Number of members of the USSR by year. USSR Army

“...from the taiga to the British seas: the Red Army is the strongest,” they sang in a Soviet song. During World War II, the Red Army became Soviet and, together with the Navy, Civil Defense Troops, border and internal troops, formed the Armed Forces of the USSR.
In this issue you will see photographs from the Soviet photo album of the 80s and find out what the Great Soviet Encyclopedia said about the Armed Forces of the USSR.

Text: Great Soviet Encyclopedia

1.
The Armed Forces of the USSR are a military organization of the Soviet state, designed to protect the socialist gains of the Soviet people, freedom and independence of the Soviet Union. Together with the armed forces of other socialist countries, they ensure the security of the entire socialist community from the attacks of aggressors.

2. Construction battalion members at BAM.

3.

4. Sappers in action.

5.
The Armed Forces of the USSR are divided into types: Strategic Missile Forces, Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, Air Force, Navy, and also include the Rear Services of the Armed Forces, headquarters and Civil Defense troops. The branches of the Armed Forces, in turn, are divided into types of troops, types of forces (Navy) and special forces, which organizationally consist of subunits, units, and formations. The Armed Forces also include border and internal troops. The Armed Forces of the USSR have a unified system of organization and recruitment, centralized management, uniform principles of training and education of personnel and training of command personnel, a general procedure for serving as privates, non-commissioned officers and officers.

7. Fire during exercises.
Direct leadership of the Armed Forces is exercised by the USSR Ministry of Defense. All branches of the Armed Forces, the rear of the Armed Forces, headquarters and Civil Defense troops are subordinate to him. Each branch of the Armed Forces is led by a corresponding commander-in-chief, who is a deputy. Minister of Defense The border and internal troops are led, respectively, by the State Security Committee under the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR. The Ministry of Defense includes the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR, the directorates of the commanders-in-chief of the branches of the Armed Forces, the Logistics Directorate of the Armed Forces, the main and central directorates (the Main Personnel Directorate, the Central Financial Directorate, the Administrative Department, etc.), as well as military administrative bodies and civil service institutions. defense The Ministry of Defense, among other tasks, is entrusted with: developing plans for the construction and development of the Armed Forces in peacetime and war time, improving the organization of troops, military equipment, providing the Armed Forces with weapons and all types of material supplies, managing the operational and combat training of troops and a number of other functions determined by the requirements of state defense. The leadership of party-political work in the Armed Forces of the CPSU Central Committee is carried out through the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy, operating as a department of the CPSU Central Committee. It directs political bodies, army and navy party and Komsomol organizations, ensures party influence on all aspects of the life of military personnel, directs the activities of political bodies and party organizations to increase the combat readiness of troops, strengthen military discipline and the political and moral state of personnel.

8. Crossing on a pontoon.

9. Artillery crew during exercises.
Material and technical support for the Armed Forces is carried out by departments and logistics services subordinate to the Deputy Minister of Defense - Chief of Logistics of the Armed Forces.

10.
The territory of the USSR is divided into military districts. A military district may cover the territories of several territories, republics or regions. To fulfill allied obligations to jointly ensure the security of socialist states, groups of Soviet troops are temporarily stationed in the territories of the GDR, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. In the branches of the Armed Forces, military districts, groups of troops, air defense districts, and fleets, military councils have been created that have the right to consider and decide all important issues of the life and activities of the troops of the corresponding branch of the Armed Forces or district. They bear full responsibility to the Central Committee of the CPSU, the government and the Minister of Defense of the USSR for the implementation of party and government decisions in the Armed Forces, as well as orders of the Minister of Defense.

12. Against the background of the Motherland monument in the hero city of Volgograd.

13.
Recruitment of the Armed Forces by privates, sergeants and petty officers is carried out by calling up Soviet citizens for active military service, which, according to the Constitution of the USSR and the Law on General military duty 1967, an honorable duty for citizens of the USSR (see Military duty in the USSR). Conscription is carried out by order of the Minister of Defense everywhere 2 times a year: in May - June and in November - December. Male citizens who have reached the age of 18 by the day of conscription are called up for active military service for a period of service from 1.5 to 3 years, depending on their education and the type of Armed Forces. An additional source of recruitment is the admission of military personnel and reserve personnel on a voluntary basis to the positions of warrant officers and midshipmen, as well as for long-term service. Officer cadres are recruited on a voluntary basis. Officers are trained in higher and secondary military schools of the relevant branches of the Armed Forces and branches of the military; political officers - in higher military-political schools. To prepare young men for entry into higher military educational establishments There are Suvorov and Nakhimov schools. Advanced training of officers is carried out at higher advanced training courses for officers, as well as in the system of combat and political training. Leading command, political, engineering and other officer cadres are trained in military, air force, naval and special academies.

14. Communication with the commander.

15. Solemn ceremony of taking the oath.

16.
The Soviet Army and Navy began with the formation of the world's first socialist state. To the Soviet people After the victory of the October Revolution of 1917, it was necessary not only to build a new society, but also to defend it with arms in hand from internal counter-revolution and repeated attacks by international imperialism. The Armed Forces of the USSR were created directly by the Communist Party under the leadership. V.I. Lenin, based on the provisions of the Marxist-Leninist teaching on war and the army. By the resolution of the 2nd All-Russian Congress of Soviets of October 26 (November 8), 1917, during the formation of the Soviet government, a Committee on Military and Naval Affairs was created consisting of V. A. Antonov-Ovseenko, N. V. Krylenko, P. E. Dybenko; from October 27 (November 9), 1917 it was called the Council of People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs, from December 1917 - the College of Military Commissars, from February 1918 - 2 People's Commissars: for military and naval affairs. The main armed force in overthrowing the rule of the bourgeoisie and landowners and winning the power of the working people were the Red Guard and the revolutionary sailors of the Baltic Fleet, soldiers of the Petrograd and other garrisons. Relying on the working class and the peasant poor, they played a major role in the victory of the October Revolution of 1917, in the defense of the young Soviet Republic in the center and locally, in the defeat of the counter-revolutionary uprisings of Kerensky - Krasnov near Petrograd, Kaledin on the Don, and Dutov at the end of 1917 - beginning of 1918 in the Southern Urals, to ensure the triumphal march of Soviet power throughout Russia.

17. Army amateur performances.

18.
“... The Red Guards did the noblest and greatest historical work of liberating the working people and the exploited from the oppression of the exploiters” (Lenin V.I., Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 36, p. 177).

19.
At the beginning of 1918, it became obvious that the forces of the Red Guard, as well as detachments of revolutionary soldiers and sailors, were clearly not enough to reliably defend the Soviet state. In an effort to strangle the revolution, the imperialist states, primarily Germany, undertook an intervention against the young Soviet Republic, which merged with the rise of internal counter-revolution: White Guard rebellions and conspiracies of the Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, and the remnants of various bourgeois parties. Regular armed forces were needed that could protect the Soviet state from numerous enemies.

22.
On January 15 (28), 1918, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), and on January 29 (February 11) - a decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) on a voluntary basis. Direct supervision of the formation of the Red Army was carried out by the All-Russian Collegium, established by the Council of People's Commissars on January 15 (28), 1918 under the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs. In connection with Germany’s violation of the truce and its troops going on the offensive, the Soviet government on February 22 addressed the people with a decree-appeal written by Lenin, “The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger!” This decree marked the beginning of the mass enrollment of volunteers in the Red Army and the formation of many of its units. To commemorate the general mobilization revolutionary forces to defend the socialist Fatherland, as well as the courageous resistance of the Red Army units to the invaders, February 23 is celebrated annually in the USSR as a national holiday - the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy.

23. In the army bath.

24. Physical training.

25.
In the years Civil War 1918-20 the construction of the Red Army and the Red Army was carried out in extremely difficult conditions. The country's economy was undermined railway transport disorganized, the army was supplied with food irregularly, and there were not enough weapons and uniforms. The army did not have the required number of command personnel; Means. Some of the officers of the old army were on the side of the counter-revolution. The peasantry, from which the rank and file and junior command staff were mainly recruited, devastated by the 1st World War of 1914-18, were not inclined to voluntarily join the army. All these difficulties were aggravated by the sabotage of the old bureaucracy, the bourgeois intelligentsia and the kulaks.

26. Veteran and conscript.

27.
From January to May 1918, the Red Army and the Red Red Army Fleet were staffed with volunteers, the command staff (up to the regiment commander) was selected; the number of volunteer units was extremely insufficient. By April 20, 1918, the Red Army numbered only 196 thousand people. Staffing the army with volunteers and electing command personnel could not ensure the creation of a massive regular army, which was necessary in the international situation and in the context of the expanding scale of the Civil War. On March 4, 1918, the Supreme Military Council was formed to guide military operations and the organization of the army. On April 8, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a decree on the establishment of volost, district, provincial and district commissariats for military affairs; on May 8, instead of the All-Russian Collegium for the formation of the Red Army, the All-Russian Main Staff (Vseroglavshtab) was created - the highest executive body in charge of the mobilization, formation, organization and training of troops . By decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on April 22, universal military training of workers (Vsevobuch) was introduced, and military department bodies began to appoint command personnel. Due to the lack of qualified command personnel, former officers and generals were recruited into the army and navy; The Institute of Military Commissars was formed.

28. Military ID.

29.
On July 10, 1918, the 5th All-Russian Congress of Soviets adopted a resolution “On the organization of the Red Army” on the basis of universal military service for workers aged 18 to 40 years. The transition to compulsory military service made it possible to sharply increase the size of the Red Army. By the beginning of September 1918, there were already 550 thousand people in its ranks. On September 6, 1918, simultaneously with the declaration of martial law in the country, instead of the Supreme Military Council, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RVSR) was created, whose functions included operational and organizational control of the troops. In September 1918, the functions and personnel of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs were transferred to the RVSR, and in December 1918 - the People's Commissariat for Maritime Affairs (became part of the RVSR as the Naval Department). The RVSR led the active army through its member - the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Republic (commander-in-chief: from September 1918 - I. I. Vatsetis, from July 1919 - S. S. Kamenev). On September 6, 1918, the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic was established (February 10, 1921, merged with the All-Russian Headquarters into the Headquarters of the Red Army), subordinate to the commander-in-chief and engaged in training troops and directing military operations.

31. Political information.

32.
Party political work in the army and navy was carried out by the Central Committee of the RCP (b) through the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars (created on April 8, 1918), which on April 18, 1919, by decision of the 8th Party Congress, was replaced by a department of the RVSR, renamed on May 26, 1919 to the Political Directorate (PUR) under the RVSR, which was also a department of the Central Committee of the RCP (o). In the troops, party political work was carried out by political departments and party organizations (cells).

35.
In 1919, on the basis of the decisions of the 8th Party Congress, the transition to a regular mass army was completed, with a strong proletarian, politically conscious, personnel core, unified system recruitment, stable organization of troops, centralized control and an effective party-political apparatus. The construction of the Armed Forces of the USSR took place in a bitter struggle with the “military opposition”, which opposed the creation of a regular army, defended the remnants of partisanship in command and control of troops and the conduct of war, and underestimated the role of old military specialists.

38.
By the end of 1919, the number of the Red Army reached 3 million people, by the fall of 1920 - 5.5 million people. The share of workers was 15%, peasants - 77%, others - 8%. In total, in 1918-20, 88 rifle and 29 cavalry divisions, 67 air detachments (300-400 aircraft), as well as a number of artillery and armored units and subunits were formed. There were 2 spare (reserve) armies (Republic and South-Eastern Front) and units of the Vsevobuch, in which about 800 thousand people were trained. During the Civil War, 6 military academies and over 150 courses and schools (October 1920) trained 40 thousand commanders from workers and peasants. On August 1, 1920, there were about 300 thousand communists in the Red Army and Navy (about 1/2 of the entire party), who were the cementing core of the army and navy. About 50 thousand of them died a heroic death during the Civil War.

40.
In the summer and autumn of 1918, active troops began to be consolidated into armies and fronts led by revolutionary military councils (RMC) of 2-4 members. By the fall of 1919, there were 7 fronts, each with 2-5 armies. In total, the fronts had 16-18 combined arms armies, one Cavalry Army (1st) and several separate cavalry corps. In 1920 the 2nd Cavalry Army was formed.

42.
During the fight against the interventionists and the White Guards, mainly the weapons of the old army were used. At the same time, the emergency measures taken by the party to establish the military industry and the unparalleled heroism of the working class made it possible to move to the organized supply of Soviet-made weapons, ammunition and uniforms to the Red Army. The average monthly production of rifles in 1920 was more than 56 thousand units, cartridges - 58 million units. In 1919, aviation enterprises built 258 and repaired 50 aircraft.

44.
Along with the creation of the Red Army, Soviet military science arose and developed, based on the Marxist-Leninist teaching on war and the army, practice revolutionary struggle the masses, the achievements of the military theory of the past, creatively revised in relation to new conditions. The first regulations of the Red Army were published: in 1918 - the Charter of the Internal Service, the Charter of the Garrison Service, the Field Regulations, in 1919 - the Disciplinary Charter. A great contribution to Soviet military science were Lenin’s provisions on the essence and nature of war, the role of the masses, the social system, and the economy in achieving victory. Already at that time it was clearly evident character traits Soviet military art: revolutionary creative activity; intransigence to the template; the ability to determine the direction of the main attack; a reasonable combination of offensive and defensive actions; pursuit of the enemy until his complete destruction, etc.

47.

49.
After the victorious end of the Civil War and the decisive defeat of the combined forces of interventionists and White Guards, the Red Army was transferred to a peaceful position and by the end of 1924 its strength was reduced by 10 times. Simultaneously with demobilization, the Armed Forces were strengthened. In 1923, the united People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs was recreated. As a result of the military reform of 1924-25, the central apparatus was reduced and updated, new numbers of units and formations were introduced, the social composition of command personnel was improved, and new regulations, manuals and guidelines were developed and implemented. The most important issue of military reform was the transition to a mixed system of recruiting troops, which made it possible to have a small personnel army in peacetime with minimal expenditure of funds for its maintenance in combination with territorial police formations of internal districts (see Territorial police structure). Most of the formations and units of the border districts, technical and special troops, and the Navy remained personnel. Instead of L. D. Trotsky (from 1918 - People's Commissar for Military Affairs and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic), who sought to tear the Red Army and Navy away from the party leadership, on January 26, 1925, M. V. Frunze was appointed Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, after his death of which K.E. Voroshilov became People's Commissar.

51.
The first all-Union law “On Compulsory Military Service,” adopted on September 18, 1925 by the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, consolidated the measures taken during the military reform. This law determined the organizational structure of the Armed Forces, which included the Ground Forces (infantry, cavalry, artillery, armored forces, engineering troops, signal troops), Air Force and Naval Forces, troops of the United State Political Administration (OGPU) and the USSR escort guards. Their number in 1927 was 586 thousand people.

53.
In the 30s on the basis of the successes achieved in building socialism, further improvement of the Armed Forces took place; their territorial and personnel structure ceased to meet the needs of state defense. In 1935-38, a transition was made from the territorial personnel system to a unified personnel structure of the Armed Forces. In 1937, there were 1.5 million people in the ranks of the army and navy, in June 1941 - about 5 million people. On June 20, 1934, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR abolished the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and renamed the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs into the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR. In November 1934, the Military Council of the People's Commissariat of Defense was created, in 1937 military councils in the districts, and in 1935 the Headquarters of the Red Army was transformed into the General Staff. In 1937, the all-Union People's Commissariat of the Navy was created; The political directorate of the Red Army was renamed the Main Directorate of Political Propaganda, and the political directorates of districts and political departments of formations were renamed into directorates and departments of political propaganda. On May 10, 1937, by decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the institution of military commissars was introduced, responsible together with the commanders for the political and moral state of the troops, operational and mobilization readiness, the condition of weapons and military equipment; in 1938 the main military councils of the Red Army were established; Army and Navy.

55.
On September 1, 1939, the law “On General Military Duty” was adopted, which abolished the previously existing restrictions on conscription into the army and navy for certain categories of the population and proclaimed military service an honorable duty for all citizens of the USSR, regardless of their class affiliation.

58.
The social composition of the army improved: from 40 to 50% of soldiers and junior commanders were representatives of the working class. In 1939, there were 14 military academies, 63 military schools of the Ground Forces and 14 Navy, 32 flight and flight technical schools. On September 22, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced (see Military ranks), and on May 7, 1940, general and admiral ranks were introduced. In terms of technical equipment, the Armed Forces during the pre-war five-year plans (1929-40) rose to the level of the armies of advanced capitalist states. In the Ground Forces in 1939 compared to 1930, the number of artillery increased; 7 times, including anti-tank and tank - 70 times. The number of tanks increased 2.5 times from 1934 to 1939. Along with the quantitative growth of weapons and military equipment, their quality has improved. A noticeable step has been made in increasing the rate of fire of small arms. Mechanization and motorization of all types of troops increased. Air defense, engineering, communications, and chemical defense troops were armed with new technical means. Based on the successes of aircraft and engine manufacturing, the Air Force further developed. In 1939, compared to 1930, the total number of aircraft increased by 6.5 times. The Navy began construction of surface ships of various classes, submarines, torpedo boats, as well as naval aircraft. Compared to 1939, the volume of military production in 1940 increased by more than 1/3. Through the efforts of the design bureau teams of A. I. Mikoyan, M. I. Gurevich, A. S. Yakovlev, S. A. Lavochkin, S. V. Ilyushin, V. M. Petlyakov and others, and workers in the aviation industry, various types were created fighter aircraft: Yak-1, MiG-Z, LaGG-Z, Pe-2 dive bomber, Il-2 attack aircraft. The design teams of Zh. Ya. Kotin, M. I. Koshkin, A. A. Morozov, I. A. Kucherenko put into serial production the world's best heavy and medium tanks KV-1 and T-34. The design bureaus of V. G. Grabin, I. I. Ivanov, F. I. Petrov and others created new original types of artillery guns and mortars, many of which entered mass production. From May 1940 to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War 1941-45 the gun fleet increased by more than 1.2 times. Designers Yu. A. Pobedonostsev, I. I. Gvai, V. A. Artemyev, F. I. Poyda and others created rocket weapons for salvo firing at areas. A large group of designers and scientists - A. N. Krylov, P. N. Papkovich, V. L. Pozdyunin, V. I. Kostenko, A. N. Maslov, B. M. Malinin, V. F. Popov and others. , developed several new types of warships that were put into mass production. Factories producing small arms, ammunition, fuels and lubricants, etc. achieved great success in 1940-41.

59.
Increased technical equipment made it possible on the eve of the war to significantly improve the organizational structure of the troops. IN rifle divisions tanks, powerful divisional artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery were included, which significantly increased their firepower. The organization of reserve artillery of the High Command (RGK) received further development. Instead of separate tank and armored brigades, which since 1939 had been the main formations of armored forces, the formation of larger formations began - tank and mechanized divisions. Airborne corps began to be formed in the airborne troops, and in the Air Force they began to switch to a divisional organization in 1940. The Navy organized formations and associations intended for joint actions with ground forces and for conducting independent operations.

61.
Military strategy, operational art and tactics received further development. In the mid-30s. a theory of deep combat and deep operation is being developed, reflecting qualitative changes in the technical equipment of troops - fundamentally new theory conducting operations by massive, highly mobile, well-equipped armies. Theoretical provisions were tested during maneuvers and exercises, as well as during the combat operations of the Red Army in the area of ​​Lake Khasan, river. Khalkhin Gol, in the Soviet-Finnish war 1939-40. Many charters and instructions were developed anew. In 1940, the troops received the Infantry Combat Regulations (Part 1), draft Field Regulations and Infantry Combat Regulations (Part 2), the Tank Forces Combat Regulations, the Combat Regulations, the Guard Service Regulations, etc. On May 7, 1940, S. was appointed People's Commissar of Defense. K. Timoshenko.

63.
Despite the measures taken, the preparation of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression being prepared by German fascism was not completed. Reorganization of the Armed Forces on a new technical basis by the beginning of the war it was not over. Most of the formations transferred to new states were not fully equipped with weapons and military equipment, as well as vehicles. Many mid- and senior-level commanders lacked experience in modern warfare.

65. Military personnel from different socialist countries.
Great Patriotic War. the war of 1941-45 was the most difficult test for the Soviet people and the Armed Forces of the USSR. The fascist German troops, due to the surprise of the attack, lengthy preparation for war, 2 years of experience in military operations in Europe, superiority in the number of weapons, the number of troops and other temporary advantages, were able to advance hundreds of kilometers in the first months of the war, regardless of losses deep into Soviet territory. The CPSU and the Soviet government did everything necessary to eliminate the mortal threat hanging over the country. From the beginning of the war, the deployment of the Armed Forces was carried out in an organized manner and in a short time. By July 1, 1941, 5.3 million people were called up from the reserves. The entire life of the country was restructured on a military basis. The main sectors of the economy switched to the production of military products. In July - November 1941, 1,360 large enterprises, mainly of defense significance, were evacuated from front-line areas. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was formed - State Committee Defense (GKO) under the chairmanship of I.V. Stalin. On July 19, 1941, J.V. Stalin was appointed People's Commissar of Defense, who on August 8 also became the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The State Defense Committee led the entire life of the country, combining the efforts of the rear and the front, the activities of all government bodies, party and public organizations for the complete defeat of the enemy. Fundamental issues of governing the state and waging war were decided by the Party Central Committee - the Politburo, the Organizing Bureau and the Secretariat. Decisions made were implemented through the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the State Defense Committee and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, created on August 8, 1941. The Headquarters carried out strategic leadership of the Armed Forces with the help of its working body - the General Staff. The most important issues of warfare were discussed at joint meetings of the Politburo of the Central Committee, the State Defense Committee and Headquarters.

66.
Since the beginning of the war, the training of officers has been expanded by increasing the number of students at academies, school cadets and reducing the duration of training, creating a large number of courses for accelerated training of junior officers, especially among soldiers and sergeants. From September 1941, units that distinguished themselves began to be given the name Guards (see Soviet Guard).
Thanks to the emergency measures taken by the CPSU and the Soviet government, mass heroism and unprecedented self-sacrifice of the Soviet people, army and navy soldiers, by the end of 1941 it was possible to stop the enemy on the approaches to Moscow, Leningrad and other vital centers of the country. During the Moscow Battle of 1941-42, the first major defeat was inflicted on the enemy in the entire 2nd world war. This battle dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi army, thwarted the “blitzkrieg” plan, and was the beginning of a decisive turn in the war in favor of the USSR.

68.
In the summer of 1942, the center of military operations moved to the southern wing of the Soviet-German front. The enemy was eager for the Volga, the oil of the Caucasus, and the grain-growing regions of the Don and Kuban. The Party and the Soviet government made every effort to stop the enemy and continued to increase the power of the Armed Forces. By the spring of 1942, the Armed Forces included 5.5 million people in the active army alone. From mid-1942, industry began to increase the output of military products and more fully meet the needs of the front. If in 1941 15,735 aircraft were produced, then in 1942 there were already 25,436, tanks, respectively, 6,590 and 24,446, and ammunition production almost doubled. In 1942, 575 thousand officers were sent to the army. In the Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943, Soviet troops defeated the enemy and seized the strategic initiative. This victory was the beginning of a radical change not only in the Great Patriotic War, but also in the entire 2nd World War.

70.
In 1943, military production developed rapidly: the production of aircraft increased by 137.1% compared to 1942, warships by 123%, submachine guns by 134.3%, shells by 116.9%, and aerial bombs by 173.3%. In general, military production increased by 17%, and in Nazi Germany by 12%. The Soviet defense industry managed to surpass the enemy not only in the quantity of weapons, but also in their quality. The massive production of artillery pieces made it possible to strengthen divisional artillery, create corps, army artillery and powerful reserve artillery of the Supreme High Command (RVGK), new units and units of rocket, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery. A significant number of tank and mechanized corps were formed, most of which were later consolidated into a tank. army. Armored and mechanized troops became the main impact force Ground forces (by the end of 1943 they included 5 tank armies, 24 tank and 13 mechanized corps). The composition of air divisions, corps and air armies has increased.
The significant strengthening of the power of the Soviet Armed Forces and the increased leadership skill of its military leaders made it possible to inflict a major defeat on the fascist troops in the Battle of Kursk in 1943, which placed fascist Germany before a military catastrophe.

71. Internationalist warriors and pioneers.

72.
Decisive victories were won by the USSR Armed Forces in 1944-45. By this time, they had enormous combat experience, possessed colossal power, and by the beginning of 1945 they numbered 11,365 thousand people. The advantages of the socialist economic system and the vitality of the economic policy of the CPSU and the Soviet government were clearly revealed. In 1943-45, an average of 220 thousand artillery pieces and mortars, 450 thousand machine guns, 40 thousand aircraft, 30 thousand tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles were produced annually. New types of aircraft were produced in large quantities - La-7, Yak-9, Il-10, Tu-2, heavy tanks IS-2, self-propelled artillery systems ISU-122, ISU-152 and SU-100, rocket launchers BM- 31-12, 160 mm mortars and other military equipment. As a result of strategic offensive operations, including near Leningrad and Novgorod, in Crimea, in Right-Bank Ukraine, in Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic states and in the Arctic, the Armed Forces cleared the invaders Soviet land. Developing a rapid offensive, Soviet troops in 1945 carried out East Prussian, Vistula-Oder and other operations. In the Berlin operation they achieved the final defeat of Nazi Germany. The Armed Forces completed a great liberation mission - they helped get rid of fascist occupation to the peoples of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
Fulfilling our allied obligations, Soviet Union in August 1945 entered the war with Japan. The Armed Forces of the USSR, together with the armed forces of the Mongolian People's Republic, defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army and thereby played a decisive role in ending World War II (see Manchurian Operation 1945).

73.
The leading force of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War was the Communist Party. During the war, she sent over 1.6 million communists to the front; during the war, about 6 million people joined the ranks of the Communist Party.

75. In the Afghan gorge.
The Party and the Soviet government appreciated the exploits of soldiers on the war fronts. Over 7 million soldiers were awarded orders and medals; over 11,600 of them - representatives of 100 nations and nationalities - were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. About half of all awarded soldiers are communists and Komsomol members.

77. Wall newspaper.

78.
During the war, the USSR Armed Forces acquired enormous combat experience. Soviet military science, especially military art and all its components - strategy, operational art and tactics - received further development. The issues of front-line and strategic offensive operations of a group of fronts were comprehensively developed, the problems of breaking through enemy defenses, continuity of offensive development by introducing mobile - tank and mechanized formations and formations into the breakthrough, achieving clear interaction of forces and means, surprise strikes, comprehensive support for operations, issues of strategic defense and counteroffensive

79. In the army canteen.

80.
Having defeated the armies of fascist Germany and imperialist Japan, the Armed Forces of the USSR emerged from the war organizationally stronger, equipped with the latest technology, with a sense of fulfilled duty to the Soviet people and all humanity. Mass layoffs of personnel began. On September 4, 1945, the State Defense Committee was abolished, and the Supreme Command Headquarters ceased its activities. On February 25, 1946, instead of the People's Commissariats of Defense and the Navy, a single People's Commissariat of the Armed Forces of the SS was created

81. Young family.

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THE USSR. Armed Forces of the USSR

The Armed Forces of the USSR are a military organization of the Soviet state, designed to protect the socialist gains of the Soviet people, freedom and independence of the Soviet Union. Together with the armed forces of other socialist countries, they ensure the security of the entire socialist community from the attacks of aggressors.

The Armed Forces of the USSR are fundamentally different from the armed forces of the exploiting states. In capitalist states, the armed forces are a weapon of oppression of the working people, the aggressive policies of imperialist circles, and the seizure and enslavement of other countries. The Armed Forces of the USSR are built on the principles of socialist consciousness, patriotism, friendship of peoples and represent a stronghold of universal peace and progress. They are national in their composition, purpose and place in the political organization of society. The ideological basis for the education of their personnel is Marxism-Leninism. This constitutes their main characteristic features, the meaning and significance of all activities; they contain the sources of their strength and power. “Our army is a special army in the sense that it is a school of internationalism, a school of instilling feelings of brotherhood, solidarity and mutual respect for all nations and nationalities of the Soviet Union. Our Armed Forces are a single friendly family, the living embodiment of socialist internationalism" (Brezhnev L.I., Lenin Course, vol. 4, 1974, p. 61). The internationalism of the Armed Forces of the USSR is manifested in the ever-increasing strengthening of their fraternal ties and military cooperation with the armies of other socialist countries.

The Armed Forces of the USSR are divided into types: Strategic Missile Forces, Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, Air Force, Navy , and also include the rear of the Armed Forces , headquarters and troops of the Civil Defense (See Civil Defense). The branches of the Armed Forces, in turn, are divided into types of troops, types of forces (Navy) and special forces, which organizationally consist of subunits, units, and formations. The Armed Forces also include border and internal troops. The Armed Forces of the USSR have a unified system of organization and recruitment, centralized management, uniform principles of training and education of personnel and training of command personnel, a general procedure for serving as privates, non-commissioned officers and officers.

The highest leadership of the country's defense and the Armed Forces of the USSR is carried out by the CPSU Central Committee and the highest body state power- Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR appoints and removes the highest military command, declares the general and partial mobilization, martial law, state of war. The leadership of the CPSU Armed Forces is the basis of all military development. The main provisions of the Soviet military doctrine follow from the policies of the CPSU and the Soviet government (See Military doctrine).

Direct leadership of the Armed Forces is exercised by the USSR Ministry of Defense. All branches of the Armed Forces, the rear of the Armed Forces, headquarters and Civil Defense troops are subordinate to him. Each branch of the Armed Forces is led by a corresponding commander-in-chief, who is a deputy. Minister of Defense The border and internal troops are led, respectively, by the State Security Committee under the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR. The Ministry of Defense includes the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR, the directorates of the commanders-in-chief of the branches of the Armed Forces, the Logistics Directorate of the Armed Forces, the main and central directorates (the Main Personnel Directorate, the Central Financial Directorate, the Administrative Department, etc.), as well as military administrative bodies and civil service institutions. defense The Ministry of Defense, among other tasks, is entrusted with: developing plans for the construction and development of the Armed Forces in peacetime and war, improving the organization of troops, weapons, military equipment, providing the Armed Forces with weapons and all types of material supplies, managing the operational and combat training of troops and a number of others functions determined by the requirements of state protection. The leadership of party-political work in the Armed Forces of the CPSU Central Committee is carried out through the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy , operating as a department of the CPSU Central Committee. It directs political bodies, army and navy party and Komsomol organizations, ensures party influence on all aspects of the life of military personnel, directs the activities of political bodies and party organizations to increase the combat readiness of troops, strengthen military discipline and the political and moral state of personnel.

Material and technical support for the Armed Forces is carried out by departments and logistics services subordinate to the Deputy Minister of Defense - Chief of Logistics of the Armed Forces.

The territory of the USSR is divided into military districts (See Military district). A military district may cover the territories of several territories, republics or regions. To fulfill allied obligations to jointly ensure the security of socialist states, groups of Soviet troops are temporarily stationed in the territories of the GDR, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. In the branches of the Armed Forces, military districts, groups of troops, air defense districts, and fleets, military councils have been created that have the right to consider and decide all important issues of the life and activities of the troops of the corresponding branch of the Armed Forces or district. They bear full responsibility to the Central Committee of the CPSU, the government and the Minister of Defense of the USSR for the implementation of party and government decisions in the Armed Forces, as well as orders of the Minister of Defense.

The formation of the Armed Forces by privates, sergeants and senior officers is carried out by calling up Soviet citizens for active military service, which, according to the Constitution of the USSR and the Law on General Military Duty of 1967, is an honorable duty of citizens of the USSR (see Military duty in the USSR). Conscription is carried out by order of the Minister of Defense everywhere 2 times a year: in May - June and in November - December. Male citizens who have reached the age of 18 by the day of conscription are called up for active military service for a period of service from 1.5 to 3 years, depending on their education and the type of Armed Forces. An additional source of recruitment is the admission of military personnel and reserve personnel on a voluntary basis to the positions of warrant officers and midshipmen, as well as for long-term service. Officer cadres are recruited on a voluntary basis. Officers are trained in higher and secondary military schools of the relevant branches of the Armed Forces and branches of the military; political officers - in higher military-political schools. To prepare young men for admission to higher military educational institutions, there are Suvorov and Nakhimov schools. Advanced training of officers is carried out at higher advanced training courses for officers, as well as in the system of combat and political training. Leading command, political, engineering and other officer cadres are trained in military, air force, naval and special academies.

The history of the Soviet Army and Navy began with the formation of the world's first socialist state. After the victory of the October Revolution of 1917, the Soviet people had to not only build a new society, but also defend it with arms in hand from internal counter-revolution and repeated attacks by international imperialism. The Armed Forces of the USSR were created directly by the Communist Party under the leadership. V.I. Lenin, based on the provisions of the Marxist-Leninist teaching on war and the army. By the resolution of the 2nd All-Russian Congress of Soviets of October 26 (November 8), 1917, during the formation of the Soviet government, a Committee on Military and Naval Affairs was created consisting of V. A. Antonov-Ovseenko, N. V. Krylenko, P. E. Dybenko; from October 27 (November 9), 1917 it was called the Council of People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs, from December 1917 - the College of Military Commissars, from February 1918 - 2 People's Commissars: for military and naval affairs. The main armed force in overthrowing the rule of the bourgeoisie and landowners and winning the power of the working people were the Red Guard and the revolutionary sailors of the Baltic Fleet, soldiers of the Petrograd and other garrisons. Relying on the working class and the peasant poor, they played a major role in the victory of the October Revolution of 1917, in the defense of the young Soviet Republic in the center and locally, in the defeat of the counter-revolutionary uprisings of Kerensky - Krasnov near Petrograd, Kaledin on the Don, and Dutov at the end of 1917 - beginning of 1918 in the Southern Urals, in ensuring the Triumphal Procession of Soviet Power (See Triumphal Procession of Soviet Power) throughout Russia.

“... The Red Guards did the noblest and greatest historical work of liberating the working people and the exploited from the oppression of the exploiters” (V.I. Lenin, Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 36, p. 177).

At the beginning of 1918, it became obvious that the forces of the Red Guard, as well as detachments of revolutionary soldiers and sailors, were clearly not enough to reliably defend the Soviet state. In an effort to strangle the revolution, the imperialist states, primarily Germany, undertook an intervention against the young Soviet Republic, which merged with the rise of internal counter-revolution: White Guard rebellions and conspiracies of the Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, and the remnants of various bourgeois parties. Regular armed forces were needed that could protect the Soviet state from numerous enemies.

On January 15 (28), 1918, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), and on January 29 (February 11) - a decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) on a voluntary basis. Direct supervision of the formation of the Red Army was carried out by the All-Russian Collegium, established by the Council of People's Commissars on January 15 (28), 1918 under the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs. In connection with Germany’s violation of the truce and its troops going on the offensive, the Soviet government on February 22 addressed the people with a decree-appeal written by Lenin, “The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger!” This decree marked the beginning of the mass enrollment of volunteers in the Red Army and the formation of many of its units. In commemoration of the general mobilization of revolutionary forces to defend the socialist Fatherland, as well as the courageous resistance of the Red Army units to the invaders, February 23 is celebrated annually in the USSR as a national holiday - the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy.

During the Civil War of 1918-20, the construction of the Red Army and the Red Army was carried out in extremely difficult conditions. The country's economy was undermined, railway transport was disorganized, the army was supplied with food irregularly, and there were not enough weapons and uniforms. The army did not have the required number of command personnel; Means. Some of the officers of the old army were on the side of the counter-revolution. The peasantry, from which the rank and file and junior command staff were mainly recruited, devastated by the 1st World War of 1914-18, were not inclined to voluntarily join the army. All these difficulties were aggravated by the sabotage of the old bureaucracy, the bourgeois intelligentsia and the kulaks.

On July 10, 1918, the 5th All-Russian Congress of Soviets adopted a resolution “On the organization of the Red Army” on the basis of universal military service for workers aged 18 to 40 years. The transition to compulsory military service made it possible to sharply increase the size of the Red Army. By the beginning of September 1918, there were already 550 thousand people in its ranks. On September 6, 1918, simultaneously with the declaration of martial law in the country, instead of the Supreme Military Council, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RVSR) was created, whose functions included operational and organizational control of the troops. In September 1918, the functions and personnel of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs were transferred to the RVSR, and in December 1918 - the People's Commissariat for Maritime Affairs (became part of the RVSR as the Naval Department). The RVSR led the active army through its member - the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Republic (commander-in-chief: from September 1918 - I. I. Vatsetis, from July 1919 - S. S. Kamenev). On September 6, 1918, the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic was established (February 10, 1921, merged with the All-Russian Headquarters into the Headquarters of the Red Army), subordinate to the commander-in-chief and engaged in training troops and directing military operations.

Party political work in the army and navy was carried out by the Central Committee of the RCP (b) through the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars (created on April 8, 1918), which on April 18, 1919, by decision of the 8th Party Congress, was replaced by a department of the RVSR, renamed on May 26, 1919 to the Political Directorate (PUR) under the RVSR, which was also a department of the Central Committee of the RCP (o). In the troops, party political work was carried out by political departments and party organizations (cells).

In 1919, based on the decisions of the 8th Party Congress, the transition to a regular mass army was completed, with a strong proletarian, politically conscious, personnel core, a unified recruitment system, a stable organization of troops, centralized control and an effective party-political apparatus. The construction of the Armed Forces of the USSR took place in a bitter struggle with the “military opposition” (See Military opposition) , which opposed the creation of a regular army, defended the remnants of partisanship in command and control and the conduct of war, and underestimated the role of old military specialists.

By the end of 1919, the number of the Red Army reached 3 million people, by the fall of 1920 - 5.5 million people. The share of workers was 15%, peasants - 77%, others - 8%. In total, in 1918-20, 88 rifle and 29 cavalry divisions, 67 air detachments (300-400 aircraft), as well as a number of artillery and armored units and subunits were formed. There were 2 spare (reserve) armies (Republic and South-Eastern Front) and units of the Vsevobuch, in which about 800 thousand people were trained. During the Civil War, 6 military academies and over 150 courses and schools (October 1920) trained 40 thousand commanders from workers and peasants. On August 1, 1920, there were about 300 thousand communists in the Red Army and Navy (about 1/2 of the entire party), who were the cementing core of the army and navy. About 50 thousand of them died a heroic death during the Civil War.

In the summer and autumn of 1918, active troops began to be consolidated into armies and fronts led by revolutionary military councils (RMC) of 2-4 members. By the fall of 1919, there were 7 fronts, each with 2-5 armies. In total, the fronts had 16-18 combined arms armies, one Cavalry Army (See Cavalry Army) (1st) and several separate cavalry corps. In 1920 the 2nd Cavalry Army was formed.

During the fight against the interventionists and the White Guards, mainly the weapons of the old army were used. At the same time, the emergency measures taken by the party to establish the military industry and the unparalleled heroism of the working class made it possible to move to the organized supply of Soviet-made weapons, ammunition and uniforms to the Red Army. The average monthly production of rifles in 1920 was more than 56 thousand units, cartridges - 58 million units. In 1919, aviation enterprises built 258 and repaired 50 aircraft.

Along with the creation of the Red Army, Soviet Military Science was born and developed. , based on the Marxist-Leninist teaching on war and the army, the practice of the revolutionary struggle of the masses, the achievements of military theory of the past, creatively revised in relation to new conditions. The first regulations of the Red Army were published: in 1918 - the Charter of the Internal Service, the Charter of the Garrison Service, the Field Regulations, in 1919 - the Disciplinary Charter. A great contribution to Soviet military science were Lenin’s provisions on the essence and nature of war, the role of the masses, the social system, and the economy in achieving victory. Already at that time, the characteristic features of Soviet military art were clearly evident (See Military art): revolutionary creative activity; intransigence to the template; the ability to determine the direction of the main attack; a reasonable combination of offensive and defensive actions; pursuit of the enemy until his complete destruction, etc.

After the victorious end of the Civil War and the decisive defeat of the combined forces of interventionists and White Guards, the Red Army was transferred to a peaceful position and by the end of 1924 its strength was reduced by 10 times. Simultaneously with demobilization, the Armed Forces were strengthened. In 1923, the united People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs was recreated. As a result of the military reform of 1924-25 (See Military reform of 1924-25), the central apparatus was reduced and updated, new units and formations were introduced, the social composition of command personnel was improved, and new regulations, manuals and guidelines were developed and implemented. The most important issue of military reform was the transition to a mixed system of recruiting troops, which made it possible to have a small personnel army in peacetime with minimal expenditure of funds for its maintenance in combination with territorial police formations of internal districts (see Territorial police structure). Most of the formations and units of the border districts, technical and special troops, and the Navy remained personnel. Instead of L. D. Trotsky (from 1918 - People's Commissar for Military Affairs and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic), who sought to tear the Red Army and Navy away from the party leadership, on January 26, 1925, M. V. Frunze was appointed Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, after his death of which K.E. Voroshilov became People's Commissar.

The first all-Union law “On Compulsory Military Service,” adopted on September 18, 1925 by the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, consolidated the measures taken during the military reform. This law determined the organizational structure of the Armed Forces, which included the Ground Forces (infantry, cavalry, artillery, armored forces, engineering troops, signal troops), Air Force and Naval Forces, troops of the United State Political Administration (OGPU) and the USSR escort guards. Their number in 1927 was 586 thousand people.

In the 30s on the basis of the successes achieved in building socialism, further improvement of the Armed Forces took place; their territorial and personnel structure ceased to meet the needs of state defense. In 1935-38, a transition was made from the territorial personnel system to a unified personnel structure of the Armed Forces. In 1937, there were 1.5 million people in the ranks of the army and navy, in June 1941 - about 5 million people. On June 20, 1934, the Central Executive Committee of the USSR abolished the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and renamed the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs into the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR. In November 1934, the Military Council of the People's Commissariat of Defense was created, in 1937 military councils in the districts, and in 1935 the Headquarters of the Red Army was transformed into the General Staff. In 1937, the all-Union People's Commissariat of the Navy was created; The political directorate of the Red Army was renamed the Main Directorate of Political Propaganda, and the political directorates of districts and political departments of formations were renamed into directorates and departments of political propaganda. On May 10, 1937, by decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the institution of military commissars was introduced, responsible together with commanders for the political and moral state of the troops, operational and mobilization readiness, and the condition of weapons and military equipment; in 1938 the main military councils of the Red Army were established; Army and Navy.

On September 1, 1939, the law “On General Military Duty” was adopted, which abolished the previously existing restrictions on conscription into the army and navy for certain categories of the population and proclaimed military service an honorable duty for all citizens of the USSR, regardless of their class affiliation.

The social composition of the army improved: from 40 to 50% of soldiers and junior commanders were representatives of the working class. In 1939, there were 14 military academies, 63 military schools of the Ground Forces and 14 Navy, 32 flight and flight technical schools. On September 22, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced (see Military ranks) , and on May 7, 1940 - general and admiral ranks. In terms of technical equipment, the Armed Forces during the pre-war five-year plans (1929-40) rose to the level of the armies of advanced capitalist states. In the Ground Forces in 1939 compared to 1930, the number of artillery increased; in 7, including anti-tank and tank - 70 times. The number of tanks increased 2.5 times from 1934 to 1939. Along with the quantitative growth of weapons and military equipment, their quality has improved. A noticeable step has been made in increasing the rate of fire of small arms. Mechanization and motorization of all types of troops increased. Air defense, engineering, communications, and chemical defense troops were armed with new technical means. Based on the successes of aircraft and engine manufacturing, the Air Force further developed. In 1939, compared to 1930, the total number of aircraft increased by 6.5 times. The Navy began construction of surface ships of various classes, submarines, torpedo boats, as well as naval aircraft. Compared to 1939, the volume of military production in 1940 increased by more than 1/3. Through the efforts of the design bureau teams of A. I. Mikoyan, M. I. Gurevich, A. S. Yakovlev, S. A. Lavochkin, S. V. Ilyushin, V. M. Petlyakov and others, and workers in the aviation industry, various types were created fighter aircraft: Yak-1, MiG-Z, LaGG-Z, Pe-2 dive bomber, Il-2 attack aircraft. The design teams of Zh. Ya. Kotin, M. I. Koshkin, A. A. Morozov, I. A. Kucherenko put into serial production the world's best heavy and medium tanks KV-1 and T-34. The design bureaus of V. G. Grabin, I. I. Ivanov, F. I. Petrov and others created new original types of artillery guns and mortars, many of which entered mass production. From May 1940 to the start of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the gun fleet increased by more than 1.2 times. Designers Yu. A. Pobedonostsev, I. I. Gvai, V. A. Artemyev, F. I. Poyda and others created rocket weapons for salvo firing at areas. A large group of designers and scientists - A. N. Krylov, P. N. Papkovich, V. L. Pozdyunin, V. I. Kostenko, A. N. Maslov, B. M. Malinin, V. F. Popov and others. , developed several new types of warships that were put into mass production. Factories producing small arms, ammunition, fuels and lubricants, etc. achieved great success in 1940-41.

Increased technical equipment made it possible on the eve of the war to significantly improve the organizational structure of the troops. The rifle divisions included tanks, powerful divisional artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, which significantly increased their firepower. The organization of reserve artillery of the High Command (RGK) received further development. Instead of separate tank and armored brigades, which since 1939 had been the main formations of armored forces, the formation of larger formations began - tank and mechanized divisions. Airborne corps began to be formed in the airborne troops, and in the Air Force they began to switch to a divisional organization in 1940. The Navy organized formations and associations intended for joint actions with ground forces and for conducting independent operations.

Military strategy, operational art and tactics received further development. In the mid-30s. the theory of deep combat and deep operation is being developed (See Deep operation) , reflecting qualitative changes in the technical equipment of troops - a fundamentally new theory of conducting operations by massive, highly mobile, well-equipped armies. Theoretical provisions were tested during maneuvers and exercises, as well as during the combat operations of the Red Army in the area of ​​Lake Khasan, river. Khalkhin Gol, in the Soviet-Finnish war 1939-40. Many charters and instructions were developed anew. In 1940, the troops received the Infantry Combat Regulations (Part 1), draft Field Regulations and Infantry Combat Regulations (Part 2), the Tank Forces Combat Regulations, the Combat Regulations, the Guard Service Regulations, etc. On May 7, 1940, S. was appointed People's Commissar of Defense. K. Timoshenko.

Despite the measures taken, the preparation of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression being prepared by German fascism was not completed. The reorganization of the Armed Forces on a new technical basis was not completed by the beginning of the war. Most of the formations transferred to new states were not fully equipped with weapons and military equipment, as well as vehicles. Many mid- and senior-level commanders lacked experience in modern warfare.

Great Patriotic War. the war of 1941-45 was the most difficult test for the Soviet people and the Armed Forces of the USSR. The fascist German troops, due to the surprise of the attack, lengthy preparation for war, 2 years of experience in military operations in Europe, superiority in the number of weapons, the number of troops and other temporary advantages, were able to advance hundreds of kilometers in the first months of the war, regardless of losses deep into Soviet territory. The CPSU and the Soviet government did everything necessary to eliminate the mortal threat hanging over the country. From the beginning of the war, the deployment of the Armed Forces was carried out in an organized manner and in a short time. By July 1, 1941, 5.3 million people were called up from the reserves. The entire life of the country was restructured on a military basis. The main sectors of the economy switched to the production of military products. In July - November 1941, 1,360 large enterprises, mainly of defense significance, were evacuated from front-line areas. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was formed - the State Defense Committee (GKO) under the chairmanship of I.V. Stalin. On July 19, 1941, J.V. Stalin was appointed People's Commissar of Defense, who on August 8 also became the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The State Defense Committee led the entire life of the country, combining the efforts of the rear and the front, the activities of all government bodies, party and public organizations for the complete defeat of the enemy. Fundamental issues of governing the state and waging war were decided by the Party Central Committee - the Politburo, the Organizing Bureau and the Secretariat. The decisions made were implemented through the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the State Defense Committee and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (See Headquarters of the Supreme High Command) , created on August 8, 1941. The Headquarters carried out strategic leadership of the Armed Forces with the help of its working body - the General Staff. The most important issues of warfare were discussed at joint meetings of the Politburo of the Central Committee, the State Defense Committee and Headquarters.

Since the beginning of the war, the training of officers has been expanded by increasing the number of students at academies, school cadets and reducing the duration of training, creating a large number of courses for accelerated training of junior officers, especially among soldiers and sergeants. From September 1941, units that distinguished themselves began to be given the name Guards (see Soviet Guard).

Thanks to the emergency measures taken by the CPSU and the Soviet government, mass heroism and unprecedented self-sacrifice of the Soviet people, army and navy soldiers, by the end of 1941 it was possible to stop the enemy on the approaches to Moscow, Leningrad and other vital centers of the country. During the Battle of Moscow 1941-42 (See Battle of Moscow 1941-42) the first major defeat to the enemy was inflicted in the entire 2nd World War. This battle dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi army, thwarted the “blitzkrieg” plan, and was the beginning of a decisive turn in the war in favor of the USSR.

In the summer of 1942, the center of military operations moved to the southern wing of the Soviet-German front. The enemy was eager for the Volga, the oil of the Caucasus, and the grain-growing regions of the Don and Kuban. The Party and the Soviet government made every effort to stop the enemy and continued to increase the power of the Armed Forces. By the spring of 1942, the Armed Forces included 5.5 million people in the active army alone. From mid-1942, industry began to increase the output of military products and more fully meet the needs of the front. If in 1941 15,735 aircraft were produced, then in 1942 there were already 25,436, tanks, respectively, 6,590 and 24,446, and ammunition production almost doubled. In 1942, 575 thousand officers were sent to the army. In the Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943 (See Battle of Stalingrad 1942-43), Soviet troops defeated the enemy and seized the strategic initiative. This victory was the beginning of a radical change not only in the Great Patriotic War, but also in the entire 2nd World War.

In 1943, military production developed rapidly: the production of aircraft increased by 137.1% compared to 1942, warships by 123%, submachine guns by 134.3%, shells by 116.9%, and aerial bombs by 173.3%. In general, military production increased by 17%, and in Nazi Germany by 12%. The Soviet defense industry managed to surpass the enemy not only in the quantity of weapons, but also in their quality. The massive production of artillery pieces made it possible to strengthen divisional artillery, create corps, army artillery and powerful reserve artillery of the Supreme High Command (RVGK), new units and units of rocket, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery. A significant number of tank and mechanized corps were formed, most of which were later consolidated into a tank. army. Armored and mechanized troops became the main striking force of the Ground Forces (by the end of 1943 they included 5 tank armies, 24 tank and 13 mechanized corps). The composition of air divisions, corps and air armies has increased.

A significant increase in the power of the Soviet Armed Forces and the increased leadership skill of its military leaders made it possible to inflict a major defeat on the fascist troops in the Battle of Kursk 1943 (See Battle of Kursk 1943), which placed fascist Germany before a military catastrophe.

Decisive victories were won by the USSR Armed Forces in 1944-45. By this time, they had enormous combat experience, possessed colossal power, and by the beginning of 1945 they numbered 11,365 thousand people. The advantages of the socialist economic system and the vitality of the economic policy of the CPSU and the Soviet government were clearly revealed. In 1943-45, an average of 220 thousand artillery pieces and mortars, 450 thousand machine guns, 40 thousand aircraft, 30 thousand tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles were produced annually. New types of aircraft were produced in large quantities - La-7, Yak-9, Il-10, Tu-2, heavy tanks IS-2, self-propelled artillery systems ISU-122, ISU-152 and SU-100, rocket launchers BM- 31-12, 160 -mm mortars and other military equipment. As a result of strategic offensive operations, including near Leningrad and Novgorod, in Crimea, on Right Bank Ukraine, in Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic states and in the Arctic, the Armed Forces cleared Soviet land of invaders. Developing a rapid offensive, Soviet troops in 1945 carried out East Prussian, Vistula-Oder and other operations. In the Berlin operation they achieved the final defeat of Nazi Germany. The Armed Forces fulfilled a great liberation mission - they helped the peoples of the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe get rid of fascist occupation.

Fulfilling its allied obligations, the Soviet Union entered the war with Japan in August 1945. The Armed Forces of the USSR, together with the armed forces of the Mongolian People's Republic, defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army and thereby played a decisive role in ending World War II (see Manchurian Operation 1945).

The leading force of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War was the Communist Party. During the war, she sent over 1.6 million communists to the front; during the war, about 6 million people joined the ranks of the Communist Party.

The Party and the Soviet government appreciated the exploits of soldiers on the war fronts. Over 7 million soldiers were awarded orders and medals; over 11,600 of them - representatives of 100 nations and nationalities - were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. About half of all awarded soldiers are communists and Komsomol members.

During the war, the USSR Armed Forces acquired enormous combat experience. Soviet military science, especially military art and all its components - strategy, operational art and tactics - received further development. The issues of front-line and strategic offensive operations of a group of fronts were comprehensively developed, the problems of breaking through enemy defenses, continuity of offensive development by introducing mobile - tank and mechanized formations and formations into the breakthrough, achieving clear interaction of forces and means, surprise strikes, comprehensive support for operations, issues of strategic defense and counter-offensive.

Having defeated the armies of fascist Germany and imperialist Japan, the Armed Forces of the USSR emerged from the war organizationally stronger, equipped with the latest technology, with a sense of fulfilled duty to the Soviet people and all humanity. Mass layoffs of personnel began. On September 4, 1945, the State Defense Committee was abolished, and the Supreme Command Headquarters ceased its activities. On February 25, 1946, instead of the People's Commissariat of Defense and the Navy, a single People's Commissariat of the Armed Forces of the USSR was created, which in March 1946 was renamed the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In February 1950 it was divided into the Military Ministry and the Navy Ministry of the USSR, which in March 1953 were merged into the USSR Ministry of Defense. The ministers of defense were: Generalissimo of the Soviet Union I. V. Stalin (until March 1947), Marshals of the Soviet Union N. A. Bulganin (March 1947 - March 1949; March 1953 - January 1955), A. M. Vasilevsky (April 1949 - March 1953), G. K. Zhukov (February 1955 - October 1957), R. Ya. Malinovsky (October 1957 - March 1967), A. A. Grechko (April 1967 - April 1976). Since April 1976, the Minister of Defense of the USSR has been an army general, since July 30, 1976, Marshal of the Soviet Union D. F. Ustinov.

After the war, reactionary imperialist circles unleashed the so-called. Cold War and created the aggressive military bloc NATO (1949). In such conditions, the USSR was forced to take measures to strengthen its defense power, strengthen the Armed Forces, and increase combat readiness. In counterbalance to imperialist machinations and in response to the creation of NATO, the socialist countries as forced measure concluded the defence. Warsaw Pact 1955.

The increased capabilities of the Soviet economy and the achievements of science and technology expanded the scientific and technical foundations of the combat power of the Armed Forces. During the 7-8 post-war years, they were equipped with new, more advanced automatic weapons, tanks, artillery, radar and other military equipment, full motorization and mechanization was carried out, and aviation received jet types of aircraft. In a relatively short period of time, the USSR won a historic victory in the competition imposed by the imperialists to develop new military equipment, created nuclear and thermonuclear weapons and eliminated the US monopoly in this area. At the same time, in an effort to ease tensions and establish lasting peace, the USSR decided to reduce the size of its Armed Forces: in 1955 - by 640 thousand people, by June 1956 - by 1200 thousand people.

Since the mid-50s. The Armed Forces have entered a new stage of development - a stage of fundamental qualitative transformations caused by the massive introduction of missiles, nuclear weapons and the latest military equipment. The qualitative renewal of weapons and military equipment caused significant changes in the forms and methods of training and education of personnel, in the mobilization system, the organizational structure of troops (naval forces), in views on the forms and methods of conducting military operations. An important phenomenon in the construction of the Armed Forces of the USSR, which increased the defensive power of the USSR and the entire socialist camp, was the creation of a new type of Armed Forces of the USSR - the Strategic Missile Forces (1960).

Great changes have occurred in each branch of the Armed Forces, and the relationship between them has changed.

The Strategic Missile Forces are designed to solve strategic problems when waging war using nuclear weapons. They are equipped with automated missile systems with intercontinental and medium-range missiles with enormous destructive power.

The Ground Forces are the most massive and versatile branch of the USSR Armed Forces. They have great fire and striking power, high maneuverability and combat independence, are capable of interacting with other branches of the Armed Forces and independently solving problems of defeating the enemy in land theaters of military operations, both with and without the use of nuclear weapons, consolidating and maintaining occupied positions. territory. They consist of motorized rifle, tank, airborne troops, missile troops and artillery, air defense troops, which are branches of the military. Motorized rifle and tank troops are the main branches of the Ground Forces. They have high mobility, great maneuverability and powerful fire. The basis of their combat power is armored vehicles (tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles). Motorized rifle and tank. troops can conduct a rapid offensive, defeat enemy troop groups, capture vital areas, stubbornly defend and repel enemy attacks, and hold occupied lines.

Airborne troops are a branch of the military equipped with air transportable self-propelled artillery, rocket, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, armored personnel carriers and other weapons and military equipment. They are designed to conduct combat operations in the rear or on the coastal flank of the enemy, deny the approach of his reserves, destroy nuclear attack weapons, control posts, capture communications centers, airfields, bases and crossings.

The Missile Forces are the backbone of the Ground Forces' firepower. They are armed with missile weapons for operational and tactical purposes with a range from several tens to several hundred km, capable of hitting any targets with great accuracy and reliability with nuclear weapons, destroying entire enemy units and various important objects located in its rear. Rocket and cannon artillery, mortars and anti-tank guided missiles have powerful fire. The air defense troops are equipped with mobile anti-aircraft missile systems, self-propelled multi-barreled anti-aircraft artillery, radar systems for detecting enemy air and automated control systems. They are capable of reliably covering the Ground Forces from air strikes in any situation and terrain, day and night, from a standstill and on the move.

The country's air defense troops protect the population, administrative, political, industrial centers, troop groups and other important facilities from enemy air strikes. Their main task is to repel any air attack by the aggressor. The basis of the combat power of the country's Air Defense Forces is made up of qualitatively new types of troops - anti-aircraft missile forces and air defense aviation, which is armed with all-weather supersonic missile-carrying fighter-interceptors. The tasks of detecting an air enemy, targeting anti-aircraft missile forces and fighter aircraft are solved by radio engineering troops, which are also a branch of the military.

The Air Force is designed to solve various tasks independently and in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces in continental and maritime theaters of military operations; destroying the enemy's nuclear weapons, defeating (weakening) his aviation groups, air support for the Ground Forces and the Navy, air transfer of troops, conducting aerial reconnaissance, landing troops, providing communications, etc. They have great striking power, the ability to quickly carry out wide maneuvers, and high accuracy defeat of moving, small objects. The Air Force consists of long-range, front-line and military transport aviation. The branches of the Air Force include: bomber, fighter-bomber (attack), fighter, reconnaissance, transport and special aviation.

Hello dears.
Some time ago, you and I had a series of posts about the armies of the countries of the so-called Warsaw Pact. Well, it is quite logical that at least a few words should have been said about the most powerful, strong and combat-ready army in the entire history of mankind - the Soviet armed forces. For I am deeply convinced that I am stronger and more powerful (despite the beginning centrifugal forces both within the state and within the Armed Forces) an army like ours in the mid-80s of the 20th century has never existed and will never exist in terms of the totality of forces, numbers and capabilities.

As the son and grandson of an officer, my destiny should have been connected with the Soviet army, but from childhood I firmly decided that this was not mine. Despite respect for officers, and communication with soldiers from a very tender age, and love for weapons and everything military in principle. I have never regretted my choice.
But I decided to launch a series of posts :-)) And I hope you will find it interesting.
And I propose to start from the macro level. And then little by little we figure it out. The most extensive :-))))
So, as I said above, in my deep conviction, by the mid-80s the Armed Forces had reached the peak of their power. It was a monstrous organization


The number in 1985 reached as many as 5,350,800 people. Incomprehensible... We had more tanks than all the countries combined, a huge nuclear arsenal, strong aviation and an ocean-going fleet.
Despite its size and complexity of missions, the USSR's armed forces were managed quite well.
All armed forces of the Soviet Union were divided into the following types
- Ground Forces (SV)
- Air Force (Air Force)
- Air Defense Forces
- Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces)
- Navy (Navy)
And Certain types of troops and services of the USSR Armed Forces which included:
- Civil Defense Troops (CD) of the USSR
- Rear Front of the USSR Armed Forces
- Border troops of the KGB of the USSR
- Internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs

De jure, the highest governing body of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union was the Defense Council of the USSR, chaired by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee
Members of the Armed Forces under the SO USSR were: the Chief of the General Staff, Commanders-in-Chief of the branches of the Armed Forces, commanders and heads of branches and services, some heads of the main and central departments of the USSR Ministry of Defense, a number of commanders of military districts and fleets.


Direct leadership of the USSR Armed Forces was exercised by military command and control bodies (MCB).
The system of military command and control bodies of the USSR Armed Forces included:
control bodies of the SA and Navy, united by the USSR Ministry of Defense, headed by the USSR Minister of Defense:
General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces (GS USSR Armed Forces):
control bodies of the Border Troops, subordinate to the State Security Committee of the USSR, headed by the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;
control bodies of the Internal Troops, subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, headed by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR.


That is, the daily activities of the Armed Forces were de facto managed by the Minister of Defense with the help of the General Staff and related structures, but under the watchful supervision of the party and government :-)

In the USSR, universal conscription was introduced, enshrined in the Constitution. Defense of the socialist Fatherland is the sacred duty of every citizen of the USSR, and military service in the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces is an honorable duty of Soviet citizens (Articles 62 and 63 of the USSR Constitution).
The uniform conscription age for all Soviet citizens is 18 years;
Validity period military service(continuous military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen) in 2 - 3 years.
Afterwards they could stay for extra-urgent periods.
By the mid-80s, the armed forces of the Soviet Union had the following ranks:
Soviet army:
Privates and sergeants
Soldiers
Private
Corporal

Sergeants
Lance Sergeant
Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Sergeant Major

Ensigns
Ensign
Senior Warrant Officer

Junior officers

Ensign
Lieutenant
Senior Lieutenant
Captain

Senior officers
The military ranks of officers of the medical service and justice have the corresponding name.
Major
Lieutenant colonel
Colonel

Senior officers
The military ranks of generals of medical service, aviation and justice have the corresponding name.
Major General
Lieutenant General
Colonel General

Marshal of Artillery, Marshal engineering troops, Marshal of Signal Corps, Air Marshal
army General
Chief Marshal of Artillery, Chief Marshal of Air
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Generalissimo of the Soviet Union

Navy
Ratings
Sailors and soldiers
Private Sailor, Private
Senior sailor, corporal

Sergeants and petty officers
Petty Officer 2 articles, junior sergeant
Petty Officer 1st article, sergeant
Chief Petty Officer, Senior Sergeant
Chief petty officer, petty officer

Ensigns and midshipmen
Midshipman, warrant officer
Senior midshipman, Senior warrant officer

Junior officers
Ensign
Lieutenant
Senior Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander, Captain

Senior officers
Captain 3rd rank, major
Captain 2nd rank, lieutenant colonel
Captain 1st rank, colonel

Senior officers
Rear Admiral, Major General
Vice Admiral, Lieutenant General
Admiral, Colonel General
Fleet Admiral
Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union


This is, so to speak, everything at the macro level... Next time we’ll go to the micro level, and then we’ll go into detail about each of the genera and species :-)
To be continued
Have a nice time of day.

Armed Forces of the Soviet Union Socialist Republics(USSR Armed Forces)- a military organization of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was intended to protect the Soviet people, freedom and independence of the Soviet Union.

Part USSR Armed Forces included: central bodies of military command, Strategic Missile Forces, Ground Forces, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Navy, Logistics armed forces, as well as Civil Defense Troops, Internal Troops and Border Troops.

By the mid-1980s, the armed forces of the USSR were the largest in the world in terms of numbers.

Story

After the end of the Civil War, the Red Army was demobilized and by the end of 1923 only about half a million people remained in it.

At the end of 1924, the Revolutionary Military Council adopted a 5-year plan for military development, approved by the III Congress of Soviets of the USSR six months later. It was decided to preserve the personnel core of the army and train as many people as possible in military affairs at the lowest possible cost. As a result, over ten years, 3/4 of all divisions became territorial - recruits were in them at training camps for two to three months a year for five years (see the article territorial police structure).

But in 1934 - 1935, military policy changed and 3/4 of all divisions became personnel. In the Ground Forces in 1939, compared to 1930, the number of artillery increased 7 times, including anti-tank and tank artillery - 70 times. Tank forces and the Air Force developed. The number of tanks from 1934 to 1939 increased 2.5 times; in 1939, compared to 1930, the total number of aircraft increased 6.5 times. The construction of surface ships of various classes, submarines, and naval aviation aircraft began. In 1931, airborne troops appeared, which until 1946 were part of the Air Force.

On September 22, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced, and on May 7, 1940, general and admiral ranks were introduced. The command staff suffered heavy losses in 1937 - 1938 as a result of the Great Terror.

On September 1, 1939, the USSR Law “On Universal Military Duty” was adopted, according to which all men fit for health were required to serve in the army for three years, in the navy for five years (according to the previous law of 1925, “disenfranchised” were deprived of voting rights “ non-labor elements" - did not serve in the army, but were enlisted in the rear militia) By this time Armed Forces of the USSR were completely staffed, and their number increased to 2 million people.

Instead of separate tank and armored brigades, which since 1939 had been the main formations of armored forces, the formation of tank and mechanized divisions began. Airborne corps began to be formed in the airborne troops, and in the Air Force they began to switch to a divisional organization in 1940.

During the three years of the Great Patriotic War, the proportion of communists in Armed Forces doubled and by the end of 1944 amounted to 23 percent in the army and 31.5 percent in the navy. At the end of 1944 in Armed Forces There were 3,030,758 communists, accounting for 52.6 percent of the total party strength. During the year, the network of primary party organizations expanded significantly: if on January 1, 1944 there were 67,089 of them in the army and navy, then on January 1, 1945 there were already 78,640

Towards the end of the Great Patriotic War in 1945 Armed Forces of the USSR numbered more than 11 million people, after demobilization - about three million. Then their numbers increased again. But during the Khrushchev Thaw, the USSR began to reduce the number of its Armed Forces: in 1955 - by 640 thousand people, by June 1956 - by 1,200 thousand people.

During the Cold War from 1955 Armed Forces of the USSR played a leading role in military organization Warsaw Pact (WTS). Beginning in the 1950s, missile weapons were introduced into the armed forces at an accelerated pace; in 1959, the Strategic Missile Forces were created. At the same time, the number of tanks increased. In terms of the number of tanks, the USSR came out on top in the world, by the 1980s in Soviet armed forces there were more tanks than all other countries combined. A large ocean-going navy was created. The most important direction in the development of the country's economy was the build-up of military potential and the arms race. This consumed a significant portion of the national income.

In the period after the Great Patriotic War, the Ministry of Defense of the USSR was systematically entrusted with the task of providing civilian ministries with labor by forming for them military formations, units, military construction detachments, which were used as construction workers. The number of these formations increased from year to year.

In 1987 - 1991, during Perestroika, a policy of “defensive sufficiency” was proclaimed and in December 1988 unilateral measures to reduce Soviet armed forces. Their total number was reduced by 500 thousand people (12%). Soviet military contingents in Central Europe were unilaterally reduced by 50 thousand people, six tank divisions (about two thousand tanks) were withdrawn from the GDR, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and disbanded. In the European part of the USSR, the number of tanks was reduced by 10 thousand, artillery systems - by 8.5 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. 75% of Soviet troops were withdrawn from Mongolia, and the number of troops by Far East(opposing the PRC) was reduced by 120 thousand people.

Legal basis

Article 31. Defense of the socialist Fatherland is one of the most important functions of the state and is the business of the entire people. In order to protect socialist gains, the peaceful labor of the Soviet people, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, the Armed Forces of the USSR were created and universal military service was established. Duty USSR Armed Forces before the people - to reliably defend the socialist Fatherland, to be in constant combat readiness, guaranteeing immediate rebuff to any aggressor. Article 32. The state ensures the security and defense capability of the country, equips Armed forces USSR everything you need. The responsibilities of state bodies, public organizations, officials and citizens to ensure the security of the country and strengthen its defense capability are determined by the legislation of the USSR. Constitution of the USSR 1977

Management

The highest state leadership in the field of defense of the country, on the basis of laws, was carried out by the highest bodies of state power and administration of the USSR, guided by the policies of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), directing the work of the entire state apparatus in such a way that when resolving any issues of governing the country, the interests of strengthening its defense capability must be taken into account : - Defense Council of the USSR (Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense of the RSFSR), Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Articles 73 and 108, Constitution of the USSR), Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Article 121, Constitution of the USSR), Council of Ministers of the USSR (Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR) ( Article 131, Constitution of the USSR).

The USSR Defense Council coordinated the activities of the bodies of the Soviet state in the field of strengthening defense and approval of the main directions of development of the USSR Armed Forces. The USSR Defense Council was headed by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Supreme Commanders

• 1923-1924 - Sergei Sergeevich Kamenev,
• 1941-1953 - Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union,
• 1990-1991 - Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev;
• 1991-1993 - Evgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov, air marshal.

Military authorities

Direct construction management USSR Armed Forces, their lives and combat activities were carried out by the Military Command Bodies (MCB).

The system of military command and control bodies of the USSR Armed Forces included:

The governing bodies of the SA and the Navy, united by the Ministry of Defense of the USSR (People's Commissariat of Defense, Ministry of the Armed Forces, Ministry of War), headed by the Minister of Defense of the USSR;

The control bodies of the border troops, subordinate to the State Security Committee of the USSR, headed by the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;

Internal troops control bodies subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, headed by the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR.

The nature of the tasks performed and the scope of competence in the educational training system varied:

• Central OVU.
• Military command and control bodies of military districts (groups of forces), fleets.
• Military command and control bodies of military formations and units.
• Local military authorities.
• Chiefs of garrisons (senior naval commanders) and military commandants.

Compound

• Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) (from January 15 (28), 1918 - to February 1946)
• Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) (from January 29 (11) February 1918 - to February 1946)
• Workers' and Peasants' Red Air Fleet (RKKVF)
• Border troops ( Border Guard, Border Guard, Coast Guard)
• Internal troops (Internal Guard Troops of the Republic and State Convoy Guard)

• Soviet Army (SA) (from February 25, 1946 to the beginning of 1992), the official name of the main part of the USSR Armed Forces. Included Strategic Missile Forces, Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, Air Force and other formations
• USSR Navy (from February 25, 1946 to early 1992)

Number

Structure

• On September 1, 1939, the USSR Armed Forces consisted of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the Workers' and Peasants' Navy, border and internal troops.
• Sun consisted of types, and also included the rear of the USSR Armed Forces, headquarters and troops of the Civil Defense (CD) of the USSR, internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the USSR, border troops of the State Security Committee (KGB) of the USSR. Page 158.

Kinds

Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN)

Main striking force USSR Armed Forces, which was in constant combat readiness. The headquarters was located in the city of Vlasikha. The Strategic Missile Forces included:

• Military space forces, as part of the launch, control and orbital constellation of military spacecraft.;
• Missile armies, missile corps, missile divisions (headquarters in the cities of Vinnitsa, Smolensk, Vladimir, Kirov ( Kirov region), Omsk, Chita, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Orenburg, Tatishchevo, Nikolaev, Lvov, Uzhgorod, Dzhambul)
• State Central Interspecies Test Site
• 10th test site (in the Kazakh SSR)
• 4th Central Research Institute (Yubileiny, Moscow Region, RSFSR)
• military educational institutions ( Military Academy in Moscow; military schools in the cities of Kharkov, Serpukhov, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol)
• arsenals and central repair plants, storage bases for weapons and military equipment

In addition, the Strategic Missile Forces had units and institutions of special forces and logistics.

The Strategic Missile Forces were headed by the Commander-in-Chief, who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Staff and Directorates of the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR Armed Forces were subordinate to him.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1959-1960 - M. I. Nedelin, chief marshal of artillery
• 1960-1962 - K. S. Moskalenko, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1962-1963 - S. S. Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1963-1972 - N. I. Krylov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1972-1985 - V. F. Tolubko, army general, since 1983 chief marshal of artillery
• 1985-1992 - Yu. P. Maksimov, Army General

Ground Forces (SV)

Ground Forces (1946) - a branch of the USSR Armed Forces, designed to conduct combat operations primarily on land, the most numerous and diverse in weapons and methods of conducting combat operations. According to its combat capabilities, it is capable of independently or in cooperation with other types of armed forces to conduct an offensive in order to defeat enemy troop groups and seize its territory, deliver fire strikes to great depths, repel enemy invasion, its large air and sea landings, firmly hold occupied territories and areas and boundaries. The ground forces included various types of troops, special troops, special purpose units and formations (Sp. N) and services. Organizationally, the ground forces consisted of subunits, units, formations and associations.

The ground forces were divided into types of troops (motorized rifle troops (MSV), tank troops (TV), airborne troops (Airborne Forces), missile forces and artillery, military air defense troops (army branches), army aviation, as well as units and units of special forces ( engineering, communications, radio engineering, chemical, technical support, rear security) In addition, there were logistics units and institutions in the Army.

The USSR Army was headed by the Commander-in-Chief, who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Staff and Directorates of the Ground Forces of the USSR Armed Forces were subordinate to him. The number of ground forces of the USSR in 1989 was 1,596,000 people.

• Central Road Construction Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (CDSU MO USSR)

In the design of special events, on posters, in drawings on postal envelopes and postcards, an image of the conventional decorative “flag of the Ground Forces” was used in the form of a red rectangular panel with a large red five-pointed star in the center, with a gold (yellow) border. This “flag” was never approved or made from fabric.

The Ground Forces of the USSR Armed Forces were divided according to the territorial principle into military districts (groups of troops), military garrisons:

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1946-1946 - G. K. Zhukov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1946-1950 - I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1955-1956 - I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1956-1957 - R. Ya. Malinovsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1957-1960 - A. A. Grechko, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1960-1964 - V.I. Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1967-1980 - I. G. Pavlovsky, Army General
• 1980-1985 - V.I. Petrov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1985-1989 - E. F. Ivanovsky, Army General
• 1989-1991 - V. I. Varennikov, Army General
• 1991-1996 - V. M. Semenov, Army General

Air defense troops

The air defense forces (1948) included:

• Rocket and Space Defense Troops;
• Air Defense Radio Engineering Troops, 1952;
• Anti-aircraft missile forces;
• Fighter aviation (air defense aviation);
• Air Defense Electronic Warfare Troops.
• Special troops.

In addition, the Air Defense Forces had rear units and institutions.

The air defense forces were divided on a territorial basis into air defense districts (groups of forces):

• Air defense district (group of forces) - associations of air defense troops designed to protect the most important administrative, industrial centers and regions of the country, armed forces groups, important military and other facilities within established boundaries from air strikes. In the Armed Forces, air defense districts were created after the Great Patriotic War on the basis of the air defense of the fronts and military districts. In 1948, air defense districts were reorganized into air defense districts and recreated in 1954.
• Moscow Air Defense District - was intended to provide protection from enemy air attacks against the most important administrative and economic facilities of the Northern, Central, Central Black Earth and Volga-Vyatka economic regions of the USSR. In November 1941, the Moscow Air Defense Zone was formed, transformed in 1943 into the Moscow Special Air Defense Army, deployed in the air defense of the Moscow Military District. After the war, the Moscow Air Defense District was created on its basis, then the Air Defense District. In August 1954, the Moscow Air Defense District was transformed into the Moscow Air Defense District. In 1980, after the liquidation of the Baku Air Defense District, it became the only association of this type in the USSR.
• Baku Air Defense District.

The air defense of the USSR was headed by the commander-in-chief, who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Headquarters and Air Defense Directorates of the USSR were subordinate to him.

Headquarters in Balashikha.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1948-1952 - L. A. Govorov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1952-1953 - N. N. Nagorny, Colonel General
• 1953-1954 - K. A. Vershinin, air marshal
• 1954-1955 - L. A. Govorov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1955-1962 - S. S. Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1962-1966 - V. A. Sudets, Air Marshal
• 1966-1978 - P. F. Batitsky, Army General, since 1968 Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1978-1987 - A. I. Koldunov, Colonel General, since 1984 Chief Marshal of Aviation
• 1987-1991 - I. M. Tretyak, Army General

Air Force

The Air Force organizationally consisted of branches of aviation: bomber, fighter-bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, transport, communications and ambulance. At the same time, the Air Force was divided into types of aviation: front-line, long-range, military transport, auxiliary. They included special troops, units and logistics institutions.

The Air Force of the USSR Armed Forces was headed by the Commander-in-Chief (Chief, Head of the Main Directorate, Commander) who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Headquarters and Directorates of the USSR Air Force were subordinate to him

Headquarters: Moscow.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1921-1922 - Andrey Vasilievich Sergeev, Commissioner
• 1922-1923 - A. A. Znamensky,
• 1923-1924 - Arkady Pavlovich Rosengolts,
• 1924-1931 - Pyotr Ionovich Baranov,
• 1931-1937 - Yakov Ivanovich Alksnis, Commander of the 2nd rank (1935);
• 1937-1939 - Alexander Dmitrievich Loktionov, Colonel General;
• 1939-1940 - Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich, Commander of the 2nd rank, since 1940 Lieutenant General of Aviation;
• 1940-1941 - Pavel Vasilievich Rychagov, lieutenant general of aviation;
• 1941-1942 - Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, lieutenant general of aviation;
• 1942-1946 - Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, Air Marshal, since 1944 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1946-1949 - Konstantin Andreevich Vershinin, air marshal;
• 1949-1957 - Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, Air Marshal, since 1956 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1957-1969 - Konstantin Andreevich Vershinin, Chief Marshal of Aviation;
• 1969-1984 - Pavel Stepanovich Kutakhov, Air Marshal, since 1972 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1984-1990 - Alexander Nikolaevich Efimov, air marshal;
• 1990-1991 - Evgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov, air marshal;

Navy

The USSR Navy organizationally consisted of branches of forces: submarine, surface, naval aviation, coastal missile and artillery forces and marine corps. It also included ships and vessels of the auxiliary fleet, special purpose units (SP) and various services. The main branches of the force were submarine forces and naval aviation. In addition, the unit also had rear services institutions.

Organizationally, the USSR Navy included:

• Red Banner Northern Fleet (1937)
• Red Banner Pacific Fleet (1935)
• Red Banner Black Sea Fleet
• Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet
• Red Banner Caspian Flotilla
• Red Banner Leningrad Naval Base

The USSR Navy was headed by the Commander-in-Chief (Commander, Chief of the Naval Forces of the Republic, people's commissar, minister) who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Staff and Directorates of the USSR Navy were subordinate to him.

The main headquarters of the Navy is Moscow.

Commanders-in-Chief who held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR:

Rear area of ​​the USSR Armed Forces

Forces and means intended for logistics support and logistics services for technical support of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces. They were an integral part of the state’s defense potential and a link between the country’s economy and the Armed Forces itself. It included the rear headquarters, main and central directorates, services, as well as command and control bodies, troops and organizations of central subordination, rear structures of branches and branches of the Armed Forces, military districts (groups of troops) and fleets, associations, formations and military units.

• Main Military Medical Directorate (GVMU USSR Ministry of Defense) (1946) (Main Military Sanitary Directorate)
• Main Directorate of Trade (GUT MO USSR) (1956 chief military officer of the Ministry of Trade of the USSR)
• Central Directorate of Military Communications (TsUP VOSO MO USSR), incl. 1962 to 1992, GU VOSO (1950)
• Central Food Administration (CPU USSR Ministry of Defense)
• Central Clothing Directorate (TsVU MO USSR) (1979) (Directorate of Clothing and Household Supply, Directorate of Clothing and Convoy Supply)
• Central Directorate of Rocket Fuel and Fuel (TSURTG MO USSR) (Fuel Supply Service (1979), Fuel and Lubricants Service, Fuel Service Directorate)
• Central Road Administration (CDU USSR Ministry of Defense). (Automobile and Road Administration of the Home Front of the Kyrgyz Republic (1941), Department of Motor Transport and Road Service of the General Staff (1938), Department of Motor Transport and Road Service of VOSO)
• Department of Agriculture.
• Office of the Chief of Environmental Safety of the USSR Armed Forces.
• Fire, Rescue and Local Defense Service of the USSR Armed Forces.
• Railway troops USSR Armed Forces.

The rear of the Armed Forces, in the interests of the Armed Forces, solved a whole range of tasks, the main of which were: receiving from the economic complex of the state a supply of logistics resources and equipment, storing and providing them to troops (forces); planning and organization, together with transport ministries and departments, of preparation, operation, technical cover, restoration of communication routes and vehicles; transportation of all types of material resources; carrying out operational, supply and other types of military transportation, ensuring the basing of the Air Force and Navy; technical support for troops (forces) in logistics services; organization and implementation of medical and evacuation, sanitary and anti-epidemic (preventive) measures, medical protection of personnel from weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and adverse environmental factors, carrying out veterinary and sanitary measures and activities of rear services for the chemical protection of troops (forces); monitoring the organization and condition of fire protection and local defense of troops (forces), assessment environmental situation in places where troops (forces) are deployed, forecasting its development and monitoring the implementation of measures to protect personnel from environmentally harmful influences of a natural and man-made nature; trade and household, housing and maintenance and financial support; protection and defense of communications and logistics facilities in the rear zones, organization of camps (reception centers) for prisoners of war (hostages), their accounting and provision; ensuring the exhumation, identification, burial and reburial of military personnel.

To solve these problems, the Rear Armed Forces included special troops (automobile, railway, road, pipeline), formations and material support units, medical compounds, units and institutions, stationary bases and warehouses with appropriate supplies of material resources, transport commandant's offices, veterinary and sanitary, repair, agricultural, trade and household, educational (academy, schools, faculties and military departments at civilian universities) and other institutions.

Headquarters: Moscow.

Chiefs:

• 1941-1951 - A. V. Khrulev, army general;
• 1951-1958 - V.I. Vinogradov, Colonel General (1944);
• 1958-1968 - I. Kh. Bagramyan, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1968-1972 - S. S. Maryakhin, army general;
• 1972-1988 - S.K. Kurkotkin, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1988-1991 - V. M. Arkhipov, Army General;
• 1991-1991 - I. V. Fuzhenko, Colonel General;

Independent branches of the military

Civil Defense Troops (CD) of the USSR

In 1971, direct leadership of the Civil Defense was entrusted to the USSR Ministry of Defense, and day-to-day management was entrusted to the head of the Civil Defense - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR.

There were civil defense regiments (in major cities USSR), Moscow Military School of Civil Defense (MVUGO, Balashikha), reorganized in 1974 into the Moscow Higher Command School of Road and Engineering Troops (MVKUDIV), trained specialists for road troops and civil defense troops.

Chiefs:

• 1961-1972 - V.I. Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1972-1986 - A. T. Altunin, Colonel General, (since 1977) - Army General;
• 1986-1991 - V. L. Govorov, Army General;

Border troops of the KGB of the USSR

Border troops (until 1978 - the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR) - were intended to protect the land, sea and river (lake) borders of the Soviet state. In the USSR, the Border Troops were an integral part of the USSR Armed Forces. The direct management of the border troops was carried out by the KGB of the USSR and the Main Directorate of Border Troops subordinate to it. They consisted of border districts, individual formations (border detachment) and their constituent units that guard the border (border outposts, border commandant's offices, checkpoints), special units (units) and educational institutions. In addition, the Border Troops had aviation units and units (individual aviation regiments, squadrons), sea (river) units (brigades) border ships, boat divisions) and rear parts. The range of tasks solved by the border troops was determined by the USSR Law of November 24, 1982 “On the State Border of the USSR”, the regulation on the protection of the state border of the USSR, approved on August 5, 1960 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The legal status of border troops personnel was regulated by the USSR Law on General Military Duty, regulations on military service, charters and manuals.

Border districts and units of central subordination, excluding units and formations transferred from the USSR Ministry of Defense, as of 1991 included:

• Red Banner North-Western Border District.
• Red Banner Baltic Border District.
• Red Banner Western Border District.
• Red Banner Transcaucasian Border District
• Red Banner Central Asian Border District
• Red Banner Eastern Border District
• Red Banner Transbaikal Border District.
• Red Banner Far Eastern Border District
• Red Banner Pacific Border District
• North-Eastern border district.
• Separate Arctic border detachment.
• Separate border control detachment "Moscow"
• 105th separate border special forces detachment in Germany (operational subordination - Western Group of Forces).
• Higher Border Command of the Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky (Alma-Ata);
• Higher Border Command of the Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after Mossovet (Moscow);
• Higher border military-political Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after K. E. Voroshilov (Golitsyno town);
• Higher Border Command Courses;
• Combined The educational center;
• 2 separate air squads;
• 2 separate engineering and construction battalions;
• Central Hospital of Border Troops;
• Central Information and Analytical Center;
• Central Archive of Border Troops;
• Central Museum of Border Troops;
• Faculties and departments at military educational institutions of other departments.

Chiefs:

• 1918-1919 - S. G. Shamshev, (Main Directorate of Border Troops (GUP.v.));
• 1919-1920 - V. A. Stepanov, (Border Supervision Department);
• 1920-1921 - V. R. Menzhinsky, (special department of the Cheka (border protection));
• 1922-1923 - A. Kh. Artuzov, (department of border troops, department of border guard (OPO));
• 1923-1925 - Y. K. Olsky, (OPO);
• 1925-1929 - Z. B. Katsnelson, (Main Directorate of Border Guard (GUPO));
• 1929 - S. G. Velezhev, (GUPO);
• 1929-1931 - I. A. Vorontsov, (GUPO);
• 1931-1933 - N. M. Bystrykh, (GUPO);
• 1933-1937 - M.P. Frinovsky, (GUPO) (since 1934 border and internal (GUPiVO)) NKVD of the USSR;
• 1937-1938 - N.K. Kruchinkin, (GUPiVO);
• 1938-1939 - A. A. Kovalev, Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops (GUP. V.v.);
• 1939-1941 - G. G. Sokolov, Lieutenant General (GUP.v.);
• 1942-1952 - N.P. Stakhanov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1952-1953 - P.I. Zyryanov, Lieutenant General (GUP.v.);
• 1953-1954 - T. F. Filippov, Lieutenant General (GUP.v.);
• 1954-1956 - A. S. Sirotkin, Lieutenant General (GUP.v.);
• 1956-1957 - T. A. Strokach, Lieutenant General (GUP. V.V.);
• 1957-1972 - P.I. Zyryanov, Lieutenant General, (since 1961) Colonel General (GUP.v.);
• 1972-1989 - V. A. Matrosov, Colonel General, (since 1978) General of the Army (GUP.v.);
• 1989-1992 - I. Ya. Kalinichenko, Colonel General (GUP.v.) (since 1991 Commander-in-Chief)

Internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs

Internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, component USSR Armed Forces. Designed for protection government facilities and performing other service and combat tasks defined in special government decrees assigned to the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. They guarded especially important objects National economy, as well as socialist property, personality and rights of citizens, the entire Soviet legal order from the encroachments of criminal elements and performed some other special tasks (protecting places of detention, escorting convicts). The predecessors of the Internal Troops were the Gendarmerie, the Internal Security Troops of the Republic (VOHR Troops), the Internal Service Troops and the All-Russian Troops emergency commission(VChK). The term Internal Troops appeared in 1921 to designate units of the Cheka serving in the interior of the country, in contrast to the border troops. During the Great Patriotic War, NKVD troops guarded the rear of fronts and armies, carried out garrison service in liberated areas, and participated in neutralizing enemy agents. Internal troops of the NKVD of the USSR (1941-1946), Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (1946-1947, 1953-1960, 1968-1991), MGB of the USSR (1947-1953), Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RSFSR (1960-1962), Ministry of Defense of the RSFSR (1962-1966), MOOP USSR (1966-1968), Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (since 1991):

Chiefs:

• 1937-1938 - N.K. Kruchinkin, (Main Directorate of Border and Internal Security (GUPiVO));
• 1938-1939 - A. A. Kovalev, (Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops (GUP. V.V.));
• 1941-1942 - A.I. Guliev, Major General;
• 1942-1944 - I. S. Sheredega, major general;
• 1944-1946 - A. N. Apollonov, Colonel General;
• 1946-1953 - P. V. Burmak, lieutenant general;
• 1953-1954 - T. F. Filippov, lieutenant general;
• 1954-1956 - A. S. Sirotkin, lieutenant general;
• 1956-1957 - T. A. Strokach, Lieutenant General;
• 1957-1960 - S.I. Donskov, lieutenant general;
• 1960-1961 - G. I. Aleinikov, lieutenant general;
• 1961-1968 - N. I. Pilshchuk, lieutenant general;
• 1968-1986 - I.K. Yakovlev, Colonel General, since 1980 - Army General;
• 1986-1991 - Yu. V. Shatalin, Colonel General;

Military duty

The universal military obligation established by Soviet legislation stemmed from the constitutional provision determining that the defense of the socialist Fatherland is the sacred duty of every citizen of the USSR, and military service in the ranks USSR Armed Forces- an honorable duty of Soviet citizens (Articles 62 and 63 of the USSR Constitution). Legislation on universal conscription went through several stages in its development. Reflecting socio-political changes in the life of society and the needs of strengthening the country's defense, it developed from volunteerism to compulsory military service of workers and from it to universal military service.

Universal conscription was characterized by the following main features:

• it applied only to Soviet citizens;
• was universal: all male citizens of the USSR were subject to conscription; Only persons serving a criminal sentence and persons against whom an investigation was underway or a criminal case was being considered by the court were not drafted;
• was personal and equal for everyone: replacing a conscript with another person was not allowed: for evading conscription or performing military service duties, the perpetrators were held criminally liable;
• had time restrictions: the law precisely established the terms of active military service, the number and duration of training camps and the age limit for being in the reserve;

Military service under Soviet legislation was carried out in the following main forms:

• service in the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces for the periods established by law;
• work and service as military construction workers;
• undergoing training, verification training and retraining during the period of being in the reserve of the USSR Armed Forces;

The fulfillment of universal military duty also included preliminary preparation (military-patriotic education, initial military training (CTP), training of specialists for the Armed Forces, improving general literacy, conducting medical and health activities and physical training of youth) for military service:

• passing by students in secondary schools, and other citizens in production, NVP, including training in civil defense, with students in secondary schools(starting from the 9th grade), in secondary specialized educational institutions (SSUZ), and in educational institutions of the vocational education system (PTES) by full-time military leaders. Young men who did not study in full-time (full-time) educational institutions underwent NVP at training points created (if there are 15 or more young men required to undergo NVP) at enterprises, organizations and collective farms; The NVP program included familiarizing young people with the purpose of the Soviet Armed Forces and their character, the responsibilities of military service, the basic requirements of the military oath and military regulations. The heads of enterprises, institutions, collective farms and educational institutions were responsible for ensuring that the NVP covered all young men of pre-conscription and conscription age;
• acquisition of military specialties in educational organizations SPTO - vocational schools and in organizations of the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy (DOSAAF), was intended to ensure constant and high combat readiness of the Armed Forces, was proactive and provided for the training of specialists (car drivers, electricians, signalmen, paratroopers and others) from among young men who had reached 17 years of age. In the cities it was produced without interruption from production. At the same time, during the period of passing exams, young students were provided with paid leave for 7-15 working days. In rural areas it was produced separately from production at harvests in the autumn-winter period. In these cases, conscripts retained their jobs, their positions, and were paid 50% of their average earnings. The costs of renting living quarters and travel to and from the place of study were also paid;
• the study of military affairs and the acquisition of an officer specialty by students of higher educational institutions (HEIs) and secondary educational institutions engaged in training programs for reserve officers;
• compliance with the rules of military registration and other military duties by conscripts and all citizens in the reserve of the USSR Armed Forces.

For the purpose of systematic preparation and organizational implementation of conscription for active military service, the territory of the USSR was divided into regional (city) conscription areas. Every year during February - March, citizens who turned 17 in the year of registration were assigned to them. Registration to conscription stations served as a means of identifying and studying the quantitative and quality composition conscription contingents. It was carried out by district (city) military commissariats (military registration and enlistment offices) at the place of permanent or temporary residence. The determination of the health status of those attributed to them was carried out by doctors allocated by decision of the executive committees (executive committees) of the district (city) Councils of People's Deputies from local medical institutions. Persons assigned to conscription stations were called conscripts. They were given a special certificate. Citizens subject to registration were obliged to appear at the military registration and enlistment office within the period established on the basis of the Law. Changing the conscription site was allowed only from January 1 to April 1 and from July 1 to October 1 of the year of conscription. At other times of the year, changing the recruiting station in some cases could be permitted only for valid reasons (for example, moving to a new place of residence as part of the family). The conscription of citizens for active military service was carried out annually everywhere twice a year (in May - June and in November - December) by order of the USSR Minister of Defense. For troops located in remote and some other areas, conscription began a month earlier - in April and October. The number of citizens subject to conscription was established by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The exact dates for the appearance of citizens at recruiting stations were determined, in accordance with the Law and on the basis of the order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR, by order of the military commissar. None of the conscripts were exempted from appearing at conscription stations (except for the cases established by Article 25 of the Law). Issues related to conscription were resolved by collegial bodies - conscription commissions created in regions and cities under the chairmanship of the relevant military commissars. The commission included representatives of local Soviet, party, Komsomol organizations and doctors as their full members. The personnel of the draft commission was approved by the executive committees of the district (city) Councils of People's Deputies. The district (city) draft commissions were entrusted with:

• a) organization of medical examination of conscripts;
• b) making a decision on conscription for active military service and the assignment of those called up according to the types of armed forces and branches of the military;
• c) granting deferments in accordance with the Law;
• d) exemption from military duty for conscripts due to their illnesses or physical disabilities;

When making a decision, draft commissions were obliged to comprehensively discuss the family and financial situation of the conscript, his state of health, take into account the wishes of the conscript himself, his specialty, and the recommendations of Komsomol and other public organizations. Decisions were made by majority vote. To manage district (city) conscription commissions and control their activities in the union and autonomous republics, territories, regions and autonomous districts, appropriate commissions were created under the chairmanship of the military commissar of the union or autonomous republic, edges, area or Autonomous Okrug. The activities of conscription commissions were monitored by the Councils of People's Deputies and prosecutorial supervision. For dishonest or biased attitude to the matter when deciding the issue of conscription, granting illegal deferments, members of conscription commissions and doctors involved in examining conscripts, as well as other persons who committed abuses, were held accountable in accordance with current legislation. The distribution of conscripts by branch of the Armed Forces and branches of the military was based on the principle of industrial qualifications and specialties, taking into account their health status. The same principle was applied when conscripting citizens into military construction detachments (VSO), intended to perform construction and installation work, manufacturing structures and parts at industrial and logging enterprises of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The recruitment of the military forces was carried out mainly from conscripts who graduated from construction educational institutions or had construction or related specialties or experience in construction (plumbers, bulldozer operators, cable workers, etc.). The rights, duties and responsibilities of military builders were determined by military legislation, and their work activities were regulated by labor legislation (with some features in the application of one or the other). Remuneration for military construction workers was made according to current standards. The mandatory period of work in the military service was counted towards the period of active military service.

The law determined: - a single conscription age for all Soviet citizens - 18 years;

The duration of active military service (command military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen) is 2 - 3 years;

A deferment from conscription could be granted on three grounds: a) for health reasons - it was granted to conscripts declared temporarily unfit for military service due to illness (Article 36 of the Law); b) by marital status (Article 34 of the Law); c) to continue education (Article 35 of the Law);

During the period of post-war mass demobilization 1946-1948, conscription into the Armed Forces was not carried out. Instead, conscripts were sent to reconstruction work. A new law on universal conscription was adopted in 1949, in accordance with it, conscription was established once a year, for a period of 3 years, for the navy for 4 years. In 1968, the service life was reduced by one year, instead of conscription once a year, two conscription campaigns were introduced: spring and autumn.

Completion of military service.

Military service - special kind civil service, which consists in the fulfillment by Soviet citizens of constitutional military duty as part of the USSR Armed Forces (Article 63, Constitution of the USSR). Military service was the most active form of citizens exercising their constitutional duty to defend the socialist Fatherland (Articles 31 and 62, Constitution of the USSR), was an honorable duty and was assigned only to citizens of the USSR. Foreigners and stateless persons living on the territory of the USSR did not bear military duty and were not enrolled in military service, while they could be accepted for work (service) in civilian Soviet organizations in compliance with the rules established by law.

Soviet citizens were recruited for military service mandatory through conscription (regular, for training camps and for mobilization) in accordance with the constitutional obligation (Article 63, Constitution of the USSR), and in accordance with Art. 7 of the Law on General Military Duty (1967), all military personnel and those liable for military service took a military oath of allegiance to their people, their Soviet Motherland and the Soviet government. Military service is characterized by the presence of an institution assigned in the manner established by Article 9 of the Law on General Military Duty (1967) personal military ranks , according to which military personnel and those liable for military service were divided into superiors and subordinates, senior and junior, with all the ensuing legal consequences.

IN USSR Armed Forces About 40% of the conscript contingent registered with the military (assigned to military registration and enlistment offices) were drafted.

Forms of military service were installed in accordance with accepted standards modern conditions the principle of constructing the Armed Forces on a permanent personnel basis (a combination of personnel Armed Forces with the presence of a reserve of military-trained citizens liable for military service). Therefore, according to the Law on General Military Duty (Article 5), military service was divided into active military service and reserve service, each of which took place in special forms.

Active military service is the service of Soviet citizens in the cadres of the Armed Forces, as part of the relevant military units, crews of warships, as well as institutions, establishments and other military organizations. Persons enrolled in active military service were called military personnel, they entered into military service relations with the state, and were appointed to positions provided for by the states, for which certain military or special training was required.

In accordance with organizational structure Armed Forces, due to the difference in the nature and scope of service competence of personnel, the state adopted and used the following forms of active military service:

• compulsory military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen
• long-term military service of sergeants and foremen
• warrant officer and midshipman service
• service of officers, including officers who were called up from the reserve for a period of 2-3 years

As an additional form of active military service, the service of women accepted in peacetime in USSR Armed Forces on a voluntary basis for the positions of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen;

The service (work) of military builders was adjacent to the forms of military service.

Reserve service- periodic military service by citizens enlisted in the armed forces reserve. Persons who were in the reserve were called reserve servicemen.

The forms of military service during the period in the reserve were short-term training and retraining:

• training camps aimed at improving military and special training persons liable for military service, maintaining it at the level of modern requirements;
• verification training aimed at determining the combat and mobilization readiness of military command and control bodies (MCB);

The legal status of the personnel of the USSR Armed Forces was regulated by:

• Constitution (Basic Law) of the USSR, (1977)
• USSR Law on Universal Military Duty, (1967)
• General military regulations of the USSR Armed Forces and the Naval Regulations
• Regulations on military service (officers, warrant officers and conscripts, etc.)
• Battle regulations
• Instructions
• Instructions
• Guides
• Orders
• Orders

USSR Armed Forces abroad

• Group of Soviet troops in Germany. (GSVG)
• Northern Group of Forces (SGV)
• Central Group of Forces (CGV)
• Southern Group of Forces (YUGV)
• Group of Soviet military specialists in Cuba (GSVSK)
• GSVM. Soviet troops in Mongolia belonged to the Transbaikal Military District.
• Limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan (OKSVA). Soviet army units in Afghanistan belonged to the Turkestan Military District, and border troops units within the OKSVA belonged to the Central Asian Border District and the Eastern Border District.
• Base points (PB) of the USSR Navy: - Tartus in Syria, Cam Ranh in Vietnam, Umm Qasr in Iraq, Nokra in Ethiopia.
• Naval Base Porkkala-Udd, Republic of Finland;

Hostilities

States (countries) in which USSR armed forces or military advisers and specialists USSR armed forces participated in hostilities (were present during hostilities) after World War II:

• China 1946-1949, 1950
• North Korea 1950-1953
• Hungary 1956
• North Vietnam 1965-1973
• Czechoslovakia 1968
• Egypt 1969-1970
• Angola 1975-1991
• Mozambique 1976-1991
• Ethiopia 1975-1991
• Libya 1977
• Afghanistan 1979-1989

• Syria 1982
• Interesting Facts

• From June 22, 1941 to July 1, 1941 (9 days) in Armed Forces of the USSR 5,300,000 people joined.
• In July 1946, the first missile unit was formed on the basis of the Guards Mortar Regiment.
• In 1947 entered service Soviet troops The first R-1 missiles began to arrive.
• In 1947 - 1950, mass production and mass entry into the armed forces of jet aircraft began.
• Since 1952, the country's air defense forces have been equipped with anti-aircraft missile technology.
• In September 1954, the first major military exercise with a real explosion of an atomic bomb was held in the Semipalatinsk area.
• In 1955, a ballistic missile was launched from a submarine for the first time.
• In 1957, the first tactical exercise was held with tanks crossing the river along the bottom.
• In 1966, a detachment of nuclear submarines circumnavigated the world without surfacing.
• Armed Forces of the USSR were the first in the world to en masse adopt such a class of armored vehicles as the Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The BMP-1 appeared in the army in 1966. In NATO countries, an approximate analogue of the Marder will appear only in 1970.
• In the late 1970s of the 20th century, in service USSR Armed Forces consisted of about 68 thousand tanks, and the tank forces included 8 tank armies.
• During the period from 1967 to 1979, 122 nuclear submarines were built in the USSR. In thirteen years, five aircraft-carrying ships were built.
• At the end of the 1980s, construction formations in terms of the number of personnel (350,000 - 450,000) exceeded such types of troops of the USSR Armed Forces as the Border Troops (220,000), the Airborne Troops (60,000), and the Marine Corps (15,000) combined .
• There is a precedent in the History of the USSR Armed Forces when a motorized rifle regiment, actually in a state of siege, defended the territory of its own military camp for 3 years and 9 months.
• The number of personnel of the Marine Corps of the USSR Armed Forces was 16 times less than the US Marine Corps - the main potential enemy.
• Despite the fact that Afghanistan is a mountainous country with non-navigable rivers, naval (river) units of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR took an active part in the Afghan War.
• Every year into service in USSR Armed Forces 400 - 600 aircraft arrived. From the responses of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel General A. Zelin at a press conference at MAKS-2009 (August 20, 2009). The accident rate in the Air Force in the 1960s - 1980s was at the level of 100 - 150 accidents and disasters annually.
• Military personnel who find themselves under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, when they were created on March 16 - May 7, 1992, they did not take an oath, they did not violate this oath, but are bound by the following oath:

I, a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, joining the ranks of the Armed Forces of the USSR, take the oath and solemnly swear to be an honest, brave, disciplined, vigilant warrior, to strictly maintain military and state secret, observe the Constitution of the USSR and Soviet laws, unquestioningly carry out all military regulations and orders of commanders and superiors. I swear to conscientiously study military affairs, to protect military and national property in every possible way, and to be devoted to my people, my Soviet Motherland and the Soviet government until my last breath. I am always ready, by order of the Soviet government, to defend my Motherland - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and, as a warrior of the Armed Forces of the USSR, I swear to defend it courageously, skillfully, with dignity and honor, not sparing my blood and life itself to achieve complete victory over enemies. If I violate this solemn oath of mine, then may I suffer the severe punishment of Soviet law, the general hatred and contempt of the Soviet people. Series of postage stamps, 1948: 30 years of the Soviet Army Series of postage stamps, 1958: 40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR A particularly numerous and colorful series of postage stamps was issued for the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces: Postage stamp series, 1968: 50 years of the Soviet Armed Forces

ARMED FORCES OF THE USSR

Twice a year soviet people could watch a wonderful and grandiose spectacle - a military parade on Red Square. The November 7 parade symbolized the victory of the Great October Socialist Revolution, and the May 9 parade symbolized the Victory over fascism in the Great Patriotic War. Stepping to the march of a military orchestra, orderly columns of troops of the Moscow Military District, cadets of military academies, students of the Suvorov and Nakhimov military schools aligned themselves with the podium of the Mausoleum, from which they were greeted by the leaders of the Party and the Government. Then tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers (APCs) and infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) of the guard divisions, rocket launchers and - on huge tractors - giant intercontinental missiles drove into the square along the paving stones. The whole country watched the parade - for the Soviet people it was a real holiday.
By tradition, February 23 was also celebrated - the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy. Not only soldiers and veterans, but generally all men and even boys received congratulations and gifts - as future defenders of the Fatherland. The wives, mothers and friends of the defenders of the Fatherland received reciprocal gifts and congratulations on International Women's Day - March 8th. Every boy, brought up on films about the Great Patriotic War, about Chapaev, Shchors, Kotovsky and the “elusive Avengers,” dreamed of becoming a soldier - a tank driver, pilot, sailor, astronaut - until information began to leak out about hazing in the army (“hazing”). and zinc coffins from Afghanistan.

The Great Controversy

In its heyday, the Soviet Union had perhaps the most powerful army and navy in the world, which, according to the Constitution, stood guard over “the socialist gains of the Soviet people, the freedom and independence of the USSR.” At the same time, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union “ensured the security of the entire socialist community from the encroachments of reactionary imperialist forces and restrained their aggressive aspirations.” The Armed Forces of the USSR played a leading role in the military Organization of the Warsaw Pact (WTO). The Warsaw Treaty on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance of a number of socialist countries - Bulgaria, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Romania, the USSR, Czechoslovakia (and until 1968 Albania) came into force on June 5, 1955.
The troops of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact were located on the territory of the participating countries, and the main command and headquarters were located in Moscow. They opposed the military bloc NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, concluded in 1949 - the year of the creation of nuclear weapons in the USSR). NATO included the USA, Great Britain, France, Canada, Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Norway, Belgium and some other Western European states. Such a confrontation between two military blocs in the era of “ cold war"and "peaceful coexistence" served as the basis for the arms race - the development of the most modern species weapons and military equipment, as well as their production on an ever-increasing scale. The burden of the arms race (from the Warsaw Pact side) lay mainly on the USSR and its Armed Forces. In this area, the Soviet Union managed not only to “catch up and overtake America” (in the words of N. S. Khrushchev), but also to take first place in the world in terms of the number of personnel of the Armed Forces (about 4.5 million people), as well as in the level and quantity of many types of weapons.
Along with the fierce military competition with the West in the 60-70s. tense relations with the People's Republic of China remained, which also led to a significant build-up of armed forces in the East.

Types of the Armed Forces of the USSR

There were five main ones in the Soviet Union species Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Strategic Missile Forces, Air Defense Forces (Air Defense), Air Force (Air Force) and Navy (Navy). Moreover, the Strategic Missile Forces as a type of military, except for the USSR, existed only in China, and air defense - as a separate type - did not exist in any other country in the world. In addition to the main branches, the Armed Forces included the Rear Armed Forces, headquarters and Civil Defense troops, as well as Border and Internal Troops. (Special forces - spetsnaz - were not part of this structure.)
The branches of the Armed Forces, in turn, were divided into sort of troops. For example, the Navy had submarine fleet, a fleet of surface ships, coastal missile and artillery forces, as well as naval aviation and marines. The Air Force was divided into long-range (strategic) aviation, military transport aviation and front-line - bombers, attack aircraft (they were once called “flying fortresses”) and interceptor fighters. The ground forces had their own missile forces and air defense, artillery; motorized rifle, airborne and tank troops; in addition, special troops - engineering, radio engineering, communications, automobile, road, etc.
The Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces) as a branch of the military were formed in 1946. Intended for airborne drops behind enemy lines, the Airborne Forces consisted of parachute, tank, artillery, self-propelled artillery and other units and subunits. In order to fulfill their “international duty” and maintain the power of communist governments, paratroopers participated in the brutal suppression of uprisings in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968). They were the first to enter Afghanistan (1979).
The structure of command and leadership of the Armed Forces was quite complex. Each type of army had a commander-in-chief of these troops. In addition, the entire vast territory of the Soviet Union was divided into military districts - with a district commander at their head. Therefore, in terms of the number of generals, the Soviet Union was in first place in the world - there was one general for every 700 military personnel (in the USA - for 3,400).
Direct leadership was exercised by the Ministry of Defense - except for the Border and Internal Troops, which were subordinate to their ministries - the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The development of all military plans and operations, as well as the coordination of the actions of all military bodies, was led by the General Staff. The leadership of party political work was entrusted to the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy (as a department of the CPSU Central Committee). The Party Program directly stated: “The basis of military development is the leadership of the CPSU Armed Forces...” The post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of all Armed Forces was held by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Therefore, the history of the Soviet Army and Navy, as well as the ways they solved military-strategic tasks, are inextricably linked both with the history of the party and with the names of its general secretaries.

“The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!”

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and Navy were created during difficult peace negotiations with Germany and its allies in Brest-Litovsk. Negotiations reached a dead end, and on February 18, 1918, German troops launched an offensive along the entire front. A threat arose to Petrograd, where the Bolshevik government was still located. On February 22, the Council's appeal was published People's Commissars: “The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!” And on February 23, the first detachments of volunteers appeared - they themselves chose their commanders. The basis of the new armed forces were revolutionary-minded soldiers and sailors. Gradually, the Red Guard, the people's militia, created back in March 1917 by the Petrograd Soviet, joined them. Later, units of the Red Army were also formed from detachments of workers.
On March 4, 1918, the day after the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, the Supreme Military Council of the Republic was created (from September 2 - the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic). Lenin's closest ally, L. D. Trotsky, became the Chairman of the Council and the first People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs. Trotsky abolished elected commanders - they did not yet know how to command or fight - and immediately insisted that officers of the old tsarist army- “military experts”. In addition to the commander, the party appointed a commissar in each unit. He ensured that the orders of the high command were carried out - and without the commissar’s signature, the order of the unit commander was invalid.
There weren't enough volunteers. Therefore, on May 29, 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee issued a Decree on the transition to general mobilization in the Red Army. In June there were already 360 thousand people in the Red Army, in July - 725 thousand, and by the end of 1920 - 5.5 million (at the same time, the number of deserters, mainly from peasants tired of the war, reached 1 million people). Maintaining and arming such a number of people was expensive - 2/3 of the country's annual budget. Half of all clothing, shoes, tobacco, and sugar produced in the country went to the needs of the army. With the end of the war, demobilization was carried out - by the end of 1923, only about half a million Red Army soldiers remained. The released funds were used for the construction of artillery, tanks and aircraft.

Between two wars

At the end of 1924, the Revolutionary Military Council adopted a 5-year plan for the national military development of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, approved by the III Congress of Soviets of the USSR six months later. It was necessary to preserve the personnel core of the army and train as many people as possible in military affairs at the lowest possible cost. National-territorial formations, consisting of representatives of indigenous nationalities, by that time accounted for only 10% of the total strength of the Red Army. Over ten years, 3/4 of all divisions became territorial. Recruits were in them for training camps for two to three months a year for five years, almost “on the job.”
However, by this time there was already a need for a new reform in order to increase the size and combat power of the Red Army. In June 1934, the Revolutionary Military Council was abolished, and the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs became the People's Commissariat for Defense, which returned to building the armed forces on a personnel basis. K.E. Voroshilov was appointed People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. In just one year, it was possible to achieve the opposite ratio - 3/4 of all divisions became personnel.
On September 1, 1939 - the day the Second World War began - the Law on Universal Conscription was adopted - all healthy men had to serve in the army for three years, in the navy - for five years. (According to the previous law of 1925, “disenfranchised” - those deprived of voting rights - did not serve in the army, but served their labor service.) By this time, all the Armed Forces of the USSR were already fully personnel, and their number had increased to 2 million people. A song appeared: “A soldier is always far from home...”.
During the Civil War, the Red Army soldiers had neither shoulder straps nor military ranks - first of all, it was necessary to abandon the traditions of the tsarist army. If the Whites called the armored trains “Dmitry Donskoy” and “Prince Pozharsky”, then the Reds called them “Lenin” and “Trotsky”. Almost all the Red Army soldiers of the first cohort were illiterate - in the army they were taught to read and write, and at the same time “to think correctly.” Many of them later became commanders themselves and joined the party. In 1925, an attempt was made to introduce (incomplete) unity of command: if the commander was a party member, then he simultaneously performed the duties of a commissar, i.e., he was responsible for both the operational and political training of personnel. The reform of 1929 aimed to increase the “party saturation of command personnel”: among company commanders - up to 60% (in 1923 it was 41.5%), among commanders of regiments, divisions and corps - up to 100% (in 1923 33, 34 and 58% respectively). However, since 1937, commissars appeared in all units again, who could intervene in the resolution of operational issues - Napoleon also said: “Better one bad general than two good ones.” Therefore, in 1942 they had to be subordinated to the commander, and they became deputies for political work - political officers. However, political officers and members of the military councils of the fronts continued to secretly monitor the activities of the commanders.

Army of Socialism

From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army suffered terrible losses. Many soldiers were on leave, and many officers were on leave. Military units were in camps, and ammunition was locked in warehouses. Western Front lost almost all aviation, a huge number of tanks and other military equipment. The Red Army was poorly led by young lieutenants, who by the will of 1937 were elevated to colonels, and by colonels, who by the same force were elevated to generals. During the years of repression, it lost 43 thousand officers, and by June 1941 this figure more than doubled. About 1,800 generals were subjected to repression, and a stream of those whose suitability for military affairs was often determined only by “party maturity” and “political vigilance” poured into the vacated positions.
No one dared even think that the Red Army could retreat. On the contrary, they were preparing only for an offensive war. This caused a number of distortions in the development of the military economy and in determining its main directions. In the second half of the 30s. the number of cavalry increased by one and a half times. Having by June 1941 about 23 thousand tanks (including 1860 new types - KV and T-34) and 35 thousand aircraft (including 2700 new types - Yak-1, Lagg-3 and Mig-3), The USSR created cavalry at an accelerated pace. Until the end of 1941, when it was already clear that there was a war of engines, another hundred cavalry divisions were formed. The funds spent on this were five times more than on the construction of the Navy.
J.V. Stalin, who became the People's Commissar of Defense on July 19, and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on August 8, summoned the responsible persons on each individual issue and, after a conversation with them, personally made a decision on behalf of Headquarters. Soldiers and commanders paid for this with their lives on the battlefields. As Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky, who worked for many years in General Staff, only after the Battle of Stalingrad did the Supreme Commander-in-Chief begin to listen more to the opinions of professional military men, and one could increasingly hear from him: “Damn it, why didn’t you say it before!”
By the end of the war, the army and navy numbered more than 11 million people, after demobilization - about three million.
Since the 50s. the bet was placed on a new weapon. In 1957, the first artificial satellite Earth. For military experts around the world, this meant that the Armed Forces of the USSR now had intercontinental ballistic missiles with a nuclear charge - soon the United States deployed its missiles in Turkey. At the same time, the role of armored forces has increased significantly: the armor of a tank and armored personnel carrier is good protection against penetrating radiation. In terms of the number of tanks, the USSR not only took first place in the world - by the 80s. there are more tanks than all other countries combined.
Everything related to the Armed Forces of the USSR, except for military parades, was done under the cover of secrecy. The idea of ​​secretly placing Soviet missiles in Cuba was put forward personally by N.S. Khrushchev - his memoirs say that the “imperialist beast” had to be forced to swallow a hedgehog that he could not digest. In Moscow, this idea was approved in the summer of 1962, after a visit to Havana by a delegation, which, under the guise of “engineer Petrov,” included the commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces, Marshal S. S. Biryuzov. Both surface-to-air missiles and nuclear-tipped surface-to-surface missiles were in Cuba at the disposal and command of Soviet military personnel. And although none of the missiles were installed and the launch was supposed to be carried out only in the event of an attack by the United States and only on command from Moscow, the very fact of deploying Soviet missiles with a range of up to two and four thousand km at a distance of 150 km from the shores of the United States caused a major crisis nuclear age... Since then, intensive construction of cruisers and, first of all, submarines with nuclear engines and missiles on board began.
In the fifteen to twenty years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, having learned its lessons, especially after the removal of Khrushchev, the Soviet Union made up for its gap in strategic nuclear warheads (300 to 5 thousand), increasing their number by more than 30 times.
The name of L. I. Brezhnev is associated with the beginning of a nine-year long Afghan war, for the conduct of which the concepts of “international duty of the Soviet soldier” and “defense of socialism” were significantly expanded. Only in May 1988, just before the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, did the Soviet people learn from Soviet newspapers that the 40th Army, about 100 thousand people, was hiding under the pseudonym “limited contingent of Soviet troops.” At the same time, the head of the Main Political Directorate of the SA and Navy, Army General A.D. Lizichev, reported losses: more than 13 thousand killed, about 36 thousand wounded and missing.
The Soviet Union sought military equality, not only with the United States, but with almost the entire West, and achieved it by the early 70s. “Parity was a historical achievement,” the Soviet people heard from Yu. V. Andropov during his short tenure in the top post. The Soviet people had to pay dearly for this. Instead of increasing the standard of living, which is natural for peacetime, the main direction of the country's economy has become the build-up of military potential. Priority was given to the status of a military superpower. Then, under the pressure of intolerable military expenses, during the period of “perestroika”, more modest and much more reasonable positions of “defensive sufficiency” were developed.
M. S. Gorbachev withdrew troops from Afghanistan. Medium and shorter range missiles were destroyed. From the UN rostrum in December 1988, Gorbachev announced unilateral measures to reduce the Soviet Armed Forces. The Soviet people learned that the total number of the Armed Forces was being reduced by 500 thousand people (12%). What Soviet military contingents are in Eastern Europe unilaterally reduced by 50 thousand people, and six tank divisions (about two thousand tanks) are withdrawn from the GDR, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and disbanded. That in total in the European part of the USSR the number of tanks is reduced by 10 thousand, artillery systems - by 8.5 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. That out of 10 thousand tanks (worth about 1 million dollars each) half should be physically destroyed, the rest have been converted into tractors for civilian use and trainers. The fact that 75% of Soviet troops are being withdrawn from Mongolia, and the number of troops in the Far East, again unilaterally, is being reduced by 120 thousand people - this was greeted with approval in Beijing...
However, during the times of “democracy” and “glasnost”, the Soviet people never found out who gave the order to use weapons against civilians - in Dushanbe and Chisinau, in Tbilisi and Sumgait. Blood was shed in Baku, Vilnius, Riga, but the Supreme Commander-in-Chief seemed to have nothing to do with it. “He had nothing to do with it” in August 1991, when the “last parade” of the Soviet Armed Forces took place in Moscow... A company of the 15th motorized rifle regiment of the Taman Division marched to Smolenskaya Square. Stones, bottles, pieces of asphalt and shouts of “Executioners!” were flying into the BMP. The killers!" In the underground tunnel, several infantry fighting vehicles were blocked - in front there was a barricade of trolleybuses, in the back there were watering machines. The rebels managed to throw a tarpaulin over the BMP number 536 and thus close the viewing slots - blinding the crew. The BMP opened indiscriminate fire into the air. Five or six people jumped onto the armor - they doused the car with gasoline and set it on fire. The flash threw the crowd back several meters. The commander jumped out of the opened hatch. Snatching a pistol, he fired into the air and shouted in a heart-rending voice: “I’m not a murderer, but an officer! I don't want more victims! Move away from the cars, the soldiers are following orders!..”