Hammer and Sickle Orders of Battle Organisation of the Soviet units Some of the great historical information we just didn’t have enough room to include in Hammer and Sickle were the complete organisations and orders of battle of the four Soviet corps featured in the book. The PDF linked below includes a breakdown of all four corps. One thing we did a little differently for these orders of battle was to display the companies and platoons using the Flames Of War terms. This is intended to give you a better idea of where in the larger structure of a Soviet corps your Combat, Weapons, and Support companies and platoons come from. Another reason to include orders of battle is as a resource for those looking to theme their force on a particular units. Where the information is available we have tried to give the types of guns and vehicles in the units. This allows your to work out which corps’ weapons and tanks spark your interest and help direct you to the most suitable Flames Of War company or platoon.

These organisations allow you to also see why certain battalions have the number of combat companies they have. For example you can see that the reason a Hammer and Sickle Tankovy Batalon can have three Tankovy Companies is because the 1st Mechanised Corps’ tank regiments had two battalions of three companies rather than the more normal three battalions of two companies of the tank corps or the three battalions of two medium tank companies and a light tank company of the 3rd Mechanised Corps. I hope you find these orders of battle useful, or at least interesting, as you go about creating your Soviet force from Hammer and Sickle.

3rd Guards Mechanised Corps and 1st Mechanised Corps Soviet mechanised and tank corps are the equivalent to other nations’ armoured divisions, with the mechanised corps being infantry heavy and tank corps being armour heavy. Mechanised corps make the initial thrust through broken enemy lines, taking key objectives and destroying any withdrawing forces. Mechanised corps are made up of three mechanised brigades, a tank brigade, and supporting units of mortars, rocket launchers, reconnaissance, sappers, anti-tank, anti-aircraft and assault guns. Each mechanised brigade is a combined arms force containing motorised rifle battalions, a tank regiment, mortars, artillery, anti-aircraft, reconnaissance, sappers and trucks.  For example the 3rd Guards Mechanised Corps had 196 tanks, 42 assault guns, 99 armoured cars and half-tracks, 200 motorcycles, 1556 trucks, 41 76mm guns, 12 85mm guns, 8 BM-13 rocket launchers, and around 16,000 men. The 1st Mechanised Corps had a very similar allotment of equipment.

5th Guards Tank Army Exploitation Force of the Northern Hammer 3rd Guards tank Corps and 29th Tank Corps These two tank corps followed behind the cavalry and mechanised corps smashing enemy rear area defences, disrupting the enemy reserves and attacking behind enemy lines. Tank corps contain three tank brigades, a motorised brigade, and supporting regiments and battalions of mortars, rocket launchers, reconnaissance, sappers, anti-tank, anti-aircraft and assault guns. Each tank brigade had three tank battalions, a motor rifle battalion, an armoured car platoon, and an anti-aircraft machine-gun company. A full-strength tank corps has 208 tanks, 42 assault guns, 270 trucks, 241 other vehicles, 174 guns and mortars, 8 BM-13 rocket launchers, and 11,788 men. Though not officially a Guards formation we have rated the 29th Tank Corps troops in Hammer and Sickle Guards because of their experience and in recognition of them receiving the Order of the Red Banner. Download the Hammer and Sickle Soviet Order Of Battle PDF...   Bagration History: 1st Mechanised Corps...   Bagration History: 3rd Guards Mechanised Corps... Bagration History: 5th Guards Tank Army...