The doctrine of use of this material that begins to emerge from the factories, march partner to that developed in Germany and is the main thesis of his defense: the aforementioned General Tujachevskii, which turn it into tactical doctrine. The cult of the continuous offensive, uninterrupted, sustained by the use of armored vehicles able to go into depth and speed in deploying enemy starts here, in the early thirties.
The General mentioned, already at that time had reached a decisive position in the chain of command he foresaw at the same time, the concept of Total War: a conflict that would cover the entire economic life of the nation, this concept began to be addressed again by military thinkers worldwide. Such are the ideas that are reflected in regulations and standards become part of the philosophy of use of such weapon in the Red Army.
Thus begins the creation of the first armored units even before that in Germany and ahead of other Western nations (except the British experimental unit, the size of a brigade that would soon be dissolved). Develop a mass human and material effort and a decided bet for this kind of material. Between 1930 and 1935 were manufactured 3500 light tanks the T-26 and BT, as well as significant quantities of trucks, mechanized vehicles, tractors and all kinds;
indispensable for the design of such units to a size never seen before then.
The result of this productive effort and the application of these theories was the creation of the following armored units:
Around 1932, the contingent of tanks and armored vehicles were integrated within an size brigade mechanized experimental unit, named K. B. Kalinovsky. Subsequently, in 1933, this unit was renamed First Mechanized Brigade, being composed of five battalions, an organization similar to that would be repeated in later units. He had a large contingent of tanks comprising: 178 T-26, 32 BT-2 and 91 T-27. From this point begin to emerge the new formations, creating the same year the 11th and the 45th Mechanized Brigade, and the
In the evolution of these Brigades arise greater mechanized units in the world on these dates:
They Moto Mechanized Army Corps created in 1933 and which in 1937 had been organized four. They were formed by two Mechanized Brigades composed each of three battalions of tanks (organized in ten vehicles companies, mostly BT series), an Armoured Battalion with little armored cavalry support vehicles (amphibious light tanks and armored wheeled vehicles) for scouting missions.
A motorized infantry battalion and engineering, signal and antiaircraft artillery companies. The full potential of the Corps was completed with a motorized infantry brigade, an entity battalion-sized cavalry weapon light trucks equipped with amphibians, complete sgnal and communications Battalion as well as logistics and transport unit.
The ratio of means armored and motorized infantry is well compensated, is remarkable in turn the important quota for the exploration and recognition unveiling the new mission of this great unit very close in function to the cavalry weapon, as well as the importance given to signal and communications elements. The unit was made up of about 8000 soldiers and about 500 tanks. This formation was created to be used as a mobile reserve, able to be used at the critical moment. Their deployment and subordination would be done at the Army Group level:
the so-called Fronts in Russian terminology.
With a production of about 1,000 armored vehicles a year, as early as 1934 in the order of battle of Soviet Army included two Mechanized Corps, 6 independent mechanized brigades, 6 independent armored regiments, 14 mechanized cavalry regiments, 23 supporting armored infantry battalions and 37 tanks companies.
To be part of these new mechanized corps and independent units creates a new Mechanized Brigade in 1934 consisting of three battalions of tanks and a lightweight support battalion equipped with small amphibious tanks and light wheeled armored vehicles, intended to perform missions of exploration and recognition and motorized infantry battalion on trucks.
Similar in spirit to the previous units, but with a smaller contingent of tanks.
A part of these large armored formations are organized smaller units to operate autonomously theory, which are:
- Armored Brigades were organized then in turn being the most numerous, approximately twenty number for the same dates in 1937. They were constituted as supporting forces on the second step of rupture and for it were endowed models medium and heavy trucks: T-28 and T-35 respectively who completed the rest of the squad combat vehicles theoretically amounting to a total of 128 tanks organized into four battalions of 32 units, starting an organization composed of ten companies of these vehicles: three sections or platoons three tanks and one of command, three of these companies along with two senior staff vehicles would meet the total battalion. They constituted the brigade-sized units with greater potential in the order of battle of the Red Army.
- In Motorized or Moto-Mechanized Brigade, the structure was similar to previous Mechanized unit with the only variation of the ratio of tanks battalions, which are reduced to two and the motorized infantry units on trucks that duplicated.
These brigades were a scale representation of Moto-Mechanized Corps, and were intended to be the third step of the rupture element, in addition to the initial attack forces and as a means to provide tactical depth to the assault. The main disadvantage of such units is that they were never tested in combat maneuvers used only pre-war rarely be added as complete
units used rather parceled as reinforcing other formations therefore would severely diminished their efficacy.
Along with the units described above also created other destined to be integrated into existing ones in order to strengthen and reinforce these:
- The Tanks Regiments were added to the Cavalry Divisions, theoretically 180 compounds BT type vehicles, giving these units first armored nucleus thereby increasing its potential and invaluable first experience to staff and command personal nearest if anything, the spirit of use of these weapons. Serving turn for the urgent modernization Cavalry formations except for the presence of a handful of light armored vehicles, their equipment kept unchanged from previous years.
- The Battle Tanks Battalions that were beginning to assign Infantry Divisions, these cars battalions composed essentially T-26 model, designed to strengthen and cooperate with infants. Since this is the theory that best resembled the traditional thinking, returning to this task each time the ideas of large mechanized units were called into question, more armored material.
The great creative process and the great innovation in armored units incorporating a scale never seen before, was cut short by violence. The same political system that was able to create the industrial and military capacity to operate these formations, eliminated many of the most prominent dashboards, decapitating the Red Army in one of the darkest episodes. If we think about it that evokes the name of one of the survivors: Timoshenko, Zhukov, Konev, Rokossosky, Vatutin ..., we can imagine the huge loss to the ability of command and control in the Soviet Army assumed these horrific crimes.
This significant boost reconstruction and creation of large formations coincided encompassed one or broader than that, a larger scale was carried out in all of the armed forces, so that was added to task as huge as the reorganization and enhancement of the Air Force, the entire air defense and special antiaircraft Artillery, media antitank fighting ground units, the empowerment own infantry formations, along with the slow but inexorable expansion of the Red Navy, and a whole long list of other jobs that involved almost all of the weapons and services all fighting forces.
Try to meet all these needs coincide in time absorbed an entire industrial production capacity was continuously growing, but that while beginning to lay the foundations for a takeoff unlimited potential in this historical period: first half of 1941, had a limited available resources, unable to adequately address all the requirements that were requested of him.
While starting a series of nationwide preparations for a future confrontation, although these are gradually accelerated, will not be finalized for the imminent start of this. Already noted the important role that he intended to give the enlistment and commissioning of armored units, but this effort did not arrive in time to give the desired results in a short term. Given the nature of the adversary that would deal, having much better armored units around the world: the dreaded "Panzer Divisionen", equipped with an effective team, led by combat veterans and experts in their handling Generals, responsibility hanging over his Soviet counterpart was huge. Caught in the middle stage of reorganization and growth would suffer a punishment as severe as that suffered by the rest of the Red Army during the early months of the war.