And let's look at what a tank battalion is, the composition, how many tanks it uses in battle - we will study all the nuances. So, a battalion is called an independent military unit, consisting of either a pair of companies, or a company and a separate platoon. As a rule, up to 800 people are in such a unit. A division in artillery and an air squadron in aviation are considered the smallest units with a headquarters.
At first, the term “battalion” denoted a quarter of the battle, which was divided into four small squares to reduce losses from enemy artillery fire. In general, the battle is called the construction of pikemen with a square of 100X100, forming a "peak forest".
Battalion - a structural unit in the unit or in the regiment. If he is not part of the regiment in a single quantity, a serial number is assigned to him in the internal numbering. For example: the third paratrooper or the first motorized rifle battalion, etc. And what if it is part of an association or formation? Then the battalion is called separate - it is a military unit. And the adjective “separate” fits into its full name.
The brigade in the USSR Armed Forces / Russian Armed Forces can be called either a military unit or a unit - it depends on the specific case. In military units, battalions constitute a brigade: the adjective "separate" in their internal numbering is not used. In compounds they are called separate.
If the battalion is temporarily formed, and its servicemen are assembled from different units or from different military units to solve any problems, it is called a composite.
Tank army
In tank troops, the minimum tactical unit is called the tank battalion. The number of tanks in it may vary. Organizationally, tank divisions are not only part of tank regiments and brigades, but also motorized rifle formations. They can also act as a separate unit at the headquarters of the army or corps. Tank troops do not contain parts included in the motorized rifle battalions to enhance firepower. They themselves have tremendous firepower, so the states that belong to them do not need reinforcements. The only exception is the anti-aircraft missile platoon introduced into the tank separate units. So what does a tank battalion consist of? The composition (staff) is as follows:
- Material support platoon.
- Platoon technical support.
- Medical Center.
- Communication platoon.
- Three companies are tank.
And how many tanks are in the tank battalion of the Russian Armed Forces? Thirty-one vehicles are in its staff, and this is only when it is part of a tank brigade or regiment. If the division is included in the ranks of the motorized rifle brigade or regiment, it includes forty combat vehicles. This difference is due to the number of tanks in the tank platoon.
Ah, the Russian tank battalion, composition, Russia’s equipment and weapons - everything is Slavic, unique, Russia blows, reminds of its monumental victories in the great battles! However, let us put aside the lyrics and continue the review.
It must be said that each platoon of the unit belongs to the tank regiment and consists of three tanks, and the platoon of the tank army of the motorized rifle brigade consists of four tanks.
This rule of creating tank units was introduced in the Soviet Army as far back as the fifties, precisely when motorized rifle troops had just begun to form . This nuance was explained simply: in accordance with the rules of Soviet tactics, in the case of large-scale combat operations, a tank battalion, included in the motorized rifle regiment or brigade, was scattered around motorized rifle divisions for fire reinforcement. Thus, an increase in the number of combat vehicles in a tank platoon was required up to four units. The same rules stated that tank regiments or brigades were obliged to act in the direction of concentrating the most important attack on the enemy as part of one company (tank). To perform this task, it was considered optimal to have three tanks in the platoon.
The number of tank battalion - its personnel in the brigade or tank regiment - on the T-72 totaled 174 people. The motorized rifle regiment or brigade consisted of 213 people.
Units in the USSR Armed Forces and the Russian Armed Forces
The composition of the tank battalion of the Russian Federation deserves special attention: we will consider it in more detail. Everyone knows that in the ground forces of the USSR and the Russian Federation, the smallest tactical unit is the battalion. The mailing address of the military unit of the Russian brigade has the number of this unit including letters. For example, “military unit 03426-B” stands for “second battalion of military unit No. 03426”.
The regular category of army commander (battalion commander) is a lieutenant colonel, and a separate or training division of a military educational institution - a colonel.
If the tank battalion of the Russian Federation is a separate organization (military unit), such officers as the head of the secret unit, the head of the finance service, the head of the clothing and food services, and so on, are introduced in its officers. These established posts increase the autonomy of the work of individual battalions in the administrative direction.
Legendary individual tank brigades
What is a separate tank battalion? This is a unit of tank troops, a tactical unit that is part of the armed forces of most countries. In the Russian armed forces of Russia, both the modern and the Soviet period, there is both a real and a conditional name. Example of a real name: Alma-Ata 678th Guards Order of the Otan Tank Separate Battalion named after Heroes of Panfilovtsev. And the conditional name looks like this: Military unit No. 54321.
The regular category of the commander of a separate tank tactical unit is a lieutenant colonel.
History
The first tank unit in the RSFSR was the tank division under the Ukrainian Council of People's Commissars. He remotely resembled a separate tank battalion. It was created in Kharkov by paint A.I. Selyavkin in 1919 from the French captured tanks FT-17, captured from the expeditionary allied forces near Odessa, in southern Russia. A little later, this first tank unit in the USSR was modified into the Tank Red Army Squadron. Her main armor was the captured tanks of the British Mark V.
Soviet Russia understood the importance of tanks in military affairs. Despite the economic difficulties that arose after the end of the civil war, the country continued to produce them.
The defense industry of the Soviet Union in 1930 began to produce various tanks. It was then that the course was taken on the motorization and mechanization of the Armed Forces. The leadership set the task of saturating units and divisions of the Red Army with means of motorization and mechanization of various branches of the armed forces.
In 1932, on a territorial basis, three separate tank battalions were built. They were placed in industrial areas where the production of tanks was established.
And by the beginning of 1936, six separate tank regiments were formed, fifteen regiments of cavalry divisions, four mechanized corps, six mechanized separate brigades and an incredible number of separate tank battalions and companies.
For what purposes were tank separate divisions created, included in the composition of infantry divisions? They were needed to strengthen infantry formations and units in case of breaking through the enemy’s defense. They had to fight along with the infantry, not moving away from it at a great distance. They were called tanks of direct infantry support (TNPP, the current BMP).
The organizational and staffing structure was not the same everywhere, so tank separate battalions could be subordinated to both rifle corps and armies.
Years of World War II
The Great Patriotic War began with a colossal loss of armored and tank vehicles. It was not possible to quickly repair damaged mechanisms, there was no tank reserve, so the command of the USSR Armed Forces cherished equipment and used it only to protect infantry. Tanks had to work from ambush: thus, the stability of the defense of the rifle troops increased.
What was a tank battalion in the fall of 1941? The composition remained the same, but, according to the directive letter of the Supreme High Command of July 15, 1941, all mechanized corps were disbanded. Tank brigades and units have become the main organizational units of the Red Army TV.
In September 1941, one could observe the appearance of individual tank battalions of various regular tank numbers - from 29 to 26 combat units. There were no large tank and armored formations for organizing offensive operations of the USSR Armed Forces.
As of December 1, 1941, in the Red Army there were 68 separate tank brigades and 37 separate tank battalions. They were used mainly to support infantry. A similar organization was forced under the conditions of 1941.
A little later, the defense potential of the USSR allowed very quickly to establish mass production of tanks. Now the most important organizational unit of the Red Army’s TV has become the tank army.
At the moment, the main organizational unit of TV is a separate tank battalion or brigade. The organizational and staffing of a tank tactical unit includes:
- Material support platoon.
- Medical platoon.
- Platoon technical support.
- Headquarters.
- Platoon control.
- The first tank company, on the T-90.
- Tank second company, on the T-90.
- Tank third company, on the T-90.
- Rifle motorized company, on the BTR-T.
- Anti-aircraft missile battery on Tor.
In total, in the organizational and staffing structure of the tank separate battalion there are 93 combat vehicles.
The composition of the Ukrainian tank unit
And now consider the Ukrainian tank battalion (composition). After all, Ukraine, like all other countries of the post-Soviet space, after the collapse of the Union, modeled these formations at its discretion. What, then, is a mechanized separate Chuguevo-Ropshinskaya brigade of the orders of the Red Banner and the October Revolution? It is located at: military unit A-0501, the village of Klugino-Bashkirka, Chuguevsky district, Kharkov region.
The organization and composition of the team are as follows:
- Control.
- Headquarters.
- Platoon commandant.
What is her tank battalion? Its composition is as follows:
- The headquarters consists of three people.
- Management - of five people.
- Three tank companies. Each company has a control, three tank platoons of twelve people. Each platoon contains four T-64B / T-64BM Bulat tanks. There is a tank company commander. There are a total of thirteen tanks and 41 people.
- Anti-aircraft missile platoon, which consists of sixteen employees. It is equipped with nine units of the Strela-3 MANPADS.
- An engineer-engineer platoon consisting of eleven employees.
- Communication center served by twenty people.
- 45 employees work in the support company.
- The clinic has four people.
So, the tank battalion has the following composition: 314 people, of which 34 officers, 8 warrant officers, 60 sergeants and 212 soldiers. The following equipment was put at the disposal of the formation: forty T-64B / T-64BM Bulat tanks (39 vehicles for privates and one for the battalion commander), one BREM, one BMP-1K, one BMP-1KSh, nine MANPADS, one BRM-1 , sixteen freight cars, twelve special cars.
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht's tank division was called the combined army formation. It consisted of tank units and motorized infantry, artillery, air defense, communications, and other auxiliary units. Of course, over time there was a change in the number of divisions. Tank and motorized units located in divisions also changed.
The tank division was considered the most important tool of blitzkrieg tactics. It should be noted that other armies of the world used tanks, as a rule, to support infantry operations. Unlike them, in the Wehrmacht, tank forces acted independently - they carried out a breakthrough of the enemy’s defense in depth up to hundreds of kilometers. To achieve the goal, the division included motorized infantry, which was moved by armored personnel carriers and trucks. In addition, it was towed by tractors. Since 1943, self-propelled artillery also appeared in the tank division.
And what ensured the success of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II? Of course, the coordinated actions of attack aircraft and tanks, coordinated with the strategic moves of the command - are brave and unexpected for the enemy.
By June 22, 1941 there were seventeen tank divisions on the Eastern Front. The high command of the ground forces in reserve had two detachments. Eleven divisions were also located in the tank regiments of the double-battalion composition (147 vehicles in the state), eight formations were located in the tank regiments of the three-battalion structure (in the state of 209 vehicles).
The basic tactical unit of the German tank forces was the tank battalion. The composition of the Wehrmacht, by the way, was distinguished by some personality. At the time of the invasion of the USSR, the tank battalion had three companies of light tanks and a single company of medium tanks. Additionally, at his disposal was a platoon of communications. Each company of light tanks had four platoons, and each had five “iron giants”. In addition, two cars were in the control platoon. A company of medium tanks had three platoons.
When the new Panther medium tanks entered the battalion, its composition was reformatted. Since 1943, it consisted of four companies of a three-platoon composition (five tanks each) and two control platoon tanks. It should be noted that the “Tigers” battalions consisted of three companies: three platoons were equipped with four “iron giants” each, and there were two iron machines in the control platoon. In general, the company disposed of fourteen tanks.
Armament of the Wehrmacht
From 1939 to 1942, the Wehrmacht was armed with medium Sd Kfz 251 and light Sd Kfz 250 armored personnel carriers. Success on the battlefield was also achieved by light tanks Pz.I, Pz.II, Czech Pz.35 (t), Pz.38 (t), medium Pz.III, Pz.IV, armored cars and other equipment.
Since the end of 1940, tank divisions began to reorganize. Now the main machine of the light tank companies was appointed Pz-III, and medium - Pz-IV. The tankers' personal armament consisted of a Walther P38 pistol, an MP40 submachine gun and grenades.
In the years 1943-1945, the Wehrmacht's weapons changed and looked like this:
- 1943 - modified versions of Pz.IV, Pz.V "Panther".
- Tank destroyers and heavy tanks "Yagdtiger", "Tiger", self-propelled guns "Yagdpanthera", "Royal Tiger", "Ferdinand" were manned in separate battalions of heavy tanks.
502nd Heavy Tank Division
The first combat formation of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War was the 502nd heavy tank battalion. He was armed with the latest Tiger I tanks. The army was created on May 25, 1942, and on April 27, 1945 its last tank was shot down. The formation was commanded by Otto Carius, a German as-tanker. He destroyed more than one hundred and fifty “iron colossi” and enemy self-propelled guns. Such an achievement was considered one of the highest in the years of the Second World War. Of course, there were other German masters of tank battle - Michael Wittmann and Kurt Knispel. Otto fought on the tanks "Tiger", Pz.38, PT-SAU "Yagdtigr". He is also the author of an interesting book, Tigers in the Mud.
It should be noted that the 502nd tank heavy battalion was the first unit that received the brand new Tiger I vehicles in August 1942. At first, only the first company was equipped with tanks of this type. By the way, the first Tiger I tanks were made with a caterpillar track, completely unprotected from dirt: in this form, they took part in the battles. Interestingly, the mammoth was the emblem of the formation.
And the second company of the battalion received the Tigers only in December 1942. In 1943 and 1944, the losses of these "iron giants" in the unit were systematically replenished. It was one of the few battalions that did not need to be fully restored. He used the Tigers I in battle until April 1945.
In France, in the spring of 1944, the first and second companies received tanks equipped with the Feifel filtration system. The tower sides of these iron cars were protected by tracked tracks. In addition, most tanks boasted similar protection on each side of the hull. By the way, then the tsimmeritny coating was absent - it began to be applied a bit later, on the Eastern front.
Over the entire period of its existence, the battalion used almost all Tiger brands in battles.
501st Heavy Tank Division
The second drill formation of the Wehrmacht was the 501st tank heavy battalion. At that time, he was armed with the latest Tiger I heavy tanks. The battalion was created on May 25, 1942 in Erfurt with the combination of the 502nd and 501st heavy companies. The first company of the unit was created on the basis of the 501st heavy company, the second company - on the basis of the 502nd.
: Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 1, . , , .
And how many tanks in the tank battalion fought on the battlefield? The Tigers Porsche was originally planned to be armed with this formation. A little later they decided to equip him with Henschel tanks. In general, the Tigers entered service only in August 1942. At that time, only the 502nd battalion had the right to receive these amazing machines as soon as possible. According to the state, this small army was supposed to have twenty heavy Tigers and sixteen medium Panzer IIIs.
Military service
From the port of Reggio Calabria (Italy) to Tunisia, the 501st tank battalion was sent on November 20, 1942. He had enough tanks to achieve victory in battle. In North Africa, German-Italian troops were defeated, the battalion was slightly modified in Paderborn. Now it consisted of three heavy tank companies. Further, the renewed army was sent to the Eastern Front, in the Minsk region. A little later, the battalion successfully fought near Krakow and Prague.
In December 1944, it was renamed the 424th and transferred to the operational subordination of the twenty-fourth tank corps from the fourth tank army. And in February 1945, the 512th heavy battalion, a tank destroyer, was created from the remnants of the unit.
Zaporozhye region
And how to study the modern Ukrainian tank battalion (composition)? 2014 is drawing to a close, and we still lack information about it that is so interesting to fans of these heavy machines. What is he really like? But the whole secret is that this army does not exist yet! At the moment, it is only planned to create an additional battalion in the Zaporizhzhya region, equipped with tanks and various military equipment. March 19, 2014 the Ukrainian government decided to strengthen the border areas of the country, which led to the emergence of this project. The place where 1 tank battalion will be located is already being prepared. Well, each country must take care of its own security and guard its borders.