Hello dears.
Some time ago, you and I had a series of posts about the armies of the countries of the so-called Warsaw Pact. Well, it is quite logical that at least a few words should have been said about the most powerful, strong and combat-ready army in the entire history of mankind - the Soviet armed forces. For I am deeply convinced that an army like ours in the mid-80s of the 20th century has never been stronger and more powerful (despite the beginning of centrifugal forces both within the state and within the Armed Forces) and never will be in terms of the totality of its strength, numbers and capabilities.

As the son and grandson of an officer, my destiny should have been connected with the Soviet army, but from childhood I firmly decided that this was not mine. Despite respect for officers, and communication with soldiers from a very tender age, and love for weapons and everything military in principle. I have never regretted my choice.
But I decided to launch a series of posts :-)) And I hope you will find it interesting.
And I propose to start from the macro level. And then little by little we figure it out. The most extensive :-))))
So, as I said above, in my deep conviction, by the mid-80s the Armed Forces had reached the peak of their power. It was a monstrous organization


The number in 1985 reached as many as 5,350,800 people. Incomprehensible... We had more tanks than all the countries combined, a huge nuclear arsenal, strong aviation and an ocean-going fleet.
Despite its size and complexity of missions, the USSR's armed forces were managed quite well.
All armed forces of the Soviet Union were divided into the following types
- Ground Forces (SV)
- Air Force (Air Force)
- Air Defense Forces
- Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces)
- Navy (Navy)
And Certain types of troops and services of the USSR Armed Forces which included:
- Civil Defense Troops (CD) of the USSR
- Rear Front of the USSR Armed Forces
- Border troops of the KGB of the USSR
- Internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs

De jure, the highest governing body of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union was the Defense Council of the USSR, chaired by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Members of the Armed Forces under the SO USSR were: the Chief of the General Staff, Commanders-in-Chief of the branches of the Armed Forces, commanders and heads of branches and services, some heads of the main and central departments of the USSR Ministry of Defense, a number of commanders of military districts and fleets.


Direct leadership of the USSR Armed Forces was exercised by military command and control bodies (MCB).
The system of military command and control bodies of the USSR Armed Forces included:
control bodies of the SA and Navy, united by the USSR Ministry of Defense, headed by the USSR Minister of Defense:
General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces (GS USSR Armed Forces):
control bodies of the Border Troops, subordinate to the State Security Committee of the USSR, headed by the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;
control bodies of the Internal Troops, subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, headed by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR.


That is, the daily activities of the Armed Forces were de facto managed by the Minister of Defense with the help of the General Staff and related structures, but under the watchful supervision of the party and government :-)

In the USSR, universal conscription was introduced, enshrined in the Constitution. Defense of the socialist Fatherland is the sacred duty of every citizen of the USSR, and military service in the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces is an honorable duty of Soviet citizens (Articles 62 and 63 of the USSR Constitution).
The uniform conscription age for all Soviet citizens is 18 years;
The term of active military service (command military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen) is 2 - 3 years.
Afterwards they could stay for extra-urgent periods.
By the mid-80s, the armed forces of the Soviet Union had the following ranks:
Soviet Army:
Privates and sergeants
Soldiers
Private
Corporal

Sergeants
Junior Sergeant
Sergeant
Senior Sergeant
Sergeant Major

Ensigns
Ensign
Senior Warrant Officer

Junior officers

Junior Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Senior Lieutenant
Captain

Senior officers
The military ranks of officers of the medical service and justice have the corresponding name.
Major
Lieutenant colonel
Colonel

Senior officers
The military ranks of generals of medical service, aviation and justice have the corresponding name.
Major General
Lieutenant General
Colonel General

Marshal of Artillery, Marshal of Engineering Troops, Marshal of Signal Corps, Marshal of Aviation
army general
Chief Marshal of Artillery, Chief Marshal of Air
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Generalissimo of the Soviet Union

Navy
Ratings
Sailors and soldiers
Private Sailor, Private
Senior sailor, corporal

Sergeants and petty officers
Petty Officer 2 articles, junior sergeant
Petty Officer 1st article, sergeant
Chief Petty Officer, Senior Sergeant
Chief petty officer, petty officer

Ensigns and midshipmen
Midshipman, warrant officer
Senior midshipman, Senior warrant officer

Junior officers
Junior Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Senior Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander, Captain

Senior officers
Captain 3rd rank, major
Captain 2nd rank, lieutenant colonel
Captain 1st rank, colonel

Senior officers
Rear Admiral, Major General
Vice Admiral, Lieutenant General
Admiral, Colonel General
Fleet Admiral
Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union


This is, so to speak, everything at the macro level... Next time we’ll go to the micro level, and then we’ll go into detail about each of the genera and species :-)
To be continued
Have a nice time of day.

Not a trace remains of the military potential of the former Soviet republics.

At the end of February, the commander of the Airborne Forces, General Vladimir Shamanov, said that the Russian Airborne Forces could be sent to carry out combat missions as quick reaction forces outside Russia, for example, to countries party to the Collective Security Treaty. “Our Version” looked into what military forces remained in the former Soviet republics: whom Russia will have to protect, and whom to look at through the crosshairs.

More than 20 years ago, in December 1991, the Armed Forces of the USSR, numbering 4,210 thousand people, were fragmented and turned into 15 independent armies. Some managed to succeed more in development, others never became full-fledged armies. Meanwhile, all these armed formations are somewhat similar and have common features with the Russian army.

The most powerful ally is Belarus, the weakest is Kyrgyzstan

As Anatoly Tsyganok, head of the research and analytical center for national security problems of the Arms of Russia news agency, told Our Version, the main allies of Russia are the armies of the countries participating in the Collective Security Treaty - these are Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia, in addition, the CSTO includes Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Belarus is Russia's most combat-ready ally. And it is no coincidence: at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the concentration of military formations and units on its territory was the highest in Europe. In addition, a huge number of warehouses with military equipment and various military equipment were concentrated here. There were nuclear weapons on the territory of the country, which it was decided to abandon.

Over two decades, the size of the Belarusian army has decreased from 280 to 62 thousand people. The number of armored vehicles has decreased by 1.5–2 times and amounts to more than 4 thousand tanks and armored personnel carriers, but the number of airplanes, helicopters and modern air defense systems among the zealous Belarusians is growing. There are more than 300 aircraft in service.

The army of Kazakhstan was created on the basis of military facilities and formations of the Central Asian and partly Turkestan military districts. The republic received military equipment from the 70s, brought from Eastern Europe. The Strategic Missile Forces and strategic aviation were also stationed on the territory of the republic; in exchange for their transfer to Russia, Kazakhstan received conventional weapons. Today the Air Force has more than a hundred combat aircraft. The ground component is 1 thousand tanks, 2.5 thousand infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, more than 800 various artillery systems and guns. The Kazakh fleet has 9 patrol boats.

The army of Kazakhstan is constantly decreasing; today the number of personnel is about 65 thousand people. There are no problems with recruiting troops in Kazakhstan; here they have managed to do what they talk about a lot in Russia: a career in government agencies is closed to those who have not served.

The basis for the national army of Armenia was the units and military equipment of the 7th Army of the former Transcaucasian Military District. This is the only army in the post-Soviet space whose numbers have almost tripled. Most experts rate it as the most combat-ready in Transcaucasia. Personnel - 60 thousand people, hundreds of tanks, 200 armored personnel carriers, more than 200 artillery systems, about 50 combat aircraft and attack helicopters. Since 2004, Russia has been supplying Armenia with weapons at relatively low prices, as a member of the CSTO. In 2005, Armenia managed to receive $7 million from the United States for the rearmament of the army.

Tajikistan inherited a minimum of weapons from the Soviet army, so there is a catastrophic lack of equipment in the troops. Although officially the army of Tajikistan consists of four brigades, an anti-aircraft missile regiment and a helicopter regiment, in fact, several battalions are combat-ready. There is a big problem with the officer corps, half of the positions are vacant, most of the current officers do not have higher education.

Kyrgyzstan is also a rather weak ally. According to experts, the army in this country by and large does not exist; its weapons were sold and stolen. During the Tulip Revolution, the military did not influence the situation. The military personnel is about 8 thousand people, but about 500-600 people actually know how to fight, the so-called combined units, which are formed exclusively from officers. And this despite the active work of American instructors in the country.

The army of Moldova is under the control of the Romanian special services

After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine inherited a modern, powerful army - three very strong military districts, three air armies and even nuclear forces. Initially, the total strength of the Ukrainian army was about 800 thousand people, and the troops were fully equipped with the most modern military equipment. At one time, Ukraine ranked fourth in the world in terms of military potential; it was rumored that if a war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, it was still unknown who would win. However, within 20 years this powerful force was squandered. Military equipment was stolen, rotted or sold. The total sale of the army brought Ukraine into the group of the world's leading arms exporters. About 6 thousand tanks and 1 thousand combat aircraft remain in service.

The Turkestan Military District became the basis of the armed forces of Uzbekistan. The country's army employs 65 thousand people, and it is rated as the most combat-ready in Central Asia. The weapons are Soviet, from the early 80s, their reserves are large, there are more than 2 thousand tanks in storage alone, however, not all the equipment is in working order. But there are agreements on the supply from Russia of modern artillery systems, transport and combat helicopters, air defense systems and ammunition. There are no problems with recruitment, it is prestigious to serve in the army, there are still benefits, the service is a social lift.

The basis of the Turkmen army was parts of the former Turkestan Military District. Today 34 thousand people serve. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a large amount of military equipment remained on the territory of Turkmenistan, which belonged to units withdrawn from Afghanistan. There are more than fifty tanks and 300 different types of aircraft in service. But even despite this potential, experts are skeptical about the combat effectiveness of Turkmen troops. In the republic, there is an acute issue with military personnel; Russian military specialists left the country back in the 90s, and the locals do not master military affairs well. There is a shortage of officers in the troops; even at parades, planes are flown by invited pilots from Ukraine.

The Azerbaijani army was formed from parts of the former Transcaucasian Military District and part of the Caspian Flotilla. Currently, its population is estimated at about 70 thousand people. With the help of foreign specialists, NATO standards are being implemented. At the same time, the state military department buys military equipment and weapons from Ukraine. Attempts are being made to establish our own military-industrial complex; small arms, mortars and even armored vehicles are already being produced. The main problem of the Azerbaijani army is widespread corruption.

The 6,000-strong army of Moldova is in a deplorable state. The equipment and weapons are almost completely out of order. The exodus of officers due to low salaries further aggravates the disaster. NATO has repeatedly initiated various options for “military reforms,” but the attempts only further reduced its defense capability. At the same time, the army is practically under the control of the Romanian special services.

The Latvian Air Force consists of "maize fighters"

The armies of all the former Baltic republics are members of NATO, in fact, they are potential opponents for Russia, but there is no need to fear them - the number of these armies is quite small and, like everyone else, there are problems with financing.

Lithuania is the most militarized Baltic republic; there are 10 thousand military personnel protecting the interests of the republic, of which almost 11% are women. The Lithuanian army is armed with American and Western European-made weapons and equipment, but Soviet-made examples are still found. There is even a fleet - two small anti-submarine ships and four patrol boats. The issue of purchasing combat helicopters is being resolved.

The Estonian Defense Army consists of more than 5 thousand people, divided into eight battalions and an artillery division. The fleet is a faulty corvette, two boats and four minesweepers. They are armed with a hundred guns, but the problem with armored vehicles is that during exercises they periodically rent a tank from their Latvian neighbors.

In Latvia, the army, equal in size to the Estonian one, consists of an infantry battalion, an artillery division and three training centers. It is armed with three T-55 training tanks, the main striking force of the Air Force is the An-2 corn makers, the Navy consists of patrol boats, minesweepers, mine hunting boats and self-propelled barges, in the near future local shipbuilders promise to build their own warships

The Georgian army is the only one with whom Russia had to fight today; its strength was clearly demonstrated by the results of the eight-day war in 2008. The armed forces of the republic were created on the basis of Soviet units of the Transcaucasian Military District. Now the number of Georgian armed forces is 37 thousand people. Until 2003, the Georgian army was armed with outdated Soviet equipment, but after the “Rose Revolution” its modernization began. NATO countries supplied weapons to this republic free of charge, so the country’s military budget in 2007 increased 50 times and reached a maximum of $780 million. Foreign instructors are trying to teach Georgians. After the war with Russia, almost a third of this formidable army was destroyed and put out of action. Now Georgia is actively restoring its military potential.

ARMED FORCES OF THE USSR, a state military organization that formed the basis of the military power of the USSR.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War they consisted of the Ground Forces, the Air Force, Navy, Air defense troops of the country's territory, Logistics of the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces also included border troops and internal troops. At the beginning of the war, on the territory of the country there were 16 military districts, 1 front (Far Eastern), and there were also 4 fleets (Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, Pacific) and 3 separate military flotillas (Pinsk, Caspian and Amur).

The highest leadership of the country's defense and armed forces was carried out by the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. He coordinated all activities aimed at strengthening the military potential and increasing the defense capability of the USSR by a special body of the Council of People's Commissars - the USSR Defense Committee.

The direct control of the Armed Forces was carried out by the People's Commissariat of Defense (from May 1940, People's Commissar Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko) and the People's Commissariat of the Navy (from April 1939, People's Commissar of the Fleet Flagship 2nd Rank, from June 1940, Adm. N.G. Kuznetsov). Under the chairmanship of the People's Commissar of Defense and the People's Commissar of the Navy, the main military councils of the Kyrgyz Republic functioned as collegial bodies. army and navy. General Staff of Kr. The army was headed by Gen. army G.K. Zhukov.

The situation grew rapidly in the late 1930s. the threat of war placed high demands on the organization and training of the USSR Armed Forces, increasing their combat readiness and combat effectiveness. The most important tasks in the construction of the Armed Forces at that time were to increase the number of troops (forces), increase their technical equipment, and establish an optimal ratio of the number of types of Armed Forces.

Based on the conclusions of Sov. military science that the main role in a future war will be assigned to the Ground Forces, the ratio of types of armed forces in terms of the number of personnel as of June 1941 was (in%): Ground Forces - 79.3; Air Force - 11.5; Navy - 5.8; Air defense troops of the country's territory - 3.4. In the Ground Forces, the main emphasis was on development rifle troops, armored forces, artillery. The cavalry, airborne troops, railway, road, engineering, chemical forces, Signal troops. The Air Force focused on the development of fighter and bomber aircraft, and created attack aircraft. The Navy was replenished with new surface ships and submarines.

Particularly noticeable was the increase in the technical equipment of the USSR Armed Forces in 1939 - 1st half. 1941. Compared to 1939, the volume of military production in 1941 increased by 30%. During this period, new types of heavy and medium tanks were put into mass production, new artillery guns and powerful rocket weapons for salvo firing at area targets were developed, new types of fighters, a dive bomber, an attack aircraft, and several types of warships for light naval forces were created.

Scientists and designers ensured high quality and reliability of the owls. military equipment in many respects is the best in the world: La-5 fighters (designer S.A. Lavochkin) and Yak-9 (A.S. Yakovleva), Il-2 attack aircraft (S.V. Ilyushin), Pe-2 bomber ( V.M. Petlyakov), medium tank T-34 (M.I. Koshkin) and heavy KV (Zh.Ya. Kotin), rocket artillery combat vehicle BM-13 “Katyusha” (I.T. Kleymenov and G.E. Langemak) and others. Geologists discovered new deposits of strategic materials (bauxite, manganese, molybdenum). Methods were developed for demagnetizing warships (I.V. Kurchatov, A.P. Aleksandrov), automatic welding of armor (E.O. Platon), and automatic machines for producing cartridges were designed. Great strides have been made in the field of military medicine, which made it possible to subsequently return St. 70% of wounded soldiers.

The organizational structure of the troops has improved significantly. The rifle division included tanks, more powerful divisional artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, which significantly increased their firepower and striking power. The RVGK artillery was further developed. Instead of separate tank and mechanized brigades, the formation of tank and motorized divisions began. In 1941 it was planned to form approx. 20 mechanized corps. In the airborne troops, which consisted of brigades, airborne corps were formed. There has been a transition to a divisional organization in the Air Force.

Simultaneously with the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, their numbers increased. The Law on General Military Duty, adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on September 1, 1939, legally completed the transfer of the Red Army and Navy to a personnel system and made it possible to increase their numbers, which by mid-1941 amounted to 4.6 million people. In total, the Ground Forces by this time had 303 divisions (of which about 1/4 were at the stage of formation). However, not all planned organizational and other measures for the armed forces were completed by the beginning of the war. Motorization of the infantry remained insufficient; the rearmament of formations and units with new types of weapons and military equipment was not completed. Most of the units transferred to new states were not fully equipped with weapons, military equipment and vehicles. Sov. military science in the pre-war years did not fully take into account the possibility of a sudden invasion by large enemy forces and did not sufficiently develop methods of conducting defense on an operational and strategic scale.

Despite the large scale of training military personnel, the system of military educational institutions could not keep up with the pace of deployment of the armed forces. The consequences of political repression in 1937–39 and in subsequent years, to which many Sovs were unreasonably subjected, had an impact. military leaders, commanders and political workers. Most of the reserve command personnel were unable to undergo retraining before the start of the war. The share of command personnel with higher military education in 1940 decreased by more than 2 times compared to 1936. Due to a large reshuffle of personnel in the top and middle levels of management, which was carried out in the midst of rearmament and the transition to new forms of organization, commanders promoted to responsible positions and bosses did not have enough time to acquire the experience necessary to work in new, higher positions.

Major miscalculations were made in determining the timing, direction and strength of the blows. troops. Serious errors occurred in the selection of aviation basing areas and the placement of material and technical supplies, most of which were located near the state. borders. The deployment of armed forces groups did not have a clear plan. The Red Army did not have sufficient experience in conducting modern warfare, organizing the interaction of troops, or effectively using new weapons and military equipment.

After the attack on June 22, 1941 by Germany, a radical restructuring of the entire military organization of the state began in the USSR. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was formed - the State Defense Committee (GKO) under the chairmanship of I.V. Stalin, who also became People's Commissar of Defense (July 19, 1941) and Supreme Commander-in-Chief (August 8, 1941). For the strategic leadership of the Armed Forces, the Headquarters of the Main Command was formed on July 10, 1941 (see. Headquarters of the Supreme High Command), the main body of which became the General Staff of the Red Army, intermediate leadership bodies were created - the main commands of the troops of the directions (abolished in May - June 1942). On the basis of the border military districts, 5 fronts were formed (during the war there were 10–15 of them at different periods), which became operational-strategic formations of the Armed Forces. On July 1, 1941, 5.3 million people were drafted into the Armed Forces for mobilization. Active Army from June 1941 to November. 1942 increased from 2.9 million to 6.6 million people. Mobilization made it possible to expand preparations reserves and strengthen the main troop groups.

However, in the initial period of the war, the advanced strategic echelon of the Red Army was defeated, the enemy captured significant territory of the USSR and approached Moscow and Leningrad. By the end of 1941, through extraordinary measures, the self-sacrifice of the people, and the heroism of the army and navy, it was possible to stop the enemy and thwart his “blitzkrieg” plan. The Battle of Moscow 1941–42 dispelled the myth of his invincibility. army. In the summer of 1942, the center of military operations moved to the southern wing Soviet-German front.

In ever-increasing sizes, the army received weapons and military equipment, and above all their main types - artillery, tanks, and airplanes. From Dec. 1941 to Nov. 1942 the number of the most important combat weapons increased: for guns and mortars - from 22 thousand to 77.8 (without anti-aircraft guns), for tanks - from 1954 to 7350, for combat aircraft - from 2238 to 4544 units. The organizational structure of all military branches and special forces continued to be improved. In June 1941, the formation of rocket artillery units began. In September, in the battles near Yelnya, the Soviet Guard was born. In 1941–42, mechanized corps, artillery divisions of the RVGK, engineer armies, regiments, battalions and radio communications divisions, companies of high-explosive flamethrowers, and departments were formed. flamethrower tank battalions and dept. flamethrower-tank brigades of the RVGK, automobile battalions, railway brigades.

By the end of the first period of the war, the striking power of the Ground Forces increased, which was determined by the quantitative and qualitative growth of armored and mechanized forces, artillery and military air defense. In Aug. 1941 The Air Force was reorganized - the number of regiments and divisions and aircraft in the regiments decreased. Regiments for night operations, reserve aviation groups, and, from March 1942, attack aviation groups at the disposal of the Supreme High Command Headquarters were formed. From May 1942, operational aviation associations—air armies—began to be formed at the air force bases of the fronts. From Nov. 1941 began a radical reorganization of air defense. In the Navy, units and formations of fleets were transferred to wartime levels in a short time, and new units were formed. By the end of 1941, 46 new ships of the main classes entered service.

With the beginning of the war, the system of training and education of command personnel and specialists underwent restructuring. Academies and military school cadets graduated early. In 1942, 53 new military schools were opened. The capabilities of the pre-war network of military educational institutions were also increased by increasing their capacity and reducing the duration of training. A large number of front-line and army courses were created for accelerated training of junior officers. In July 1941, the institution of military commissars was introduced (abolished on October 9, 1942). The power of the USSR Armed Forces continued to grow: by the summer of 1942, they included approx. 11 million people, including in the active army - St. 5.5 million people From mid-1942, the defense industry began to increase the output of military products and more fully meet the needs of the front. As a result of the measures taken by the USSR Armed Forces, despite the losses incurred, by mid-November. 1942 were significantly strengthened organizationally, their technical equipment improved, the troops acquired combat experience, and the combat skills of the personnel increased. In fierce battles and battles, the Red Army and Navy inflicted heavy defeats on the enemy near Leningrad, in Moscow and Battle of Stalingrad, in the North Caucasus and seized the strategic initiative in the war.

In the second period of the war (November 1942 - December 1943), organizational measures in the army and navy were aimed at ensuring the massive use and effective use of military equipment, a significant increase in the fire and strike power of all types of armed forces and branches of the military. By mid-1943, in the USSR Armed Forces, compared to the end of 1942, the number of weapons increased by 1.3 times, armored vehicles - by 1.4, aircraft - by 2.3 times. The Red Army surpassed him. troops in tanks and artillery almost 2 times, in aircraft 3 times. Total in the active army in December. In 1943 there were 11 fronts, 66 directorates of combined arms armies and 3 tank armies. The massive production of weapons in 1943 made it possible to strengthen divisional artillery and create corps, army and powerful artillery of the RVGK. A significant number of tank and mechanized corps were formed, most of which were later consolidated into tank armies of homogeneous composition. Armored and mechanized troops became the main striking force of the Ground Forces (by the end of 1943 they included 24 tank and 13 mechanized divisions, about 50% were part of 5 tank armies).

The increasing role of aviation during the war, the quantitative and qualitative growth of the aircraft fleet determined the need for new, significant organizational changes in the Air Force. The composition of air divisions, corps and air armies has increased. The country's Air Defense Forces have strengthened organizationally and grown in numbers. The Navy continued to create naval defensive areas, the number of marines increased, and new naval formations were formed. The problem of creating strategic reserves was successfully resolved. Thus, during the winter campaign of 1942/43, the Headquarters transferred to the fronts from its reserve 4 tank armies, 29 tank and mechanized corps, 108 rifle, 23 artillery, 26 anti-aircraft artillery, 19 aviation divisions, 16 engineering brigades and other formations and units, and in the summer and autumn of 1943 there were 2 times more combined arms formations, and 3 times more tank and aviation formations than in winter.

In 1943, a qualitatively new stage in the construction of the USSR Armed Forces was completed: significant changes took place in their military-technical equipment and organizational structure, in the development of military art, and the personnel accumulated a wealth of experience in conducting combat operations. This was reflected in the newly published statutory documents: the Combat Manual of the Infantry (1942), the draft Field Manual of the Red Army and a number of regulations of the military branches. At the beginning of 1943, new insignia were introduced - shoulder straps. In order to increase the authority of command and control personnel and their responsibility, in July 1943 the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established a new procedure for assigning military ranks. All command and management personnel in the rank of ml. Lieutenant up to and including colonel began to be called officers. The growth of combat power and the strengthening of the morale of the troops allowed the USSR Armed Forces to win victories in Battle of Kursk, Battle of the Dnieper 1943, successfully carry out a number of other operations. From Nov. 1942 to Dec. 1943 The Red Army fought from 500 to 1300 km and liberated it. invaders a significant part of the occupied Soviet Union. territories. And by the end of 1944, the territory of the USSR was completely cleared of the enemy.

In the third period of the war (Jan. 1944 - May 1945), the Red Army continued to be equipped with weapons and military equipment. Compared to the first period of the war, the number of fronts in the composition of the fronts increased: tanks and self-propelled guns - by 4-6 times, guns and mortars - by 4-5, aircraft - by 4-8 times. By the beginning of 1945, there were 9.4 million people and 144.2 thousand troops in the active army, in the Reserve Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, on the southern and Far Eastern borders. and mortars, 15.7 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 22.6 thousand combat aircraft. Compared to June 1944, the number of armed forces increased by more than 300 thousand people, the number of tanks and self-propelled guns - by 3.9 thousand, guns and mortars - by 11 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. Most of the USSR Armed Forces were concentrated in Soviet-German front, where they outnumbered the enemy in guns and mortars by almost 4 times, in tanks and self-propelled guns by 3 times, and in combat aircraft by 8 times. The dominant position was still occupied by the Ground Forces. In terms of personnel, by the end of the war they accounted for 80%, the Air Force - St. 8%. The share of air defense troops increased from 3.3% in December. 1941 to 5% in May 1945, and the Navy fell from 5.8% in 1941 to 3.6% in June 1943, and then increased to 5.3% in May 1945.

In 1945, the USSR Armed Forces together with the allied armies of the countries anti-Hitler coalition liberated Europe from occupation and finally defeated Germany and its allies.

The final act of World War II for the Sov. The union became the Soviet-Japanese war of 1945 in the Far East, in which the USSR Armed Forces quickly defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army.

During the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Armed Forces covered themselves with unfading glory. For the military feats of St. 7 million owls soldiers were awarded orders and medals, approx. 11.6 thousand were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Union. Mass heroism was characteristic not only of individual soldiers, but also of entire units, formations and associations. For distinction in battles for the Fatherland with him. The invaders awarded regiments and divisions 10.9 thousand military orders. Many of them were awarded orders several times. Moscow saluted the valiant owls 354 times. troops and navy. Hundreds of military formations and units were awarded honorary titles.

The defeat of the most powerful and dangerous armed forces for the world community, fascist Germany and militaristic Japan, was a severe test for the armed forces and peoples of the USSR, and they passed this test with honor. The Soviet Armed Forces expelled the enemy from the USSR and defended the independence and territorial integrity of the country. The fascist bloc suffered a complete and crushing defeat, Germany unconditionally capitulated. The USSR Armed Forces played a decisive role in ridding the peoples of Europe and Asia from the threat of the Nazis. enslavement brought them freedom and peace. The entry of the USSR into the war in the Far East accelerated the defeat of militaristic Japan.

Research Institute (Military History) VAGS of the RF Armed Forces

The USSR Army is one of the most powerful military enclaves of the 20th century, on the creation of which considerable resources, primarily human resources, were spent. It is worth noting that it was formed relatively quickly and firmly took its place as a leader in world history, primarily thanks to the heroism and endurance on the verge of human capabilities that Soviet soldiers showed in the fight against the fascist invaders. After the unconditional surrender, perhaps few of the world powers could dispute the obvious fact: the USSR army was the strongest in the world at that time. However, she retained this unspoken title almost until the end of the last century.

Stages of formation

Throughout its history, from the moment a more or less organized form appeared, the Russian army was famous for its incredible courage, strength and faith in the cause for which the blood of its soldiers was shed. The fall of the empire, in particular, entailed not just the demoralization of the armed forces, but also their almost complete destruction. This was also explained by the destructive zeal to eliminate most of the officer corps. At the same time, Red Guards were formed throughout the country from those wishing to serve new ideas and the newborn state. However, the First World War was still going on, despite internal events, Russia did not officially withdraw from it, which means there was a need for regular connections. This marked the beginning of the formation of the Red Army, the name of which added the phrase “workers’ and peasants’” a year later. Official birthday - February 23, 1918. At the time the civil strife began, there were 800 thousand volunteers in its ranks, a little later - 1.5 million.

The creation of the army of a new, not yet fully formed state was based on such principles as classism, internationalism (citizens from other countries were accepted into the army ranks), election of leadership, dual command, which provided for the mandatory presence of military commissars, so-called political workers, in all units .

The basic components were land and sea. The USSR army became a full-fledged military association only in 1922, that is, when the Soviet Union legally began to exist. Until the disappearance of this state from the world map, the army did not change its external forms. After the formation of the USSR, it was replenished by NKVD troops.

Organizational and management structure

Both in the RSFSR and later in the USSR, the Council of People's Commissars functioned to perform administrative functions, as well as control over various structures, including the army. The People's Commissar for Defense was created in 1934. During the Great Patriotic War, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was formed, headed directly by Joseph Stalin. Later the Ministry of Defense was formed. This same structure has been preserved to this day.

Initially, there was no order in the army. Volunteers formed detachments, each of which was a separate and independent military unit. In an effort to cope with this situation, the army attracted appropriate specialists who began structuring it. Initially, rifle and cavalry corps were formed. A powerful technological breakthrough, expressed in the production of aircraft, tanks, and armored vehicles put on stream, contributed to the expansion of the USSR army, mechanized and motorized units appeared in it, and technical units were strengthened. During the war, regular units turn into an active army. According to military rules, the entire length of military operations is divided into fronts, which, in turn, include armies.

From the moment of its inception, the size of the USSR army numbered almost two hundred thousand soldiers; by the time of the attack of Nazi Germany, there were already more than five million people in its ranks.

Types of troops

The armies of the USSR included rifle, artillery, cavalry, signal troops, armored, engineering, chemical, automobile, railway, and road troops. In addition, horse cavalry, which was formed simultaneously with the Red Army, occupied a significant place. However, the leadership encountered serious difficulties in the formation of this unit: those regions in which formations could be formed were under the control of the White Guards or were occupied by foreign corps. A serious problem arose with a lack of weapons and professional personnel. As a result, it was possible to form full-fledged cavalry units only by the end of 1919. During the Civil War, such units reached almost half the number of infantrymen in some military actions. In the first months of the war with the most powerful German army at that time, the cavalry, it must be said, showed itself selflessly and courageously, especially in the battle for Moscow. However, it was all too obvious that their combat power could not be compared with modern methods of warfare. Therefore, most of these troops were abolished.

The firepower of iron

The twentieth century, especially its first half, was marked by rapid military progress. And the Red Army of the USSR, like the military forces of any other country, was actively acquiring new technological capabilities for maximum destruction of the enemy. This task was greatly simplified by the assembly line production of tanks in the 1920s. When they appeared, military specialists developed a system for productive interaction between new equipment and infantry. It was this aspect that occupied a central place in the combat regulations of the infantry. In particular, surprise was pointed out as the main advantage, and among the capabilities of the new technology were the strengthening of positions captured by infantry and the execution of maneuvers to deepen attacks on the enemy.

In addition, the USSR tank armies included paramilitary units equipped with armored vehicles. The formation of armies began in 1935, when tank brigades appeared, which later became the base for future mechanized corps. However, at the very beginning of the war, these formations had to be disbanded due to serious losses of equipment. Separate battalions and brigades were again formed. However, by the beginning of the second year of the war, the supply of equipment resumed and was established on a permanent basis, the mechanized troops were restored, and entire tank armies of the USSR were included in their composition. This is the largest formation in such a group. As a rule, they were entrusted with solving independent combat missions.

Military aviation

Aviation is another very serious enhancer of the armed forces. Since the first aircraft began to appear at the beginning of the 20th century, combat aviation formations began to be formed in 1918. However, in the 1930s it became obvious that the Soviet army was significantly inferior in this type of troops due to the rapid development of the aviation industry in the West. Attempts to modernize technology have shown all their futility. The Luftwaffe vehicles that launched their attacks on Soviet cities on a June morning took the military command by surprise. It is known that in the first days about two thousand were destroyed, most of them on the ground. After six months of the war, the losses of Soviet aviation already totaled more than 21 thousand aircraft.

The rapid expansion in the aviation industry made it possible, after a short time, to achieve parity in the skies with the Luftwaffe fighters. The famous Yak fighters in various modifications made the German aces lose faith in a quick victory. Subsequently, the air fleet was replenished with modernized attack aircraft, bombers, and fighters.

Other armed forces

Among other types of weapons, engineering troops occupied a rather significant place during the Second World War. It was they who were entrusted with the responsibility for the construction of fortifications, structures, barriers, mining of territories, technical support for maneuvers, in addition, they helped in creating corridors in mined fields, in overcoming enemy fortifications, barriers and other things. The Chemical Forces also significantly expanded the scope of their use during that period; each had corresponding departments. In particular, they were the ones who used flamethrowers and set up smoke screens.

Ranks in the USSR Army

As you know, the first thing supporters of the revolution fought for was the destruction of everything that even remotely reminded of class oppression. That is why the first step was to abolish the officers, and with it the ranks and shoulder straps. Instead of the imperial table of ranks, military positions were established. Later, service categories appeared, designated by the letter "K". To differentiate by position, geometric shapes were used - a triangle, a rhombus, a rectangle, and by military affiliation - colored buttonholes on the uniform.

However, certain officer ranks in the USSR army were nevertheless restored, although closer to World War II. A year before the German attack, the ranks of “general”, “admiral” and “lieutenant colonel” were revived. Then they returned to service ranks in the technical and logistics services. An officer as a military concept, shoulder straps and other ranks were finally established only in 1943. However, not all ranks that existed in pre-revolutionary Russia were restored in the army of the former USSR. This fact also influenced the composition of the ranks of the Russian army, since it was the system developed in 1943 that is still used today. Among those not included: non-commissioned officers sergeant major and sergeant major, chief officer second lieutenant, lieutenant, staff captain, as well as cavalry cornet, staff captain, captain. The ensign was restored only in 1972. At the same time, the major, who was removed in 1881, on the contrary, returned.

The completely new ranks include the USSR Army General, introduced in 1940; in status, he follows the highest rank in the Soviet Union, which is the rank of marshal. The first to receive the new rank were well-known major army leaders Kirill Meretskov and Ivan Tyulenev. Before the start of the war, two more were elevated to this rank - military leaders Joseph Apanasenko and Dmitry Pavlov. During the war, the title "General of the USSR Army" was not awarded until 1943. Then shoulder straps were developed on which four stars were placed. The first to receive the rank was As a rule, those elevated to this rank led the army fronts.

By the end of the war, the Soviet army of the USSR already numbered eighteen military leaders awarded this title. Ten of them were assigned to the rank of marshal. In the 1970s, the title was no longer awarded for special merits and exploits before the Fatherland, but based on the fact of the position held, which presupposes the assignment of the rank.

Terrible war - great victory

By the time the Great Patriotic War began, the USSR army was quite strong, perhaps overly bureaucratic and somewhat decapitated thanks to Stalin’s repressions in the army ranks in 1937-1938, when the commanding staff was very seriously purged. This was partly the reason that in the first weeks the troops were demoralized, there were many losses of people, both military and civilian, equipment, weapons and other things. Although the armies of the USSR and Germany were clearly not in equal positions at the start of the war, at the cost of countless sacrifices, Soviet soldiers defended their Motherland, and the first such feat was, of course, the defense of Moscow and keeping the city from the invading forces. The war significantly accelerated the learning of new aggressive methods, and the Red Soviet Army rapidly transformed into a professional military force, which at first desperately defended its lines and conceded them, only forcing the enemy to lose a fair amount in its ranks, and after the turning point Battle of Stalingrad, it furiously advanced and drove the enemy away.

The USSR army of 1941 consisted of more than five million soldiers. As of June 22, there were about one hundred and twenty thousand guns and mortars among small arms equipment. For a year and a half, the enemy felt quite at ease on Soviet lands and advanced deep into the country quite quickly. Until the moment I came across Stalingrad. The defense and battle for the city opened a new stage in the historical confrontation, which resulted in the inglorious flight of the enemy from Russian territory. The peak size of the USSR army was reached at the beginning of 1945 - 11.36 million soldiers.

Military duty

At the beginning of its glorious history, the ranks of the Red Army were replenished on a voluntary basis. But after some time, the leadership discovered that under such conditions, at critical moments, the country could be in danger due to the lack of a regular military corps. That is why, since 1918, decrees calling for compulsory military service began to be regularly issued. Then the terms of service were quite loyal, infantrymen and artillerymen served for a year, cavalrymen for two years, they were drafted into military aviation for three years, into the navy for four years. Military service in the USSR was regulated both by individual legislative acts and by the Constitution. This duty was seen as the most active form of fulfilling one’s civic duty to protect the socialist Fatherland.

As soon as the war ended, the leadership understood that it was impossible to carry out conscription into the army in the near future. And that’s why no one was drafted until 1948. Those liable for military service were sent to construction work instead of military service; the restoration of the entire western part of the country required a lot of hands. Then the leadership issued a new version of the law on military service, according to which adult boys were required to serve for three years, in the navy for four years. The call was made once a year. Military service in the USSR was reduced to one year only in 1968, and the number of conscriptions was increased to two.

Professional holiday

The modern Russian army counts its years from the formation of the first armed formations in the new post-revolutionary Russia. According to historical data, Vladimir Lenin signed a decree on the formation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army on January 28, 1918. German troops were actively advancing, and the Russian army needed new forces. Therefore, on February 22, the authorities appealed to the people with a request to save the Fatherland. Large-scale rallies with slogans and appeals had their effect - crowds of volunteers poured in. Thus, the historical date for celebrating the Professional Army Day appeared. On the same day it is customary to celebrate the Navy Day. Although, strictly speaking, the official date of formation of the fleet is considered to be February 11, when Lenin signed the document on its formation.

Note that even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the military holiday remained and was still celebrated. However, only in 2008, the head of the country, Vladimir Putin, by his decree renamed the national holiday into Defender of the Fatherland Day. The holiday became an official day off in 2013.

The demoralization and destruction of the Soviet army began, of course, with the grandiose collapse of the country itself. In the hard times of the 1990s, the army was not a priority for the country's leadership; all subordinate institutions, units and other property fell into complete disrepair, were stolen and sold. The military found itself on the margins of life, of no use to anyone.

In 1979, the Kremlin initiated the last military campaign, which marked the beginning of the inglorious end of the great state - the invasion of Afghanistan. The Cold War, which was already in its third decade at that time, had significantly depleted the reserves of the Soviet treasury. Over the ten years of the Afghan conflict, human losses on the part of the Union almost reached fifteen thousand soldiers. The Afghan campaign, the Cold War and competition with the United States in terms of arms build-up created such gaps in the country's budget that it was no longer possible to overcome them. The withdrawal of troops that began in 1988 ended in a new state that did not care about the army or its fighters.