Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1943-1945: Red Steamroller

• Tank Corps (consisting of three tank brigades and a motorized rifle brigade), were intended for either independent mobile operations or as part of a larger Tank Army. As defined by Stalin’s Order No.325 in October, the primary purpose of the Soviet Tank Corps was to destroy enemy infantry, not fight enemy tank formations. At authorized strength, the Corps should have 159 tanks (96 T-34 and 63 T-70) in six tank battalions and 3,200 infantry in six motorized infantry battalions and one motorcycle battalion. However, fire support was limited to a single Guards Mortar Battalion with eight BM-13 multiple rocket launchers, which was a serious deficiency.

• Mechanized Corps (consisting of three mechanized brigades and usually a tank brigade or two tank regiments) were intended to act primarily as a breakthrough and pursuit force for the front-level commander. A full-strength mechanized corps should have 170–200 tanks in five tank regiments and almost 6,000 motorized infantrymen in nine battalions. The mechanized corps had additional fire support that the tank corps lacked, including three light artillery battalions (each with 12 76.2mm guns) and additional mortars. However, the mechanized corps was critically short of trucks to move its infantry brigades and was forced to mount a good portion of its infantry on tanks. By late 1944, the arrival of large numbers of Lend-Lease trucks would alleviate this shortage and greatly enhance the mobility of Soviet mechanized corps.³⁵

• Tank Brigades (consisting of two tank battalions and a motorized rifle battalion), were the basic building-block of Soviet manoeuvre warfare. For most of 1943, a tank brigade was authorized 32 T-34 medium tanks and 21 T-70 light tanks (or Lend-Lease equivalents). A medium tank battalion was usually led by a Kapetan or Major and had two tank companies, each with 10 T-34 tanks, plus one for the commander. In terms of support, the tank battalion was authorized a 27-man supply platoon, which was supposed to have 13 trucks (including three for fuel and two for ammunition).³⁶ The brigade had only modest reconnaissance capability (a scout platoon with three armoured cars) and no fire support – it was not a combined arms team but rather a tank-heavy formation. Consequently, Soviet Tank Brigades were best used as sub-components in a larger formation, but they could and did serve as independent infantry support units as well. By 1943, the trend was increasingly to incorporate tank brigades into larger formations in order to maximize their shock power.

• Tank Regiments were separate formations used in either the breakthrough or infantry support role, and often equipped with heavy tanks. In January 1943 the tank regiment consisted of either 32 T-34 and seven T-70 or 21 KV-series heavy tanks. Unlike the tank brigade, the tank regiment had no organic infantry component and its armour was usually employed as individual companies, not battalions.³⁷ Most of the KV-series tanks were being assigned to newly-formed Guards Heavy Tank Regiments.

• Independent Tank Battalions (OTB) were usually separate formations tasked with the infantry support role. The OTBs were extremely heterogeneous in composition and could include up to five KV-series heavy tanks, 11 T-34s or equivalent Lend-Lease tanks and 20 light tanks. A few OTBs were equipped with flamethrower tanks or captured German tanks. A full-strength OTB had 36 tanks, but these units tended to stay at the front for long periods of time and typical strength was more like 10–20, with some reduced to just a handful of operational tanks.³⁸ By 1943, these units were being phased out since they were a relic of the improvisation days of 1941.