicles and weapons, fully the equal of those in NATO units. Gone are the days when the Russian infantry had to advance en masse on foot or clinging precariously to the open decks of charging tanks. There was a good deal of infantry fighting in the comparatively open desert of the Sinai and the Golan in 1973. Obviously infantry are going to be even more important in the wooded, hilly and builtup areas of Europe. Organisation A chart is attached showing the organisation of a Motor Rifle battalion in somewhat simplified form. Total strength is about 500 men, slightly smaller than equivalent NATO units. Units in tank divisions are the most likely to be equipped with the BMP76 tracked combat vehicle. Mechanised divisions will probably continue to use the 8-wheeled BTR60 APC for some time. A tank division has one regiment of three such battalions and two regiments of three battalions of about 30 tanks each. In a Motor Rifle division the proportions are reversed. Each division also has a reconnaissance battalion, artillery, anti-aircraft units, etc. There are large numbers of that Soviet speciality - the multi-barrel rocket launcher. I have also included a complete breakdown of the Soviet Motor Rifle company in the hope that this will assist wargamers most. While the chart speaks for itself (with the help of the glossary I hope!) I should say that individual rifle companies are attached to recce and tank battalions as well as those in the Motor Rifle battalions. The company is powerfully armed, as can be seen on the chart, with 9 RPG-7 anti-tank rocket launchers and 3 shoulder launched SAM7 anti-aircraft missiles. These, and the additional weapons of the 10 BMP infantry combat vehicles in the company give the unit its own defence against aircraft and tank. In other armies anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles are often not as widely available as in the Russian army so have to be held higher up the ladder of command. However, Russian junior officers and NCO's, while having improved greatly since World War II are not as good as their Western counterparts and in wargames it might be realistic to impose delays in acting on new orders to reflect poorer leadership and also, poorer communications. Vehicles Numerous different types of vehicle are used; and many of them, particularly recce and infantry vehicles are amphibious. In the tank division the BMP76 PB Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle is standard. The BTR60 is widely used in recce units and the Motor Rifle Regiments of the Motor Rifle Divisions. There are also a number of other wheeled and tracked vehicles which are being phased out of front line service. Other vehicles found with infantry and recce units are the PT76 amphibious light tank and 4-wheeled BRDM and BTR 40 scout cars. These are amphibious and sometimes equipped with missiles. Uniforms Although attempts are now being made to improve the domestic image of the Russian soldier by new uniforms, better conditions, etc., most troops still wear kit which has changed little since World War II. The jacket and trousers are a khaki/brown in colour and are worn with knee-length black or brown boots. Equipment is of black or brown leather. Occasionally a camouflaged two-piece suit with hood is worn. This is predominantly sand coloured with a fairly small brown and green leaf patter super imposed. Tank men often wear black overalls with a brown fur lined helmet. As might be expected winter clothing is excellent, consisting of quilted boots and a two-piece white suit. Glossary SAM 7 -Anti-aircraft missile. Fired from the shoulder or in salvos from BTR40 or BRDM. Range of 3,500 metres; infra-red homing. RPG 7 - Shoulder launched anti-tank rocket launcher. Weighs 25lbs. Range 500 metres. RPK - Standard light machine gun. 40 round magazine; 600 rpm; weighs 1021 lbs. AKM - Standard assault rifle. Weighs 9 1/2 lbs, 30 round magazine. BMP76 PB Weighs 9.8 tons; 21 feet long; 10 feet wide; 6 feet high, therefore a low silhouette but a large APC. Has a crew of 3 and carries 8 infantry. Is armed with a 76mm smoothbore gun and 40 rounds and 4 Sagger anti-tank guided missiles. Also has a 7.62mm MG. Vehicle is amphibious. 120mm Mortar Range 6,000 metres; 34lb bomb. Sagger Missile Wire guided anti-tank missile. Minimum range 500 metres; maximum range approx 3,000 metres. Mounted on vehicles and also "in a suitcase" weighing about 30 lbs. A Note on Tactics: Basic Soviet strategy envisages a quick Blitzkrieg type war. Because war is expected to be short, fighting units can be built at some expense in "tail" units. The Russians plan to overwhelm an opponent quickly with mass attacks by tanks and other armoured vehicles supported by large numbers of guns and rocket launchers and aircraft. The use of chemical and nuclear weapons can, by no means, be ruled out and Soviet training seems to assume that they will be used. At a lower level, instead of adopting a "two up - one back" policy such as NATO, whereby each formation and unit has its own reserve to counterattack or exploit, the Russians put everything in line abreast so that if reinforcement is required a whole new unit is thrown in. Objectives are by-passed whenever possible but those that have to be taken would be overwhelmed by mass attacks until they were. The Russian technique is often likened to a drill, whose bit is constantly replaced as it is ground down. I have only included brief notes on weapons, vehicles and uniforms since information on them is readily available. See Purnell's "Special" on Weapons and Uniforms of the USSR - 70pence. Armies and Weapons No.15 (1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hants) also had an article on the Red Army with a lot of organisational detail. The magazine was 75p but now costs £ 1.00p. The International Institute for Strategic Studies of 18 Adam Street, London, also put out booklets in a series called the Adelphi Papers at about 35p. No.89 was about Soviet doctrine; No.109 is about Military doctrine and technology. Many of the booklets are rather advanced but the above two are very good and fairly simple to understand! A SAE will bring a list of publications for I.I.S.S. Soviet Motor Rifle Company (1970s) 5 officers + 104 men HQ (1 BMP 76 PB A.P.C.) 1 Coy Commander (Lt. or Capt) 1 Political Deputy 1 Technical Deputy: Regular W.O. 1 Senior Sgt. 1 Medical Asst. 3 SAM7 gunners. 1 BMP Driver/mechanic 1 BMP Gunner/radio operator Mot Rifle PI M/R PI (1 officer, 32 men) M/R Pl HQ (1 BMP 76 PH A.P.C.) 1 PI commander 1 Deputy PI commander 1 BMP driver/mechanic 1 BMP gunner/radio operator 1 RPG 7 Gunner 1 RPG 7 Assistant 1 RPK (LMG) Gunner 4 AKM Riflemen Section (1 BMP 76 PB A.P.C. Section 1 Section commander 1 BMP driver/mechanic 1 BMP gunner/radio operator 1 RPG 7 team (2 men) 1 RPG gunner 5 AKM riflemen Soviet Motor Rifle Battalion Bn. HG M/Rifle Coy x 3 (see above) Support Company: Mortar battery 6 x 120mm mortars, 8 trucks Anti-tank pl. (not present in BMP 76 units), 2 SPG 9 recoilless guns, 4 Manpack "Sagger" Trucks. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 175 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1976 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com