SOVIET ARTILLERY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000100340007-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 15, 2013
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: April 21, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Germany (Soviet Zone)
SUBJECT Soviet Artillery
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQU I RED
DATE OF INFORMATION
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION EFFECTING THE NATIONAL .DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE IS, SECTION! 793
AND 794r or THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TEANSMISSION OR AEON.
LOTION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT SY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
NNNNNNNN ED MY LAW. THE REPEODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIOITED.
DAIL DISIN. ZAJ Apr 52
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NO. OF PAGES 5
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW) 50X1
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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Doctrine and Command Channels for Artillery
2.
S'KerrE
/9-RAA
The ."Artillery Manual" issued by Supreme Artillery Academy
(Vysshaya Artilleriskaya Akademiya), Moscow, 19 9 ?re
scribes tactics and techniques for art' lery.
ili
artillery units from battery
up) are placed under the command of the tactical troops which
they support.
(a) An artillery battery may be placed under an infantry
battalion or regiment as necessity demands
(b) An artillery battalion may be. placed. under an infantry
regiment or division
LtV
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) An artillery regiment may be placed under an infantry
division
(d) In all cases, the CO of the tactical troops becomes the
' CO of the combined forces
In combat the next higher command_ above an artillery
division fould be corps or army. A separate artillery
?rosiment in combat may be subordinated to an infantry division.
4. Artillery firing positions are selected and occupied according
to terrain and are based on air and/Or ground reoonnaiesance
Of possible enemy target locations. For example, AT guns are
platted to cover only that terrain which is suitable for
operation of tanks.
My experience in peaceti e moves and instruction in NCO
school indicates thFlt? the roads used by Soviet artillery are
always secondary, ca-country roads, through forests and
mountainous terrain2 with a grade 1112 to 10 degrees.
The route b are
reconnoiterea by reconmaiSsance men (razvedchiki). The march
order of a battalion 1* as follows: reconnaissance men,
battalion headquarters and then gun batteries (the latter are
always on the alert). Supply vehicles and guns are towed
by Studebaker prime movers and travel in column at an inter-
val of 30 meters between vehicles. Vehicles travel at
maximum possible speed (up to ir kms depending on terrain).
A
chemical officer is with battalion headquarters, and is
alert for possible gas attacks. EN (usually ammo carries)
are selected to guide traffic. If the column encounters
impassable ditches or streams, the artillery men, themselves,
and not the engineers, build rafts or makeshift bridges
from trees.
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Light artillery 57, 76 and 85 mm are in the front lines with
tanks and infantry, both in offense and defense, in support
of an attack, withdrawal or defense. Heavy artillery of
152 and 300 mm, mortars and rocket launchers are two to six
.as behind the front line troo s and dis lac
coniunction with thane
One gun of a battery will, before. combat, fire three'to four?
rounds to Zero on a potential target and subsequently note
the reference points. When the actual target is sighted,
the command is given according to these reference points.
Example:
Rubezh (Terrain Line) 4
Pritzel (Sight Narking) 30
? Au.. other guns of the battery close on the base weapon and
fire is opened on the target.
Considerable detail is devoted to aerial survey and ground
? reconnaissance, but only high ranking officers know the exact
technique, the time required to accomplish and the personnel
who perform such surveys.
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special firing charts in each
battery show how to allow for wind, rain ant other irteather -
conditions.'
10. Only one gun of a battery unit will register on a target;
The other guns will compensate by adding so many mills to
the left or right, as the case may be.
11. Beattie batteries and mortars are located by aircraft,
observers and reconnaissance patrols, and by plotting the
trajectory of enemy shells. This information is then used
to conduct counter-battery and counter-mortar missions.
1100,0 are not well informed on exact details.
12.
Soviet artillery employs
direct fire, (priyamaya navodka) whenever possible. During
the latter part of World War II (1944 & 45)0 the Soviets
found direct fire to be the most effective, and at present
very little training is devoted to firing from position
defilade.
13 Soviet Soviet tank guns and light artillery are used as supplemental
artillery, in that they are always employed as direct support
weapons.
1
In combat imitation guns are set up, partly camouflaged,
while the real batteries are heavily camouflaged. I
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Soviet artillery will zero 50X1
en a given point and open fire only when hostile units are
actually within the target area. In connection with this
subject, an actual battle film of the war in Korea was shown
to Soviet artillery troops in the fall of 1951. In the film
a 118 gun battery fired a harassing mission. After the battery
moved on, the North Koreans came out of concealment and
continued their march. Soviet officers and BM laughed at
this because it was contrary to Soviet practice. Soviet
artillery would not have moved on until the assigned mission
(which would have been to wipe out the concealed North
Koreans) had been accomplished. If the conditions permit,
reinforcing artillery will move into position areas the
night before a contemplated attack, so as to have time for
observation and camouflaging. (Including rocket artillery
and mortars.) Artillery commences firing about one-half
hour prior to an attack. Besides artillery, mortars, AT
guns and rocket launchers are employed in pre-attack fire. 50X1
the tactical air effort is coordinated with that
of the artillery, prior to an attack, but can give no
definite data.
Fire Control Procedures
15. The manual mentioned in 1., above, governs methods and tech-
Jaques of adjustment and control of fire.
16. The division artillery officer of the CO of a tank, rifle
or medhanized division, or of an artillery unit of regimental
size, decides what targets to fire upon, how many rounds and
guns are to be employed and what ammunition will be used
against a particular target. Difficult decisions may be made
by the artillery officer of an army.
- To.
at: 0, ?
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17.
18. Firing -charts are for peacetime training only, In actual
?combat, the fire must be immediate, and the gun commander
blankets fire on the target in hopes of obtaining a few
? direct hits.
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19.
20.
21.
The intelligence
platoon performs reconnaissance and corrects fire.
In all training utmost speed in delivery of fire is stressed.
A battalion CO brings all guns of his battalion simultaneously
on the same target by calling battery CO's on the telephone
or radio, from the time a target is reported
a platoon will fire within 60 to 90 seconds, a battery within
three to five inutes and a battalion within five to seven
minutes. TOT fire
is not employed by Soviet artillery, 50X1
ploy massed fire, is inter ittent blanket firing.
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'TherSoviets e
if more than one battalion fires simultaneously
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on a target of opportunity.
&stem of Forward 22
Observers
a forward observer is not-li ited to his
assigned zone, but will report the location of a target out-
side that zone to the forward observer in whose area the
target appears. These two forward observers will then decide
between themselves which artillery unit can fire most effectively
on the target. There is definite liaison between forward
observers. Positions for forward observers and observation
posts are selected for good visibility and for conoealment
from enemy observation. A platoon forward observer controls
the fire of two guns. A battery or battalion observer con-
trols all guns of his respective unit; however 50X1
knowledge on the maximum number of guns a forward observer
may control. Targets are located and designated by the use 50X1
of outstanding terrain features, which are called reference
points (orientirovki). 50X1
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Forward observers vary
in rank from Lt to Col, and Pvt to NCO, depending on whether
they are assigned to battery, battalion, regiment, division 50X1
or army. A forward observer does not function alone but
always has a telephone and/Or a radio operator. He may also
have a runner. These men are NCO's or pvts.
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? amnications
23. Supported troops request fire on a particular target by
phone or radio through the tactical commander to the supporting
artillery, radio or telephone communication is
maintained from battery level up, but am not certain. Forward
observers communicate with their units by radio or telephone.
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Organization and Equipant.
24. on division level and above, the unit
commander can get liaison and/or observation aircraft but
do not know if they are alwaya assigned to these units.
25. Weight of weapon in
traveling position: 1250 kg; in firing position: 1150 kg.
The maximum effective range is considered to be 800 meters;
best results are obtained at ranges of 300 to 500 meters.
Total weight of the shell is 6.8 kg. Weight of the explosive
in shell is approximately 600 grams. There are no changes
or zones in the propellant. A 122 mmhoviitzeilireighttthreeitons;
26.
tiesIe]1, 23 kg,
27. The HVAP Composite Rigid (Arrowhead) projectile is known by
the Soviet terminology "Podkalibernyi Snaryad", (Subcaliber
shell). The shell was first introduced at the end of 1944
and was used with great effectiveness against German tiger
tanks. The 57 mm "subcaliber shell" has a total weight of
approxi ately 6.8 kg and the .projectile itself approximately
three kg. Inside the soft nosed projectile is a hard core
of wolfra . The projectile has a velocity of 1270 meters
per second and will penetrate 20 c (eight in) of armor at a
range of 300 to 500 meters on a direct hit. Angle hits will
ricochet.
The unit of
fire for a 57 mm AT gun was 240 rounds, of which 10 were
subcaliber
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28. The following ammunition is available for 761 85 and 100 mm
guns: fragmentation/RE, and AP. 50X1
29, unition is provided for 57, 76, 85 and 100 =guns.
no additional details regarding ammunition other
an that given in the preceding paragraph.
30. During WW II (1945) the Soviets developed delayed action
fuzes MD seven and MD eight (mimbrannoye deistviye). These
fuzes are attached to fragmentation/RE projectiles and are
used against pill boxes and machine gun nests.
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