Overview of the structure of the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 40s-60s

Part 2. The structure of the US Army Engineering Troops in the 50s.
(Part I see .. html)

In May 1954, a new charter for FM 5-5 Engineer Troops Units was issued, which gave a new classification of engineering units.
There were 7 categories in total:

1. Divisional units - divisional units.
These included engineering battalions of infantry, armored and airborne divisions. Their structure has changed somewhat compared to the 40s. So, an engineer battalion of an infantry division consisted of a headquarters, a headquarters company, 4 sapper companies (instead of 3 as before) and a medical detachment. An engineering battalion of an armored division, consisting of a headquarters, a headquarters company, 4 sapper companies, a bridge company and a medical detachment. thus, it became possible to give each infantry regiment a division a sapper company and leave one company at the disposal of the division command. These battalions have also significantly increased the number of heavy sapper equipment. The engineering battalion of the airborne division consisted of a headquarters, a headquarters company, 3 parachute companies, and a medical detachment.

2. Combat support units - support combat units. Units that are not related to divisional units, but work with them in close contact, providing direct support to combat operations. These included:

2.1 Engineer combat battalion, army - an engineer combat battalion, army subordination. Compared to the divisional inbat, it has one sapper company less, also less equipment, weapons, and there is no bridge equipment.

2.2 Engineer light equipment company - an engineering company that provides combat battalions with various construction equipment (road, earthmoving, stone crushing, asphalt concrete, woodworking). As a rule, one company provided support for 3 army or divisional combat engineering battalions.

2.3 Bridge companies - engineer panel bridge company, engineer float bridge company, engineer pontoon bridge company.
Korea. Members of the 1437th Treadway Bridge CO, US 8th Army, erecting a floating bridge on Route # 3-D after the flooded roadbed washed out. 8 Jul 1952.
2.4 Engineer combat group - an engineering combat group, stood from the headquarters and the headquarters company, supervised several engineering combat support units attached to it.

2.5 Engineer camouflage battalion - engineer camouflage battalion

2.6 Engineer shore battalion The task is engineering support of the amphibious assault operation. He was part of the amphibious support brigade. The battalion and brigade tasks are described in detail in FM 5-156 Engineer shore battalion 1954. Composition - headquarters, headquarters company, 3 coastal companies. The battalion possessed a large set of heavy equipment, mainly road construction - bulldozers, cranes, excavators, graders, rollers, compressors, welding and fire equipment.

3. Engineer construction units - construction parts.
Engineering construction battalions, engineering companies heavy equipment companies, dump truck companies, pipeline companies, port construction companies. Management units - construction groups (construction group - an analogue of the Engineer combat group) united several construction battalions and companies; engineering teams - could combine several construction groups. Korea. August 24, 1950. Construction of a road in the Daegu area.

3.1 The engineering construction battalion consisted of a headquarters and 3 construction companies.
Construction companies were equipped with sets of trenching, carpentry, forging tools, gas-electric welding equipment, electric circular saws and other wood and metalworking equipment. Heavy equipment was represented by bulldozers, towed scrapers, compressors, rollers, excavators, concrete mixers, graders, dump trucks, an air hammer for driving piles, etc. Soldiers from the 453rd Engineer Construction Battalion operated a D08 bulldozer and carry-all, as he fills in drainage on a railroad bed being constructed from Kimpo to Yongdung-po. 6 Jun 1951. Korea. Soldiers of the 453rd Civil Engineering Battalion are excavating with a D8 bulldozer and a towed scraper on an embankment of a railway under construction. June 6, 1951. Korea. July 21, 1951. Sappers widen the road by breaking a rock ledge

3.2 The heavy equipment engineering company typically consisted of a command, excavator platoon, pavement platoon, repair and transport platoon. Korea. Filling with tar. October 27, 1952 Korea. 19 November 1953 Road works, 151st engineer battalion

4. topographic units - an army topographic battalion, a corps topographic company, an engineering company for decoding and printing photographs of aerial reconnaissance, a base topographic battalion.

5. Maintenance and supply units - engaged in the repair, supply of spare parts and maintenance of the entire spectrum of engineering machinery and equipment - from compasses to bulldozers, and also engaged in the supply of engineering property - from building materials to topographic maps. Water supply companies and logging companies, for example, fell into this category.

6. Engineering units of the Air Force.
Air engineering battalions involved in the construction of airfields. They could unite in engineering aviation groups and then in engineering brigades. The battalions were also divided into specialized Air Force engineering battalions and the temporarily attached Air Force - SCARWAF (Special Category Army Units With Air Force) and ARWAF (Army Units With Air Force).

7. The Engineer Service Organization.
Diverse dedicated engineering teams - administration, procurement, firefighting, repair.

That's all, with the general structure of the 50s Ingostei.
Next, we will consider in detail the engineering battalions of the divisions.

Engineering support for the infantry division.

The structure, armament, missions and tactics of an engineer battalion of an infantry division of the US Army 50s are detailed in FM 5-132 Engineer combat battalion divisional (January 1952).

The battalion was staffed by T / O & E 5-15N (May 1948) - 41 officers, 9 warrant officers, 911 privates and sergeants. That is, in terms of the number of l / s, the battalion has grown 1.5 times compared to the battalion of the WWII times.

Tasks are standard for such parts. Division's engineering support planning; construction, maintenance and repair of roads and column tracks; engineering intelligence; device, maintenance, repair of bridges, fords and crossings; ensuring the forcing of rivers; creation and removal of various engineering barriers (including mine); subversive operations; assistance in storming fort buildings; construction and assistance in improving command posts, shelters, etc .; runway construction for army aviation; field water supply, infantry engineering supply, small area mapping, etc.

Interestingly, the battalion's list of missions included fighting as infantry in emergencies (s. Fight as infantry in emergencies). One of the sections of FM 5-132 was dedicated to this problem. As far as I know, the Soviet charters did not provide for such tasks for the Ingosties. I will write in more detail about examples of such an application of the American Inzhvoys later.

The battalion consisted of a management, a headquarters company, 4 engineering companies and a medical detachment.

1. The battalion management included the following headquarters sections: divisional engineer, chaplain, administrative, reconnaissance (there were two such sections - intelligence and reconnaissance), operational, supply, maintenance and communications.
In total - 13 officers, 3 warrant officers, 110 privates and sergeants.

2. The headquarters and service company consisted of a company management and 3 platoons - an assault, bridge and equipment and maintenance platoon. A total of 132 people - 4 officers, 2 warrant officers, 126 privates and sergeants.
2.1 Assault platoon. The main task of the platoon is to support operations with engineering armored vehicles. In emergency cases, fire support.
The platoon consisted of management (platoon commander and driver of the commander's jeep) and 5 crews of tank-dozer (tanks with attached bulldozer equipment). In total - 27 people.

2.2 Bridge platoon. L / s - 1 officer, 36 privates and sergeants. The platoon consists of a command, a section of floating bridges and 2 sections of fixed bridges. Each section of permanent bridges was equipped with ready-made 24-foot bridges mounted on a 6-ton truck and was capable of installing a 70-foot bridge. The section of floating bridges was equipped with assault boats with outboard motors, a motor boat, and pontoons.

September 20, 1950. Korea, Han River. Tank of the 24th Infantry Division on a pontoon raft
2.3 Platoon of equipment and services. The platoon was commanded by a warrant officer, in his subordination there were 32 soldiers and sergeants. The platoon was equipped with cranes, graders, compressors.

3. An engineering company consisted of a management and 3 engineering platoons. A total of 166 people - 5 officers, 1 warrant officer, 160 privates and sergeants. The company was fully motorized and was equipped with 13 dump trucks, a bulldozer, a compressor, sets of trenching and carpentry tools, blasting kits, mine detectors.

4. Medical team. Follows medical training and sanitation in the battalion, ensures the work of company orderlies and the battalion first-aid post, and the evacuation of the wounded. It consisted of two officers, 2 sergeants, company orderlies, orderlies from a battalion first-aid post, an ambulance driver and truck drivers. 22 people in total - 2 officers, 20 privates and sergeants.

List of equipment and weapons of the engineering battalion of the infantry division:

It is worth noting that the number of heavy equipment in the engineering battalion in the 50s also increased dramatically compared to WWII. 5 bulldozers, 5 dozer tanks, a bucket loader, 3 excavator cranes, 2 graders - against 3 inbat bulldozers of the 40s. Bridge equipment also appeared - earlier it was only in the inbats of armored divisions.
Now about the engineering units of the infantry regiment.
There are no noticeable changes here, although the structure of the regiment has changed quite significantly compared to WWII.
The regimental artillery (6x105 mm howitzers) and anti-tank companies (cannon company, antitank company) were eliminated. In return, the infantry regiment received a tank company (22 tanks, of which 2 dozer tanks) and a heavy mortar company (12x106 mm mortars).
Moreover, the platoon of anti-tank mines did not disappear along with the elimination of the regimental AT company, but moved to the regimental headquarters company (see FM 7-25 HEADQUARTERS COMPANY INFANTRY REGIMENT 1950). There were no changes in the composition, missions and equipment of the platoon. All the same set of entrenching tools, blasting kit, probes, mine detectors, etc.
The headquarters company also included a counterfire platoon and a security platoon. Previously, the regiment's headquarters company had only a reconnaissance platoon and a communications platoon.

The counterfire platoon was engaged in acoustic location of enemy artillery and mortar firing positions.
The security platoon guarded the regimental command post and, if necessary, performed the functions of the regimental military police (escorting prisoners, traffic control, catching deserters, disciplinary control).
Korea. February 6, 1952 A dozer tank of a tank company of the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division widens the road.
As for the battalion platoons of sapper and ammunition - there are no changes at all. Also in the headquarters company of the infantry battalion, in the same composition, with the same tasks.

In general, the composition of the engineering units of the infantry division remained unchanged - the divisional inbat plus 12 sapper platoons in the infantry regiments. True, as I already wrote, the engineering battalion has grown significantly - both numerically and technically.
It could be considered that the regiment's engineering capabilities have also grown - due to the dozer tankers of the regimental tank company. Alas, to the beginning Korean war none of the American army regiments in Japan had these companies. And the divisional tank battalions actually consisted of one company of light tanks.
Next, consider the structure of the engineering battalion of the armored division.
She is described in FM 5-5 and in FM 5-134 The armored engineer battalion 1954.

In general, the structure is similar to the inbat of an infantry division, except that the battalion has a separate bridge company and, accordingly, there is no bridge platoon as part of the headquarters company. Also, there is no assault platoon as part of the headquarters company - apparently it was decided that there would be enough dozer tanks in the division's tank battalions. Earlier, according to the state of 1948 (T / O & E 5-215N), there were 12 dozer tanks in the inbat of the armored division. Thus, the battalion headquarters company actually consisted of a company command and a platoon of equipment.

The technique, armament and equipment of the battalion is about the same, except that there are 6 armored personnel carriers in each sapper company. In general, there is a little more equipment than in an infantry division's inbat. There are 4 lifting cranes instead of 3, 6 bulldozers instead of 5. There are twice as many bridge machinery and equipment.

FM 5-132 provides a comparative table of weapons and equipment for combat engineering battalions - infantry division, army, armored and airborne divisions.

In 1958, the structure of the armored division changed significantly and apparently in connection with this, a new FM 5-134 was released The armored engineer battalion

Previously, the composition of the division was as follows: division headquarters, 3 combat command headquarters, 4 mechanized infantry battalions, 4 tank battalions, reconnaissance battalion, inbat, divisional artillery (headquarters battery, 3 battalions of 105-mm self-propelled guns, battalion of 155-mm self-propelled guns and battalion of self-propelled guns air defense), rear units (communications company, military police company, medical battalion, etc.)

The composition of the new division was as follows: division headquarters, 3 headquarters of combat commands, 4 mechanized infantry battalions, 4 tank battalions, a reconnaissance battalion, an inbat, a communications battalion, an aviation company, an armored cavalry squadron,
divisional artillery (headquarters battery, 3 battalions of 105-mm self-propelled guns, composite artillery battalion (2 batteries of 155-mm self-propelled guns, a battery of 203-mm self-propelled guns and a rocket battery)), rear units.
As for the changes in the composition of the inbat, according to TOE (ROCAD) 5-215, the 3rd bridge platoon appeared in the bridge company of the battalion. The company was equipped with 3 sets of a new pontoon bridge (Bridge, Floating, Aluminum, Highway Type, Deck Balk Superstructure on Pneumatic Floats). Each engineer platoon of engineering companies spawns one dozer tank.

Now with regard to the use of sappers as infantry.
As I wrote, such a task - to fight as an infantry in an emergency is indicated in the American sapper regulations In particular, in FM 5-132, the 16th section of Chapter 5 BATTALION OPERATIONS, INFANTRY COMBAT is devoted to this issue. It is recommended there, in case of emergency, to use an engineer battalion in defensive battles, while giving it a defense front that is smaller than that of similar infantry units. It also describes the Standing operating procedure (SOP) for reorganizing a sapper battalion for combat as infantry. The procedure provides for the division of the battalion into two echelons. The first fights as an infantry, the second (rear) is responsible for the battalion's equipment that is not used in battle.

The massive use of sappers as infantry has been practiced in the US Army since WWI. On March 27, 1918, the 6th Regiment of Engineers, 3rd Infantry Division, US Army entered with the advancing Germans, blocking their advance on St. Quentin Highway.
On May 28, 1918, sappers of the 1st Infantry Division took part as infantry in the attack on Cantiny. However, in the army doctrine, this practice was fixed only from 1939, after which, during the Second World War, American sappers were used as infantry on a regular basis. This first happened in January 1942, when the 803rd Engineer Aviation Battalion fought a Japanese amphibious assault on the Bataan Peninsula. This practice reached its peak during the Battle of the Bulge. On the very first day of the German offensive, 5 combat engineering battalions (of which 3 are divisional) entered the battle.On the 4th day, the 19th battalions fought.

To be continued...

ENGINEERING TROOPS, special troops intended to perform the most difficult tasks of engineering support for the combat operations of the Armed Forces.

By the beginning of 1941, the Red Army consisted of military units that were part of corps, divisions and regiments, as well as military units of the RGK of district and army subordination. To carry out construction work, there were field construction departments, which, depending on the work performed, united engineering military units for various purposes. The RGK had separate engineering and pontoon-bridge regiments, pontoon-bridge and camouflage battalions. The battalions were considered the main staffing unit of the engineering troops. The engineering troops were led by the Main Military Engineering Directorate. By the spring of 1941, the engineering battalions in the armies and military districts were transformed into 18 engineering and 16 pontoon regiments.

With the outbreak of World War II, the engineering troops found themselves in a difficult situation. Many engineering units were on the construction of fortified areas in the new state. border, which significantly reduced their ability to perform the tasks of engineering support for the defensive actions of the Red Army.

The war made adjustments to the organization and equipment of the engineering troops. In July 1941, the staff of an engineer battalion of a rifle division was established, in which the number of personnel was reduced by 20%, and vehicles were replaced by horse-drawn vehicles. For the leadership of the engineering troops in November. 1941, the posts of chiefs of engineering troops of the Red Army, fronts and armies were introduced, and corresponding headquarters were created under them.

To complete the enormous volume of work on the construction of defensive lines in the rear by mid-January. 1942 created 10 capper armies. By the end of 1942, the need for sapper armies disappeared and they were disbanded, and on their basis the defensive construction directorates of the RVGK were created; sapper brigades were transferred to the fronts as brigades of the RVGK. To combat the tank and motorized formations of the enemy, special engineering brigades were formed as part of the RVGK. appointments (one to the front). Each brigade consisted of 5–7 battalions of engineering barriers, 1–2 electrotechnical battalions for arranging electrical barriers, a special mines battalion, a mechanization squad and support units. In 1942, separate parks of engineering vehicles were formed (for each front).

In May 1943, assault engineer-engineer brigades of the RVGK were created to ensure the breakthrough of the enemy's defense, and engineer-tank regiments were created to make passages in its minefields. To carry out the tasks of demining the liberated territory in the spring of 1943, 6 clearing brigades were created on the basis of the defense construction directorates. By the end of 1943, the engineering troops consisted of 58 brigades, 9 regiments and St. 1000 different battalions.

In the spring of 1944, 35 army engineer-sapper and motorized engineering brigades were created as part of the fronts on the basis of special-purpose engineering brigades of the RVGK. During the war years, engineering troops built defensive structures, created barriers (they were widely used as mobile barrage detachments), and mined the area; in offensive operations they ensured the maneuver of troops and the forcing of many large water obstacles (the Vistula, Oder and others), made passages in minefields; participated in the storming of fortifications, cities, were widely used to destroy communications in the rear of the enemy.

During the war years, the technical equipment of the engineering troops increased significantly, and the means of engineering weapons received further development. In 1941, the TM-41 anti-tank mine appeared, in 1943 - the TMD-B, in 1944 - the TMD-44. The troops also had several types of antipersonnel mines - PMD-6, -7ts. There were POMZ-2 and OZM fragmentation mines. The latter has been successfully used in the creation of controlled minefields. Amphibious transport facilities, especially pontoon parks, were greatly developed. In 1943, tests of the heavy bridge fleet of TMP were completed, to replace light parks, parks began to arrive for loads of 10, 16 and 30 tons, and for the motorization of landing crossings - heavy (M-72) and light (M-180) motorized oars and a BMK-70 boat ... The deployment of extensive offensive operations increased the requirements for defensive equipment. A reconnaissance and demining kit, a mine detector VIM-203 (VIM-20EM), elongated charges and a PT-3 tank trawl for making passages in mine-explosive obstacles, etc. were further developed. and engineering intelligence. In total, during the war years, more than 180 types of various engineering means were created and modernized.

Over the years of the war, engineer troops have installed more than 70 million anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, on which the enemy lost up to 10 thousand units. armored vehicles and up to 100 thousand people. personnel; 765 thousand square meters were cleared. km of territory and 400 thousand km of tracks, 11 thousand bridges were built, approx. 500 thousand km of tracks and a large amount of work was carried out on fortification equipment of various borders, regions and crossings, making passages, etc.

For feats of arms 655 soldiers of the engineering troops were awarded the title of Hero of the Sov. Union, 294 were awarded the Orders of Glory of three degrees; 6 engineering brigades, 190 engineer-engineer and pontoon battalions and 5 det. the company received the rank of guards; 40 pontoon-bridge and 38 assault engineer-engineer battalions were awarded honorary titles.

Chiefs: Major General of Engineering Troops L.Z. Kotlyar (1941–42); Major General of Engineering Troops, from March 1943 General-Leith. engineering troops, from Sept. 1943 general regiment. engineering troops, from Feb. 1944 Marshal of the Engineering Troops M.P. Vorobiev (1942 - until the end of the war).

German engineering troops included sapper (Pioniere), pontoon bridge (Brückenpioniere) and construction (Bau) units and formations. In each division of the ground forces, the state provided for a sapper battalion of 3 companies (in divisions of a 2-regimental composition, of 2). The engineering troops of the RVGK were represented by separate battalions - sapper and pontoon-bridge. The sapper battalion consisted of 3 sapper companies and 1–2 bridge columns. The structure of the battalion did not differ significantly from the battalions that were part of the infantry divisions. There were motorized battalions, horse-drawn battalions and serfs, differing in the number and type of vehicles. The pontoon-bridge battalion had a 3-company structure. At the end of the war, sapper brigades appeared, consisting of 2 battalions.

Research Institute (Military History) VAGSh RF Armed Forces

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The first engineering assault battalion is formed in the Russian Armed Forces

The first assault battalion of engineering troops in the Russian Armed Forces was formed in the Vladimir region in the city of Murom. The chief of the engineering troops of the RF Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Yuri Stavitsky, announced this to journalists today.

“The battalion of the assault and clearing of the engineering troops became part of the newly formed engineering-sapper brigade of the reserve of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The importance of these compounds is quite high. This is the reserve of the Chief of the General Staff, these units are specific, ”explained Yuri Stavitsky.

At the same time, he noted that the assault engineer-sapper units "will have to ensure the unhindered movement of motorized riflemen and other forces through the enemy's territory, which will significantly increase the effectiveness of hostilities and at the same time avoid losses as much as possible."

“The experience of the Chechen campaign has shown that the absence of such units negatively affects the outcome of the battle. People in these brigades are protected appropriately, ready to act correctly when passing through rubble, minefields, fortified areas and other obstacles. They also have special tools, ”said Yuri Stavitsky.

According to the chief of the engineering troops, "such units are staffed mainly by athletes fit for health reasons, with high physical capabilities, with a hardened character."

“We are trying to select servicemen according to the principle of special forces. The competition is quite high, they began their training at the Tyumen military school and our training centers, ”explained Yuri Stavitsky.

He expressed confidence that already in 2016 a new engineer brigade and an assault battalion in its composition "will begin interaction with the troops."

While in Murom, Lieutenant General Yuri Stavitsky took part in the ceremony of attaching the battle banners to the poles of the newly formed engineer-sapper and pontoon-bridge brigades of the engineering troops of the RF Armed Forces.

He said that such formations are planned to be created in each combined arms army by 2020.

As for the tasks that the pontoon-bridge brigade will solve, then, according to the chief of the engineering troops, it is “designed to equip various crossings on large water barriers, and its servicemen will also provide assistance to the population during floods and will be able to participate in eliminating the consequences of various emergencies. ".

The assault battalion, as part of the new engineer-sapper brigade, will make passes through minefields, destruction and rubble.

“At the same time, we have completely different tasks with the Airborne Forces, despite the fact that they also have assault units,” noted Yuri Stavitsky, speaking about the tasks of sappers - “attack aircraft”.

Returning to the history of the issue, he explained that for the first time sapper assault units appeared during the Great Patriotic War. Then, 90 specially trained sapper battalions were formed in the engineering troops.

Yuri Stavitsky also announced that military engineers in the new assault units will soon begin to receive specially designed personal protective equipment - OVR-3Sh suits.

“We will have two classes of new suits: for engineering-sapper units and engineering-assault ones. They differ somewhat from each other in terms of protection class and ammunition, but we have tried to implement all modern achievements and technologies, ”explained Lieutenant General Yuri Stavitsky, Chief of Engineering Troops of the Armed Forces.

The OVR-3SH set includes a protective suit for a sapper of the 6th class of protection with pockets for placing ammunition, sensors "friend or foe", "alive-wounded, killed" and the GLONAC / GPS module, a protective helmet, a sapper machete, a kit for knocking out doors, assault ladder, hydraulic cutters, circular saw, hydraulic jack, combination shears, blasting machine and other means.

For reference:

Since 1943, when Europe was liberated from German fascist invaders Soviet troops needed sapper assault units that could quickly, in a city battle, take over the building and clean up the area or mine the facility. By order of the Headquarters of the USSR Supreme Command, 90 specially trained sapper battalions were formed in the engineering troops.

"The battalions should be separated from the sapper brigades, provided with the required property and released from work at the turn for forced combat training, primarily in the subversive business and the device of barriers," - said in the order.

The sappers of assault brigades and battalions, including many Heroes, covered their combat path with many feats and merits. Soviet Union and order bearers.

Assault sapper battalions consisted of riflemen with anti-tank guns, sappers with explosives and knapsack flamethrowers. Each soldier carried a supply of Molotov cocktails and grenades. Part of the equipment of the attack planes was a protective steel three-millimeter bib. Passages in the obstacles were arranged by specially created barrage groups, and the destruction of fortified enemy positions was assigned to the assault groups. The tactics were coordinated and variable.

When fighting tanks, the personnel of the assault groups moved along the communication trenches, dug in the snow or with the help of camouflage means. Sappers approached the tank, lit smoke bombs to blind the crew, and then placed an explosive on the tank, undermining or burning it.

A tank drove up a group of sappers as close as possible to a fortified dugout or pillbox, then they dismounted and crawled to the shelter. The tank kept the entrance at gunpoint, and the sappers climbed onto the roof and lowered an anti-tank mine through the chimney, after which they crawled away and, with the help of a tied cord, pulled the pin out of the fuse.

During the assault on the building, ground attack planes, using captured faust cartridges, punched a hole in the wall, after which, under the cover of submachine gunners, flamethrowers ran up and sent fiery streams into it. In other cases, ground attack sappers poured burning gasoline into ventilation shafts and a chimney.

Chapter two.
Mature (1921-1941)

After repelling the attack of the imperialists on our country and ending the civil war, the Soviet people went over to peaceful construction.

At the same time, it was necessary to transfer the army to a peaceful position and reorganize it. The party was guided by the instructions of V.I. Lenin that, having reduced the army, it should retain such its main core, which would make it possible, in case of need, to deploy the necessary armed forces (53).

The question of the nature of the construction of the Red Army and the Red Navy was discussed at the X, XI and XIII Party Congresses, which adopted decisions aimed at further strengthening the Armed Forces. These questions were also discussed more than once at the Plenary Sessions of the Party Central Committee.

The first event in the construction of the Soviet Armed Forces after the end of the civil war was demobilization in the Red Army and its transition to a peaceful state, which were carried out in 1921-1924. Simultaneously with the demobilization, the army was also reorganized. The demobilization order was issued on December 11, 1920, and by October 1, 1924, the Red Army, which at the beginning of demobilization had 5.5 million people, was brought to a peacetime state with a numerical strength of 562 thousand people (54).

After the end of the civil war, a significant part of the personnel was demobilized in the engineering troops and the engineering units were transferred to a peaceful position. On October 1, 1924, the number of engineering troops and bodies of the military engineering service (excluding military construction units and military sappers) amounted to 10,014 people (55), or about 2 percent of the total number of the Red Army.

Military field construction with the transition of the army to a peaceful position remained in the system of the military department, but were mainly switched to restoration National economy.

The reorganization of the engineering troops began from below, with brigade and divisional units. By January 1, 1921, the engineering battalions of the rifle divisions were disbanded; instead of them, separate engineering companies were created - sapper and road-bridge, and in a division there were, as a rule, two, not counting separate brigade sapper companies.

By order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic No. 424/61 dated February 18, 1921, the Military Engineering Department was reorganized. This order provided for;

"Concentrate the management of all military engineering issues under the jurisdiction of the Main Military Engineering Directorate, subordinating it directly to the commander-in-chief of all the Armed Forces of the Republic on operational combat issues, and to the chief supply officer on the supply issue" (56).

In this regard, the Inspection of Engineers was disbanded.

By April 1 in the Main Military Engineering Directorate and by April 15 in the field, the reorganization in accordance with the order of the RVSR was completed.

In the military districts, military engineering issues were in charge of the chief of engineers, who was subordinate to a special department. This department consisted of departments: fortification and construction, in charge of the engineering preparation of the district for defense (there was no such department in the internal districts); a combatant in charge of combat training of engineering and technical troops; housing, engineering and technical supply. The chief of engineers was subordinate to the commander of the district troops and worked in close contact with the Office of the chief of supply of the district on issues of engineering supply.

The staff of the Main Military Engineering Directorate of the Red Army (GVIU) was put into operation on August 1, 1921 by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic No. 1529 of July 16, 1921. Somewhat earlier, on June 2, 1921, Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic E. Sklyansky approved the regulations on the GUIU, according to which it consisted of fourteen departments, a financial part and an engineering committee. In addition, the chief inspectors and the secretariat were directly at the disposal of the head of the department.

The regulation determined that the jurisdiction of the Main Military Engineering Directorate of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army shall be subject to all issues of military engineering and military technical affairs of the RSFSR, namely, the defense of the Republic in engineering, operational combat, inspector, organizational and technical, scientific, educational , the economic procurement part of the military department in all branches of military engineering and military-technical affairs, special education of troops, supplying the army with military engineering and technical equipment and providing it with all types of housing allowance.

The Main Military Engineering Directorate of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army was led by the head of the department, who was also the head of the engineering and technical forces of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army.

I.E. Korostashevsky was appointed head and military commissar of the Main Military Engineering Directorate of the Red Army (GVIUKA) on March 26, 1923, N.F. Popov and G.G. K. Ovchinnikov and his deputy - A.P. Shoshin (57).

One of the central tasks of the Main Military Engineering Directorate and military engineering directorates of fronts and districts in connection with the transition of the army to a peaceful position was the training of engineering and technical troops and the creation of the necessary personnel for this purpose. For better organization combat training, it was considered expedient to have engineering battalions in the districts, which at the time of mobilization could deploy into an appropriate number of separate companies.

During 1921, the staffs were developed again and a firm numerical strength of all engineering and technical military units and subunits was established.

The number of engineering units of the Red Army as of September 1, 1923 with an indication of the number of personnel in them is given in Table 2.

table 2

Thus, as of September 1, 1923, in relation to the total strength of the Red Army established for peacetime, the staff strength of the engineering troops, taking into account regimental sappers, was about 5 percent, and without taking into account military sappers - 2.2 percent.

The task of training command personnel for engineering units and institutions with the transition of the army to a peaceful position continued to be one of the main tasks in strengthening and further improving the engineering troops of the Red Army.

The training of command personnel was carried out in the system of higher and secondary military educational institutions, as well as in various specialized schools and in short-term courses. The main military educational institution intended for the training of command personnel of engineering troops with higher education was the Military Engineering Academy, which trained 107 military engineers from 1921 to 1924 (59). To train platoon commanders, the Main Directorate of military educational institutions had four engineering schools (Petrograd, Moscow, Kiev and Kazan) with a training period of four years, including one preparatory year. Each school had 400 cadets and a corresponding number of permanent command and teaching staff. In addition, there was one electrical engineering school (Petrogradskaya) with a five-year study period, including one preparatory year.

The Main Military Engineering Directorate was in charge of a retraining school for middle command personnel in the training electrotechnical battalion (Petrograd) with a training period of nine months. In the district retraining schools for the middle command staff there were engineering classes in which one person from each engineering and technical company studied for six months. In addition, there was an engineering department at the Petrograd International School for 30 cadets, as well as a Higher Camouflage School.

The supply of various types of engineering equipment to the Red Army was very uneven. So, on January 1, 1921, the army's supply of entrenching tools and positional equipment (barbed wire, dredging bags, etc.) reached 100 percent, for searchlight, mine-ship and subversive means - up to 60 percent of the total need.

As for the master tools, saws and accessories for electromechanical equipment, as well as metals, the army felt an extreme need for them. The problem of supplying the troops with automobile property was also acute.

As of January 1, 1921, there were 33 main, district and basic warehouses for receiving, storing and issuing engineering property, including 12 warehouses for explosives. Of the 21 warehouses of engineering property, 7 were main, 9 district and 5 basic (60).

Already in the first years after the Civil War, in addition to measures to concentrate, repair and store existing engineering property, measures were taken to create new models of engineering equipment and improve existing ones.

These tasks were entrusted to the engineering committee, which carried out its activities in cooperation with the Military Engineering Academy in accordance with the regulations approved on June 2, 1921.The military engineering range established in 1920 served as the basis for experimental work, testing new samples of engineering equipment. and subsequently deployed to the Research Engineering Institute.

Despite the insufficient scientific, experimental and production base of the test site, already at that time they began to manufacture some new samples of military engineering equipment, various inventive and rationalization proposals were being finalized. So, for example, new service ferry facilities were manufactured, in particular the inflatable rubber boats A-2.

During this period, great importance was also attached to the organization of combat and political training of engineering troops. A significant place was given to these issues in the decisions of the All-Russian meeting of the chiefs of the engineering and technical forces of the Red Army, held on November 2-8, 1921.

Political work in engineering units, as in the entire Red Army, was carried out in accordance with the decisions of the XI All-Russian Conference of the RCP (b) (December 19-22, 1921) and the XI Congress of the RCP (b) (March 27 - April 2, 1922. ). These decisions demanded that political work be arranged in such a way that after two years of service the Red Army soldier would leave the barracks not only well prepared militarily, but also with political knowledge equal to the knowledge of the cadets of the provincial party school.

The organization of military and political training during these years experienced serious difficulties. Until 1924, the Red Army and its engineering troops had to conduct combat and political training amid a protracted reorganization of the army, high turnover of personnel, overloading of units and formations, performing a number of tasks not directly related to combat and political training, as well as a lack of material supplies. army, the lack of junior command (instructor) staff, the lack of new regulations and instructions.

Further strengthening of the engineering troops (1924-1928)

An important stage in the construction and further strengthening of the engineering troops of the Red Army, like all Soviet Armed Forces, was the military reform of 1924-1925, carried out by decision and under the leadership of the Communist Party.

To summarize the experience of building engineering troops after the civil war and organize combat training, as well as to determine ways to improve this work in accordance with the decisions of the Communist Party and the Soviet government, an All-Union meeting of the chiefs of engineers of the Red Army was held from 15 to 21 January 1924. The meeting discussed the organization of engineering troops and their territorial-militia construction.

In the decisions adopted by the meeting, the tasks of engineering units and subunits were specified, attention was drawn to the need for a thorough introduction of engineering knowledge into the troops, an increase in the number of sappers in a rifle regiment, the need to establish order in organizing combat training in territorial engineering units and subunits.

In the rifle regiments, it was proposed to create special sapper teams, equal in number to a platoon of a sapper company. These teams were supposed to provide engineering training for the shooters, supervise the demining work carried out by the shooters, and also independently carry out special engineering work. The special training of sappers of a regimental sapper team must be universal.

Taking into account the modern importance of ferry facilities, the meeting confirmed the need for the existence of pontoon units and decided to ask the GVIU to pay special attention to the early development of a perfect type of pontoon property and the provision of the existing pontoon battalions with the necessary ferry equipment and horse transport.

In the decision on the issue of territorial-militia construction of engineering troops, detailed recommendations were given on the organization of pre-conscription training, as well as the organization of territorial units. The need to recruit territorial engineering units and subdivisions from residents of industrial regions and cities was noted; It was recognized that the terms of training in territorial units (with a total duration of eight months over five years) for the engineering troops are insufficient, and therefore it was recommended, while maintaining the previous service life, to increase the duration of training sessions to twelve and a half months.

At the same time, it was recommended to provide the territorial units with the necessary teaching aids and materials; to equip them with command personnel who have graduated from normal military engineering schools and have at least one year of practical experience; ensure the training of the missing junior command personnel for territorial engineering units in cadre units or by organizing special schools outside the territorial divisions.

Thus, the meeting outlined the main measures for carrying out military reform in the engineering troops. The decisions made determined the basis of construction and the content of combat training of engineering troops in subsequent years. Corresponding programs were developed on their basis.

Practically during the period of military reform and in the first years after it, the following measures were taken in the engineering troops.

Simultaneously with the reorganization of the central apparatus of the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs, the leadership of the technical troops of the Red Army was also reorganized. The Main Military Engineering Directorate, which was in charge of the engineering troops, as well as the supply of engineering equipment to the troops, was reorganized. It was freed from combat functions, was supposed to be in charge only of supplying troops with engineering equipment and was subordinate to the chief of supply of the Red Army. The command of the engineering troops was transferred to the headquarters bodies. The leadership of the combat training of engineering troops was concentrated in the military engineering inspection at the Main Directorate of the Red Army.

The independent military engineering directorates in the districts that existed before the reorganization were relieved of their combat functions and included as departments in the Office of the chief of supply of the district. The leadership of the military engineering training of the district troops was to be carried out by an inspector of engineers, subordinate directly to the commander of the district troops (soon this position was called the chief of engineers).

In connection with the introduction in 1924-1925. the new organizational structure of the Red Army (the formation of rifle corps, the elimination of rifle brigades, etc.), much attention was paid to improving the organization and general condition of the engineering and technical troops. In accordance with the new states, the corps of the engineering troops included a sapper battalion (two sapper companies and an engineering park), a division - a separate sapper company (61) and an engineering park, a rifle regiment - a sapper-camouflage platoon. In the cavalry, the engineering troops consisted of horse-sapper squadrons in the division and sapper-blasting platoons in the regiments. Almost all corps sapper battalions remained personnel, but the positions of corps engineer and battalion commander were combined. The divisional engineer was also the company commander. This situation existed for one year, after which these positions were again separated. All special and technical troops were also personnel.

As part of the engineering troops, the militia-territorial units were mainly sapper companies of territorial divisions and sapper-camouflage platoons of rifle regiments of these divisions. The sapper company of the territorial rifle division had a staff of slightly more than twenty people. The permanent composition of the engineer-camouflage platoon included three people.

The number of engineering troops and institutions as of October 1, 1925 was 11,415 people, or 2.1 percent of the total number of the Red Army (62). Organizational measures taken in the engineering troops in 1924-1925 were caused and justified by the situation that developed at that time, but later it became clear that the available number of engineering troops in the Red Army was not enough.

Along with the organizational measures, there was a further improvement of the system of training command personnel for engineering units and subdivisions. The need for this was determined by the fact that the level of military education of the command staff was not high enough. So, in 1925, in the engineering troops, only 30 percent of the command staff had a normal military education, and 17 percent did not have a military education at all. The situation with the junior command staff during 1924-1925. remained dysfunctional. The shortage in it on June 1, 1924 in the engineering and technical troops was 32.3 percent.

Regimental schools were created to train junior command personnel in late 1924 - early 1925. The junior command staff and the corresponding specialists of the units that did not have full-time schools were trained in special classes that were formed during the training with the corresponding units and formations.

The training and improvement of middle and senior command personnel was carried out in the military educational institutions of three types: in normal military schools, which trained new cadres of middle command personnel; on refresher courses and in higher schools, deepening the knowledge of commanders; in military academies, which trained the commanding staff of the senior and higher categories.

The experience of building and developing a military school (including an engineering one) was summarized in the "Regulations on military schools of the Red Army", which was put into effect by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR dated November 30, 1925. the composition of the engineering troops, military engineering schools are created. The military engineering school was a combat unit as part of a three-company battalion, and in terms of training it was divided into four classes: preparatory, junior, middle and senior. There were two such schools at that time.

To retrain the middle command personnel of the engineering troops at the Leningrad Engineering School, as early as 1924, advanced training courses for command personnel were created.

The systematic training of the command personnel of the reserve began in 1924 by the organization of teams of one-year-olds at the corps sapper battalions. These teams were enrolled in excess of the battalion's staff, young men of military age who had completed secondary education, as well as young engineers who received a reprieve until graduation from a higher educational institution. Those who graduated from training in the team were required to pass exams for the position of platoon commander, after which they were retired. Those who did not pass the exams remained to serve on a general basis.

By the time of the reform, by March 1924, the Red Army had a Military Engineering Academy for training military engineers. In addition, civilian universities were involved to train some groups of military specialists for the Red Army. So in 1924 a geodetic department was created at the Land Survey Institute. In 1925, a military communications department was created at the Leningrad Institute of Railways, and a military electrotechnical department at the Leningrad Electrotechnical Institute. In this regard, the faculties of geodetic, military communications and electrical engineering that existed at the Military Engineering Academy were closed, and the Military Engineering Academy itself at the beginning of 1925 was merged with the artillery and reorganized into Military Technical Academy, which received the name of F.E.Dzerzhinsky in 1926. During the period from 1925 to 1928, the academy trained 113 military engineers.

The work carried out on the organizational strengthening of the Red Army made it possible to organize normal combat and political training in its units and formations. M.V. Frunze on November 17, 1924, in a report at a meeting of leading political workers, said:

“The general improvement in the living and working conditions of the army has opened up the possibility of setting on firm ground for its education and training. In fact, we can only now really get down to school. In previous years, with their staff turnover, difficult material conditions of existence, lack of a firm order of service, etc., we were actually deprived of any opportunity to build an army as a real combat force ”(63).

Combat and political training was also organized in the engineering troops. In September 1924, the RKKA inspectorate sent the troops a combat training plan for the first year of training, which was approved by the plenum of the USSR Revolutionary Military Council in December 1924. Based on this plan, winter training was organized in the engineering units of the Red Army in 1924-1925. In terms of combat training of engineering troops and engineering training of all branches of the military, the recommendations of the All-Union meeting of the chiefs of engineers of the Red Army were taken into account.

In 1925, a normal training plan was put into effect in all personnel and territorial units and formations of the Red Army, including the engineering troops. The term of training in the cadre units was set at two years. Each year was divided into winter and summer period s learning. In the first year of training, the Red Army soldier was supposed to become a trained specialist fighter, who technically knew the material part of the platoon. By the end of the second year of training, he had to acquire such knowledge that would allow him to go into the reserve as a squad leader.

The Red Army men who studied at the school for junior commanders (regimental or corresponding to it), during the first year received complete training for the squad commander, in the second year they were prepared to perform the functions of an assistant commander of a reserve platoon.

Simultaneously with the combat training plan, a normal political training plan was developed and put into effect. The two-year program of political education and upbringing developed by the PUR was aimed at preparing a conscious, combat-ready defender of Soviet power, clearly understanding that its strengthening is possible on the basis of a solid alliance of the working class and the peasantry under the leadership of the Communist Party. Approved by the department of agitation and propaganda of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), this program was put into effect in the 1925/26 academic year.

The need to organize the combat training of engineering units sometimes required in some districts to temporarily gather sappers in one place for the period of summer practical training. This was achieved by the allocation of sapper units in general camps to an engineering group headed by the deputy camp gathering for engineering troops. This was the case, for example, in 1923 and subsequent years in the Chuguev camp (southeast of Kharkov), where the engineering group consisted of the 7th and 8th corps battalions and the 23rd division sapper company. Sometimes I had to go to the organization of special engineering camps. Such were, for example, the pontoon camp of the Kiev garrison on Trukhanov Island in 1923-1941; in the same years - the camp of the engineering units of the Kharkov Military District on the Severny Donets River near the city of Zmiev (14th corps, 29th division sapper battalions, sapper companies of the 25th and 73rd rifle divisions).

Having a purely educational value, the camps operated no more than three to four months a year. By the period of general gatherings, regular exercises and maneuvers, the camps ceased to exist, and the engineering units joined their formations.

The development and implementation of new military regulations, manuals, manuals, instructions and other guidance materials were of great importance for improving the training and education of army personnel.

In addition to the fact that the issues of engineering support of the battle and combat use engineering troops were reflected in the combat manuals of the Red Army, issued in those years, a number of manuals and instructions on military engineering were issued, which made it possible to more purposefully and high-quality organize special training in the troops.

So, for example, in the period 1924-1928. manuals were issued on the military engineering of the Red Army, military camouflage, engineering and technical affairs of the command staff of all branches of the army, special education of the engineering troops of the Red Army (Bridges and Crossings, Part 1; Subversive work; Underground mine work), military engineering for infantry, etc.

The published military journals played an important role in generalizing the experience of combat and political training of units and formations of the Red Army and its further improvement. They also raised and, to one degree or another, resolved issues of Soviet military engineering, combat training and combat employment of engineering troops. Such magazines in the period under review were "Army and Revolution", "Military Thought and Revolution", "Military Bulletin", "War and Revolution", "Equipment and Supply of the Red Army", etc.

Military-scientific work was carried out on a large scale in these years both in the entire Red Army and in its engineering troops. The following works deserve attention: N. Shelavin - "Divisional and Corps Engineers", 1924; AV Prigorovsky - "Engineering and technical means of combat and tactical use of engineering troops", 1924; G. Serchevsky - "Basic principles of the tactical use of sappers and the system of divisional control over them", 1924; K. Schildbach - "Tactics of Engineering Troops", 1927; G. Potapov - "Combat Use and Application of Engineering Troops", 1928; M. Spearing, D. Ushakov, K. Schildbach - "Application of military engineering in the combat service of troops", 1927; KA Roze - “Forcing rivers according to the experience of the civil war of 1918-1920”, 1928; a number of works by D. M. Karbyshev, G. G. Nevsky and others.

On the whole, by the end of 1928, engineering units and subunits had already accumulated practical experience in organizing and conducting combat and political training. During this period, the sending of engineering units to various kinds of construction work was widely used to consolidate theoretical knowledge and develop practical skills in the organization of work and their production (for example, the construction of the Orsha-Lepel railway, road and bridge works in a wooded and swampy area in the upper reaches of the Berezina River west of Lepel and in the border strip of the Byelorussian SSR, the construction of the Oster - Chernigov road, etc.). In particular, for the construction of the Chernigov-Ovruch railway in 1927, a railway corps was formed, which also included sapper corps battalions (2, 6, 7, 8, 14 and 17), united in training in a brigade, headed by the deputy commander of the 17th rifle corps for engineering troops, corps engineer A.S. Tsigurov. Corps sapper battalions in the summer period 1927 and 1928. went to the camps on the railway line and, in parallel with the implementation of the plan for special and combat training, carried out work on the construction of the railway, including the construction of bridges on pile supports. During the same period, the command staff of the engineering forces and engineering units participated in ongoing exercises, field trips, reconnaissance and war games.

In organizing and directing combat training, an important role was played by inspectors of engineers at the Main Directorate of the Red Army and inspectors of engineers from districts, who provided assistance to the troops, generalized and disseminated best practices, revealed shortcomings, established causes and, through the chiefs of engineers, sought to eliminate them.

Large group engineering units and subunits, as well as soldiers of engineering troops for participation in the fight against the Basmachis, for success in combat training and restoration of the national economy, she was awarded orders, personal personal weapons and valuable gifts. So, by the decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the USSR dated July 13, 1927, for the difference in the battle against the Basmachs on September 12, 1925 in the area of ​​the Yakshi-Keldy fortress, the commander of a separate sapper half-squadron of the 8th Turkestan Cavalry Brigade B.I. platoon commander of the same squadron N.M. Grigorenko, squad leader I.R. Wegner, Red Army soldiers Ya.A. Stukalov, P.I. Zharinov, K.K.Savoteev, D.N.Kofakov (64).

In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Red Army, those who particularly distinguished themselves on the battle fronts and in peacetime work by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR on personnel No. 102 of February 23 were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, throughout the Red Army - 1066 people, including G.K. Dmitriev - former divisional engineer of the 10th rifle division, G.K. Usupov - former boss the sapper team of the 6th Khabarovsk rifle regiment and I.I.Khodunov - the former head of the demolition team of the 81st rifle regiment of the 91st rifle division. 1745 people were awarded with the same order with personal personal weapons and valuable gifts, among them 48 people from the engineering troops, including 17 people with personal weapons, valuable gifts and certificates of honor - 31 people (65).

In the same years, individual sapper battalions of the 8th, 10th, 13th and 17th rifle corps, the 21st separate sapper battalion and the 1st company of the 9th separate sapper battalion were awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (66).

During this period, such a form of educating the soldiers of the Red Army as the election of the most honored people of the army and the country at meetings of the personnel of units as honorary Red Army men was practiced. The decision to elect was announced by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. In engineering units and subunits, ten people were approved as honorary Red Army soldiers, including the commander of the 17th rifle corps Ya.F. Fabritius, the commander of the Turkestan front K.A. Georgia F.I.Makharadze and others.

During the period of technical re-equipment of the Red Army

The period of pre-war five-year plans for the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union was a period of their technical re-equipment and a further increase in combat power. At the same time, the technical equipping and rearmament of the engineering troops took place.

In 1928, the Red Army's "Engineering Armament System" was developed, and in 1930 approved by the People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, which provided for the entire range of technical means necessary to carry out military engineering combat missions. The system determined the basic tactical and technical data of engineering facilities and established the procedure for their development and introduction for supply. On the basis of this document, which was revised several times with the introduction of some changes, the engineering troops were equipped with new equipment until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

In accordance with the adopted system, in the years of the first five-year plans, along with the technical re-equipment of the entire army, there was an intensive development of military engineering equipment, which was equipped with engineering troops.

The further development - both quantitatively and qualitatively - of bridge-crossing facilities was especially intensive. The bridge park on A-2 inflatable boats, which was put into service in 1926, was replaced in 1927 by a fleet of A-3 boats, which was modernized in subsequent years and by 1936 had a carrying capacity of 12-14 tons, and its transportation the material part was already carried out on cars.

In 1934, the heavy N2P fleet (with open metal pontoons) and the light NLP park (with folding pontoons made of bakelized plywood) began to enter service, replacing the Tomilovsky pontoon park that had passed from the old Russian army, which had existed for 70 years (67).

It should be noted that at the beginning of the Second World War, the Н2П fleet was the only one of the pontoon-bridge fleets of all the fighting armies that was quite suitable for assembling and laying bridges with a carrying capacity of up to 60 tons. The carrying capacity of the NLP fleet was 16 tons.

In the pre-war years, a tugboat BMK-70, a semi-glider NKL-27 and ship outboard units SZ-10 and SZ-20 were created to transport the ferry from service ferry facilities by water.

In 1939, a special pontoon fleet SP-19 was put into service, intended for the construction of bridge and ferry crossings on wide rivers with a high flow rate.

Simultaneously with heavy, medium and light ferry fleets, a number of easy-to-flood vehicles entered service in the same years: hard-to-flood assault property (TZI), a small inflatable boat, and a swimming suit. Later, an inflatable boat carried on packs and a folding boat made of plywood were designed for mountain parts. Before the start of World War II, collapsible metal bridges RMM-2 and RMM-4 were developed, and the latter was adopted during the war and was the basis for the creation of collapsible metal bridges in our army.

Great attention was devoted to the development of means of mechanization and electrification of military engineering work. Already in 1934-1935. many new means were introduced into service, which sharply increased the capabilities of the engineering troops.

For example, for logging work, the engineering troops received movable sawmills, sawmills, gasoline-powered saws, a set of accessories for tractor logging, and a set of overhead monorail tracks. The availability of these funds made it possible to mechanize basically the entire process of logging operations.

For the mechanization of bridge works in 1935, a metal collapsible pile driver with a steam-air hammer was adopted. Subsequently, Soviet designers created more advanced and productive piling tools - diesel pile hammers and others. The mobile compressor station, which entered service by 1936, could be successfully used not only for the mechanization of bridge works, but also “in other works requiring the use of pneumatic tools.

Before the appearance of a tractor in the engineering troops, road means developed in accordance with the possibilities of using horse traction. Among the first road tools were various types of grubbing, plows, shovels, and even horse-drawn ditchers. By 1934-1935, as tractor-drawn road machines were being created, various models of machines were selected for engineering units after special tests. In 1937-1938. Based on the experience of using road machines in the army, the most advanced machines used with the S-60 and S-65 tractors were adopted, namely: the modernized heavy grader GTM and the BG-M bulldozer, the SP and ST-5 scrapers, the KV-2 double-mold trenchers and KV-3, a heavy collapsible ripper, as well as a powerful special LNG grader and a wheeled motor grader with a scarifier.

The first mobile power plant, mounted on a 1.5-ton vehicle in 1930 and put into service by 1934, had a charging and lighting capacity of 3 kW (NPP-1). In 1935, an automobile power plant with a capacity of 15 kW (NPP-3) entered the list of engineering troops. The new power plant had a set of electrified tools and lighting fixtures. In the same years, the first samples of high-voltage mobile power plants, intended for electrifying wire barriers, entered service.

Much work has been done in the field of creating and improving mine-blasting equipment and weapons. So, in 1934, the PM-1, PM-2 blasting machines, a large number of various electrical measuring instruments, special fuses and contactors entered service. The first TM-35 anti-tank mine appeared, later - AKS, TM-39, TMD-40, PMZ-40. The last of these samples were worked out already on the basis of the combat experience of using anti-tank mines in 1939-1940. On the basis of the same experience, anti-personnel mines MPK-40, PMK-6, etc. were created. Work was also carried out to study the effect of a shaped charge, especially on armor. New means of controlling landmines were developed at a distance, by radio.

Other means of barriers were developed by wire obstacles (MWB). Much attention was paid to the construction of water barriers.

Work was carried out in the field of development of means of separation. However, by 1935, only sets of reconnaissance equipment and overcoming electrified obstacles had entered service. The first mine detectors appeared only in the period 1939-1940. To overcome anti-tank ditches by tanks on the basis of the T-26 tank, the sapper ST-26 tanks were designed, equipped with a metal bridge, which was approaching the obstacle by the tank driver directly from the vehicle.

During the period of technical rearmament of the army, significant work was done. also carried out on the creation of service means of camouflaging troops and military equipment, as well as on the development of methods for using these means. Various masks, masks, materials, paints have entered service.

For the field water supply of troops, the means of reconnaissance, extraction and purification of water in the field, as well as its transportation and storage, were designed and put into service.

The successes of the industrialization of the USSR made it possible to ensure the production of various and complex engineering equipment at the factories and factories of our country and not to be dependent on imports.

Studying the issue of the growth of the means of mechanization that entered the engineering armament in the years of the first five-year plan, D.M. Karbyshev noted that the capacity of the machine park, which entered service with the engineering troops of the Red Army, was: - 25 thousand, in 1934 - 95 thousand liters. With.; the growth of means of mechanization and motorization per soldier was: in pontoon battalions in 1932 - 0.6, in 1933 - 3.0, in 1934. - 6.0; in engineering battalions in 1932 - 0.3, in 1933 - 1.6, in 1934 - 2.1; in sapper battalions in 1932. - 0.3, in 1933. - 1.02, in 1934 - 1.75 liters. p. (68).

It should be noted that some engineering vehicles, in terms of their tactical and technical data, ceased to fully meet the increased requirements, and the pace of development and introduction of new models lagged behind in comparison with other types of modern weapons, which was noted by the People's Commissar of Defense at a review of engineering equipment in December 1940.

For the development, operation and combat use of new technology, specially trained personnel were needed. For this purpose, technical companies were formed in corps sapper and pontoon battalions, and technical platoons in divisional sapper battalions. The V.V.Kuibyshev Military Engineering Academy (recreated in 1932) began to train specialists in engineering weapons.

Despite the general difficulties of growth in the country, the Communist Party and the Soviet government devoted a lot of equipment to the engineering troops in the pre-war years with new equipment. This can be seen at least from the fact that during the period from 1935 to 1941 the number of engineering vehicles and ferry stations increased in the following sizes:

Parks H2P .. ... 3.5 times

Saw frames and machine tools .. ... 3 times

Power plants of all kinds .. ... 4 times

Collapsible metal copra .. ... 4 times

Compressor stations .. ........... 5 times

During this period, there was a quantitative and qualitative growth of the engineering troops of the Red Army, as well as a number of organizational changes in them. In particular, two-company sapper battalions were formed in the rifle divisions.

During these years (from May 1930 to May 1937), NN Petin, an active participant in the civil war, one of the most talented military leaders, headed the engineering troops of the Red Army.

Both during the recovery of the country's economy and in 1929-1939. engineering units and subdivisions, as well as scientists of the Military Engineering Academy, rendered great assistance in the further development of the national economy. They built roads, bridges, crossings and other objects. Warriors of engineering units also rendered great help in the fight against natural disasters. Typical in this respect is the feat of the sapper company of the 9th Sapper Battalion of the North Caucasian Military District, whose commander was at that time V.A.Kopylov (now Major General of Engineering Troops, retired). Sappers of this company in the spring of 1931 participated in extinguishing a fire that engulfed the oil fields in the Maikop region. The work was supervised by the corps engineer of the 9th rifle corps KS Kalugin (later Major General of the Engineering Troops, died in 1945). Skillfully using explosives, the sappers extinguished the fire. For this feat, the most distinguished sappers were awarded the Order of Lenin. They were among the first servicemen in our army to be awarded the highest government award. Among the awardees were corps engineer K.S. Kalugin, company commander V.A.Kopylov, squad leader V.M. Emelyanov and Red Army demolition men Artyomov, Burgaster, Kiprov and Evsikov (69).

Engineering troops in the fighting of the Red Army in 1929-1940.

After the end of the civil war, the Red Army did not conduct military operations on a large scale for a long period. Numerous border conflicts and incidents organized by the imperialists, the struggle against large Basmachi bands and even the defeat of the Chinese militarists during the conflict on the Sino-Eastern Railway, due to the nature of their actions and their limited scope, could not serve as a basis for broad conclusions and generalizations in the field of military art. However, even in these hostilities, the personnel of the engineering units, like the entire Red Army, showed courage, heroism and a high consciousness of patriotic duty, defending Soviet power - the power of workers and peasants.

For distinction in combat operations to liquidate the conflict on the Chinese-Eastern Railway in 1929 were awarded the Order of the Red Banner S. M. Shumilov - Red Army engineer squadron of the 5th separate Kuban cavalry brigade, N. P. Cherepanov? Red Army soldier (pupil) of a separate sapper squadron of the 9th separate Far Eastern cavalry brigade, I.P. Bedrov - the commander of this squadron, M. Vagin and S. Astafiev - sappers of the 13th separate sapper battalion, I.A.Levin - platoon commander, L Syrov is the foreman, M. Bubnov and A. Shaidurov are the commanders of the squads of this battalion, and others - only sixteen people (70).

Volunteers - sappers and military engineers - advisers were selflessly and courageously fulfilling their international duty in Spain during the years of the struggle against the Franco rebels and fascist interventionists. Arrangement and maintenance of crossings, fortification equipment of borders, arrangement of obstacles and destruction zones during retreat and behind enemy lines, transfer of knowledge and experience to sappers of the republican army - this is not a complete list of tasks that our volunteers in Spain solved. Many of them have been awarded orders and medals. The Order of the Red Banner was awarded on November 11, 1937, V.P. Shurygin (now Major General of the Engineering Troops, retired), who at that time was an advisor on engineering issues at the headquarters of the Northern and then Central Fronts.

The larger military events in these years, the experience of which was of a certain importance in the development of the theory and practice of the combat use of the engineering troops of the Red Army, were the hostilities near Lake Khasan (July 29 - August 11, 1938), on the Khalkhin-Gol River (May - August 1939) and the Soviet-Finnish conflict (1939-1940). Let us briefly consider the participation of engineering troops in these hostilities.

At the end of July 1938, Japanese militarists in the area of ​​Lake Khasan (130 km from Vladivostok) invaded Soviet territory and seized the tactically advantageous Bezymyannaya and Zaozernaya hills.

The 40th and 32nd Rifle Divisions and the 2nd Mechanized Brigade of the 39th Rifle Corps were tasked with routing the invading Japanese forces.

The main tasks of the engineering troops were the preparation and maintenance of roads and column routes for troops both during the period of their concentration in the area of ​​hostilities and during the battle; reinforcement in engineering terms of the hills recaptured from the enemy in order to provide the Soviet troops occupying the hills with the opportunity to prevent a repetition of the enemy's provocative sorties in this area.

The 39th Rifle Corps (corps engineer Major A.I. Goldovich) initially had only regular engineering forces and means, but they were not enough. The roads along which the corps troops followed to the deployment area and along which the supply of all types of food went, became completely impassable by August 5, even tanks got stuck on them.

The command of the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army (OKDVA) on August 5 gave an order to allocate 5 construction battalions, 2 sapper battalions (26th and 43rd) and 20 tractors to supply the troops with routes.

Despite the difficult conditions in which the hostilities took place, the personnel of units and formations of Soviet troops, who participated in the battles and provided them, showed high moral qualities and selfless devotion to the socialist homeland. By August 11, the task of defeating the Japanese troops invading Soviet soil was completed and the border was restored again.

Many Red Army soldiers and commanders of engineering troops were awarded orders and medals for their military merits in the battles near Lake Khasan. Among them were awarded the Order of the Red Banner Captain A. A. Paderin, Senior Lieutenant M. L. Rabinovich, Captain E. G. Dyldin, Captain V. D. Kirpichnikov; the Order of the Red Star - Captain N.A. Rossal; the medal "For Courage" - Major A. I. Goldovich; the medal "For Military Merit" - Captain I.S. Telesh and others.

The hostilities on the Khalkhin-Gol River were more significant than those on Lake Khasan. They began in May 1939 with the invasion of large Japanese forces into the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic... From May to August 1939, the Soviet-Mongolian troops fought mainly defensive battles and prepared for an offensive operation, which was planned in August. The task of defeating the Japanese troops was entrusted to the Soviet-Mongolian formations and units united in the 1st Army Group.

The engineering forces and means of the army group included three divisional separate sapper battalions (36, 82 and 24th), two separate companies of tank brigades (11th and 32nd), a separate sapper company (70th), one pontoon battalion ( 17th) and one company of the 15th pontoon battalion, two hydrotechnical companies (11th and 14th). Of the ferry facilities, 2 1/3 of the Н2П fleet and 2 1/2 of the А-3 boat fleet were concentrated.

The main tasks of the engineering troops in the preparation and conduct of the operation were to ensure the secrecy of the preparation of the operation, to conduct engineering reconnaissance of the Khalkhin-Gol River in the zone of the upcoming offensive, to arrange and maintain crossings across the Khalkhin-Gol River, to provide the advancing troops with water, and to ensure the advance of the advancing troops during the operation.

During the preparation period for the offensive, engineering units and subunits provided camouflage for the concentration of troops and military equipment, and also skillfully supervised the imitation of preparation for a long-term defense.

Sapper and pontoon units and subunits, while conducting reconnaissance and reconnaissance of the Khalkhin-Gol River, found several fords and identified points of bridge crossings. A total of 12 pontoon bridges were built, including 3 bridges built back in June. More than 20 running meters were equipped to the crossing areas. km of access roads, and a commandant service is organized at the crossings.

The engineering units did a great job of equipping the structures for the command and observation posts of the commanders of the formations and for the command of the army group. To provide the troops with water, 49 mine and 8 small-tube wells were equipped.

The Soviet-Mongolian forces launched an offensive on August 20 and on August 23 completed the encirclement of the Japanese group. The encircled group of Japanese forces was dismembered and liquidated by 31 August.

During the operation, the engineering troops ensured the advancement of our infantry, cavalry, tanks and artillery, their struggle on the internal and external fronts of the encirclement, and also supported the transport and evacuation routes, the crossings across the Khalkhin-Gol River.

The combat experience gained has shown the increased importance of engineering troops and engineering support in modern offensive operations; the great role of operational camouflage and the possibility of achieving operational surprise in difficult desert conditions; the need for timely provision of the advancing troops with the appropriate number of service ferry means, especially in treeless terrain.

The Soviet-Mongolian troops participating in the operation on the Khalkhin-Gol River showed high moral and combat qualities, initiative in solving the assigned combat missions, while showing massive heroism and courage, for which hundreds of soldiers and officers were awarded orders and medals, and 70 the participants in the battles were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Among the soldiers of the engineering troops who were awarded orders and medals were D. D. Abashin, A. F. Zhuchkov, N. F. Kotikov, N. I. Nesterov, P. I. Patushko. NG Ufimtsev, GN Yakovlev, KV Yakovlev and others. The 70th separate sapper company was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

On November 17, 1939, in connection with the 20th anniversary of the creation of the 1st Cavalry Army, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for the valor and courage shown by the personnel in the performance of military missions of the government, awarded a large group of formations and units with the Order of the Red Banner, including a separate a sapper company of the Order of Lenin of the M.P. Yakovlev tank brigade, separate sapper companies of the 6th and 32nd tank brigades (71).

Engineering units and subunits took part in the campaigns of the Red Army to liberate the western regions of Belarus, Ukraine, as well as Bessarabia and Bukovina.

Soviet troops did not conduct large and prolonged combat operations at that time, but the issues of engineering support for the movement of troops (in their readiness to conduct battles) had to be resolved.

During the liberation campaigns, most of the engineering units ensured the crossing of the rivers (reinforced existing bridges, equipped fords, built new bridges), repaired roads, cleared airfields, arranged overpasses for unloading trains, etc. ...

In November 1939, the Finnish military, fueled by the reactionary forces of the imperialist states, organized a number of military provocations on the Soviet-Finnish border. On November 30, Soviet troops were forced to start military operations against the Finnish army.

They took place from November 30, 1939 to March 13, 1940. The main events unfolded on the Karelian Isthmus, on a front of 100-110 km, where the main forces of the sides were concentrated and the most important operations took place.

What are characteristics the theater of operations and the state of enemy defense, which determined the main tasks of the engineering troops?

Firstly, the hostilities took place in an area, 12 percent of which was covered by lakes and rivers, 70 percent - by impassable forests. Numerous rapids, waterfalls, rocky ridges and non-freezing swamps created serious obstacles for the advancing troops and facilitated the conduct of defense.

Secondly, the hostilities took place in winter, with severe frosts, reaching 40 °, and in the presence of deep snow. Abundant snows, frequent fogs, polar night on the northern sector of the front and very short days in the Karelian Isthmus region created additional difficulties for the advancing troops and facilitated the actions of the defenders.

Thirdly, on the Karelian Isthmus, where the main military events unfolded, a powerful long-term defense system was built, known as the Mannerheim Line, with a total depth of 100-120 km. Its construction was carried out under the guidance of the best military specialists. Western Europe... The advancing Soviet troops had to break through this line, which was considered insurmountable by Western European specialists.

On the Karelian Isthmus, the 7th Army, consisting of nine rifle divisions and three tank brigades, fought, and on the eastern borders of Finland, on a front of about 1,500 km, the 8th, 9th and 14th armies. At the end of December, another army, the 13th, was advanced to the Karelian Isthmus, and on January 7, 1940, the North-Western Front was created to lead these armies. In February 1940, the 15th Army is deployed on the eastern borders of Finland. Colonel KS Nazarov (now retired Colonel-General of Engineering Troops) was appointed head of the front's engineering troops.

By the beginning of hostilities, the 7th Army had from the engineering troops: one engineering battalion of the fortified area, the 125th engineer battalion, the 5th, 6th and 7th pontoon battalions. The chief of the army's engineering troops was Colonel A. F. Khrenov (now retired Colonel-General of the Engineering Troops).

A broad generalization of the experience of the combat use of engineer troops and engineering support of combat operations during the Soviet-Finnish conflict is an area of ​​special research. Here we will only note some of the results of their use.

Combat operations have shown the ever-increasing role of engineering troops in modern combat and operations, and not only in the field of supporting infantry, artillery and tanks, but also in their direct action on the battlefield, especially when breaking through a heavily fortified enemy defense.

In the course of the war, a great deal of experience was gained in breaking through a powerful modern defense in extremely difficult conditions of a theater of military operations in winter; organizing and conducting in a new way engineering reconnaissance associated with the need to open the enemy defense system to a great depth (using aerial photography for this); detection of mines and other explosive obstacles and equipment in this connection scouts with the necessary means; organizing barriers and making passages in minefields and mined forest heaps of the enemy, as well as in securing captured lines; clearer establishment of road service.

The pre-war engineering equipment of the Red Army was also subjected to a significant test. Experience has shown that not all of our engineering equipment in those conditions turned out to be suitable, in particular, road and earth-moving machines did not meet the necessary requirements, the unsuitability of winter camouflage gowns was also revealed, and they were replaced by others during the operation.

There were also gaps in the combat training of engineering troops, the lack of sufficient combat equipment for some engineering units by the start of the war, and poor knowledge of the theater of operations.

Despite the extremely difficult natural conditions in which the struggle was waged, individual shortcomings in the combat training of troops and their technical equipment, the troops of the Red Army broke through the long-term fortified enemy zone, having accomplished an unprecedented feat in history.

For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command and the valor and courage shown at the same time, more than 9 thousand participants in the battles were awarded by decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. More than 400 soldiers were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, about 70 units and formations were awarded orders of the USSR (72).

Of the engineering troops, the 57th and 227th separate sapper battalions and the 6th separate pontoon-bridge battalion were awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

The high rank of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to sappers Lieutenant N. I. Rumyantsev and Junior Lieutenant F. Ya. Kucherov; junior commanders B. L. Kuznetsov, P. S. Fedorchuk and A. R. Krutogolov; privates A. I. Byakov and N. N. Nikitin; pontoons junior lieutenant P. V. Usov, private V. K. Artyukh, and also colonel A. F. Khrenov. A large group of soldiers of the engineering troops were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Among them are N.P. Artamonov, B.V. Bychevsky, I.F.Danilov, M.F. Ioffe, G.A.Kutsulin, I.P. Kusakin, I.I. Markov, I.E. V. O. Nool, M. A. Ponomarev, V. I. Skrynnikov, F. A. Stanchin, V. D. Starostin, G. P. Tomashevsky, S. F. Chmutov, N. A. Shitov, I. B. Shoikhet and others.

Further organizational strengthening and technical equipment of the engineering troops

The experience of hostilities near Lake Khasan, on the Khalkhin-Gol River and the Karelian Isthmus, the liberation campaigns of the Red Army in Western Belarus and Western Ukraine, which began the second World War demanded that serious measures be taken in the Soviet Armed Forces to bring them in line with modern requirements.

In 1939-1941. a number of measures were taken for organizational improvement, further technical equipment of the Red Army and the Navy, restructuring of command and control bodies, as well as personnel training. A corresponding series of measures was carried out in the engineering troops.

As already noted, in the pre-war years, the Red Army and its engineering troops received a certain amount of engineering equipment from industry and as of January 1, 1941 had up to 265 ferry yards of all types (Н2П, НЛП, МДПА-3), including 45 heavy ( Н2П), more than 1060 mobile power plants, over 680 sawmills and machine tools and many other facilities. However, in terms of technical equipment, the engineering troops lagged somewhat behind the level of requirements put forward by the general development of military affairs. New engineering equipment has just begun to enter the troops.

The management of engineering activities in the Red Army on the eve of the Great Patriotic War was carried out by the GVIU, which was in charge of the military engineering training of all branches of the army, organized the combat and special training of engineering troops, and directed the defense construction and the supply of engineering equipment to the Red Army. The chiefs of the GUIUKA were: from May 1937 to October 1939 - Divisional Commander I.P. Mikhailin, from October 1939 to July 1940 - Colonel I.A.Petrov, from July 1940 to March 12, 1941 - Brigade Commander A.F Khrenov, and from March 20, 1941 - Major General of the Engineering Troops L.Z.Kotlyar.

At the Main Inspectorate of the Red Army, there was a military engineering inspection headed by an inspector general of the engineering troops. Its task was to check the combat training of the engineering troops and the engineering training of other branches of the military. Since July 1940, the Inspector General of the Engineering Troops was M.P. Vorobiev, Major General of the Engineering Troops.

In the People's Commissariat of Defense, the leadership of the Main Military Engineering Directorate and the Directorate for the Construction of Fortified Areas was carried out at that time by the Deputy People's Commissar Marshal BM Shaposhnikov.

In military districts and armies, engineering activities in the troops and defense construction were directed by engineering directorates and departments, headed by the respective chiefs. In corps, divisions and regiments, this work was carried out by corps and divisional engineers and chiefs of the regimental engineering service.

The engineering units of the army and district subordination in the first half of 1941 were reorganized. In order to improve combat training and create a base for the deployment of engineering units in case of war, separate district engineering battalions were reduced to engineering regiments of about 1,000 men each. By the beginning of World War II, instead of 22 separate engineering battalions and 21 separate pontoon battalions, 18 engineering (73) and 16 pontoon (74) regiments were formed.

In addition to these units, the RGK is part of the engineering troops. there were separate camouflage engineering and pontoon bridge battalions, a separate hydraulic engineering company and a separate hydraulic engineering station. In the combined-arms armies by this time, in total, in addition to the military engineering units and subunits, there were eighteen separate engineering, motor-engineering and sapper battalions.

According to the approved staffs of formations and units of the Red Army from the engineering troops, it was envisaged to have: in the rifle corps - a separate corps sapper battalion, a rifle division - a separate sapper battalion of a rifle division, in a rifle regiment - a sapper company. The cavalry corps had a sapper squadron, a cavalry division - a sapper squadron and a ferry fleet, a cavalry regiment - a sapper platoon. The mechanized corps included a separate motorized engineering battalion. The tank division provided for a motorized pontoon-bridge battalion, which was armed with the H2P park. The motorized division included a light engineering battalion. Tank brigades and regiments had separate sapper companies, and motorized brigades and mechanized regiments had a sapper platoon. In the high-power artillery regiment, the RVGK howitzer artillery regiment and the corps heavy artillery regiment, the staff batteries had one sapper platoon. The engineering troops of the Red Army belonged to special troops and were obliged to provide, in engineering terms, the combat operations of combined arms, tank and other units and formations. In the temporary field charter of the Red Army in 1936, article 7 says:

“The use of all the maneuverability of the modern Armed Forces is possible only on condition of proactive and precise work special troops, and primarily engineering, communications and transport (rail and road). "

This charter defines the importance of engineering support for an offensive battle and its tasks. The main provisions of engineering support were also developed. defensive combat... In 1939, the Manual on Engineering for the Red Army infantry was put into effect. The manual provided basic guidelines for the production of military engineering work on the ground, taking into account the use of new engineering technology (75).

In 1939, in connection with the transfer of our western border, the construction of new fortified areas began. In addition to military construction units, all engineering and sapper battalions of border districts and forty battalions from internal districts were involved in this work. The separation of engineering units from their formations and formations had a very negative effect on the combat and special training of personnel, the cohesiveness and preparedness of engineering troops for operations in a combat situation. In passing, it should be noted that we failed to complete the construction of the UR by the beginning of the war.

The training of officer cadres of engineering troops before the war was carried out in five military engineering schools (Moscow, Leningrad, Borisov, Chernigov and Michurinsky, the latter was created in 1941), the V.V. composition. The training of reserve officers was carried out at some civilian higher educational institutions and at periodic meetings of reserve officers.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 7, 1940, general and admiral ranks were established for the highest command personnel of the army and navy. On June 4, 1940, the Council of People's Commissars, by its decree, conferred the rank of general on a large group of officers, including 23 officers of the engineering troops (76).

On November 2, 1940, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR established new military ranks for privates and junior commanding officers.

An important factor in the further strengthening of the engineering troops was the activity of political agencies and party organizations, the strengthening of their role and influence on the life of subunits and units. As in all the Armed Forces, in engineering units, special importance was attached to the organizational strengthening of party and Komsomol organizations, the growth of the number of communists and Komsomol members, primarily at the expense of warriors of leading professions, as well as the expansion and strengthening of the party-Komsomol nucleus of command and command personnel.

The theoretical position on the role and place of engineering troops in the system of the Armed Forces as a whole and the direction of their development before the Great Patriotic War corresponded to the general development of the methods of armed struggle. Of particular importance in the development of a unity of views on the engineering support of the operation were the meetings of the engineering chiefs, which took place in December 1940.

In the pre-war years, a number of textbooks and textbooks on engineering support for military operations and the combat use of engineering units and subunits were developed and published at the Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army, at the V.V.Kuibyshev Military Engineering Academy. These include the textbook "Engineering support for the combat operations of a rifle division" by E. V. Aleksandrov, 1937, and his work "The work of a corps engineer battalion in combat conditions." 1938 textbook "Engineering support of combat actions of rifle formations (SD and SK)" by D. M Karbyshev, published in 1939 (part 1) and in 1940 (part 2), and a number of others. At the same time, DM Karbyshev was the author of a large number of scientific works on a number of issues of military engineering.

The measures carried out under the leadership of the Communist Party both in the entire Red Army and in its engineering troops to transfer them to a peaceful position in 1921-1923, the military reform of 1924-1925, as well as the technical re-equipment of units and formations on the basis of the country's industrialization and the successful fulfillment of the plans of the pre-war five-year plans made it possible to organizationally strengthen the engineering troops, restructure command and control personnel, train command personnel, organize and consistently improve the combat and political training of troops, ensure the supply of an ever-increasing number of new military equipment, including vehicles and engineering weapons, mastering this technique, etc.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army had a scientific generalization of the theory and practice of engineering support for combat and operations and, in particular, the combat use of engineering troops. The main provisions of Soviet military theory on these issues corresponded to the general development of the forms and methods of armed struggle.

On the whole, all this made it possible to sufficiently train the engineering troops, and they proved to be able, in difficult conditions, to solve complex tasks of engineering support for the combat operations of the Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War.

FOREIGN MILITARY REVIEW No. 6/2000, pp. 14-20

GROUND TROOPS

Colonel general N. SERDTSEV,

Lieutenant colonel N. EVTUSHENKO

In accordance with the adopted Army-21 concept, the US Army (Ground Forces) command continues to carry out a wide range of measures to increase the combat capability and combat readiness of troops, and improve the organizational structure of subunits, units and formations. At the same time, an important place is assigned to the engineering troops, which, according to the views of the command, are intended to support the combat operations of the main combat arms.

To solve the problems of engineering support, the US Army has deployed Corps of Engineers, the leadership of which is entrusted to the Engineer Command. It is subordinate to the Secretary of the Army, who administers the Army through the Chief of the Army Staff. The engineering command is entrusted with the following tasks:

Planning and coordination of operational activities of all formations involved in the implementation of engineering support tasks;

Planning, coordination and control of construction and repairs carried out by the armed forces (AF) and commercial organizations under the contract in the interests of the army and other types of the Armed Forces, as well as the allies in the areas of concentration of troops and at rear bases;

Planning, coordinating and executing wartime infrastructure improvements under the Committee of Chiefs of Staff program (KNSH);

Planning, coordination and management of the construction or rehabilitation of facilities in a theater of operations (TV D);

Designing the deployment of formations of engineering troops, machinery and equipment, as well as providing technical assistance in the implementation of these projects;

Coordination of topographic support and military topographic reconnaissance in the theater of operations;

Coordination of the production of the necessary topographic documents and the work of the military cartographic service;

Management of real estate management in the battle zone during operations to stabilize the situation;

Management of real estate management in the area of ​​communication lines during troop transfer operations;

Overseeing construction work, which is contracted by personnel recruited from both the United States and internationally. The main provisions on the principles of actions of the engineering troops are set out in the field manual FM 5-100 1996 "Engineering support".

The main tasks of the engineering troops in the conduct of hostilities of all types are to ensure mobility, counter-mobility, survivability and the implementation of general engineering tasks.

Mobility provides for the exercise of freedom of maneuver for combat and support units in any conditions of a combat situation by solving the following tasks: reconnaissance of traffic routes, restoration and maintenance of the road network; overcoming explosive and non-explosive obstacles, providing for their reconnaissance, search and equipment of bypasses, making and marking of passages; ensuring the movement of troops (through the construction and maintenance of military roads and column routes); overcoming water obstacles (their reconnaissance, preparation of service equipment, assembly of bridges and ferries, organization of commandant service at the crossing); ensuring the forward basing of army aviation (AA), which includes conducting reconnaissance activities, construction and repair work, as well as the maintenance of landing sites.

Countermobility presupposes the maximum limitation of the enemy's mobility, primarily of his tank and mechanized formations. For this, obstacles of all types are widely used, the leading role among which is assigned to mines. In the conduct of hostilities, a large-scale use of mines is envisaged, in the installation of which not only engineering formations will participate, but also artillery, AA, as well as aviation of the Air Force, Navy and marines... With the help of modern mines, it is planned to erect obstacles by means of which it is possible to stop the advance of the enemy, to detain him or direct him to the zones where the most effective use of various types of weapons against him is possible.

Survivability provides for the implementation of measures to ensure the secrecy of troops from enemy reconnaissance and defeat him with various fire weapons. This task is solved by the entire personnel, and engineering units are entrusted with the responsibilities of carrying out large-scale camouflage measures, erecting protective structures for weapons and military equipment (V and VT), equipping and protecting command posts, communication centers and control centers.

In defense, special attention is paid to the careful equipment of protective structures, which are distributed according to the degree of importance in the following order: command posts; firing positions (including positions of operational-tactical missiles, field artillery and air defense systems); positions of anti-tank weapons; shelters for tanks, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.

In an offensive, defensive structures are equipped if there is time for this, as well as during stops caused by regrouping and rebuilding of troops. Currently, when making a decision to perform this task, it is recommended next scale priorities: equipment of control points; firing positions for anti-tank weapons; positions for means of firing indirect fire; the most important points of supply of ammunition and fuels and lubricants.

To general engineering tasks refers to specific activities carried out by engineering units in the rear zone. The most important of them are the equipment, maintenance and restoration of communication lines, the erection of protective and other structures for the rear units, the construction of runways, the production of continuous mine clearance, the equipment of water intake points.

Organization of engineering divisions of the ground forces USA. In the period from the second half of the 1980s to the mid-1990s, in order to increase the efficiency of engineering support for combat operations in the United States, a reorganization of engineering units was carried out, the main directions of which were: equipping troops with new means based on modern technologies; improvement of communication systems and processes of management and interaction; creating conditions for independent action in advanced areas; increasing the ability to quickly deploy for operations as part of combined arms formations.

The result of this reorganization was the change in the combat and numerical strength of the engineering formations of the corps and divisions of the US Army. According to the new provisions of the FM 5-100 charter, the engineering team army corps(AK, its approximate composition is shown in Fig. 1) may include a headquarters and a headquarters unit, a topographic company, one or two engineering groups, each of which has two to five engineering battalions (engineering, heavy engineering, light engineering), one construction group , in which there may be three to six engineering battalions, as well as separate companies that will be introduced into the brigade as needed. The number, type and strength of engineering battalions in a corps will depend on its structure, missions to be solved, the enemy's grouping and capabilities, as well as the characteristics of the theater of operations. The headquarters of the engineering brigade is the headquarters of the AK engineering service.

Rice. 1. The approximate organization of the engineering brigade of the army corps

US ground forces

The structure of a mechanized engineering battalion from the engineering brigade of the US Army AK is shown in Fig. 2, and a list of the main V and VT and equipment - in table. 1. Usually it is subordinate to the headquarters of the engineering group and consists of a headquarters and three line companies. In terms of its capabilities, it almost corresponds to a battalion of an armored or mechanized division, but it has a larger staff. This formation is used for engineering support of the division's combat operations in more difficult conditions. When performing tasks to ensure mobility, the mechanized battalion organizes reconnaissance and reconnaissance. It provides overcoming of particularly difficult natural and man-made barriers and obstacles. In the course of operations to ensure the crossing of obstacles by divisions and brigades, a mechanized engineering battalion can: replace subdivisions of divisional subordination, freeing them to perform other, less complex tasks; provide support and reinforcement of divisional units; solve tasks to overcome obstacles in parallel with divisional units. When performing countermobility missions, the corps engineering battalion (mechanized) must set minefields, destroy roads and bridges.

An engineering battalion of wheeled vehicles, as a rule, is subordinate to the headquarters of the engineering group and consists of a headquarters and three line companies. This formation is usually used to perform engineering support tasks in the rear areas of the AK. Subdivisions of this battalion build, restore and repair roads, column tracks, forward-based airfields, ensure the maneuverability of rear units and subunits, in some cases they can be involved in the construction of rear bases.

Table 1

EQUIPMENT OF ENGINEERING UNITS OF ENGINEERING BREWS OF AK AND "HEAVY" DIVISION OF THE US Army Air Forces

A heavy engineering battalion usually consists of a headquarters and three line companies. It has great opportunities for the construction and repair of runways, airfields, roads, bridges, buildings. The equipment of this battalion allows the construction of ports, communication lines, dams, power plants. In addition to military operations, it is widely used in the elimination of the consequences of war, the provision of humanitarian aid, in the elimination of the consequences of catastrophes and natural disasters. A “heavy” engineering battalion is typically used to reinforce divisional and brigade engineering units.

Engineering and airborne engineering companies (light equipment), as a rule, are subordinate to the head of the corps engineering service and are equipped with rapidly deployable equipment that has low weight and dimensions and ensures the performance of tasks to ensure survivability. They usually perform tasks in conjunction with a corps engineering battalion (light engineering battalion - airborne), but sometimes they are used in conjunction with a mechanized engineering battalion or an engineering battalion of wheeled vehicles.

Rice. 2. The structure of the engineering battalion (mechanized) engineering brigade

AK and "light division"

The Engineering Company (Light Equipment) and the Air Assault Engineering Company (Light Equipment) assist the agile forces in their excavation work. These units are typically used to reinforce the Light Engineering Battalion and the Airborne Engineering Battalion.

An engineering company of combat support equipment is usually subordinate to the corps engineering service headquarters and is equipped with high-performance earth-moving equipment. Usually it is part of a corps engineering battalion (mechanized or wheeled vehicles), and in some cases it can act independently, subordinate to the headquarters of the engineering group.

table 2

EQUIPMENT OF ENGINEERING BATTLES OF "LIGHT" DIVISIONS OF THE US AF

Rice. 3. Engineering brigade of the "light" division of the US Army (option)

The engineering company (pontoon) is equipped with a Ribon Bridge, which allows you to quickly build floating bridges... She is usually part of a corps engineering battalion or a corps engineering group. The bridge sections are transported by special vehicles and in some cases by medium-duty helicopters. In addition, the units are engaged in the transportation of goods after the pontoon sections are unloaded.

The Collapsible Axle Engineering Company and the MGB Axle Engineering Company are designed to quickly assemble rigid bridges. To meet this challenge, the companies are equipped with Bailey or MGB collapsible bridges. Often these bridges are assembled to replace previously installed assault bridges. Typically companies of rigid bridges are part of a corps engineering battalion or subordinate to an engineering group. Transport vehicles can also be used to transport various goods.

The engineering detachment (underwater work) is designed to perform underwater work in the interests of the corps command, in particular for underwater reconnaissance, ensuring the crossing of the river, creating and overcoming underwater obstacles. He can also assist with port operations and coastal clean-ups.

An engineering brigade from the "heavy" division (staffing about 1,300 people) includes a headquarters and a headquarters company, three mechanized engineering battalions (similar to mechanized engineering battalions from the AK).

The mechanized engineering battalion consists of a headquarters, headquarters and three engineering companies and a support unit. They provide engineering support for brigade tactical groups.

The brigade commander is usually also the division's chief of engineering. He, together with his headquarters, is responsible for organizing the engineering support of the division and plans all activities carried out in the division within the framework of his authority. It determines the scope of tasks that must be performed by divisional battalions attached to corps battalions and separate companies. The commander of an engineering brigade of a mechanized or armored division has the right to transfer the companies of one engineering battalion of the division to the disposal of another, or to assign them to other mobile units, for example, an armored cavalry squadron.

In the modern structure of "light" divisions, engineering support functions are assigned to engineering battalions. These battalions are of the same type in their composition and include: headquarters, headquarters and three engineering companies. The number of personnel in battalions ranges from 410 to 436 people and depends on the number of weapons and equipment that are equipped with these battalions. The list of main weapons and military equipment is presented in table. 2.

However, the experience of the exercises shows that the engineering forces allocated to the brigades to solve the required tasks at the required high pace may not be enough. Therefore, the developers of the structure of the new "light" division propose to have in it a separate engineering brigade as part of the headquarters and the headquarters company, two battalions - general and direct support (Fig. 3).

The total number of the brigade will be about 1,600 - 1,800 people. Typical of these units will be their equipping with light engineering equipment, designed for transportation by standard military transport aircraft C-130 and C-17.

To date, the prospective organization of the engineer troops is being tested in the course of military exercises and staff games, which should help clarify and correct the planned organizational and staff transformations of the corps and divisional engineering troops.

Thus, the ground forces of the US Armed Forces in the combat zone have combat-ready units and subunits of engineering troops, capable of effectively performing a variety of engineering support tasks in all types of combat operations.

At present, the structure of promising "medium" brigades has been determined, and the composition of the new divisions has not yet been established.