Further changes in numbers during the war are given below.

Personnel

Total: 3,182 people

Small arms

	Pistols (revolvers)	Submachine guns	Rifles and Carbines	Self-loading rifles	Light machine guns	Heavy machine guns
Quantity	441	313	1 301	984	116	54

Air defense systems

Artillery and mortars

Transport

Radio stations and field kitchens

Regimental units and officials

Data are provided as of the beginning of the war, based on state 04/401 of April 5, 1941. Further changes in the structure and armament of the regiment during the war are given below.

Regimental commander

Directly subordinate to the regiment commander were:

• Chief of Staff together with regimental headquarters
• Deputy commander for political affairs along with the party political apparatus
• Deputy regiment commander
• Chief of Artillery Regiment
• Head of the chemical service of the regiment
• Regimental engineer
• Senior regiment doctor
• Senior veterinarian of the regiment
• Head of the regiment's economic unit
• Rifle battalion commanders

Each person subordinate to the regiment commander was armed with a pistol (revolver).

Regimental headquarters

The regimental headquarters was headed by the regimental chief of staff with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The headquarters consisted of 8 command personnel, one clerk with the rank of foreman and two private clerks. The regiment headquarters itself was armed with 11 pistols, 1 submachine gun (PPD) and 4 rifles or carbines (Mosin rifle). The regiment's headquarters were assigned 7 riding horses.

The chief of staff of the regiment had his assistants (abbreviated as PNS):

• Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations or PNSh-1. In particular, he kept calculations of the combat strength of units, issued orders, kept a work map, a combat log, etc. He replaced the chief of staff in his absence. Military rank by state - captain
• Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence or PNSh-2. In particular, he planned and carried out reconnaissance of the enemy, and was responsible for manning and combat training of the foot and mounted reconnaissance platoons subordinate to him. Military rank by state - captain
  • Mounted reconnaissance platoon lieutenant; the platoon consisted of 4 non-commissioned officers and 27 privates. The platoon was armed with 14 submachine guns, 15 self-loading rifles (SVT-38, SVT-40 or ABC-36), 3 manual rifles (Degtyarev machine gun); the platoon had 32 riding horses.
  • Foot reconnaissance platoon. He was headed by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant and a political instructor; the platoon consisted of 5 non-commissioned officers and 46 privates. The platoon was armed with 4 pistols, 14 submachine guns, 2 rifles, 30 self-loading rifles, 4 light machine guns; The platoon was not provided with any means of transport.
• Assistant Chief of Staff for Communications or PNSh-3, regiment communications chief. He was responsible for organizing wire and radio communications in the regiment. The state military rank is captain. Under his direct subordination were:
  • Communications company. It was headed by a company commander, armed with a pistol, and had 5 horses and 10 carts at his disposal. The company had a political instructor (1 pistol), a company sergeant major and a clerk (2 rifles or carbines).
    • Headquarters Platoon. Led by a platoon commander; it consisted of 3 sergeants and 17 privates, armed with 21 rifles.
    • Telephone and light signaling platoon. There were two of them in the company, each of which was headed by a platoon commander; the platoon included 3 sergeants and 22 privates. The platoon was armed with 25 rifles and 1 pistol.
    • Radio platoon. Led by a platoon commander, it consisted of 4 sergeants and 4 privates, the platoon was armed with 9 rifles and 1 pistol, the platoon had three radio stations
• Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel or PNSh-4. Organized the maintenance and storage of regimental documentation. The state military rank is captain. A clerk and two clerks were directly subordinate to him.
• Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics and Supply or PNSh-5. He had to organize the supply of ammunition, food, medicine and other things to the regiment. The state military rank is captain.
• Assistant Chief of Staff for Special Communications or PNSh-6. Responsible for communication coding and notation coding topographic maps. The state military rank is senior lieutenant.

Also directly subordinate to the chief of staff were:

• Commandant's Platoon, which included a security department, a utility department, cooks and a combat support department. It was headed by a platoon commander and consisted of 4 sergeants and 23 privates. Had 3 submachine guns, 11 rifles, 9 self-loading rifles, 1 light machine gun, 3 carts, 1 passenger car and a field kitchen for headquarters
• Platoon of musicians, led by a platoon commander, with two sergeants and 10 privates. Had 5 pistols and 8 rifles.
• Air Defense Company. The company was led by a commander and political officer, armed with pistols; it included a company sergeant major armed with a rifle or carbine. The company consisted of two platoons. The first platoon, led by a commander armed with a pistol, consisted of six machine-gun crews, each armed with a 7.62-mm anti-aircraft machine gun. Each crew consisted of a crew commander with the rank of sergeant with personal weapons in the form of a pistol, a machine gunner, two assistant machine gunners and a driver, all privates, personal weapons - a rifle. A truck (GAZ-AA) was allocated for the calculation. The second platoon also consisted of three crews similar to the above, but armed with 12.7-mm anti-aircraft modifications of the DShK machine gun.

Party political apparatus

The regiment's party-political apparatus consisted of four commanding officers armed with pistols. At the beginning of the war, the regiment had a deputy regiment commander for political affairs, who, soon after the start of the war, was replaced by a commissar, who was no longer subordinate to the regiment commander. In addition to the political officer (commissar), the regimental apparatus included a party organizer, a Komsomol organizer and an agitator.

Rifle battalions

Each rifle regiment had three rifle battalions. The rifle battalion was led by a battalion commander with the rank of major. The commander's weapon is a pistol; the commander was entitled to a riding horse.

Battalion Headquarters

The headquarters of the rifle battalion consisted of three commanding (later officer) personnel (chief of staff and two assistant chief of staff) and one ordinary clerk. They were entitled to one pistol, one submachine gun and two rifles; two riding horses and three carts. Directly subordinate to the battalion headquarters were:

• Battalion communications platoon consisting of 33 people, consisting of an officer - platoon commander, 3 privates-riders with 3 carts, a telephone exchange of 5 people including one sergeant, a radio group of 5 sergeants (each with a radio station) and 2 privates, and two telephone-cable groups of nine people, including one sergeant. Everyone except the platoon commander is armed with rifles.
• Battalion medical platoon consisting of an officer - platoon commander, 3 paramedics and 4 medical instructors. They had one pistol and two rifles on staff.
• Battalion utility platoon consisting of an officer - platoon commander, 3 sergeants and 29 privates, armed with one pistol and 20 rifles. The platoon had one wagon and 4 field kitchens at its disposal.

Rifle company

Each battalion had three rifle companies. Each rifle company had a commander with the rank of captain and a political officer (middle command staff), a foreman (junior command staff), a rider with a horse, a clerk, two snipers and a messenger (private soldiers). All but the middle commanders were armed with rifles. The rifle company consisted of three rifle platoons, one machine gun platoon and a medical squad.

• Rifle Platoon. Led by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant, armed with a pistol; the deputy platoon commander, armed with a submachine gun, was a non-commissioned officer; The platoon also included a messenger with a rifle. The platoon consisted of four rifle squads, each headed by a sergeant, who was assigned a self-loading rifle. The rest, except for the mortar squad commander, were privates: a machine gunner (pistol and light machine gun), an assistant machine gunner (self-loading rifle), two machine gunners (submachine guns) and six riflemen (rifles). The platoon included a mortar squad of one 50-mm mortar crew, led by a sergeant (pistol) and three private crews (rifles)
• Machine gun platoon. Led by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant, armed with a pistol; He also had a rider with a horse and a rifle. The platoon consisted of two crews of a heavy machine gun, respectively, each crew was armed with a Maxim machine gun, the crew commander was a sergeant armed with a pistol; The crew included four privates with rifles.
• Sanitary department consisted of a squad commander, a sergeant-medic and four orderlies, all of whom had one pistol.

Regimental artillery

Regimental artillery was subordinate to the regimental artillery chief. It consisted of three batteries.

• Battery of 45 mm guns

45 mm anti-tank guns. The battery was led by a battery commander; a political instructor was responsible for political work (both were armed with pistols); the battery had a sergeant major armed with a rifle. They had three riding horses on staff. In addition, the battery staff included two ordinary reconnaissance officers (each with a riding horse), also armed with rifles. The battery consisted of three fire platoons, each of which had a commander (personal weapon - pistol) and two gun crews. The crew of the 45-mm gun consisted of 8 people, two in the rank of sergeant and six privates, who had one pistol and seven rifles as personal weapons. The crew had at their disposal one riding horse and one cart. The battery had a field kitchen.

• Battery of 76 mm guns

The battery was armed with six 76-mm regimental guns. The battery was headed by a battery commander, a political instructor was responsible for political work, and there was a sergeant major in the battery. The battery also had a paramedic and a veterinary paramedic in officer ranks. They had five riding horses on staff. The battery consisted of three fire platoons, each of which had a commander, a senior rider (two horses were available) and two gun crews. The crew of the 76-mm gun consisted of 11 people, two in the rank of sergeant and nine privates. The crew had one riding horse at their disposal. Unlike the battery of 45-mm guns, this battery also had a control platoon (1 officer, 5 sergeants and 18 privates with 6 horses and 6 carts, 6 radio stations), an ammunition platoon (1 officer, 3 sergeants and 21 privates with 4 horses and 9 carts) and a utility platoon (2 sergeants and 9 privates with 2 horses, 1 cart and 2 field kitchens). The battery's personal weapons consisted of 13 pistols, 5 submachine guns and 114 carbines.

• Battery of 120 mm mortars

The battery was armed with four 120-mm regimental mortars. The battery was led by a battery commander armed with a pistol; a political instructor armed with a submachine gun was responsible for political work; the battery had a sergeant major armed with a rifle. They had three riding horses on staff. In addition, the battery staff included two ordinary reconnaissance officers (each with a riding horse), also armed with rifles. The battery had five private telephone operators with five rifles and an ordinary driver with a rifle and a cart. The battery consisted of two fire platoons, each of which had a commander and two mortar crews. The crew of the 120-mm mortar consisted of 10 people, one with the rank of sergeant and nine privates, armed with one pistol and nine rifles, respectively. The crew had one cart at their disposal.

Sapper company

The sapper company was supervised by a regimental engineer, who was responsible in the regiment for the arrangement of fortifications, various types of barriers, dugouts, trenches and trenches, means for crossing rivers, etc. Direct command of the sapper company was exercised by its commander; the company also had a political instructor (both with horses and pistols), the head of the company's chemical service (also an officer), and a sergeant-major and a messenger were present in the company. The last three in the state were entitled to rifles. The company consisted of two sapper platoons, each of which had a commander (officer), five sergeants and 32 private sappers. The platoon had 5 pistols and 33 rifles. The company had a utility department of three privates, headed by a sergeant, with four rifles and three carts.

Chemical defense platoon

He was supervised by the regimental commander, headed by a platoon commander with the rank of officer, and had 6 sergeants and 16 privates. The platoon commander was entitled to a pistol, the rest were armed with rifles. The platoon was required to have 4 carts.

Sanitary company

For the organization medical care the regiment's senior doctor was responsible for the sanitary condition of the unit. The sanitary company was headed by a doctor with the rank of officer; Besides him, the company had three more medical officers, 11 paramedics and 40 privates. They, excluding the senior doctor, were provided with 4 pistols, 27 rifles, 13 carts and 9 trucks, as well as one field kitchen.

Veterinary hospital

The infirmary was headed by the senior veterinarian of the regiment, responsible for the condition, maintenance and treatment of the equine staff. In total, in the infirmary, in addition to the senior doctor, there were two veterinarians with officer rank and 10 privates, who had 1 pistol and 8 rifles. The infirmary had three carts.

Economic part

Headed by the head of the economic department. The unit consisted of 7 officers, including the chief, including the chief of artillery weapons, the head of the food service, the head of the clothing service, the head of the military-technical service, the head of the financial service, the head of the transport service, as well as 8 non-commissioned officers armed with pistols and rifles respectively. All of them relied on 3 riding horses. The part included:

• Transport company of 5 officers (5 pistols), including the company commander, 6 sergeants (6 submachine guns) and 96 privates (92 rifles). The company had 86 horse-drawn carts and two field kitchens.
• Ammunition workshops of 2 officers, 6 sergeants and 9 privates, who were armed with 3 pistols and 7 rifles.
• Cargo service workshops of 2 officers, 6 sergeants and 9 privates, carrying 8 rifles.

OSHS changes

Due to losses in weapons and personnel in the initial period of the war, changes in the mobilization capacity of the state at different times, both for the worse and for the better, as well as the accumulation of experience in the combat use of rifle units and formations, the organizational structure (OShS, The staffing table) of the rifle regiment underwent a number of changes during the war.

1941

Already in August 1941, changes in the structure of the rifle regiment began according to state No. 04/601 dated July 29, 1941. First of all, this was due to losses in weapons and personnel. Both newly created regiments of rifle divisions and those already existing in the composition were subject to formation according to the new staff Active Army. Changes in accordance with the new states were intended to be carried out only when units were withdrawn to the army or front-line rear for reorganization, replenishment or rest.

• At rifle company level
  • Quantity light machine guns was reduced by half, from 12 to 6 trunks.
  • The number of 50 mm mortars has been reduced from 3 to 2 barrels.
  • A platoon of heavy machine guns was excluded
• • A company of 82-mm mortars was excluded, and a platoon of two crews of 82-mm mortars was included.
  • A platoon of 45 mm guns was excluded.
• At rifle regiment level
  • One fire platoon of 76 mm guns was eliminated, thus reducing the number of guns to four.
  • One fire platoon of 120-mm mortars was eliminated, thus eliminating the battery and leaving one platoon of two mortars.

Accordingly, there was a decrease in the regiment's personnel by 459 people, or about 14%, with a total of 2,723 people remaining in the regiment.

F. 4. op. 11, d. 66, l. 182-183. Script. Publ. in the Collection of combat documents of the Great Patriotic War. No. 5. M., . P. 24.

Further changes in the composition of the regiment followed according to the state dated December 6, 1941 No. 04/751

The regiment included a company of anti-tank rifles in the amount of 79 people with a company commander, a sergeant major and a political instructor. The number of people in the regiment increased by 234 people compared to the previous staff and became 2957 people.

1942

On March 16, 1942, by Order of the NKO No. 0405, a company of anti-tank rifles in the amount of 16 units was introduced into the rifle battalion, and on March 18, 1942, a new staff of regiment No. 04/201 was approved. The regiment's personnel, in accordance with this staff, increased to 3173 people.

In a number of divisions in 1942, the process of transferring mortars from divisions to the regimental level and from the regiment level to the battalion and company levels began. Thus, platoons of 50-mm mortars (3 mortars each) were recreated in rifle companies, companies of 82-mm mortars (9 mortars each), and in a regiment - a battery of 120-mm mortars (6 mortars). Later, by order of NKO No. 306 of October 8, 1942, this practice was officially formalized.

But even earlier, on July 28, 1942, due to a chronic shortage of personnel due to losses, the new staff of regiment No. 04/301 came into force, according to which the number of people in the regiment was again reduced to 2517 people.

However, in fact, until 1943, rifle regiments were maintained in three different states, December 1941, March 1942 and July 1942.

1942-1944

On December 10, 1942, State No. 04/551 was approved, in accordance with which rifle regiments were formed and staffed until the end of 1944. The strength of the rifle regiment began to be 2443 people. One 50-mm mortar was removed from the rifle companies, 2 mortars remained, and one 120-mm mortar was added to the regiment's mortar battery, so there were 7 of them. The anti-tank rifle company in the battalion was reduced to a platoon with 9 rifles.

At the same time, staff No. 04/501 of the Guards Rifle Regiment was approved. The main differences in the organization of the Guards Rifle Regiment from the usual one were the presence of two companies of machine gunners instead of one, two heavy machine guns in a rifle company instead of one, 12 heavy machine guns in a machine gun company instead of 9, the number of regimental mortars was also increased to 8 and finally remained in the Guards Rifle Regiment PTR company of 16 guns. Accordingly, the number of personnel increased.

On July 15, 1943, minor changes followed in the staff of the rifle regiment (both guards and regular), associated with a decrease in the number of rifles and an increase in submachine guns.

1945

On December 18, 1944, staff No. 05/41 was approved for the Guards Rifle Regiments. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, it was used for a certain number of guards divisions, and from June 9, 1945, with some changes, it was declared an active state for all rifle regiments of the Red Army. It must be borne in mind that the overwhelming majority of ordinary rifle regiments ended the war according to the previous staff. Thus, the changes of December 1944 affected a small part of military units. Among the changes in particular:

At rifle company level

• 50-mm mortars were discontinued and, accordingly, mortar platoons were excluded from the companies.

At rifle battalion level

• A fighter-anti-tank battery of four 45-mm guns appeared
• The mortar company began to consist of six 82-mm mortars
• The machine gun company began to have 12 heavy machine guns (Maxim Machine Gun or SG-43)
• A communications platoon of 19 people was introduced, with a set consisting of 1 telephone switch, 8 telephones and 8 kilometers of telephone cable.

At rifle regiment level

• The artillery battery of 76-mm guns began to consist of three fire platoons (6 guns)
• The mortar battery of 120-mm mortars began to consist of 6 mortars
• The anti-tank destroyer battery was armed with six 57 mm anti-tank guns
• Instead of an air defense company, an anti-aircraft platoon of six 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns was introduced.
• The size of the foot reconnaissance platoon was set at 38 people, and the horse reconnaissance platoon was abolished.
• The size of the engineer platoon, introduced instead of the engineer company, was set at 27 people.
• The composition of the regimental communications company was determined to be 73 people; the company consisted of three platoons (headquarters, radio communications and telephone). The communications company had 6 radio stations, 2 radio receivers, 3 telephone switchboards, 20 telephones and 32 kilometers of telephone cable.
• The regiment's transport company began to consist of 6 GAZ-AA vehicles and 18 paired carts

The regiment numbered 2,725 people, with a rifle battalion of 670 people and a rifle company of 114 people. Also in each regiment there were two companies of machine gunners, each numbering 98 people. In June 1945, the staff changed somewhat: the strength of the regiment began to be 2,398 people, with a battalion of 555 people and a company of 104 people.

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Notes

Literature

• Collection of combat documents of the Great Patriotic War. No. 5. Moscow (M.), 1947;

Links

• Reference materials on the organizational structure of the rifle division of the Soviet Army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. 6th Department of the Military Historical Directorate of the Main Military Scientific Directorate of the General Staff of the Soviet Army. 1951

An excerpt characterizing the Rifle Regiment of the Red Army

Prince Vasily sat on an armchair in his familiar pose, crossing his legs high. His cheeks jumped up and down and seemed thicker at the bottom; but he had the appearance of a man who was not much occupied with the conversation between the two ladies.
– Voyons, ma bonne Anna Mikhailovna, laissez faire Catiche. [Leave Katya to do what she knows.] You know how the Count loves her.
“I don’t even know what’s in this paper,” said the princess, turning to Prince Vasily and pointing to the mosaic briefcase she was holding in her hands. “I only know that the real will is in his office, and this is a forgotten paper...
She wanted to get around Anna Mikhailovna, but Anna Mikhailovna, jumping up, again blocked her way.
“I know, dear, kind princess,” said Anna Mikhailovna, clutching the briefcase with her hand so tightly that it was clear that she would not let him go soon. - Dear princess, I ask you, I beg you, have pity on him. Je vous en conjure... [I beg you...]
The princess was silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the struggle for the briefcase. It was clear that if she spoke, she would not speak in a flattering manner for Anna Mikhailovna. Anna Mikhailovna held him tightly, but despite that, her voice retained all its sweet viscousness and softness.
- Pierre, come here, my friend. I think that he is not superfluous in the family council: isn’t it, prince?
- Why are you silent, mon cousin? - the princess suddenly screamed so loudly that in the living room they heard and were afraid of her voice. – Why are you silent when here God knows who allows themselves to interfere and make scenes on the threshold of the dying man’s room. Schemer! – she whispered angrily and pulled the briefcase with all her might.
But Anna Mikhailovna took a few steps to keep up with the briefcase and grabbed her hand.
- Oh! - said Prince Vasily reproachfully and in surprise. He got up. - C "est ridicule. Voyons, [This is funny. Well,] let me go. I'm telling you.
The princess let me in.
- And you!
Anna Mikhailovna did not listen to him.
- Let me in, I tell you. I take everything upon myself. I'll go and ask him. I...enough of this for you.
“Mais, mon prince,” said Anna Mikhailovna, “after such a great sacrament, give him a moment of peace.” Here, Pierre, tell me your opinion,” she turned to the young man, who, right up to them, looked in surprise at the embittered face of the princess, which had lost all decency, and at the jumping cheeks of Prince Vasily.
“Remember that you will be responsible for all the consequences,” said Prince Vasily sternly, “you don’t know what you are doing.”
- Vile woman! - the princess screamed, suddenly rushing at Anna Mikhailovna and snatching the briefcase.
Prince Vasily lowered his head and spread his arms.
At that moment the door, that terrible door that Pierre had been looking at for so long and which had opened so quietly, quickly and noisily fell back, banging against the wall, and the middle princess ran out of there and clasped her hands.
- What are you doing! – she said desperately. – II s"en va et vous me laissez seule. [He dies, and you leave me alone.]
The eldest princess dropped her briefcase. Anna Mikhailovna quickly bent down and, picking up the controversial item, ran to the bedroom. The eldest princess and Prince Vasily, having come to their senses, followed her. A few minutes later, the eldest princess was the first to emerge from there, with a pale and dry face and a bitten mouth. lower lip. At the sight of Pierre, her face expressed uncontrollable anger.
“Yes, rejoice now,” she said, “you have been waiting for this.”
And, bursting into tears, she covered her face with a handkerchief and ran out of the room.
Prince Vasily came out for the princess. He staggered to the sofa where Pierre was sitting and fell on it, covering his eyes with his hand. Pierre noticed that he was pale and that his lower jaw was jumping and shaking, as if in a feverish trembling.
- Ah, my friend! - he said, taking Pierre by the elbow; and in his voice there was a sincerity and weakness that Pierre had never noticed in him before. – How much do we sin, how much do we deceive, and all for what? I’m in my sixties, my friend... After all, for me... Everything will end in death, that’s it. Death is terrible. - He cried.
Anna Mikhailovna was the last to leave. She approached Pierre with quiet, slow steps.
“Pierre!...” she said.
Pierre looked at her questioningly. She kissed the young man's forehead, moistening it with her tears. She paused.
– II n "est plus... [He was gone...]
Pierre looked at her through his glasses.
- Allons, je vous reconduirai. Tachez de pleurer. Rien ne soulage, comme les larmes. [Come on, I'll take you with you. Try to cry: nothing makes you feel better than tears.]
She led him into the dark living room and Pierre was glad that no one there saw his face. Anna Mikhailovna left him, and when she returned, he, with his hand under his head, was fast asleep.
The next morning Anna Mikhailovna said to Pierre:
- Oui, mon cher, c"est une grande perte pour nous tous. Je ne parle pas de vous. Mais Dieu vous soutndra, vous etes jeune et vous voila a la tete d"une immense fortune, je l"espere. Le testament n"a pas ete encore ouvert. Je vous connais assez pour savoir que cela ne vous tourienera pas la tete, mais cela vous impose des devoirs, et il faut etre homme. [Yes, my friend, this is a great loss for all of us, not to mention you. But God will support you, you are young, and now you are, I hope, the owner of enormous wealth. The will has not yet been opened. I know you well enough and I am sure that this will not turn your head; but this imposes responsibilities on you; and you have to be a man.]
Pierre was silent.
– Peut etre plus tard je vous dirai, mon cher, que si je n"avais pas ete la, Dieu sait ce qui serait arrive. Vous savez, mon oncle avant hier encore me promettait de ne pas oublier Boris. Mais il n"a pas eu le temps. J "espere, mon cher ami, que vous remplirez le desir de votre pere. [Afterwards, perhaps I will tell you that if I had not been there, God knows what would have happened. You know that the uncle of the third day He promised me not to forget Boris, but he didn’t have time. I hope, my friend, you will fulfill your father’s wish.]
Pierre, not understanding anything and silently, blushing shyly, looked at Princess Anna Mikhailovna. After talking with Pierre, Anna Mikhailovna went to the Rostovs and went to bed. Waking up in the morning, she told the Rostovs and all her friends the details of the death of Count Bezukhy. She said that the count died the way she wanted to die, that his end was not only touching, but also edifying; The last meeting between father and son was so touching that she could not remember him without tears, and that she does not know who behaved better in these terrible moments: the father, who remembered everything and everyone in such a way. last minutes and such touching words were spoken to his son, or Pierre, whom it was a pity to see how he was killed and how, despite this, he tried to hide his sadness so as not to upset his dying father. “C"est penible, mais cela fait du bien; ca eleve l"ame de voir des hommes, comme le vieux comte et son digne fils,” [It’s hard, but it’s saving; the soul rises when you see people like the old count and his worthy son,” she said. She also spoke about the actions of the princess and Prince Vasily, not approving of them, but in great secrecy and in a whisper.

In Bald Mountains, the estate of Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, the arrival of the young Prince Andrei and the princess was expected every day; but the wait did not disrupt the orderly order in which life went on in the old prince’s house. General-in-Chief Prince Nikolai Andreevich, nicknamed in society le roi de Prusse, [the King of Prussia,] from the time he was exiled to the village under Paul, lived continuously in his Bald Mountains with his daughter, Princess Marya, and with her companion, m lle Bourienne. [Mademoiselle Bourien.] And during the new reign, although he was allowed entry into the capitals, he also continued to live in the countryside, saying that if anyone needed him, then he would travel one and a half hundred miles from Moscow to Bald Mountains, but what would he no one or anything is needed. He said that there are only two sources of human vices: idleness and superstition, and that there are only two virtues: activity and intelligence. He himself was involved in raising his daughter and, in order to develop both main virtues in her, until she was twenty, he gave her lessons in algebra and geometry and distributed her whole life in continuous studies. He himself was constantly busy either writing his memoirs, or calculating higher mathematics, or turning snuff boxes on a machine, or working in the garden and observing the buildings that did not stop on his estate. Since the main condition for activity is order, order in his way of life was brought to the utmost degree of precision. His trips to the table took place under the same unchanging conditions, and not only at the same hour, but also at the same minute. With the people around him, from his daughter to his servants, the prince was harsh and invariably demanding, and therefore, without being cruel, he aroused fear and respect for himself, which could not easily be achieved by the most Cruel person. Despite the fact that he was retired and now had no importance in state affairs, every head of the province where the prince’s estate was, considered it his duty to come to him and, just like an architect, gardener or Princess Marya, waited for the appointed hour of the prince's appearance in the high waiter's room. And everyone in this waitress experienced the same feeling of respect and even fear, while the enormously high door of the office opened and the short figure of an old man in a powdered wig appeared, with small dry hands and gray drooping eyebrows, which sometimes, as he frowned, obscured the shine of smart people. and definitely young, sparkling eyes.
On the day of the newlyweds’ arrival, in the morning, as usual, Princess Marya entered the waitress’s room at the appointed hour for morning greetings and crossed herself with fear and read an internal prayer. Every day she went in and every day she prayed that this daily appointment would go well.
A powdery old servant sitting in the waiter's room stood up with a quiet movement and announced in a whisper: "Please."
The uniform sounds of the machine could be heard from behind the door. The princess timidly pulled the door that opened easily and smoothly and stopped at the entrance. The prince was working at the machine and, looking back, continued his work.
The huge office was filled with things that were obviously in constant use. A large table on which lay books and plans, tall glass library cabinets with keys in the doors, a high standing writing table on which lay an open notebook, a lathe with tools laid out and shavings scattered around - everything showed a constant, varied and orderly activities. From the movements of his small foot, shod in a Tatar boot embroidered with silver, and from the firm fit of his sinewy, lean hand, one could see in the prince the stubborn and enduring strength of fresh old age. Having made several circles, he took his foot off the pedal of the machine, wiped off the chisel, threw it into a leather pocket attached to the machine, and, going up to the table, called his daughter. He never blessed his children and only, presenting his stubbled, now unshaven cheek to her, said, looking at her sternly and at the same time carefully:
- Are you healthy?... well, sit down!
He took the geometry notebook he had written in his own hand and pushed his chair forward with his foot.
- For tomorrow! - he said, quickly finding the page and marking it from paragraph to paragraph with a hard nail.
The princess bent down on the table over her notebook.
“Wait, the letter is for you,” the old man suddenly said, taking out an envelope written in a woman’s hand from a pocket attached above the table and throwing it on the table.
The princess's face became covered with red spots at the sight of the letter. She hurriedly took it and bent down towards him.
- From Eloise? - asked the prince, showing his still strong and yellowish teeth with a cold smile.
“Yes, from Julie,” said the princess, looking timidly and smiling timidly.
“I’ll miss two more letters, and I’ll read the third,” the prince said sternly, “I’m afraid you’re writing a lot of nonsense.” I'll read the third one.
“At least read this, mon pere, [father,],” answered the princess, blushing even more and handing him the letter.
“Third, I said, third,” the prince shouted briefly, pushing away the letter, and, leaning his elbows on the table, pulled up a notebook with geometry drawings.
“Well, madam,” the old man began, bending close to his daughter over the notebook and placing one hand on the back of the chair on which the princess was sitting, so that the princess felt surrounded on all sides by that tobacco and senile pungent smell of her father, which she had known for so long. . - Well, madam, these triangles are similar; would you like to see, angle abc...
The princess looked fearfully at her father’s sparkling eyes close to her; red spots shimmered across her face, and it was clear that she did not understand anything and was so afraid that fear would prevent her from understanding all her father’s further interpretations, no matter how clear they were. Whether the teacher was to blame or the student was to blame, the same thing was repeated every day: the princess’s eyes grew dim, she saw nothing, heard nothing, she only felt the dry face of her stern father close to her, felt his breath and smell and only thought about how she could quickly leave the office and understand the problem in her own open space.
The old man lost his temper: he pushed the chair he was sitting on with a loud noise, made an effort to not get excited, and almost every time he got excited, cursed, and sometimes threw his notebook.
The princess made a mistake in her answer.
- Well, why not be a fool! - the prince shouted, pushing away the notebook and quickly turning away, but immediately stood up, walked around, touched the princess’s hair with his hands and sat down again.
He moved closer and continued his interpretation.
“It’s impossible, princess, it’s impossible,” he said when the princess, having taken and closed the notebook with the assigned lessons, was already preparing to leave, “mathematics is a great thing, my madam.” And I don’t want you to be like our stupid ladies. Will endure and fall in love. “He patted her cheek with his hand. - The nonsense will jump out of your head.
She wanted to go out, he stopped her with a gesture and took out a new uncut book from the high table.
- Here’s another Key of the Sacrament your Eloise sends you. Religious. And I don’t interfere with anyone’s faith... I looked through it. Take it. Well, go, go!
He patted her on the shoulder and locked the door behind her.
Princess Marya returned to her room with a sad, frightened expression that rarely left her and made her ugly, sickly face even more ugly, and sat down at her desk, lined with miniature portraits and littered with notebooks and books. The princess was as disorderly as her father was decent. She put down her geometry notebook and impatiently opened the letter. The letter was from the princess’s closest friend since childhood; this friend was the same Julie Karagina who was at the Rostovs’ name day:
Julie wrote:
"Chere et excellente amie, quelle chose terrible et effrayante que l"absence! J"ai beau me dire que la moitie de mon existence et de mon bonheur est en vous, que malgre la distance qui nous separe, nos coeurs sont unis par des liens indissolubles; le mien se revolte contre la destinee, et je ne puis, malgre les plaisirs et les distractions qui m"entourent, vaincre une certaine tristesse cachee que je ressens au fond du coeur depuis notre separation. Pourquoi ne sommes nous pas reunies, comme cet ete dans votre grand cabinet sur le canape bleu, le canape a confidences? Pourquoi ne puis je, comme il y a trois mois, puiser de nouvelles forces morales dans votre regard si doux, si calme et si penetrant, regard que j"aimais tant et que “je crois voir devant moi, quand je vous ecris.”
[Dear and priceless friend, what a terrible and terrible thing is separation! No matter how much I tell myself that half of my existence and my happiness lies in you, that, despite the distance that separates us, our hearts are united by inextricable bonds, my heart rebels against fate, and, despite the pleasures and distractions that surround me, I I cannot suppress some hidden sadness that I have been experiencing in the depths of my heart since our separation. Why aren’t we together, like last summer, in your big office, on the blue sofa, on the sofa of “confessions”? Why can’t I, like three months ago, draw new moral strength from your gaze, meek, calm and penetrating, which I loved so much and which I see before me at the moment I write to you?]
Having read up to this point, Princess Marya sighed and looked back at the dressing table, which stood to her right. The mirror reflected an ugly, weak body and a thin face. The eyes, always sad, now looked at themselves in the mirror especially hopelessly. “She flatters me,” thought the princess, turned away and continued reading. Julie, however, did not flatter her friend: indeed, the princess’s eyes, large, deep and radiant (as if rays warm light sometimes they came out of them in sheaves) were so beautiful that very often, despite the ugliness of the whole face, these eyes became more attractive than beauty. But the princess had never seen a good expression in her eyes, the expression they took on in those moments when she was not thinking about herself. Like all people, her face took on a tense, unnatural, bad expression as soon as she looked in the mirror. She continued reading: 211
“Tout Moscou ne parle que guerre. L"un de mes deux freres est deja a l"etranger, l"autre est avec la garde, qui se met en Marieche vers la frontiere. Notre cher empereur a quitte Petersbourg et, a ce qu"on pretend, compte lui meme exposer sa precieuse existence aux chances de la guerre. Du veuille que le monstre corsicain, qui detruit le repos de l"Europe, soit terrasse par l"ange que le Tout Puissant, dans Sa misericorde, nous a donnee pour souverain. Sans parler de mes freres, cette guerre m"a privee d"une relation des plus cheres a mon coeur. Je parle du jeune Nicolas Rostoff, qui avec son enthousiasme n"a pu supporter l"inaction et a quitte l"universite pour aller s"enroler dans l"armee. Eh bien, chere Marieie, je vous avouerai, que, malgre son extreme Jeunesse, son depart pour l "armee a ete un grand chagrin pour moi. Le jeune homme, dont je vous parlais cet ete, a tant de noblesse, de veritable jeunesse qu"on rencontre si rarement dans le siecle ou nous vivons parmi nos villards de vingt ans. Il a surtout tant de franchise et de coeur. Il est tellement pur et poetique, que mes relations avec lui, quelque passageres qu"elles fussent, ont ete l"une des plus douees jouissances de mon pauvre coeur, qui a deja tant souffert. Je vous raconterai un jour nos adieux et tout ce qui s "est dit en partant. Tout cela est encore trop frais. Ah! Chere amie, vous etes heureuse de ne pas connaitre ces jouissances et ces peines si poignantes. Vous etes heureuse, puisque les derienieres sont ordinairement les plus fortes! Je sais fort bien, que le comte Nicolas est trop jeune pour pouvoir jamais devenir pour moi quelque chose de plus qu"un ami, mais cette douee amitie, ces relations si poetiques et si pures ont ete un besoin pour mon coeur. Mais n" en parlons plus. La grande nouvelle du jour qui occupe tout Moscou est la mort du vieux comte Earless et son heritage. Figurez vous que les trois princesses n"ont recu que tres peu de chose, le prince Basile rien, est que c"est M. Pierre qui a tout herite, et qui par dessus le Marieche a ete reconnu pour fils legitime, par consequent comte Earless est possesseur de la plus belle fortune de la Russie. On pretend que le prince Basile a joue un tres vilain role dans toute cette histoire et qu"il est reparti tout penaud pour Petersbourg.
“Je vous avoue, que je comprends tres peu toutes ces affaires de legs et de testament; ce que je sais, c"est que depuis que le jeune homme que nous connaissions tous sous le nom de M. Pierre les tout court est devenu comte Earless et possesseur de l"une des plus grandes fortunes de la Russie, je m"amuse fort a observer les changes de ton et des manieres des mamans accablees de filles a Marieier et des demoiselles elles memes a l "egard de cet individu, qui, par parenthese, m" a paru toujours etre un pauvre, sire. Comme on s"amuse depuis deux ans a me donner des promis que je ne connais pas le plus souvent, la chronique matrimoniale de Moscow me fait comtesse Earless. Mais vous sentez bien que je ne me souc nullement de le devenir. A propos de Marieiage, savez vous que tout derienierement la tante en general Anna Mikhailovna, m"a confie sous le sceau du plus grand secret un projet de Marieiage pour vous. Ce n"est ni plus, ni moins, que le fils du prince Basile, Anatole, qu"on voudrait ranger en le Marieiant a une personne riche et distinguee, et c"est sur vous qu"est tombe le choix des parents. Je ne sais comment vous envisagerez la chose, mais j"ai cru de mon devoir de vous en avertir. On le dit tres beau et tres mauvais sujet; c"est tout ce que j"ai pu savoir sur son compte.
“Mais assez de bavardage comme cela. Je finis mon second feuillet, et maman me fait chercher pour aller diner chez les Apraksines. Lisez le livre mystique que je vous envoie et qui fait fureur chez nous. Quoiqu"il y ait des choses dans ce livre difficiles a atteindre avec la faible conception humaine, c"est un livre admirable dont la lecture calme et eleve l"ame. Adieu. Mes respects a monsieur votre pere et mes compliments a m elle Bourienne. "Je vous embrasse comme je vous aime. Julie."
“P.S. Donnez moi des nouvelles de votre frere et de sa charmante petite femme.”
[All of Moscow is talking about the war. One of my two brothers is already abroad, the other is with the guard, which is marching to the border. Our dear sovereign leaves St. Petersburg and, it is assumed, intends to expose his precious existence to the accidents of war. May God grant that the Corsican monster, which disturbs the tranquility of Europe, may be cast down by the angel whom the Almighty, in His goodness, has made sovereign over us. Not to mention my brothers, this war has deprived me of one of the relationships closest to my heart. I'm talking about young Nikolai Rostov; who, despite his enthusiasm, could not bear inaction and left the university to join the army. I confess to you, dear Marie, that, despite his extreme youth, his departure for the army was a great grief for me. IN young man, which I told you about last summer, so much nobility, true youth, which you see so rarely in our age among twenty-year-olds! He especially has so much candor and heart. He is so pure and full of poetry that my relationship with him, despite all its fleetingness, was one of the sweetest joys of my poor heart, which had already suffered so much. Someday I will tell you our farewell and everything that was said at parting. All this is still too fresh... Ah! dear friend, you are happy that you do not know these burning pleasures, these burning sorrows. You are happy because the latter are usually stronger than the former. I know very well that Count Nikolai is too young to become anything other than a friend to me. But this sweet friendship, this so poetic and so pure relationship was the need of my heart. But enough about that.
“The main news occupying all of Moscow is the death of old Count Bezukhy and his inheritance. Imagine, three princesses received some small amount, Prince Vasily received nothing, and Pierre is the heir to everything and, moreover, is recognized as the legitimate son and therefore Count Bezukhy and the owner of the largest fortune in Russia. They say that Prince Vasily played a very nasty role in this whole story, and that he left for St. Petersburg very embarrassed. I confess to you that I understand very poorly all these matters regarding spiritual wills; I only know that since the young man, whom we all knew under the name simply Pierre, became Count Bezukhy and the owner of one of the best fortunes in Russia, I am amused by observing the change in tone of the mothers who have brides’ daughters, and the young ladies themselves in attitude towards this gentleman, who (in parentheses it should be said) always seemed very insignificant to me. Since for two years now everyone has been amusing themselves with finding suitors for me, whom I mostly do not know, the marriage chronicle of Moscow makes me Countess Bezukhova. But you understand that I don’t want this at all. Speaking of marriages. Do you know that recently everyone’s aunt Anna Mikhailovna entrusted me, under the greatest secret, with the plan to arrange your marriage. This is nothing more or less than the son of Prince Vasily, Anatole, whom they want to settle down by marrying him to a rich and noble girl, and the parents’ choice fell on you. I don’t know how you look at this matter, but I considered it my duty to warn you. He is said to be very good and a big rake. That's all I could find out about him.
But he will talk. I’m finishing my second piece of paper, and my mother has sent for me to go to dinner with the Apraksins.
Read the mystical book I am sending you; it has been a huge success with us. Although there are things in it that are difficult for the weak human mind to understand, it is an excellent book; reading it calms and elevates the soul. Farewell. My respect to your father and my greetings to m lle Bourrienne. I hug you from the bottom of my heart. Julia.
PS. Let me know about your brother and his lovely wife.]
The princess thought, smiling thoughtfully (at which her face, illuminated by her radiant eyes, was completely transformed), and suddenly got up, walking heavily, and moved to the table. She took out the paper, and her hand quickly began to walk over it. This is what she wrote in response:
“Chere et excellente ami.” Votre lettre du 13 m"a cause une grande joie. Vous m"aimez donc toujours, ma poetique Julie.
L"absence, dont vous dites tant de mal, n"a donc pas eu son influenza habituelle sur vous. Vous vous plaignez de l"absence - que devrai je dire moi, si j"osais me plaindre, privee de tous ceux qui me sont chers? Ah l si nous n"avions pas la religion pour nous consoler, la vie serait bien triste. Pourquoi me supposez vous un regard severe, quand vous me parlez de votre affection pour le jeune homme? Sous ce rapport je ne suis rigide que pour moi . Je comprends ces sentiments chez les autres et si je ne puis approuver ne les ayant jamais ressentis, je ne les condamiene pas. Me parait seulement que l "amour chretien, l "amour du prochain, l "amour pour ses ennemis est plus meritoire , plus doux et plus beau, que ne le sont les sentiments que peuvent inspire les beaux yeux d"un jeune homme a une jeune fille poetique et aimante comme vous.
“La nouvelle de la mort du comte Earless nous est parvenue avant votre lettre, et mon pere en a ete tres affecte. Il dit que c"etait avant derienier representant du grand siècle, et qu"a present c"est son tour; mais qu"il fera son possible pour que son tour vienne le plus tard possible. Que Dieu nous garde de ce terrible malheur! Je ne puis partager votre opinion sur Pierre que j"ai connu enfant. Il me paraissait toujours avoir un coeur excellent, et c"est la qualite que j"estime le plus dans les gens. Quant a son heritage et au role qu"y a joue le prince Basile, c"est bien triste pour tous les deux. Ah! chere amie, la parole de notre divin Sauveur qu"il est plus aise a un hameau de passer par le trou d"une aiguille, qu"il ne l "est a un riche d"entrer dans le royaume de Dieu, cette parole est terriblement vraie; je plains le prince Basile et je regrette encore davantage Pierre. Si jeune et accable de cette richesse, que de tentations n"aura t il pas a subir! Si on me demandait ce que je desirerais le plus au monde, ce serait d"etre plus pauvre que le plus pauvre des mendiants. Mille graces, chere amie, pour l "ouvrage que vous m" envoyez, et qui fait si grande fureur chez vous. Cependant, puisque vous me dites qu"au milieu de plusurs bonnes choses il y en a d"autres que la faible conception humaine ne peut atteindre, il me parait assez inutile de s"occuper d"une lecture intelligible, qui par la meme ne pourrait etre d"aucun fruit. Je n"ai jamais pu comprendre la passion qu"ont certaines personnes de s"embrouiller l"entendement, en s"attachant a des livres mystiques, qui n"elevent que des doutes dans leurs esprits, exaltant leur imagination et leur donnent un caractere d"exageration tout a fait contraire a la simplicite chretnne. Lisons les Apotres et l"Evangile. Ne cherchons pas a penetrer ce que ceux la renferment de mysterux, car, comment oserions nous, miserables pecheurs que nous sommes, pretendre a nous initier dans les secrets terribles et sacres de la Providence, tant que nous portons cette depouille charienelle, qui eleve entre nous et l"Eterienel un voile impenetrable? Borienons nous donc a etudr les principes sublimes que notre divin Sauveur nous a laisse pour notre conduite ici bas; cherchons a nous y conformer et a les suivre, persuadons nous que moins nous donnons d "essor a notre faible esprit humain et plus il est agreable a Dieu, Qui rejette toute science ne venant pas de Lui; que moins nous cherchons a approfondir ce qu "il Lui a plu de derober a notre connaissance,et plutot II nous en accordera la decouverte par Son divin esprit.

States of the Red Army rifle units

Composition and staffing levels of rifle units of the Red Army by state at the start of the war

A regiment or a separate battalion was considered a military unit in the Red Army. Everything that consisted of regiments - brigades, divisions, etc. were called formations, and everything that the regiment consisted of - battalions, companies, platoons and squads - were called subunits.
The rifle regiment, in accordance with the ternary system adopted back in 1918, included three rifle battalions.

Rifle battalion

Rifle battalion(778 people) according to staff 04/401 dated April 5, 1941, consisted of a headquarters, three rifle companies, a communications platoon, a medical and utility platoon.
The battalion was commanded by a commander with the rank of major.
Battalion Headquarters(4 people) consisted of one chief of staff, who, as a rule, bore the rank of captain, two of his assistants - lieutenants or senior lieutenants - and one karsnoarmey-clerk.

Communications platoon(33 people) consisted of; a platoon commander, 3 riding men, a telephone exchange of 5 people, including one sergeant, a radio group of five sergeants (each with a radio station) and two soldiers, as well as two telephone and cable groups of nine people, including one sergeant. Everyone except the platoon commander, armed with a pistol, was armed with self-loading or.

SVT-38
Medical platoon(8 people) consisted of a platoon commander, 3 paramedics and 4 medical instructors.
Household platoon(33 people) consisted of a platoon commander, 3 sergeants and 29 soldiers. The platoon had one wagon and four field kitchens at its disposal.

In addition, the battalion included mortar and machine gun companies and an anti-tank platoon.

Mortar company

Mortar company(52 people, 9) consisted of a commander, a political instructor, a foreman, a messenger and three mortar platoons. Mortar Platoon(15 people) consisted of three mortar crews. According to state No. 04/601 of July 29, 1941 mortar company was abolished and replaced by a mortar platoon of two.

Anti-tank rifle company

On March 16, 1942, by Order No. 0405, NKO was introduced into the rifle battalion anti-tank rifle company in the amount of 16 PTR. From December 10, 1942 anti-tank rifle companythe battalion was reduced to a platoon from 9 PTR.

Machine gun company

Machine gun company(95 people 12 Maxim machine guns ) consisted of a commander, a political instructor, a foreman, a messenger and three machine-gun platoons of 29 people each. Machine gun platoons were usually commanded by junior lieutenants.

Anti-tank gun platoon(18 people) consisted of a commander, a messenger and two crews. Anti-tank gun platoon was expelled from the battalion on July 29, 1941. Anti-tank artillery was returned to the battalion only on December 18, 1944 in the form of a four-gun long-barreled battery of the 1942 model.

Rifle company

Rifle company(178 people), commanded by a commander with the rank of captain, consisted of three rifle platoons, one machine gun platoon and a medical squad. The company also included a political officer with the rank of senior political instructor, a foreman with the rank of foreman, two snipers and one messenger.
Machine gun platoon(12 people) was headed by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant. The driver was directly subordinate to the machine gun platoon commander. The platoon consisted of two crews of heavy machine guns. Each crew was armed Maxim machine gun . The crew commander was a sergeant armed with a pistol. The crew included four fighters from. According to State No. 04/601 dated July 29, 1941, the machine gun platoon was excluded from the rifle company.
Sanitary department(5 people) consisted of a squad commander, armed with a pistol or, and four unarmed orderlies.

Rifle Platoon

Rifle Platoon(51 people) consisted of four rifle and one mortar squad. The platoon was led by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant, who was armed with a pistol. Under his command were a deputy platoon commander (sergeant or senior sergeant), armed with a submachine gun, and a messenger with a rifle.
Mortar squad(4 people) was armed and consisted of a commander and three soldiers.

- formed the basis of the firepower of the rifle squad.

Rifle squad

Rifle squad(11 people) consisted of a commander (junior sergeant or sergeant), armed, machine gunner with

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was the name of the Ground Forces of the young Soviet state in 1918-1922 and until 1946. The Red Army was created almost out of nothing. Its prototype was the detachments of the Red Guards, which were formed following the February coup of 1917, and parts of the tsarist army that went over to the side of the revolutionaries. Despite everything, she was able to become a formidable force and won during the civil war.

The guarantee of success in the construction of the Red Army was the use of the combat experience of old pre-revolutionary army personnel. So-called military experts, namely officers and generals who served “the Tsar and the Fatherland,” began to be enlisted en masse into the ranks of the Red Army. Their total number during the civil war in the Red Army was up to fifty thousand people.

Beginning of the formation of the Red Army

In January 1918, the decree of the Council of People's Commissars “On the Red Army” was published, which noted that all citizens of the new Republic at least eighteen years of age could join its ranks. The date of publication of this resolution can be considered the beginning of the formation of the Red Army.

Organizational structure, composition of the Red Army

At first, the main unit of the Red Army was made up of separate detachments, which were military units with independent farms. The heads of the detachments were the Soviets, which included one military leader and two military commissars. They had small headquarters and inspectorates.

When combat experience was gained with the involvement of military experts, full-fledged units, units, formations (brigades, divisions, corps), institutions and establishments began to be formed in the ranks of the Red Army.

Organizationally, the Red Army corresponded to its class characteristics and military needs of the beginning of the last century. The structure of the combined arms formations of the Red Army consisted of:

• Rifle Corps, which had two to four divisions;
• The division, which had three rifle regiments, artillery regiment and technical part;
• A regiment that had three battalions, an artillery battalion and technical units;
• Cavalry Corps with two cavalry divisions;
• Cavalry division with 4-6 regiments, artillery, armored units, technical units.

Red Army uniform

The Red Guards had no established rules forms of clothing. It was distinguished only by a red armband or a red ribbon on its headdress, and individual units were distinguished by Red Guard breastplates. At the beginning of the formation of the Red Army, they were allowed to wear the old uniform without insignia or a random uniform, as well as civilian clothes.

British and American-made French jackets have been very popular since 1919. Commanders, commissars and political workers had their own preferences; they could be seen in leather caps and jackets. Cavalrymen preferred hussar trousers (chakchirs) and dolmans, as well as uhlan jackets.

In the early Red Army, officers were rejected as “relics of tsarism.” The use of this word was banned and it was replaced by “commander”. At the same time, shoulder straps and military ranks were abolished. Their names were replaced by positions, in particular, “division commanders” or “comoral commanders”.

In January 1919, a table describing the insignia was introduced; it established eleven insignia for command personnel from the squad commander to the front commander. The report card determined the wearing of badges, the material for which was red instrument cloth, on the left sleeve.

The presence of a red star as a symbol of the Red Army

The first official emblem indicating that a soldier belonged to the Red Army was introduced in 1918 and was a wreath of laurel and oak branches. A red star was placed inside the wreath, as well as a plow and a hammer in the center. In the same year, headdresses began to be decorated with cockade badges with a red enamel five-pointed star with a plow and a hammer in the center.

Composition of the workers' and peasants' red army

Rifle troops of the Red Army

Rifle troops were considered the main branch of the military, the main backbone of the Red Army. In 1920, it was the rifle regiments that made up the largest number of Red Army soldiers; later, separate rifle corps of the Red Army were organized. They included: rifle battalions, regimental artillery, small units (signals, engineers and others), and the headquarters of the Red Army regiment. Rifle battalions included rifle and machine gun companies, battalion artillery and the headquarters of the Red Army battalion. Rifle companies included rifle and machine gun platoons. The rifle platoon included squads. The squad was considered the smallest organizational unit in the rifle troops. The squad was armed with rifles, light machine guns, hand grenades and a grenade launcher.

Artillery of the Red Army

The Red Army also included artillery regiments. They included artillery divisions and the headquarters of the Red Army regiment. The artillery division included batteries and division control. There are platoons in the battery. The platoon consisted of 4 guns. It is also known about the breakthrough artillery corps. They were part of the artillery, part of the reserves led by the Supreme High Command.

Red Army Cavalry

The main units in the cavalry were cavalry regiments. The regiments included saber and machine gun squadrons, regimental artillery, technical units and the headquarters of the Red Army cavalry. Saber and machine gun squadrons included platoons. Platoons were built from sections. Cavalry units began to organize together with the Red Army in 1918. From the disbanded units of the former army, only three cavalry regiments were accepted into the Red Army.

Armored troops of the Red Army

Red Army tanks manufactured at KhPZ

Since the 1920s, the Soviet Union began producing its own tanks. At the same time, the concept for the combat use of troops was laid down. Later, the Red Army charter especially noted the combat use of tanks, as well as their interaction with infantry. In particular, the second part of the charter established the most important conditions for success:

• The sudden appearance of tanks along with the attacking infantry, the simultaneous and mass application over a wide area to disperse artillery and other enemy anti-armor weapons;
• The use of echeloning of tanks in depth with the synchronous formation of a reserve from among them, which will allow developing attacks to great depths;
• close interaction of tanks with infantry, which secures the points they occupy.

Two configurations for using tanks in battle were envisaged:

• To directly support the infantry;
• Being an advanced echelon operating without fire and visual communication with it.

The armored forces had tank units and formations, as well as units armed with armored vehicles. The main tactical units were tank battalions. They included tank companies. Tank companies included tank platoons. The tank platoon had five tanks. The armored car company included platoons. The platoon included three to five armored vehicles.

The first tank brigade was created in 1935 as a reserve of the Commander-in-Chief, and already in 1940 it was formed on its basis tank division Red Army. The same connections were included in mechanized corps.

Air Force (RKKA Air Force)

The Red Army Air Force was formed in 1918. They included separate aviation detachments and were in the district air fleet departments. Later they were reorganized, and they became front-line and army field aviation and aeronautics departments at front-line and combined-arms army headquarters. Such reforms occurred constantly.

Since 1938-1939, aviation in military districts was transferred from brigade to regimental and divisional ones organizational structures. The main tactical units were aviation regiments consisting of 60 aircraft. The activities of the Red Army Air Force were based on inflicting fast and powerful air strikes on the enemy at long distances, inaccessible to other types of troops. The aircraft were armed with high-explosive, fragmentation and incendiary bombs, cannons and machine guns.

The main units of the Air Force were air regiments. The regiments included air squadrons. The air squadron included flights. There were 4-5 aircraft in the flights.

Chemical Troops of the Red Army

The formation of chemical troops in the Red Army began in 1918. In the fall of the same year, the Republican Revolutionary Military Council issued Order No. 220, according to which the Chemical Service of the Red Army was created. By the 1920s, all rifle and cavalry divisions and brigades acquired chemical units. Since 1923, rifle regiments began to be supplemented with anti-gas teams. Thus, chemical units could be encountered in all branches of the military.

Throughout the Great Patriotic War, chemical troops had:

• Technical teams (to install smoke screens, as well as to camouflage large or important objects);
• Brigades, battalions and companies for chemical protection;
• Flamethrower battalions and companies;
• Bases;
• Warehouses, etc.

Red Army Signal Troops

The mention of the first units and communications units in the Red Army dates back to 1918, when they were formed. In October 1919, the Signal Troops were given the right to become independent special forces. In 1941, a new position was introduced - Chief of the Signal Corps.

Automotive troops of the Red Army

The Automobile Troops of the Red Army were an integral part of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. They were formed back in the Civil War.

Railway troops of the Red Army

The railway troops of the Red Army were also an integral part of the rear of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. They also formed during the Civil War. It was mainly the Railway Troops who laid communication routes and built bridges.

Road troops of the Red Army

The Road Troops of the Red Army were also an integral part of the Rear Services of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. They also formed during the Civil War.

By 1943, the Road Troops had:

• 294 separate road battalions;
• 22 military highway departments, which had 110 road commandant areas;
• 7 military road departments, in which there were 40 road detachments;
• 194 horse-drawn transport companies;
• Repair bases;
• Bases for the production of bridge and road devices;
• Educational and other institutions.

Military training system, training of the Red Army

Military education in the Red Army, as a rule, was divided into three levels. The basis of higher military education consisted of a well-developed network of higher military schools. All students there bore the title of cadets. The duration of training ranged from four to five years. Graduates mostly received the military ranks of lieutenants or junior lieutenants, which corresponded to the first positions of “platoon commanders.”

During peacetime, the training program at military schools provided for higher education. But during wartime it was reduced to secondary special education. The same thing happened with the timing of training. They were rapidly reduced, and then short-term six-month command courses were organized.

A feature of military education in the Soviet Union was the presence of a system in which there were military academies. Studying at such an academy provided higher military education, while the academies of Western states trained junior officers.

Red Army Service: personnel

Each Red Army unit appointed a political commissar, or so-called political leaders (political instructors), who had almost unlimited powers; this was reflected in the Charter of the Red Army. In those years, political commissars could easily cancel, at their own discretion, orders from unit and unit commanders that they did not like. Such measures were presented as necessary.

Weapons and military equipment of the Red Army

The formation of the Red Army corresponded to general trends in military-technical development around the world, including:

• Formed tank forces and the Air Force;
• Mechanization of infantry units and their reorganization as motorized rifle troops;
• Disbanded cavalry;
• Appearing nuclear weapons.

The total number of the Red Army in different periods

Official statistics present the following data on the total number of the Red Army at different times:

• From April to September 1918 - almost 200,000 soldiers;
• In September 1919 - 3,000,000 soldiers;
• In the fall of 1920 - 5,500,000 soldiers;
• In January 1925 - 562,000 soldiers;
• In March 1932 - more than 600,000 soldiers;
• In January 1937 - more than 1,500,000 soldiers;
• In February 1939 - more than 1,900,000 soldiers;
• In September 1939 - more than 5,000,000 soldiers;
• In June 1940 - more than 4,000,000 soldiers;
• In June 1941 - more than 5,000,000 soldiers;
• In July 1941 - more than 10,000,000 soldiers;
• Summer 1942 - more than 11,000,000 soldiers;
• In January 1945 - more than 11,300,000 soldiers;
• In February 1946, more than 5,000,000 military personnel.

Red Army losses

There are different data on the human losses of the USSR in the Second World War. The official figures for Red Army losses have changed many times.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, irrecoverable losses in battles on the territory of the Soviet-German front amounted to more than 8,800,000 Red Army soldiers and their commanders. Such information came from declassified sources in 1993, according to data obtained during search operations, as well as from archival data.

Repressions in the Red Army

Some historians believe that if there had not been pre-war repressions against the commanding staff of the Red Army, it is possible that history, including the Great Patriotic War, could have turned out differently.

During the 1937-1938s, the following were executed from the command staff of the Red Army and the Navy:

• Brigade commanders and equivalents from 887 - 478;
• Division commanders and equivalents from 352 - 293;
• Komkor and equivalent units – 115;
• Marshals and army commanders – 46.

In addition, many commanders simply died in prison, unable to withstand torture, many of them committed suicide.

Subsequently, each military district was subject to a change of 2-3 or more commanders, mainly due to arrests. Their deputies were repressed many times more. On average, 75% of the highest military echelons had little (up to a year) experience in their positions, and the lower echelons had even less experience.

On the results of the repressions, the German military attaché, General E. Kestring, made a report to Berlin in August 1938, which stated approximately the following.

Due to the elimination of many senior officers who had perfected their professionalism over decades of practical and theoretical studies, the Red Army was paralyzed in its operational capabilities.

The lack of experienced command personnel had a negative impact on the training of troops. There was a fear of making decisions, which also had a negative impact.

Thus, due to the mass repressions of 1937-1939, the Red Army approached 1941 completely unprepared. She had to go through the “school of hard knocks” directly during combat operations. However, acquiring such experience cost millions human lives.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

I decided to collect data by state into 1 post. I’ll concentrate on the company so as not to stretch out the post.
State numbers for divisions; for regiments, the 0 at the end is replaced by 1, for example 401 instead of 400. Guards states are not considered.

1) 04/5/41, state 04/400

The company consists of 3 rifle platoons and a machine gun platoon, each rifle platoon consists of 4 squads and a 50mm mortar crew.
Each squad has 1 light machine gun and 2 machine gunners.
In a machine gun platoon there are two crews of heavy machine guns.
The company had 2 snipers, 1 messenger, and a messenger in each rifle platoon.

2) 07/29/1941, state 04/600
New divisions are formed according to wartime staff. The number of light machine guns decreases by 2 times. The number of submachine guns drops several times.

50 mm mortars are now not 3, but 2. The machine gun platoon is eliminated.
Each rifle platoon now has only 2 light machine guns, and, most likely, not a single submachine gun. I couldn't find the exact states.
In the entire company there are only 6 DP and 2 50mm mortars!

The number of l/s is decreasing, I couldn’t find any exact information.

3) 6.12.1941, state 04/750

The number of DP increases by about one and a half times, apparently, there are 3 machine guns in a platoon. ( Detailed description I didn’t find it) The number of military personnel is increasing, up to 50% of the pre-war staff, most likely they went to form companies of machine gunners in each regiment, this should not affect the rifle company ..

4) 03/18/42, state 04/200

Each platoon adds a light machine gun, 4 riflemen and 3 snipers. L/s becomes 54 people, pre-war 51 + 3 snipers. We can conclude that in the 600th staff the platoon was reduced by 4 shooters. Snipers are probably excellent shooters with rifles with good combat; optical sights would not be enough.

5) 26.7.42, state 04/300
“In each rifle company: three rifle platoons (41 people each) and one platoon of 50 mm mortars (3 mortars).
Each rifle platoon has 4 rifle squads of 9 people." RESOLUTION No. GOKO-2101ss

There were 12 people, now there are 9. There is still a machine gun in the department.

6) 12/10/42, state 04/550

They removed 1 50 mm mortar from the company, leaving 2. But don’t pay attention, it seems that in fact they were no longer there at all.

The number of machine guns in a platoon increases from 4 to 6. In terms of firepower, it exceeds the pre-war staff, and in terms of the number of machine guns it corresponds to panzergrenadier units. It is necessary to look at how much it was observed in fact. There are 10 people per department.

1 heavy machine gun appears in the company. The total quantity is the same, taken from the pulrot. The Guards have 2 machine guns per company, and 12 in the battalion.

6) 07/15/43 changes in staff 04/550

They write about reducing the number of rifles and increasing the number of submachine guns, but I couldn’t find any details. If you divide the increase to the platoon level, you get +4 pieces. 1 per department.

I couldn’t find how many there are in the platoon, but if you subtract 300 from the division into machine gunner companies and divide it, you get 9 and a kopeck. About 2 per department, I think.

7) December 44th, until the end of the war few divisions were transferred to it, after the war all divisions were transferred, we will not consider it.

Conclusions:
From quite normal pre-war states there was a slide to two handbrake per platoon from August to December 41st, then a gradual leveling off after March 42nd and by December 42nd an increase to 6 per platoon. We must remember that 6 according to the state means more or less guaranteed 3-4 in fact.

As for the battalion, there is a movement of mortars from company to battalion, battalion to regiment, and back. As for easel mortars, it dropped to 12 per battalion, so it was.

I will fill in the gaps and look for the original texts, since some of them are retold.

P.S. Help me decipher what is written. These are comments in the margins to the 550th state from the “memory of the people”, where they are about rifle platoons. Interesting! 2 different scans, and in both there is a note about 1 rifle platoon, armed with machine guns.

"One rifle platoon in the company is armed with 32 infantry rifles, change(??) 27 auto. rifles and 4 pp" What does this have to do with automatic rifles?
"One platoon is armed with PP, with the exception of snipers and gunners, in the amount of 23 Av"

Rifle Division of the Red Army (sd ) (below wartime staff)

The main operational-tactical formation (military formation) of the Red Army of the USSR Armed Forces, related by branch of service to the Red Army infantry.

It consisted of a directorate, three rifle regiments, an artillery regiment and other units and subunits.

The staff strength of the line division at the beginning of 1941 was 14,483 people (staff 04/400-416 from 04/05/41).

Rifle Division is a military formation consisting of units and subunits of various branches of the military, united under the sole command (excluding the pre-war period and the period of the beginning of the Second World War) of the division commander and the division's control (headquarters).

Rifle Division has its own military number or name assigned to it, its own battle banner, stamp and field mail number.

Rifle divisions could be united into corps and army.

Rifle Division is the largest military formation in terms of numbers and armament, having a permanent (regular) composition, independent of the goals and objectives of the division. The composition of formations that are large in number is usually variable and depends on the goals and objectives of a particular formation.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army had 198 rifle divisions.

Rifle division of the Red Army in the pre-war period

Beginning in 1936, a single wartime state 04/620 was introduced. The units and divisions included in the division were provided with their own states, but in general it is customary to call the state rifle division by division management staff number.

Number and weapons according to the state 04/620. Structure and personnel.

	Number of personnel
Division Office (staff 04/620)	135 people
Three rifle regiments (staff 04/621)	2485 people each
Separate communications battalion (staff 04/626)	330 people
Separate engineer battalion (staff 04/627)	499 people
Separate tank battalion (staff 04/628)	349 people
Artillery Park (state 04/629)	351 people
Degassing detachment (staff 04/630)	32 people
Separate field bakery (staff 04/632)	138 people
Separate platoon for delivery and supply of fuel (staff 04/627)	37 people
Field marching hospital (staff 04/634)	115 people
Separate medical battalion (staff 04/635)	248 people
Separate reconnaissance battalion (staff 04/651)	406 people
Separate anti-aircraft division (staff 04/653)	335 people
Food transport (state 04/654)	139 people
Artillery Regiment (staff 04/655)	2491 people
	In total there are 13,060 people in the division

Also in some divisions there was an aviation communications link (staff 15/468) of 15 personnel and three U-2 aircraft.

Armament and transport

View	Quantity
Horse composition	4798
Cars	471
Tractors	70
Tanks	60
Wedges	84
Armored vehicles	12
152 mm howitzers	12
122 mm howitzers	12
76 mm guns	42
76 mm SPK guns	4
45 mm anti-tank guns	18
37 mm anti-aircraft guns	12
82 mm mortars	18
Anti-tank rifles	76
Integrated anti-aircraft machine guns	18
Heavy machine guns	175
Light machine guns	370
Mortars for throwing hand grenades	249

Personnel rifle division by state dated 08/14/1939

Composition (units and divisions)	Number of personnel
Control	105
Separate communications battalion	204
Headquarters Company	44
School	36
Two telegraph and cable companies	43 each
Separate reconnaissance battalion	175
Personnel composition of the motorcycle company	20
Automotive armored company	24
Cavalry squadron	58
Company of T-38 tanks	25
Separate engineer battalion	218
School	36
Personnel composition of the sapper company	10
Two sapper companies	38 each
Technical Company	28
Ferry Park	9
Hospital staffing	6
Rear personnel	6
Political Department	19
Divisional artillery workshop	15
Artillery Headquarters	36
Light Artillery Regiment	1052
Headquarters	11
Combat units	71
Party political apparatus	8
Service departments	108
School	102
1st Division	248
3 batteries of 4 76 mm guns	69 each
2nd and 3rd divisions	248 each
battery 4 76 mm guns	69
2 batteries of 4 122 mm howitzers	69 each
Howitzer Artillery Regiment	778
Headquarters	10
Combat units	64
Party political apparatus	8
Service departments	95
School	76
1st Division	254
3 batteries of 4 122 mm howitzers	71 each
2nd Division	254
3 batteries of 4 152 mm howitzers	71 each
Separate VET division	143
Battery (6 45 mm guns)	59
2 batteries of 6 45 mm guns	37 each
Separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion	132
Battery (4 76 mm guns)	49
2 batteries of 4 37 mm guns	26 each
3 rifle regiments	2013 in everyone
Headquarters	10
Air Defense Company	41
Platoon of heavy machine guns	25
Quad machine gun platoon	13
Musician Platoon	11
Communications company	74
Headquarters Platoon	13
Radio platoon	11
2 telephone signal platoons	22 each
Horse Scout Team	15
Foot reconnaissance platoon	29
Motorcycle department	2
School	146
Service departments	113
Party political apparatus	8
Battery of 45 mm guns (6 guns)	37
Battery of 76 mm guns (6 guns)	76
Mortar Platoon	19
Sapper platoon	13
PHO platoon	15
3 rifle battalions	463 each
Headquarters	2
Foot reconnaissance platoon	29
* 4 compartments	7 in each
Communications platoon	22
VET platoon	11
Mortar Platoon	11
* 3 rifle companies	110 each
**Mortar compartment	5
** 3 rifle platoons	29 each
*** 4 rifle squads	7
** Machine gun platoon	12
*** 2 compartments of heavy machine guns	4 in each
*** department of heavy machine guns	3
* Machine gun company	56
** 3 machine gun platoons	17 in each
Total:	8900 people

Number of rifle divisions of the Red Army in the pre-war period

On the date	Personnel	Mixed	Territorial
01/01/1937	49	4	35
01/01/1938	50	2	34
01/01/1939	84	2	14

Orderon strengthening the infantry core and anti-tank defense systems Vrifle divisions No. 0052 March 16, 1942 (NGO I. Stalin)
In order to strengthen the infantry core and anti-tank defense systems in rifle divisions I order:
1. Strengthen each rifle platoon of division rifle regiments by 3 snipers, 4 riflemen and one light machine gun.
2. Add to composition rifle division training battalion for training junior command personnel according to state No. 04/768, numbering 600 people.
3. Separate anti-tank divisions rifle divisions(staff No. 04/753) transfer to staff No. 04/767 of a separate anti-tank battalion rifle division, numbering 241 people, consisting of 3 batteries of 45-mm guns (12 guns) and a company of anti-tank rifles (36 guns).
4. Introduce into each rifle battalion one company of anti-tank rifles (16 rifles) numbering 53 people.
5. Enter into the artillery regiment rifle division the third division consisting of one battery of 76-mm cannons (4 USV cannons) and one battery of 122-mm howitzers (4 howitzers). Introduce 15 tractors as means of traction for 122 mm howitzers.
6. Make these changes within the limits of the number rifle divisions 12,785 people and 1,850 horses, for which rifle divisions reduce the service staff by 850 people.
7. The Head of the Glavupraform of the KA to make changes to the staff by March 20, 1942 rifle divisions.
8. The deadline for execution of this order is April 1, 1942.
============================================================

Personnel, weapons and transport of the regiment.

Data are presented as of the beginning of the war, based on from state 04/401 dated April 5, 1941. Further changes in numbers during the war are given below.

Personnel of the rifle regiment since April 1941:

Total: 3182 people

Small arms

Air defense systems

Artillery and mortars

Transport

Radio stations and field kitchens

The regiment had 24 radio stations and 21 field kitchens

Regimental units and officials

Data are provided as of the beginning of the war, based on state 04/401 of April 5, 1941. Further changes in the structure and armament of the regiment during the war are given below.

Regimental commander

The entire personnel of the regiment was subordinate to the regiment commander, and he also bore full responsibility for the condition of the military unit and its fighting. The powers of the commander of a rifle regiment were limited at the beginning of the war by the presence in the regiment of a commissar who had no less powers than the regiment commander, and in some cases even more.

During the Second World War, colonels were appointed to the position of commander of a rifle regiment; in reality, lieutenant colonels and majors were also appointed. Armament of the regiment commander: 1 pistol (according to the TT staff, in reality it could have been, for example, a Nagan); According to the staff, the regiment commander (as well as his deputy) was entitled to a riding horse.

Directly subordinate to the regiment commander were:

• 
  Regimental headquarters
• 
  Party political apparatus
• 
  Deputy regiment commander
• 
  Chief of Artillery Regiment
• 
  Head of the chemical service of the regiment
• 
  Regimental engineer
• 
  Senior regiment doctor
• 
  Senior veterinarian of the regiment
• 
  Head of the regiment's economic unit
• 
  Rifle battalion commanders

Each person subordinate to the regiment commander was armed with a pistol.

Regimental headquarters

The regimental headquarters was headed by the chief of staff of the regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel and consisted of 8 command personnel, one clerk with the rank of foreman and two private clerks. The regiment headquarters itself was armed with 11 pistols, 1 submachine gun (PPD) and 4 rifles or carbines (Mosin rifle). The regiment's headquarters were assigned 7 riding horses.

The chief of staff of the regiment had his assistants (abbreviated as PNS):

• 
  Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations or PNSh-1. In particular, he kept calculations of the combat strength of units, issued orders, kept a work map, a combat log, etc. He replaced the chief of staff in his absence. Military rank by state - captain
• 
  Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence or PNSh-2. In particular, he planned and carried out reconnaissance of the enemy, and was responsible for manning and combat training of the foot and mounted reconnaissance platoons subordinate to him. The state military rank is captain. Under his direct subordination were:
  • 
    Mounted reconnaissance platoon. Led by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant; the platoon consisted of 4 non-commissioned officers and 27 privates. The platoon was armed with 14 submachine guns, 15 self-loading rifles (SVT-38, SVT-40 or ABC-36), 3 manual rifles (Degtyarev machine gun); the platoon had 32 riding horses.
  • 
    Foot reconnaissance platoon. He was headed by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant and political instructor; the platoon consisted of 5 non-commissioned officers and 46 privates. The platoon was armed with 4 pistols, 14 submachine guns, 2 rifles, 30 self-loading rifles, 4 light machine guns; The platoon was not provided with any means of transport.
• 
  Assistant Chief of Staff for Communications or PNSh-3, regiment communications chief. He was responsible for organizing wire and radio communications in the regiment. The state military rank is captain. Under his direct subordination were:
  • 
    Separate communications company. It was headed by a company commander, armed with a pistol, and had 5 horses and 10 carts at his disposal. The company had a political instructor (1 pistol), a company sergeant major and a clerk (2 rifles or carbines).
    • 
      Headquarters Platoon. Led by a platoon commander; it consisted of 3 sergeants and 17 privates, armed with 21 rifles.
    • 
      Telephone and light signaling platoon. There were two of them in the company, each of which was headed by a platoon commander; the platoon included 3 sergeants and 22 privates. The platoon was armed with 25 rifles and 1 pistol.
    • 
      Radio platoon. Led by a platoon commander, it consisted of 4 sergeants and 4 privates, the platoon was armed with 9 rifles and 1 pistol, the platoon had three radio stations
• 
  Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel or PNSh-4. Organized the maintenance and storage of regimental documentation. The state military rank is captain. A clerk and two clerks were directly subordinate to him.
• 
  Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics and Supply or PNSh-5. He had to organize the supply of ammunition, food, medicine and other things to the regiment. The state military rank is captain.
• 
  Assistant Chief of Staff for Special Communications or PNSh-6. Responsible for communication coding and coding of topographic map symbols. The state military rank is senior lieutenant.

Also directly subordinate to the chief of staff were:

• 
  Commandant'splatoon, which included a security department, a utility department, cooks and a combat support department. It was headed by a platoon commander and consisted of 4 sergeants and 23 privates. Had 3 submachine guns, 11 rifles, 9 self-loading rifles, 1 light machine gun, 3 carts, 1 passenger car and a field kitchen for headquarters
• 
  Platoonmusicians, led by a platoon commander, with two sergeants and 10 privates. Had 5 pistols and 8 rifles.
• 
  Air Defense Company. The company was led by a commander and political officer, armed with pistols; it included a company sergeant-major, armed with a rifle or carbine. The company consisted of two platoons. The first platoon, led by a commander armed with a pistol, consisted of six machine gun crews, each armed with a 7.62 mm complex anti-aircraft machine gun. Each crew consisted of a crew commander with the rank of sergeant with personal weapons in the form of a pistol, a machine gunner, two assistant machine gunners and a driver, all privates, personal weapons - a rifle. A truck (GAZ-AA) was allocated for the calculation. The second platoon also consisted of three crews similar to the above, but armed with 12.7-mm anti-aircraft modifications of the DShK machine gun.

Party political apparatus

The regiment's party-political apparatus consisted of four commanding officers armed with pistols. At the beginning of the war, the regiment had a deputy regiment commander for political affairs, who, soon after the start of the war, was replaced by a commissar who was no longer subordinate to the regiment commander. In addition to the political officer (commissar), the regimental apparatus included a party organizer, a Komsomol organizer and an agitator.

Rifle battalions

Each rifle regiment had three rifle battalions. The rifle battalion was headed by a battalion commander with the rank of major. The commander's weapon is a pistol; the commander was entitled to a riding horse.

Battalion Headquarters

The headquarters of the rifle battalion consisted of three officers (the chief of staff and two assistant chiefs of staff) and one ordinary clerk. They were entitled to one pistol, one submachine gun and two rifles; two riding horses and three carts. Directly subordinate to the battalion headquarters were:

• 
  Battalion communications platoon consisting of 33 people, consisting of an officer - platoon commander, 3 privates-riders with 3 carts, a telephone exchange of 5 people, including one sergeant, a radio group of 5 sergeants (each with a radio station) and 2 privates and two telephone cable groups nine people, including one sergeant. Everyone except the platoon commander is armed with rifles.
• 
  Battalion medical platoon consisting of an officer - platoon commander, 3 paramedics and 4 medical instructors. They had one pistol and two rifles on staff.
• 
  Battalion utility platoon consisting of an officer - platoon commander, 3 sergeants and 29 privates, armed with one pistol and 20 rifles. The platoon had one wagon and 4 field kitchens at its disposal.

Rifle company

Each battalion had three rifle companies. Each rifle company had a commander with the rank of captain and political officer (officers), a foreman (junior command staff), a rider with a horse, a clerk, two snipers and a messenger (privates). Everyone except the officers was armed with rifles. The rifle company consisted of three rifle platoons, one machine gun platoon and a medical squad.

• 
  Rifle Platoon. Led by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant, armed with a pistol; the deputy platoon commander, armed with a submachine gun, was a non-commissioned officer; The platoon also included a messenger with a rifle. The platoon consisted of four rifle squads, each headed by a sergeant, who was assigned a self-loading rifle. The rest, except for the mortar squad commander, were privates: a machine gunner (pistol and light machine gun), an assistant machine gunner (self-loading rifle), two machine gunners (submachine guns) and six riflemen (self-loading rifles). The platoon included a mortar squad of one 50-mm mortar crew, led by a sergeant (pistol) and three privates (rifles)
• 
  Machine gun platoon. Led by a platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant, armed with a pistol; He also had a rider with a horse and a rifle. The platoon consisted of two crews of a heavy machine gun, respectively, each crew was armed with a Maxim machine gun, the crew commander was a sergeant armed with a pistol; The crew included four privates with rifles.
• 
  Sanitary department consisted of a squad commander, a sergeant-medical officer, and four orderlies, all of whom had one pistol.

Regimental artillery

Regimental artillery was subordinate to the regimental artillery chief. It consisted of three batteries.

• 
  Battery of 45 mm guns

The battery was armed with six 45-mm anti-tank guns. The battery was led by a battery commander; a political instructor was responsible for political work (both were armed with pistols); the battery had a sergeant major armed with a rifle. They had three riding horses on staff. In addition, the battery staff included two ordinary reconnaissance officers (each with a riding horse), also armed with rifles. The battery consisted of three fire platoons, each of which had a commander (personal weapon - pistol) and two gun crews. The crew of the 45-mm gun consisted of 8 people, two in the rank of sergeant and six privates, who had one pistol and seven rifles as personal weapons. The crew had at their disposal one riding horse and one cart. The battery had a field kitchen.

• 
  Battery of 76 mm guns

The battery was armed with six 76-mm regimental guns. The battery was headed by a battery commander, a political instructor was responsible for political work, and there was a sergeant major in the battery. The battery also had a paramedic and a veterinary paramedic in officer ranks. They had five riding horses on staff. The battery consisted of three fire platoons, each of which had a commander, a senior rider (two horses were available) and two gun crews. The crew of the 76-mm gun consisted of 11 people, two in the rank of sergeant and nine privates. The crew had one riding horse at their disposal. Unlike the battery of 45-mm guns, this battery also had a control platoon (1 officer, 5 sergeants and 18 privates with 6 horses and 6 carts, 6 radio stations), an ammunition platoon (1 officer, 3 sergeants and 21 privates with 4 horses and 9 carts) and a utility platoon (2 sergeants and 9 privates with 2 horses, 1 cart and 2 field kitchens). The battery's personal weapons consisted of 13 pistols, 5 submachine guns and 114 carbines.

• 
  Battery of 120 mm mortars

The battery was armed with four 120-mm regimental mortars. The battery was led by a battery commander armed with a pistol; a political instructor armed with a submachine gun was responsible for political work; the battery had a sergeant major armed with a rifle. They had three riding horses on staff. In addition, the battery staff included two ordinary reconnaissance officers (each with a riding horse), also armed with rifles. The battery had five private telephone operators with five rifles and an ordinary rider with a rifle and a leash. The battery consisted of two fire platoons, each of which had a commander and two mortar crews. The crew of the 120-mm mortar consisted of 10 people, one with the rank of sergeant and nine privates, armed with one pistol and nine rifles, respectively. The crew had one cart at their disposal.

Sapper company

The sapper company was supervised by a regimental engineer, who was responsible in the regiment for the arrangement of fortifications, various types of barriers, dugouts, trenches and trenches, means for crossing rivers, etc. Direct command of the sapper company was exercised by its commander; the company also had a political instructor (both with horses and pistols), the head of the company's chemical service (also an officer), and a sergeant-major and a messenger were present in the company. The last three in the state were entitled to rifles. The company consisted of two sapper platoons, each of which had a commander (officer), five sergeants and 32 private sappers. The platoon had 5 pistols and 33 rifles. The company had a utility department of three privates, headed by a sergeant, with four rifles and three carts.

Chemical defense platoon

He was supervised by the regimental commander, headed by a platoon commander with the rank of officer, and had 6 sergeants and 16 privates. The platoon commander was entitled to a pistol, the rest were armed with rifles. The platoon was required to have 4 carts.

Sanitary company

The senior physician of the regiment was responsible for the organization of medical care in the regiment and the sanitary condition of the unit. The sanitary company was headed by a doctor with the rank of officer; Besides him, the company had three more medical officers, 11 paramedics and 40 privates. They, excluding the senior doctor, were provided with 4 pistols, 27 rifles, 13 carts and 9 trucks, as well as one field kitchen.

Veterinary hospital

The infirmary was headed by the senior veterinarian of the regiment, responsible for the condition, maintenance and treatment of the equine staff. In total, in the infirmary, in addition to the senior doctor, there were two veterinarians with officer rank and 10 privates, who had 1 pistol and 8 rifles. The infirmary had three carts.

Economic part

Headed by the head of the economic department. The unit consisted of 7 officers, including the chief, including the chief of artillery weapons, the head of the food service, the head of the clothing service, the head of the military-technical service, the head of the financial service, the head of the transport service, as well as 8 non-commissioned officers armed with pistols and rifles respectively. All of them relied on 3 riding horses. The part included:

• 
  Transport company of 5 officers (5 pistols), including the company commander, 6 sergeants (6 submachine guns) and 96 privates (92 rifles). The company had 86 horse-drawn carts and two field kitchens.
• 
  Ammunition workshops of 2 officers, 6 sergeants and 9 privates, who were armed with 3 pistols and 7 rifles.
• 
  Cargo service workshops of 2 officers, 6 sergeants and 9 privates, carrying 8 rifles.

1941 changes

Already in August 1941, changes in the structure of the rifle regiment began according to state No. 04/601 dated July 29, 1941. First of all, this was due to losses in weapons and personnel. Both newly created regiments and existing ones were subject to formation according to the new staff.

• 
  At rifle company level
  • 
    The number of light machine guns was halved, from 12 to 6 barrels.
  • 
    The number of 50 mm mortars has been reduced from 3 to 2 barrels.
  • 
    A platoon of heavy machine guns was excluded
• 
  
  • 
    A company of 82-mm mortars was excluded, a platoon of two crews of 82-mm mortars was included
  • 
    A platoon of 45 mm guns was excluded
• 
  At rifle regiment level
  • 
    One fire platoon of 76 mm guns was eliminated, thus reducing the number of guns to four.
  • 
    One fire platoon of 120-mm mortars was eliminated, thus eliminating the battery and leaving one platoon of two mortars.

Accordingly, there was a decrease in the regiment's personnel by 459 people, or about 14%, with a total of 2,723 people remaining in the regiment.

On October 12, 1941, by Order of the NKO No. 0405, mortars were generally removed from rifle companies and battalions and consolidated into mortar battalions within rifle regiments. (24 50-mm and 82-mm mortars each, 48 mortars in total). In turn, 120-mm mortars were removed from the regiments and transferred to the divisional level. At the same time, by the same order, a company of machine gunners in the amount of 100 people, armed with submachine guns, with a company commander, a sergeant major and a political instructor, was introduced into the regiment.

The regiment included a company of anti-tank rifles in the amount of 79 people with a company commander, a sergeant major and a political instructor. The number of people in the regiment increased by 234 people compared to the previous staff and became 2957 people.

1942 changes

On March 16, 1942, by Order of the NKO No. 0405, a company of anti-tank rifles in the amount of 16 units was introduced into the rifle battalion, and on March 18, 1942, a new staff of regiment No. 04/201 was approved. The regiment's personnel, in accordance with this staff, increased to 3173 people.

In a number of divisions in 1942, the process of transferring mortars from divisions to the regimental level and from the regiment level to the battalion and company levels began. Thus, platoons of 50-mm mortars (3 mortars each) were recreated in rifle companies, companies of 82-mm mortars (9 mortars each), and in a regiment - a battery of 120-mm mortars (6 mortars). Later, by order of NKO No. 306 of October 8, 1942, this practice was officially formalized.

But even earlier, on July 28, 1942, due to a chronic shortage of personnel due to losses, the new staff of regiment No. 04/301 came into force, according to which the number of people in the regiment was again reduced to 2517 people.

However, in fact, until 1943, rifle regiments were maintained in three different states, December 1941, March 1942 and July 1942.

Changes 1942-1944

On December 10, 1942, State No. 04/551 was approved, in accordance with which rifle regiments were formed and staffed until the end of 1944. The strength of the rifle regiment began to be 2443 people. One 50-mm mortar was removed from the rifle companies, 2 mortars remained, and one 120-mm mortar was added to the regiment's mortar battery, so there were 7 of them. The anti-tank rifle company in the battalion was reduced to a platoon with 9 rifles.

At the same time, staff No. 04/501 of the Guards Rifle Regiment was approved. The main differences in the organization of the Guards Rifle Regiment from the usual one were the presence of two companies of machine gunners instead of one, two heavy machine guns in a rifle company instead of one, 12 heavy machine guns in a machine gun company instead of 9, the number of regimental mortars was also increased to 8 and finally remained in the Guards Rifle Regiment PTR company of 16 guns. Accordingly, the number of personnel increased.

On July 15, 1943, minor changes followed in the staff of the rifle regiment (both guards and regular), associated with a decrease in the number of rifles and an increase in submachine guns.

1945 changes

On December 18, 1944, staff No. 05/41 was approved for the Guards Rifle Regiments. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, it was used for a number of guards divisions, and from June 9, 1945, with some changes, it was declared an active staff for all rifle regiments of the Red Army. It must be borne in mind that the overwhelming majority of ordinary rifle regiments ended the war in the previous state. Thus, the changes affected a small part of military units. Among the changes in particular:
At rifle company level

• 
  50-mm mortars were discontinued and, accordingly, mortar platoons were excluded from the companies.

At rifle battalion level

• 
  A fighter-anti-tank battery of four 45-mm guns appeared
• 
  The mortar company began to consist of six 82-mm mortars
• 
  The machine gun company began to have 12 heavy machine guns (Maxim Machine Gun or SG-43)
• 
  A communications platoon of 19 people was introduced, with a set consisting of 1 telephone switchboard, 8 telephones and 8 kilometers of telephone cable.

At rifle regiment level

• 
  The artillery battery of 76-mm guns began to consist of three fire platoons (6 guns)
• 
  The mortar battery of 120-mm mortars began to consist of 6 mortars
• 
  The anti-tank destroyer battery was armed with six 57 mm anti-tank guns
• 
  Instead of an air defense company, an anti-aircraft platoon of six 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns was introduced.
• 
  The size of the foot reconnaissance platoon was set at 38 people, and the horse reconnaissance platoon was abolished.
• 
  The size of the engineer platoon, introduced instead of the engineer company, was set at 27 people.
• 
  The composition of the regimental communications company was determined to be 73 people; the company consisted of three platoons (headquarters, radio communications and telephone). The communications company had 6 radio stations, 2 radio receivers, 3 telephone switchboards, 20 telephones and 32 kilometers of telephone cable.
• 
  The regiment's transport company began to consist of 6 GAZ-AA vehicles and 18 paired carts

The regiment numbered 2,725 people, with a rifle battalion of 670 people and a rifle company of 114 people. Also in each regiment there were two companies of machine gunners, each numbering 98 people. In June 1945, the staff changed somewhat: the strength of the regiment began to be 2,398 people, with a battalion of 555 people and a company of 104 people.