David M. Glantz - A History of Soviet Airborne Forces

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THE HISTORY OF SOVIET AIRBORNE FORCES

CASS SERIES ON SOVIET MILITARY THEORY AND PRACTICE

Series Editor David M. Glantz

Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas

This series examines in detail the evolution of Soviet military science and the way the Soviets have translated theoretical concepts for the conduct of war into concrete military practice. Separate volumes focus on how the Soviets have applied and refined theory in combat and on how they have structured their forces to suit the requirement of changing times.

1. David M. Glantz, Soviet Military Deception in the Second World War

2. David M. Glantz, Soviet Military Operational Art: In Pursuit of Deep Battle

3. David M. Glantz, Soviet Military Intelligence in War

4. David M. Glantz, The Soviet Conduct of Tactical Maneuver: Spearhead of the Offensive

5. David M. Glantz, The Military Strategy of the Soviet Union: A History

6. David M. Glantz, The History of Soviet Airborne Forces

THE HISTORY OF SOVIET AIRBORNE FORCES

DAVID M. GLANTZ

First published 1994 by

FRANK CASS & CO. LTD

Published 2013 by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

711 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

Copyright 1994 David M. Glantz

The views expressed here are those of the author.

They should not necessarily be construed as those of the U.S. Department of Defense or the United States Army.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Glantz, David M.

History of Soviet Airborne Forces.

(Cass Series on Soviet Military Theory & Practice; Vol.6)

I. Title II. Series

356.1660947

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Glantz, David M.

The history of Soviet airborne forces / David M. Glantz.

p.cm. (Cass series on Soviet military theory and practice ; 6)

Includes index.

1. Soviet Union. Sukhoputnye voiska. Vozdushnodesantnye voiskaHistory. I. Title. II. Series: Glantz, David M. Cass series on Soviet military theory and practice ; 6.
UA776.V69G53 1994

356.1660947dc20

03-10289

CIP

ISBN 13: 978-0-714-63483-8 (hbk)

ISBN 13: 978-0-714-64120-1 (pbk)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Typeset by Regent Typesetting, London

Contents

Transliteration note: In general, this volume employs the Library of Congress transliteration system. In some maps and quotations, other transliteration systems will be encountered. Place names containing ia, iu, or e may be written ya, yu, and ye (or in German style).

A	Army
AC	Army corps
AF	Army force (division)
AbnB	Airborne brigade
AbnC	Airborne corps
AbnDet.	Airborne detachment
AbnR(Regt)	Airborne regiment
AR	Artillery regiment
B	Brigade
Bde	Brigade
Bn	Battalion
CC	Cavalry corps
CD	Cavalry division
CR	Cavalry regiment
Co	Company
D	Division
Gp	Group
GA	Guards Army
GCC	Guards cavalry corps
GCD	Guards cavalry division
Gds	Guards
GMC	Guards mechanized corps
GRD	Guards rifle division
GTA	Guards tank army
GTB	Guards tank brigade
GTC	Guards tank corps
ID	Infantry division
IR	Infantry regiment
JD	Jger (light) division
MC	Mechanized corps
MD	Motorized division
PartDet	Partisan detachment
PzA	Panzer army
PzD	Panzer division
PzR	Panzer regiment
PolR(Regt)	Police regiment
RB	Rifle brigade
RC	Rifle corps
RD	Rifle division
SA	Shock army
SB	Ski brigade
TA	Tank army
TB	Tank brigade
TC	Tank corps

On maps, numerals with no abbreviations attached are divisions (German and Soviet)

The historical record of Soviet development and employment of airborne forces in peace and war has been marred by neglect and misinformation. Until the early 1960s Soviet historians and military analysts concealed the historical record of these forces with a virtually impenetrable veil of secrecy, as they did with so many of the more unpleasant aspects of their military experiences. At the same time, their former and current adversaries in the West did little to set the historical record straight.

The tone of Western reporting was set by an important Western historical assessment of wartime airborne operations which was published by the United States Army in 1951. This ostensibly accurate survey compiled by prestigious former German wartime commanders contained the following judgement:

It is surprising that during World War II the USSR did not attempt any large-scale airborne operations. Although Soviet Russia was the first country in the world which during peacetime had experimented with landing troops by air and had organised special units for this purpose, its wartime operations were confined to the commitment of small units which were dropped back of the German front for the purpose of supporting partisan activities and which had no direct tactical or strategic effect.1

This study attributed wartime Soviet airborne inactivity to numerous causes, including: their lack of air superiority, which persisted until the final stages of the war; a failure of Soviet confidence in the utility or necessity of airborne operations; and the ill effects of the military purges of the 1930s, which had decimated the ranks of those who had originally created the airborne force. Finally, the study judged that The Russians are primarily at home on the ground and are not in their element on the water or in the air.2

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