Tank battalion: composition, strength. How many tanks are in a tank battalion

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

And let's look at what a tank battalion is, the composition, how many tanks it uses in battle - we will study all the nuances. So, a battalion is called an independent military unit, consisting either of a pair of companies, or of a company and a separate platoon. As a rule, in such a unit there are up to 800 people. A division in artillery and an air squadron in aviation are considered the smallest units that have a headquarters.

At first, the term "battalion" meant a quarter of the battle, which was divided into four small squares to reduce losses from enemy artillery fire. In general, a battle is called the construction of pikemen with a square of 100x100, forming a “peak forest”.

Battalion - a structural unit in a formation or in a regiment. If he is not the only one in the regiment, he is assigned a serial number in the internal numbering. For example: the third airborne or the first motorized rifle battalion, etc. And if it is part of an association or formation? Then the battalion is called separate - it is a military unit. And in its full namethe adjective "separate" fits in.

A brigade in the USSR Armed Forces/Russian Armed Forces can be called either a military unit or a unit, depending on the specific case. In military units, battalions make up a brigade: the adjective "separate" is not used in their internal numbering. In compounds, they are called separate.

If a battalion is temporarily formed, and its servicemen are assembled from different units or from different military units to solve any problems, it is called consolidated.

Tank Army

In tank troops, the tank battalion is called the minimum tactical unit. The number of tanks in it may vary. Organizationally, tank divisions are part of not only tank regiments and brigades, but also motorized rifle formations. They can also act as a separate unit at the headquarters of an army or corps. Tank troops do not contain units included in the composition of motorized rifle battalions to increase firepower. They themselves have colossal firepower, so the states that belong to them do not need reinforcements. The only exception is an anti-aircraft missile platoon, introduced into individual tank units. So, what does a tank battalion consist of? Composition (regular) has the following form:

• Material support platoon.
• Technical support platoon.
• He alth station.
• Communications platoon.
• Three tank companies.

And how many tanks are in the tank battalion of the Russian Armed Forces? In his staffthere are thirty-one vehicles, and this is only when he is part of a tank brigade or regiment. If the division is included in the ranks of a motorized rifle brigade or regiment, it includes forty combat vehicles. This difference is due to the number of tanks in a tank platoon.

Ah, Russian tank battalion, composition, Russian equipment and weapons - everything is Slavic, unique, it smells of Russia, reminds of its monumental victories on the fields of great battles! However, let's leave the lyrics aside and continue the review.

It must be said that each unit platoon belongs to a tank regiment and consists of three tanks, and a tank army platoon of a motorized rifle brigade consists of four tanks.

This rule for the creation of tank units was introduced in the Soviet Army back in the fifties, exactly when motorized rifle troops were just beginning to form. This nuance was explained simply: in accordance with the rules of Soviet tactics, in the event of large-scale combat operations, a tank battalion, included in a motorized rifle regiment or brigade, was scattered over motorized rifle units for fire reinforcement. Thus, an increase in the number of combat vehicles in a tank platoon to four units was required. The same rules stated that tank regiments or brigades were obliged to act in the direction of concentrating the most important strike against the enemy as part of one company (tank). To accomplish such a task, it was considered optimal to have three tanks in a platoon.

The strength of the tank battalion is hispersonnel in the brigade or tank regiment - on the T-72 consisted of 174 people. A motorized rifle regiment or brigade consisted of 213 people.

Units in the Armed Forces of the USSR and the Armed Forces of Russia

The composition of the tank battalion of the Russian Federation deserves special attention: we will consider it in more detail. Everyone knows that in the ground forces of the USSR and the Russian Federation the battalion is the smallest tactical unit. The postal address of the military unit of the Russian brigade has the number of this unit with the inclusion of letters. For example, "military unit 03426-B" stands for "second battalion of military unit No. 03426".

The regular category of an army commander (battalion commander) is a lieutenant colonel, and a separate or training division of a military educational institution is a colonel.

If the tank battalion of the Russian Federation is a separate organization (military unit), such positions as head of a secret unit, head of the finance service, head of the clothing and food service, and so on are introduced in its officer corps. These full-time positions increase the autonomy of the work of individual battalions in the administrative and economic direction.

Legendary separate tank brigades

What is a separate tank battalion? This is a division of tank troops, a tactical unit that is part of the armed forces of most countries. In the Russian armed forces of Russia of both the modern and the Soviet period, both the real and the conditional name take place. Example of a real name: Alma-Ata 678th Guards Order Otan tankseparate battalion named after Panfilov Heroes. And the conditional name looks like this: Military unit No. 54321.

The regular category of the commander of a tank separate tactical unit is a lieutenant colonel.

History

The first tank unit on the territory of the RSFSR was a tank division under the Ukrainian Council of People's Commissars. It vaguely resembled a separate tank battalion. It was created in Kharkov with paint by A. I. Selyavkin in 1919 from French captured FT-17 tanks captured from the expeditionary allied forces near Odessa, in southern Russia. A little later, this first tank unit in the USSR was modified into the Red Army Tank Squadron. Its main armored force was captured British Mark V tanks.

Soviet Russia understood the importance of tanks in military affairs. Despite the economic difficulties that appeared after the end of the civil war, the country continued to produce them.

The defense industry of the Soviet Union since 1930 began the production of various tanks. It was then that the course was taken for the motorization and mechanization of the Armed Forces. The leadership set the task of saturating the units and subunits of the Red Army with means of motorization and mechanization of various branches of the military.

In 1932 - according to the territorial principle - three separate tank battalions were built. They were placed in industrial areas where the production of tanks was established.

And by the beginning of 1936, six separate tank regiments, fifteen regiments of cavalry divisions, four mechanized corps,six mechanized separate brigades and an incredible number of tank separate battalions and companies.

For what purposes were separate tank divisions included in the rifle divisions created? They were needed to strengthen rifle formations and units in the event of a breakthrough in enemy defenses. They had to fight together with the infantry, not moving away from it for a long distance. They were called infantry close support tanks (TNPP, current IFV).

The organizational structure was not the same everywhere, so tank separate battalions could be subordinate to both rifle corps and armies.

Years of the Great Patriotic War

The Great Patriotic War began with colossal losses of armored and tank vehicles. It was not possible to quickly restore damaged mechanisms, there was no tank stock, so the command of the USSR Armed Forces took care of the equipment and used it only to protect the infantry. The tanks had to work from ambush: thus increasing the stability of the defense of the rifle troops.

What was a tank battalion like in autumn 1941? The composition remained the same, but, according to the directive letter of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command of July 15, 1941, all mechanized corps were disbanded. Tank brigades and subunits have become the main organizational units of the TV Red Army.

In September 1941, one could observe the appearance of separate tank battalions of various regular tank numbers - from 29 to 26 combat units. largeThe USSR Armed Forces did not have tank and armor formations to organize offensive operations.

In the Red Army on December 1, 1941, there were 68 separate tank brigades and 37 separate tank battalions. They were used mainly for infantry support. Such an organization was forced in the conditions of 1941.

A little later, the defense potential of the USSR made it possible to quickly establish mass production of tanks. Now the tank army has become the most important organizational unit of the TV Red Army.

At the moment, the main organizational unit of TV is a separate tank battalion or brigade. The organizational and staffing of a tank tactical unit includes:

• Material support platoon.
• Medical platoon.
• Technical support platoon.
• Headquarters.
• Control platoon.
• First tank company, on T-90.
• Second tank company, on T-90.
• Third tank company, on T-90.
• Motorized rifle company, on BTR-T.
• An anti-aircraft missile battery, on Thor.

In total, there are 93 combat vehicles in the organizational structure of a separate tank battalion.

Composition of the Ukrainian tank unit

And now consider the Ukrainian tank battalion (composition). After all, Ukraine, like all other countries of the post-Soviet space, after the collapse of the Union, modeled these formations at its own discretion. What is, suppose, a mechanized separate Chuguyevo-Ropshinsky Order of the Red Banner and the October Revolutionbrigade? It is located at the address: military unit A-0501, Klugino-Bashkirovka village, Chuguev district, Kharkiv region.

The organization and composition of the brigade is as follows:

• Management.
• Headquarters.
• Commandant's platoon.

What is her tank battalion like? Its composition is as follows:

• The headquarters consists of three people.
• Management - from five people.
• Three tank companies. Each company has a directorate, three tank platoons of twelve people. Each platoon has four T-64B/T-64BM Bulat tanks. There is also a company commander's tank. There are thirteen tanks and 41 men in total.
• An anti-aircraft missile platoon, which consists of sixteen employees. It is equipped with nine units of Strela-3 MANPADS.
• Engineer-sapper platoon, consisting of eleven employees.
• Communication center operated by twenty people.
• 45 employees work in the support company.
• There are four people working at the infirmary.

So, the tank battalion has the following composition: 314 people, of which 34 officers, 8 ensigns, 60 sergeants and 212 soldiers. The formation has the following equipment at its disposal: forty T-64B / T-64BM Bulat tanks (39 vehicles for privates and one for a battalion commander), one BREM, one BMP-1K, one BMP-1KSh, nine MANPADS, one BRM-1, sixteen trucks, twelve special vehicles.

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht's tank division was called a combined army formation. It consisted of tank units and motorized infantry,artillery, air defense, communications and other support units. Of course, over time, there was a change in the quantitative composition of the divisions. Tank and motorized units located in divisions were also modified.

The tank division was considered the most important instrument of blitzkrieg tactics. It should be noted that other armies of the world used tanks, as a rule, to support the actions of the infantry. Unlike them, in the Wehrmacht, tank forces acted independently - they carried out a breakthrough in the enemy's defenses up to hundreds of kilometers deep. To achieve the goal, the division had motorized infantry in its composition, which moved on armored personnel carriers and trucks. In addition, it was towed by tractors. Since 1943, self-propelled artillery appeared in the tank division.

And what ensured the success of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II? Of course, the well-coordinated actions of attack aircraft and tanks, coordinated with the strategic moves of the command - brave and unexpected for the enemy.

By June 22, 1941, there were seventeen tank divisions on the Eastern Front. The High Command of the Ground Forces had two detachments in reserve. Eleven divisions were also deployed in two-battalion tank regiments (147 vehicles in the state), eight formations were located in three-battalion tank regiments (209 vehicles in the state).

The basic tactical unit of the German tank troops was a tank battalion. The composition of the Wehrmacht, by the way, was distinguished by some individuality. On theAt the time of the invasion of the USSR, the tank battalion had three companies of light tanks and a single company of medium tanks. In addition, he had a communications platoon at his disposal. Each company of light tanks had four platoons, and each had five "iron giants". In addition, two vehicles were in the control platoon. A company of medium tanks had three platoons.

When the battalion received new Panther medium tanks, its composition was reformatted. Since 1943, it consisted of four companies of three platoons (five tanks each) and two tanks of a control platoon. It should be noted that the Tiger battalions consisted of three companies: three platoons were equipped with four "iron giants" each, and there were two iron vehicles in the control platoon. In general, the company disposed of fourteen tanks.

Wehrmacht weapons

From 1939 to 1942, the Wehrmacht was armed with medium Sd Kfz 251 and light Sd Kfz 250 armored personnel carriers. Success on the battlefield was also achieved by light tanks Pz. I, Pz. II, Czech Pz.35(t), Pz.38(t), medium Pz. III, Pz. IV, armored vehicles and other vehicles.

From the end of 1940 tank divisions began to be reorganized. Now the Pz-III was appointed the main vehicle of the light tank companies, and the Pz-IV of the medium ones. The tankmen's personal weapons consisted of a W alther P38 pistol, an MP40 submachine gun and grenades.

In 1943-1945, the weapons of the Wehrmacht changed and looked like this:

• 1943 - modified versions of the Pz. IV, Pz. V "Panther".
• Tank destroyers and heavy tanks "Jagdtiger", "Tiger",Self-propelled guns "Jagdpanther", "Royal Tiger", "Ferdinand" were completed in separate battalions of heavy tanks.

502nd Heavy Tank Division

The first combat unit of the Wehrmacht during World War II was the 502nd heavy tank battalion. He was armed with the latest Tiger I tanks. The army was created on May 25, 1942, and on April 27, 1945, its last tank was hit. The formation was commanded by Otto Carius, a German ace tanker. He destroyed more than one hundred and fifty "iron colossi" and self-propelled guns of the enemy. Such an achievement was considered one of the highest during the Second World War. Of course, there were other German masters of tank combat - Michael Wittmann and Kurt Knispel. Otto fought on tanks "Tiger", Pz.38, tank destroyer "Jagdtigr". He is also the author of the interesting book Tigers in the Mud.

It should be noted that the 502nd heavy tank battalion was the first unit to receive brand new Tiger I vehicles in August 1942. At first, only the first company was equipped with tanks of this type. By the way, the first Tiger I tanks were made with caterpillar tracks that were completely unprotected from dirt: in this form they took part in battles. Interestingly, the formation's emblem was a mammoth.

And the second company of the battalion received the "Tigers" only in December 1942. In 1943 and 1944, the losses of these "iron giants" in the unit were systematically replenished. It was one of the few battalions that did not need to be fully restored. He used Tigers I in combat until April 1945year.

In France in the spring of 1944, the first and second companies received tanks equipped with the Feiffel filtration system. The turret sides of these iron vehicles were protected by caterpillar tracks. In addition, most tanks boasted similar protection on each side of the hull. By the way, at that time there was no zimmerite coating - it was applied a little later, on the Eastern Front.

For the entire period of its existence, the battalion used almost all brands of the Tiger in battles.

501st Heavy Tank Division

The second combat formation of the Wehrmacht was the 501st heavy tank battalion. At that time, he received the latest heavy tanks Tiger I. The battalion was created on May 25, 1942 in Erfurt with the help of a combination of the 502nd and 501st heavy companies. The first company of the unit was created on the basis of the 501st heavy company, the second company - on the basis of the 502nd.

The strength of the tank battalion looked like this: in addition to heavy companies, it included the personnel of Panzer-Ersatz-Abteilung 1 stationed in Erfurt. In addition, he had at his disposal the cadets of the artillery school, located in Putlos.

And how many tanks in the tank battalion fought on the battlefield? It was originally planned to put the "Tigers" "Porsche" into service with this formation. A little later, they decided to equip it with Henschel tanks. In general, the "Tigers" entered service only in August 1942. At that time, only the 502nd battalion had the right to receive these amazing machines as soon as possible. According to the state, in this small army there should have beentwenty heavy Tigers and sixteen medium Panzer IIIs.

Combat service

From the port of Reggio di Calabria (Italy) to Tunisia on November 20, 1942, the 501st tank battalion was sent. He had enough tanks to achieve victory in battle. In North Africa, the German-Italian troops were defeated, the battalion was slightly modified in Paderborn. Now it included three heavy tank companies. Further, the renewed army was sent to the Eastern Front, to the Minsk region. A little later, the battalion successfully fought near Krakow and Prague.

In December 1944, it was renamed the 424th and transferred to the operational subordination of the twenty-fourth tank corps from the fourth tank army. And in February 1945, the 512th heavy battalion, a tank destroyer, was created from the remnants of the unit.

Zaporozhye region

And how to study the modern Ukrainian tank battalion (composition)? 2014 is coming to an end, and we still do not have information about it, which is so interesting for fans of these heavy machines. What is he really like? But the whole secret is that this army does not exist yet! At the moment, it is only planned to create an additional battalion in the Zaporozhye region, equipped with tanks and various military equipment. On March 19, 2014, the government of Ukraine decided to strengthen the border regions of the country, which led to the emergence of this project. The place where 1 tank battalion will be located is already being prepared. Well, each country must take care of its own security and protect itfrontiers.