Few Men, Many Weapons!

Few Men, Many Weapons! Machine-gun Artillery Battalions by Wayne Turner The Soviet Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Batalon (Machine-gun Artillery Battalion) seems like a strange and unusual unit when you first stubble across them in any books or websites covering Soviet forces during the Great Patriotic War (WWII). Their parent unit, the Fortified Region, often seems stranger. However, when you look into the theory and purpose behind these units it begins to make a lot more sense. Learn more about Red Bear here...

Fortified Region The Fortified Region (Ukreplennye Raiony), despite its geographical name, is actually a regiment to brigade sized unit, made up of a number of Machine-gun Artillery Battalions. The Fortified Regions formed between 1928 and 1941 were designed to hold the purpose built fortifications like those in key border regions and other strategic locations, such as the Stalin Line. By 1944, the role of the Fortified Region had changed. They remained defensive units, but instead manned field fortifications in sectors of the front line where the Red Army did not intend to attack from, rather than in purpose build concrete and steel fortifications. A Fortified Region held parts of the line where mobility wasn’t required and where their economy of men to weapons was ideal for holding the front against attacks. A Fortified Region of around 2000 men could cover the frontage usually occupied by that of a Rifle Division of about 10,000 men.

Battlefront TV Red Bear The Soviets Wayne takes a quick look at what you can expect from the Soviet lists covered by the Late War compilation Red Bear. Visit the Battlefront TV channel on YouTube here...

Machine-gun Artillery Battalion The building block of the Fortified Region was the Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Batalon (Machine-gun Artillery Battalion). The Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Batalon had only a small number of men manning a significant amount of firepower. Each battalion consisted of four machine-gun artillery companies and an artillery group. The machine-gun artillery companies were made up of Maksim machine-guns, DP light machine-guns, light and medium mortars, anti-tank rifles and 45mm anti-tank guns. Each weapon had very few crew, with just four men per Maksim machine-gun and two men per DP light machine-gun. The machine-guns were organised into four machine-gun platoons consisting of two Maksims, two DPs and an officer, meaning the machine-gun platoons had just 13 men. However, due to casualties, some platoons operated with as little as eight men. The other weapons in the anti-tank rifle, mortar and anti-tank platoons were equally lightly crewed. The total full-strength manpower of a machine-gun artillery company was just 105 men to man 45 heavy weapons! However, on defence this was ideal. Often combined with the use of deception to cloud the identity of the defending unit, the firepower produced by a Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Batalon was indistinguishable to an attacking German commander from that produced by a much larger Red Army rifle unit.

Artillery Group Each Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Batalon has its own Artillery Group of twelve 76mm ZIS-3 field guns. They were either allocated out to the Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Company positions, or grouped together to provide fire support. They were also lightly crewed with the minimum of command and no specialist fire-control staff. Instead they usually relied on direct fire or bombardments laid in by the crew based on the battalion’s positions. These guns were also effective against German medium tanks, and if positioned well, could take advantage of the weaker side-armour of some of the heavier German models. Support In addition to the Machine-gun Artillery Battalions, infantry battalions, sappers, artillery, and assault guns could also support each Fortified Region. This depended on the situation on the front and whether an attack was expected.

Training and Morale The men of the Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Batalon were often some of the best trained troops available and had a high proportion of officers and NCOs. They also had an add incentive to stay put in their positions, the battalion had very little in the way of transport. There was no means of quick escape. 38ya ‘Puskino’ Pulyemyetnoartillyeriyskiy Batalon veteran Lieutenant Fedor Bachin explains, ‘When the infantry advanced we followed them. When the offensive spirit was lost, we then took up the defence and the rifle units went to the rear for replacements. We had the right to advance, but if we wanted to retreat – sorry, we would stand or die.’ Bachin himself was hand picked after basic training in the Far East followed by officer and machine-gun schools.

Fortifications The men of the Pulyemyetnoartillyeriyskiy Batalon were not usually expected to construct their own fortifications. They would usually occupy positions constructed for them by sappers or take over positions previously occupied by Rifle units. This being the case, the fortifications used by a Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Batalon followed the principles for field positions used by all Red Army units as set out in various field manuals. In principle Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy companies would take up company positions, usually organised in two lines with linking communications trenches. Barbed Wire protected the front and sides of the strongpoint and anti-tank ditches or obstacles were positioned to the strongpoint’s front. Gaps between the strongpoint company positions were usually mined to channel the enemy into the company’s fields of fire. For an excellent investigation of Soviet field fortifications see Osprey Fortress 62, Soviet Field Fortifications 1941-45 by Gordon L Rottman. Check out Soviet Field Fortifications on the Osprey Publishing website here...

In Flames Of War The Pulyemyetno-artillyeriyskiy Batalon is a force you can take in Red Bear (page 30), which along with Grey Wolf is one of our new Late-war Eastern Front books. This is a fortified force with its own entrenchments, gun pits and obstacles and is organised as explained above. It has two interesting special rules to capture flavour of these units. The first of these is Camouflaged Positions, which mimics the Red Army practice of concealing their fortifications with earth and vegetation. If the entrenched troops don’t shoot the enemy can’t see them until they are within 16”/40cm.

The second special rule is called No Retreat, No Surrender and represents the stubbornness of these units. Instead of Quality of Quantity, a Pulyemyetnoartillyeriyskiy Company gets to re-roll failed Motivation Tests to counterattack in Assaults. This force offers something very different to the Soviet player, a defensive force that will offer a number of tactical challengers for the player and his opponent alike. ~ Wayne.