By Phil Gardocki
From the wreckage of the tank battles of 1941, a new philosophy of organization was born for the Soviet armored forces. The complexity of the pre-war units was not sustainable, so simpler units were evolved. At the start of the “Great Patriotic War” the Red Army was organized like the German Army, with Tank Divisions and Mechanized Divisions. The first months of combat demonstrated that a simpler organization was required. Beginning in August 1941, Tank brigades were formed. Below is an example of the evolution of the 18th Tank Corps from its formation in 1942 through the war until its last action in Hungary in 1945. We start with the 110th Tank Brigade to show the main combat arm of the corps.Table of Organization & Equipment for the 110th Tank Brigade
The tank brigades were about the size of a German Battalion with an official Table of Organization (TOE) of 1,300 men, 52 tanks, and a small collection of support guns and mortars. They were all teeth, and no depth which showed when the brigades came in close contact with the German Army forces. Often the tank brigades were thrown together whenever fresh equipment and men were available. This left them with less than their full complement of men,were under equipped, and with little training. It was expected that these formations would simply disappear on contact with the enemy. Almost no logistical support was provided to the tank brigades. The theory was brutal and simple that if the brigade was relieved by other friendly forces then supply would be available.
| Strength | Type |
|---|---|
| 1,265 | Men |
| 10 | KV-1a tanks |
| 22 | T-34a tanks |
| 20 | T-60 tanks |
| 8 | 8.2cm Mortars |
| 36 | Machineguns |
| 3 | Cars |
| 56 | Trucks |
Table of Organization & Equipment June 1942
To address this issue, the Tank Corps was developed. Simply put, the new Soviet Corps was a brigade bucket of about 9,000 men. While it was larger, it had almost no more depth and attrited in combat quickly. The 18th was typical of this organization.
The 18th Corps was formed from 3 independent tank brigades. The 110th, the 180th, and the 181st, all formed by the Volga Military District in March, 1942. In June, they were all then sent to Moscow Military District, and reformed as the 18th Tank Corps. In July, the 18th, was assigned to the Bryansk Front, and from there, sent the Voronezh Front. The unit suffered badly during the German drive on Stalingrad and was withdrawn to the Volga Military District in October where it was rebuilt.
| Strength | Type |
|---|---|
| 8,794 | Men |
| 30 | KV-1a tanks |
| 66 | T-34a tanks |
| 60 | T-60 tanks |
| 8 | BM-8-36 rockets |
| 9 | 5cm Mortars |
| 12 | 3.7cm Anti-Aircraft |
| 16 | 7.62cm Cannons |
| 69 | 8.2cm Mortars |
| 276 | Machineguns |
| 2 | Cars |
| 10 | BA-10 Armored Cars |
| 64 | Wagons |
| 609 | Trucks |
October 1942
The 180th Tank Brigade was substituted by the 170th. The KV companies were replaced by T-34 companies in the original tank brigades, but the 170th kept their KVs. In November the 18th was assigned to the 57th Army, Southwestern Front. By December, it was assigned to the 1st Guards Tank Army and participated in the Stalingrad operations. By February 1943, with almost no remaining assets, the Corps was sent into STAVKA, and was completely rebuilt.
| Strength | Type |
|---|---|
| 8,869 | Men |
| 10 | KV-1a tanks |
| 84 | T-34a tanks |
| 62 | T-60 tanks |
| 8 | BM-8-36 rockets |
| 9 | 5cm Mortars |
| 12 | 3.7cm Anti-Aircraft |
| 16 | 7.62cm Cannons |
| 69 | 8.2cm Mortars |
| 276 | Machineguns |
| 3 | Cars |
| 10 | BA-10 Armored Cars |
| 680 | Trucks |
July 1943
In July 1943, the 18th was assigned to the 5th Guards Tank Army and participated in the Kursk battles. The 18th Tank Corps went on to liberate Kharkov during that same month. It was in steady combat throughout out the year, with the 110th and the 181st brigades receiving the group honorific, ‘Znamenskikh’.
After a summer of heavy fighting, the Corps had a serious upgrade in equipment, replacing all the light T-70s with T-34s, replacing the depleted 36th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment with the 1543rd Heavy SU Regiment. Most, if not all, of the infantry companies were converted to Sub-Machine Gun companies.
| Strength | Type |
|---|---|
| 12,328 | Men |
| 21 | KV-1s tanks |
| 129 | T-34c tanks |
| 60 | T-70 tanks |
| 8 | BM-8-36 rockets |
| 18 | 5cm Mortars |
| 36 | 12cm Mortars |
| 36 | 3.7cm Anti-Aircraft |
| 36 | 7.62cm Cannons |
| 63 | 8.2cm Mortars |
| 258 | Machineguns |
| 2 | Cars |
| 32 | BA-64 Armored Cars |
| 715 | Trucks |
1944
The unit remained in heavy combat throughout the winter with the brigades piling up casualties and honors, with the 110th and the 181st, earning the Order of the Red Banner, and 170th, ‘Kirovogradskikh’.
| Strength | Type |
|---|---|
| 10,775 | Men |
| 270 | T-34c & T-34/85 tanks |
| 20 | ISU-152 tank destroyers |
| 8 | BM-8-48 rockets |
| 18 | 8.2cm Mortars |
| 36 | 12cm Mortars |
| 36 | 3.7cm Anti-Aircraft |
| 36 | 5.7cm ZIS-2s |
| 48 | Machineguns |
| 2 | Cars |
| 32 | BA-64 Armored Cars |
| 800 | Trucks |
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