Soviet Manuals

[Art]

Let's continue with online manuals.

Regulation on garrison service of the Red Army, 1941:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005251075 ... heme=white

Disciplinary regulation for the Soviet Union's Navy, 1940:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005250862 ... heme=white

Provisional instruction on field service of the unit's staffs. 1941:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005250860 ... heme=white

Instruction on field service of the Red Army's staffs, 1942:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005264039 ... heme=white

Insctruction for the RKKA's artillery. Rules of gunnery for ground artillery, 1939:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005202511 ... heme=white

Instruction for motorized and motor transport units of the Red Army. Formations of motorized and motor transport units. 1941:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005250913 ... heme=white

Instruction on train service of the Red Army, 1939:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005202526 ... heme=white

Insctruction on physical training of the RKKA's ground troops, 1938:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005229025 ... heme=white

Instruction on engineer service for the RKKA's infantry, 1939
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005250923 ... heme=white

Insctruction on battle shooting. Control of small arms fire in battle, 1941, Book 1:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005251040 ... heme=white

Instruction on batle shooting 1938, hand grenades:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005251018 ... heme=white

Instruction on batle shooting 1938, revolver mod. 1895 and pistol mod. 1930:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005250981 ... heme=white

Instruction on batle shooting 1938, rifle mod. 1891/30:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01011054757 ... heme=white

Insctruction on battle shooting 1940, 82-mm battalion mortar:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005250969 ... heme=white

Instruction on permanent communication lines, 1941:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005250935 ... heme=white

Instruction for engineer troops. Demolition works. 1940:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005228981 ... heme=white

Instruction for all arms of the Red Army. Obstacles. Part 2. Mines (project), 1943:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005155146 ... heme=white

Instruction for all arms of the Red Army. Obstacles. Part 3. Obstacles removal and mine clearance (project), 1943:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005155145 ... heme=white

Instruction for all arms of the Red Army. Obstacles. Part 8. Means for mine clearance (project), 1943:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005155142 ... heme=white

Instruction for all arms of the Red Army. Obstacles. Part 9. Electrical obstacles and their removal (project), 1943:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005155143 ... heme=white

Instruction for execution of obstacles on railroads, 1941. Part 1. Evacuation of railroads.
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005137482 ... heme=white

Instruction for execution of obstacles on railroads, 1941. Part 2. Demolitions on railroads.
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005137481 ... heme=white

[Art]

Instruction on battle shooting - 38. DP light machine gun.
https://www.prlib.ru/item/428703

Instruction on battle shooting -38. "Maxim" heavy machine gun mod. 1910:
https://www.prlib.ru/item/428705

Instruction on battle shooting - 40. Company mortar mod. 1938, 1940
https://www.prlib.ru/item/428706

[Vasilyev]

The 1944 edition of the 1943 draft field regulations is online (Missing a couple pages) and translated into English:

https://archive.org/details/jprs-report ... 1/mode/2up

Apparently, the two editions are more or less identical. I searched around for a complete Russian original of the 1943 draft but nothing immediately came up.

It's interesting that the regulations insists that combat formations should not engage in combat with their units echeloned:

The alignment of combat formations in troop elements below army (corps) by echelon does not meet the demands of modern warfare, since it leads to unnecessary losses as a result of an oversaturation of the battlefield with personnel to its entire depth, it dooms a significant portion of the troops to inaction in combat, and it deprives troops of an opportunity to bring down the entire force of their subunit and unit weapons on the enemy.

A mandatory requirement for the maximum and simultaneous participation of division infantry and weapons in combat from its beginning to its end has been made the basis for alignment of new combat formations below army (corps). Small reserves are formed to repulse surprise enemy attacks, especially on flanks and boundaries; to support the units which are fighting; and to exploit and consolidate success.

This is contradicted by many operations in 1944, and experience reports continue to praise the use of deeply echeloned formations. So the draft regulations may not have had much practical significance.

[Paul_Atreides]

This is contradicted by many operations in 1944, and experience reports continue to praise the use of deeply echeloned formations. So the draft regulations may not have had much practical significance.

https://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/59129.html

[Vasilyev]

This is contradicted by many operations in 1944, and experience reports continue to praise the use of deeply echeloned formations. So the draft regulations may not have had much practical significance.

https://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/59129.html

Thank you for the backstory! Since it wasn't until October 1944 that echelons were formally endorsed again, is there anything before then (NKO orders, etc.) which discusses the issue?

[Paul_Atreides]

Since it wasn't until October 1944 that echelons were formally endorsed again, is there anything before then (NKO orders, etc.) which discusses the issue?

https://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/30400.html

And here three articles from the «Red star» paper about units' echelonment

https://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/303249.html
https://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/303443.html

[Vasilyev]

Since it wasn't until October 1944 that echelons were formally endorsed again, is there anything before then (NKO orders, etc.) which discusses the issue?

https://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/30400.html

And here three articles from the «Red star» paper about units' echelonment

https://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/303249.html
https://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/303443.html

Thank you for sharing! I read Isaev’s article on the order in his recent book (Мозаика Великой Отечественной) and it did a good job summing everything up. I agree with his point that the issue must’ve been discussed at points (Vatutin in December 1942) with Stavka representatives. But ignoring the order without any consultation also seems like it was common, even though it was associated directly with Stalin.

Do you know of other cases where official doctrine was largely ignored in practice, despite attempts to correct the issue? Rules and orders on accounting for property and equipment got ignored by many formations and commands. I’ve got a few orders on the topic from 1944 I’ve been meaning to post. But that’s different from ignoring doctrine altogether.

[Art]

According to the battle manual tank units and formations could continously operate not longer than 4-5 days, after which they needed a pause of 2-3 days for maintenance and resupply. In reality in allmost all large operations it was not the case and units could operate without large pauses as long as several weeks. This point was raised in comments on the manual for tank troops IIRC.

Of course, there were many cases when official doctrine was ignored due to incompetence and with adverse effect.

[Art]

"Instruction on employment of command groups of the rifle company and platoon", Administration for the Battle Training of the Red Army, 1942:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005258758 ... heme=white

"Provisional instruction for organization of communications in the rifle division", Main Administration for Communications of the Red Army, 1942:
https://viewer.rsl.ru/ru/rsl01005257181 ... heme=white

"Instruction on employment of signals of recognition and communication between ground troops and aviation of the Red Army", General Staff of the Red Army, 1942:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=135552358