Sunday, March 15, 2015

Soviet WWII Cavalry Divisions




The M42 Cavalry Division (Kavaleriyskaya Diviziya), introduced 6 January 1942 with 4,443 personnel, had seven company-sized Divisional HQ units: engineer, tank (3 tanks), signals, medical, and chemical companies, and ammunition and supply columns. They had a horse artillery battalion, and three mounted cavalry regiments. Each regiment comprised a two-platoon mortar battery and a horse artillery battery, one heavy MG squadron and four mounted squadrons, each of the latter with four rifle and AT platoons. In March 1942, the HQ troops received a motorized AA battery, and later both an engineer squadron and a reconnaissance battalion with mounted and armoured-car squadrons.

The 6,000-strong M43 Cavalry Division was introduced 6 February 1943. It comprised four company-sized Divisional HQ units: reconnaissance, engineer, signals, and an AA-MG battery; a three-company tank regiment; an artillery-mortar regiment (two field-gun and three mortar batteries); and three mounted cavalry regiments. A Cavalry Regiment had a three-platoon mortar battery, an AT battery, and from July 1943 a reconnaissance platoon; plus four mounted squadrons, each with MG, SMG and three rifle platoons.

During 1942–43 a total of 56 cavalry divisions saw action (numbered 4, 7, 8, 10–13, 15, 19, 23–30, 32, 34, 35, 38, 40, 43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59–64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 73, 74, 76–82, 84, 87, 91, 94 and 116). Additionally, 19 cavalry divisions (numbered 97–115) were formed in December 1941 as Bashkir, Chechen-Ingush, Kabardino-Balkar, Kalmyk, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Uzbek national units, but suspicions of political unreliability led to their disbandment by January 1943.

At least six cavalry divisions (numbered 15 & 116 Don; 12, 13 & 50 Kuban; and 53 Terek) were recruited from the Cossack communities, and all attained Guards status by 1942. Seven mountain cavalry divisions (numbered 1, 17, 18, 20, 21, 39 and 83) existed in January 1942, but three (1, 17 & 18) were disbanded in 1942, three (20, 21 & 83) converted to Guards cavalry in 1943, and 39th Division converted to plain cavalry in January 1944.

A Guards Cavalry Division (Gvardeyskaya Kavaleriyskaya Diviziya) was organized like a cavalry division, and 17 were formed (original division numbers in brackets): 1 (5), 2 (9), 3 (50 Kuban Cossack), 4 (53 Terek Cossack), 5 (2), 6 (14), 7 (31), 8 (11), 9 (12 Kuban Cossack), 10 (13 Kuban Cossack), 11 (15 Don Cossack), 12 (116 Don Cossack), 13 (83 Mountain), 14 (21 Mountain), 15 (55), 16 (112), and 17 (20 Mountain).

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this Mitch. Did the cavalry platoons consist of 10 men (paper strength), just like the infantry??

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    1. According to Stavka order of 31st December 1941 the existing cavalry division should be reorganiazed by 15th March 1944 according to the following OOB:
      1. Divisional HQ - 113 men, 97 horses

      2. 3 cavalry regiments (1138 men, 1294 horses), each with 4 sabre squadrons (170 men, 180 horses), battery of 76-mm guns (4 guns, 100 men, 132 horses), battery of 45-mm guns (4 guns, 85 men, 3 horses), battery of 82-mm mortars (12 mortars, 113 men, 131 horses), signal platoon (38 men, 48 horses), engineer platoon (23 men, 26 horses), chemical platoon (14 men, 26 horses) and service units (50 men).

      Each sabre squadron with 4 sabre platoons (27 men, 29 horses), machinegun platoon (4 heavy machenguns, 26 men, 30 horses) and anti-tank rifles platoon (6 ATR, 21 men, 23 horses).

      3. Artillery-mortar regiment with two batteries of 76-mm guns SIZ-3 - total 8 guns, 134 men and 168 horses in each battery and three batteries of 120-mm mortars - total 18 mortars, 100 men and 130 horses in each battery. Total 700 men and 820 horses in the regiment.
      4. Tank regiment (352 men, 23 T-34, 16 T-70).
      5. Separate AA battalion (250 men, 184 horses, 27 DShK 12,7-mm AA machineguns, 6 37- or 25-mm AA guns).
      6. Signal squadron (86 men, 83 horses).
      7. Engineer suadron (85 men, 75 horses).
      8. Sepaarte chemical defence platoon (32 men, 34 horses).
      9. Artillery depot (143 men, 112 horses).
      10 Food transport (56 men).
      11. Medical platoon (50 men)/
      12. Fual supply platoon (11 men)
      13. Veterinary ambulance (4 men, 9 horses).
      14. Saddle-boots workshop (21 men).
      15. Prosecutor's office (2 men).
      16. Special department ("Osobiy otdel") platoon (16 men).
      Total in division:
      5352 men
      5298 horses
      12 regimantal 76-mm guns
      8 76-mm ZIS-3 guns
      12 45-mm guns
      36 82-mm mortars
      18 120-mm mortars
      48 heavy machineguns
      113 light machineguns
      37 DShK machineguns
      1049 submachineguns
      72 ATRs
      3497 rifles and carabines
      23 T-34 tanks
      16 T-70 tanks
      3 armoured cars
      8 cars
      156 trucks
      33 automobiles of special types.
      According to the next order issued the same day artillery units of cavalry coprs consisted of:
      1. Tank-destroyes artillery regiment (motorized) - 5 batteries of 76-mm ZIS-3 guns, total 20 guns and 488 men.
      2. AA machinegun squadron - 12 DShK machineguns, 73 men, 110 horses.
      3. Separate mortar battalion - 18 120-mm mortars, 373 men, 449 horses.
      In addition the following rear units were introduced in the OOB of corps:
      Commmandant squadron - 135 men, 127 horses.
      Field bakery - 93 men.
      Divisional exchange point (most adequately translated as depot) - 17 men.

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