Rifle Division 04/550

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#181

Post by Art » 16 Jan 2023, 15:41

See also size, composition and echelonment of the ammunition unit, weight of the ammunition unit in package for various weapons established in December 1943 (partial list):
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=451545799
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=454637019
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=450291806

One noteworthy thing is an absence of smoke ammunition in the normal allowance. Only for 82-mm mortar 6 smoke rounds were supposed to be kept in the divisional train (but not with the mortar itself).

Regarding provision of magazines, some sources confirm deficit of magazines for automatic weapons:
https://kontingent.press/post/magaziny- ... osti-vojsk

It seems that 1-2 magazines for machine pistols and 2 magazines for light machine guns were normal occurrence, and even fabric belts for Maxim machine guns could be in short supply. I found several examples of orders and directives pertaining to the provision of ammo magazines. For example the command of the 11 Guards Army on 21.1.44 noted that the Army doesn't have the requisite number of magazines and machine gun belts and demanded to redistribute them between units and search them on the battlefield in order to provide 3 magazines per PPSh SMG, 2 magazines per light machine gun and 2 belts per Maxim machine guns:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=135846736
commander of the 47 Army on 12.1.45 ordered to provide 2 disk magazines per every SMG, 3 magazines per light machine gun and 10 belts per heavy machine gun:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=136230853

So it was a seemingly "small" problem, which was of considerable importance.

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#182

Post by Art » 17 Jan 2023, 22:44

For comparison, the rifle battalion of the rifle regiment TO/E 04/201 from March 1941 was supposed to carry in the battalion train:
6000 cartidges for rifles in clips or 10 standard ammo boxes = 215 kg
17600 cartridges without clips for light and 6000 for heavy machine guns, total 23600 or 27 standard boxes or at least 730 kg
560 rounds for anti-tank rifles or 7 standard boxes = 182 kg
1215 rounds for machine-pistols or 1 standard box = 30 kg
30 light and 374 signal flares for 26-mm flare pistol or 1 standard box = 55 kg
400 RGD-type hand-grenades or 8 boxes = 400 kg
40 RPG-40 antitank grenades - 1 box + 10 grenades = approx. 70 kg
Total circa 1700 kg.
For this the battalion had 3 wagons, each hauled by 2 horses with a total loading capacity of 1500 kg. And they also were supposed to transport some unspecified "chemical materials" - probably antichemical capes etc, which added some additional weight.

The mortar battalion of the rifle regiment 04/201 was supposed to carry:
672 50-mm mortar rounds or 48 standard boxes = 1200 kg
720 82-mm mortar rounds or 72 stanadard boxes = 3240 kg
total circa 4500 kg
For this the battalion had 7 2-horse wagons, with the loading capacity of 3500 kg.

So either they were feeding horses with steriods or the authoirzed transport was inadequate for hauling authorized ammunition. The rifle battalion 04/551 had additional 50-mm and 82-mm mortars but only 33% capacity added to the battalion ammunition section.


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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#183

Post by Der Alte Fritz » 19 Jan 2023, 06:50

German Hf.1 wagon had a pair of horses with weight of wagon 610kg and load 750kg while Hf.2 wagon with four horses had a weight of wagon 800kg and load 1,200kg.

So in the first case the horses were pulling 680kg each and in the second case 500kg each.

Your example of a 500kg load for two horse wagons seems reasonable and allow for an element of overloading

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#184

Post by Art » 21 Jan 2023, 09:59

These are numbers given in the instruction on train service of the Red Army (page 42 here)

Useful load - 500 kg per 2-horse cargo wagon and 250 kg per 1-horse wagon.
See also loading of ammunition on trucks and horse-drawn wagons down the link
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=450252176

Continuing with authorized ammunition in the rifle regiment 04/551

The regimental anti-tank battery was supposed to transport 50 rounds per gun in limbers and 100 in ammunition caissons. Other 50 rounds per gun were carried in the ammunition platoon of the regimental cannon battery. That is 50x6=300 rounds total or 30 standard boxes or about 1050 kg. For this the ammunition platoon had 2-horse wagons with a net useful load of 1000 kg. Everything seems consistent

The regimental cannon battery carried 16 rounds per gun in gun limbers, other 124 were loaded on 2-horse cargo wagons. Total 124x4=496 rounds or about 100 standard ammunition boxes or 5700 kg. For this the battery had 10 wagons in the firing battery and ammunition platoon with a net useful load of about 5000 kg. A small but manageable deficit.

The 120-mm mortar battery - apparently the entire ammunition unit (80 rounds per mortar or about 1920 kg) was transported on a 3-tons truck, also the mortar itself and the mortar crew (6 men). At any rate the regimental transport echelon didn't have capacity to haul 120-mm ammunition, as demonstrated below.

Based on authorized allowance of ammuntion the regimental transport company was supposed to carry:
226x45=10 170 rounds for machine-pistols or 5 standard boxes or 150 kg
162x212 = 34 344 rounds for light machine guns and 36x500 rounds for heavy machine guns, total 52 344 rounds without clips or 60 standard boxes or about 1620 kg
54x36 = 1944 rounds for anti-tank rifles or 24 boxes or 624 kg
18x36=648 50-mm mortar rounds or 46 standard boxes or 1150 kg
27x40=1080 82-mm mortar rounds or 108 boxes or 4860 kg
6x50=300 45-mm rounds for anti-tank guns of rifle battalions or 30 boxes or 1050 kg
Total about 9500 kg plus pistol and rifle ammunition, hand grenades, flares (I don't have exact numbers).

Also the company carried one daily ration for the regiment's personnel (1.63 kg per men accoridng to TO/E 04/201) total about 4000 kg and forage for riding and artillery horses (forage for horses hauling cargo wagons was loaded on wagons themselves) - more than 1000 kg by my estimate.

For this the company had 29 2-horse wagons with a net capacity of 15 tons. That was barely adequate for the authorized amount of ammunition, food and forage, provided that actual distribution of ammunition corresponded to the authorized rates.

Note that at this stage the dedicated ammuition caisson for the 76-mm regimental gun was substituted with a standard cargo wagon (probably for a lack of suitable horses of for the sake of simplification), dedicated mortar wagons were substituted with general-type 1-horse wagons, horse draught for the 120-mm mortars was substituted with a truck. All that made original rates of distrbibution of ammunition constituting the ammunition unit unfeasable, yet officialy they were not altered.

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#185

Post by Art » 22 Jan 2023, 19:07

The entire ammunition unit for the rifle division 04/550 is summaraized in the table down the link:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=450252176

All in all it took 124 3-ton trucks or 248 1.5-ton trucks to lift one ammunition unit for all the authorized weapons. The table pertains to September 1943 with modified tables of organization and increased numbers of SMGs in lieu of rifles compared with original tables from December 1942, but that doesn't seem to change the load dramatically.

The division included a motor transport company with 43 3-ton trucks authorized. The company was supposed to transport 1/2 ammunition unit for division, that is 62 3-tons trucks, and also a daily ration for personnel (1.63 kg per men w/o vegetables or about 15 tons) and horses (5 kg of oats per horse or 8.5 tons). Excluding 8 trucks reserved for food and fodder that leaves 35 trucks or slightly more than a half of the requisite number. So, once again, authorized transport was inadequate in proportion to the autorized ammunition.

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#186

Post by Der Alte Fritz » 23 Jan 2023, 00:12

These are numbers given in the instruction on train service of the Red Army (page 42 here)
This is a fascinating document and I have rarely seen manuals on horse drawn transport so it is great to see it here. Would be great to find other examples.

Not quite sure about the title translation
наставление по обозному делу РККА
Manual on the convoy (train) group? of Red Army perhaps

As regards the transport document, while the Motor Transport Company is lifting half the boekomplekt, the horse-drawn limbers and caissons of the Artillery Regiment carried a great deal as well. Each Battalion had an Ammunition platoon with 24 wagons while every firing platoon had 4 wagons for ready to use ammunition.

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#187

Post by Piet Duits » 23 Jan 2023, 00:25

Great data guys, keep it coming!

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#188

Post by Art » 23 Jan 2023, 11:48

Der Alte Fritz wrote:
23 Jan 2023, 00:12
Not quite sure about the title translation
наставление по обозному делу РККА
Manual on the convoy (train) group? of Red Army perhaps
Manual/instruction on train service or service of trains
As regards the transport document, while the Motor Transport Company is lifting half the boekomplekt, the horse-drawn limbers and caissons of the Artillery Regiment carried a great deal as well. Each Battalion had an Ammunition platoon with 24 wagons while every firing platoon had 4 wagons for ready to use ammunition.
Yes, normally each regiment had one ammunition unit (140 rounds per light gun or 80 rounds per 122-mm howitzer), whereas 1/2 of the unit was carried by the divisional transport. That would bring the total mobile stocks to 1.5 ammo unit. Yet, as said above, the divisional transport company simply didn't have enough trucks for that.

Another issue to consider is the amount of anti-tank ammunition. According to normal allowance of 1942 the ammunition unit of the 45-mm anti-tank gun consisted of:
154 fragmentation rounds
40 armor-piercing rounds
6 canister rounds
So, only 20% of anti-tank ammunition.

On the contrary the ammunition unit of the German 37-mm anti-tank gun consisted of 120 armor-piercing rounds and 100 fragmentation rounds, also 30 subcaliber anti-tank rounds were added later:
viewtopic.php?p=2450645#p2450645

Ammunition unit for the 76-mm regimental gun didn't include any anti-tank ammunition (108 HE and 32 shrapnel rounds per gun), the unit for the 76-mm divisional gun included very few (104 HE rounds, 28 shrapnel rounds, and 8 armor-piercing rounds per gun). Characteristically, 4 of 8 AP rounds were kept in a gun limber in order to use them in emergency obviously.

Ammunition allowance established in 1943 increased the proportion of anti-tank ammunition:
125 HE, 10 hollow-charge, and 5 canister rounds per regimental gun
120 HE, 16 armor-piercing and 4 subcaliber rounds per divisional 76-mm gun.
An increased rate of anti-tank ammo was established for 76-mm guns in anti-tank units.

Shrapnel shells disappeared completely from a normal ammunition allowance: they were difficult to produce and required sophisticated gunnery.

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#189

Post by Art » 05 Feb 2023, 13:13

A variant of outfit carried by an infantry soldier (as ordered by the 8 Army commander on 18 July 1943):
Note that ammunition allocation was different from standard tables of organization

1. Riflemen
rifle with bayonet - 4.530 kg
2 cartridge bandoleers - 2x0.145 kg
2 cartridge pouches - 2x0.23kg
180 cardtridges with clips - 4.440 kg
4 handgrenades - 4x0.410 kg
mess tin - 0.33 kg
spoon - 0.030 kg
daily ration - 1.020 kg
tobacco kit - 0.020 kg
raincoat - 1.48 kg
small spade - 0.89 kg
water flask - 1.310 kg
helmet - 1.2 kg
uniform - 5.8 kg
first aid kit - 0.03 kg
rifle accessories - 0.25 kg

total 24.4 kg
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=132667897

2. Submachine gunner
Submachine gun - 3.88 kg
2 disk magazines - 2x1.81 kg
4 sector magazines - 4x0.58 kg
200 pistol cartridges in a bag - 1.77 kg
4 handgrenades - 4x0.41 kg
mess tin - 0.33 kg
spoon - 0.030 kg
daily ration - 1.020 kg
tobacco kit - 0.020 kg
raincoat - 1.48 kg
small spade - 0.89 kg
water flask - 1.310 kg
helmet - 1.2 kg
uniform - 5.8 kg
first aid kit - 0.03 kg

Total 26.36 kg
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=132667900

3. Light machine gun number No.1
DP machine gun - 9.52 kg
magazine with 71 (?) cardtridges - 2.67 kg
2 handgrenades - 2x0.41 kg
mess tin - 0.33 kg
spoon - 0.030 kg
daily ration - 1.020 kg
tobacco kit - 0.020 kg
raincoat - 1.48 kg
small spade - 0.89 kg
water flask - 1.310 kg
helmet - 1.2 kg
uniform - 5.8 kg
first aid kit - 0.03 kg
machine gun accessories - 0.52 kg

Total 25.98 kg
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=132667898

4. Light machine gun number No.2
rifle - 4.53 kg
70 cartridges in bandoleer - 1.2 kg
2 handgrenades - 2x0.41kg
2 machine gun boxes - 2x3.1 kg
6 magazines with catridges 6x2.67 kg
mess tin - 0.33 kg
spoon - 0.030 kg
daily ration - 1.020 kg
tobacco kit - 0.020 kg
raincoat - 1.48 kg
small spade - 0.89 kg
water flask - 1.310 kg
helmet - 1.2 kg
uniform - 5.8 kg
first aid kit - 0.03 kg
rifle accessories - 0.25 kg

Total 41.47 kg (!)
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=132667899

5. Sapper
weapons and ammunition - smmiliar to riflemen or submachine gunners
2 antipersonnel, 2 smoke and 2 thermite handgrenades
special equipment (grapnel, hook, mine probe)

6. Anti-tank riflem team
anti-tank rifle
45 ATR cartridges on the 1st number
60-70 cartridges on the 2nd number
2 handgrenades per men

7. Medium machine gun team:
Medium machine gun
6 machine gun belts
2 handgrenades per men
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=132667901

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#190

Post by Art » 05 Feb 2023, 13:57

Normal outfit of infantry soldier in attack established by the South Front's order of 7 October 1943:

1. Riflemen - rifle, 120 cartridges, 4 anti-personnel handgrenades, small spade, first aid kit. 4 anti-tank grengades per rifle section

2. Submachine gunner - submachine gun, 3 disk or 6 sector magazines (with cartridges), 4 anti-personnel grenades, 300 pistol rounds,

3. Light machine gun team - light machine gun, 6 disk magazines, 300 cartridges, 2 anti-personnel grenades

4. Medium machine gun team - medium machine gun, 4 machine gun belts, 1 anti-personnel grenades, 100 cartridges per rifle

5. Anti-tank rifle teams - AT rifle, 40 ATR cartridges, 2-3 anti-tank grenades

1 daily ration per men in a knapsack.
overcoats and gas masks were to be discarded and transported to men after combat
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=134678262

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#191

Post by Art » 08 Feb 2023, 20:36

According to various sources on tables of equipment the rifle division of 1943 (04/500 and 04/550) was authorized 250 anti-tank and 350 anti-personnel mines and 30 mine detectors. Not much definitely. For comparison in the summer of 1941 a single rifle regiment was authorized more mine detectors (43).
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=136269859
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=156055736
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=114347989

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#192

Post by Art » 09 Feb 2023, 08:37

Service manuals for Maxim and DS-39 machine guns describe their combat employment in two principal modes:
- direct fire against targets observed from the machine gun position
- indirect fire from behind terrain masks similarly to field artillery

For the last option early in the war machine guns of the infantry machine guns companies were equipped with the optical panoramic sights, whereas the machine gun companies themselves had aiming circles enabling indirect fire.
However already in 1942 the indirect fire option was discarded doctrinally. As defined in the battle manual of infantry of 1942, Pt. 1.: "Machine guns deliver fire in sections, platoons and companies from open camouflaged positions"
Accordingly optical sights and aiming circles were removed from the list of equipment of machine gun companies (see Shtat 04/201 from March 1942). It seems that the same was true in regard to later tables of organizations including the rifle regiment 04/551 although the detailed list of equipment for them is not available. As a result direct aiming was left as an only option for the infantry machine guns.

Another point regarding machine gun equipment: according to the earlier TO/Es for the purpose of air defense 1/3 of medium machine guns (1 platoon in every machine gun companies) were equipped with anti-aircraft tripod mounts and anti-aircraft sights. It is likely that the same allowance was retained in the rifle regiment 04/551 meaning that in every riffle battalion there were 3 Maxim guns equipped for anti-aircraft fire.

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#193

Post by Art » 24 Feb 2023, 15:13

Art wrote:
04 Dec 2018, 10:07
Authorized communication equipment in the rifle division, December 1944.
From a report by 87 RD:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=451682261
Another take on authroized distribution of signals equipment in the rifle regiment in this document:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=130356891

According to this table the commnications company of the rifle regiment was authorized:
4 radios (RB) and 1 short-wave radio reciever, 2 KOF-type switchboards (per 6 telephone numbers, also new K-10 swtichboards for 10 telepnones became available at the end of the war), 20 field telephones, 30 km of telephone cable, 6 telepehone carts
Communication platoon of each rifle battalion: 1 KOF swtichboard, 8 telephones, 10 km of cable, 1 telephone cart
Regimental cannon battery (76-mm): 4 radios, 5 telephones, 10 km of cable, 1 telephone cart
Regimental 120-mm mortar battery: 4 telephones, 4 km of cable (equipment trasnported on trucks).

Which makes total 8 radios and 1 radio reciever, 5 switchboards, 53 field telephones, 72 km of cable in the regiment. Which is somewhat smaller than numbers in the previos tables.
Presumably normally the regiment assigned a radio to each rifle battalion, leaving 1 radio and a reciever at the regimental HQ. 2 swithcboards secured communications for two positions of the regimental HQ of the the forward and rear echelon of the HQ. The battalion had a switchboard at the battalion HQ and laid telephone lines to rifle companies, mortar company and foward observation post. There was no means for radio communication below battalion level and for telephone communications below company level. It should be added that pre-war tables of organization (Shtat 04/401) provided for telephonists/wiremen and field telephones in the machine gun and mortar companies for intracompany communications. However, already in July 1941 they dissapeared altogether. Only in December 1944 a new TO/E of the rifle regiment (05/41) returned telephones to mortar company. This TO/E was not widely applied though.

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#194

Post by Art » 11 Mar 2023, 16:12

Let's conintue with communications/signalling means in the rifle regiment other than radios and telephones described above. Below is a short overview drawn from various sources.
Voice: the simplest and easiest to use but with limited range. In open formations mostly employed within squad/section. The range of voice can be extended by chain transmission from one man to another.

Personal liaison: infantry officers had to move almost exclusively on foot to personally communicate with their superiors, subordinates, neighbors or supporting commanders. Any cars or motorcycles were absent in the TO/E, while riding horses were given only to a limited number of officers: regimental commander, political officer, chief of staff and chief of artillery, commander of the communication company, commanders and political officers of the regimental cannon and anti-tank batteries (total 9). And also to the commander of the mounted scout platoon, for whom it was a must. That was a radical reduction compared with pre-war tables of organization, and also much inferior compared with contemporary German organization. The regimental HQ was also authorized 7 bicycles, which could increase mobility under favorable weather and terrain conditions.

Messengers (signallers) were not authorized at rifle battalion, company or platoon level by the Shtat 04/551. The regimental communication company had 4 horse and 3 bicycle messengers. They could be augmented by men of the mounted scout platoon, if needed. The battalion’s communication platoon was given one bicycle, but it wasn’t indicated who used it, probably it was meant for the battalion commander or battalion staff officers. Curiously, unlike rifle platoons and companies regimental SMG company and foot scout platoon had “official” foot messengers. Earlier TO/Es of the rifle regiment provided for one foot one messenger in every rifle company and platoon. These were minimal numbers as Soviet manuals and instructions demanded to detach at least one messenger from a rifle squad to a platoon and from a platoon to a company when units were deployed in open formations. These additional messengers were drawn from riflemen of the rifle squads and together with “permanent” messengers were employed in dual role of foot runners and signalers with the platoon/company/battalion commanders, watching signals from subordinated and superior commanders and neighbors and communicating messaged and commands by visual signals. In addition one rifleman in each rifle squad was to be assigned a role of observer watching visual signals from platoon and neighbor squads. According to the infantry manuals in combat the platoon commander had to observe his entire platoon and maintain visual contact with the company commander which made visual signaling within small units possible in most situations. Communication by runners in open terrain under strong hostile fire was discouraged unless for urgent messages.

Hand signaling: the battle manual of infantry of 1938 defined 13 standard hand signals (“attention”, “signal received”, “repeat signal”, “gather to me”, “deploy”, “stop/lie down”, “continue movement”, “fire”, “bring ammunition”, “to the right/left/forward/backward”, “see the enemy”, “path is clear”, “gas threat”). The battle manual of infantry of 1942 repeated the same signals and also recommended pre-arranged code for calling specific units (squads with the platoon, platoons within the company). These signals were taught to every soldier for signaling within small units and can be used from prone positions or from a trench. The range under good conditions could reach 500 meters. The same standard signals could be made using signal flags (see below), shovel, stick and other objects. In every combat one riflemen per rifle squad was to be assigned as observer watching visual signals from platoon and neighbor squads. In a rifle platoon and company observers and messengers/signalers were to watch signals from sub-elements, neighbors and parent units.

Signal flags. The standard flag set consisted of two flags – red and white (yellow in winter) with a 40x50 cm cloth on a 80 cm flagpole. The use of rigid plywood flags or flags with a wooden frame was also recommended. The range of transmission was up to 500 meters when observed with a naked eye or up to 1.5-2 km when observed with binoculars/periscope. The signal flags could be used to transmit standard hand signals (see above), a pre-arranged simple messages using a flag sequence or even complex messages using a Morse code (one flag stood for a dot and another for a dash). The latter obviously required some special training of signalers. Instead of flags any easily recognizable trivial objects, such as shovel, helmet of branch could be employed for similar two-sign code signaling. In combat it was recommended to use signal flags for communications to the rear, in order to avoid being spotted by the enemy. The initial allotment of flag sets to the rifle regiment 04/551 was apparently 48 (and total 172 or 174 in the rifle division). Based on the TO/E 04/201 these 48 pairs of flags were distributed as follows: in the communication company of the rifle regiment (probably in the regimental units), 12 per every rifle battalion, 2 per a mortar battery and 4 per a regimental cannon company. However, by the start of 1944 the authorized number had increased to 92. While an exact distribution is unknown it can be assumed that one flag set was distributed to every battalion, combat company or battery and platoon, which makes exactly 92.

Whistles and horns could be used for simple signaling up to a company level. In particular they substituted visual signals in poor visibility (night, fog, forests etc) or were used as an air or tank alert signal. The infantry manual of 1942 specifically mentioned that whistles were employed to command stop fire. By the start of 1944 the authorized number was 92 whistles (probably distributed on the same basis as flags) and 36 horns per rifle regiment. By analogy with earlier TO/Es (04/601 from July 1941 and 04/201 from March 1942) horns were only issued to rifle battalions (12 horns per one battalion) and were porobably used for signaling between platoons and companies. Whistles and horns could be complemented by sounds made using helmets, shovels, mess tins and other objects at hand.

Signal rockets (flares) were a simple and effective means of visual signaling and also provided illumination at night. Surprisingly in Soviet tables of equipment a flare (signal) pistol was considered a weapon rather than a means of signaling. According to the Shtat 04/201 (March 1942) 4 26-mm flare pistols were given to each rifle (SMG) company, and one per machine gun, mortar or anti-tank rifle company, gun battery, scour platoon, battalion communication platoon and regimental communication company, making total 59 in the rifle regiment. It appears that the same distribution was retained in the Shtat 04/551. Normal ammunition allotment consisted of 50 illuminating flares and 60 signal flares (white, red, green or yellow) per pistol, of which 10 signal flares were carried with the pistol itself.

Smoke candles were recommended as a means of signaling (for example to airplanes). Surprisingly, no table of organization gives any information on allocation of candles to the rifle regiment.

Use of tracer rounds especially by snipers to mark location of hostile weapons and important targets was recommended. However standard ammunition allocation to rifles and machine guns consisted of only two types of rounds: light (standard) and armor-piercing rounds. The latter could include some combined-action armor-piercing/tracer ammo, but that wasn’t explicitly indicated.

Cloth panels were employed for signaling to own aircraft. According to the “Instruction on employment of signals of recognition and communication between ground troops and aviation of the Red Army” published in December 1942 the infantry was given two type of panels. Panel set No.1 – two white (red in winter) panels 1x3 meters wide and long – was issued to every infantry platoon to designate the frontline. For this purpose forward infantry units laid panels on the ground and aligned them parallel to the front. Signal panel set or set No.3 – four white (red in winter) panels 1x4 meters were issued to every company, battery or squadron. Depending on the layout the panels could communicate 17 standard signals and also pre-arranged supplementary signals to airplanes. In nighttime panels were substituted with fires. The rifle regiment 04/551 was authorized 27 panels sets No.1 (likely one per rifle a platoon) and 9 communication sets (sets No.3 – likely one per a rifle company). For some reasons panels were not issued to the SMG company.

Blinker lights. The Red Army used a battery-powered SP-95 blinker light device as a means of light signaling in tactical units. The weight of the device with a tripod and an electric battery was about 10 kg. Using short and long light flashes the device could transmit pre-arranged signals and complex messages by the Morse code to an effective range up to 2.5 km in daytime and 10 km at night. Prior to the war blinker devices were given to light signalers of infantry battalions and regiments. The first wartime TO/E issued in July 1941 still retained 6 SP-95s at the communication company of the rifle regiment. After that they seem to disappear forever. For comparison according to early war German establishments blinker lights were issued down to rifle platoon level, and one man was assigned as blinker operator in each rifle company and platoon HQ.

Early war period books described dogs as a means of communications in company and battalion, but no provision for them were given in wartime tables of establishment. It appears that these descriptions were outdated and pertained to practice from 30s.

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Re: Rifle Division 04/550

#195

Post by Art » 18 Mar 2023, 21:27

Art wrote:
16 Jan 2023, 15:41
Regarding provision of magazines, some sources confirm deficit of magazines for automatic weapons:
https://kontingent.press/post/magaziny- ... osti-vojsk

It seems that 1-2 magazines for machine pistols and 2 magazines for light machine guns were normal occurrence, and even fabric belts for Maxim machine guns could be in short supply.
Another view on magazine availability using data for a large body of troops (a field army with several tens thousand men).
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=131264473

On 1 September 1944 the 4 Shock Army reported having 13,897 PPSh submachine guns with 17,810 magazines, 2961 PPS submachine guns with 7772 magazines, 1856 DP light machine guns with 3647 magazines, 553 Maxim heavy machine guns with 2393 ammo belts. That means in average slightly more than 1 magazine for PPSh (I guess a disk magazine with 71 rounds), about 2.5 magazines per PPS (sector magazine with 35 rounds), 2 magazines per DP LMG (each 47 rounds), more than 4 ammo belts per Maxim HMG (each 250 rounds).

Again, the numbers reveal a serious deficit of magazines for SMGs and light machine guns.

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