Panzer Korps – Red Disciples

Description

Panzer Korps – Red Disciples covers the organizational structures of the Soviet Army from 1938 to 1945 at the Divisional level. Covering every major combat organizational configuration. Red Disciples allows gamers and historians to get a handle of how the mighty SOVIET war machine structured themselves to win the war in the east.

• Covers Airborne, Artillery, Naval, Armored formations & more!
• Breaks down the command structures into their respective
• parts Aides in understanding the rapidly changing
• organizations Comprehensive major Vehicle and Weapons lists
• Complete Aircraft listing and charts for use with Panzer Korps
• Lend Lease Equipment Tables and special formations
• Combat Analysis of actual historical performance

Soviet Red Army, born of a revolution

The Soviet Red Army, born of a revolution, would undergo a revolutionary shift in quality and capabilities during the Second World War.

At times Stalin’s  Red Army can be viewed as having gone through three phases. The Pre-War period of 1939-1941 during which it’s purge ridden ranks stumbled to defeat in Finland. And generally provided less than stellar service for the USSR. The 1942 1943 period of great transformation that lay the groundwork for the 1944-1945. Red Juggernaut phase of the Red Army that stormed to victory in Berlin.

Following the Revolution, the Red Army faced Poland in war in the 1920s and was soundly defeated. With Poland winning parts of the Ukraine and Belarus before the peace of Riga.

This lesson at the hands of the Poles convinced Stalin that the Soviet Union needed to modernize its military and he embarked on a massive arms build up. Determined to equip Russia with the latest in weapons, training and doctrine.

Early years of the Soviet Red Army

These early years of the Soviet Red Army saw the founding of the Frunze Military Academy and a series of training academies. That would furnish the Red Army with the officers it would need to turn a peasant army into a mechanized military force. And the industrial infrastructure to equip and maintain the largest army in Europe.

The Soviet Union committed huge amounts of money and resources to boot-strap its army into the mechanized era and introduced the best weapons it could devise or buy into its arsenal.

For example, it invested heavily into the research and development of armored vehicles and tanks. Some of these experiments paid off, while others ended in failure. Its experiments with the Christie tank, for example, laid the groundwork for the development of the highly successful T-34 medium tank, perhaps the best overall tank of the war.

Other efforts failed, especially its early “super tank” efforts. Such as the massive T-35 super heavy tank, which resulted in vulnerable behemoths that were destroyed in the first weeks of fighting against Germany in 1941.

Similar investments were made in small arms, mobile artillery, aircraft, radio systems and airborne and glider-borne infantry. Along with innovations in military equipment came innovations in tactics and doctrine. Including the Soviet version of “blitzkrieg” combined-arms doctrine, called “Deep Battle,”. Introduced by Marshal Mikhail Tukachevsky in operational war games in the mid 1930s.

Combined arms doctrine

Efforts to introduce combined arms doctrine to take advantage of mechanized and motorized units. And advances in field and vehicle radio communications, for example, ended when Stalin had, Tukachevsky shot as a traitor by the NKVD.

The Deep Battle concept formally reintroduced until 1943. The Red Army would undergo a brutal baptism of fire at the hands of the German Army. And for two years it remained on the defensive. Despite the successes of some Until it gained the experience and equipment necessary to change the tides of war and transition from Stumbling Colossus to “Red Juggernaut.

There’s a dedicated Facebook group for Panzer Korps – Red Disciples.

To view the entire Wargaming Rules catalogue or the full Panzer Korps Rules and Supplements catalogue.