Cavalry division (Soviet Union)

Regular Red Army cavalry divisions in 1941 had four cavalry regiments, a horse artillery battalion (eight 76- mm guns and eight 122-mm howitzers), a tank regiment (64 BT-series tanks), an anti-aircraft battalion (eight 76- mm anti-aircraft guns and two batteries of AA machine guns), a signals squadron, a field-engineer squadron and other rear echelon support units and sections. [ [http://bibliotekar.ru/antisuvorov/45.htm] , Isaev]

A cavalry regiment, in turn, consisted of four sabre squadrons, a machine-gun squadron (16 heavy machine guns and four 82- mm mortars), a regimental artillery battery (four 76- mm and four 45- mm of instrument), an anti-aircraft battery (three 37- mm guns and three quadrupled Maxim machine guns). [ [http://bibliotekar.ru/antisuvorov/45.htm] , Isaev]

The total authorized strength of a cavalry division included 8,968 personnel and 7,625 horses, the cavalry regiment respectively had 1,428 personnel and 1,506 horses. [ [http://bibliotekar.ru/antisuvorov/45.htm] , Isaev] By 1943, a cavalry division was authorized 6,000 men and often organized into corps of three divisions that were reinforced by artillery, tank, and assault gun elements. [p.115, Zaloga, Ness]

The cavalry corps were of two-divisional composition and approximately corresponded to a motorised division, possessing somewhat less mobility and lesser weight of artillery volley. [ [http://bibliotekar.ru/antisuvorov/45.htm] , Isaev]

At the commencement of the Second World War there were thirteen cavalry divisions (nine regular and four mountain) in the Red Army, mostly concentrated in four cavalry corps. [ [http://bibliotekar.ru/antisuvorov/45.htm] , Isaev] Their dispositions in June 1941 were:

* Kiev Special Military District - 5th Cavalry Corps _ru. 5-й кавалерийский корпус:3rd Bessarabian cavalry division named for Kotovsky _ru. 3-й Бессарабская им. Г.И. Котовского кавалерийская дивизия:14th cavalry division named for Parkhomenko _ru. 14-й им. Пархоменко кавалерийская дивизия
* Odessa Military District - 2nd Cavalry Corps _ru. 2-й кавалерийский корпус:5th cavalry division named for M.F.Blinov _ru. 5-й им. М.Ф. Блинова кавалерийсккая дивизия:9th Crimean cavalry division _ru. 9-й Крымсккая кавалерийсккая дивизия

* Formed in July 1941 at Urup from Kuban Cossacks, and at Stavropol from the Terek Cossacks population were respectively the 50th and 53rd Cavalry divisions. [ [http://bibliotekar.ru/antisuvorov/45.htm] , Isaev]

The rapid destruction of Soviet mechanized forces in the summer and autumn of 1941 resulted in a rapid expansion of cavalry units to provide the Red Army a mobile, if not armored, force. [p.107, Zaloga, Ness] This expansion produced some 87 new cavalry divisions by early 1942, many of which were later disbanded as the Red Army rebuilt its tank and mechanized formations. 17 of the cavalry divisions were granted Guards status and renumbered accordingly.

Citations and notes

References

* Isaev, A., "Anti-Suvorov: Ten myths of the Second World [War] ", Moscow, Eksmo, Yauza, 2004 [http://bibliotekar.ru/antisuvorov/45.htm]
* Zaloga, Steven J. & Ness, Leland S., "Red Army Handbook 1939-1945", Sutton Publishing, Thrupp, 2003

ee also

*List of Soviet Union divisions 1917–1945#Cavalry Divisions - list of all Red Army cavalry divisions