Rifle Division 04/550

[Dokis79]

Could someone send me the 04/550 series please? The only one I could get my hands on was 04/556:

https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=451133562

[Art]

The link to the original establishment tables doesn't work anymore for inexplicable reasons. I've got those pages downloaded, I can send or upload them if anybody needs them.

[Dokis79]

That would be nice! They should contain information like the weapons attributed to each man, which to my knowledge isn't available anywhere else (except for the rifle battalion, thanks to Gary Kennedy's work).

[Art]

The folder uploaded online (from TsAMO f.214 op.1437 d.519)
https://gofile.io/d/61ga93

[Dokis79]

Thanks.

[Palg]

Hi,

Would anyone be so kind as to post the Shtat 04/550-series again? I´m doing some research on the organization of the forces involved in the Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation (XIX.(Geb.)AK. and 14th Army). I have found the Gliederung and Gültige KStN for MG-Ski-Brigade-Finland and Radfahr-Aufklärungs-Brigade-Norwegen if it is of interest.

regards,

Pål

[Art]

I don't have it at the moment, probably somebody else does. Anyway, Niehorster's site gives detailed overview:
http://www.niehorster.org/012_ussr/42_o ... rd_00.html
as well as information posted on previous pages.

[Gary Kennedy]

Pål,

If you want to drop me an email via my website (link in the signature) I should be able to forward the images to you, I normally send via wetransfter.com. It's strange they vanished from pamyat-naroda.

Gary

[Palg]

Thanks Gary, I´ll send you an email shortly,

Pål

[Art]

A things previously nor considered is the echelonment of ammunition.

In 1942 the stantard ammuntion load for infantry weapons and its distribution was determined as follows

Rifle (combat elements) - ammunition unit No.111 - 100 rounds (net weight with packing 3.5 kg): including 70 carried by a soldier, 15 in a battalion train, 15 in regimental train
Machine pistol - ammo unit No.125 - 300 rounds (4.0 kg): 210 with a soldier, 45 in a battalion train, 45 in a regimental train
Hand grenades - ammo unit No.131 - 4 (4.4 kg): 2 with a soldier, 1 in a battalion train, 1 in a divisional train
14.5-mm anti-tank rifle - ammo unit No. 173 - 120 rounds (29.0 kg) - 48 with a rifle team, 36 in a battalion train, 36 in a regimental train
Light machine gun (DP-27) - ammo unit No. 211 - 800 rounds (24.8 kg): 98 (2 disk magazines x 49 rounds) with a machine gun team (1), 490 (10 magazine loads) in a battalion train, 212 in a regimental train
Medium machine gun (Maxim) - ammo unit No.221 - 2500 rounds (93.3 kg) - 1500 rounds (6 belts x 250 round) with a machine gun team, 500 in a battalion train, 500 in a regimental train
50-mm mortar - ammo unit No. 311 - 120 rounds (173.3 kg) - 56 with a mortar (2), 28 in a battalion train, 36 in a regimental train
82-mm mortar - ammo unit No. 321 - 120 rounds (600 kg) (3) - 40 with a mortar, 40 in a battalion train, 40 in a regimental train
120-mm mortar - ammo unit No. 351 - 80 rounds (1929 kg) (4) - 25 with a mortar, 25 in a battery train, 30 in a regimental train
45-mm anti-tank gun - ammo unit No. 341 - 200 rounds (640 kg) - 50 with a gun, 100 in a battery train (5), 50 in a regimental train
76-mm regimental gun mod. 1927 - ammo unit No.381 - 140 rounds (1633 kg) - 16 rounds in a limber, 56 in a battery ammunition caissons, 68 in a regimental train (6)

(1) Later a 47-rounds magazine was put into production and the number of magazines carried with a machine gun increased to 3 (total 141 rounds), see post-war service manuals for DP-27
(2) a mortar wagon mod. 1938 carries 24 boxes, each with 7 mortars rounds, total 168 rounds per 3 light mortars. In mountain rifle units one horse pack with 8 ammunnition boxes (total 56 rounds) per mortar.
(3) increased from original 90 rounds somewhere in mid-1942
(4) increased from original 60 rounds in mid-1942
(5) a limber with 50 rounds, an ammunition caisson (two halves, each intentical to a limber) with 100 rounds
(6) according to the gun's descrition, the limber accomodated 24 rounds and the ammunition caisson - 56

In addition 0.5 ammo unit for all weapons was supposed to be carried in the divisional transport echelon. Yet, it is rather dubious that it actually had the required capacity.

[Art]

For comparison standard allotment of German infantry ammunition early in the war was:

Rifle (combat elements) - 90 rounds: 45 with a soldier, 15 in a company combat train, 20 in a regimental train (light column), 10 in a divisional transport columns
Machine pistol - 768 rounds: 192 with a soldier, 320 in a combat train, 128 in a regimental train, 128 in a divisional transport columns
Light machine gun - 3750 rounds: 2500 with a weapon and in a combat train, 750 in a regimental train, 500 in a divisional transport columns
Heavy machine gun - 6750 rounds: 4750 with a weapon and in a combat train, 1250 in a regimental train, 750 in a divisional transport columns
light mortar, 50-mm: 165 rounds, 90 with a weapon and in a combat train, 45 in a regimental train, 30 in a divisional transport columns
heavy mortar, 81-mm: 140 rounds, 96 with a weapon and in a combat train, 24 in a regimental train, 20 in a divisional transport columns
light infantry gun, 75-mm: 180 rounds, 120 with a weapon and in a combat train, 40 in a regimental train, 20 in a divisional transport columns
anti-tank gun, 37-mm: 220 rounds, 180 with a weapon and in a combat train, 24 in a regimental train, 16 in a divisional transport columns.

https://digital.wlb-stuttgart.de/sammlu ... 052f47e8f8
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/So ... ustung.htm

Later the allotment was modified somewhat, but overall numbers remained similar:
viewtopic.php?p=2450645#p2450645

The most striking difference is the amount of ammunition per a machine gun and to lesser extent per a machine-pistol (SMG). That means that in a prolonged combat the firepower of Soviet infantry was limited. In partciluar the squad light machine gun was limited to about 100 rounds carried in two magazines. Theoretically, these magazines could be filled with cartridges from clips carried by riflemen of the squad, but it was a rather complex and time-consuming procedure, which was problematic in a combat situation. The disk magazine itself was heavy and bulky. Also a common shortage of magazines prevented from carrying additional magazines. The same partly applies to machine-pistols. Belt-fed Maxim machine gun was betteer suited for prolonged fire-fight, but the ammunnition allotment was much smaller compared with German infantry (1500 vs. 4750 rounds with a gun and 1000 vs. 1250 rounds in an infantry train). Of course, at a short range that could be compensated by an ever-increasing number of SMGs.

[Art]

According to the original TO/E 04/551 as issued in December 1942 the rifle battalion of the rifle divisions had:
38 machine pistols, 54 light machine guns, 12 Maxim machine guns, 9 anti-tank rifles, 6 50-mm mortars, 9 82-mm mortars, 2 45-mm guns.

Hence the amount of ammunition in the battalion-echelon train was supposed to be:
38x45 = 1710 pistols cartridges - or one standard ammo box (2300 rounds per box) of 30 kg
54x490+12x500 = 32 460 rifle cartridges for machine guns, or 37 ammo boxes (880 rounds) of 27 kg or approximately 1000 kg
9x36 = 324 rounds for AT rifles of 4 boxes (80 rounds, 26 kg), total 104 kg
6x38 = 168 50-mm mortar rounds or 12 standard boxes (14 rounds, 25 kg), total 300 kg
9x40 = 360 82-mm mortar rounds or 36 standard boxes (10 rounds, 45 kg), total 1620 kg
45-mm guns - all ammuntion carried in limbers and caissons of the anti-tank platoon
So more than 3 tons total, to which rifle and pistol ammo, hand grenades, signal and light flares etc should be added.

In fact the battalion possessed for transporting ammuniton and chemical materials only the ammunition section in the battalion supply platoon with 4 wagons, each hauled by 2 horses. The total transport capacity was no more 2 tons. In no way this capacity was sufficient to haul all the authorized ammunition. It is likely that addtional ammunition for machine guns was actually carried by riflemen, additional ammunition for anti-tank rifles - on a horse-drawn wagon of the ATR platoon. Unfortunately, official tables of allotments of equipment and materials which would clarify that are not available.

[Der Alte Fritz]

Excellent materiel Art,
What is the source for the Soviet figures? Are there similar figures for the artillery regiment?

I am please that you found the German H.Dv.90 source was useful since I paid for it to be digitised a couple of years ago

[Art]

Standard composition and echelonment of the ammunition unit for various weapons, page 71
Standard package and normal loading of ammunition in rail cars and trucks, page 94:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=133339878

Also TO/E of the rifle regiment 04/601 from July 1941:
https://vk.com/wall-130358508_1173
TO/E of the rifle regiment 04/201 from March 1942:
http://rkka.ru/org/str/04_201.xls

[Der Alte Fritz]

We can combined Art's information about munitions 'sets' with the earlier information that we found in another thread about boekomplekt

Weight of one combat set of ammunition for each type of weapon
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=134493091

Norms of all types of ammunition in pieces
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=134493092

From above:
Rifle (combat elements) - ammunition unit No.111 - 100 rounds (net weight with packing 3.5 kg)
32 460 rifle cartridges for machine guns, or 37 ammo boxes (880 rounds) of 27 kg or approximately 1000 kg

From the weblinks:
всех видов боекомплект штукак (all kinds of munitions types)
Rifle cartidges = 100 rounds with a weight of 3.5 kg

So that all checks out, the Rifle Battalion 'one beokomplekt' is its 'standard' load. The next question to ask is when an offensive allowed 1.5 or 2 or 3 boekomplekt allowance, where was this stored since there is not room on the available transport to carry it? Candidates might be the unit depots, Divisional Exchange Point, Army depots. Certainly artillery units stored their allocation on the gun positions (or at least nearby) as the bulk of it was used during the opening bombardment or first day.

Which brings us neatly round to 'what is a beokomplekt?'.
Soviet Military Encyclopedia says:
"Beokomplekt (BATTLE SET), ammunition, the amount of ammunition allocated to weapon unit (carbine, submachine gun, machine gun,
mortar, gun, etc.) or combat machine (launcher, armored personnel carrier, tank, aircraft, etc.). Beokomplekt serves as a settlement and supply unit for ammunition supply calculation and the need for them to fulfill combat missions. Beokomplekt sizes for various types of weapons and combat vehicles established by orders based on combat experience troops purpose and combat properties of weapons, combat vehicle capabilities transportation of ammunition, the presence in the units (sub-units, formations) of transport for delivery and other factors. Beokomplekt subdivisions, units, ship, formations, associations includes total ammo for all types of their regular weapons."

From which I take that boekomplekt is a standard unit of measurement and NOT similar to the US 'Combat Load' or 'Days usage' which has a direct or implied link with combat activity. In Soviet usage the anticipated expenditure is calculated on a mission basis (0.8 beokomplekt for example) and it does not represent 'one days standard expenditure in combat...' as in US or NATO terminology.