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2022-03-22 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

The Russian Battalion Tactical Group. Tactics, Equipment And Effectiveness

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Posted by DarthVader 2022-03-22 10:30|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 The battalion tactical group comports to the Soviet operational maneuver group, which was conceived as a corps sized element, composed of five brigades, each of five battalions.

What made the concept stand out was the massive amount of fire support provided the battalions, and the idea of independent battalion groups.

Kinetically, the operation maneuver group was to break through a break in an enemy's line, drive as deep as logistics would permit, dig in, then await relief as the rest of the army cleared the rest, leading to relief of the operational maneuver group.

Our own defense experts at the time called it a "deep strike." I termed it creating a tactical situation, where once the Soviet maneuver group was through, a weakened enemy would have to pull back to deal with the breakthrough, weakening the line, and permitting breakthrough troops to destroy both rearward units and weakened front line troops.

It all boils down to time and space. I don't think Soviet planners ever considered that such a concept was limited by the size of the breakthrough force and the strength of an enemy's resistance.

Posted by badanov 2022-03-22 12:16|| 2022-03-22 12:16|| Front Page Top

#2 badanov, as I recall that was a doctrine developed in WW2. It was tried with Tank Corps with indifferent success and worked better, much better!, with the bigger Mechanized Corps (remembering that a "corps" for the Soviets was basically equivalent to a Western Division). The difference was that the Mechanized Corps had far more infantry and could 'take a pounding' ... The Russian Tactical Battle Groups look like the Tank Corps: all teeth and no 'bulky muscle' to do anything other than bite.

Posted by magpie 2022-03-22 13:56|| 2022-03-22 13:56|| Front Page Top

#3 This sounds suspiciously like the old US Army Pentatomic Division idea (which replaced the old triangular divisions and Regimental Combat Teams). Composed of 5 Battle Groups which were each based around an infantry battalion with each having its own support elements dedicated.

Which the US saw was operationally bad, and thus abandoned.

Then came the US "Air-land" battle Task Force cross-attaching armor and infantry, with integral artillery support, both at a battalion level with crossed company types (TF) and a company level (Team) with crossed platoon types. (Typically 1 tank and 2 infantry or 2 tank and one Infantry)

For the current BCT (Brigade) US doctrine, see FM 3-96.

Posted by Chealing Chomotle4158 2022-03-22 19:07|| 2022-03-22 19:07|| Front Page Top

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