[Military History Visualized] Soviet Tank Division June 1941 Organization & Structure

[gladius2metal]

The organization and structure of a Red Army Tank Division in June 1941 as it was officially authorized. It contains information on the different types of personnel and in which units what types of tanks were present. Everything visualized and kept as short as possible.

thx to /u/Eddyill & /u/Zinegata @ /r/warcollege
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarCollege...artillery_regiment_1941_with_a_kv2_what_were/

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Notes on Accuracy & “Methodology”
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1) The Numbers of personnel are rounded in 100-steps. The exact numbers for the small groups are: 235 Technicians, 114 Administrators, 81 Medics & Doctors, 161 Political officers.
2) The Numbers are authorized numbers and according the sources make it clear that no Tank Division in June 1941 resembled exactly these numbers, some were close some were far away.
3) The armored cars were BA-10 and BA-20, but sadly I don’t have the exact knowledge how they were divided across the
4) The Layout for the Light Tank Battalion (which is also sometimes called Flame Tank Battalion) is probably not correct.
5) The T-26 tanks are depending on the source sometimes T-26 Radio Tanks.
6) BT-7 Tanks and BT-7 Radio Tanks are summed up and referred to only as BT-7 Tanks.
7) The Division layout doesn’t show all units, it focuses mainly on combat units.
8) The KV-2 doesn’t show up in the Niehorster Layout. Also the number of just one tank makes little sense in military terms, there is no other weapon system that shows up only once.

 

[keynes2.0]

Cool video.

For the divisional breakdowns of personnel and vehicle in the first minute, it would have been nice to have numbers above the silhouettes. You said so many numbers in a row that it was hard to keep them straight. It would have been nice to have those as a reference so I could put each number in context of the previous ones more easily.

I appreciate you commenting on the limits of your information. It's important and more people should do that.

 

[gladius2metal]

thank you!

For the divisional breakdowns of personnel and vehicle in the first minute, it would have been nice to have numbers above the silhouettes. You said so many numbers in a row that it was hard to keep them straight. It would have been nice to have those as a reference so I could put each number in context of the previous ones more easily.

good idea, funny thing, I think this is the third video I did this, nobody mentioned it so far. Probably, because it is more about the "feel" of the numbers (relation to each other) than the actual numbers itself.

 

[chepaeff]

Not sure how you got this lonely KV-2. Heavy tank battalions were to be equipped with either KV-1s, KV-2s (41st tank division had 31 of them split 50/50 between two regiments for example) or T-35 (34th tank division had 48 pieces).

 

[gladius2metal]

Not sure how you got this lonely KV-2. Heavy tank battalions were to be equipped with either KV-1s, KV-2s (41st tank division had 31 of them split 50/50 between two regiments for example) or T-35 (34th tank division had 48 pieces).

for which date? I have different division layouts for July and August 1941. There was a constant restructuring process going on. Also I couldn't find the KV-2 in Niehorsters Organization, but maybe I missed it, because it is several graphics and no table. My Source is C. Sharp, how did a complete OOB of the Soviet Army in WW2 with I think 9 books or something, but I also think the KV-2 is off. In the total tables he lists KV-1 & KV-2 as one category, the 1 KV-2 only shows up in the unit structure.

 

[chepaeff]

for which date? I have different division layouts for July and August 1941. There was a constant restructuring process going on.

Pre-war ToE, but it doesn't matter. There is just no ToE which would place one a KV-2 in artillery regiment. KV-1 or KV-2 weren't differentiated in that matter. The only thing that differed was the number of tanks in units, heavy tank battalion was removed later and its was just heavy tank company in medium tank battalions. So, the proper presentation of heavy tank battalion is KV-1/KV-2.
Like in this picture. What little number of KV-2s survived summer 1941 (some archival evidence proove that at least one was used up until 1943) were also used in same manner in tank brigades.

In the total tables he lists KV-1 & KV-2 as one category, the 1 KV-2 only shows up in the unit structure.

Because in original papers it often was just KVs or heavy tanks.

 

[gladius2metal]

Pre-war ToE, but it doesn't matter. There is just no ToE which would place one a KV-2 in artillery regiment. [...]

Thx, this picture looks like it is the same source as mine, C. Sharp - Volume 1 "the deadly beginning". If so, you might want to look at page 50, second column, 2 second line.
It states: "Regt HQ with 1 KV-II tank"

I completely agree that it doesn't make any sense, but well, maybe Sharp made an error or there was some ToE were it was listed.

There is just no ToE which would place one a KV-2 in artillery regiment. KV-1 or KV-2 weren't differentiated in that matter.

Because in original papers it often was just KVs or heavy tanks.

thx!

 

[chepaeff]

Thx, this picture looks like it is the same source as mine, C. Sharp - Volume 1 "the deadly beginning". If so, you might want to look at page 50, second column, 2 second line.
It states: "Regt HQ with 1 KV-II tank"

Well he is mistaken. I found a pre-march 1941 ToE (it doesn't differ much from june ToE) and artillery regiment doesn't have any tanks.
Maybe I'll translate it and post it tomorrow.

 

[gladius2metal]

Well he is mistaken. I found a pre-march 1941 ToE (it doesn't differ much from june ToE) and artillery regiment doesn't have any tanks.

thx, I found it really odd anyway, especially since the KV-2 was a tank intended to kill fortifications. In this case I thought it should be assigned to motorized infantry battalion, but also not alone, at least in a platoon of 3 tanks + 1 for command.

do you know /r/warcollege?

 

[chepaeff]

thx, I found it really odd anyway, especially since the KV-2 was a tank intended to kill fortifications. In this case I thought it should be assigned to motorized infantry battalion, but also not alone, at least in a platoon of 3 tanks + 1 for command.

do you know /r/warcollege?

I\m not a reddit user, but I'll post the translation tomorrow. Maybe @CruelDwarf will add something.

 

[chepaeff]

No mention of artillery though. LIght ACs - equipped with mgs like Ba-6 or Fai, medium - with cannons, Ba-10 or Ba-20.

 

[gladius2metal]

THANK YOU!!!!!

edit: am I blind or is there no date?

 

[CruelDwarf]

I\m not a reddit user, but I'll post the translation tomorrow. Maybe @CruelDwarf will add something.

Cannot really add much. Organizational structure did not distinguish KV and KV-2. They were interchangable in organizatonal sense.

What I can add is that BT tanks weren't assigned specifically to recon/signal units. They were line (basic) tanks of armored units and line battalions had plenty of them. They were just slowly surpassed by T-34s.

 

[chepaeff]

THANK YOU!!!!!

edit: am I blind or is there no date?

There is no date, but judging by number of heavy tanks it must be a pre-march 1941 ToE. In march the number of them was reduced to 31, as its in your video.

Cannot really add much. Organizational structure did not distinguish KV and KV-2. They were interchangable in organizatonal sense.

What I can add is that BT tanks weren't assigned specifically to recon/signal units. They were line (basic) tanks of armored units and line battalions had plenty of them. They were just slowly surpassed by T-34s.

Btw, any idea what p-4, p-3, p-6, etc stand for in passenger cars column?