(except for the Navy, Civil Defense Troops, Border and Internal Troops). Until February 25, 1946, the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (Red Army, Red Army) was called.

Founded in accordance with the Decree on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army on January 15 (28), 1918 to protect the population, territorial integrity and civil liberties on the territory of the Soviet state.

Story

Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (1918-1945)

Armed forces Soviet Union

Structure General base Strategic Missile Forces Red Army * Soviet army Air Defense Forces Air Force Navy Military ranks Military categories and insignia of the Red Army 1918-1935 Military ranks and insignia of the Red Army 1935-1940 Military ranks and insignia of the Red Army 1940-1943 Military ranks and insignia in the army of the USSR 1943-1955 Military ranks in the armed forces of the USSR 1955-1991 Military ranks of the Soviet army 1980-1991 History of the Soviet Armed Forces History of military ranks in Russia and the USSR History of the Red Army List of wars of Russia

Poster Soviet army. You are stronger and stronger year by year, Army of the Soviet people

Creation of an army

The Red Army was created on the basis of the following principles:

1. Class - the army was created as a class organization. One exception was made to the general rule: officers of the old army were called up to the Red Army, many of whom had nothing to do with workers and peasants. In order to exercise control over their behavior and prevent sabotage, espionage, wrecking and other subversive activities on their part (as well as for other purposes), the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars was created, since 1919 - the Political Directorate of the RVSR (as a separate division of the Central Committee of the RCP /b/), which included the political composition of the Army.
2. Internationalism - this principle assumed the admission to the Red Army not only of citizens of the Russian Republic, but also of foreign workers.
3. The election of the command staff - within a few months after the decree, the command staff was chosen. But in April 1918, the principle of election was abolished. Commanders of all levels and ranks began to be appointed by the relevant state body.
4. Dual command - in addition to the command staff, military commissars took an active part in the management of the armed forces at all levels.

Military commissars are representatives of the ruling party (RKP/b/) in the army. The meaning of the institute of military commissars was that they had to exercise control over the commanders.

Thanks to the vigorous activity in creating the Red Army, already in the autumn of 1918 it turned into a mass army, which numbered from 800,000 at the beginning of the Civil War to 1,500,000 later.

Civil War (1917-1923)

Armed struggle between various socio-political groups on the territory of the former Russian Empire.

cold war

Shortly after the end of World War II, tensions began to rise between the former allies. Churchill's Fulton speech on March 5, 1946 is usually taken as the start date of the Cold War. Since then, the US, Great Britain and their allies were considered the most likely enemy in the USSR army.

The transformation of the army in 1946-1949

The transformation from a revolutionary militia into a regular army of a sovereign state was secured by the official renaming of the Red Army into the "Soviet Army" in February 1946.

In February-March 1946, the people's commissariats of defense and the Navy were merged into the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In March 1946, Marshal G.K. Zhukov was appointed commander of the Ground Forces, but already in July he was replaced by Marshal I.S. Konev.

In the period 1946-1948. The Soviet Armed Forces were reduced from 11.3 million to about 2.8 million. To better control demobilization, the number of military districts was temporarily increased to 33. During the Cold War, the size of the Armed Forces fluctuated, according to various Western estimates, from 2.8 to 5.3 million people. Until 1967, Soviet laws required compulsory service for a period of 3 years, then it was reduced to 2 years.

In 1945-1946, the production of weapons was sharply reduced. With the exception of small arms, the annual production of artillery fell the most (by about 100,000 guns and mortars, that is, dozens of times). The role of artillery was never restored in the future. At the same time, the first Soviet jet aircraft appeared in 1946, the Tu-4 strategic bomber in 1947, and a nuclear weapon test was carried out in 1949.

Territorial organization

The troops that liberated Eastern Europe from the Nazis were not withdrawn after the end of the war, ensuring the stability of friendly countries. The Soviet Army was also involved in the destruction of the armed resistance to the Soviet authorities, which unfolded using partisan methods of struggle in Western Ukraine (continued until the 1950s, see UPA) and in the Baltic states (Forest Brothers (1940-1957)).

The largest contingent of the Soviet Army abroad was the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSVG), numbering up to 338 thousand people. In addition to it, the Northern Group of Forces (Poland, in 1955 the number of no more than 100 thousand people), the Central Group of Forces (Czechoslovakia), and the Southern Group of Forces (Romania, Hungary; number - one air army, two tank and two infantry divisions). In addition, the Soviet Army was permanently stationed in Cuba, Vietnam, and Mongolia.

Within the USSR itself, the troops were divided into 15 military districts: (Leningrad, Baltic, Belorussian, Carpathian, Kyiv, Odessa, Moscow, North Caucasian, Transcaucasian, Volga, Ural, Turkestan, Siberian, Transbaikal Military District, Far East). As a result of the Sino-Soviet border conflicts, the 16th, Central Asian Military District was formed in 1969, with headquarters in Alma-Ata.

By order of the leadership of the USSR, the Soviet Army suppressed anti-government demonstrations in Germany (1953) and Hungary (1956). Soon after these events, Nikita Khrushchev began a sharp reduction in the Armed Forces, while increasing their nuclear power. The Strategic Rocket Forces were created. In 1968, units of the Soviet Army, together with units of the armies of the member countries of the Warsaw Pact, were introduced into Czechoslovakia to suppress the Prague Spring.

The result was a sharp increase in aspirations for national independence in the national outskirts of the USSR. In March 1990, Lithuania declared independence, followed by other republics. "Upstairs" it was decided to use force to seize the situation - in January 1991, the SA was used in Lithuania to regain control (capture by force) over the objects of "party property", but there was no way out of the crisis. By mid-1991, the USSR was already on the verge of collapse.

Immediately after August 1991, the leadership of the USSR almost completely lost control over the union republics. In the first days after the putsch, the Ministry of Defense of Russia was formed, Colonel-General Konstantin Kobets was appointed minister. On December 8, 1991, the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus signed the Belovezhskaya Accords on the dissolution of the USSR and the founding of the Commonwealth of Independent States. On December 21, 1991, the heads of the 11 union republics - the founders of the CIS signed a protocol on the assignment of command of the Armed Forces of the USSR "until they are reformed" to the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Air Marshal Yevgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov. Gorbachev resigned on December 25, 1991. The following day, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dissolved itself, officially announcing the end of the Soviet Union. Although some institutions and organizations of the USSR (for example, the State Standard of the USSR, the Committee for the Protection state border) still continued to function during 1992.

In the next year and a half, attempts were made to maintain a unified armed forces in the CIS, but the result was their division between the union republics. In Russia, this happened on May 7, 1992, when the President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin signed a decree on assuming the functions of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, although the version of the Constitution in force at that time and the law “On the President of the RSFSR” did not provide for this. Conscripts from individual union republics were transferred to their armies, Russians who served in Kazakhstan - to Russia, and Kazakhstanis who served in Russia - to Kazakhstan. By 1992, most of the remnants of the Soviet Army in the Union republics were disbanded, the garrisons were withdrawn from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states by 1994. On January 1, 1993, instead of the charter of the Armed Forces of the USSR, temporary general military charters of the Armed Forces came into effect. Russian Federation. On January 14, 1993, an amendment to the 1978 Constitution of the RSFSR came into force, giving the President the powers of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In April 1992, the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR refused three times to ratify the agreement and to exclude the mention of the constitution and laws of the USSR from the text of the constitution of the RSFSR. Thus, the Constitution of the USSR of 1977 de jure continued to operate on the territory of Russia in accordance with Article 4 of the Constitution of the RSFSR until December 25, 1993, when the Constitution of the Russian Federation adopted at a referendum came into force, which approved the attributes of an independent Russian state after the collapse of the USSR. The Union Republic of the RSFSR became the independent state of the Russian Federation. The most acute problem was the division of the Black Sea military fleet between Russia and Ukraine. former status Black Sea Fleet The Soviet Navy was defined only in 1997 with the division into the Black Sea Fleet of the Navy of the Russian Federation and the Ukrainian Navy. The territories of naval bases in Crimea are leased by Russia from Ukraine for a period until 2042. After the Orange Revolution in December 2004, the situation of the Black Sea Fleet was greatly complicated by a number of conflicts, in particular, allegations of illegal subleasing for commercial purposes and seizures of lighthouses.

Armament and military equipment

nuclear forces

In 1944, the Nazi leadership and the population of Germany began to think about the inevitability of defeat in the war. Despite the fact that the Germans controlled almost all of Europe, they were opposed by such strong powers as the Soviet Union, the United States, and the British colonial empire, which controlled about one quarter of the globe. The superiority of the allies in people, strategic resources (first of all, in oil and copper), in the capacities of the military industry became obvious. This entailed a persistent search by Germany for a "miracle weapon" (wunderwaffe), which was supposed to turn the tide of the war. Research was carried out simultaneously in many areas, they led to significant breakthroughs, and the emergence of a number of technically advanced combat vehicles.

One of the areas of research was the development atomic weapons. Despite the significant progress made in Germany in this area, the Nazis had too little time; in addition, research had to be carried out in the conditions of the actual collapse of the German military machine, caused by the rapid advance of the allied forces. It is also worth noting that the policy of anti-Semitism pursued in Germany before the war led to the flight of many prominent physicists from Germany.

This flow of intelligence played a certain role in the implementation by the United States of the Manhattan project to create atomic weapons. The world's first atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 announced to mankind the beginning of a new era - the era of atomic fear.

The sharp aggravation of relations between the USSR and the USA, which occurred immediately after the end of World War II, caused a strong temptation for the United States to use its atomic monopoly. A number of plans were drawn up (“Dropshot”, “Chariotir”), which provided for a military invasion of the USSR simultaneously with atomic bombing largest cities.

Such plans were rejected as technically impossible; at that time, stockpiles of nuclear weapons were relatively small, and delivery vehicles were the main problem. By the time adequate means of delivery were developed, the US nuclear monopoly was over.

In 1934, in the Red Army, by resolution STO No. K-29ss of March 6, 1934, the following daily allowances for the main Red Army ration were introduced (Norm No. 1):

Product name	Weight in grams
1. Rye bread	600
2. Wheat bread 96%	400
3. Wheat flour 85% (bolted)	20
4. Groats are different	150
5. Pasta	10
6. Meat	175
7. Fish (herring)	75
8. Salo (animal fat)	20
9. Vegetable oil	30
10. Potato	400
11. Cabbage (sauerkraut and fresh)	170
12. Beets	60
13. Carrot	35
14. Bow	30
15. Roots, greens	40
16. Tomato puree	15
17. Pepper	0,5
18. Bay leaf	0,3
19. Sugar	35
20. Tea (per month)	50
21. Salt	30
22. Soap (per month)	200
23. Mustard	0,3
24. Vinegar	3

In May 1941, norm No. 1 was changed with a decrease in meat (up to 150 g) and an increase in fish (up to 100 g) and vegetables.

Since September 1941, norm No. 1 was left only for allowances for combat units, and lower allowances were provided for rear, guard and troops not part of the active army. At the same time, the issuance of vodka to combat units of the army in the amount of 100 grams per person per day began. The rest of the servicemen relied on vodka only on state and regimental holidays (about 10 times a year). The issue of soap for female soldiers was increased to 400 g.

These norms were in force throughout the entire period of the war.

By the end of the 1940s, norm No. 1 was restored for all parts of the Soviet Army.

From January 1, 1960, 10 g of butter was introduced into the norm, and the amount of sugar was increased to 45 g, and then, during the 1960s, the following were introduced into the norm: jelly (dried fruits) - up to 30 (20) g., the amount of sugar increased up to 65 g., pasta up to 40 g., butter up to 20 g., bread from wheat flour of the 2nd grade was replaced with bread from flour of the 1st grade. From May 1, 1975, the norm was increased due to the issuance on weekends and public holidays chicken eggs (2 pcs.), and in 1983 it was slightly changed due to some redistribution of flour / cereals and types of vegetables.

In 1990, the last adjustment of the food supply quota was made:

Norm number 1. According to this norm, soldiers and sergeants of military service, soldiers and sergeants of the reserve when they were at the training camp, soldiers and sergeants of extended service, ensigns were supposed to eat. This rule is only for the Ground Forces.

Product name	Quantity per day
1. Rye-wheat bread	350 g
2. Wheat bread	400 g
3. Wheat flour (highest or 1st grade)	10 g
4. Various cereals (rice, millet, buckwheat, pearl barley)	120 g
5. Pasta	40 g
6. Meat	150 g
7. Fish	100 g
8. Animal fat (margarine)	20 g
9. Vegetable oil	20 g
10. Butter	30 g
11. Cow's milk	100 g
12. Chicken eggs	4 pieces (per week)
13. Sugar	70 g
14. Salt	20 g
15. Tea (brewing)	1.2 g
16. Bay leaf	0.2 g
17. Ground pepper (black or red)	0.3 g
18. Mustard Powder	0.3 g
19. Vinegar	2 g
20. Tomato paste	6 g
21. Potato	600 g
22. Cabbage	130 g
23. Beets	30 g
24. Carrot	50 g
25. Bow	50 g
26. Cucumbers, tomatoes, greens	40 g
27. Fruit or vegetable juice	50 g
28. Kissel dry / dried fruits	30/120 g
29. Vitamin "Hexavit"	1 dragee

Additions to norm No. 1

For personnel guards to escort military cargo on the railway

For reserve officers who are on training camp

1. Since the daily norm of bread far exceeded the needs of the soldiers for bread, it was allowed to give bread to the tables in sliced ​​form in the amount that the soldiers usually eat, and to spread some additional bread at the distribution window in the dining room for those who did not have enough of the usual amount of bread. The amounts generated by saving bread were allowed to be used to purchase other products for the soldiers' table. Usually, this money was used to purchase fruits, sweets, cookies for soldiers' festive dinners; tea and sugar for additional food for soldiers on guard duty; lard for additional nutrition during exercises. The higher command encouraged the creation of a kitchen economy in the regiments (pigsties, vegetable gardens), the products of which were used to improve the nutrition of soldiers in excess of norm No. 1. In addition, bread not eaten by soldiers was often used to make crackers in dry rations, which is established in accordance with norm No. see below).
2. It was allowed to replace fresh meat with canned meat at the rate of replacing 150 g of meat with 112 g of canned meat, fish with canned fish at the rate of replacing 100 g of fish with 60 g of canned fish.
3. In general, there were about fifty norms. Norm No. 1 was the base and, of course, the lowest.

Sample menu of a soldier's canteen for the day:

• Breakfast: Pearl barley. Meat goulash. Tea, sugar, butter, bread.
• Dinner: Salted tomato salad. Borscht in meat broth. Buckwheat porridge. Portioned boiled meat. Compote, bread.
• Dinner: Mashed potatoes. Portion fried fish. Tea, butter, sugar, bread.

Norm number 9. This is the so-called dry ration. In Western countries, it is commonly referred to as the fighting ration. This norm is allowed to be issued only when the soldiers are in conditions where it is impossible to provide them with full-fledged hot meals. Dry rations can be issued for no more than three days. After which in without fail soldiers must begin to receive normal nutrition.

Option 1

Option 2

Canned meat is usually stew, minced sausage, minced sausage, liver pate. Canned meat and vegetable products are usually porridge with meat (buckwheat porridge with beef, rice porridge with lamb, barley porridge with pork). All canned food from dry rations can be eaten cold, however, it was recommended to distribute the products into three meals (example in option 2):

• breakfast: heat up the first jar of canned meat and vegetable products (265 g) in a pot, adding a jar of water to the pot. A mug of tea (one bag), 60 g sugar, 100 g biscuits.
• dinner: heat a jar of canned meat in a pot, adding two or three cans of water there. A mug of tea (one bag), 60 g sugar, 100 g biscuits.
• dinner: heat the second jar of canned meat and vegetable products (265 g) in a pot without adding water. A mug of tea (one bag), 60 g sugar, 100 g biscuits.

The entire set of daily dry rations was packed in a cardboard box. For the crews of tanks and armored vehicles, boxes were made of durable waterproof cardboard. In the future, it was supposed to make dry ration packaging sealed metal so that the packaging could be used as a cooking pot, and the lid as a frying pan.

Educational work

In the Soviet Army, in addition to commanders, deputy commanders for political affairs (zampolit) were responsible for the educational work of personnel, later - deputies for educational work. For conducting classes in educational work, self-training and recreation of military personnel in their free time, Lenin rooms were equipped in each barracks, later renamed rest rooms.

Postal service

One of the main positive emotions of all military personnel in "hot spots", and military service in places of permanent deployment, were letters from relatives from home. Letters from "conscripts" and "conscripts" were sent free of charge, regardless of the place of deployment - be it

ARMED FORCES OF THE USSR, a state military organization that formed the basis of the military power of the USSR.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, they consisted of the Ground Forces, the Air Force, Navy, Air Defense Forces of the country, Logistics of the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces also included border troops and internal troops. By the beginning of the war, there were 16 military districts, 1 front (Far Eastern) on the territory of the country, and there were also 4 fleets (Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, Pacific) and 3 separate military flotillas (Pinsk, Caspian and Amur).

The supreme leadership of the defense of the country and the Armed Forces was carried out by the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. He coordinated all activities aimed at strengthening the military potential and increasing the defense capability of the USSR, a special body of the Council of People's Commissars - the USSR Defense Committee.

The direct control of the Armed Forces was carried out by the People's Commissariat of Defense (from May 1940, People's Commissar Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko) and the People's Commissariat of the Navy (from April 1939, People's Commissar, flagship of the fleet of the 2nd rank, from June 1940 Adm. N.G. Kuznetsov). Under the chairmanship of the People's Commissar of Defense and the People's Commissar of the Navy, the main military councils of the Kyrgyz Republic functioned as collegiate bodies. army and navy. General Staff Kr. The army was led by Gen. army G.K. Zhukov.

The situation was rapidly growing in the late 1930s. The threat of war made high demands on the organization and training of the USSR Armed Forces, increasing their combat readiness and combat capability. The most important tasks in the construction of the Armed Forces at that time were to increase the number of troops (forces), increase their technical equipment, and establish the optimal ratio of the number of types of Armed Forces.

Based on the conclusions of the owls. military science that the main role in a future war is assigned to the Ground Forces, the ratio of types of the Armed Forces in terms of the number of personnel in June 1941 was (in%): Ground Forces - 79.3; Air Force - 11.5; Navy - 5.8; Air defense troops of the country's territory - 3.4. In the Ground Forces, the main emphasis was on the development rifle troops, armored troops, artillery. The cavalry, air landing troops, railway, road, engineering, chemical troops, Signal Corps. In the Air Force, the main attention was paid to the development of fighter and bomber aviation, and attack aviation was created. The Navy was replenished with new surface ships and submarines.

Particularly noticeable was the growth in the technical equipment of the USSR Armed Forces in 1939 - the 1st half. 1941. Compared with 1939, the volume of military production in 1941 increased by 30%. During this period, new types of heavy and medium tanks were put into mass production, new artillery guns and powerful jet weapons were developed for salvo firing at area targets, new types of fighters, a dive bomber, an attack aircraft, and several models of warships for the light forces of the fleet were created.

Scientists and designers ensured the high quality and reliability of owls. military equipment according to many characteristics, the best in the world: La-5 fighters (designer S.A. Lavochkin) and Yak-9 (A.S. Yakovleva), Il-2 attack aircraft (S.V. Ilyushin), Pe-2 bomber (V. M. Petlyakov), medium tank T-34 (M.I. Koshkin) and heavy KV (J.Ya. Kotin), rocket artillery fighting vehicle BM-13 "Katyusha" (I.T. Kleimenov and G.E. Langemak) etc. Geologists discovered new deposits of strategic materials (bauxite, manganese, molybdenum). Methods for degaussing warships (I.V. Kurchatov, A.P. Aleksandrov), automatic welding of armor (E.O. Platon) were developed, and automatic machine tools for the production of cartridges were designed. Great successes have been achieved in the field of military medicine, which subsequently made it possible to return St. 70% of wounded soldiers.

The organizational structure of the troops has been significantly improved. The composition of the rifle division included tanks, more powerful divisional artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, which significantly increased their firepower and strike force. Further development received RVGK artillery. Instead of separate tank and mechanized brigades, the formation of tank and motorized divisions began. In 1941 it was planned to form approx. 20 mechanized corps. In the airborne troops, which consisted of brigades, airborne corps were formed. There has been a transition to a divisional organization in the Air Force.

Simultaneously with the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, their numbers increased. Adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on September 1, 1939, the Law on universal conscription legally completed the transfer of the Red Army and Navy to the personnel system of the device, allowed to increase their number, which by mid-1941 amounted to 4.6 million people. In total, the Ground Forces by this time had 303 divisions (of which about 1/4 was in the process of formation). However, not all planned organizational and other measures for the Armed Forces were completed by the beginning of the war. The motorization of the infantry remained insufficient, the re-equipment of formations and units with new models of weapons and military equipment was not completed. Most of the formations transferred to the new states turned out to be not fully equipped with weapons, military equipment and vehicles. Owls. military science in the prewar years, it did not fully take into account the possibility of a sudden invasion of large enemy forces and did not sufficiently develop methods of conducting defense on an operational and strategic scale.

Despite the large scope for the training of military personnel, the system of military educational institutions did not keep up with the pace of deployment of the Armed Forces. The consequences political repression in 1937-39 and in subsequent years, to which many owls were unreasonably subjected. military leaders, commanders and political workers. Most of the reserve commanders were unable to undergo retraining for the start of the war. The share of commanders with a higher military education in 1940 decreased by more than 2 times compared to 1936. and bosses did not have enough time to acquire the experience needed to work in new, higher positions.

Major miscalculations were made in determining the time of application, directions and force of blows to it. troops. Serious mistakes took place in the choice of areas for basing aviation and placing stocks of material and technical means, most of which were located near the state. borders. The deployment of the armed forces groupings did not have a clear plan. The Red Army did not have sufficient experience in conducting modern warfare, organizing the interaction of troops, and effectively using new weapons and military equipment.

After the German attack on June 22, 1941, a radical restructuring of the entire military organization of the state began in the USSR. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was formed - the State Defense Committee (GKO), chaired by I.V. Stalin, who also became People's Commissar of Defense (19.07.1941) and Supreme Commander-in-Chief (08.08.1941). On July 10, 1941, the Headquarters of the High Command was formed for the strategic leadership of the Armed Forces (see. Headquarters of the Supreme High Command), the main body of which was the General Staff of the Red Army, intermediate leadership bodies were created - the main commands of the troops of the directions (abolished in May - June 1942). On the basis of the border military districts, 5 fronts were formed (during the war in different periods there were 10-15 of them), which became the operational-strategic formations of the Armed Forces. As of July 1, 1941, 5.3 million people were called up for mobilization in the Armed Forces. active army from June 1941 to Nov. 1942 increased from 2.9 million to 6.6 million people. Mobilization made it possible to deploy training reserves and reinforce the main groupings of troops.

However, in initial period of the war, the advanced strategic echelon of the Red Army was defeated, the enemy captured a significant territory of the USSR and approached Moscow and Leningrad. By the end of 1941, extraordinary measures, the self-sacrifice of the people, the heroism of the soldiers of the army and navy managed to stop the enemy and frustrate his plan of "blitzkrieg". The Moscow battle of 1941–42 dispelled the myth of German invincibility. army. In the summer of 1942 the center of operations moved to the south wing Soviet-German front.

On an ever-increasing scale, the army received weapons and military equipment, and above all their main types - artillery, tanks, and aircraft. From Dec. 1941 to Nov. 1942, the number of the most important combat weapons increased: for guns and mortars - from 22 thousand to 77.8 (without anti-aircraft guns), for tanks - from 1954 to 7350, for combat aircraft - from 2238 to 4544 units. The improvement of the organizational structure of all military branches and special troops continued. In June 1941, the formation of rocket artillery units began. In September, in the battles near Yelnya, the Soviet Guard was born. In 1941–42, mechanized corps were formed, artillery divisions RVGK, sapper armies, regiments, battalions and radio communications divisions, companies of high-explosive flamethrowers, dep. flamethrower tank battalions and otd. flamethrower-tank brigades of the RVGK, automobile battalions, railway brigades.

By the end of the first period of the war, the strike force of the Ground Forces increased, which was due to the quantitative and qualitative growth of armored and mechanized troops, artillery and military air defense. In Aug. 1941 the Air Force was reorganized - the number of regiments and divisions and aircraft in the regiments decreased. Regiments were formed for night operations, reserve aviation groups, and from March 1942 - strike aviation groups, which were at the disposal of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. Since May 1942, operational aviation formations - air armies - began to form on the basis of the air forces of the fronts. From Nov. 1941 began a radical reorganization of the air defense. In the Navy, in a short time, units and formations of fleets were transferred to wartime states, and new units were formed. By the end of 1941, 46 new ships of the main classes entered service.

With the beginning of the war, the system of training and education of commanding officers and specialists was restructured. Early graduations of students of academies and cadets of military schools were made. In 1942, 53 new military schools were opened. The possibilities of the pre-war network of military educational institutions were also increased by increasing their capacity and reducing the duration of training. A large number of front-line and army courses were created for the accelerated training of junior officers. In July 1941, the institution of military commissars was introduced (abolished on October 9, 1942). The power of the USSR Armed Forces continued to build up: by the summer of 1942, they included approx. 11 million people, including in the active army - St. 5.5 million people From the middle of 1942, the defense industry began to increase the output of military products and more fully meet the needs of the front. As a result of the measures taken by the USSR Armed Forces, despite the losses incurred, by mid-November. In 1942, their organizational strength was significantly strengthened, their technical equipment improved, the troops gained combat experience, and the combat skills of the personnel increased. In fierce battles and battles, the Red Army and Navy inflicted heavy defeat enemy near Leningrad, in Moscow and Stalingrad battles, in the North Caucasus and seized the strategic initiative in the war.

In the second period of the war (Nov. 1942 - Dec. 1943), organizational measures in the army and navy were aimed at ensuring the massive use and effective use of military equipment, a significant increase in the fire and strike power of all types of the Armed Forces and combat arms. By the middle of 1943, in comparison with the end of 1942, the number of weapons in the USSR Armed Forces had increased by 1.3 times, armored vehicles - by 1.4, aircraft - by 2.3 times. The Red Army has surpassed him. troops in tanks and artillery almost 2 times, in aircraft 3 times. Total in the active army in Dec. In 1943 there were 11 fronts, 66 departments of combined arms armies and 3 tank armies. The mass production of weapons in 1943 made it possible to strengthen divisional artillery and create corps, army, and powerful artillery of the RVGK. A significant number of tank and mechanized corps were formed, most of which were later reduced to tank armies of a homogeneous composition. Armored and mechanized troops became the main strike force Ground Forces (by the end of 1943 they included 24 tank and 13 mechanized divisions, about 50% were part of 5 tank armies).

The increasing role of aviation during the war, the quantitative and qualitative growth of the aircraft fleet necessitated new, significant organizational changes in the Air Force. The composition of aviation divisions, corps and air armies has increased. The Air Defense Forces of the country's territory have become stronger organizationally and numerically. In the Navy, the creation of naval defense areas continued, the number of marines, new ship formations were formed. The problem of creating strategic reserves was successfully solved. Thus, during the winter campaign of 1942/43, the Stavka transferred to the fronts from its reserve 4 tank armies, 29 tank and mechanized corps, 108 rifle, 23 artillery, 26 anti-aircraft artillery, 19 aviation divisions, 16 engineering brigades and other formations and units, and in the summer and autumn of 1943, combined arms formations - 2, tank and aviation formations - 3 times more than in winter.

In 1943 completed qualitatively new stage in the construction of the USSR Armed Forces: there have been significant changes in their military-technical equipment and organizational structure, in the development of military art, the personnel have accumulated rich experience in combat operations. This was reflected in the newly issued statutory documents: the Combat Regulations of the Infantry (1942), the draft Field Regulations of the Red Army and a number of regulations of the military branches. At the beginning of 1943, new insignia were introduced - shoulder straps. In order to increase the authority of the commanding cadres and their responsibility, in July 1943 the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established new order assignment of military ranks. All command and commanding staff in the rank of ml. lieutenant to colonel inclusive became known as officers. The growth of combat power and the strengthening of the morale of the troops allowed the USSR Armed Forces to win victories in Battle of Kursk, battle for the Dnieper 1943, successfully carry out a number of other operations. From Nov. 1942 to Dec. 1943 The Red Army fought from 500 to 1300 km and liberated from it. invaders a significant part of the occupied owls. territory. And by the end of 1944 the territory of the USSR was completely cleared of the enemy.

In the third period of the war (January 1944 - May 1945), the Red Army continued to be equipped with weapons and military equipment. Compared with the first period of the war, the number of fronts increased: tanks and self-propelled guns - 4-6 times, guns and mortars - 4-5 times, aircraft - 4-8 times. By the beginning of 1945, there were 9.4 million people, 144.2 thousand op. and mortars, 15.7 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 22.6 thousand combat aircraft. Compared with June 1944, the number of armed forces increased by more than 300 thousand people, the number of tanks and self-propelled guns - by 3.9 thousand, guns and mortars - by 11 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. Most of the USSR Armed Forces were concentrated in Sov.-German. front, where they outnumbered the enemy in guns and mortars almost 4 times, in tanks and self-propelled guns in 3, in combat aircraft 8 times. The dominant position was still occupied by the Ground Forces. In terms of the number of personnel by the end of the war, they accounted for 80%, the Air Force - St. eight%. The share of air defense troops increased from 3.3% in Dec. 1941 to 5% in May 1945, and the Navy decreased from 5.8% in 1941 to 3.6% in June 1943 and then increased to 5.3% in May 1945.

In 1945, the USSR Armed Forces, together with the allied armies of the countries anti-Hitler coalition liberated Europe from occupation and finally defeated Germany and its allies.

The final act of World War II for the Soviets. Union became the Soviet-Japanese war of 1945 on Far East, in which the USSR Armed Forces in the shortest possible time defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army.

During the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Armed Forces covered themselves with unfading glory. For the feats of arms, St. 7 million owls. soldiers were awarded orders and medals, approx. 11.6 thousand were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviets. Union. Mass heroism was characteristic not only for individual soldiers, but also for entire units, formations and associations. For distinction in the battles for the Fatherland with him. 10.9 thousand military orders were awarded to regiments and divisions by invaders. Many of them have been awarded orders several times. 354 times Moscow saluted the valiant owls. troops and navy. Hundreds of military formations and units were awarded honorary titles.

The defeat of the most powerful and dangerous for the world community Armed Forces of fascist Germany and militaristic Japan was a severe test for the Armed Forces and the peoples of the USSR, and they withstood this test with honor. The Soviet Armed Forces expelled the enemy from the USSR, defended the independence and territorial integrity of the country. The fascist bloc suffered a complete and crushing defeat, Germany unconditionally capitulated. USSR Armed Forces played decisive role in delivering the peoples of Europe and Asia from the threat of fascist. enslavement, brought them freedom and peace. The entry of the USSR into the war in the Far East hastened the defeat of militaristic Japan.

Research Institute (Military History) VAGSh RF Armed Forces

The main military potential of the ATS was the USSR Armed Forces. Their development after 1945 can be conditionally divided into 3 periods. 1st period - after the end of the Great Patriotic War until the creation of a new type of aircraft - the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) in the late 1950s; 2nd period - late 1950s - early 1970s; 3rd period - from the beginning of 1970 to the beginning of the 1990s. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union began to reduce the Armed Forces. A mass demobilization of soldiers and officers was carried out, as a result of which the number of the Armed Forces decreased by almost 3.4 times (from 11,365 thousand people in May 1945 to 2,874 thousand people by the beginning of 1948). On September 4, 1945, the State Defense Committee was abolished by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command also ceased its activities.

In February - March 1946, the people's commissariats of defense and the Navy were merged into the Ministry of the Armed Forces, and in February 1950 the latter was divided into the Ministry of War and the Ministry of the Navy. The Supreme Military Council, established in March 1950 under the Council of Ministers, became the supreme state body for the leadership of all the Armed Forces. In March 1953, both ministries were reunited into the USSR Ministry of Defense. Under him, the Main Military Council was formed. This structure lasted until the collapse of the USSR.

I. V. Stalin remained the People's Commissar, and then the Minister of the Armed Forces until March 1947. From March 1947 to March 1949, Marshal of the Soviet Union N. A. Bulganin was at the head of the ministry. From April 1949 to March 1953 Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky was Minister of the Armed Forces, and then Minister of War.

One of the main directions in the military construction of the USSR was the creation and improvement of new means of armed struggle, and above all, atomic weapons. On December 25, 1946, a nuclear reactor was launched in the USSR, in August 1949, an experimental explosion was carried out atomic bomb, and in August 1953 the world's first hydrogen bomb was tested. At the same time, the creation of means for delivering nuclear weapons and the formation of missile units were going on. The first of them - special-purpose brigades equipped with R-1 and R-2 missiles in conventional equipment - began to be created in 1946.

1st period. The USSR Armed Forces in 1946 had three types: Ground Forces, Air Force and Navy. The Air Defense Forces of the country and the Airborne Forces had organizational independence. The Armed Forces included the Border Troops and the Internal Troops.

In connection with the end of the war, associations, formations and units of the USSR Armed Forces moved to areas of permanent deployment and were transferred to new states. In order to quickly and organizedly reduce the army and transfer it to a peaceful position, the number of military districts was significantly increased. The administrations of the fronts and some armies were turned to their formation.

The main and most numerous type of the Armed Forces remained the Ground Forces, which included rifle, armored and mechanized troops, artillery, cavalry and special troops (engineering, chemical, communications, automobile, road, etc.).

The main operational formation of the Ground Forces was the combined arms army. In addition to combined arms formations

in its composition included parts of the army anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, mortar, engineer-sapper and other army units. With the motorization of divisions and the inclusion of a heavy self-propelled tank regiment in the combat composition of the army, it essentially acquired the properties of a mechanized formation.

The main types of combined arms formations were rifle, mechanized and tank divisions. The rifle corps was considered the highest combined-arms tactical unit. The combined arms army included several rifle corps.

There was a military-technical and organizational-staff strengthening of rifle regiments and rifle divisions. In units and formations, the number of automatic weapons and artillery was increased (regular tanks and self-propelled guns appeared in them). So, a self-propelled gun battery was introduced into the rifle regiment, and a self-propelled tank regiment, a separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion, a second artillery regiment and other units into the rifle division. The widespread introduction of motor vehicles into the troops led to the motorization of the rifle division.

Rifle units were armed with hand-held and mounted anti-tank grenade launchers, which ensured effective combat against tanks at ranges up to 300 m (RPG-1, RPG-2 and SG-82). In 1949, a set of new small arms was adopted, which included a Simonov self-loading carbine, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Degtyarev light machine gun, an RP-46 company machine gun, and a modernized Goryunov machine gun.

Instead of tank armies, mechanized armies were created, which included 2 tank, 2 mechanized divisions and army units. The mechanized army fully retained the mobility of the former tank army, with a significant increase in the number of tanks, self-propelled guns, field and anti-aircraft artillery in it. Tank and mechanized corps were transformed into tank and mechanized divisions, respectively. At the same time, the combat and maneuvering capabilities of armored vehicles have significantly increased. A light amphibious tank PT-76 was created, a medium tank T-54, heavy tanks IS-4 and T-10, which had stronger weapons and armor protection, were adopted.

Under the conditions of the technical revolution, cavalry formations did not develop and were abolished in 1954.

Great changes have been made to the military artillery and the artillery of the reserve of the High Command. The development was carried out mainly in the direction of increasing the number of guns, mortars in artillery units, units and formations, as well as improving the control of artillery fire. At the same time, the number of formations of anti-tank, anti-aircraft and rocket artillery grew in the composition of combined arms formations and operational formations. Moreover, along with an increase in firepower, artillery units and formations acquired high maneuverability. Equipping engineering, chemical and other special troops with new, more advanced equipment led to a change in their organizational structure with a simultaneous increase in the number of formations. In the engineering troops, this found expression in the inclusion of technical units in all subunits, units and formations, including the reserve brigades of the Supreme High Command. In the chemical forces, under the influence of a real threat of the use of weapons of mass destruction by the enemy, subunits and units designed to carry out measures for anti-chemical and anti-nuclear defense have been strengthened. In the signal troops, formations equipped with radio relay stations and other modern means of control arose. Radio communications covered all levels of command and control of the troops up to the platoon, the combat vehicle, inclusive.

The country's air defense forces in 1948 became an independent type of aircraft. During the same period, the country's air defense system was reorganized. The entire territory of the USSR was divided into a border strip and an internal territory. The air defense of the border strip was assigned to the commanders of the districts, and naval bases - to the commanders of the fleets. Under their command were military air defense systems located in the same strip. The interior territory was defended by the Air Defense Forces of the country, which became a powerful and reliable means of covering important centers of the country and groupings of troops.

Since 1952, the Air Defense Forces of the country began to be equipped with anti-aircraft missiles, and the first units were created to serve them. Strengthened air defense aviation. In the early 1950s The air defense forces of the country received a new night all-weather fighter-interceptor Yak-25. All this significantly increased the ability to combat enemy air targets.

The Air Force was subdivided into front-line aviation and long-range aviation. Airborne transport aviation was formed (subsequently transport and airborne, and then military transport aviation). The organizational structure of front-line aviation was improved. Aviation was re-equipped from piston to jet and turboprop aircraft.

The Airborne Forces in 1946 were withdrawn from the Air Force. On the basis of individual airborne brigades and some rifle divisions, parachute and airborne formations and units were formed. The airborne corps was a combined-arms operational-tactical formation designed to operate behind enemy lines in the interests of troops advancing from the front.

The Navy consisted of branches of forces: surface ships, submarines, naval aviation, coastal defense units and marines. Initially, the development of the fleet went mainly along the path of creating squadrons of surface ships. Subsequently, however, there was a trend towards an increase in the share of submarine forces, which have great prospects for conducting combat operations in the expanses of the World Ocean, far from their main bases.

Thus, in the first post-war years, a major reorganization of the Soviet Armed Forces was carried out, caused by the reduction of the army and navy, their transfer to a more advanced material and technical base, as well as the need to increase the combat readiness of the troops. The improvement of the organization went mainly along the path of creating new and improving the structure of existing types of the Armed Forces, increasing the combat power of military formations.

The introduction of nuclear weapons into the troops, fundamental changes in views on the methods of unleashing and the nature of a future war required significant adjustments to be made to the development of the army and navy. The main work in this direction was assigned to the USSR Ministry of Defense, headed by the Minister of Defense.

2nd period. Since the mid 1950s. special attention was paid to equipping the army and navy with nuclear missiles. The most important organizational event was the creation in December 1959 of a new type of the USSR Armed Forces - the Strategic Missile Forces. The 2nd period in the development of the Armed Forces began.

Organizationally, the USSR Armed Forces began to include the Strategic Missile Forces, the Ground Forces, the Air Defense Forces, the Air Force, the Navy, and the Civil Defense Forces. Border Troops of the USSR State Security Committee and Internal Troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs.

With the development of the Strategic Missile Forces, the main thing was not the buildup of conventional weapons, but their reduction to a level of reasonable sufficiency for defense, which was supposed to ensure savings in manpower and resources.

The ground forces continued to be the largest branch of the Armed Forces in terms of numbers. The main strike force of the SV was tank troops, and the basis of firepower was rocket troops and artillery, which became a new unified branch of the military. In addition, the SV included: air defense troops, airborne troops and army aviation. Special troops were replenished with units that were intended for electronic warfare (EW).

Air defense systems of the Ground Forces developed rapidly. A fundamentally new weapon was created - highly mobile anti-aircraft missile systems "Krug", "Cube", "Osa", providing reliable cover for troops, as well as portable anti-aircraft missile systems "Strela-2" and "Strela-3". At the same time, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" entered service. New radio equipment made it possible not only to carry out detection, identification and surveillance of the target, but also to provide data on the air situation, aim weapons at the target and control fire.

The change in the nature and methods of hostilities necessitated the development of army aviation. The speed and carrying capacity of transport helicopters have increased. Transport-combat and combat helicopters were created.

The Airborne Forces continued to be equipped with new weapons and military equipment while improving the organizational structure of their formations and units. They received airborne self-propelled artillery, jet, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, special automatic small arms, parachute equipment, etc.

The technical equipment of the special troops, primarily communications, engineering, chemical, electronic warfare units and subunits, has changed significantly, their organization has become more perfect. EW units and subunits have received new jamming stations for shortwave and ultrashortwave radio communications, as well as enemy airborne radars.

The chemical troops had subdivisions of chemical protection, special control, degassing and disinfection of the area, radiation and chemical reconnaissance, flamethrower, smoke release, etc. They received a small-sized radiometer-roentgenometer "Mete-or-I", a device for radiation and chemical reconnaissance "Elekto-ron- 2" and other equipment.

The engineering troops consisted of engineer-sapper, ferry-landing, pontoon, road engineering and other units and units. Engineering equipment was replenished with minelayers, track mine trawls, high-speed trench machines, a regimental earth-moving machine, a machine for clearing debris, track-layers, bridge-layers, excavation machines, a new pontoon-and-bridge park and other equipment.

The Air Force consisted of long-range, front-line and military transport aviation. Long-range aviation was part of the strategic nuclear forces. Its units were armed with Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Tu-22M long-range bombers. Aviation missiles, both in nuclear and conventional weapons, could hit enemy targets without aviation entering the zone of action of his air defense systems.

The structure of front-line aviation was improved, its share increased. Fighter-bomber aviation established itself as a new kind in it. The aviation units of front-line aviation were equipped with more and more advanced fighters (from MiG-19 to MiG-23, Yak-28), Su-17, Su-7b fighter-bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, as well as combat and transport helicopters. Combat aircraft with variable-swept wing and vertical take-off and landing did not require sophisticated runway equipment and had a long flight time in subsonic modes. Aircraft equipped with missiles various classes and aviation bombs in nuclear and conventional equipment, remote mining systems and other weapons.

Military transport aviation, armed with modern long-range military transport aircraft and various payloads - An-8, An-12, An-22, was able to quickly transfer troops and heavy equipment, including tanks and missile systems, over long distances.

The Navy was a balanced system of various branches of forces, including submarines, surface ships, naval aviation, coastal missile and artillery troops, marines, and various special forces. In organizational terms, the Navy consisted of the Northern, Pacific, Black Sea, Baltic fleets, the Caspian military flotilla, and the Leningrad naval base.

The development of the Navy proceeded along the path of creating, as part of the fleets, formations of submarines and naval aviation, which were armed with missiles of various classes and purposes. Their nuclear missile weapons were an important component of the nuclear potential of the Armed Forces.

As a result of the widespread introduction of new models of weapons and military equipment, radio electronics, atomic energy in submarines and the improvement of the organizational structure, the combat capabilities of the Navy have increased dramatically. It has become oceanic, capable of performing strategic and operational tasks not only in coastal waters and closed seas, but also in the expanses of the World Ocean.

3rd period. The main attention was paid to the construction of a diversified army and navy, maintaining a harmonious and balanced development of all types, arms and forces, equipping them with the latest weapons and military equipment. By the mid 1970s. military-strategic (military) parity was achieved between the USSR and the USA, the Department of Internal Affairs and NATO. Until the end of the 1980s. on the whole, it was possible to maintain the organizational structure of the Armed Forces at an optimal level, corresponding to the level of technical progress, the development of military affairs, the quality of weapons and the requirements of the time.

Taking into account the trends in the development of weapons in the US and NATO armies, the Soviet Union continued to improve its nuclear missile weapons - a deterrent weapon: missile systems were improved and modernized, their reliability and combat capability increased, the power of nuclear charges and the accuracy of single-block and multiple warheads hitting the target increased. Strictly observing the provisions of the SALT-2 Treaty, the Soviet Union redistributed nuclear weapons between the components of the strategic "triad". In the mid-1980s, up to 70% of nuclear weapons in the USSR were ground-based ICBMs. The number of nuclear munitions deployed on strategic missile submarines has increased. The Strategic Missile Forces as a whole, the strategic forces of the Navy and the Air Force were in constant readiness for a retaliatory strike.

In accordance with the country's defense plans, other types of the Armed Forces were also improved - the Ground Forces and the Air Defense Forces, as well as the general-purpose forces of the Air Force and the Navy, and the structures and weapons systems were optimized.

Particular attention was paid to the equipment of the Air Defense Forces. The development of air defense systems was focused on increasing their effectiveness in the fight against both aircraft and enemy ballistic missiles, which led to the creation of a new generation of highly effective anti-aircraft missile systems "S-300", "Buk", "Tor", anti-aircraft missile and gun complex "Tunguska" and portable anti-aircraft missile system "Igla". Air defense systems of the Ground Forces had high mobility, could be used in all weather conditions, quickly detect and reliably hit air targets at various altitudes.

In general, the combat power of the USSR Armed Forces was in no way inferior to the potential capabilities of the armies of the United States and other NATO countries.

Despite all the attempts of the USSR and other Eastern European countries to create after the end of World War II a reliable system for ensuring international security on the principles of the UN, the Western powers refused to cooperate with the countries of socialism. The former allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition took the path of escalating military-political tension and creating a military-political alliance (NATO) directed against the USSR and other socialist countries.

The achievement of a military-strategic balance between the USSR and the USA, NATO and the Warsaw Pact played a positive role in ensuring the security and political stability of the countries of the socialist camp. This was a deterrent to the aggressive aspirations of the leading Western powers, led by the United States, in relation to the countries of Eastern Europe and the USSR.

Achieving military-strategic parity in the 1970s made it possible to avert the threat of a third world war and to concentrate the efforts of the socialist countries on the development of the economy and political system. However, the Cold War and the threat of a global nuclear military conflict caused in all allied countries a radical redistribution of capital investments in favor of the defense industry, which affected other industries and the material well-being of the peoples.

1. Babakov A.L. Armed Forces of the USSR after the war (1945-1986): The history of construction. M., 1987.

2. Warsaw Pact: history and modernity / Ed. P. G. Lusheva. M., 1990.

3. Zolotarev V. A. Military security of the Fatherland (historical and legal research). 2nd ed. M, 1998.

4. NATO. Strategy and military forces. The role of the military organization of the North Atlantic bloc in the aggressive policy of imperialism 1945-1975. Berlin, 1976.

5. Organization of the Warsaw Pact: Documents and materials 1955-1980. M, 1980.

6. Soviet Armed Forces on guard of peace and socialism. M., 1988.

USSR. Armed Forces of the USSR

The Armed Forces of the USSR is a military organization of the Soviet state, designed to protect the socialist gains of the Soviet people, the 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 encroachments by aggressors.

The Armed Forces of the USSR are fundamentally different from the armed forces of the exploiting states. In the capitalist states, the armed forces are an instrument for the oppression of the working people, for the aggressive policy of the imperialist circles, and for 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 are a bulwark of universal peace and progress. They are popular 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 is 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 fostering feelings of brotherhood, solidarity and mutual respect for all the nations and peoples of the Soviet Union. Our Armed Forces are a single friendly family, a living embodiment of socialist internationalism "(Brezhnev L.I., Leninsky course, vol. 4, 1974, p. 61). The internationalism of the Armed Forces of the USSR is manifested in the ever greater strengthening of their fraternal ties and military commonwealth 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 of the country, Air Force, Navy , and also include the Logistics 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, branches of forces (Navy) and special troops, 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 command and control, uniform principles for the training and education of personnel and the training of command personnel, and a common procedure for the service of privates, sergeants and officers.

The supreme leadership of the country's defense and the Armed Forces of the USSR is carried out by the Central Committee of the CPSU and the highest body of state power - the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR appoints and dismisses the highest military command, announces a general and partial mobilization, martial law, state of war. The leadership of the CPSU in the Armed Forces is the foundation of all military organizational development. From the policy of the CPSU and the Soviet government flow the main provisions of the Soviet military doctrine (See Military Doctrine).

The direct command of the Armed Forces is exercised by the USSR Ministry of Defense. All types of the Armed Forces, the Logistics of the Armed Forces, the headquarters and troops of the Civil Defense are subordinate to him. Each branch of the Armed Forces is led by the corresponding commander-in-chief, who is the deputy. defense minister. Border and internal troops the Committee of State Security under the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR are in charge, respectively. 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 Directorate of Personnel, the Central Financial Directorate, the Directorate of Affairs, etc.), as well as military administrative bodies and institutions of the Civil 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 wartime, improving the organization of troops, weapons, military equipment, providing the Armed Forces with weapons and all types of material supplies, directing operational and combat training of troops and a number of others. functions determined by the requirements of state protection. Party political work in the Armed Forces is managed by the Central Committee of the CPSU through the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy. , working as a department of the Central Committee of the CPSU. It directs political bodies, army and navy party and Komsomol organizations, ensures party influence on all aspects of the life of the personnel of the troops, directs the activities of political agencies, party organizations to increase the combat readiness of the troops, strengthen military discipline and the political and moral state of the personnel.

material and technical support The Armed Forces carry out administrations and services of the Logistics, subordinated to the Deputy Minister of Defense - Head of the Logistics of the Armed Forces.

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

The staffing of the Armed Forces with privates, sergeants and foremen is carried out through conscription Soviet citizens to active military service, which, according to the Constitution of the USSR and the Law on universal military duty of 1967, is an honorable duty of citizens of the USSR (see Conscription in the USSR). The call is made 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 staffing is the admission of military personnel and persons in the reserve, on a voluntary basis, to the positions of warrant officers and midshipmen, as well as to long-term service. Officers are recruited on a voluntary basis. Officers are trained in the higher and secondary military schools of the corresponding services of the Armed Forces and branches of service; 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 officers, as well as in the system of combat and political training. Leading command, political, engineering and other officer cadres are trained in the 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. Soviet people after the victory October revolution 1917 had not only to build a new society, but also to defend it with weapons in hand from internal counter-revolution and repeated attacks of international imperialism. The Armed Forces of the USSR were created directly by the Communist Party under the hands of. V. I. Lenin, based on the provisions of the Marxist-Leninist doctrine of war and the army. By a resolution of the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of October 26 (November 8), 1917, during the formation of the Soviet government, a Committee for Military and Naval Affairs was created, consisting of V. A. Antonov-Ovseenko, N. V. Krylenko, and P. E. Dybenko; from October 27 (November 9), 1917 was called the Council people's commissars for military and naval affairs, from December 1917 - Collegium of military commissars, from February 1918 - 2 people's commissariats: for military and naval affairs. The main armed force in overthrowing the rule of the bourgeoisie and the landowners and winning the power of the working people were the Red Guard and the revolutionary sailors of the Baltic Fleet, the soldiers of the Petrograd and other garrisons. Relying on the working class and the poor peasantry, they played an important role in the victory of the October Revolution of 1917, in protecting the young Soviet Republic in the center and in the localities, in the defeat at the end of 1917 and the beginning of 1918 of the counter-revolutionary rebellions of Kerensky-Krasnov near Petrograd, Kaledin on the Don, Dutov in the Southern Urals, in securing the 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 protect the Soviet state. In an effort to stifle the revolution, the imperialist states, primarily Germany, undertook an intervention against the young Soviet Republic, which merged with the action of internal counter-revolution: White Guard revolts and conspiracies of the Socialist-Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, and the remnants of various bourgeois parties. We needed regular armed forces capable of protecting 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. The direct leadership 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 the violation of the truce by Germany and the transition of its troops to the offensive, the Soviet government on February 22 turned to the people with a decree written by Lenin, the appeal "The socialist fatherland is in danger!". This decree marked the beginning of the mass registration 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 annually celebrated in the USSR as a national holiday - the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy.

During the years of the Civil War of 1918-20, the construction of the Red Army and the RKKF was carried out under exceptionally difficult conditions. The economy of the country was undermined, railway transport disorganized, the supply of food to the army was carried out irregularly, there were not enough weapons and uniforms. The army did not have necessary quantity command personnel; means. part of the officers of the old army was on the side of the counter-revolution. The peasantry, from which the rank and file and junior command personnel were mainly recruited, devastated by the First World War of 1914-18, were not inclined to voluntarily join the army. All these difficulties were aggravated by the sabotage of the old bureaucratic apparatus, 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 conscription of 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, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RVSR) was created instead of the Supreme Military Council, whose functions included the 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 (it 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 (on February 10, 1921, it was merged with the All-Glavshtab 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 (established on April 8, 1918), which on April 18, 1919, by decision of the 8th Party Congress, was replaced by the department of the RVSR, renamed on May 26, 1919 into the Political Directorate (PUR) under the RVSR, which at the same time was 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, 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, cadre core of personnel, a single 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 sharp struggle with the "military opposition" (See Military opposition) , which opposed the creation of a regular army, defended the remnants of partisanism in command and control of troops and the conduct of war, and underestimated the role of old military specialists.

By the end of 1919, the strength of the Red Army reached 3 million people, by the autumn of 1920 - 5.5 million people. The proportion of workers was 15%, peasants - 77%, others - 8%. In total, in 1918-20, 88 rifle and 29 cavalry divisions, 67 air squadrons (300-400 aircraft), as well as a number of artillery and armored units and subunits, were formed. There were 2 reserve (reserve) armies (of the Republic and the South-Eastern Front) and units of Vsevobuch, in which about 800 thousand people were trained. During the years of the Civil War, 6 military academies and over 150 courses and schools (October 1920) trained 40,000 commanders from workers and peasants. As of August 1, 1920, there were about 300,000 Communists in the Red Army and Navy (about 1/2 of the entire membership of the Party), who were the cementing core of the army and navy. About 50 thousand of them died the death of the brave during the Civil War.

In the summer and autumn of 1918, active troops began to form armies and fronts, headed by revolutionary military councils (RVS) of 2-4 members. By the autumn of 1919 there were 7 fronts, each of 2-5 armies. In total, the fronts had 16-18 combined-arms armies, one cavalry army (see cavalry armies) (1st) and several separate cavalry corps. In 1920 the 2nd Cavalry Army was formed.

In the course of the struggle against the interventionists and the White Guards, the weapons of the old army were mainly used. At the same time, the emergency measures taken by the Party to set up a military industry and the unparalleled heroism of the working class made it possible to move on to an organized supply of Soviet-made weapons, ammunition and uniforms to the Red Army. The average monthly output of rifles in 1920 amounted to more than 56 thousand pieces, cartridges - 58 million pieces. In 1919 aviation enterprises built 258 and repaired 50 aircraft.

Together with the creation of the Red Army, Soviet military science was born and developed. , based on the Marxist-Leninist doctrine of war and the army, the practice of the revolutionary struggle of the masses, the achievements of the military theory of the past, creatively reworked in relation to new conditions. The first charters of the Red Army were published: in 1918 - the Charter of the internal service, the Charter of the garrison service, the Field Charter, in 1919 - the Disciplinary Charter. A great contribution to Soviet military science was made by Lenin's propositions 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 clearly manifested character traits Soviet military art (See Military art): revolutionary creative activity; intransigence to the template; the ability to determine the direction of the main blow; a reasonable combination of offensive and defensive actions; pursuit of the enemy up to its complete destruction, etc.

After the victorious end of the Civil War and the infliction of a decisive defeat on the combined forces of the interventionists and the 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 the demobilization, the strengthening of the Armed Forces was carried out. In 1923, the united People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs was recreated. As a result military reform 1924-25 (See Military Reform of 1924-25) the central apparatus was reduced and updated, new staffs of units and formations were introduced, the social composition of command cadres was improved, new regulations, manuals and manuals were developed and introduced. The most important issue of the military reform was the transition to a mixed system of recruiting troops, which made it possible to have in peacetime a small regular army with a minimum expenditure of funds for its maintenance, in combination with the territorial-militia formations of the internal districts (see Territorial-militia 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 of the Navy and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic), who sought to tear the Red Army and Navy 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 whom K. E. Voroshilov became People's Commissar.

The first all-Union law "On mandatory 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 in the course of 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), the Air and Naval Forces, the troops of the United State Political Administration (OGPU) and the escort guards of the USSR. Their number in 1927 was 586 thousand people.

In the 30s. on the basis of the successes achieved in building socialism, the further improvement of the Armed Forces took place; their territorial and personnel structure ceased to satisfy the needs of the defense of the state. In 1935-38, a transition was made from the territorial-personnel system to a single 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, 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 the districts and the political departments of the formations were renamed the directorates and departments of political propaganda. On May 10, 1937, by a 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, the state 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 universal military duty" was adopted, which abolished the restrictions that existed before in conscription into the army and navy for certain categories of the population and proclaimed military service an honorable duty of all citizens of the USSR, regardless of their class affiliation.

The social composition of the army improved: from 40 to 50% of the 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 of the Navy, and 32 flight and flight technical schools. On September 22, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced (see Military ranks) , and May 7, 1940 - general and admiral ranks. In terms of technical equipment, the Armed Forces during the years of the pre-war five-year plans (1929-40) rose to the level of the armies of the advanced capitalist states. In the Ground Forces in 1939, compared with 1930, the number of artillery increased; in 7, including anti-tank and tank - 70 times. The number of tanks from 1934 to 1939 increased by 2.5 times. Along with the quantitative growth of weapons and military equipment, their quality has improved. A notable step has been taken in increasing the rate of fire of small arms. The mechanization and motorization of all branches of the armed forces increased. Air defense, engineering, communications, chemical defense troops were armed with new technical means. On the basis of the successes of aircraft and engine building, the Air Force was further developed. In 1939, compared with 1930, the total number of aircraft increased 6.5 times. The Navy began building surface ships of various classes, submarines, torpedo boats, and naval aircraft. Compared with 1939, the volume of military production in 1940 increased by more than 1/3. Through the efforts of the teams of the design bureaus 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, different types 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 the world's best heavy and medium tanks KV-1 and T-34 into serial production. The design bureaus of V. G. Grabin, I. I. Ivanov, F. I. Petrov and others created new original types of artillery pieces and mortars, many of which went into mass production. From May 1940 to the beginning 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. Artemiev, F. I. Poida and others created a rocket weapon 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 models of warships, which were put into mass production. Great successes were achieved in 1940-41 by factories for the production of small arms, ammunition, fuels and lubricants, etc.

The 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 the artillery reserve of the High Command (RGK) was further developed. Instead of separate tank and armored brigades, which since 1939 were the main formations of the armored forces, the formation of larger formations began - tank and mechanized divisions. In the airborne troops, they began to form airborne corps, and in the Air Force, from 1940, they began to switch to a divisional organization. Formations and formations were organized in the Navy, intended for joint operations with the ground forces and for independent operations.

Military strategy, operational art and tactics were further developed. 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 the troops - fundamentally new theory conducting operations by massive, highly mobile, well-equipped armies. Theoretical provisions were tested on maneuvers and exercises, as well as during the fighting of the Red Army in the area of ​​​​Lake Khasan, r. Khalkhin-Gol, in the Soviet-Finnish war 1939-40. Many statutes and instructions were developed anew. In 1940, the troops received the Infantry Combat Regulations (part 1), drafts of the Field Regulations and the Infantry Combat Regulations (part 2), the Combat Regulations for Tank Forces, the Combat Regulations, the Regulations for Guard Service, etc. On May 7, 1940, S. K. Timoshenko.

Despite the measures taken, the preparation of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression that was 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 the new states were not fully equipped with weapons and military equipment, as well as vehicles. Many middle and senior commanders lacked experience in modern warfare.

Great Fatherland. 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 suddenness of the attack, the lengthy preparation for war, the 2-year experience of military operations in Europe, the 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 deadly 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 reserve. The whole life of the country was rebuilt on a military footing. The main sectors of the economy switched to the production of military products. In July-November 1941, 1,360 large enterprises, mainly of defense importance, were evacuated from the 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, JV Stalin was appointed People's Commissar of Defense, and on August 8 he also became Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The GKO led the entire life of the country, uniting the efforts of the rear and the front, the activities of all state bodies, party and public organizations to completely destroy the enemy. The fundamental issues of the leadership of the state, the conduct of the war were decided by the Central Committee of the party - the Politburo, the Orgburo and the Secretariat. The decisions made were put into practice 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 Stavka exercised strategic leadership of the Armed Forces with the help of its working body, the General Staff. The most important questions of the conduct of the war were discussed at joint meetings of the Politburo of the Central Committee, the State Defense Committee and the Headquarters.

Since the beginning of the war, the training of officers has been expanded by increasing the contingent of students of academies, cadets of schools and reducing the duration of training, creating a large number of courses for accelerated training of junior officers, especially from among soldiers and sergeants. From September 1941, distinguished formations 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, soldiers of the army and navy, by the end of 1941, it was possible to stop the enemy on the outskirts of 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 was inflicted on the enemy in the entire 2nd world war. This battle dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the fascist German 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 hostilities moved to the southern wing of the Soviet-German front. The enemy rushed to the Volga, the oil of the Caucasus, the grain regions of the Don and Kuban. The Party and the Soviet government made every effort to stop the enemy, continued to build up the power of the Armed Forces. By the spring of 1942, there were 5.5 million people in the Armed Forces alone in the active army. From the middle of 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, the output of ammunition almost doubled. In 1942, 575,000 officers were sent to the army. In the Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943 (See Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943), Soviet troops defeated the enemy and seized the strategic initiative. This victory was the beginning of a radical turning point not only in the Great Patriotic War, but throughout World War II.

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

The significant increase in the power of the Soviet Armed Forces and the increased skill of the commander of its military leaders made it possible in the Battle of Kursk 1943 to inflict a major defeat on the fascist troops, which brought fascist Germany before a military catastrophe.

Decisive victories were won by the Armed Forces of the USSR in 1944-45. By this time, they had vast combat experience, possessed colossal power, and by the beginning of 1945 numbered 11,365 thousand people. The advantages of the socialist economic system, the vitality economic policy CPSU and the Soviet government. 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 mass quantities - La-7, Yak-9, Il-10, Tu-2, heavy tanks IS-2, self-propelled artillery mounts 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 the Crimea, on the Right-Bank Ukraine, in Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic states and in the Arctic, the Armed Forces cleared Soviet land of invaders. Developing a swift offensive, the Soviet troops carried out the East Prussian, Vistula-Oder and other operations in 1945. In the Berlin operation, they achieved the final defeat of Nazi Germany. The Armed Forces fulfilled a great liberation mission - they helped to get rid of the fascist occupation of the peoples of the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

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

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

The Party and the Soviet government appreciated the exploits of the soldiers on the fronts of the war. 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 Armed Forces of the USSR gained vast combat experience. Soviet military science was further developed, especially the art of war and all its constituent parts—strategy, operational art, and tactics. The issues of front-line and strategic offensive operations of a group of fronts were comprehensively developed, the problems of breaking through enemy defenses, the continuity of the development of the offensive were successfully solved by introducing mobile - tank and mechanized formations and formations into the breakthrough, achieving a clear interaction of forces and means, sudden strikes, comprehensive support for operations, issues of strategic defense and counteroffensive.

Having defeated the armies of fascist Germany and imperialist Japan, the Armed Forces of the USSR emerged from the war organizationally strengthened, equipped with last word technology, with the consciousness of a fulfilled duty to the Soviet people and all mankind. A massive layoff of personnel began. On September 4, 1945, the GKO was abolished, and the Stavka of the Supreme High Command 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 USSR was created, in March 1946 it was renamed the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR. In February 1950 it was divided into the Military Ministry and the Naval 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). From April 1976 Minister of Defense of the USSR - General of the Army, from July 30, 1976 Marshal of the Soviet Union D. F. Ustinov.

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

The increased possibilities of the Soviet economy, the achievements of science and technology have expanded the scientific and technical foundations of the combat power of the Armed Forces. Within 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, aviation received reactive types 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 defuse tension and establish a lasting peace, the USSR went to reduce the number 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 (navy forces), in views on the forms and methods of conducting military operations. An important development in the development of the Armed Forces of the USSR, which raised the defense 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 taken place in each branch of the Armed Forces, the ratio between them has become different.

Strategic Missile Forces are designed to solve strategic tasks in the conduct of war with the use of nuclear weapons. They are equipped with automated missile systems with intercontinental and medium-range missiles, which have tremendous destructive power.

The Ground Forces are the most massive and versatile branch of the Armed Forces of the USSR. They have great firepower and strike power, high maneuverability and combat independence, are capable, in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces, and independently solve the tasks of defeating the enemy in land theaters of military operations, both with and without the use of nuclear weapons, to consolidate and hold the occupied 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 swift offensive, defeat enemy groupings of troops, seize his vital areas, stubbornly defend and repel enemy blows, and hold the lines they occupy.

Airborne Troops - a branch of the armed forces equipped with airborne self-propelled artillery, jet, 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, preventing the approach of his reserves, destroying nuclear attack weapons, command posts, capturing communications centers, airfields, bases and crossings.

The Rocket Forces are the basis of the firepower of the Ground Forces. They are armed with missile weapons for operational and tactical purposes with a range of action from several tens to several hundred km, capable of hitting with great accuracy and reliability nuclear weapons any targets, destroy entire units and subunits of the enemy and various important objects located in his 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 means for detecting an air enemy 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, groupings of troops and other important objects from enemy air strikes. Their main task is to repel any air attack of the aggressor. The basis of the combat power of the Air Defense Forces of the country is made up of qualitatively new types of troops - anti-aircraft missile troops and air defense aviation, armed with all-weather supersonic missile-carrying fighter-interceptors. The tasks of detecting an air enemy, target designation by anti-aircraft missile troops and fighter aviation are resolved radio engineering troops, which are also a branch of the military.

The Air Force is designed to deal independently and in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces various tasks in the continental and maritime theaters of operations; destruction of enemy nuclear weapons, the destruction (weakening) of its aviation groupings, air support for the Ground Forces and the Navy, air deployment of troops, air reconnaissance, landing troops, communications, etc. They have great strike power, the ability to quickly carry out a wide maneuver, high accuracy destruction of mobile, small-sized objects. The Air Force consists of long-range, front-line and military transport aviation. The types of forces of the Air Force include: bomber, fighter-bomber (assault), fighter, reconnaissance, transport and special aviation.