SOVIET ARMY TERMINOLOGY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00046R000300220010-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 2013
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: February 18, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/01 : CIA-RDP82-00046R000300220010-3
SECRET
REPORT NO.
50X1
COUNTRY USSR
DATE DISTIL 18
Feb. 1964
SUBJECT Soviet Army
Terminology
NO. OF PAGES
2
50X1
DATE OF INFORMATION
REFERENCES:
PLACE ACQUIRED
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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SOURCE
1. Boum) stated that a unit composed of two or more corps was known as
an "army".
al. He was not sure whether an army was composed of two rifle corps
or one rifle corps and a tank or mechanized corps.
b. He had heard of "guards", "shock", and "breakthrough" armies in
World War II, but had never heard of a "rifle army" or a "Soviet
army". "Breakthrough" and "shock" armies had a great deal of
artillery, planes, rocket launohers and tanks. They were used
? for penetration, breakthrough in depth of the enemy, or to hit
the enemy with great concentration of fire and armor.
(1)
The "breakthrough army" was called "Proryvnaya Armiya" and
was usually formed for special missions, such as spearhead-
ing an attack. It was used on a narrow front. After it
achieved a breakthrough, it was either broken up or attached
to other fronts.
(2) The "shook army" was called "Udarnaya Armiya" and was used
for assault missions.
(3) Source, did not know the difference in TA & E between
guards", "shock", and "breakthrough" armies, and could not
give additional details on their mission.
(4) He did not know the post-World War II TA & E or mission of
the various armies.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/01 : CIA-RDP82-00046R000300220010-3
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/01 : CIA-RDP82-00046R000300220010-3
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-2-
2. Source stated that two or more armies were called a "Front" in World
War II. He had never heard the expression "Soviet Front", but there
were such designations as let and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts and let and
2nd Belorussian Fronts. The expression "Front" in those cases
meant a force composed of two or more armies, complete with air
force, artillery, and armor, assembled in and fighting in the sector
designated by the name of "Front".
3. Source was attached in 1942 to the North Caucasian Front. He could
not give the composition or TbO & E of this front. He knew that it
had airplanes, artillery, armor, rifle units, border guard troops,
interior troops and also a brigade of naval infantry (Brigada Morskoy
Pekhoty)
a. Stalingrad ZN 48-45, E 44-2.57 was defended by two fronts the
Don Front and the Southwest Front.
b. Source did not recall any further details on World War II fronts
and had no up-to-date knowledge of army groups or fronts, except
that after the war two or more armies stationed in the USSR were
referred to by military districts (Voyennyy Okrug). HoWevers
two or more armies stationed outside the USSR were designated
"Army Group".
SECRET
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/01 : CIA-RDP82-00046R000300220010-3