Russian Tank Companies
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Russian Tank Companies
How where the russians in WWII divided there tanks into companies.?.
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Mk1 will most likely provide a very comprehensive answer that you would do well to make a part of your research library
, but until he weighs in, for light and medium tanks they typically had a Co HQ with one tank and three platoons each of three tanks. Heavy tank companies typically had one tank in the Co. HQ and two platoons of two tanks each. There were also some mixed companies in 1941 - 42 that blended multiple types together.
Chris

Chris
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Chris covered it pretty well.
10 tanks to a company. 3 platoons of 3, with the company CO in the 10th.
Heavy tanks could be 5 to a company. 2 platoons of 2, with the CO in the 5th.
In 1941 and 42 (as Chris mentioned) there seem to have been quite a few mixed companies. This was not so much a deliberate effort (mixed Battalions were deliberate), but just expediency. You tried to assemble a T-34 company, but you only came up with 6 T-34s, so you filled in with some BTs. Same with T-28s back-filling KV companies. T-60s seem to have been added to T-40 companies as they became available. So also T-70s and T-60s wound up inter-mixed in many organizations.
By 1943 these companies are homogenous. One tank type. But you might have some mix of sub-types, which GHQ facilitiates beautifully by mixing different hull or turret details in their T-34, KV and JS packs.
The Soviets did not "distinguish" between sub-models in their TOEs. A T-34 was a T-34, whether it was a 1941 or 1943 production model. So mix and match away.
Now for the exceptions:
There are also seem to have been some 7 tank heavy companies. I've never seen it clarified whether this was 2 platoons of 3, or 3 platoons of 2, plus the CO in the 7th.
There are some TOEs for SUs in companies of 9. 2 batteries of 4, with the CO in the 9th AFV, which may well be a tank on the equivelent chassis (T-70 for SU-76, T-34 for SU-85). This was done with the light and medium SUs.
Heavy SUs more often had companies of 7. I presume this was two batteries of 3, plus the CO in the 7th. Never seen that settled.
The Soviets re-organized their armor TOEs several times in 1940, 1941, and 1942. Until they settled down, it was possible to find many individual units that were "halfway" between the prior and new reg TOEs. Regulations were promulgated with little regard for the actual equipment available to any given unit.
Or so I understand.
10 tanks to a company. 3 platoons of 3, with the company CO in the 10th.
Heavy tanks could be 5 to a company. 2 platoons of 2, with the CO in the 5th.
In 1941 and 42 (as Chris mentioned) there seem to have been quite a few mixed companies. This was not so much a deliberate effort (mixed Battalions were deliberate), but just expediency. You tried to assemble a T-34 company, but you only came up with 6 T-34s, so you filled in with some BTs. Same with T-28s back-filling KV companies. T-60s seem to have been added to T-40 companies as they became available. So also T-70s and T-60s wound up inter-mixed in many organizations.
By 1943 these companies are homogenous. One tank type. But you might have some mix of sub-types, which GHQ facilitiates beautifully by mixing different hull or turret details in their T-34, KV and JS packs.
The Soviets did not "distinguish" between sub-models in their TOEs. A T-34 was a T-34, whether it was a 1941 or 1943 production model. So mix and match away.
Now for the exceptions:
There are also seem to have been some 7 tank heavy companies. I've never seen it clarified whether this was 2 platoons of 3, or 3 platoons of 2, plus the CO in the 7th.
There are some TOEs for SUs in companies of 9. 2 batteries of 4, with the CO in the 9th AFV, which may well be a tank on the equivelent chassis (T-70 for SU-76, T-34 for SU-85). This was done with the light and medium SUs.
Heavy SUs more often had companies of 7. I presume this was two batteries of 3, plus the CO in the 7th. Never seen that settled.
The Soviets re-organized their armor TOEs several times in 1940, 1941, and 1942. Until they settled down, it was possible to find many individual units that were "halfway" between the prior and new reg TOEs. Regulations were promulgated with little regard for the actual equipment available to any given unit.
Or so I understand.
-Mark 1
Difficile est, saturam non scribere.
"It is hard NOT to write satire." - Decimus Iunius Juvenalis, 1st Century AD
Difficile est, saturam non scribere.
"It is hard NOT to write satire." - Decimus Iunius Juvenalis, 1st Century AD
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Soviet Tank Companies
A good source for me on Russian tank company organizations was Zaloga's Red Army Handbook. This gives the official organization of various Red Army formations during the course of the war such as armor, infantry, artillery etc. When settling on a unit to portray such as a tank battalion it is helpful to know which time frame you are going to game so that your organization will be correct for that period. The Russians make lots of changes during the war and had several different organizations for their armored units.
Pete - Binpicker, Out!
Pete - Binpicker, Out!
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