"Soviet motor rifle brigade TO&E ?" Topic

I found a source that said a motor rifle brigade has three infantry battalions, while another source said it has three infantry regiments so, are motor rifle regiments single battalion regiments, or is someone wrong? Thanks for the help.

A Soviet Motor Rifle Regiment has 3 Inf Bns. No such thing as a Brigade in the Sov orbat,

Tally Ho!

Hello, 79thPA
Soviet mechanized infantry brigades in this time not had a single TO&E. Mechanised and tank brigades were few, and in principle easier to look at the specific unit.
For example – 6-th separate motorized rifle brigade (Karlhorst, Berlin) contain 3 mechanized infantry battalion and 3 tank battalions.

To clarify within our records of GSFG/WGF in the 80s there was no "Brigade" as found in the West, the equivalent formation was the "Regiment" The 6th, the chaps over the wall from the museum, were a different case,

Tally Ho!

So what would a motor rifles division consist of if it didn't have brigades? Was a MR division simply composed of 3 or 4 MR regiments and support, or was there an organizational step between a regiment and a division?

In particular I am looking at the 6th Guards Motor Rifles and the Polish 15 Mechanized Division. Thanks.

In general, by 1988 in the Soviet Army mechanized infantry brigades were as follows:
1st (Group of Soviet troops in Cuba)
6th Guards (Berlin)
27 Guards (Teply Stan, near Moscow, in service – 31 T-80 and 54 BMP)
66th (limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, Jalalabad, disbanded in 1989)
68th (Osh city, in Central Asia)
70 Guards (limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, Kandahar, disbanded in 1989)

Yes, the division consisted of just a few regiments, no brigades (usually).

Yes whereas a UK Div would consist of a number of Brigades, a GSFG Div would consist of a number of Regiments,

Tally Ho!

Here is a typical GSFG MR Regiment, certainly in the UK this size of formation would be regarded as a Brigade:

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Tally Ho!

6th Motorized Rifle Brigade Berlin,
GDR:
1) 4 Motorized Rifle Battalions: 43 BMP2,
6 AGS17, 9 SA7/14/16, 8 120mm mortar per bn.
2) 1 Tank Battalion: 40 T80
3) 1 Artillery Battalion: 24 2S1
4) 1 Air Defense Battery: 4 2S6, 4 SA13,
3 BMP2
5) 1 AntiTank
Missile Battery: 9 BRDM3
6) 1 Recon Company: 3 BMP2,4 BRDM2,1 BRM, 3 Motorcycles
7) 1 Engineer Company:

The Polish 15th Motor Rifle Division after 1987: tank regiment with T-55, two rifle regiments in OT-64, one rifle regiment in BMP-1, artillery regiment with two battalions 2S1, one battalion towed 152mm and one battalion BM-21, AA regiment with SA-6. Regiments as standard Soviet versions except: replace BMP in recon companies with PT-76, no artillery in tank regiment, motor rifle regiments have a battery of towed 122mm instead of a battalion, motor rifle regiments have BRDM/ AT-3 instead of BRDM/ AT-5 in the anti-tank company and the OT-64 battalions have AT-3 not AT-4 in the battalion level AT platoon. Hope this helps.

As noted above, within divisions the formations are regiments (of multiple battalions). Soviet brigades are formations outside of a divisional structure (also of multiple battalions).

Same as in WW2.

Thanks all for the help.

Try this: PDF link

Nickinsomerset do you have all of your imagery consolidated online somewhere?

US Army Field Manual on Soviet organization published 1991
PDF link

Nickinsomerset do you have all of your imagery consolidated online somewhere?

No kidding, it's quite interesting to see!