Engineering sapper troops. New equipment for sappers

G. V. Malinovsky, “Sapper armies and their role in the Great Patriotic War” // Military Historical Archive, No. 2 (17). M.: Ceres, 2001.

DESIGNER ARMIES AND THEIR ROLE IN THE FIRST PERIOD OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

During the Great Patriotic War, the engineering troops made a significant contribution to the defeat of the armies of Nazi Germany and its satellites by the Soviet Armed Forces. This is confirmed by the awarding of orders to about a thousand units and formations of engineering troops, the assignment of over 400 honorary titles to them. All these awards, with the exception of two, were awarded in the second and third periods of the war. But the most difficult for our troops was the first period, when the Red Army, after unsuccessful border battles, was forced to switch to strategic defense.
It was at this time that the sapper armies played an important role - a rather unusual form of organization of the engineering troops, which had no analogues before. These armies, firstly, completed a huge amount of work on the construction of strategic, and then front-line defensive lines. Secondly, they became the main base for the training of the reserve and the formation of specialized units and formations of engineering troops for the army. Thirdly, the sapper armies were one of the sources of manning the rank and file and junior command personnel of the rifle divisions and brigades created in the rear.
Despite the abundance of monographs, memoirs and other publications on the activities of engineering troops during the Great Patriotic War, the history of sapper armies in 1941-1942. not received adequate coverage. They are sometimes mentioned in passing when describing the events of those years, moreover, only about the construction of defensive lines by them. Moreover, sometimes some sapper armies are credited with something that was not in reality. For example, about the participation of the 1st and 3rd sapper armies in the construction of lines in the period of preparation for the defense of Moscow; on the formation in October 1941 of a special sapper army consisting of three brigades for the construction of the Mozhaisk line of defense.
In fact, the formation of sapper armies began after the German troops approached the Mozhaisk line of defense; Until February 1942, the 3rd sapper army built defensive lines in the Yaroslavl, Gorky, Ivanovo and Vladimir regions, and the 1st sapper army was formed on the Western Front only at the end of December 1941. There are many such examples. "
This article attempts to show the versatile nature of the activities of sapper armies during the war years. The material was prepared on the basis of the funds of the Chief of Engineering Troops of the Red Army, sapper armies and brigades of engineering troops of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense, the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History.

During the summer-autumn campaign of 1941, one of the main tasks of engineering support for the combat operations of the Soviet troops was the construction of military and rear defensive lines, the installation of various barriers. At the same time, the rapid advance of strike groupings of the Nazi troops necessitated the creation of rear defensive lines of strategic importance in the main directions of a probable enemy offensive, which were erected according to the plans of the General Staff. All these lines were created in order to somehow delay the fascist troops on them for as long as possible, to buy time to pull up forces from the depths of the country and create reserves that could be deployed in the most important areas.
Already on June 24, 1941, a decision was made to build such a line along the Luga River; June 25 - along the line of the cities of Nevel, Vitebsk, Gomel, the Dnieper River and further to Dnepropetrovsk; and on June 28 - along the line of the cities of Ostashkov, Olenin, Dorogobuzh, Yelnya and along the Desna River to Zhukovka (50 km west of Bryansk). In mid-July, the equipment of lines for the defense of Odessa began, then the Crimea and Sevastopol. At the same time, the question arose of building defensive lines to cover the approaches to Moscow in the Volokolamsk, Mozhaisk and Maloyaroslavsky directions. To this end, in accordance with the decision of the State Defense Committee of July 16, 1941 and the order of the Headquarters of the Supreme Command of July 18, 1941, the creation of the Rzhev-Vyazemsky defensive line begins along the line of the cities of Rzhev, Vyazma, Kirov and the Mozhaisk line of defense, the front line of which passed along the line from the Moscow reservoir along the Lama River, the cities of Borodino, Kaluga, Tula2.
The solution of the above tasks of engineering support for the combat operations of our troops at that time was significantly complicated by the fact that the engineer battalions of many rifle divisions, the engineering battalions of a number of military circles, military construction departments and units located at the construction of fortified areas on the western border3, fell under the first blow the aggressor's army, suffered heavy losses of personnel and equipment and could not withdraw in an organized manner.
The construction of defensive lines was supervised by the Main Military Engineering Directorate (GVIU) of the NPO. In the front line, they were erected by the army and front-line departments of military field construction (transformed from the departments of the Head of Construction) by the forces of the military construction battalions that were part of them. The construction of rear lines of strategic importance was entrusted to the Main Directorate of Hydraulic Works (Glavgidrostroy) of the NKVD, which, by the decision of the State Defense Committee of August 11, 1941, was reorganized into the Main Directorate of Defensive Works (GUOBR) of the NKVD with subordinate departments of defensive works.
By a special decree of the State Defense Committee, construction organizations of a number of people's commissariats were also involved in the construction of rear lines (including the Moscow Administration for the Construction of the Palace of Soviets, Akademstroy, construction trusts "Stroitel" and the People's Commissariat of the Coal Industry). The local population was also involved in the construction of these lines. However, in connection with the rapid advance of the enemy strike groupings, it was possible to equip only separate sections of the defensive lines.
At the end of September 1941, the German troops of the Army Group "Center" resumed the offensive according to the "Typhoon" plan in the Moscow direction, trying once again to capture Moscow. On October 10, they approached the Mozhaisk line of defense, which by that time was only 30-40 percent prepared. The troops of the Army Group "North" rushed in the direction of Novgorod, Tikhvin, the Svir River, trying to connect with the Finnish troops there and thus expand the ring of the blockade of Leningrad. On the southern wing of the Soviet-German front, the troops of the Army Group "South", having captured a significant part of Ukraine, launched an offensive in the directions of Rostov and Voroshilovgrad, setting the main goal of capturing the Donbass, Rostov, and then breaking through to the Caucasus and the Lower Volga. The Wehrmacht Supreme High Command still hoped to achieve the main goal of the Barbarossa plan - to reach the Arkhangelsk, Kazan, Volga, Astrakhan line.
The extremely difficult situation on the fronts required the prompt adoption of the necessary measures, including the construction of new strategic defensive lines. By decision of the State Defense Committee of October 12, 1941, the Moscow defense zone was created from several lines, the first of which passed along the line Khlebnikovo, Skhodnya, Zvenigorod, Kubinka, Naro-Fominsk, the Pakhra River until it flows into the Moscow River. At the same time, the issue of building defensive lines in the deep strategic rear of the country to cover the most important strategic regions, economic and administrative centers is being decided. On October 13, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted two resolutions on this issue:
GKO Decree No. 782ss
1. Establish under the NPO the Main Directorate of Defensive Construction with the task of speeding up the construction of the planned defensive lines such as field fortifications.
2. Transfer to the disposal of the GUOBR4 construction organizations of the NKVD working on defensive construction.
3. Allow the GOOBR to organize a sapper army of 300 thousand people.
4. To subordinate the military field army and front-line construction organizations to the GOOBR (“military field construction”).
5. The task of the GOOBR:
construction of the first line from Medvezhya Gora along the eastern shore of Lake Onega and the eastern shore of the Catherine Canal. Cherepovets UR, Rybinsk-Yaroslavl-Ivanovoznenetsky UR, Gorky UR, Oka line, Tsna, Don;
and at the same time, the construction of a second line along the northern and eastern banks of the Volga from Gorky UR to Astrakhan, with URs Kazansky, Ulyanovsk, Kuibyshev (double line). Saratov, Stalingrad.
Completion of work December 10, 1941
6. To entrust special groups of builders under the leadership of the GUOBR with the construction of a defensive line in the foothills of the North Caucasus from Temryuk, along the southern bank of the Kuban River, through the Batalpashinsky foothills and further along the southern bank of the Terek to the Caspian Sea, while having the simultaneous construction of Urov - Krasnodar, Tikhoretsk, Stavropol, Groznensky.
7. Appoint the head of the GVIU NPO, comrade Kotlyar, as the head of the Main Directorate of Defense, comrade Pavlov, the first deputy head of the GUOBR, and comrade Salashchenko, the second deputy.
8. Have a headquarters under the head of the GUOBR.
9. To entrust the general management of defensive construction to Comrade Beria
Chairman of the State Defense Committee I. Stalin5
GKO Decree No. 787ss
In order to ensure the construction of deep rear lines and the simultaneous training of combat engineer units, the State Defense Committee decides:
1. Form six sapper armies, each consisting of five sapper brigades. Composition of the brigade: nineteen sapper battalions, one autotractor battalion and one mechanization detachment.
2. The recruitment of sapper armies is to be carried out by calling up replacements under the age of 45, primarily contingents withdrawn from the front line and building specialties, in the amount of 300,000 people. The mobilized are required to arrive in warm clothes, carry two pairs of linen, a mug and a spoon.
3. Formation of sapper battalions, brigades, armies, auto-tractor battalions to be completed by November T of this year. with the deployment of army headquarters:
1st sapper army - Vologda;
2nd sapper army - Gorky;
3rd sapper army - Ulyanovsk;
4th sapper army - Saratov;
5th sapper army - Stalingrad;
6th sapper army - Armavir,
and sapper brigades and battalions in the areas of work of approved defensive lines.
4. For combat training and internal protection, equip 5% of the personnel of the sapper armies6.

Paragraphs 5-21 of this GKO Decree and two annexes to it indicate the transport allocated for the needs of sapper armies (3,000 trucks and 90 cars and 1,500 different tires for them, 1,350 caterpillar tractors, 2,350 tractors and trailers), building materials (10,000 wagons roundwood and 2,000 wagons of lumber, metalwork and trenching tools (420,000 axes, picks, hoes, crowbars, shovels, steel wedges and trenching hammers weighing 2-4 kg, as well as means of undermining frozen soil). Gosplan of the USSR is also named there , 11 people's commissariats (defense, medium engineering, rubber industry, ammunition, construction, general engineering, ferrous metallurgy, machine tool building, agriculture, timber industry, communications). , Gorky, Ryazan, Tambov, Saratov, Stalingrad and Rostov), ​​Krasnodar and Ordzhonikidze regions, respectively but responsible for the supply of the above vehicles and materials within the specified timeframes (mainly in October-November 1941), fuel and lubricants, and the transportation of contingents for staffing sapper armies. The People's Commissariat of Defense was instructed to supply the sapper armies and all military formations included in them for quartermaster supply.
Funding for the construction of defensive lines was entrusted to the Narkomfin on the basis of monthly applications from the GVIU NPO7.
In agreement with the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, it was decided to form 10 sapper armies within the limits of the number of personnel and the number of sapper brigades determined by the GKO decree. By November 1, 1941, 9 sapper armies were formed. Initially, they reported to the Main Directorate of Defensive Construction of the NPO, which was part of the GVIU of the NPO, and from November 28, 1941, directly to the Chief of the Red Army Engineering Troops.
Each sapper army consisted of an army department headed by a military council (staff No. 012/91, staffing: 40 military personnel and 35 civilians) and 2-4 separate sapper brigades. The sapper brigade included: brigade management (staff No. 012 / 92.43 military personnel and 33 civilians); 19 separate engineer battalions from 3 companies of 4 platoons (staff No. 012 / 93,497 military personnel);
mechanization detachment, which included a platoon of road and bridge works, a logging platoon, a platoon of positional work (staff No. 012 / 94,102 military personnel) and a separate auto-tractor battalion from an automobile and tractor company, 4 platoons each (staff No. 012 / 95,391 military personnel) *. The staff strength of the sapper brigade is 9979 servicemen. In reality, the staffing of battalions and brigades of sapper armies, for a number of reasons, extremely rarely reached the regular strength.
A number of front-line and army departments of military field construction with the departments of the senior workman who were part of them, all five departments of defensive construction of the Main Directorate of Defensive Works of the NKVD, the Southern Construction Trust of the People's Commissariat of the Coal Industry and a number of other construction organizations involved in the construction of defensive lines. Many heads of these departments were appointed commanders of sapper armies and commanders of sapper brigades. Among other things, the head of the 5th Directorate of Defensive Works, military engineer 1st rank A.N. construction of defensive lines - deputy. Commissar brigade engineer D.G. Onika, head of the Akademstroy trust of the USSR Academy of Sciences, military engineer 1st rank A.S. Kornev, heads of the defense departments of the NKVD, commissar of state security 3rd rank S.N. Kruglov, senior major of state security L.E. .Vladzimirsky, major of state security M.M. Tsarevsky.
The average command staff of the sapper brigades and their battalions was largely staffed by graduates of military engineering schools, as well as commanders called up from the reserve. So, at the end of October 1941, in the Leningrad, Borisov, Arkhangelsk and other military engineering schools, an accelerated graduation of commanders was carried out after a 3-month course of study. Of these, 3545 people were sent as platoon and company commanders to sapper armies. However, even this satisfied only 50 percent of the staffing needs of the command staff of the platoon and company level of the sapper armies that were available by that time.
The recruitment of sapper battalions by ordinary and junior command personnel was mainly due to the conscription of military reserve officers under the age of 45 years. Sometimes the sapper brigades included military construction, sapper and worker battalions of military construction organizations, including those on the basis of which these brigades were formed. As a result, up to a dozen supernumerary battalions appeared in some sapper brigades (for example, in the 13th and 14th sapper brigades there were 28 battalions each), which were soon transferred to the military field construction departments. Temporary non-standard training battalions, schools and companies were created in sapper brigades to train their junior command personnel. In some brigades, the process of forming battalions took up to two months. As the sapper battalions were completed with personnel, they began work on the construction of defensive lines.
By decision of the GKO, the local population was mobilized for the construction of defensive lines. Mostly they were women
old people, schoolchildren and adolescents of pre-conscription age: From them, according to the order of the military councils of the fronts and military districts, regional and regional party and administrative bodies, work battalions were formed, which came under the subordination of sapper armies. "Some sapper armies were temporarily given military field construction (and with March 1942 - and front-line departments of defensive construction).
Strategic rear defensive lines were a system of fortified battalion defense areas and company strongholds, created in the main directions of the probable advance of the enemy and on defensive contours around large cities. Initially, at a number of sites, incl. in the Stalingrad, North Caucasian and Volga military districts, these lines were built solid. On December 27, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted Decree No. 1068ss "On reducing the construction of defensive lines." In order to provide labor and transport for threshing and hauling of grain, as well as in connection with the changed situation at the front, it was decided: to suspend the construction of some defensive lines, including the Zavolzhsky line from Rybinsk to Astrakhan, bypassing the cities of Ivanovo and Penza; to confine ourselves to the construction of a number of frontiers and the planned contours of cities in the most important directions; to continue the construction of the Vladimir line and the line of Vytegra, Cherepovets, Rybinsk, the bypasses of the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Astrakhan; upon completion of the construction of boundaries and contours (accordingly, the deadlines for completion of work are from January 1 to January 30) to release the mobilized population and transport12. In accordance with this resolution, the State Defense Committee of the General Staff instructed a partial transition to the construction of separate defensive strongholds in the main directions13.
For the sapper battalions working on the lines, a 12-hour working day was established, including 2 hours allocated for combat training. In fact, they worked 12-14 hours a day and there was no time left for combat training. Until February 1942, the sapper armies were on the construction of the planned lines - each on the section of this line established for it. At the same time, the location of the defensive lines changed somewhat: the line along the line of the Oka River, Tsna was shifted to the east (See the diagram "Sapper armies on the construction of strategic rear defensive lines (November 1941)").
The 2nd sapper army was formed in the Arkhangelsk military district in the city of Vologda (hereinafter, the location of the army command is indicated - G.M.) as part of the 1.2 and 3rd sapper brigades, the formation of which is directed 6.7 and 8 th army departments of military field construction. She built defensive structures in the Vologda region for the 39th, 58th and 59th armies at the turn of the city of Vytegra, Cherepovets, Poshekhonovo and the Vologda defensive bypass. 10 sapper battalions of the 1st sapper brigade were sent to the Karelian front to create barriers along the line of the city of Medvezhyegorsk, Pudozh, Vytegra. The army was commanded by State Security Major M.M. Tsarevsky (November 1941 - February 1942).
The 3rd sapper army was formed in the Moscow military district in the city of Yaroslavl as part of the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th sapper brigades and built defensive structures in the Yaroslavl, Ivanovo and Gorky regions at the turn of Poshekhonovo, Rybinsk, Gorky, Cheboksary and the Ivanovo defensive bypass . At the end of December 1941, three sapper brigades were transferred to the construction of the Vladimir defensive line. The army was commanded by: Senior Major of State Security Ya.D. Rappoport (November 1941 - February 1942), Major General of Engineering Troops I.A. Petrov (February - April 1942), Colonel I.N. Brynzov (April - August 1942 .), Colonel S.P. Grechkin (August-September 1942)14.
The 4th sapper army was formed in the Volga military district in the city of Kuibyshev as part of the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th sapper brigades. She built defensive structures in the Chuvash and Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics, the Kuibyshev region at the turn of Cheboksary, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Syzran, Khvalynsk, as well as the Kazan and Kuibyshev defensive contours. The 10th and 11th engineer brigades were involved in the construction of the Ball Bearing plant and an aircraft plant at the Bezymyanna station in the city of Kuibyshev. The army was commanded by: Commissar of State Security of the 3rd rank S.N. Kruglov (November 1941 - January 1942), Major of State Security G.D. 1942).
The 5th sapper army was formed in the North Caucasian military district in the city of Stalingrad on the basis of the 5th directorate of defensive work of the NKVD, the 16th and 18th army directorates of military field construction, consisting of the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th sapper brigades and then transferred to the Stalingrad military district15. Initially, it was located at the turn of Khvalynsk, Saratov, Kamyshin, Stalingrad, and then built two external defensive bypasses of the city of Stalingrad, the Astrakhan defensive line in the Zamostye, Chernyshevskaya, Boguchar section and the defensive bypass of the city of Astrakhan. She was given the 5th and 19th departments of military field construction. In January 1941 the army was transferred
for the construction of the Rostov defensive bypass. The army was commanded by: brigade engineer A.N. Komarovsky (November 1941 - January 1942), colonel I.E. Pruss (January-March 1942).
The 6th sapper army was formed in the Volga military district in the city of Penza as part of the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th sapper brigades. She built the Volga-Sura defensive line in the Penza region and the Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the Vasilsursk, Saransk, Penza, Petrovskoye sector. The army was commanded by: military engineer 1st rank A.S. Kornev (October 1941 - March 1942), colonel M.I. Chernykh (March - May 1942), military engineer 1st rank A.Gandreev (May - June 1942), Lieutenant General of the Engineering Troops A.S. Gundorov (June - September 1942).
The 7th sapper army was formed in the Volga military district in the city of Saratov on the basis of the 2nd, 15th, 17th and 19th military field construction directorates as part of the 20th, 21st and 22nd sapper brigades and then transferred to the Stalingrad military district. She erected defensive structures in the Saratov and Stalingrad regions at the turn of Petrovskoye, Atkarsk, Frolov. The army was commanded by: Colonel V.V. Kosarev (November 1941 - March 1942), Colonel I.E. Pruss (March-June 1942), Major General of the Technical Troops V.S. Kosenko (June - Sept. 1942 G.).
The 8th sapper army was formed in the North Caucasian military district in the city of Salsk as part of the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th sapper brigades. Stationed at the turn of Rostov, Stalingrad. Together with the 8th department of Oboronstroy (the former special department of the People's Commissariat of the Coal Industry) began the construction of defensive structures in the Stalingrad and Rostov regions, concentrating the main forces on the construction of the Don defensive line along the Aksai, Don and Seversky Donets rivers. From December 1941, all brigades were transferred to the construction of the boundaries of the Rostov defensive bypass. The army was commanded by: brigade engineer D.G. Onika (October 1941 - January 1942), Major General of the Engineering Troops K.S. Nazarov (January - March 1942), Lieutenant General of the Engineering Troops A.S. Gundorov ( March - May 1942), Colonel D.I. Suslin (May - July 1942), Colonel I.E. Salashchenko (July - October 1942).
The 9th sapper army was formed in the North Caucasian military district in the city of Krasnodar as part of the 27th and 28th sapper brigades. She built defensive structures in the Ordzhonikidzevsky Territory at the turn of Pyatigorsk, Krasnodar, the Kerch Strait. The army was commanded by: senior major of state security L.E. Vladzimirsky (November 1941 - January 1942), military engineer 1st rank M.I. Chernykh (January - March 1942).
10th sapper army formed in the North Caucasian military | district in the city of Grozny as part of the 29th and 30th sapper brigades. She built defensive structures in the Ordzhonikidzevsky Territory and the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic at the turn of Pyatigorsk, Grozny, and the Caspian Sea. The army was commanded by State Security Major M.M. Maltsev (November 1941 - March 1942)16.
Thus, in nine engineer armies there were 30 engineer brigades, which included 570 regular engineer battalions (Nos. 1200-1465, 1467-1541, 1543-1771; two engineer battalions had the same number 1485, and three omitted). Autotractor battalions and mechanization detachments did not have their own numbers (sometimes they were named after the number of the sapper brigade). The total initial staff strength of the nine sapper armies was 299,730. In several brigades, engineer battalions at first had a different numbering, which was changed accordingly in November 1941.
At the same time, it was supposed to form the 1st sapper army with the deployment of its control in the city of Medvezhyegorsk. The summary of the GVIU NPO dated November 7, 1941 “Dislocation of the departments of sapper armies and headquarters of sapper brigades” states that the 1st sapper army on the Karelian Front is building line No. 1 Medvezhyegorsk, Vytegra within the Karelian-Finnish ASSR and the Vologda Oblast and 10 sapper battalions. Head of the Army Department17 -Major of State Security K.S. Sergeev.
In the summary "The course of the formation of sapper armies on December 10, 1941" also on the Karelian front at the same line is the 1st sapper army1K. But this army was never formed. By order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command No. 00110 dated November 19, 1941, the GVIU NPO formed three operational-engineering groups designed to install barriers. Operational-engineering group No. 1 was sent to the Karelian Front and combined with ten sapper battalions of the 1st sapper brigade of the 2nd sapper army into the Pudozh operational group, subordinate to the Karelian Front. This group was working on the installation of reinforced barriers on the eastern shore of Lake Onega in the Medvezhyegorsk, Pudozh, Vytegra section. In this regard, the 1st sapper army was not formed then.
At that time, on the Western Front, work on the construction of defensive lines was carried out by two front-line and twelve army departments of military field construction, which included 80 engineer battalions. The practice of the work of sapper units to ensure the actions of the troops of the front showed that the control of sapper battalions through military field construction was not justified, since their apparatus was cumbersome. On December 21, 1941, the Chief of the Engineering Troops of the Western Front, Major General M.P. Vorobyov, turned to the Chief of the Engineering Troops of the Red Army, Major General L.Z. military field construction of the front into a sapper army consisting of 10 sapper brigades of 8 sapper battalions each, and the commander of the sapper army to appoint the head of the engineering troops of the front concurrently. At the same time, the number of personnel of the sapper army departments and sapper brigades was reduced by 1258 people in comparison with the number of military field construction departments of the front. This proposal was accepted.
In accordance with the directive of the Deputy NPO No. org / 5/3756 of December 24, 1941, on the basis of the 5th Front Directorate of Military Field Construction and the Front Directorate of Military Field Construction of the Western Front, 11 Army Directorates of Military Field Construction (No. 2 , 4,6,11, 12,13,20,21,22,24 and 26) the 1st sapper army was formed according to the existing states as part of the 31-40th sapper brigades of 8 sapper battalions (a total of 80 sapper battalions, No. 773-852), an autotractor battalion and a mechanization detachment. The total staff strength of the army was 45,160 people. On December 31, 1941, the 1st sapper army became part of the Western Front. Major General M.P. Vorobyov commanded the army (December 1941 - March 1942). During the winter campaign of 1941/1942. its sapper brigades mainly served the rear lines of the armies of the front (they were engaged in demining and blocking roads from rubble, clearing them of snow, building bridges)19.
By order of the NPO No. 050 of December 19, 1941, it was decided to organize the publication of newspapers of sapper armies with a frequency of release twice a week with a circulation of 10 thousand copies each. The newspapers were given the following names: in the 1st sapper army "Son of the Fatherland", in the 2nd sapper army "Red Sapper", in the 3rd sapper army "Soviet Patriot", in the 4th sapper army "For the Fatherland", in 5th sapper army "At a combat post", in the 6th sapper army "Fighting pace", in the 7th sapper army "Valour", in the 8th sapper army "To defend the Motherland", in the 9th sapper army "The word of a fighter", in the 10th sapper army "Courage"20.
Serious difficulties in providing the sapper brigades with the required property should be noted. Thus, in November-December 1941, the personnel of the 9th sapper brigade of the 4th sapper army went out to build defensive lines in bast shoes purchased by the brigade command, since the units did not have shoes. Later, the production of bast shoes was established in the battalions, which employed 10 percent of the personnel. There was a lack of entrenching tools, there were almost no means of mechanizing construction work. Weapons were especially difficult. In November 1941, the 24th sapper brigade had only 1 light machine gun and 18 rifles (including 11 Czech and 3 Japanese). They were not even enough to carry out guard duty, and sentries handed over weapons to the next shift right at the posts. In December 1941, the 18th sapper brigade had 2 machine guns and 130 rifles, the 29th sapper brigade had 59 rifles and 13 revolvers, and the 30th sapper brigade had 89 rifles and 11 revolvers. A similar situation with weapons was in other brigades. And in the following months, sapper brigades were provided with weapons in accordance with the GKO decree of October 13, 1941, only 5 percent of what was required according to the report card to the state. In October 1942, in connection with the involvement of a number of sapper brigades in the engineering support of the combat operations of the front units, the head of the engineering troops of the North-Western Front petitioned the Chief of the engineering troops of the Red Army to cancel this order and issue weapons according to the report card21.
Along with the construction of defensive lines, sapper brigades immediately became the main base for the training of engineering troops for the army in the field. On November 20-25, 1941, at the direction of the head of the Main Military Engineering Directorate of the Red Army, two engineer battalions, called training battalions, were allocated in all engineer brigades, and they began to prepare them for sending to the active army.
On November 28, 1941, the order of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command No. 0450 “On the underestimation of the engineering service and the misuse of engineering troops and means” was issued, which provided for a number of measures to improve the organization of the engineering service in the Red Army and improve the use of engineering units. Including the position of the Chief of the Engineering Troops of the Red Army (instead of the Chief of the GVIU KA) was introduced. The head of the engineering troops of the Red Army was instructed to create within 20 days in the 1-30th sapper brigades 90 sapper battalions prepared for combat operations as a reserve of the Supreme High Command22.
To this end, in each sapper brigade, the number of training battalions was increased to 90. They were equipped with the most trained officers and rank and file in all respects. These battalions were released from work on defensive lines, combat training was organized according to a 200-hour training program (with a 10-hour training day). The main attention was paid to the training of soldiers in mining, demining, demolition work, as well as their engineering and tactical training. Part of the training battalions were trained according to the profile of pontoon-bridge and road-bridge units.
The allocation of sapper battalions as training continued and? in the following months. So, in the 3rd sapper brigade by February 1942, 26 sapper battalions were allocated for this purpose. After completing a course of combat training, these battalions were sent to the front as sappers or reorganized into mine-sapper, mine-blasting, engineering, road-bridge and pontoon-bridge battalions of army and front subordination. And new battalions were put up for study and the sapper battalions of the 2nd formation were completed in brigades under the same numbers. The following examples give some idea of ​​the course of preparation in sapper brigades of engineering units for the front. So, in four brigades of the 4th engineer army on November 20, 1941, 8 engineer battalions were put to study, which during January 8-10, 1942 were transferred to the front; on December 10, another 8 engineer battalions began combat training, and on February 24 - March 5, 1942 they were sent to the army in the field; On January 15, 8 more sapper battalions were allocated as training ones. In the brigades of the 6th engineer army, by the end of March 1942, 9 pontoon-bridge and 8 engineering battalions were prepared and sent to the front. By February 20, 1942, sapper brigades sent 29 battalions of various specializations to the active army23.
At the same time, sapper brigades were a constant source of manpower (and sometimes horseback) for newly organized rifle formations. On November 26, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted a resolution on the disbandment and reduction of technical and engineering troops to provide for the formed rifle divisions and brigades. In accordance with the directives of the Deputy NPO No. org / 5 / 542594-542598 of December 28, 1941 in the Volga, Stalingrad, North Caucasus, Arkhangelsk and Moscow military districts by January 10, 1942 were subject to disbandment in the 1st - 30th sapper brigades of 100 engineer battalions and 30 mechanization detachments (including due to the lack of means of mechanization of construction work in them). In the brigades of the 2nd, 9th and 10th engineer armies, 2 engineer battalions were disbanded, in the brigades of the 3rd, 4th and 6th engineer armies - 3 engineer battalions each, in the brigades of the 5th and 8th engineer armies - 4 battalions each and in brigades of the 7th sapper army - 6 sapper battalions each. From these and all other sapper battalions (except for the training battalions that were in the Reserve of the Supreme High Command), ordinary and junior command personnel fit for military service were withdrawn and sent to staff the formed rifle formations; For more than 4 years, the personnel of the disbanded battalions went to cover the shortfall in the remaining engineer battalions, and work columns were recruited from the remnants of supernumerary personnel24.
In accordance with the order of the NPO No. 036 of January 17, 1942, a healthy and efficient riding and convoy horse composition was withdrawn from the 2nd - 10th sapper armies (according to the calculation attached to the order). By February 1, 1942, the sapper armies of the Moscow, Volga, Stalingrad and North Caucasian military districts were transferring horses to reserve cavalry regiments, and the 2nd sapper army of the Arkhangelsk military district to the 14th cavalry corps. From this army, 1756 riding and baggage horses were to be transferred. In fact, less than the estimated number of horses was transferred, since representatives of the cavalry regiments refused most of the proposed horses because of their deplorable condition. So, the 2nd sapper brigade presented 474 horses for inspection, and the commission accepted only 67 horses; of the 724 horses provided by the 3rd sapper brigade, only 85 were accepted (including 1 riding)25.
It should be emphasized that in connection with the dispatch of engineer battalions to the front, their disbandment to complete rifle divisions, and the transfer of engineer battalions to other engineer brigades, the composition of the latter was constantly changing. From the new reinforcements arriving in the sapper brigades, sapper battalions of the 2nd and even 3rd formations were created under the same numbers. In this regard, it is very difficult to trace the entire dynamics of the reorganization of 570 sapper battalions of the 1-30th sapper brigades. The composition of the brigades of the 1st sapper army of the Western Front was more stable, from which sapper battalions were not withdrawn. Due to the movement of sapper brigades, the composition of sapper armies also changed. (See table 1. "Subordination and composition of sapper armies in 1941-1942").
During the winter campaign of 1941-1942. Soviet troops carried out a number of offensive operations and inflicted a serious defeat on the strike groupings of the armies "North" near Tikhvin and "Center" near Moscow. As a result, in the main areas of active operations of the Red Army, the enemy was driven back by 150-400 km. This success was also a certain merit of the builders of defensive lines. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 21, 1942, for the exemplary fulfillment of the Government's tasks for the construction of fortified lines against the German invaders, 926 people were awarded orders and medals, including the Order of Lenin 9 people, the Order of the Red Banner - 10, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor - 76, the Order of the Red Star - 63, the Order of the Badge of Honor - 196, the medal "For Courage" - 7, the medal
the medal "For Labor Valor" - 248, the medal "For Military Merit" - 19, the medal "For Labor Distinction" - 298 people. Among those awarded the Order of Lenin are the commanders of the sapper armies, Major of State Security M.M. Maltsev, Senior Major of State Security Ya.D. Tsarevsky26.
At the same time, the situation on the southern flank of the Soviet-German front became more complicated. All this required the Supreme High Command to take appropriate organizational measures to consolidate success in the North-Western and Western directions and concentrate efforts on the South-Western and Southern fronts. Conducted organizational activities related to sapper armies.
On February 1, 1942, the State Defense Committee adopted Decree No. 1229ss "On the formation of new 50 rifle divisions and 100 cadet brigades." To equip them with personnel, horses, wagons and vehicles, among other planned measures was clause 9-a of this decree, according to which eight sapper armies (2,3,4,5,6,7,9 and 10th) with a total number of 164,150 people27.
Three days later, on February 4, 1942, the GKO adopted a new resolution No. 1239ss, in which paragraph 9-a of the previous resolution was given in a new edition, according to which the directorates of five sapper armies (2,4,5,9 and 10 and nine sapper brigades ( 5,7,8,9,10,11,13,16 and 22nd) were disbanded; three sapper brigades (1st, 2nd and 3rd) were transferred to the Karelian, Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, and six sapper brigades (14 , 15,27,28,29 and 30th) were part of the 7th and 8th sapper armies, which were subordinate to the Southwestern and Southern fronts, respectively. The 6th sapper army, consisting of three brigades (17,18 and 19th) was subordinate to the Bryansk Front, and the 3rd sapper army, as part of the 4th and 6th sapper brigades, was assigned to the Moscow defense zone for work in the Mozhaisk direction. commanders fit for combat service from sapper armies, reducing the number of sappers according to the withdrawn number of people battalions in sapper armies28.
The reorganization of the sapper armies made it possible to significantly strengthen the Southwestern Front (7th sapper army with five sapper brigades) and especially the Southern Front with sapper brigades, to which the 8th sapper army was subordinated with 10 sapper brigades (it also included the 10 -I sapper brigades that were not disbanded). In connection with the withdrawal of personnel for the formed rifle divisions, the number of battalions in the sapper brigades was reduced. So, in the 2nd, 3rd and 12th sapper brigades, six sapper battalions were disbanded, in the 21st brigade - three battalions, from the 23,24,25 and 26th sapper brigades of the 8th sapper army were sent to reserve rifle regiments 9652 person. Private and junior commanders of the seven disbanded brigades are completely directed to staffing rifle formations, and those unfit for military service are sent to work columns29.
At the same time, training in sapper brigades of specialized units of the engineering troops continued. So, in March 1942, three engineer battalions in the 3rd, 17th, 18th and 19th engineer brigades were reorganized into pontoon-bridge battalions and transferred to the front. By May 21, 1942, already 67 battalions from the Reserve of the Supreme High Command were on the Karelian, Leningrad, Volkhov, North-Western, Kalinin, Bryansk, South-Western and Crimean fronts.
In accordance with the NPO order No. 0294 of April 19, 1942 “On the withdrawal of personnel from the disbanded and reduced military-technical and engineering units of the Red Army”, organizational measures are being carried out in the engineering troops by May 1. They also affected sapper brigades: all sapper battalions moved to new states of smaller numbers (staff No. 012/155, number - 405 military personnel), autotractor battalions were reorganized into autotractor companies consisting of four automobile and one tractor platoons (staff No. 012/156, 260 military personnel). In all brigades, seven sapper battalions and an autotractor company remained (the nominal strength of the brigade is 3,138 servicemen; mechanization detachments have been retained in the sapper brigades of the 1st sapper army); the surplus 98 sapper battalions were disbanded. To characterize the situation in some sapper brigades in connection with the withdrawal of personnel for rifle divisions and the sending of trained sapper battalions to the front, the following example is very indicative: by this time in the 2nd sapper brigade, located on the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts, there were no sapper battalions left at all (six battalions of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, after training, were transferred to the active army, and the rest of the battalions have already been disbanded for staffing the formed rifle divisions). In connection with this, by the above-mentioned NPO order, six engineer battalions from the 1st engineer brigade and one engineer battalion from the 11th engineer brigade were transferred to the 2nd engineer brigade. Three engineer battalions from the 11th engineer brigade were brought into the 3rd engineer brigade of the Volkhov Front, where only four engineer battalions remained.
The practice of directing the activities of sapper brigades has shown that in order to quickly solve the tasks they face, it is advisable to increase the control apparatus of sapper armies: by July 5, 1942, the control of sapper armies were transferred to the states of a larger number (state No. 012/2, 122 military personnel and 62 civilians; introduced by NPO order No. 0519 of June 25, 1942)31.
During the summer-autumn campaign, the main efforts of the engineering troops were directed towards supporting the defensive operations of the Red Army. March 26, 1942 GKO resolution No. 1501 of its “On the construction of new and restoration of defensive lines” was adopted. The military councils of the Volkhov, North-Western, Kalinin, Western, Bryansk, South-Western and Southern Fronts, the 7th Army and the head of the Main Directorate of the OS NPO were instructed to start building and restoring the defensive lines and contours of the cities of Tula, Voronezh, Voroshilovgrad, Rostov and Stalingrad. It is proposed to use the main forces and means primarily for the construction of lines within the borders of the Southern and Southwestern fronts and the Moscow defense zone. These works will be carried out by the sapper armies and the construction bodies of the GUOS NPO, for which purpose seven departments of defensive construction will be created in its composition (each of which had from three to seven departments of military field construction). At the same time, the construction of rear defensive lines in the Vladimir and Ryazan regions, the city of Boguchar, Art. Tsymlyanskaya and the bypass of the city of Kuibyshev32. In May 1942, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command gave instructions on the creation and development of defensive lines along the entire Soviet-German front. From February 1942, sapper armies carried out the following work:
The 1st sapper army (without the 35th sapper brigade, which departed in March 1942 for the North-Western Front) on the Western Front restored and improved the Mozhaisk LINE of defense, built and repaired roads and bridges, equipped airstrips, was engaged in the device barriers and demining, and also carried out the task of manufacturing wooden bridge parks and sapper boats for the engineering units of the front. A number of sapper battalions of the 32nd, 36th, 38th and 40th sapper brigades provided combat operations for the front's rifle formations.
The 3rd sapper army as part of the 4th and 6th sapper brigades, subordinate to the commander of the Moscow defense zone, since February 1942.
restored the boundaries of the Mozhaisk line of defense and, together with the 36th and 37th sapper brigades of the 1st sapper army, participated in the construction of eight fortified areas on the distant approaches to Moscow.
The 6th sapper army, consisting of the 17th, 18th and 19th sapper brigades, arrived at the Bryansk Front in February 1942, where it erected a defensive line along the Don River and crossings across it, then built the Voronezh defensive bypass, the Voronezh defensive line and rear defensive lines of the 40th and 60th armies; sapper brigades provided combat operations for the troops of the front in the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad defensive operation of 1942.
The 7th sapper army, consisting of the 12th, 14th, 15th, 20th and 21st sapper brigades, since February 1942 on the Southwestern Front, has been building a defensive line in the Voroshilovgrad region along the Oskol and Don rivers; from July 12, on the Stalingrad front, she built a defensive line in the Rostov region along the left bank of the Don River, then the contours of the second phase of the city of Stalingrad. Sapper brigades provided combat operations of the front troops in the Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad and Stalingrad defensive operations of 1942.
The 8th sapper army, consisting of the 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th (from May - 10th and 11th) sapper brigades, has been operating on the Southern Front since February 1942. Together with the department of defensive construction of the front, she participates in the creation of the Voroshilovgrad and Rostov defensive contours, the field defensive line in the Rovno and Voroshilovgrad directions. Since July 27, as part of the North Caucasian Front, and since September 1, 1942, as part of the Transcaucasian Front, the army has been building defensive lines in the foothills of the North Caucasus: Darial Gorge and Elkhotovsky defile, provides combat operations of the troops of the front during the Donbass defensive operation and the defense of the Caucasus. Part of the sapper battalions was building defensive structures at the forefront of the 9th and 56th armies, built a floating bridge across the Don River in the Rostov region, and participated in camouflaging and protecting field airfields.
At the same time, a number of sapper battalions of the 6th and 8th sapper armies were sent to build the boundaries of the Stalingrad defensive bypass.
The defensive lines created in advance with the participation of sapper armies made it possible for our troops to occupy already prepared positions during the retreat and more successfully restrain the enemy rushing to the Caucasus and the Volga. At the same time, our army was preparing for the forthcoming offensive operations. In this regard, the issue of replenishment of front-line and spare parts with personal staff was also resolved. On July 26, 1942, the State Defense Committee adopted a resolution "Questions of NPOs", which determined measures to find human resources for the army, military schools and new formations being formed. The chiefs of the main departments of the NPO were obliged, on their own responsibility, by August 20 to reduce the personnel by 400,000 branches according to the attached calculation. Engineer troops were reduced by 60,000 people. The released contingents of ordinary and junior command personnel, fit for military service, also transmitted the order of the head of the Main Department of the Provisional Form, Colonel-General E.A. Shchadenko34. At the same time, the planned change in the methods and forms of combat operations of the Red Army in the winter campaign urgently required further improvement in the organizational forms of the engineer troops, their greater maneuverability and massive use in the most important areas. Under these conditions, the sapper armies, organizationally too cumbersome and inactive, could not effectively carry out the tasks of engineering support for the combat operations of our troops, especially in offensive operations. Therefore, it was decided to abolish the sapper armies, which by that time included 27 sapper brigades (the 27th and 33rd sapper brigades in April - May had already been reorganized into special-purpose engineering brigades of the RVGK).
In accordance with NPO order No. 00176 of August 17, 1942, the departments of engineer armies were reorganized into departments of defensive construction, thirteen engineer brigades reported directly to the fronts as RVGK brigades, six engineer brigades were withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, and eight engineer brigades were to be disbanded. At the same time, 30,000 people fit for military service were allocated from the sixteen sapper brigades of the 1.7 and 8th sapper armies to equip rifle divisions.
On September 1, 1942, the Directorate of the 1st Sapper Army was reorganized into the 33rd Directorate of Defensive Construction. The 36th and 37th sapper brigades were withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command. From the composition of the 32,34,38,39 and 40th sapper brigades, 8,000 people fit for military service were allocated to the Commander of the Moscow Military District, after which the 32nd and 34th sapper brigades were formed from the remnants of the personnel, which, together with The 31st sapper brigade remained subordinate to the Western Front, and the 38th, 39th and 40th sapper brigades were disbanded. (In the process of reorganization, the 34th sapper brigade was disbanded and the 34th sapper brigade of the 2nd formation was created from three sapper battalions and the control of the 38th sapper brigade and four sapper battalions and a mechanization detachment of the 40th sapper brigade).
On September 12, 1942, the Directorate of the 3rd Engineer Army was reorganized into the 34th Directorate of Defensive Construction, and the 4th and 6th Engineer Brigades were withdrawn to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command and disbanded.
On September 13, 1942, the Directorate of the 6th Engineer Army was reorganized into the 35th Directorate of Defensive Construction, the 17th and 18th Engineer Brigades were transferred to the Reserve of the High Command, and the 10th and 18th Engineer Brigades were subordinated to Voronezh and Bryansk, respectively. fronts.
On September 15, 1942, the Directorate of the 7th Engineer Army was reorganized into the 36th Directorate of Defensive Construction, from the 12th, 14th, 15th and 20th Engineer Brigades, 6,000 ordinary and junior command personnel fit for military service were assigned to the commander of the Volga Military District , and the remnants of the personnel of these brigades were reduced to the 12th and 20th sapper brigades, which were directly subordinated to the Stalingrad Front. The 14th and 15th sapper brigades were disbanded.
On October 15, 1942, the Directorate of the 8th Sapper Army was reorganized into the 24th Directorate of Defensive Construction. From the composition of the 11, 23, 25,26,28,29 and 30th sapper brigades, 16 thousand people fit for military service were allocated to the commander of the Transcaucasian Front, after which the 11,23,25 and 26th sapper brigades, which, together with the 24th sapper brigade, were left under the control of the Transcaucasian Front, and the 28th, 29th and 30th sapper brigades were disbanded35.
So, the sapper armies, having fulfilled their mission of building defensive lines, preparing the reserve of engineering troops and staffing the formed rifle divisions with ordinary and junior command personnel, ceased to exist. The remaining sapper brigades (by this time the 7.9th and 17th sapper brigades of the 2nd formation, subordinate to the fronts, had already been formed), along with the implementation of the current tasks of engineering support for the actions of the troops, continued to be the base for the formation of specialized engineering units and formations for the army .
So, on September 29-30, 1942, all seven engineer battalions of the 36th engineer brigade were reorganized into army engineer battalions and transferred to the armies of the Western Front in October; in the same month, seven sapper battalions of the 2nd formation were created from the metro builders who arrived in the replenishment brigade. In October 1942, all sapper broths of the 1st 7th sapper brigade of the 2nd formation were reorganized into army engineering battalions and sent to the front armies, and instead seven new army engineering battalions arrived in the brigade. To a lesser extent, this process also took place in the 1st sapper army: during the entire period of its existence, 1,600 people were allocated from sapper brigades to form pontoon-bridge battalions, and 8,279 soldiers were sent to replenish the rifle units of the front36.
As already noted, a number of sapper brigades were involved in the direct support of the combat operations of the troops. However, they could not successfully solve such problems, since the main profile of these brigades was position-building. To carry out the significantly increased volume and more complicated tasks of engineering support for the combat activities of the troops, formations specially trained for this were needed.
Back in March 1942, the head of the engineering troops of the Western Front again appealed to the Chief of the engineering troops of the Red Army with a request to form a special purpose engineering brigade on the basis of the 33rd sapper brigade and special units of the front. In accordance with the directive of the Deputy NCO No. org / 5/1444 of April 18, 1942. the 33rd Special Forces Engineer Brigade of the RVGK was formed, which initially included six battalions of engineering barriers, two electrical battalions, an electrification detachment, a searchlight battalion, an energy train, an engineering company of special equipment, an autotractor company and four electrical engineering companies attached to the brigade (total strength of the brigade 4757 military personnel )37.
Soon it was decided to create special forces engineering brigades on each active front. On the formation of such brigades in May - September 1942 were addressed: on the Karelian front - the 1st sapper brigade (1st engineering brigade of special forces of the RVGK); on the Leningrad front, four engineer battalions and an autotractor company of the 2nd engineer brigade (2nd engineering brigade of special forces of the RVGK) that were on it; on the Volkhov Front - four engineer battalions and the management of the 2nd engineer brigade, which arrived from the Western Front, as well as the management and autotractor company of the disbanded 39th engineer brigade that arrived from the Western Front (since April 1, 1943 - the 2nd Guards Engineer Brigade of the Special Forces of the RVGK ); on the Southern Front - the 27th sapper brigade (27th engineering brigade of special forces of the RVGK); in the Moscow Military District - the 17th sapper brigade (the 44th engineering brigade of special forces of the RVGK, soon sent to the South-Western Front). At the expense of individual front-line units (including eleven sapper battalions that had previously retired from engineer brigades), seven more special-purpose engineering brigades of the RVGK were formed in the North-Western, Kalinin, Bryansk, Voronezh, South-Western, Stalingrad and North Caucasian fronts.
In total, in April-October 1942, thirteen special-purpose engineering brigades of the RVGK were formed. Each included a brigade administration, an autotractor company (since December 1942 - a management company), 5-8 battalions of engineering barriers (in October 1942, one battalion was reorganized into a special mining battalion), an electrical battalion and an electrification detachment. The strength of the brigade with five battalions of engineering barriers is 3,097 servicemen. These brigades were able to carry out mining, demining, installation of controlled minefields and tele-explosives, electrified obstacles, various barriers, as well as supply military units with electricity and electrify engineering work38. It should be noted that these and other specialized brigades of the engineering troops in practice performed many other tasks of engineering support for the combat activities of the troops. Thus, the 39th Special Forces Engineer Brigade of the RVGK received its baptism of fire when breaking through the blockade of Leningrad in January 1943, when its engineering barrier battalions acted as assault detachments.
On the basis of NPO order No. 0634 dated August 17, 1943, on the basis of the administration and two sapper battalions of the 37th sapper brigade and teams of soldiers selected at the fronts, the 1st guards brigade of miners of the RVGK is formed as part of the brigade's administration, a control company and five guards battalions of miners (in the brigade 2281 servicemen). Its battalions were used to carry out mining and demining missions40.
In the Subjugation of the Fronts, twenty more sapper brigades remained, which were used as part of the reinforcement for the engineering support of the combat operations of the troops. On November 2, 1942, the head of the engineering troops of the Red Army, Major General M.P. Vorobyov, turned to the head of the Glavupraform of the Red Army, Colonel-General E.A. were intended mainly to create zones of operational barriers. On November 12, 1942, NPO order No. 00232 “On the reorganization of sapper brigades into engineering mine brigades of the RVGK” was issued. November-December 1942 15 sapper brigades (3,10,12,18,19,20,21,31,32,35,36th sapper brigades and 7,9,17 and 34th sapper brigades of the 2nd formation) were reorganized into 1 - 15th engineering-mine brigades of the RVGK. The brigade consisted of the brigade administration, a management company and seven mine engineer battalions (there were 2,903 military personnel in the brigade). On the basis of the directive of the deputy NCO No. org / 5 / 3327 of November 26, 1942, five sapper brigades (11.23, 24, 25 and 26th) on the Transcaucasian front in November-December 1942 were reorganized into the 1st - 5th mountain mine-engineering brigades of the RVGK (the same structure, but five mountain mine-engineering battalions in a brigade with a total number of 2344 military personnel). In the mining mine-engineering companies, instead of tractors, pack platoons with horses and donkeys were introduced41.
Thus, in the most difficult period of the war, the sapper armies did a great job of building defensive lines in the depths of the country's territory, and in February 1942, directly on a number of fronts. In the fall of 1942, defensive lines prepared in advance helped stop the advancing Nazi troops in the Stalingrad region, and then inflict a decisive defeat on them. Many Soviet military leaders have repeatedly noted in their memoirs the importance of pre-built defensive lines. “Our troops,” wrote Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Marshal of the Soviet Union N.I. Krylov noted: “The troops of the 62nd and 64th armies, fighting stubborn defensive battles with superior enemy forces, were forced to withdraw to the outer city defensive bypass, where they stopped the enemy’s offensive”43.
At the same time, sapper armies were the main base for the accumulation of reserves and training for the front of engineering units of army and front subordination, as well as formations of the RVGK. In total, according to incomplete data, from the sapper brigades of the 2nd-10th sapper armies, more than 150 sapper battalions and the specialized units of the engineering troops reorganized from them were transferred to the fronts. Of the 44 sapper brigades available during this time, 26 brigades with 133 sapper battalions, having received certain skills in performing the tasks of engineering support for combat operations of the troops, were reorganized into 27 specialized engineering brigades of the RVGK44. In 1943, four of them were disbanded, and 23 brigades, after being reorganized, continued their combat path until the end of the Great Patriotic War. All of them were awarded honorary titles, and 20 of them were awarded 32 orders; two brigades became guards (See table 2. "Reorganization of the sapper brigades of the sapper armies"). The combat banners of three brigades were presented as part of the combined regiments of the fronts at the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945 in Moscow (1st Guards Assault Engineering Sapper Mogilev Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Brigade, 2nd Guards Motorized Assault Engineer Sapper Novgorod Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov Brigade, 1st Engineer-Sapper Novgorod Order of Kutuzov Brigade).
Finally, the sapper armies were one of the sources of replenishment of private and junior command personnel of front-line and rear-mounted rifle formations, sending more than 150,000 people to them45.
Today, in the armed forces of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, the soldiers of five military units, heirs of famous brigades, whose combat history dates back to brigades of sapper armies, are serving with dignity and honor. In the Russian army, these are the heirs of the 1st Guards Assault Engineering Sapper Mogilev Red Banner Order of the Kutuzov Brigade of the RVGK, the 1st Engineering Sapper Novgorod Order of the Kutuzov Brigade, the 12th Engineering Sapper Riga Red Banner Order of the Kutuzov Brigade; in the army of Belarus - the 2nd Guards Motorized Assault Engineering Sapper Novgorod Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov Brigade of the RVGK and in the Ukrainian Army - the heirs of the 15th Assault Engineering Sapper Vinnitsa Red Banner Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Brigade of the RVGK. All of them adequately continue the glorious combat history of their predecessors of the war years.

The Germans during the Great Patriotic War showed themselves to be masters of military engineering. Their obstacles in the blitzkrieg were considered impregnable. But the sapper-engineer assault units of the Red Army, created in 1943, broke into the most difficult German fortified areas.

German historians, speaking about the war with the USSR, like to repeat that the Russians turned out to be excellent students in military affairs and surpassed their teachers - soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht. As an example, the engineer-sapper assault battalions of the Red Army, which broke into the impregnable fortified areas of Germany, are given.

However, the use of technical solutions to achieve a military advantage has taken place since the time of Alexander Nevsky. The capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible can also be attributed to the asset of Russian military engineering.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was believed that the Soviet sapper troops fully met the requirements of the time. They were equipped with the necessary means to overcome obstacles, in particular, IT-28 tank bridge layers, a pontoon park, and equipment for electric barriers. There was even a special swimming bag for IPC horses. At the same time, these battalions were auxiliary units of the Red Army and were not equipped with the necessary vehicles.

Panzergrenadiers from the SS "Totenkopf"

Military engineering played a huge role in the war. Having broken through our fronts with tank formations, the Nazis in the shortest possible time built obstacle courses around the surrounded Soviet units, including from minefields.

The time required to overcome them turned out to be sufficient to destroy the advancing Red Army infantry with dense machine-gun and mortar fire.

Soviet fortified areas were stormed by German special forces - panzergrenadiers, the basis of which was the motorized infantry of the Wehrmacht.

Of these German units, the most famous is the SS Totenkopf (Dead Head) division of 1939 and 1942, which included a special engineer battalion. In the arsenal of enemy sappers and attack aircraft there were special means to destroy our pillboxes and bunkers, but most importantly, they were specially trained to take echeloned defensive structures.

The beginning of the war

Without an effective anti-personnel defense, equipped with engineering obstacles, the German blitzkrieg would have been a journey of fascist tanks across the boundless Russian expanses. That is why those who fell into the boilers of the Red Army army, being reliably cut off from the rear, surrendered after exhausting bombardments and depletion of resources.

Our sapper troops were drained of blood at the very beginning of the war, being busy building a new fortified area on the border with Poland. One of the first they were on the line of fire, without heavy weapons and vehicles for evacuation.

The remaining engineering units perished, covering the waste of the main units, blowing up bridges and leaving minefields. Often sappers were used as infantry. The Headquarters responded to this situation as quickly as possible under those conditions, and on November 28, 1941, issued an order prohibiting the use of sappers for other purposes. In fact, in the autumn of the first year of the war, sapper troops had to be re-created.

Strong in mind and body

The Stavka not only promptly controlled the fighting, but also carried out analytical work. The command noted that the warring engineering troops, due to their specifics, were a formidable force. For example, the famous "Pavlov's House" in Stalingrad was defended for 56 days by 18 sappers, commanded by Sergeant Yakov Pavlov. The commander of the 6th German Army, Field Marshal von Paulus, was also captured by sappers of the 329th engineer battalion and soldiers of the motorized rifle division.

On May 30, 1943, the formation of the first 15 assault engineer-sapper brigades was completed, which was tasked with breaking through the German fortified areas. The fighters of these units were physically strong young men, under the age of forty, well versed in technology. Basically, these units were formed on the basis of already fighting sapper battalions, which showed themselves well in battle. In August 1943, assault engineer-sapper brigades arrived at the front.

Hard to learn, easy to fight

The soldiers of the assault engineer-sapper brigades, before getting to the front, took a special course. They were especially carefully taught to throw grenades and covert movement.

For example, Captain M. Tsun, commander of the 62nd assault battalion of the 13th ShISBr, fired live ammunition in the classroom, in which future sappers crawled in a plastunsky way.

As a result, his fighters were not inferior to the best scout instructors. Sappers-attack aircraft were also trained in fast dashes over rough terrain with reinforced ammunition grenades and explosives. Of course, they taught the technique of hand-to-hand combat.

Attack sappers mastered the tactics of joint attacks with infantry. To do this, they compiled a detailed map of the German defense and calculated its weak points. The soldiers of these battalions went into battle in steel bibs, putting on padded jackets under them. For this they were sometimes called armored infantry.

“The personnel of the brigade are special sappers, attack aircraft with bulletproof vests, in steel helmets, all armed with machine guns,” recalled the head of the engineering troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, General Galitsky, “They are designed to fight together with the infantry and must participate in breaking through the defense: in the destruction of pillboxes, bunkers, machine-gun nests and enemy NPs ... ".

In addition to machine guns, many Red Army attack aircraft were armed with knapsack flamethrowers, machine guns and anti-tank rifles, which were used as large-caliber rifles. A reinforced set of grenades was also mandatory. Having made openings in the lines of defense, sappers-attack aircraft were immediately withdrawn to the reserve.

Defeat of Germany

The Germans considered Koenigsberg an impregnable fortress, but the city fell in a matter of days. Fighters from engineer-sapper assault battalions broke through to the fortified areas and blew them up with powerful explosive charges. Nikolay Nikiforov in the book “Assault Brigades of the Red Army in Battle” gave the following example: “... to blow up a reinforced concrete shelter in the Parshau area, a charge of 800 kg of explosives was required. The garrison of 120 people surrendered after the explosion.

Here is another quote from the same book:

“In the battles for Berlin, the 41st brigade burned 103 buildings. The experience of using knapsack flamethrowers once again gave grounds to assert that they are one of the effective means of fighting in the city, due to their lightness, the ability to get closer to the attacked objects through hidden accesses and the high efficiency of flamethrowing.
The Headquarters considered the engineering and sapper assault brigades to be the elite of the Red Army.

START

Engineering Troops of Russia.

Until the 17th century, the word city was often referred to as fortifications, denoting defensive walls with this term. The fragmentation of feudal Russia into many principalities, which began at the end of the 12th century, led to the construction of fortresses and structures of various types throughout almost the entire territory. The high level of Russian military engineering art of that time is evidenced by both the skillful construction of fortifications and the improvement of engineering measures to ensure the offensive operations of the troops.

The chroniclers refer to the year 1016 for the first information about warrior-builders in Russia. In Ancient Russia, the simplest types of military engineering work were performed by warriors, and for more complex ones, artisans were attracted, among whom were " gorodniki"engaged in the construction of fortifications," bridgemen"who built bridges and crossings," vicious deeds of the master ", who built siege engines - vices.In the XIV century, people who led such work began to be called " thoughts"from the word" to reflect ", thus emphasizing the intellectual nature of their work. In the meaning of the official title, the term "reflection" began to be used in the 16th century from the reign of Ivan the Terrible.

In 1242, the Russians defeated the Germans on the ice of Lake Peipus. At the same time, Russian troops skillfully used both long-term defensive structures and field fortifications, made taking into account the characteristics of the terrain.

Miniatures of the Nikon face chronicle, 16th century I Ostermanov volume.

The first Russian military engineer is considered a clerk Ivan Grigorievich Vyrodkov , who led the military engineering work in the Kazan campaign of Ivan the Terrible in 1552.

In the second half of the 15th century, a single body for the management of military construction work was created in the person of the engineering department.Pushkar Order , which began to develop drawings and supervise the construction of defensive structures. The first Russian military charter that has come down to us, which summarized military engineering experience, is the "Charter of military and cannon affairs related to military science." It was compiled at the beginning of the 17th century by the voivode boyar Anisim Mikhailov .

In 1692 and 1694, under the leadership of Peter I, apparently, the first engineering training maneuvers were carried out, during which the construction of defensive structures was worked out, using the work of the most famous military engineer of that period. Marshal Vauban of France .

In 1700, during the Northern War, during the siege of Narva, miners. This is the first mention of them in historical materials. As part of the artillery regiment, in which all the field artillery of the active army was then combined, in 1702 a miner company was formed, and in 1704 a pontoon team was introduced into the staff of this regiment, the staffing strength of which had not yet been determined. At the same time, personnel specialists were trained for them in engineering school , opened at the Cannon Yard in Moscow by decree of Peter I of January 10 (21), 1701.

Creating a regular army, Peter I paid special attention to the development of artillery and engineering troops. He gave them harmonious organizational forms, which have not yet been in the West. The whole matter of organization, armament and combat training was put on a scientific basis.

On February 8 (19), 1712, by decree of Peter I, the organizational and staffing structure of the engineering troops was approved; three engineering units with a total number of 148 people were introduced into the staff of the artillery regiment. Mining company consisting of 3 officers and 72 lower ranks, it was intended to build fortifications on artillery positions and perform engineering work during attack and defense. pontoon team provided artillery crossings through water barriers from improvised means and consisted of 2 officers and 34 lower ranks. Engineering team in the amount of 8 officers and 29 lower ranks was intended to organize the entire engineering service artillery regiment, and, if necessary, its specialists were sent to infantry units to manage military engineering work carried out by their personnel.

Thus, Peter I legislated the creation of engineering troops in the Russian army and on February 8 (19)noted as Day of Engineering Troops of the Russian Army .

For the training of engineering personnel are created engineering schools . The first in 1708 in Moscow, in 1712 it expanded further, but this was not enough and on March 17, 1719, an engineering school was established in St. Petersburg. In each of these schools, 100 - 300 people studied annually, the period of study varied from 5 to 12 years. Military engineers enjoyed great advantages in the army, their salaries differed from those of army officers, and the most successful in engineering were promoted to the highest ranks before others.

Where did the Sappers come from ...

sappers(French sapeur - to dig) - from the beginning of the 17th century. The name of the soldiers of the French army, who were engaged in digging under the fortifications of the enemy and their destruction. Subsequently, the most common name for the personnel of the engineering troops.

From the "Charter of military, cannon and other matters relating to military science",

prepared in 1621 Onisim Mikhailov

based on "foreign military books".

... to ensure the combat operations of the siege army, have four ensign 406 people each chancecops, a hundred horoscopes and the team of the ferry park with 5 plows (flat-bottomed wooden ships carried on carts). Organizationally, these formations were to be part of the artillery.

Prapor(Old Slavonic - banner, banner) - the banner of a squad, detachment and other formations of the Russian army in the XV-XVII centuries. The number of formations was determined by the number of ensigns. Here prapor means detachment.

Chancecops(German Schanze - trench, fortification; the name of field and temporary fortifications of the 17th-18th centuries) - soldiers who built such fortifications.

Horoscopes- the name of the soldiers of the Russian army of the 16th-17th centuries, who performed underground mine work to destroy the walls of the besieged enemy fortress.

lower ranks- category of servicemen in the Russian army up to1917, which included persons with non-commissioned officers and privates.

Everyone knows well what combat missions artillery performs, what tankers are needed for, and what marines, special forces and paratroopers do. But even far from everyone who serves in the Russian army today, not to mention the civilian population, will be able to clearly tell about the role of the Russian engineering troops. At best, to the question: “who are engineering warriors?” civilians will simply answer - they are sappers, because they are constantly mining and clearing something, blowing up and building. And some “knowledgeable” people even, having heard the name “engineering troops”, will wave their hand dismissively and say that these are ordinary soldiers from the Stroybat.

In reality, the engineering troops of Russia have absolutely nothing to do with the construction battalions. First of all, these are mobile special forces units (obstacle detachments, territory clearing brigades, assault groups, etc.), which accompany the main forces in offensive operations and conduct comprehensive engineering reconnaissance of specific terrain squares. In addition, they are designed to quickly solve various tasks for the technical support of a military operation with the participation of infantry units and other units of the Russian ground forces. In 2017, the active units of the engineering troops (IV) of Russia solemnly celebrated 316 years of service in the ranks of the Russian army. And today they are considered one of the most sought-after branches of the Armed Forces.

For three centuries, Russian military engineers have gone through a rather thorny path of development and formation as an independent branch of the military, but at the same time, these brave soldiers have always demonstrated an unbridled desire to serve their homeland. For the first time, professional training and education of engineering fighters in various specialties began to be carried out as early as 1701. According to the personal order of Tsar Peter I Alekseevich the Great, the first educational special school was created in Russia on the basis of the then main governing body - the Pushkar order. In the "training" for the future military service in the army, professional and experienced artillerymen and, together with them, specialists of a narrow profile - military engineers were preparing. The very next year, graduates of the school were sent to the active miner units of the army for further service. Later, pontoon teams were also formed.

For the centuries-old history of the engineering troops, in the memory of chroniclers, military historians and ordinary eyewitnesses of that time, there was practically not a single “high-profile” battle in which the military personnel of the IW units would not take a direct part. This only confirms the fact that their role in any land battle was fundamental and extremely important. Russian warrior-engineers, not having theoretical knowledge and sufficient experience, and also not having the proper technical equipment, were able to show themselves in all their glory in many fierce battles. The soldiers distinguished themselves during the Battle of Poltava and the difficult Crimean War. The fighters of the engineering troops under the command of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov made a huge contribution to the victory during the assault on the Izmail fortress. Later, for this valiant feat of arms, the great Russian commander was awarded the highest rank of generalissimo, and the IV soldiers who participated in the battle were presented with state orders.

Regardless of the nature of the hostilities, detachments of engineering troops almost always arrive at the "meeting point" before anyone else. They check the territory for the presence of mines and other explosive devices, build river crossings, and, if necessary, quickly build safe passages through enemy minefields. Military engineers are faced with "dirty work" on duty, and very often perform their direct duties while under massive enemy fire. No matter how loud it may sound, but not a single army in the world is able to completely do without engineering troops. In Russia, the day of a military engineer is celebrated annually on January 21.

The origin of the Engineering Troops

According to ancient chronicles, the first officially confirmed information about warrior-builders in Russia appeared as early as 1016 AD. The soldiers who were in the sovereign's service differed significantly from the classical city planners, who were called carpenters, stone craftsmen and "townspeople" casters. It was customary to call military engineers differently - city builders or bridge builders. Actually, even the word "city" in the Old Russian language had a completely different meaning. By it was meant not a settlement, but a military settlement similar to a fortress, in which it was convenient to carry out defensive operations.

The warrior-builders also differed from the ordinary soldiers of the army and sentinel detachments. The task of organizing the defense of cities was entrusted to their shoulders. From some of the ancient Russian chronicles of the tsarist period of the 9th-10th centuries, which have survived to this day, it is known that many warriors-engineers had a wide knowledge of military art. They did not just sit in fortified cities, coming up with a plan for organizing defense, but built various military fortifications that were used against enemy units. In the second half of the 17th century, the warrior-engineers who were in the tsarist military service actually became elite soldiers. And there were reasons for this.

By the beginning of 1200, according to the Julian calendar, the "fragmentation" of Russia into separate feudal principalities began. Against the background of these processes, the construction of castles and new defensive fortifications intensified. The services of military engineers became in demand, and the soldiers themselves received a decent salary for their work. This served as a fairly powerful impetus for the further development and improvement of military engineering in Russia. In addition to erecting defensive structures, the soldiers discovered and implemented new opportunities for engineering support and combat support for offensive operations.

In 1242, Russian troops were able to defeat German soldiers “to the smithereens” right on the ice of Lake Peipus in the Pskov region on the border with Estonia. In the course of a fierce battle, military engineers put into practice not only standard field-type fortifications, which were built taking into account the characteristics of the terrain, but also used special defensive structures designed for a long period of operation. The warrior-builders of Russia distinguished themselves in 1552, when, on the orders of Tsar Ivan IV, they built the fortress city of Sviyazhsk in less than a month, where the support base of the Russian troops involved in the siege of Kazan was located.

The development of military affairs in the 17th–18th century.

In 1692–94 The last Tsar of All Russia, Peter I Alekseevich, personally supervised the conduct of experimental training maneuvers using engineering communications and defensive fortifications. At the same time, the then popular scientific works of a French military engineer named Sebastien Le Pretre de Vauban were taken as the key basis for tactical “experiments”. The fortified cities of the great marshal later became the World Heritage of Humanity and are today under the protection of UNESCO. Therefore, it is not surprising that all countries of the world, including Tsarist Russia, tried to copy his inventions.

Tsar Peter I made a lot of efforts to create regular IW units in 1712, and it was he who insisted on the use of crossing facilities and the construction of field fortifications, which made it possible to provide offensive military operations that were unfolding on land with the necessary weapons and technical equipment. Subsequently, this made it possible to actively develop and introduce new ways to strengthen state borders. However, Peter I came to grips with the professional training of military engineers much earlier.

The official history of the development of the IV units dates back to January 21, 1701, when Peter I Alekseevich decided to create the Pushkar Order School in Moscow, where officers of artillery regiments and individual army engineering formations of the regular troops of Russia were to undergo tactical training. This experience turned out to be successful, and already 18 years later, in 1719, a new school was opened, but already in St. Petersburg. The military charter of Peter I, which replaced the old "cannon and military charter" proposed by Anisim Mikhailov, marked the beginning of the restructuring of the regular units of the Russian army, which had a positive effect on the level of its combat capability. Some time later, in 1722, the famous Table of Ranks was introduced by the tsar, in which all the officer ranks of the engineering units of the Russian army became “head and shoulders above” the infantrymen and cavalrymen.

In the 1750s, units of the engineering troops were subordinate to the Chancellery of Artillery and Fortification. During this period, they experienced a rapid surge in development and an invaluable contribution to the "common cauldron" was made by the talented General-in-Chief of the Engineering Troops Hannibal Abram Petrovich. Thanks to his efforts, the popularity of military builders has increased dramatically. Toward the end of the 18th century, the number of IWs in the active Russian army increased by almost 3–4 times. This opened up new opportunities for the development of the defense of the Russian state.

In 1757, frame-sail pontoons first appeared in service with the Russian army - they were intended for fixing floating supports on the water, which, in turn, were used by military engineers to build a temporary floating bridge with a carrying capacity of up to 3.5 tons. In 1797, at the suggestion of Emperor Paul I, regular army battalions necessarily included one mining company, which carried out military construction activities during offensive campaigns, and also camouflaged various objects on land and built field structures. Thus, already at the end of the 18th century, the development of engineering troops was in full swing, which made it possible to significantly strengthen the combat power of the Russian Empire.

IW units in the era of great wars

Before the start of the war with Napoleonic France, which began in 1812, about ten miner and pioneer units of the engineering troops were formed in Russia. In addition, artillery pontoon teams provided support for combat ground operations. Another 14 companies were stationed in fortified fortresses. However, they were staffed only by conductors and officers. The need for labor was compensated by infantrymen and volunteers from among the local population.

One sapper and two pioneer regiments from the active battalion of the IW took part in foreign campaigns against France. If we talk about exact numbers, then at the time of World War II, there were about 45 regular combat engineering units in the Russian army. Sapper and miner army detachments were engaged in the construction of long-term defensive fortifications, which were used to protect fortresses, as well as in offensive operations. While the pioneer companies actively carried out work on the improvement of travel routes, bridge crossings and field fortifications. Pontoon teams were engaged in the construction of floating bridges across the rivers.

During the Crimean War, which took place in 1853-56, in which the army of the Russian Empire was forced to confront a coalition of European states, two cavalry pioneer divisions were involved, performing important tasks in building defensive "heights", as well as 9 battalions of sappers. It should be noted that the IW at that time separated from the artillery and became an independent branch of the military. And although the successes of the Russian army in this battle were very doubtful, military engineers showed themselves as courageous, staunch and brave fighters. Actually, other military units also showed their best side, and the defeat itself was more of a political nature and was due to "blunders" in strategic calculations made by the army command.

In the Russian-Turkish war, which unleashed in 1877-1878. units of the engineering troops achieved unprecedented results - the number of regular units exceeded the mark of 20,000 military personnel. At the same time, new vacancies were opened in the specialties of aeronautics and pigeon communication. By the end of the 19th century, the engineering troops provided technical support for almost all offensive operations of the Russian infantry, cavalry detachments and artillery regiments. In addition, the soldiers took an active part in the construction of fortresses, and also performed important engineering tasks in the arrangement of travel routes and the laying of new radiotelegraph lines.

Contribution to the victory of the USSR in World War II

In the Soviet army, the primary purpose of the IW was the technical support of offensive and defensive combat operations of the infantry. In the conditions of a tough war, the forces of ordinary soldiers and officers competently planned and successfully implemented all the necessary conditions for the rapid advancement of the main offensive units of the Soviet army. The special forces of the IW carried out the tasks of camouflaging military installations, constructing defensive fortifications, including anti-tank ditches, and other assignments of the command. In many respects, it was thanks to the timely and coordinated actions of military engineers that the German invaders faced insurmountable obstacles on the way to the Soviet fortified areas, which were of strategic importance.

During the Second World War, the battalions and detachments of the USSR Military Forces gained vast experience and prospects for further development. Improved technical capabilities, as well as constantly expanding the range of military tasks. At the same time, the role of IW soldiers also increased. Almost from the first days of the invasion of the fascist invaders into the territory of the USSR, they actively participated in the preparation and conduct of defensive battles - they dug trenches, cleared roads, created protective fortifications and built water crossings using pontoons. Together with other army units, military engineers steadfastly held back the powerful onslaught of the German forces.

On the Northern and Western fronts, the special forces of the IW acted as mobile, mobile barrier units. They covered the retreat of the main forces of the Soviet army, destroying river crossings, mining fields and arranging insurmountable zones of artificial obstacles, which forced the Germans to slow down. And on the Kola Peninsula, the fighters of the engineering troops, together with the surviving motorized riflemen, without tanks and artillery, were able to actually completely block the advance of the Germans in this direction.

When organizing the defense of the Russian capital, by decision of the highest ranks of the High Command of the Army, 10 mobile mobile detachments were urgently formed, which performed combat missions in front of the very noses of the Nazis, mining the paths of tanks and destroying road communications. Thanks to the work carried out, during the attack on Moscow in one of the sectors, the German units lost about 200 units of heavy armored vehicles and about 140 units of trucks with weapons and ammunition. For this valiant feat, the soldiers were presented with high state awards. True, many of them received medals and orders posthumously.

In 1942-43, when the Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, the military engineers of the Red Army had to hastily restore previously destroyed bridges and build new river crossings. In addition, the task of clearing the territories that the Germans "marked" before the retreat fell on their shoulders. In winter, it was also necessary to lay columned paths in meter-long snowdrifts. However, this task was successfully solved in a short time. Whereas many retreating German units simply fell into the snow captivity, without special equipment for clearing the territories, and became easy money for Soviet soldiers. With the start of the full-scale winter counter-offensive of 1942, teams of reconnaissance bombers were deployed to the enemy rear every day.

Assault engineering units often had to perform general army military tasks. For example, during a fierce battle in the Lithuanian city of Vilna, the soldiers of the fourth sapper brigade of the IV personally managed to neutralize and destroy about 2 thousand Germans, take prisoners about 3 thousand soldiers and free more than 2.5 thousand Soviet prisoners of war and ordinary citizens who were in a local concentration camp. As a result of the Second World War, about 800 soldiers of the IV units became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and about 300 people were solemnly awarded the Order of Glory.

Secondary tasks of the Engineering Troops

The profession of a military engineer is quite multifaceted and versatile - adapted to any need. Experienced specialists of the Russian EW are equally in demand both in wartime and in peacetime. After the end of the Second World War, the military personnel of the engineering units were involved in the Afghan war, and also took a direct part in the peacekeeping missions in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Today, Russian engineering troops are actively engaged in mine clearance in Syria. They accomplished many feats during periods of "calm". The brave soldiers of the IW rendered great assistance in eliminating the consequences of a large-scale man-made disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which occurred in 1986.

In peacetime, special forces of the engineering troops of the Russian Armed Forces, together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other federal departments, carry out measures to evacuate the population from dangerous areas, as well as eliminate the negative consequences of emergencies, both man-made and natural. Among the primary tasks of the IW are the construction and subsequent operation of bridges and pontoon crossings in the country's water spaces, extinguishing forest fires, disposing of nuclear waste, and eliminating the consequences of the collapse of emergency industrial facilities that are dangerous to human life. This is only a small part of all the secondary tasks that Russian engineering troops regularly have to perform.

Technology for pontoon crossings

One of the key tasks of the military engineering troops is to build safe passageways through water areas. The pontoon crossing is the result of the painstaking work of dozens of soldiers and a rather complex engineering process that requires utmost care and attention. In order for a prefabricated structure made of floating elements to become a full-fledged crossing, you need to know the entire technology of this process from “A to Z”. First, floating conveyors are launched into the water, with the help of which the future floating crossing is gradually and scrupulously assembled. If necessary, river boats insure the structure on the water. On small reservoirs, you can do without them. Soldiers of the engineering troops connect all the elements manually, and then control the crossing from the shore and water.

Pontoon military crossing has a lot of advantages. Firstly, structures on pontoons are practical and highly transportable: they can be easily moved in a collapsible state on land, and then, if necessary, transported by water. But the primary advantage lies in the high speed of installation, which allows you to quickly transport the necessary equipment or people through any water barrier. In the capable hands of the servicemen of the Russian engineering troops, this mechanism works clearly and smoothly. With a competent approach, it is possible to build a pontoon crossing 400–500 meters long in just a few hours.

However, this technical engineering structure also has obvious disadvantages. For example, in busy areas of water bodies, they interfere with river navigation. But if this issue can be resolved at the stages of planning and preparing the operation, then others remain relevant to this day. Floating pontoons are highly dependent on water level, wind speed and waves. We have to put up with the fact that in winter, in conditions of freezing, the use of pontoon crossings is simply impossible. And if the elementary rules of operation are not observed, floating bridges can even “float away” in an unknown direction. A similar incident occurred in 2005 during the construction of pontoon supports on the Kondoma River.

Insignia of engineering units

One of the main attributes of the engineering troops of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is the classic emblem. In the central part there is a double-headed eagle, which, according to the good old tradition, is depicted with wings outstretched to the sides. In his claws, he firmly holds 2 axes (a traditional army symbol of IW), which are located crosswise in relation to each other. This heraldic sign acts as the official coat of arms. As a rule, this army symbol can be found on the gates of the engineering unit, special equipment and buildings of the IW headquarters. The history of the emblem has more than 200 years - it first appeared in 1812.

If we talk about award signs, then the medal with a moire ribbon "Veteran of the Engineering Troops" is considered the most important. This commemorative award is intended only for military servicemen with seniority who honorably fulfilled their personal duty to the Motherland and retired for a well-deserved rest. On the obverse of the medal there is the coat of arms of the RF Armed Forces, below is the "company" sign of the engineering troops of the modern sample (2 crossed axes and a flaming grenada). Also on the front side are the traditional symbols of the Russian Armed Forces - laurel and oak branches. The reverse of the award medal depicts a small five-pointed star, which is surrounded by jagged "boundaries" of a classic military fortification.

The official flag of the divisions of the Russian IWs is a double-sided rectangular panel. The main symbol is depicted as a 4-pointed white cross, the edges of which expand closer to the outer part of the flag and are in contact with four red-black rays. In the central part there is a track-laying blade, a sea anchor, a flaming grenada with lightning bolts spreading in different directions, as well as two axes crossed with each other. The upper part of the "exposition" is framed by a gear wheel.

The traditional lavalier badge of the units of the Military Forces of Russia is designed to be worn in the corners of the collar of a military uniform, as well as on officer shoulder straps. This emblem, in addition to traditional engineering axes and a bulldozer blade, depicts an anchor, a mine and lightning bolts diverging to the sides. The symbol indicates belonging to the Russian engineering troops. Also widely used in everyday life is the breast emblem of the 1994 sample with the image of a lavalier symbol and the inscription: "Engineering Troops".

Armament and technical equipment

In the midst of World War II (1943-44), many Soviet special forces of the engineering troops adopted the modified CH-42 body armor. Such powerful uniforms were mainly equipped with soldiers of the assault units of individual sapper brigades of the IV, which were not subordinate to the general staff, but directly to the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. During the war years, engineering troops were also called "armored infantry" or "battleships", since soldiers in CH-42 bulletproof vests looked rather awkward against the background of other units of the Soviet army. Nevertheless, a steel breastplate, made of 36SGN steel 2 mm thick, was able to protect against machine gun bullets and small fragments.

Today, in the current special forces of the engineering troops of the Russian Federation, the most modern equipment and equipment are used to perform combat missions. The servicemen of the sapper brigades of the special forces of the military forces are equipped with unique new-generation protective uniforms. The kit is capable of protecting against the explosion of anti-personnel mines and an improvised explosive device with a warhead capacity of about 1 kg of TNT. In addition to the standard firearms, soldier-engineers who perform important tasks in clearing the area also use powerful new Kite-class mine detectors. A modern military locator detects anti-personnel mines and other hidden explosive devices at a distance of up to 30 meters in any type of soil, in snow, as well as under asphalt and even concrete floors. "Korshun" was successfully used by Russian military personnel when carrying out mine clearance work in Syria.

When it is urgently required to examine and clear a vast area of ​​land from land mines and other explosive devices, then military engineers have no choice but to put into practice "brute force" - a self-propelled demining unit called UR-77 "Meteorite". In wide circles, this miracle technique is better known under the unofficial pseudonym "Snake-Gorynych". They took it to the balance of the engineering troops back in 1977, but even today this machine surpasses some modern world analogues produced in the West. UR-77 destroys any explosive devices in its path, providing military equipment and soldiers with a safe corridor with a total length of almost 200 meters and a track width of 6 m.

On the balance sheet of the engineering troops of the Russian Federation is the most diverse equipment and equipment. To quickly overcome ground obstacles and artificially created barriers, engineering mechanized bridges of the TMM-6 class, as well as earlier modifications, are widely used. The fighters of the engineering troops, depending on the situation, use in practice special equipment designed for the complex mechanization of earthmoving or road work. In addition, the IV brigades are armed with universal multi-wheeled track-laying vehicles of the PKT-2 class and tank-laying bridges of the MTU-72 class.

In order to overcome water obstacles in a short time, mobile diving stations, transportable pontoon parks and floating trailers are used. In emergency cases, special "Exit" kits are used, designed for urgent evacuation of tank crews. Also, the engineering troops are equipped with automobile crane installations, sawmills and powerful military excavators. Such a variety of technical means makes it possible to perform the most complex tasks with minimal time.

Special equipment of the engineering troops of Russia

BAT-2- an indispensable assistant in almost any engineering business. This army track-laying machine, like a sewing knife, has several working tools at once, which are necessary for laying column tracks. BAT-2 also provides for special crane equipment with a lifting capacity of up to 2 tons. Despite the huge number of additional units and mechanisms, in practice this technique is a fairly obedient, responsive and very fast car that can accelerate to 70 km / h.

In addition to performing its direct duties, BAT-2 has proven itself well in clearing the area from snowdrifts and snow blockages in winter. Instead of the friction clutch and planetary turning mechanism traditional for heavy military equipment, the BAT-2 tracklayer has 2 onboard gearboxes. For greater maneuverability on rough terrain, rubber-metal hinges are provided on the caterpillar mover. One of the three modes of a powerful bulldozer is activated using standard hydraulic equipment. The mass of BAT-2 together with power units and additionally installed equipment is 39.7 tons.

IMR-1- engineering vehicle obstacles. Built on the basis of the T-55 tank. In just 1 hour, it is able to turn 300 meters of solid blockage into a road suitable for the passage of conventional vehicles. It is distinguished by stronger hull armor, since very often the vehicle has to perform tasks under enemy fire. To install logs into the ground, a manipulator with a grip is used. IMR-1 has a very small view, therefore, together with the mechanic, the commander-operator is also sent to complete the task, who directs the driver's actions in the process of manipulating the crane installation. The body of this armored vehicle has a fairly powerful protection against radioactive radiation.

The installed working equipment has 3 main modes of operation: two-blade, grader and bulldozer, which makes this type of equipment a real all-rounder in military affairs. The suspension is used individual torsion bar, the maximum speed over rough terrain is about 20 km / h. The mass of the IRM-1 engineering vehicle is 37.5 tons.

MDK-3- an army armored vehicle for digging pits, which can quickly dig a ditch 3.5 m wide and deep, and the length of the ditch can be any. This car is equipped with a turbocharged 12-cylinder engine with a capacity of 710 horsepower. Machine weight 39 tons. Maximum speed up to 80 km/h over rough terrain. For digging a pit, a special working body of a rotary type is provided, as well as a baking powder and a cutter. The performance of the rotor is quite high - in 1 hour this technique is able to dig about 350–450 cubic meters of earth.

The external tool of the MDK-3 engineering special equipment is a milling cutter that looks like a meat grinder knife. Actually, its functions are similar. It is the first cutter that “bites” into the ground and feeds the loosened mass to the second wheel - the rotor, which rotates much faster than the cutter and throws the ground to one side. The gearbox sets in motion the rotor and the working cutter of a huge size. Its gears rotate a cardan shaft with a diameter of a telegraph pole. But the main movement of all mechanisms is given by a hydraulic motor.

There is another gearbox combined with a gearbox, and for finishing work in the MDK-3 a small blade is provided, which levels the shelter, making the walls vertical, and also quickly builds convenient races. The maximum burrowing depth is 5 meters. Being at a depth, in order not to burn out from the exhaust gases, the drivers use a first-class regular Russian-made air purification and ventilation system that can withstand even radioactive dust. By the way, you can also control the earthmoving machine while digging a pit using a remote control, while outside the cab.

Where are military engineers trained?

If you intend to get the profession of a sapper of the engineering troops of Russia, then documents for full-time training can be submitted to the selection committee of the 66th interdepartmental training center, which is located in the Moscow region. In this educational institution, you can get the profession of a specialist in the mine detection service. In addition to the theoretical foundations of minecraft, cadets have the opportunity to consolidate their knowledge in practice. To do this, the training center uses a separate military training ground in Nikolo-Uryupino, where special tactical classes and testing of the latest robotic systems are held.

The forge of engineering personnel, where the professional training of officers of the Russian army is carried out, is rightfully considered the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which is located in Moscow. The term of study in the chosen specialty is 5 years. After graduating from the institute, cadets are assigned the junior officer rank of "lieutenant" and are issued with a diploma of a qualified specialist of the state standard. The training time is counted in the total military experience. You can also study at the structural unit of the university - the Tyumen Higher VIKU named after. Marshal A. I. Proshlyakov. Detailed information can be obtained on the official website of educational institutions.

If you intend to obtain a diploma of a junior specialist in IV, then you should contact the regional training centers of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. One of these centers is located in the city of Volzhsky, the other - in Kstovo. Please note that it is possible to get into the engineering troops for permanent service only by contract, so it is best to decide in advance on the choice of a higher educational institution or a specialized center in order to receive the coveted "crust" of a qualified specialist.

Benefits of serving in the engineering troops

The monetary allowance of contract soldiers depends on the region of service. On average, the salary varies between 25-40 thousand rubles. In addition, various monthly allowances, lifting and annual material assistance are additionally provided. The modern army makes it possible not only to earn good money, but also to provide for the family. There is another significant plus in the contract service. Already after the first contract, any soldier has the right to enter into a military mortgage. It does not work like a civilian one - while the service is in progress, the state fulfills credit obligations. But even if the contractor decides to go into civilian life, no one will take away an apartment or a house. In this case, the serviceman will independently pay off the remaining debt to the bank.

The social package of a contract soldier, among other things, includes the opportunity to receive free education, free medical care and rehabilitation support, as well as food and clothing allowances. In the near future, the term of the first contract is planned to be reduced to 2 years. At the same time, a unified system of discounts will be created for the purchase of public goods and services by contractors. It is also planned to develop a project on preferential lending to contract soldiers of the engineering troops. The main directions in improving the service under the contract are the creation of favorable housing conditions, optimization of monetary allowance, improvement of social and living conditions and raising the status of military engineering troops who serve under the contract. In addition, social protection and the rights of servicemen and members of their families are guaranteed.

How do military engineers serve today?

The engineering troops of Russia are a real gold nugget, an alloy of science and courage. And there is no exaggeration in this. Quickly laying a road for the safe movement of vehicles, clearing the area where hostilities are taking place, and providing water and electricity to settlements in case of an emergency - an inconspicuous but necessary job. And here you can not do without professional soldiers serving on a contract basis. That is why the modern engineering troops of Russia are 80-90% composed of trained contract soldiers.

You will not find traditional army armored vehicles in the IW brigades. These units are armed with their own unique "monsters" made of metal, each of which has its own specific specifics. Some machines are designed to clear debris, others make passages in minefields, and still others build bridges across rivers and reservoirs. Separate battalions of engineering troops also perform different tasks. For example, a demining battalion cleans up unexploded ordnance from areas close to populated areas. Only contract soldiers serve here. During the day, the engineering battalion is able to clear up to 5 hectares of land from landmines.

It is impossible to perform such a colossal amount of work manually, so special equipment comes to the aid of the soldiers. On a special account today is the latest demining machine "Uranus-6". This is a sapper robot that is controlled from a distance. This technique is actively used to clean urban areas, as well as foothill areas. Also, soldiers of the engineering troops are now mastering the latest model of a mine detector, which, for its unique technical characteristics, was nicknamed the “Kite” in the Russian army. Today, the engineering troops are developing by leaps and bounds, and automation plays a key role in reforming the IW units.

In terms of the level of military training in terms of the use of special equipment, the fighters of the engineering brigades are considered among the best in the Russian army. A well-thought-out material and educational base helps to hone skills. Many parts have their own engineering town, a waterfield for pontoon crossings and a range with an obstacle course, where they teach driving and conduct fire training. Combat brigades are completed according to a mixed principle - contract soldiers are accepted for service in the most popular army specialties:

• part-commander;
• deputy platoon commander;
• medical instructor;
• electrician-communicator;
• driver mechanic.

At the beginning of the service for all contractors, a probationary period is provided. Unsure of themselves and weak-willed soldiers who simply cannot cope with the tasks and duties assigned to them, after the expiration of the probationary period (3 months), they are eliminated according to the principle of natural selection. Only the most persistent guys who are ready for self-sacrifice get into the service. Contract soldiers live in service apartments and barracks of the Kubrick type. Alternatively, it is allowed to rent housing in a nearby village. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense compensates part of the money for renting an apartment or a private house.

It is possible to conclude a contract for military service in the ranks of the engineering troops through the representative office of the Ministry of Defense. Absolutely any law-abiding citizen of the Russian Federation (without a criminal record) over the age of 19 who has a state diploma of complete secondary education and has completed military service in active military units of the Army or Navy can submit a corresponding application. Entrance tests for all applicants for military service under a contract are held at specially created regional selection points. These tests are complex and multi-level competitions, including a mandatory psychological stability test, as well as a physical fitness test.

Engineering Troops are called upon to perform engineering support during combined arms (combat) operations, conduct engineering reconnaissance and inflict damage on the opposing side using engineering ammunition.

Engineering troops of the Russian Federation! Our motto is "Without us - no one"

To carry out such tasks, special training of personnel and special engineering weapons are required. Structural engineering troops are part of

Day of Engineering Troops of the Russian Federation

January 21 is considered a professional holiday. The date of the professional holiday was appointed by the Presidential Decree in 1996.

This memorable date was established thanks to the contribution of the engineering troops to strengthening the Russian defense military potential and taking into account historical traditions.

The emergence of military engineering and military architecture occurred in ancient Russia. However, these troops began to develop systematically after the creation of a regular army in the time of Peter the Great. Subsequently, Peter 1 was appointed to conduct the first engineering training maneuvers.

Then the creation of various defensive structures was worked out. For the first time, military engineering was mentioned in the decree of Peter the Great on January 21, 1701.

Museum of Engineering Troops

The creation of the museum was marked by the 300th anniversary of the Russian engineering troops. According to official data, the institution opened on December 14, 2001.

The museum collection presents a brief history of the domestic engineering troops, indicates the tasks they have solved during the existence of the military and peace periods. School students created a panorama showing the heroism of sappers during the Great Patriotic War near the village of Strokovo.

There is also a military-historical museum of artillery, engineering troops and signal troops, created on August 29, 1703. Then Peter 1 was instructed to create a special Zeikhgauz, where ancient artillery weapons could be stored.

In 1963, it merged with the Central Historical Military Engineering Museum, and in 1965 with the Museum of Communications, and received the name of the Military History Museum of Artillery, Engineering Troops and Communications.

Now it belongs to the world's largest military history museums, and has an impressive exposition of artillery, small arms, cold weapons, military engineering and military communications, combat banners, army uniforms, battle works of art, awards, insignia, historical documents on the development of the army and exploits of domestic soldiers.

In July 2010, Lieutenant General Yury Mikhailovich Stavitsky was appointed head of the Russian engineering troops, and he is still in this post.

He previously held many command posts at various levels in. In 2016, he was in charge of demining the Syrian city of Palmyra. With the participation of Lieutenant General Stavitsky, the creation of engineering assault battalions and the International Mine Action Center of the Russian Army for humanitarian mine clearance outside Russia was organized.

Chief of Engineering Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Stavitsky Yury Mikhailovich

Lieutenant General Stavitsky has orders and medals for services to the Fatherland.

Equipment of the Russian engineering troops

The equipment of the engineering troops is a group of means in the form engineering armament machines, mobile technical equipment for maintenance and repair, and electrical equipment for general purpose:

Military engineering special equipment for engineering reconnaissance.

One of the most difficult reconnaissance tasks is the identification of engineering barriers. Such technical means determine the possibility of passing through certain sections, the significance of water obstacles, destruction, blockages, the possibility of overcoming them, the presence of protective and masking properties of the territory.

To overcome water barriers, perform reconnaissance of the territory, determine the ways of advancing military units use engineering reconnaissance vehicle IRM-2. This is the main reconnaissance equipment of the engineering troops.

During reconnaissance, stationary reconnaissance devices are used (the RSHM-2 wide-range mine detector and the EIR engineering reconnaissance echo sounder), and portable engineering reconnaissance devices (these include a periscope compass, hand-held mine detectors, an engineering reconnaissance periscope, and others).

High-speed trench machine BTM-4M "Tundra"

When using a set of means for engineering reconnaissance, aerial photographic and aerovisual reconnaissance of the territory is carried out from helicopters.

Military engineering equipment capable of overcoming mine-explosive barriers.

The track-knife trawl carries out digging actions, the mechanism is a blade with knives. When groping for a mine, the knives push it up, and the blade removes it to the side.

The track roller-knife trawl, in addition to the knife ones, is equipped with two roller sections, which, due to their weight, activate anti-tank mines.

Electromagnetic trawls can be installed on a tank with any trawl.

The UR-77 demining installation is used to make a passage in an anti-tank minefield.

Military engineering equipment for the installation of mine-explosive barriers.

The mechanization of the installation of the cost center contributes to the acceleration of this process, increasing its efficiency and reducing the number of military personnel involved.

The mechanization of anti-tank mining is carried out mainly with the help of the GMZ-3 tracked mine layer.

With the help of the UMP Universal Minelayer, remote anti-tank and anti-personnel mining is carried out.

Military engineering equipment for the mechanization of road and earthworks.

Such equipment includes mechanical means for excavation, for creating and maintaining paths for advancing and maneuvering military units, for passing obstacles.
The purpose of trench machines is to dig trenches and passages in positions occupied.

With the help of pit machines, digging of pits is carried out at equipped positions.
Trenches and pits are also torn off with the help of the PZM-2 regimental earth-moving machine.

Universal earth-moving machines are used to mechanize digging and loading.

With the help of road builders, universal road vehicles, military bulldozers, military routes, exits, and crossings over uneven terrain are created and maintained in proper condition.

The tracklayer BAT-2 is designed for laying column tracks, preparing and maintaining military roads.

With the help of engineering barrier vehicles, the advancement of military units through the destroyed areas in the event of nuclear strikes is ensured.

The universal road machine is used together with bulldozer equipment, it also has loading equipment.

With the help of logging and sawmill equipment, sawn material is harvested. When using load-lifting and lifting-transport machines, loading and unloading and assembly and dismantling mechanization is carried out.

With the help of maintenance and repair of engineering mechanisms, this technique is maintained in proper form.

College, military institutes, units of engineering troops

The main educational and methodological center of the engineering troops of Russia is the military institute of engineering troops of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - higher military school of engineering troops

Engineering Troops Murom (military units 11105 and 45445)

The First Guards Brest-Berlin Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Engineer Brigade of Central Subordination (military unit 11105) is located in the city of Murom, Vladimir Region. One of the battalions is located in the village of Nikolo-Uryupino near Moscow.

The connection was created in 1942 in the Voroshilovgrad region (now the Luhansk region of Ukraine), as the 16th separate engineering brigade of special forces. In 1943, she became a guards brigade for the manifestation of stamina and heroism of the fighters.

In 1944, as a result of reorganization, it became the first separate guards motorized brigade of the RGK. This connection has received many state awards. For military exploits in battles near the city of Orel in 1943, the unit was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, during the liberation of Belarus - the Order of Suvorov of the second degree, and Brest it became known as the liberated cities on the Belarusian front. The Vistula-Oder liberation brought the award of the Order of Kutuzov of the second degree, and she received the name Berlin for the assault on the last fascist refuge.

From the end of the war until 1994, the formation was located in the GDR, where it was necessary to raise sunken ships. Since 1994, it has been located in Rostov-Veliky (Yaroslavsky). Some units participated in counter-terrorist operations during the Chechen conflict. It became known as military unit 11105 in 1994. Since 2015, he has been permanently based in Murom.

The unit conducts combined arms training, field exercises, and masters military specialties. Military personnel participate in competitions of international status.
The oath is taken on Saturday, after which a dismissal is granted, and subsequently, leave is given on weekends and holidays, but in the presence of relatives.

Military unit of military unit 45445

The 28th separate pontoon-bridge brigade of the Russian Armed Forces is conditionally referred to as, located in the Western Military District, its permanent deployment in the city of Murom, Vladimir Region.

This connection was formed on December 1, 2015. The purpose of creating a pontoon-bridge brigade is to increase the effectiveness of the engineering troops and their rapid response, reserve support in case of a sudden need to solve new tasks and strengthen the military grouping in a certain strategic direction.

The personnel of the engineering troops with the flag of the Russian Federation and the Engineering troops

The connection consists of pontoon battalions, landing units, ferry-bridge vehicles, formations of bridge-building facilities for setting up crossings over water obstacles.

The purpose of the connection is to equip crossings with increased carrying capacity in the event of a significant water barrier and a sudden need to solve problems in peaceful reality for the crossing of material and technical means, as well as in case of an emergency.

Engineering Troops of Kstovo

Military unit 64120 is the Guards Kovel Red Banner interspecific training center for engineering troops. The location of the military unit is the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region. Military personnel are trained in accordance with the specialization of the engineering and sapper unit.

The formation of the military unit occurred as a result of the merger of the military institute of engineering troops of the Nizhny Novgorod region and the 6th Guards Kovel red banner training center for engineering troops named after Lieutenant General D.M. Karbyshev.

The military unit was opened on August 30, 1971, but the beginning of its operation with the reception of military personnel falls on June 2012.

The educational institution trains the following military specialists: crane operators, driver-mechanics, sappers, truck crane drivers, track-layers, excavators, electricians, drivers of universal road-building equipment. After the completion of the educational process, three battalions are formed.

After undergoing rapid special training (usually within four months), military personnel are sent for further service in other formations and military educational institutions, having already completed professional training.

This military institution is universal in that after receiving professional skills here, such knowledge will be useful not only in the army, but also in civilian situations. Thus, a soldier, in addition to serving, will receive a profession for civilian use.

Engineering Troops of Nakhabino

The location of the 45th Separate Guards Berlin Order of Kutuzov, Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Alexander Nevsky and the Red Star of the engineering and sapper brigade (aka military unit 11361) are several settlements. The location of the main structural units is the village of Nakhabino in the Moscow region.

The tasks of the connection include: conducting engineering reconnaissance, demining, organizing passages in case of interference, equipping crossings, and camouflage actions.

The creation of the 45th separate engineer regiment during the Afghan war in 1980 preceded the formation of this military unit. The regiment included road engineer and road engineer battalions, as well as a field water supply company. At the end of the same year, the regiment became known as military unit 88870, and in 1984 it was further strengthened by an engineering and road battalion.

As a result of the first reorganization, the formation became known as the 45th separate engineering camouflage regiment with a location in the village of Nikolo-Uryupino near Moscow. Since 2010, the unit has been subordinate to the command of the Western Military District.

As a result of the reorganization of 2012, the current compound included two parts. Part 11361 was created on the basis of the 66th Guards pontoon-bridge regiment from Murom, and the 45th camouflage engineer regiment from Nikolo-Uryupino. There are no manifestations of hazing, and military personnel are examined daily for bodily injuries.

Meals in the dining room are organized with the help of civilian staff, and cards are accepted for payment in the tea room. The oath is taken on Saturday, and every Sunday military personnel are allowed to use the telephone.

Engineering troops emblem

The emblem of the engineering troops is presented in the form of an image with a double-headed eagle with outstretched wings, holding crossed axes in its paws, with a red triangle on the chest, and with a shield with a cone down, and from above reaching the crown. On the shield is an image of a horseman slaying a dragon with a spear.

Flag of the engineering troops

On the flag of the engineering troops there is a white cross with black and red stripes directed to the sides, in the center there is a silver blade of a track-layer, an anchor, a flaming grenada with lightning and crossed axes, a gear wheel goes around the circumference.
The style of the flag is reminiscent of the flag designs of 1763. This is the first flag created according to the customs of the Russian Armed Forces.

For now, this is all we wanted to tell about the engineering troops of the Russian Federation. Have something to add - write in the comments!