The Russian Motor Rifle Battalion
Compared to the sophisticated Armoured Infantry units described elsewhere on this site, the Red Army equivalent was a particularly Spartan affair; no real surprise there then. The most perplexing question is the type of transport used. The Red Army did not pause to develop armoured personnel carriers until after the war ended. During it, they appropriated captured German halftracks, supplemented by limited stocks of halftracks and armoured scout cars supplied from the US. The various permeations makes detailed discussion impossible, so the descriptions below refer purely to the Infantrymen involved.
The Motor Rifle Battalion, circa 1941 to 1942
Battalion Headquarters
Supply Platoon
Medical Detachment
(I cannot unfortunately provide a detailed breakdown of personnel, combined strength was initially 70 all ranks, later dropping to 57)
Mortar Company (3 Officers, 39 later 40 men)
Company HQ (1 Officer, 3 later 4 men)
Two Platoons, each comprised of;
1 Officer, 18 men
Sub Machine Gun Company (4 Officers, 75 men)
Company HQ (1 Officer, 3 men)
Three SMG Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon Commander
Three Squads, each comprised of 8 men
Two Rifle Companies (5 Officers, 103 later 107 men) each comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 4 later 5 men)
Medical Squad (5 men)
Machine Gun Platoon (1 Officer, 10 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 1 later 2 men)
Anti Tank Rifle Squad (3 men)
Three Rifle Squads, each comprised of 8 men
Total strength of 403, later 407 all ranks
Points of note
The source this description is taken from does not give figures down to Squad level, so this can only be regarded as my interpretation based on the information available. If anyone has anything more concrete, please drop me a line via the Index page.
The Battalion was a small unit, with no anti tank guns to support it initially. During mid 1942 its parent formation, the Tank Brigade, received four AT guns, so some level of support may have been attached from that time. The most distinguishing feature is the Sub Machine Gun Company.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters - this unit would have provided the command and no doubt signals assets of the Battalion. I imagine a small Medical Detachment would also have been present. In mid 1942, three armoured cars, of varying types were added as a light reconnaissance arm.
Supply Platoon - some attempt was made to motorise this unit to enable it to keep some pace with the tanks, and it follows it would have had some maintenance function as well.
Mortar Company - this unit served six 82 mm tubes split into two Platoons, identical to the later Infantry model but carried in trucks as opposed to on horse drawn carts.
The Sub Machine Gun Company - the men of this unit had arguably the worst job in the Red Army, and there were plenty of candidates for that title. There is no debate over their transport. They were the Desant troops; they rode on the tanks they supported, deploying on foot to root out German infantry and anti tank guns, before jumping back to renew the advance. Every man in the Company carried the PPsh 41 SMG, there being no room for other support weapons.
The Rifle Company - the Rifle Company offered a more conventional form of support for the tanks. As mentioned above, I've had to interpret the figures for the various components, so there is ample room for error on my part.
The Rifle Squad was notably smaller at eight men, with just a single light machine gun. No doubt a SMG would have featured, possibly with the Squad leader. The three man ATR Squad served a single PTRD or PTRS anti tank rifle, individual weapons likely being rifles and a SMG. Platoon HQ was initially an Officer and Sergeant, I imagine the later increase was either a sniper or runner.
The Machine Gun Platoon served two Maxim or later SG43 medium machine guns. Company HQ does not seem to have included a Political Officer, which would have been a welcome relief. The 50 mm mortar does not appear to have featured anywhere in the organisation. Transport, as mentioned above, would have been varied, trucks being perhaps the most common.
Summary
Compared to other such formations the Motor Rifle Battalion was downright anorexic. But it suited the developing Russian way of war; all possible assets deployed to the combat arms, with minimal service elements to maintain them. It had decent mortar support, but fewer machine guns than the Infantry, and as always, nothing to effectively threaten the Panzers.
The Motor Rifle Battalion, circa 1943 to 1945
Battalion Headquarters (13 Officers, 8 men)
Supply Platoon (2 Officers, 43 men)
Medical Detachment (1 Officer, 4 men)
Mortar Company (3 Officers, 39 men)
Company HQ (1 Officer, 3 men)
Two Platoons, each comprised of;
1 Officer, 18 men
Anti Tank Rifle Company (3 Officers, 50 men)
Company HQ (1 Officer, 4 men)
Two Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 2 men)
Three Squads, each comprised of 7 men
Anti Tank Gun Battery (4 Officers, 40 men)
Company HQ (2 Officers, 4 men)
Two Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 4 men)
Two Squads, each comprised of 7 men
Sub Machine Gun Company (4 Officers, 91 men)
Company HQ (1 Officer, 1 man)
Three SMG Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon Commander
Three Squads, each comprised of 10 men
Two Sub Machine Gun Companies (5 Officers, 96 men) each comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 3 men)
Medical Squad (5 men)
Machine Gun Platoon (1 Officer, 10 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 2 men)
Three Rifle Squads, each comprised of 8 men
Total strength of 507 all ranks (40 Officers, 467 men)
Again, the source this description is taken from does not give figures down to Squad level, so this can only be regarded as my interpretation based on the information available. If anyone has anything more concrete, please drop me a line via the Index page. There is a substantial degree for variation in all of the units.
Points of note
Several dramatic alterations have been made. Firstly, the two former Rifle Companies are now sub machine gun units. Their anti tank rifles have been removed and grouped into a separate Company with increased firepower. Also, integral anti tank guns have been added.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters - retains its original command and communication functions, but the armoured car element seems to have been deleted at this time.
Supply Platoon - would appear to have gained some additional personnel from the previous version.
Mortar Company - remained as before.
Anti Tank Rifle Company - this new unit served eighteen anti tank rifles, doubling the previous allocation. This is only my interpretation of the Company, it could have deployed three Platoons each of six weapons. Anyone out there know?
Anti Tank Gun Battery - incredibly, when AT guns finally arrived they were the same 45 mm ones the Infantry were saddled with. Each Squad served a single weapon for a Battery total of four.
The Sub Machine Gun Company - the only change was an increase in manpower, a rare event indeed for the Red Army. It's anyone's guess as to what prompted it.
The former Rifle, now SMG Company - it is difficult to be precise about the changes here. There are several possible variations, each quite reasonable. This is simply an educated guess based on the figures available.
Each Squad retained its single light machine gun, and the Machine Gun Platoon its two weapons. However, the standard individual weapon was now the PPsh 41. As mentioned, the anti tank rifles had been removed. It's equally plausible, I would suggest, that the Squads were now nine men strong, with just an Officer at Platoon HQ. Company HQ may well have been nothing more than an Officer and perhaps Sergeant, with the Medical and MG units adjusted to reach the total of 101 all ranks.
Summary
The automatic firepower of the Battalion was now immensely stronger. Its limited number of machine guns remained unchanged though, and the issue of so many sub machine guns shortened its reach. The long awaited anti tank guns were completely insufficient for requirements. The Battalion could not hope to match the flexibility of contemporary British, German or American units. It was simply intended to saturate German anti tank defences and infantry with a blanket of sub machine gun fire.
The Motorised Infantry Battalion
Brief mention should be made of the other Infantry unit organic to Red Army tank formations. The Motorised Battalion was a lorry borne unit. It was very similar to the Rifle Battalion of mid 1942 described previously. The chief differences were as follows.
Each of its three Rifle Companies deployed three Platoons of four Squads, with one LMG each. There was no 50 mm mortar Platoon, instead there was a two gun Machine Gun Platoon. Initially, there was no integral Machine Gun Company, but later one was added serving nine weapons. The Mortar Company served six 82 mm tubes, the Anti Tank Battery four 45 mm guns. The Anti Tank Rifle Company seems to have increased from twelve to eighteen weapons.
All in all, the unit probably looked very similar to the Infantry one, with the addition of some sixty motor vehicles for transport.
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Russian Divisional Organisations