SS vs. NKVD

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Art
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#61

Post by Art » 12 Sep 2019, 09:07

OOB, location and strength of NKVD border forces in December 1941 (excluding western districts)
Georgian District
District HQ – Tbilisi – 125 men authorized/97 actual
36 Border Detachment – Sukhumi – 551/487
37 Border Detachment – Batumi – 2079/1873
38 Border Detachment – Akhaltsikhe – 1806/2655
District NCO school – Kutaisi 280/71
District service dog school – Ag-Bulak – 171/70
Sep.signal company - Tbilisi – 152/165
Control radio station – Tbilisi – 11/11
Signal workshop – Tbilisi – 2/2/
Sanitary-bacteriological laboratory – 2/2
District films depot – Tbilisi – 2/2
41 Reserve Rifle Regiment – Tbilisi – n.a.
Total 5181/4435 men

Armenian District
District HQ – Yerevan – 87/64
39 Border Detachment – Leninakan – 1543/1447
40 Border Detachment – Yerevan – 1376/1334
9 Sep. Border Komendatura – Meghri - 378/368
182 Sep. Reserve Battalion – Leninakan – 661/655
District NCO school – Kamarlyu – 233/91
Control radio station – Yerevan – 8/8
Sep. signal platoon – Yerevan – 24/24
Band – Yerevan – 28/28
Total 4338/4019 men

Azerbaijan District
District HQ – Baku – 133/110
41 Border Detachment – Nakhchivan – 1541/1492
42 Border Detachment – Hadrut – 1317/121(?)
43 Border Detachment – Prishib – 1658/1532
44 Border Detachment – Lankoran – 1090/917
17 Cavalry Regiment – Pyatigorsk – 969/917
District NCO school – Cəbrayil – 440/184
Sep. border checkpoint – Baku – 58/51
Sep. signal company – Baku – 130/91
Control radio station – Baku – 8/8
District films depot – Baku – 2/2
Total 7351/5699 men

Turkmen District
District HQ – Ashgabat – 157/149
45 Border Detachment – Serakhs – 820/744
46 Border Detachment – Kaakhka – 1037/912
47 Border Detachment – Kerki – 1011/939
67 Border Detachment – Bajat-Hajji – 907/773
68 Border Detachment – Tagtabazar – 1259/1116
71 Border Detachment – Bäherden – 1734/1544
1 Sep.Komendatura – Bagyr – 581/592
44 Reserve Cavalry Regiment – Ashgabat – 1267/1277
183 Reserve Rifle Battalion – Kerki – 661/655
Sep. sea border chekpoint – Krasnovodsk – 21/21
Sep. signal company – Ashgabat – 156/190
District NCO school – 493/493
Garrison commandant – Ashgabat – 1/1
Countrol radio station – Ashgabat – 8/8
District films depot – Ashgabat – 2/2
District sanitary-bacteriological laboratory – 3
Total 10 115/9157 men

Central-Asian District
District HQ – Tashkent - 160/132
Inspectorate - Stalinabad – 11/11
45 Reserve Cavalry Regiment – Risosovkhoz – 1267/1278
190 Sep. Cavalry Battalion – Osh – 475/466
48 Border Detachment - Kirovobad - 1045/920
66 Pamir Border Detachment - Khorog – 672/618
81 Uzbek Border Detachment - Termez – 1068/944
13 Sep.Komendatura - Zhuroabad - 1068/944
14 Sep.Komendatura – Alay-Gulcha – 499/371
15 Sep.Komendatura - Kalay-Humb – 394/371
16 Sep.Komendatura - Przhevalsk – 422/333
18 Sep.Komendatura – Naryn - 449/333
26 Sep.Komendatura - Murghab – 538/505
17 Sep. Construction company – Murghab – 248/244
Sep. automobile company – Murghab – 118/117
District NCO school – Tashkent – 678/773
Garrison commandant – Tashkent – 4/4
Sep. signal company - 118/116
Garrison commandant – Stalinabad – 3/3
District films depot – Tashkent – 2/2
Band – Tashkent – 42/46
Sanitary-bacteriological laboratory – Tashkent – 2/1
Countrol radio station – Tashkent – 8/5
District signal workshop – 2/2
Total 9050/8161 men

Kazakh District
District HQ – Almaty - 140/123
30 Border Detachment - Bakhty – 985/865
49 Border Detachment - Zharkent – 765/686
50 Border Detachment - Zaysan – 1085/975
10 Sep.Komendatura - Uryl – 325/298
11 Sep. Komednatura - Lepsinsk – 286/271
12 Sep. Komendatura - Sarydjass – 357/358
11 Cavalry Regiment - Almaty – 1206/934
District NCO school – Amaty – 212/313
Sep. signal company – Almaty – 163/186
Military hospital – Almaty – 26/24
Sep. checkpoint – Almaty – 5/4
Garrison commandant – Almaty – 4/4
Sanitary-bacteriological laboratory – Almaty – 2/2
District signal workshop – Almaty – 2/2
Total 5561/5045 men

West Siberia Border District

District HQ - Novosibirsk – 94/87
28 Border Detachment - Kosh-Agach – 641/635
29 Border Detachment – V.Usunskiy – 544/546
21 Sep. Komendatura - Bolshoy Lug – 236/235
Sep. checkpoint – Igarka – 5/5
Sep. signal platoon – Novosibirsk – 24/20
District NCO school – Novosibirsk – 77/30
District films depot – Novosibirsk – 2/2
District signal workshop – Novosibirsk – 2/2
Total 1625/1562 men

Transbaikal District
District HQ - Chita – 179/161
51 Border Detachment – Kyakhta – 1017/875
53 Border Detachment – Dauria – 1851/1733
54 Border Detachment - Nerchinskiy Zavod – 1609/1555
55 Border Detachment - Dzhalinda - 1091/1036
64 Border Detachment - Mangutskoye – 1169/1072
74 Border Detachment - Pokrovskoye – 1264/1244
19 Sep. Komendatura - Kiren – 421/361
Sep. checkpoint – Otpor – 31/28
District NCO school – Gorniy Zarentuy – 542/230
Sep. signal company – Chita – 191/152
Military hospital – Chita – 12/12
Countrol radio station – Chita – 4/4
Sanitary-bacteriological laboratory – Chita – 2/2
Garrison commandant – Chita – 4/4
Sep. service dog school – Kitoy st. – 158/65
Signal workshop – Chita – 2/2
District films depot – Chita – 2/2
47 Reserve Cavalry Regiment – Irkutsk – 1267/1260
179 Sep. Rifle Battalion – Irkutsk – 661/573
48 Reserve Cavalry Regiment – Skovorodino st. – 1267/1335
180 Sep. Reserve Battalion – Chita – 661/544
HQ river cutters battalion – Chita – 24/19
Total 13 429/12 219 men

Khabarovsk District
District HQ - Khabarovsk – 232/187
49 Reserve Rifle Regiment – Khabarovsk – 2253/2131
78 Border Detachment – Kumary - 1080/1002
75 Border Detachment – Inokentyevka – 1306/1122
56 Border Detachment - Blagoveschensk – 1498/1208
76 Border Detachment - Yekaterino-Nikolskoye – 1203/1113
63 Border Detachment - Leninskoye – 1177/994
70 Border Detachment - Kazakevichevo – 1313/1126
77 Border Detachment - Bikin – 1302/1245
52 Coastal Border Detachment – Aleksandrovsk – 1991/1550
65 Coastal Border Detachment - Nikolayevsk-na-Amure – 644/290
10 Sep. Construction Company – 248/248
11 Sep. Construction Company – 248/248
12 Sep. Construction Company – 248/248
Sep. signal battalion - Khabarovsk – 421/326
District NCO school – Khabarovsk – 565/205
Sep. sapper company – Svobodniy – 211/141
Language courses – Khabarovsk – 28
Control radio station – Khabarovsk -12/3
Garrison commandant – Khabarovsk – 25/24
Band – Khabarovsk – 42/48
Sanitary-bacteriological laboratory – Khabarovsk – 2/2
District military hospital – Blagoveschensk – 30/19
District military hospital – Khabarovsk – 30/29
District films depot – Khabarovsk – 3/3
District signal workshop – 2/2
Total: 16 212/13 593
Naval border elements – 1135
With naval elements – 16212/14728

Maritime District
District HQ - Vladivostok – 218/159
50 Reserve Border Regiment – Vladivostok – 2156/2173
184 Reserve Rifle Battalion – Grodekovo – 661/654
57 Border Detachment - Iman – 1399/1350
58 Border Detachment – Grodekovo – 1984/1630
59 Border Detachment - Posyet – 1954/1881
60 Border Detachment - Petropavlovsk – 2468/1942
61 Coastal Border Detachment – Magor – 1025/846
62 Coastal Border Detachment - Vladivostok – 1842/1596
69 Border Detachment - Komissarovo – 1268/1178
Sep. signal battalion – Vladivostok – 401/259
District NCO school – 450
Port border command – Vladivostok – 17/14
Countrol radio station – Vladivostok – 12/12
Garrison commandant – Vladivostok – 25/30
District films depot – Vladivostok – 3/3
District signal workshop -2/2
13 Sep. Construction Company – 248/248
14 Sep. Construction Company – 248/248
15 Sep. Construction Company – 248/248
16 Sep. Construction Company – 248/248
Total 17 088/15 099 men

Directly under control of the NKVD Main Directorate of Border Forces:
4 Border Detachment – Arkhangelsk – 1171/987

All border districts: 89 950/78 989 men
Units under direct control of the Directorate – 3900/1377
40 Sep. Special Purpose Motorized Rifle Regiment – Moscow – 2000 men
Aviation units – 2040/1997 men

Assigned to the Directorate:
Special purpose detachment – Moscow – 100/100
Sep. special battalion – 587 authorized
District recruitment offices – 11/11
Policlinic – 14/14
Courses – 535 authorized
Political department – 70 authorized
Garrison commandant of Moscow – 9 authorized
Financial department – 47 authorized
NKVD Military Supply Directorate – 1148 authorized
Military construction organs – 305 authorized
Total 2823 men

Total NKVD Border Forces – 98 915 men authorized/84 724 actual
From:
http://forum.mozohin.ru/index.php?topic=785.0;wap2

Art
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#62

Post by Art » 13 Sep 2019, 08:31

From these OOBs and other sources the following units were activated in the NKVD border forces after the start of mobilization:
37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 48 (later converted to cavalry), 49, 50 Reserve Rifle Regiments - authorized strength 2153 men
44, 45, 47 Reserve Cavalry Regiments - authorized strength - 1267 men
179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185 Reserve Rifle Battalions - authorized strength 661 men. Also 189 Reserve Battalion (Azerbaijan Border District) which somehow disappeared by December 1941, I don't understand what happened with this unit.
190 Reserve Cavalry Battalion - authorized strength 475 men
Special Separate Battalion (later reorganized as 40 Motorized Rifle Regiment) - authorized strength 587 men
Total about 27,000 men. Which would bring authorized strength of NKVD border forces from 168,000 (peace-time) to about 195,000 (wartime). Another article quotes the authorized wartime strength as 192,053 men:
http://forum.mozohin.ru/index.php?topic=1747.0

UPD: 179 and 180 Reserve battalions were formed in December 1941 from construction units if the Transbaikal District. 189 Reserve Battalion of the Azerbaijan District was converted to the 26 Rifle Regiment in December 1941. With these corrections the number of reserve rifle battalion activated with mobilization was 6 (181-185 and 189).


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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#63

Post by Art » 13 Sep 2019, 08:36

Volyn wrote:
20 Aug 2019, 20:55
Prior to WW2 were there any examples of organizations operating to such an extent in matters of security and war as the NKVD and SS did?
BTW, Polish Border Defense Corps was in some way similar to NKVD border forces - it was also a military organization controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Protection_Corps
KOP played quite a large military role in September 1939.

Volyn
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#64

Post by Volyn » 13 Sep 2019, 14:43

Art wrote:
13 Sep 2019, 08:36
Volyn wrote:
20 Aug 2019, 20:55
Prior to WW2 were there any examples of organizations operating to such an extent in matters of security and war as the NKVD and SS did?
BTW, Polish Border Defense Corps was in some way similar to NKVD border forces - it was also a military organization controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Protection_Corps
KOP played quite a large military role in September 1939.
That is an interesting point, but KOP also used regular military officers from other infantry regiments in order to give them real world experience in small unit operations while defending the border. Did NKVD use Red Army officers in the same manner?

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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#65

Post by Art » 13 Sep 2019, 17:18

Haven't heard about that.
Which would bring authorized strength of NKVD border forces from 168,000 (peace-time)
Correction: the peace-time strength limit established by the government was 168 138 men, authorized strength of existing units as of June 1941 - 162 178, actual strength - 158 015.

Peace-time strength limit of other components:
Railroad security forces - 63 768
Convoy forces - 38 280 (or 38 311)
Industry security forces - 29 352
Operative forces (without schools) - 27 385
Total NKVD forces (with schools, supply elements etc) - 342 059
That was a ceiling to which the authorized strength of forces maintained by the NKVD was supposed to conform.

The wartime strength limit was 516,000 men as of 25 August 1941.
By components
Railroad security forces - 114 421 (+1800 by the end of October 1941)
Convoy forces - 52 702
Industry security forces - 76 537 (+19 297 by the end of October 1941)
Operative forces - 65 054 (+14 838 redistributed from border forces by 11 December 41)
Plus some 190+ thousand men in border forces, plus schools, supply elements etc. Actual numbers of personnel available were considerably smaller than these limits.

Art
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#66

Post by Art » 15 Sep 2019, 09:48

OOB, strength and location of units NKVD interior forces placed under operational control of Red Army’s fronts (10 December 1941).
1. Karelian Front:
Railroad security units:
80 Regiment (2 NKVD Railroad Security Division) – Kandalaksha – 1414 men authorized/1573 actual
155 Regiment (2 NKVD Railroad Security Division) – Povenets – 1075/na
Total Karelian Front: 2489 men authorized/1573 actual

2. Leningrad Front:
Railroad security units:
HQ 2 Division – Leningrad – 116/66
52 Regiment – Timoshkino station – 1692/na
82 Regiment – Leningrad – 1670/1139
51 Regiment – Leningrad – 2276/1507
110 Regiment – Leningrad – 1910/na
Armored Train No.26 – Leningrad – 95/89
Armored Train No.82 – Volkhovstroy [Volkhov] – 114/na
Armored Train No.110 – Levashovo – 95/84
32 Sep. Battalion – Bologoye – 517/517
Total 8485 men

Industry security units:
151 Sep. Battalion – Leningrad – 510/na [1]
166 Sep. Battalion – Leningrad – 774/na [1]
152 Regiment – Vlkhovstroy – 1101/na
167 Sep. Battalion - Leningrad – 714 (1482)/na [1]
95 Sep. Battalion – Leningrad – 532/na
168 Sep. Battalion – Leningrad – 714/na [1]
104 Sep. Battalion – Rzhevka station – 642/na
Commandants (3) – Leningrad – 15/na
HQ 20 Division – Leningrad – 126/na
Rifle regiment – na- 2695/na
Rifle regiment – na - 2695/na
Rifle regiment – na - 2695/na
Sep. signal battalion –na – 263/na
Sep. medical battalion – na - 253/na
Sep. recce company – na – 121/na
Sep. motor transport company – na – 119/na
Firing platoon - na
Field post station – na

Convoy units
225 Regiment – Leningrad – 2246/na
Total Leningrad Front – 25468/3319

3. West Front:

Railroad security units:
53 Regiment/3 Division – na- 2002/na
76 Regiment/3 Division – na – 1395/na
Armored Train No.53 – Moscow – 128/128
Armored Train – Moscow – 128/128
HQ and a company/112 Regiment – Moscow – 581/581
21 Battalion/29 Brigade – Moscow – 527/527
HQ 3 Division – Lipetsk – 113/na
79 Regiment/3 Division – Ranenburg [Chaplygin] – 2334/902
78 Regiment/3 Division – Ranenburg – 2446/129
73 Regiment/3 Division – Ranenburg – 1394/966
115 Regiment/5 Division – Venyov – 1663/1326
Total railroad security: 12717 men

Convoy units:
HQ 42 Brigade – Moscow – 41/135
240 Regiment – Lyublino – 2006/1916
251 Regiment – Shchyolkovo – 2042/2045
226 Regiment – Noginsk – 2042/2003
252 Regiment – Kubinka – 1231/830
23 Regiment – Moscow – 1945/613
155 Sep. Battalion – Shirokoye – 408/396
Total convoy: 9715 men

Industry security units:
HQ 11 Division – Moscow – 79/75
173 Regiment – Moscow – 1735/1588
174 Regiment – Moscow – 1186/1223
194 Regiment – Moscow – 1799/1645
150 Regiment – Moscow – 1532/1382
165 Regiment – Moscow - 1418/1310
197 Regiment – Rublyovo – 1275/1760
207 Regiment – Moscow – 1432/1375
Commandants (3) – Moscow – 15
Sofrino shooting range – Sofrino station – 28/28

HQ 12 Division – Moscow – 79/71
158 Regiment – Balashikha – 918/944
159 Regiment – Otdykh station – 1365/1280
160 Regiment – Kaliningrad – 1537/1646
164 Regiment – Krasozavodsk – 1326/1266
189 Regiment – Roshal – 1235/1180
199 Regiment – Elekrostal – 1546/1515
196 Regiment – Podolsk – 1236/1473

HQ 69 Brigade – Venyov – 64/59
180 Regiment – Stalinogorsk – 1911/1789
156 Regiment – Tula – 1837/1610
188 Regiment – Ranenburg – 1235
76 Sep. Battalion – Kotovsk – 700/691

Total industry security: 25488
Total West Front: 47916/36528

4. South-West Front
Railroad security units
HQ 4 Division – na – 116/na [2]
55 Regiment – na – 2572/na [2]
56 Regiment – na – 3111/na [2]
57 Regiment – na – 1929/na [2]
34 Sep. Battalion – na - 517/na [2]
81 Sep. Industry Security Battalion – na – 928/na [2]
Commandants (3) – na – 15/na

HQ 5 Division – Liski station – 116/127
54 Regiment – Liski st. – 1990/1446
81 Regiment – Alekseyevka station – 1935/1838
113 Regiment – Starobelsk – 1410/1412
Commandant – Liski st. – 5/5

Industry security units:
HQ 57 Brigade – Burluk station – 64/60
169 Regiment – Burluk st. – 2091/2175
170 Regiment – Burluk st. – 900/889
120 Sep. Battalion – Burluk st. – 561/442
175 Regiment/71 Brigade – Voroshilovgrad – 1859/1867
Total SWF: 20119/10276

5. South Front
Industry security units
HQ 71 Brigade – Kamensk – 65/63
172 Regiment – Krasnodon – 900/886
176 Regiment – Bokovskaya st. – 1235/1207
85 Sep. Battalion – Kamensk – 678/684
89 Sep. Battalion – Kamensk – 877/863

Convoy units:
227 Regiment/13 Division – na – 2246/na
230 Regiment/43 Brigade – Rostov-na-Donu – 2246/1350

Total SF: 9573/5053

Total 5 fronts: 105,565/56,749 men
From a report by kombrig Krivenko and colonel Drosdovsky
http://pogranec.ru/showpost.php?p=948002&postcount=16

[1] Reformed from regiments with the same numbers in September 1914
[2] Mostly destroyed in the Kiev pocket in September 1941

The OOB doesn't seem to be complete as several units are missing

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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#67

Post by Art » 16 Sep 2019, 20:33

Report on personnel and equipment strength of the Murmansk Border District as of 12 July 1941:
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=454438617

Units included: 82, 100, 101 Border Detachments, 17 and 20 Separate Border Komendatura, district NCO school, signal company, see border checkpoint, 181 Reserve Rifle Regiment, convoy platoon, commandant platoon, construction staff No.5, district depot No. 23, district supply department, district HQ.

Total 2 generals, 654 officers, 675 NCOs, 3852 privates, 5183 men total, 328 draft and 82 riding horses, 5439 rifles, 16305 hand grenades, 239 light and 43 medium machine guns, 26 mortars, 176 dogs, 9 cars, 5 pickups, 98 trucks, 20 special trucks, 6 ambulances.

In general the relative numbers of heavy weapons were not impressive and couldn't compare with combat infantry units.

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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#68

Post by Art » 16 Sep 2019, 20:59

Art wrote:
01 Sep 2019, 16:00
Railroad security troops - the task was to secure vulnerable objects of railroad infrastructure - bridges, tunnels etc. An elementary unit was a garrison. There were 5 types of garrisons (from 16 to 50 men). Several garrisons were combined into a company, companies made up battalions and regiments. There were no fixed organization tables of the regiment/separate battalion. Each of them had a unique organization which depended on the number of garrisons it fielded. In addition to garrisons the regiments had a reserve company (100-150 men) and could also include an armor train or an armored railcar company (3 armored cars).
Sample organization of the 52 Railroad Security Regiment in 1942
Regiment HQ - 116 men
Signal platoon - 36 men
Sapper platoon - 35 men
3 Rifle Battalion HQ x 12 men
7 rifle company HQ x 14 men and 1 dog.
Composition of companies:
1 Battalion:
1st Company - 1 HQ garrison x 20 men, 4 garrisons x 12 men, 2 garrisons x 21 men, 2 garrisons x 28 men, 1 reserve garrison x 12 men
2st Company - 1 HQ garrison x 20 men, 6 garrisons x 12 men, 4 garrisons x 21 men, 1 reserve garrison x 12 men
3rd Company - 1 HQ garrison x 20 men, 4 garrisons x 12 men, 3 garrisons x 21 men, 1 garrison x 50 men, 1 reserve garrison x 12 men
2 Battalion:
4th Company - 1 HQ garrison x 20 men, 2 garrisons x 12 men, 3 garrisons x 21 men, 1 garrison x 28 men, 1 garrison x 36 men, 1 reserve garrison x 12 men
5ht Company - 1 HQ garrison x 20 men, 4 garrisons x 12 men, 2 garrisons x 21 men, 1 garrison x 36 men, 1 garrison x 50 men, 1 reserve garrison x 12 men
3 Battalion:
6th Company - 1 HQ garrison x 20 men, 4 garrisons x 12 men, 2 garrisons x 21 men, 1 garrison x 28 men, 1 garrison x 36 men, 1 garrison x 75 men, 1 reserve garrison x 12 men
7th Company - 1 HQ garrison x 20 men, 9 garrisons x 12 men, 1 garrison x 36 men, 1 garrison x 50 men, 1 reserve garrison x 12 men.
Reserve company - 164 men
NCO school - 46 men
Total 203 officers, 301 NCOs, 1343 privates, 1848 men total, 106 horses, 153 dogs
121 light and 24 medium machine guns, 7 50-mm mortars, 11 AT rifles, 6 1-horse and 21 2-horse wagons, 2 field kitchens, 2 car, 1 pickup, 10 trucks 1.5-ton, 3 trucks 3-ton, ambulance, bath truck, 1 truck for rations, 3 motor kitchen trailers, 2 1.5t/3t trucks, 1 motor refrigerator, 1 cinema truck, 100 bicycles, 1 motorcycle w/ sidecar, 8 motor rail cars, 8 motor rail cars with trailers, 3 radios.
From:
http://voenspez.ru/index.php?topic=4478 ... #msg169140

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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#69

Post by Art » 19 Sep 2019, 10:10

An example of tasks NKVD tropps were supposed to perform in 1941. From the war diary of the 109 Rifle Division (former 21 NKVD Motorized Rifle Division
27.6.41 Based on the telegram of the chief of NKVD operative forces lieutenant general Artemyev No.12/4/0025 the 21 Motorized Rifle Division of NKVD forces was transferred under operational control of the chief of North Front's rear security - commander of the Leningrad oblast's NKVD border forces lieutenant general Stepanov.
2.7.41 After completing mobilization the division proceeded to tasks defined in the orders of commander of NKVD OVT forces No. V/4738, V/4883, V/4884, V/4902, and V/4904:
1. Security of the governmental signal lines:
a) Petrozavodsk-Sortavala
b) Sortavala-Vyborg
c) Vyborg-Leningrad
d) Leningrad-Narva
e) Narva-Chudovo
2. Struggle against desertion at blocking points: Keksholm, Vyborg, Beloostrov, Terijoki.
3. Security of governmental organs in Leningrad (Smolny (Leningrad VKP(b) party office), offices of the NKVD and NKGB).
4. Struggle against sabotage groups, air landings and counterrevolutionary activity in the regions: Sortavala, Finnish border line, Viipuri, south-east and south coast of the Lake Ladoga, Volkhov River, Narva, Krenholm, Lake Samro, Lake Sebezh, Novgorod, Luga and a separate area within a 150km radius from Petrozavodsk.
Combat strike groups were created, each consisting of a rifle company reinforced with tanks, regimental guns and medium machine guns, 3 groups in the 13 Motorized Rifle Regiment, 6 in the 14 MRR, 6 in the 15 MRR, 9 in the 35 MRR, total 24 groups.
13 and 35 Regiments were deployed in Leningrad and its vicinity, 14 Regiment at Viipuri (Vyborg), 15 Regiment at Petrozavodsk
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/view/?id=111080017
Further on owing to a critical situation elements of the division were employed on the frontine as combat elements: 14 Regiment against Finns on the Karelian Isthmus, 15 Regiment - against Finns in Karelia, 1 and 3 Battalions of the 35 Regiment - against German forces south of Leningrad, 2 Battalion/35 Regiment - against Finns on the Karelian Isthmus. Only by early September the reorganized division was employed as whole for defense of the Leningrad city defense perimeter.

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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#70

Post by Art » 19 Sep 2019, 21:04

Another sample info: with the start of mobilization on 22.6.41 2nd Battalion/57 NKVD Railroad Security Regiment (5th and 6th companies) was reformed as 114 Regiment (HQ at Kishinev, Moldavia) which guarded railroads between Dniester and Prut Rivers. By the start of mobilization 5th Company/57 Regiment was deployed along the railroad sections Kishinev-Bendery, Kishinev-Bessarabskaya-Prut, Bessarabskaya-Reni, Bessarabsjaya-Akkerman and secured 8 railroad bridges and 1 tunnel and also had one reserve garrison (Bessarabskaya station). 6th company/57 Regiment was deployed along the road Kishinev-Ungheni-Beltsy-Rezina and secured 8 bridges, 1 tunnel, 1 water pump station and also had a reserve garrison at Beltsy. 114 Regiment also absorbed one garrison of the 4th company/57 Regiment (railroad bridge over the Dniester at Bendery. HQ of the 2nd Battalion/57 Regiment was situated at Kishinev.
Newly formed regiment was deployed the following way:
1st company - was formed of reservists and deployed along sections Artzys-Izmail, Artzys-Akkerman having 10 garrisons at bridges and one reserve garrison at the company HQ (Artzys)
2nd company - formed from 5th company/57 Regiment, road sections Bessarabskaya st. - Reni, Cainari-Bessarabskaya-Prut having 9 garrisons (6 bridges and 3 water pump stations) and a reserve garrison at the company HQ (Bessarabskaya st.)
3rd company - formed from 4, 5, and 6 companies/57 Regiment, road sections Tiraspol-Bendery-Kishinev-Ungheni, Kishinev-Baltati and had 6 garrisons (3 bridges, 1 tunnel, 2 water pump stations) and a reserve garrison at the company HQ (Bendery).
4th company - organized based on 6th company/57 Regiment, was deployed along sections Beltsy-Rezina, Beltsy-Oknitsa and had 11 garrisons (7 bridges, 3 water pump stations, 1 tunnel) and a reserve garrison at the company HQ (Beltsy)
Reserve company was formed of reservists and situated at the regiment HQ (Kishinev) save for one sections detached to guard the telegraph station of the Kishinev railroad and one section to guard the Kishinev meat plant.
Strength of personnel as of 1 July 1941:
Officers: 68 regular + 69 reserve
NCOs: 60 regular + 100 reservists
Privates: 452 regulars + 522 reservists.
Total 1261 men.

From a regiment's after-action report:
https://obd-memorial.ru/html/info.htm?i ... page=1&p=1
So this unit of 1000 something men was stretched all along the modern state of Moldavia and a part of Ukraine.

Art
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#71

Post by Art » 20 Sep 2019, 17:04

Regarding an odd myth of NKVD troops as some sort of elite communist supermen lavishly supplied and armed to the teeth. On 21 November 1941 command of the NKVD rear security forces of the West Front reported to major general Apollonov (commander of NKVD forces) reported that their forces assigned to rear security included three border regiments, one convoy regiment, and one motorized rifle regiment. The fourth border regiment which they were supposed to have according to tables of organization couldn't be formed due to a lack of personnel and weapons. "Armament and equipment of NKVD forces assigned to the West Front hasn't been completed by the present moment and is not fully resolved". The forces lacked 33 45-mm guns, 33 50-mm mortars, 18 medium and 292 light machine guns, 303 submachine guns, 1781 automatic rifles, 755 sniper rifles, 944 carbines. Many troops were armed with foreign rifles with a limited supply of ammo. The command asked to provide necessary personnel to fill the shortfall and form the fourth border regiment and to induce the West Front to give requisite numbers of weapons and equipment and replace foreign rifles.
From a document published online:
http://www.pogranec.ru/showpost.php?p=1 ... tcount=114

Art
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#72

Post by Art » 20 Sep 2019, 17:43

Situation in besieged Leningrad was even more striking. Chief of regional NKVD division of Leningrad Kubatkin described conditions of NKVD industry security troops in the city in a letter of 10 February 1942. The most important industrial facilities in Leningrad were guarded by six NKVD battalions (95, 104, 151, 166, 167, 168). With shortened tables of organizations their authorized strength was 2843 men. Lack of food and large physical strain led to mass starvation and even deaths. As of 1 February in these six battalions 912 men were sick in hospital, 168 were sick in medical facilities of their units, and 152 died of starvation. These and other losses left only 1604 men as active strength, of which about 100 each day were not in physical conditions to do any job. Which was not adequate for the size of the tasks. Kurbatkin asked to provide at least 1000 men as replacements for security of Leningrad industry.

The document was published in "Neizvestnaya blokada..." by Nikita Lomagin.

Art
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#73

Post by Art » 25 Sep 2019, 11:18

My reconstruction of the NKVD operational order of battle by the end of 1941 drawn from various sources
Attached to the operational army

Karelian Front
- HQ of the NKVD rear security forces, Karelian Front
- Operational group (HQ of the Murmansk Border District, 82, 101 Border Regiments, 100, 181 Sep. Border Battalions, 17 and 20 Sep. Border Komendatura)
- 1, 72, 73, 80 Border Regiments, 185 Sep. Border Battalion
- 80 Railroad Security Regiment (2 Division)
- 155 Industry Security Regiment

Leningrad Front
- with the 8 Army: 1 Rifle Division (1, 2, 7 Rifle Regiments, 230 Artillery Regiment [2], divisional units)
- with the 23 Army: Sep. Border Brigade (3, 5, 33, 102 Border Detachments)
- with the 42 Army: 21 Rifle Division (6, 8, 14 [1] Rifle Regiments, 21 Artillery Regiment [3], divisional units)
- in the Front’s reserve: 20 Rifle Division (7, 8, 9 Rifle Regiments, 20 Artillery Regiment [4], divisional units), 13 Motorized Rifle Regiment
- Staff of the NKVD forces of Leningrad (95, 104, 151 [5], 166 [5], 167 [5], 168 [5] Industry Security Battalions, 225 Convoy Regiment)
- HQ of the NKVD rear security forces, Karelian Front (8, 103 Border Detachments, 1 [6], 2 [6], 3 [6], 4 [6], 5, 6 Sep. Komendatura)
- 2 Railroad Security Division (51, 52, 82, 110 Railroad Security Regiments, 32 Sep. Battalion, Armored Trains No. 26, 82, 110)
- 152 Industry Security Regiment

North-West Front
- HQ of the NKVD rear security forces, North-West Front
- 9, 10, 11, 37 [7] Border Regiments
- 3 Motorized Rifle Regiment

Kalinin Front
- HQ of the NKVD rear security forces, Kalinin Front
- 13, 83 Border Regiments, 88 Sep. Rifle Battalion [8]

West Front

- HQ of the NKVD rear security forces, West Front
- 16, 86 [9], 87, 88 [10] Border Regiments
- 11 Industry Security Division (150 [11], 165 [11], 173, 174, 194, 197, 207 Industry Security Regiments)
- 12 Industry Security Division [12] (158 [11], 159 [11], 160 [11], 164 [11], 189, 196, 199 Industry Security Regiments)
- 69 Industry Security Brigade (156, 180, 188 Industry Security Regiments, 76 Sep. Industry Security Battalion)
- 42 Convoy Brigade (23, 226, 240, 251, 252 Convoy Regiments, 155 Sep. Convoy Battalion)
- 53 and 76 Railroad Security Regiment (3 Division), 21 Sep. Railroad Security Battalion (29 Brigade), elements of the 112 Railroad Security Regiment (19 Division)
- 34 Rifle Regiment [13]

Bryansk Front
- with the 3 Army: 57 Industry Security Brigade (169, 170 Industry Security Regiments, 120 Sep. Industry Security Battalion)
- 3 Railroad Security Division [14] (73, 78 [15], 79 Railroad Security Regiments)

South-West Front
- with the 21 Army: 8 Motorized Rifle Division (6, 16, 28 Motorized Rifle Regiments, 10 Howitzer Artillery Regiment [16], divisional units)
- HQ of the NKVD rear security forces, South-West Front
- 17, 18, 79, 90, 91, 92, 98 Border Regiments
- 4 Railroad Security Division (55 Railroad Security Regiment)
- 5 Railroad Security Division (54, 81, 113, 125 Railroad Security Regiment)
- 233 [17], 229 Convoy Regiments, 146 Sep. Convoy Battalion
- in rebuilding after the Kiev pocket: 4 Motorized Rifle Regiment, 55, 57 Railroad Security Regiment, 34 Sep. Railroad Security Battalion, 81 Sep. Industry Security Battalion, 227 Convoy Regiment

South Front
- with the 9 Army: 23 Motorized Rifle Regiment [18]
- with the 12 Army: 71 Industry Security Brigade (172, 175, 176 Industry Security Regiments, 85 and 89 Sep. Industry Security Battalions), 95 (Special Purpose) Border Regiment [19]
- with the 18 Army: 30 Motorized Rifle Regiment
- with the 56 Army: 33 Motorized Rifle Regiment
- HQ of the NKVD rear security forces, South-West Front
- 2, 23, 24, 25 Border Regiments
- 230, 237 Convoy Regiments
- 114 Railroad Security Regiment
- Police Division (1, 2, 3 Police Regiments) [20]

[1] Reorganized from 14 Motorized Rifle Regiment in September 1941
[2] Red Army’s unit (formerly in the 71 Rifle Division)
[3] Formed for the 21 NKVD Rifle Division in December 1941
[4] Formed for the 20 NKVD Rifle Division in December 1941
[5] Reorganized from 151, 166, 167, 168 Industry Security Regiments in September 1941
[6] Formed from Leningrad militia in August 1941
[7] Former 37 Reserve Rifle Regiment of NKVD border forces
[8] Formed at the West Front in August 1941
[9] Formerly 105 Border Regiment, formerly 87 Border Regiment [1st formation] – formed at the West Front in August 1941
[10] Formerly 252 Border Regiment, formed at the West Front from elements of the 252 Convoy Regiment in August 1941
[11] Formed by NKVD order of 25.8.41
[12] From 67 Industry Security Brigade by NKVD order of 25.8.41
[13] Formed in September from 84 Railroad Security and 171 Industry Security Regiments
[14] Employed as HQ of NKVD rear security forces of the Bryansk Front
[15] in rebuilding after the Kiev pocket
[16] Red Army’s unit, formerly in the 10 Tank Division
[17] Reorganized according to the TO&E of the NKVD border regiment
[18] Apparently not a pre-war 23 MRR but a new unit
[19] Formed in November 1941 at the South Front from remains of the 95 Border Detachment, 43 Reserve Border Regiment, 3 Sep. Border Komendatura
[20] From an NKVD police brigade in November 1941, formally belongs to NKVD police rather than military forces

Volyn
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#74

Post by Volyn » 25 Sep 2019, 14:48

Art wrote:
25 Sep 2019, 11:18
South-West Front
- with the 21 Army: 8 Motorized Rifle Division (6, 16, 28 Motorized Rifle Regiments, 10 Howitzer Artillery Regiment [16], divisional units)
- HQ of the NKVD rear security forces, South-West Front
- 17, 18, 79, 90, 91, 92, 98 Border Regiments
- 4 Railroad Security Division (55 Railroad Security Regiment)
- 5 Railroad Security Division (54, 81, 113, 125 Railroad Security Regiment)
- 223 [17], 229 Convoy Regiments, 146 Sep. Convoy Battalion
Art, how would these forces have been deployed around the front, and which of them would be associated with 5 Army during the retreat from Kovel to Korosten?

Would they operate independently or in tandem with main army units?

Art
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Re: SS vs. NKVD

#75

Post by Art » 25 Sep 2019, 20:30

As of June 1941
98 Border Detachment at Luboml
90 Border Detachment at Vladimir-Volynskyi
20 Border Detachment at Slavuta (old Polish border)

55 Railroad Security Regiment (1.06.41):
- HQ and reserve company at Korosten
- 1 Battalion HQ and 1st company HQ at Ovruch
- 2nd company HQ at Zhitomir
- 2 Battalion HQ and 3rd company HQ at Kazatin
- 4th company HQ at Shepetovka
- NCO school at Zhmerinka

64 Railroad Security Regiment (1.06.41):
- regiment HQ - at Kovel
- 1st battalion HQ at Rovno
- 1st company HQ at Sarny
- 2nd company HQ at Rovno
- 3rd company HQ at Kivertzy
- 2nd Battalion HQ at Kovel
- 4th company HQ at Kovel
- 5th company HQ at Vladimir-Volynskyi
- reserve company at Kovel
- NCO school at Malynek st.

233 Convoy Regiment (HQ at Lvov) - elements at prisons at Vladimir-Volynkyi, Rovno, Lutsk
Probably some elements of the 229 Convoy Regiment (HQ at Lvov) which was guarding Polish POWs.

By order of the South-West Front of 8.7.41 90, 91, 98 Border Detachments and 1,2,4,5/20 Border Detachment are assigned to rear security of the 5 Army. I can't say right now what they were doing day by day.

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