Soviet Squad Tactics in World War 2

Soviet Squad Tactics in World War 2, this video covers Squad Tactics according to the official regulation “Combat Instructions for the Infantry of the Red Army, Part I: Soldier, Squad, Platoon and Company” from November 1942, translated by Charles Sharp. It covers the basic principles for the soldiers, squad, attack, defense and organization.

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Sharp, Charles C.: Soviet Infantry Tactics in World War II. The Rifle Units of the Red Army from Squad to Company in Combat. According to the Combat Regulations of November 1942. George Nafziger: 1998.

Campbell, David: German Infantryman versus Soviet Rifleman. Osprey Publishing: Oxford, UK, 2014.

Rottman, Gordon L.: Soviet Rifleman 1941-45. Osprey Publishing: Oxford, UK, 2011 (2007).

TsAMO: F 500, Op. 12451, D 173: OKH: Hinweise für die Ausbildung der Infanterie auf Grund der Erfahrungen des Ostfeldzuges

H. Dv. 130/1: Ausbildungsvorschrift für die Infanterie. Heft 1: Leitsätze für Erziehung und Ausbildung. Reichsdruckerei: Berlin, 1935.

H. Dv. 130/2a: Ausbildungsvorschrift für die Infanterie. Heft 2a: Die Schützenkompanie. Verlag Offene Worte: Berlin, 1941.
Wettstein, Adrian; Rutherford, Jeff: The German Army on the Eastern Front: An Inner View of the Ostheer's Experiences of War. Pen and Sword Military, 2018.

Wettstein, Adrian E.: Die Wehrmacht im Stadtkampf 1939-1943. Ferdinand Schöningh: Paderborn, 2014.

#Tactics #WW2 #RedArmy

[MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

The indiegogo campaign has ended, yet the book is now released for the general public as well:
Same with our previous book:

[krabistheisopod]

Step 1: Make 50 40-width Infantry divisions
Step 2: Right click on Berlin
Step 3: *Observe*

[sebastiansandhu]

As an infantryman I do appreciate that you took the time to note that we are told to fight to the death at every opportunity lol

[kalashnikov]

Me: has a chemistry assignment due in 2 hours and hasnt done anything.

Also me: hmmm I wonder what were soviet infantry squad tactics during ww2

[peterthepeter]

There is nothing weird about soviet soldiers sometimes only opening fire when enemy comes close. I think that should be somewhere in the old manuals. Modern Russian manuals say that when defending a squad should open fire from greater distances when the attacking force is strong but let small groups come close and suddenly open fire from spare firing positions (not to give away main positions). That's just a case of biting what you can chew. That's just common sense, it shouldn't be some new modern tactic.
It was even used in WW1. One Russian officer who fought wrote in his memoirs about a battle that happened in autumn of 1914. He was ordered to take his company and defend an important bridge acting as a rearguard to cover retreat of their corps. They entrenched, endured massive barrages, repelled numerous German attacks for all day and decided to pull out at night since Germans slowly advanced on their flanks. One platoon stayed to cover the retreat. Germans decided to take seemingly empty positions and moved as disorganized crowd. That platoon stayed let them get close and only then suddenly opened fire forcing panicking Germans to flee and pulling out afterwards.
If you think that surprise effect will be enough to destroy or rout the enemy then there is no reason not to ambush the enemy and let them get close before you reveal yourself. And if people knew this tactic in 1914 and use it today then it would be weird if it was forgotten in WW2.

[lovepeace]

Man, you know why ''battle cry'' was even mentioned?
No, not only because it gave some morale boost... ''URAAA'' was really important thing because of...well...
Interesting fact: *if you screaming/opening mouth, you have less chance of becoming deaf/contused*
It's just simple physiology. They tried to save soldiers by giving them command to scream.

[Rosak]

Finns have a lot of reports on how the Soviet squads *actually* functioned on the field - at least when against the Finns. Issue obvously is that they are all in Finnish, so they have not really been used in research.

The most curious thing is that the Finns considered Soviet troops pretty good soldiers, but with limited initiative if the leadership was affected. Hence, a Soviet unit could perform great attacks and combat movements, but casualties among leaders would fast lead to lack of initiative and decisive losses for the units.

[SandRhomanHistory]

Hey, dear neighbour to the east, your content consistently provides good quality sources which, generally, is something that could be better on YT. Many fellow YouTubers could learn a bit or two from you in this regards.
The way you handle the sources is something that inspired me to start showing more quotations on screen, which at first seems odd, but it grew on me with time. It also allows for further animations which is kinda nice.
Servus, my Austrian friend, keep it coming.

[rofljohn]

11:26 While waiting until the enemy is less than 50m away before opening fire does seem rather short, it totally makes sense to me that the soviets wouldn’t open fire at the ranges given in the manual. In battle conditions, 400m with iron sights is quite the optimistic range for even an experienced shooter. It is of course possible to hit something with a iron sighted Mosin/kar98/etc at a 400m shooting range, but even something as “basic” as target aquisition becomes really hard that far away(for example, try finding the guy on anything other than a well groomed football field after he hits the deck). Things like this, combined with the fact that most soldiers(soviet or otherwise) aren’t exactly super amazing marksmen, makes it much smarter for the squad to wait until the enemy at a closer range and not waste precious ammo.

[CommodoreFluffy]

lots of 'rush' memes here in the comments, but this looks like pretty standard, if simplified and adapted small unit tactics. I think a lot of you fail to recognize the record of close in fighting and is morale effect, especially before common issue of self loading rifles and modern logistical supply.
considering the Soviet material and personnel situation i think the biggest takeaway from this is that a realistic approach is one that takes note of the standards doctrine of the time and adapts it to a realistic assessment of ones own capabilities as well as an evolving sense of the opponents capabilities and behavior.
rifles are often not the chosen weapon of the assault, pretty recent US army doctrine privileged grenades in the assault, though that may have changed.

[alpha]

Looking forward to see the American, British and Japanese version. Then, bond them together with a concluding video on some typical outcome of a firefight

[Legitpenguins]

What about late war tactics? The end of the war saw MASSIVE use in soviet submachine guns with almost entire sqauds being armed with them

[alfa]

3:27 I didnt know that a pledge to die if neccesary is something unusual in western armies. It was removed from russian pledge only in 1998.

[Temeluchas]

Slight correction on "June 1941" squad layout. It looks like 2 mixed together TO&Es from 1939 and July 1941.


Grenadier and Assistant grenadier were part of the squad prior and during Winter War. But rifle grenade launcher was phased out quite quickly after that conflict (it was kinda crap) - according June 1940 ("штат 04/100" - "TO&E 04/100") squad had 12 men - leader, machine gunner, assistant machine gunner and 9 riflemen (assistant squad leader wasn't specified by TO&E. By April 1941 ("штат 04/400") squad had 11 men - leader, machine gunner, assistant machine gunner, 2 submachine gunners and 6 riflemen. Both these TO&Es, however, called only for 2 snipers per company.


Sniper in rifle squad appeared in rather bizarre "TO&E for rifle regiment of reduced wartime division" (штат № 04/601) which was never really implemented. According to that, rifle platoon was supposed to have 4 rifle squads. 2 squads were supposed to have 1 sniper, other 2 - submachine gunners instead of snipers.

[Zepol]

You mean the typical russian tactic wasnt to headlong charge without arms or ammo??!!

[blackore]

That "Sniper" at squad level seems really weird. Finnish Reserve officer's handbook from 1940 also mentions this "Sniper" at squad level, but it is obvious from equipment numbers, that every soviet infantry squad couldn't have a sniper, at least one equipped with a scoped rifle. It also mentions sniper at platoon level in Finnish organization which is optimistic, to say the least. I wonder does the "sniper" have different meaning in this context. Then again, the foreign organizations used in the book have some flaws, such as still using organization based on MG 08/15 for the german squad.

[DukeExeter]

Finally! Glad to see some love for the Soviets and their organizations and tactics. Hope there is a lot more content to come

[timothythiem]

As someone in infantry training it’s amazing how similarly we still operate compared to ww2

[nerowulfee]

Germans: Where did Ivans learned to mask their positions so good?!
Finns: [confused pikachu face]

[ctrlaltdebug]

The German manual seems rather optimistic, as if you'd only be defending occupied enemy positions.