How many years did they serve in the army in 1930. The army of the ussr, the soviet army, how they served in the ussr

In order to answer the question of how long they served in the army in the USSR, one must understand that the formation of this period was preceded by a long history of the formation of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union.

1. In pre-revolutionary Russia, 25 years were allotted for the service of the fatherland. Without exception, all nobles had to repay their debt to the Motherland during this period.
2. Thanks to the military reform of 1874, the service was reduced to 7 years.
3. After the end of the First World War and general mobilization, the service life was 3 years. It remained that way until 1941.
4. From 1945 to 1967 - the period was 3 years, in the fleet it was - 4 years.
5. With the military reform in 1967 and until 1993, they were drafted into the army for 2 years.

How was the service

The armed forces of the Soviet Union served to protect the freedoms and gains of the entire Soviet people. For this reason, the attitude towards the army was appropriate. On September 1, 1939, the law on universal conscription into the army came into force, as a result of which service in the Soviet army became an honorary right of all citizens. Since 1939, an active growth in the production of weapons began, and specialized military educational institutions were also opened.

Before the start of the war with Nazi Germany, the reorganization of the armed forces was not completed in full, so the war of 1941-1945 became a heavy burden for the Soviet people.

During the war, they continued to train officers through accelerated courses. After the victory in the Second World War, the conscription service continued.

In those days, this was an obligatory and prestigious duty, and no one had the desire to somehow shirk it, but they were also afraid to serve, no less than now. Nevertheless, everyone had to go through this stage of life, otherwise it would be difficult to find their place in society in later life. After all, even when applying for a job, the first thing they asked was where he served. It was a shame not to go into the army, they were not taken into the ranks of the armed forces only because of illness, and this already cast a shadow on the attitude towards such a person.

Find out: Commission from the army due to illness, list of diseases

Service began with wires to the army. In the days of the USSR, great attention was paid to this issue, feasts were rolled up, in terms of the number of guests equal to a wedding celebration. Such events usually lasted all night and the next morning the boy, with the whole company, was sent to the service.
The Soviet army for yesterday's schoolchildren was a school of life. They really grew up there. Learned discipline, got the skills necessary for life. Not always helpful, but learned a lot. First of all, physical endurance.

Striking differences

What is the difference between service in Soviet times and how it is now:

• In order to inform my mother that everything is fine, it took from two weeks to a month, that is how long it took for the letter to reach the mail.
• Physical exercise. This issue has been given great attention. For 2 years, a guy who could not pull himself up on the crossbar 1 time could be made into a strong and hardy man.
• It was necessary to dress in 45 seconds, and this was a prerequisite for further service.
• Due to the fact that 2 years is a long service life, there was a place for extra-statutory relations on the basis of service life. The military hierarchy was strictly observed.
• Tremulous attitude towards fellow countrymen. In the USSR, they could be distributed throughout the Soviet Union, so fellow countrymen were treated in a special way.
• Without fail, all the soldiers were distributed attire in the kitchen. There were no specially invited people in the kitchen. Cooks were recruited from among the soldiers.
• Such a ritual as hemming collars was an obligatory component of a soldier's ordinary day.

But in the army of the times of the USSR, the issue of "hazing" was very strongly developed. Absolutely everyone went through the entire hierarchical army order, from “spirit” to “grandfather”, and in order to survive in this system, one had to have a strong spirit, first of all. Many who served then say that my service in the Soviet army was a natural selection, because the strongest survived. It is believed that these army laws came into the ranks of the Soviet army in 1967, after another military reform.

Find out: The structure of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, what types and types of troops exist

In the army of that year, the term was reduced by 1 year. This became the reason for the discontent of the old-timers, who poured out their anger on the young recruits, and then, on the rise, the former "young" rose to the rank of "grandfathers" and, in turn, began to educate the new arrivals. It was impossible to break this chain. Also in Soviet times, there was a high probability of getting into some kind of hot spot, helping the fraternal people of some country, the soldiers were not given a choice.

Russian army today

Now service in the Russian army is 1 year. In the ranks of the armed forces, the number of contract servicemen exceeds the number of conscripts.
What changes did the military reform bring to the army:

• Due to the fact that the service life has decreased to 1 year, the duration of the KMB passage is 1 month.
• Such a concept as "hazing" has lost its meaning, because the new call can meet in part only with old-time soldiers who have served 8 months or less. There are almost no extra-statutory relations on the basis of service life.
• Canteen outfits have been cancelled. All cooking is done by civilians.
• It is allowed to have a mobile phone. Thanks to this, parents know all the details of their son's service.
• Soldiers in the service in rare cases are allowed to equipment and weapons. Maintenance of military equipment and its repair is entrusted to servicemen under the contract.
• Soldiers are mainly engaged in auxiliary work. They dig, paint fences and other useful things.
• The living conditions of the personnel have improved. Mostly soldiers live in renovated or new barracks.
• The soldiers stopped beating. Daily physical examinations are performed to detect abrasions and bruises.
• In a soldier's uniform, such details of clothing as collars and footcloths were canceled. Soldiers use socks, but do not use collars.

Summing up, I would like to say that military service was and remains a difficult task, both in Soviet times and now. But despite this, many young people go to the army, and even

Article content:

Service in the Russian army is different from service in the army of the Soviet Union. She had her own characteristics. The entire large territory of the Soviet Union was divided into recruiting stations. They were city, district, etc. From February to March, every year, young men who were 17 years old were attached to them. They were called conscripts and issued a certificate.

It was possible to change the registration to the recruiting station, that is, the place of residence without problems from January to April or from July to October. At other times, this was done with special permission and only if there was a good reason.

Within a strictly defined time frame, the conscript had to come to the military registration and enlistment office in order to pass the military commission. When distributing future soldiers by type of armed forces, specialty and qualifications were taken into account. At the same time, much attention was paid to recommendations from public organizations.

Military service in the Soviet Union was considered an honorable duty of every person. Military service consisted of active, that is, service in the active army and service in the reserve. The military who served in the army were called military personnel, and those who were in the reserve were called for military service.

The law "On universal military duty" stated that military service must be performed by the entire male population, regardless of race, religion, nationality, education, social status. Young men from the age of 18 were called up for military service, and the term was 2 years for the ground forces and 3 years for the navy.

The main duties of the military were spelled out in the military oath. It was the military man's oath of allegiance to the Soviet Union, his people, the Communist Party and the Soviet government. The oath was taken by each soldier upon arrival at the military unit, after the course of a young soldier.

Benefits provided by the state to military personnel

• paid severance pay;
• conscripts called up for training camps kept their jobs and received 75% of their average earnings;
• the time of service was counted in the length of service and in preferential terms;
• after the end of the service, the person had the right to return to his original place;
• after the end of the service, if the military did not work before the army, the local authorities are obliged to provide a job within a month, taking into account his education and experience;
• the living space on which he lived before the army is preserved;
• cannot be excluded from the waiting list for housing;
• children were given places in kindergartens;
• wives were paid child support.

A young man was taken to military service if:

1. Had Soviet citizenship.
2. All men were drafted into the army, with the exception of those under investigation or serving sentences.
3. Passing training for military service without interrupting the educational process or work.

This training was carried out at school starting from the 9th grade, in schools, technical schools. Those who did not study, underwent this training in training centers that were organized at work. In these training centers, future soldiers studied the oath, charters, military duties, and work was carried out to improve physical data.

In the Armed Forces themselves, a whole system of measures was developed that strengthened and maintained the health of a soldier, strengthened physical development, and work was carried out to prevent diseases.

One of the important places in the prevention of diseases was occupied by periodic examinations and medical commissions.

Factors such as: good nutrition, a properly organized mode of study, rest and work, constant sports led to the fact that at the next medical examination, 6 months after the call, the warrior himself could notice that his weight increased, he became wider in shoulders and inflated muscles appeared. All this led to the fact that health improved and the body hardened as a result, the warrior fell ill much less often than in civilian life.

Who served in the Soviet army and how, memories, photographs, stories

Service in the Russian Armed Forces was significantly different from the modern one. In order to accurately imagine what kind of service it was, it is necessary to talk with conscripts of that time.

Here is one of the stories

“The entire service life of a length of two years was divided into several periods. The first period: in it, a conscript soldier was called a "spirit", it began from the moment he entered the military unit and ended simultaneously with the course of a young soldier. This was considered the most difficult time, since the soldier did not have any rights (it all happened unofficially). All sergeants are bosses for the "spirits", they came up with different tests for them, who broke from the soldiers remained in this status until the end of their service. And whoever endured, then passing the ritual of initiation, became an "elephant". So, one period of service passed and another began. Then all this behavior of the old-timers was called hazing and began to fight against it.

Video: How they served in the USSR army

Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR Armed Forces)- the military organization of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was intended to protect the Soviet people, freedom and independence of the Soviet Union.

Part Armed Forces of the USSR included: the central bodies of military control, the Strategic Missile Forces, the Ground Forces, the Air Force, the Air Defense Forces, the Navy, the Logistics of the Armed Forces, as well as the Civil Defense Forces, the Internal Troops and the Border Troops.

By the mid-1980s, the armed forces of the USSR were the largest in the world in terms of numbers.

Story

After the end of the Civil War, the Red Army was demobilized, and by the end of 1923, only about half a million people remained in it.

At the end of 1924, the Revolutionary Military Council adopted a 5-year plan for military development, approved by the III Congress of Soviets of the USSR six months later. It was decided to preserve the core of the army and train as many people as possible in military affairs at the lowest cost. As a result, in ten years, 3/4 of all divisions became territorial - recruits were in them at training camps for two to three months a year for five years (see the article territorial-militia unit).

But in 1934 - 1935, the military policy changed and 3/4 of all divisions became personnel. In the Ground Forces in 1939, compared with 1930, the number of artillery increased 7 times, including anti-tank and tank artillery - 70 times. Tank troops and the Air Force developed. The number of tanks from 1934 to 1939 increased by 2.5 times, in 1939 compared to 1930 the total number of aircraft increased by 6.5 times. The construction of surface ships of various classes, submarines, and naval aviation aircraft began. In 1931, airborne troops appeared, which until 1946 were part of the Air Force.

On September 22, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced, and on May 7, 1940, general and admiral ranks. The command staff suffered heavy losses in 1937-1938 as a result of the Great Terror.

On September 1, 1939, the USSR Law “On Universal Military Duty” was adopted, according to which all men fit for health reasons had to serve in the army for three years, in the navy for five years (according to the previous law of 1925, “disenfranchised” - deprived of voting rights “ unearned elements "- they did not serve in the army, but were enrolled in the rear militia) By this time Armed Forces of the USSR were completely staffed, and their number increased to 2 million people.

Instead of separate tank and armor brigades, which since 1939 were the main formations of the armored forces, the formation of tank and mechanized divisions began. In the airborne troops, they began to form airborne corps, and in the Air Force, from 1940, they began to switch to a divisional organization.

During the three years of the Great Patriotic War, the proportion of communists in Armed Forces doubled and by the end of 1944 amounted to 23 percent in the army and 31.5 percent in the navy. At the end of 1944 in Armed Forces there were 3,030,758 communists, which accounted for 52.6 percent of the total membership of the party. During the year, the network of primary party organizations expanded significantly: if on January 1, 1944 there were 67,089 of them in the army and navy, then on January 1, 1945 - already 78,640

By the end of the Great Patriotic War in 1945 Armed Forces of the USSR numbered more than 11 million people, after demobilization - about three million. Then their numbers increased again. But during the Khrushchev thaw, the USSR went to reduce the number of its Armed Forces: in 1955 - by 640 thousand people, by June 1956 - by 1,200 thousand people.

During the Cold War since 1955 Armed Forces of the USSR played a leading role in the military organization of the Warsaw Pact (WTS). Starting from the 1950s, missile weapons were introduced into the armed forces at an accelerated pace; in 1959, the Strategic Missile Forces were created. At the same time, the number of tanks increased. In terms of the number of tanks, the USSR came out on top in the world, by the 1980s in Soviet armed forces there were more tanks than all other countries combined. A large ocean-going navy was created. The most important direction in the development of the country's economy was the build-up of military potential, the arms race. It took a significant part of the national income.

In the period after the Great Patriotic War, the Ministry of Defense of the USSR was systematically entrusted with the task of providing civilian ministries with labor force by forming for them military formations, units, military construction detachments, which were used as construction workers. The number of these formations increased from year to year.

In 1987-1991, during Perestroika, a policy of "defensive sufficiency" was proclaimed, and in December 1988, unilateral measures were announced to reduce Soviet armed forces. Their total number was reduced by 500 thousand people (12%). Soviet military contingents in Central Europe were unilaterally reduced by 50 thousand people, six tank divisions (about two thousand tanks) were withdrawn from the GDR, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and disbanded. In the European part of the USSR, the number of tanks was reduced by 10 thousand, artillery systems - by 8.5 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. 75% of Soviet troops were withdrawn from Mongolia, and the number of troops in the Far East (opposing the PRC) was reduced for 120 thousand people.

Legal basis

Article 31 The defense of the socialist fatherland is one of the most important functions of the state and is the business of the entire people. In order to protect the socialist gains, the peaceful labor of the Soviet people, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, the Armed Forces of the USSR were created and universal military duty was established. Duty Armed Forces of the USSR before the people - to reliably defend the socialist Fatherland, to be in constant combat readiness, guaranteeing an immediate rebuff to any aggressor. Article 32 Military establishment the USSR everything necessary. The duties of state bodies, public organizations, officials and citizens to ensure the security of the country and strengthen its defense capability are determined by the legislation of the USSR. USSR Constitution of 1977

Management

The highest state leadership in the field of defense of the country, on the basis of laws, was carried out by the highest bodies of state power and administration of the USSR, guided by the policy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), directing the work of the entire state apparatus in such a way that, when solving any issues of governing the country, the interests of strengthening its defense capability must be taken into account : - Council of Defense of the USSR (Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense of the RSFSR), Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Articles 73 and 108 of the Constitution of the USSR), Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Article 121 of the Constitution of the USSR), Council of Ministers of the USSR (Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR) ( article 131, Constitution of the USSR).

The USSR Defense Council coordinated the activities of the bodies of the Soviet state in the field of strengthening defense, approving the main directions for the development of the USSR Armed Forces. The USSR Defense Council was headed by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Supreme Commanders

• 1923-1924 - Sergei Sergeevich Kamenev,
• 1941-1953 - Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union,
• 1990-1991 - Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev;
• 1991-1993 - Evgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov, Air Marshal.

Military authorities

Direct construction management USSR Armed Forces, their lives and combat activities were carried out by the Military Control Bodies (OVU).

The system of military control bodies of the USSR Armed Forces included:

The governing bodies of the SA and the Navy, united by the USSR Ministry of Defense (People's Commissariat of Defense, Ministry of the Armed Forces, Ministry of War), headed by the Minister of Defense of the USSR;

Border troops command and control bodies subordinate to the USSR State Security Committee, headed by the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;

Control bodies of the internal troops, subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, headed by the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR.

According to the nature of the tasks performed and the scope of competence in the system of educational institutions, the following differed:

• Central OVU.
• Bodies of military command of military districts (groups of troops), fleets.
• Bodies of military command and control of military formations and units.
• local military authorities.
• Heads of garrisons (senior naval commanders) and military commandants.

Compound

• Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) (from January 15 (28), 1918 - to February 1946)
• Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) (from January 29 (11) February 1918 - to February 1946)
• Workers 'and Peasants' Red Air Fleet (RKKVF)
• Border Troops (Border Guard, Border Guard, Coast Guard)
• Internal Troops (Troops of the Internal Guard of the Republic and the State Escort Guard)

• Soviet Army (SA) (from February 25, 1946 to the beginning of 1992), the official name of the main part of the USSR Armed Forces. Included Strategic Missile Forces, SV, Air Defense Forces, Air Force and other formations
• Navy of the USSR (February 25, 1946 to early 1992)

population

Structure

• On September 1, 1939, the USSR Armed Forces consisted of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, the Workers' and Peasants' Navy, border and internal troops.
• sun consisted of types, and also included the rear of the USSR Armed Forces, the headquarters and troops of the Civil Defense (GO) of the USSR, the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the USSR, the border troops of the State Security Committee (KGB) of the USSR. Page 158.

Kinds

Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN)

Main striking force USSR Armed Forces, which was in constant combat readiness. The headquarters was in the city of Vlasikha. The Strategic Missile Forces included:

• Military space forces, as part of the means of launching, controlling and orbital grouping of spacecraft for military purposes .;
• Missile armies, missile corps, missile divisions (headquarters in the cities of Vinnitsa, Smolensk, Vladimir, Kirov (Kirov region), Omsk, Chita, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Orenburg, Tatishchevo, Nikolaev, Lvov, Uzhgorod, Dzhambul)
• State Central Interspecific Range
• 10th test site (in the Kazakh SSR)
• 4th Central Research Institute (Yubileiny, Moscow Region, RSFSR)
• military educational institutions (Military Academy in Moscow; military schools in the cities of Kharkov, Serpukhov, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol)
• arsenals and central repair plants, storage bases for weapons and military equipment

In addition, there were units and institutions of special troops and rear in the Strategic Missile Forces.

The Strategic Missile Forces was headed by the Commander-in-Chief, who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Headquarters and Directorates of the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR Armed Forces were subordinate to him.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1959-1960 - M. I. Nedelin, Chief Marshal of Artillery
• 1960-1962 - K. S. Moskalenko, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1962-1963 - S. S. Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1963-1972 - N. I. Krylov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1972-1985 - V. F. Tolubko, General of the Army, since 1983 Chief Marshal of Artillery
• 1985-1992 - Yu. P. Maksimov, General of the Army

Ground Forces (SV)

Ground Forces (1946) - a type of the USSR Armed Forces, designed to conduct combat operations mainly on land, the most numerous and diverse in terms of weapons and methods of combat operations. In terms of its combat capabilities, it is capable of independently or in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces to conduct an offensive in order to defeat enemy groupings of troops and seize its territory, deliver fire strikes to a great depth, repel the enemy’s invasion, its large air and sea assault forces, firmly hold the occupied territories, areas and frontiers. In its composition, the SV had various types of troops, special troops, special forces units and formations (Sp. N) and services. In organizational terms, the SV consisted of subdivisions, units, formations and associations.

SV were divided into types of troops (motorized rifle troops (MSV), tank troops (TV), airborne troops (VDV), rocket troops and artillery, military air defense troops (arms of service), army aviation, as well as units and subunits of special forces ( engineering, communications, radio engineering, chemical, technical support, rear security).

The commander-in-chief, who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, headed the USSR SV. The Main Headquarters and Directorates of the SV Armed Forces of the USSR were subordinate to him. The number of ground forces of the USSR in 1989 was 1,596,000 people.

• Central Road Construction Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (CDSU MO USSR)

In the design of ceremonial events, on posters, in drawings on postal envelopes and postcards, an image of a conditional decorative "flag of the Ground Forces" was used in the form of a red rectangular panel with a large red five-pointed star in the center, with a gold (yellow) border. This "flag" was never approved and was not made of fabric.

The SV Armed Forces of the USSR were divided according to the territorial principle into military districts (groups of troops), military garrisons:

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1946-1946 - G.K. Zhukov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1946-1950 - I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1955-1956 - I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1956-1957 - R. Ya. Malinovsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1957-1960 - A. A. Grechko, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1960-1964 - V. I. Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1967-1980 - I. G. Pavlovsky, army general
• 1980-1985 - V. I. Petrov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1985-1989 - E. F. Ivanovsky, army general
• 1989-1991 - V.I. Varennikov, General of the Army
• 1991-1996 - V. M. Semyonov, army general

Air Defense Forces

The Air Defense Forces (1948) included:

• Troops of rocket and space defense;
• Air Defense Radio Engineering Troops, 1952;
• Anti-aircraft missile troops;
• Fighter aviation (air defense aviation);
• Air Defense Electronic Warfare Troops.
• Special Troops.

In addition, there were rear units and institutions in the Air Defense Forces.

Air Defense Forces were divided according to the territorial principle into air defense districts (groups of troops):

• Air defense district (group of forces) - associations of air defense forces designed to protect the most important administrative, industrial centers and regions of the country, groupings of the Armed Forces, important military and other objects within established borders from air strikes. In the Armed Forces, the air defense districts were created after the Great Patriotic War on the basis of the air defense of the fronts and the military. In 1948, the air defense districts were reorganized into air defense districts, and in 1954 they were recreated.
• Moscow Air Defense District - was intended to cover the most important administrative and economic objects of the Northern, Central, Central Black Earth and Volga-Vyatka economic regions of the USSR from enemy air attacks. In November 1941, the Moscow Air Defense Zone was formed, which in 1943 was transformed into the Moscow Special Air Defense Army, deployed in the air defense of the Moscow Military District. After the war, the Moscow Air Defense District was created on its basis, then the Air Defense District. In August 1954, the Moscow Air Defense District was transformed into the Moscow Air Defense District. In 1980, after the liquidation of the Baku Air Defense District, it became the only association of this type in the USSR.
• Baku Air Defense District.

The USSR air defense was headed by the commander-in-chief, who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. He was subordinated to the General Staff and Air Defense Directorates of the USSR.

Headquarters city of Balashikha.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1948-1952 - L. A. Govorov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1952-1953 - N. N. Nagorny, Colonel General
• 1953-1954 - K. A. Vershinin, Air Marshal
• 1954-1955 - L. A. Govorov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1955-1962 - S. S. Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1962-1966 - V. A. Sudets, Air Marshal
• 1966-1978 - P.F. Batitsky, General of the Army, since 1968 Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1978-1987 - A. I. Koldunov, Colonel General, since 1984 Chief Air Marshal
• 1987-1991 - I. M. Tretyak, army general

Air Force

The Air Force organizationally consisted of aviation branches: bomber, fighter-bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, transport, communications and sanitary. At the same time, the Air Force was divided into types of aviation: front-line, long-range, military transport, and auxiliary. They had in their composition special troops, units and institutions of the rear.

The Air Force of the USSR Armed Forces was headed by the Commander-in-Chief (Head, Head of the Main Directorate, Commander) who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. He was subordinated to the Main Headquarters and Directorates of the USSR Air Force

Headquarters city of Moscow.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1921-1922 - Andrey Vasilyevich Sergeev, Commissar
• 1922-1923 - A. A. Znamensky,
• 1923-1924 - Arkady Pavlovich Rozengolts,
• 1924-1931 - Pyotr Ionovich Baranov,
• 1931-1937 - Yakov Ivanovich Alksnis, Commander of the 2nd rank (1935);
• 1937-1939 - Alexander Dmitrievich Loktionov, Colonel General;
• 1939-1940 - Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich, Commander of the 2nd rank, since 1940 Lieutenant General of Aviation;
• 1940-1941 - Pavel Vasilyevich Rychagov, lieutenant general of aviation;
• 1941-1942 - Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, lieutenant general of aviation;
• 1942-1946 - Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, Marshal of Aviation, since 1944 - Chief Marshal of Aviation;
• 1946-1949 - Konstantin Andreevich Vershinin, Air Marshal;
• 1949-1957 - Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, Air Marshal, since 1956 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1957-1969 - Konstantin Andreevich Vershinin, Chief Air Marshal;
• 1969-1984 - Pavel Stepanovich Kutakhov, Air Marshal, since 1972 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1984-1990 - Alexander Nikolaevich Efimov, Air Marshal;
• 1990-1991 - Evgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov, Air Marshal;

Navy

The navy of the USSR organizationally consisted of branches of forces: underwater, surface, naval aviation, coastal missile and artillery troops and marines. It also included ships and vessels of the auxiliary fleet, special forces units (SpN) and various services. The main branches of forces were submarine forces and naval aviation. In addition, there were units and institutions of the rear.

Organizationally, the USSR Navy included:

• Red Banner Northern Fleet (1937)
• Red Banner Pacific Fleet (1935)
• Red Banner Black Sea Fleet
• Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet
• Red Banner Caspian Flotilla
• Red Banner Leningrad Naval Base

The Soviet Navy was headed by the Commander-in-Chief (Commander, Chief of the Naval Forces of the Republic, People's Commissar, Minister), who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. He was subordinated to the General Staff and Directorates of the USSR Navy.

The main headquarters of the Navy is the city of Moscow.

Commanders-in-chief who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR:

Rear of the USSR Armed Forces

Forces and means intended for logistic support and technical support services for the troops (forces) of the Armed Forces. They were an integral part of the defense potential of the state and a link between the country's economy and the Armed Forces directly. It included the headquarters of the rear, the main and central departments, services, as well as government bodies, troops and organizations of central subordination, rear structures of the branches and branches of the Armed Forces, military districts (groups of troops) and fleets, associations, formations and military units.

• Main Military Medical Directorate (GVMU MO USSR) (1946) (Main Military Medical Directorate)
• Main Department of Trade (GUT MO USSR) (1956 chief military department of the Ministry of Trade of the USSR)
• Central Directorate of Military Communications (TsUP VOSO MO USSR), incl. 1962 to 1992, GU VOSO (1950)
• Central Food Administration (CPU MO USSR)
• Central clothing department (TsVU MO USSR) (1979) (Department of clothing and household supply, Department of clothing and convoy supply)
• Central Directorate of Rocket Fuel and Fuel (TsURTG USSR Ministry of Defense) (Fuel Supply Service (1979), Fuel and Lubricant Service, Fuel Service Directorate)
• Central Road Administration (CDU of the USSR Ministry of Defense). (Automobile and road department of Logistics of the Kyrgyz Republic (1941), Department of motor transport and road service of the General Staff (1938), Department of motor transport and road service of VOSO)
• Department of Agriculture.
• Office of the Chief of Ecological Security of the USSR Armed Forces.
• Fire, rescue and local defense service of the USSR Armed Forces.
• Railway troops of the USSR Armed Forces.

The logistics of the Armed Forces in the interests of the Armed Forces solved a whole range of tasks, the main of which were: receiving from the economic complex of the state a supply of material resources and rear equipment, storing and providing troops (forces) with them; planning and organizing, together with the transport ministries and departments, the preparation, operation, technical cover, restoration of communications and vehicles; transportation of all types of material means; implementation of operational, supply and other types of military transportation, provision of basing of the Air Force and Navy; technical support of troops (forces) for rear services; organizing and carrying out medical and evacuation, sanitary and anti-epidemic (preventive) measures, medical protection of personnel from weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and adverse environmental factors, carrying out veterinary and sanitary measures and measures of rear services for the chemical protection of troops (forces); monitoring the organization and condition of fire protection and local defense of troops (forces), assessing the environmental situation in the places of deployment of troops (forces), forecasting its development and monitoring the implementation of measures to protect personnel from environmentally harmful effects of natural and man-made nature; commercial and household, apartment-operational and financial support; protection and defense of communications and rear facilities in the rear zones, organization of camps (reception points) for prisoners of war (hostages), their registration and support; providing work on exhumation, identification, burial and reburial of servicemen.

To solve these problems, the Logistics of the Armed Forces included special troops (automobile, railway, road, pipeline), formations and parts of material support, medical formations, units and institutions, stationary bases and warehouses with appropriate supplies of materiel, transport commandant's offices, veterinary -sanitary, repair, agricultural, commercial, educational (academy, colleges, faculties and military departments at civilian universities) and other institutions.

Headquarters city of Moscow.

Chiefs:

• 1941-1951 - A. V. Khrulev, army general;
• 1951-1958 - V. I. Vinogradov, Colonel General (1944);
• 1958-1968 - I. Kh. Bagramyan, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1968-1972 - S. S. Maryakhin, army general;
• 1972-1988 - S.K. Kurkotkin, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1988-1991 - V. M. Arkhipov, army general;
• 1991-1991 - I. V. Fuzhenko, Colonel General;

Independent branches of the military

Civil Defense Troops (GO) of the USSR

In 1971, the direct leadership of the civil defense was entrusted to the USSR Ministry of Defense, and the day-to-day management of the civil defense was entrusted to the head of the civil defense - the deputy minister of defense of the USSR.

There were civil defense regiments (in major cities of the USSR), the Moscow Military School of Civil Defense (MVUGO, Balashikha), reorganized in 1974 into the Moscow Higher Command School of Road and Engineering Troops (MVKUDIV), trained specialists for road troops and civil defense troops.

Chiefs:

• 1961-1972 - V. I. Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1972-1986 - A. T. Altunin, Colonel General, (since 1977) - Army General;
• 1986-1991 - V. L. Govorov, army general;

Border troops of the KGB of the USSR

The Border Troops (until 1978 - the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR) - were intended to protect the land, sea and river (lake) borders of the Soviet state. In the USSR, the Border Troops were an integral part of the USSR Armed Forces. The direct leadership of the border troops was carried out by the KGB of the USSR and the Main Directorate of the Border Troops subordinate to it. They consisted of border districts, separate formations (border detachment) and their constituent units that guard the border (border outposts, border commandant's offices, checkpoints), special units (divisions) and educational institutions. In addition, there were aviation units and units in the Border Troops (individual aviation regiments, squadrons), sea (river) units (brigades of border ships, divisions of boats) and rear units. The range of tasks solved by the border troops was determined by the USSR Law of November 24, 1982 "On the State Border of the USSR", the regulation on the protection of the USSR state border, approved on August 5, 1960 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The legal status of the personnel of the border troops was regulated by the USSR Law on universal military duty, regulations on military service, charters and instructions.

Border districts and units of central subordination, excluding units and formations transferred from the USSR Ministry of Defense, as of 1991 included:

• Red Banner North-Western Border District.
• Red Banner Baltic Border District.
• Red Banner Western Border District.
• Red Banner Transcaucasian Border District
• Red Banner Central Asian Border District
• Red Banner Eastern Border District
• Red Banner Trans-Baikal Border District.
• Red Banner Far Eastern Border District
• Red Banner Pacific Border District
• North-Eastern border district.
• Separate Arctic border detachment.
• Separate border control detachment "Moscow"
• 105th Separate Special Purpose Border Detachment in Germany (operational subordination - Western Group of Forces).
• Higher Border Command Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky (Alma-Ata);
• Higher Border Command Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after the Moscow City Council (Moscow);
• Higher Border Military-Political Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after K. E. Voroshilov (Golitsyno town);
• Higher border command courses;
• Joint Training Center;
• 2 separate squadrons;
• 2 separate engineering and construction battalions;
• Central Hospital of the Border Troops;
• Central Information and Analytical Center;
• Central Archive of the Border Troops;
• Central Museum of the Border Troops;
• Faculties and departments at military educational institutions of other departments.

Chiefs:

• 1918-1919 - S. G. Shamshev, (Main Directorate of Border Troops (GUP.v.));
• 1919-1920 - V. A. Stepanov, (Department of border supervision);
• 1920-1921 - V. R. Menzhinsky, (special department of the Cheka (border protection));
• 1922-1923 - A. Kh. Artuzov, (Department of Border Troops, Department of Border Guards (OPO));
• 1923-1925 - Ya. K. Olsky, (OPO);
• 1925-1929 - Z. B. Katsnelson, (Main Directorate of the Border Guard (GUPO));
• 1929 - S. G. Velezhev, (GUPO);
• 1929-1931 - I. A. Vorontsov, (GUPO);
• 1931-1933 - N. M. Bystrykh, (GUPO);
• 1933-1937 - M. P. Frinovsky, (GUPO) (since 1934 the border and internal (GUPiVO)) NKVD of the USSR;
• 1937-1938 - N. K. Kruchinkin, (GUPiVO);
• 1938-1939 - A. A. Kovalev, Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops (GUP. V.v.);
• 1939-1941 - G. G. Sokolov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1942-1952 - N. P. Stakhanov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1952-1953 - P. I. Zyryanov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1953-1954 - T. F. Filippov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1954-1956 - A. S. Sirotkin, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1956-1957 - T. A. Strokach, lieutenant general (GUP. V.v.);
• 1957-1972 - P. I. Zyryanov, lieutenant general, (since 1961) colonel general (GUP.v.);
• 1972-1989 - V. A. Matrosov, Colonel General, (since 1978) Army General (GUP.v.);
• 1989-1992 - I. Ya. Kalinichenko, Colonel General (GUP.v.) (since 1991 commander in chief)

Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR

Internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, part USSR Armed Forces. Designed to protect state facilities and perform other service and combat tasks defined in special government decrees assigned to the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. They protected especially important objects of the national economy, as well as socialist property, the personality and rights of citizens, the entire Soviet legal order from the encroachments of criminal elements and performed some other special tasks (guarding places of detention, escorting convicts). The predecessors of the Internal Troops were the Gendarmerie, the Internal Guard Troops of the Republic (VOKhR Troops), the Internal Service Troops, and the Troops of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (VChK). The term Internal Troops appeared in 1921 to refer to units of the Cheka serving in the interior of the country, in contrast to the border troops. During the Great Patriotic War, the NKVD troops guarded the rear of the fronts and armies, carried out garrison service in the liberated areas, and participated in the neutralization of enemy agents. Internal troops of the NKVD of the USSR (1941-1946), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (1946-1947, 1953-1960, 1968-1991), the Ministry of State Security of the USSR (1947-1953), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RSFSR (1960-1962), the MOOP of the RSFSR (1962-1966), MOOP of the USSR (1966-1968), Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (since 1991):

Chiefs:

• 1937-1938 - N. K. Kruchinkin, (Main Directorate of the Border and Internal Guard (GUPiVO));
• 1938-1939 - A. A. Kovalev, (Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops (GUP. V.v.));
• 1941-1942 - A. I. Gulyev, major general;
• 1942-1944 - I. S. Sheredega, Major General;
• 1944-1946 - A. N. Apollonov, Colonel General;
• 1946-1953 - P. V. Burmak, lieutenant general;
• 1953-1954 - T. F. Filippov, lieutenant general;
• 1954-1956 - A. S. Sirotkin, lieutenant general;
• 1956-1957 - T. A. Strokach, lieutenant general;
• 1957-1960 - S. I. Donskov, lieutenant general;
• 1960-1961 - G. I. Aleinikov, lieutenant general;
• 1961-1968 - N.I. Pilshchuk, lieutenant general;
• 1968-1986 - I. K. Yakovlev, Colonel General, since 1980 - Army General;
• 1986-1991 - Yu. V. Shatalin, Colonel General;

Military duty

Universal conscription, established by Soviet law, followed from the constitutional provision, which determines that the defense of the socialist Fatherland is the sacred duty of every citizen of the USSR, and military service in the ranks USSR Armed Forces- an honorable duty of Soviet citizens (Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution of the USSR). The legislation on universal conscription has gone through several stages in its development. Reflecting the socio-political changes in the life of society and the need to strengthen the defense of the country, it developed from volunteerism to compulsory military service for workers and from it to universal military duty.

General military duty was characterized by the following main features:

• it extended only to Soviet citizens;
• was universal: all male citizens of the USSR were subject to conscription; only persons serving a criminal sentence and persons in respect of whom an investigation was conducted or a criminal case was considered by a court were not called;
• it was personal and equal for everyone: it was not allowed to replace a conscript with another person: for evading conscription or from performing duties of military service, the perpetrators were criminally liable;
• had time limits: the terms of active military service, the number and duration of training camps and the age limit for the state in the reserve were precisely established by law;

Conscription under Soviet law was carried out in the following main forms:

• service in the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces within the terms established by law;
• work and service as military builders;
• passing training, verification fees and retraining during the period of state in the reserve of the USSR Armed Forces;

The fulfillment of universal military duty was also preliminary training (military-patriotic education, initial military training (NVP), training of specialists for the Armed Forces, improving general literacy, conducting medical and recreational activities and physical training of young people) for military service:

• passing by students in secondary schools, and by other citizens - in the production of NVP, including training in civil defense, with students in general education schools (starting from the 9th grade), in secondary specialized educational institutions (SSUZ), and in educational institutions of the professional system -technical education (SPTO) by full-time military leaders. Young men who did not study in daytime (full-time) educational institutions of the CWP passed at training centers created (if there are 15 or more young men who are required to pass the CWP) at enterprises, organizations and collective farms; The NVP program included familiarizing young people with the appointment of the Soviet Armed Forces and their nature, with the duties of military service, the basic requirements of the military oath and military regulations. The heads of enterprises, institutions, collective farms and educational institutions were responsible for ensuring that the NVP covered all young men of pre-conscription and military age;
• the acquisition of military specialties in the educational organizations of the SPTO - vocational schools and in the organizations of the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy (DOSAAF), was intended to ensure constant and high combat readiness of the Armed Forces, was advance and provided for the training of specialists (car drivers, electricians, signalmen, paratroopers and others ) from among young men who have reached the age of 17. In the cities it was produced on the job. At the same time, for the period of passing the exams, young students were provided with paid leave for 7-15 working days. In rural areas, it was produced with a break from production at the gathering in the autumn-winter period. In these cases, recruits were kept their jobs, their position and were paid 50% of the average earnings. The costs of renting a dwelling and travel to and from the place of study were also paid;
• the study of military affairs and the acquisition of an officer's specialty by students of higher educational institutions (HEI) and secondary vocational schools, who were engaged in training programs for reserve officers;
• compliance with the rules of military registration and other military duties by conscripts and all citizens who are in the reserve of the USSR Armed Forces.

In order to systematically prepare and organize the call for active military service, the territory of the USSR was divided into district (city) recruiting stations. Citizens who turned 17 years old in the year of registration were assigned to them annually during February - March. Registration to the recruiting stations served as a means of identifying and studying the quantitative and qualitative composition of the recruiting contingents. It was produced by district (city) military commissariats (military registration and enlistment offices) at the place of permanent or temporary residence. Determination of the state of health of those assigned was carried out by doctors allocated by decision of the executive committees (executive committees) of the district (city) Soviets of People's Deputies from local medical institutions. Persons assigned to the recruiting stations were called conscripts. They were given a special certificate. Citizens subject to registration were required to appear at the military registration and enlistment office within the period established on the basis of the Law. A change in the recruiting station was allowed only from January 1 to April 1 and from July 1 to October 1 of the year of conscription. At other times of the year, a change in the recruiting station in some cases could be allowed only for good reasons (for example, moving to a new place of residence as part of a family). The conscription of citizens for active military service was carried out annually everywhere twice a year (in May - June and in November - December) by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR. In troops located in remote and some other areas, the call began a month earlier - in April and October. The number of citizens subject to conscription was established by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The exact dates for the appearance of citizens at the recruiting stations were determined, in accordance with the Law and on the basis of the order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR, by order of the military commissar. None of the conscripts was exempted from appearing at the recruiting stations (with the exception of the cases established by Article 25 of the Law). Issues related to conscription were resolved by collegiate bodies - draft commissions created in districts and cities under the chairmanship of the relevant military commissars. The commission as their full members included representatives of local Soviet, party, Komsomol organizations and doctors. The personal composition of the draft commission was approved by the executive committees of the district (city) Soviets of People's Deputies. The district (city) draft commissions were entrusted with:

• a) organization of medical examination of conscripts;
• b) making a decision on conscription for active military service and the assignment of those called up according to the type of armed forces and types of troops;
• c) granting deferrals in accordance with the Law;
• d) exemption from military duty of conscripts in connection with their illnesses or physical disabilities;

When making a decision, the draft commissions were obliged to comprehensively discuss the family and financial situation of the conscript, his state of health, take into account the wishes of the conscript himself, his specialty, the recommendations of the Komsomol and other public organizations. Decisions were made by majority vote. For the management of district (city) draft commissions and control over their activities in the union and autonomous republics, territories, regions and autonomous districts, appropriate commissions were created under the chairmanship of the military commissar of the union or autonomous republic, territories, region or autonomous district. The activities of the draft commissions were controlled by the Soviets of People's Deputies and prosecutorial supervision. For dishonest or biased attitude to the case when resolving the issue of conscription, providing illegal deferrals, members of the conscription commissions and doctors involved in the examination of conscripts, as well as other persons who committed abuse, were held liable in accordance with applicable law. The basis for the distribution of conscripts by type of armed forces and combat arms was the principle of industrial qualification and specialty, taking into account the state of health. The same principle was used when conscripting citizens into military construction units (VSO) designed to perform construction and installation work, manufacture structures and parts at industrial and logging enterprises of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The recruitment of the military personnel was carried out mainly from conscripts who graduated from construction schools or had construction or related specialties or experience in construction (plumbers, bulldozer operators, cable workers, etc.). The rights, duties and responsibilities of military builders were determined by military legislation, and their labor activity was regulated by labor legislation (with some peculiarities in the application of one or the other). The remuneration of the labor of military builders was carried out according to the current norms. The obligatory term of service in the military service was counted towards the term of active military service.

The law determined: - a single draft age for all Soviet citizens - 18 years;

The term of active military service (conscript military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen) is 2-3 years;

A deferment from conscription could be granted on three grounds: a) for health reasons - it was granted to conscripts who were temporarily unfit for military service due to illness (Article 36 of the Law); b) by marital status (Article 34 of the Law); c) to continue education (Article 35 of the Law);

During the period of post-war mass demobilization of 1946-1948, there was no conscription into the Armed Forces. Instead, conscripts were sent to recovery work. A new law on universal conscription was adopted in 1949, in accordance with it, a conscription was established once a year, for a period of 3 years, for a fleet of 4 years. In 1968, the term of service was reduced by one year, instead of conscription once a year, two conscription campaigns were introduced - spring and autumn.

Passage of military service.

Military service is a special type of public service, which consists in the fulfillment by Soviet citizens of constitutional military duty as part of the USSR Armed Forces (Article 63, Constitution of the USSR). Military service was the most active form of exercise by citizens of their constitutional duty to defend the socialist Fatherland (Articles 31 and 62 of the Constitution of the USSR), was an honorable duty and was assigned only to citizens of the USSR. Foreigners and stateless persons who lived on the territory of the USSR did not carry out military duty and were not enrolled in military service, while they could be accepted for work (service) in civilian Soviet organizations in compliance with the rules established by laws.

Soviet citizens were drawn into military service on a mandatory basis through conscription (regular, for training camps and for mobilization) in accordance with a constitutional obligation (Article 63 of the Constitution of the USSR), and in accordance with Art. 7 of the Law on General Military Duty (1967), all servicemen and those liable for military service took a military oath of allegiance to their people, their Soviet Motherland and the Soviet government. Military service is characterized by the presence of an institution assigned in accordance with the established article 9 of the Law on universal military duty (1967) personal military ranks, in accordance with which military personnel and those liable for military service were divided into superiors and subordinates, senior and junior, with all the ensuing legal consequences.

AT USSR Armed Forces about 40% of the conscripted contingent who was registered with the military (assigned to the military registration and enlistment offices) were called up.

Forms of military service were established in accordance with the principle of building the Armed Forces on a permanent personnel basis, accepted in modern conditions (a combination of personnel Armed Forces with the presence of a reserve of military-trained citizens liable for military service). Therefore, according to the Law on General Conscription (Article 5), military service was divided into active military service and service in the reserve, each of which proceeded in special forms.

Active military service - the service of Soviet citizens in the personnel of the Armed Forces, as part of the corresponding military units, crews of warships, as well as institutions, institutions and other military organizations. Persons enrolled in active military service were called military personnel, they entered into military service relations with the state, were appointed to such positions provided by the states, for which certain military or special training was required.

In accordance with the organizational structure of the Armed Forces, the difference in the nature and scope of the service competence of personnel, the state adopted and used the following forms of active military service:

• urgent military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen
• extended military service of sergeants and foremen
• service of ensigns and midshipmen
• officer service, including officers who were called up from the reserve for a period of 2-3 years

As an additional form of active military service, the service of women taken in peacetime in USSR Armed Forces on a voluntary basis for the positions of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen;

The service (work) of military builders was adjacent to the forms of military service.

Service in reserve- periodic performance of military service by citizens enlisted in the reserve of the Armed Forces. Persons who were in the reserve were called reserve soldiers.

Forms of military service during the state in the reserve were short-term fees and retraining:

• training camps aimed at improving the military and special training of those liable for military service, maintaining it at the level of modern requirements;
• verification fees, which are intended to determine the combat and mobilization readiness of military command and control bodies (OVU);

The legal status of the personnel of the USSR Armed Forces was regulated by:

• Constitution (Basic Law) of the USSR, (1977)
• Law of the USSR on universal military obligation, (1967)
• General military charters of the USSR Armed Forces and the Ship charter
• Regulations on the passage of military service (officers, ensigns and re-enlisted personnel, etc.)
• Combat regulations
• Instructions
• Instructions
• Guides
• Orders
• orders

USSR Armed Forces abroad

• Group of Soviet troops in Germany. (GSVG)
• Northern Group of Forces (SGV)
• Central Group of Forces (CGV)
• Southern Group of Forces (YUGV)
• Group of Soviet military specialists in Cuba (GSVSK)
• GSVM. Soviet troops in Mongolia belonged to the Trans-Baikal Military District.
• Limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan (OKSVA). Soviet army units in Afghanistan belonged to the Turkestan military district, and units of the border troops as part of OKSVA belonged to the Central Asian border district and the Eastern border district.
• Basing points (PB) of the Soviet Navy: - Tartus in Syria, Cam Ranh in Vietnam, Umm Qasr in Iraq, Nokra in Ethiopia.
• Naval base Porkkala-Udd, Republic of Finland;

War activities

States (countries) in which armed forces of the USSR or military advisers and specialists armed forces of the USSR participated in the hostilities (were during the hostilities) after the Second World War:

• China 1946-1949, 1950
• North Korea 1950-1953
• Hungary 1956
• North Vietnam 1965-1973
• Czechoslovakia 1968
• Egypt 1969-1970
• Angola 1975-1991
• Mozambique 1976-1991
• Ethiopia 1975-1991
• Libya 1977
• Afghanistan 1979-1989

• Syria 1982
• Interesting Facts

• From June 22, 1941 to July 1, 1941 (9 days) Armed Forces of the USSR 5,300,000 people joined.
• In July 1946, the first missile unit was formed on the basis of the guards mortar regiment.
• In 1947, into service Soviet troops the first R-1 missiles began to arrive.
• In 1947 - 1950, mass production and mass entry into the armed forces of jet aircraft began.
• Since 1952, the Air Defense Forces of the country have been equipped with anti-aircraft missiles.
• In September 1954, the first major military exercise with a real explosion of an atomic bomb was held in the Semipalatinsk region.
• In 1955, the first ballistic missile was launched from a submarine.
• In 1957, the first tactical exercise was held with tanks crossing the river along the bottom.
• In 1966, a detachment of nuclear submarines circumnavigated the world without surfacing on the sea surface.
• Armed Forces of the USSR the first in the world, en masse adopted such a class of armored vehicles as an infantry fighting vehicle. BMP-1 appeared in the army in 1966. In NATO countries, an approximate analogue of Marder will appear only in 1970.
• In the late 1970s of the XX century, in service Armed Forces of the USSR consisted of about 68 thousand tanks, and tank troops included 8 tank armies.
• During the period from 1967 to 1979, 122 nuclear submarines were built in the USSR. In thirteen years, five aircraft carriers were built.
• In the late 1980s, construction formations in terms of the number of personnel (350,000 - 450,000) exceeded such branches of the USSR Armed Forces as the Border Troops (220,000), Airborne Troops (60,000), Marine Corps (15,000) - combined .
• There is a precedent in the History of the USSR Armed Forces when a motorized rifle regiment, actually being under a state of siege, defended the territory of its own military camp for 3 years and 9 months.
• The number of personnel of the Marine Corps of the USSR Armed Forces was 16 times smaller than the US Marine Corps - the main probable enemy.
• Despite the fact that Afghanistan is a mountainous country with non-navigable rivers, the naval (river) units of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR took an active part in the Afghan war.
• Every year in service in USSR Armed Forces 400 - 600 aircraft were received. From the answers of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General A. Zelin at a press conference at MAKS-2009 (August 20, 2009). The accident rate in the Air Force in the 1960s - 1980s was at the level of 100 - 150 accidents and disasters annually.
• The military personnel who found themselves under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, when they were created on March 16 - May 7, 1992, did not take the oath, they did not violate this oath, but were bound by the following oath:

I, a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, joining the Armed Forces of the USSR, take an oath and solemnly swear to be an honest, brave, disciplined, vigilant warrior, strictly keep military and state secrets, abide by the Constitution of the USSR and Soviet laws, implicitly comply with all military regulations and orders of commanders and chiefs. I swear to conscientiously study military affairs, to protect military and people's property in every possible way, and to my last breath to be devoted to my people, my Soviet Motherland and the Soviet government. I am always ready, on the orders of the Soviet government, to defend my Motherland - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and, as a soldier of the Armed Forces of the USSR, I swear to defend it courageously, skillfully, with dignity and honor, not sparing my blood and life itself in order to achieve complete victory over enemies. If, however, I break this solemn oath of mine, then let me suffer the severe punishment of Soviet law, the general hatred and contempt of the Soviet people. A series of postage stamps, 1948: 30 years of the Soviet Army A series of postage stamps, 1958: 40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR A particularly numerous and colorful series of postage stamps was issued for the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces: A series of postage stamps, 1968: 50 years of the Soviet Armed Forces

Somewhere I found that before the war, the draft age was 21 years old. With the outbreak of the war, the bar was lowered to 18, and so it holds ...
however, according to http://www.soldat.ru/doc/law/law_war/war1939.html

CHAPTER II
Conscription for active military service.

Article 14 twelve years, and those who graduated from high school and its corresponding educational institutions - eighteen years.

http://hghltd.yandex.net/yandbtm?url=http%...OEOpiJ7Sw%3D%3D

Vladimir Bogdanovich, apparently, is not aware of what was happening in connection with the events in Poland, and therefore, the USSR is trying to squeeze in a completely routine law on universal military duty into the system of evidence of the "aggressiveness" of the USSR.
“Until 1939, there was no universal military duty in the Soviet Union. The draft age is 21. This is incomprehensible. [...] And no one can really explain why it is necessary to be drafted into the army at the age of 21, and not earlier.”

It can be explained quite simply. A young man looks better as a soldier than a beardless youth. 21 was once the standard draft age. For example, in Finland. The need for soldiers led to the fact that in 1940 the Finns called up the younger age groups for emergency training. However, the state of emergency as a conscription system could not be long-term, and on January 24, 1941, the Finnish parliament passed a new law on military service, which increased the length of service and lowered the conscription age to 20 years. As a result of this, in the Finnish army in 1940-1941. there were three draft ages in active service. France in the 1910s gives us the same example. The draft age was 21, but in 1913 the draft age was lowered to 20. As a result, in the fall of 1913, two ages were called up simultaneously, 20- and 21-year-olds, receiving 445,000 instead of 256,000 recruits from previous years. The French army, which previously averaged 450 thousand people, in 1914 reached 690 thousand combatants and 45 thousand non-combatants for 39 million people. In a word, "Icebreaker" about France in 1914 is written at a time. And the plans were offensive, and two ages were called in 1913, and in the charter they wrote about the offensive as the main type of action.

But the history of the Red Army does not even give a reason for such stories. Vladimir Bogdanovich is simply not in the know and therefore informs readers:
“And Stalin also had a reserve: according to the new “Law on Universal Military Duty”, the draft age was reduced from 21 to 19 years, and for some categories - to 18. And they immediately raked in all those who are 21, and everyone who is 20, and who are 19, and in some cases even 18. My father was also in this set, he then turned 18. (Day M, Chapter 16.)

The draft age was lowered not in 1939, but three years earlier, when the decision of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of August 11, 1936 SZ 1936 No. 46 was issued, which read:
"one. By amending Art. 10 of the "Law on Compulsory Military Service" of August 13, 1930.(SZ 1930 No. 40, Art. 424) to establish that citizens are called upon to serve active military service in the Red Army upon reaching the age of 19 by January 1 of the year of conscription (instead of 21 years). (Legislation on the defense of the USSR. M .: Voenizdat, 1939. P. 63.)

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

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

Story

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

Armed Forces of the Soviet Union

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

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

Creation of an army

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

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

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

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

Civil War (1917-1923)

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

cold war

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

The transformation of the army in 1946-1949

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

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

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

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

Territorial organization

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Armament and military equipment

nuclear forces

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Additions to norm No. 1

For the personnel of guards to escort military cargo on the railway

For reserve officers who are on training camp

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

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

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

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

Option 1

Option 2

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

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

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

Educational work

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

Postal service

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