Red Army 1939

Strength and organization of the Russian Armed Forces in 1939.
Divisions, equipment, armored fighting vehicles and Red Army Order of Battle in the Winter War 1939-40.

The Red Army

The Red Army (officially the ‘Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’, or RKKA) was the military force of the Soviet Union, created in the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution. Its development and condition before World War II (WW2) is a crucial topic in understanding both the Soviet Union’s early military history and the initial stages of the Eastern Front in WW2.

Overview

Formation and Early Years

– Founded: January 1918, during the Russian Civil War (1917-1922).
– Purpose: Defend the Bolshevik government against internal (White Army, foreign interventionists) and external threats.
– Leadership: Initially led by Leon Trotsky as Commissar of War.
– Composition: A mix of volunteers, conscripts, and former Tsarist officers (who were often compelled to serve).

Interwar Period (1918–1939)

1920s: Consolidation and Modernization

– Civil War Aftermath: The Red Army emerged victorious but was exhausted and poorly equipped.
– Demobilization: Its size was drastically reduced from millions during the civil war to about 600,000 by the late 1920s.
– Modernization: Emphasis on mechanization (tanks, aircraft), and development of new doctrines, particularly “deep battle” (glubokii boi), which focused on coordinated, large-scale operations.

1930s: Expansion and Purges

Expansion and Reforms

– Growth: The army expanded rapidly in the 1930s due to rising international tensions (Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan).
– Tanks and Aircraft: The USSR became a world leader in tank production (e.g., T-26, BT series) and developed a large air force.
– Doctrine: Soviet theorists like Tukhachevsky promoted innovative operational concepts.

The Great Purge (1937–1938)

– Stalin’s Purges: Joseph Stalin, fearing disloyalty, launched a massive purge of the military.
Impact: 3 of 5 marshals, 13 of 15 army commanders, 8 of 9 admirals, 50 of 57 corps commanders, and thousands of officers were executed or imprisoned.
Consequence: Severe loss of experienced leadership, damaging morale and operational effectiveness.

Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

– Testing Ground: The Red Army sent advisers and equipment to support the Spanish Republic. This provided some combat experience and tested equipment, but also led to further purges as Stalin distrusted returning veterans.

On the Eve of WW2 (1939)

– Size: By 1939, the Red Army was one of the largest in the world (about 1.5 million men, growing rapidly).
– Equipment: Large numbers of tanks and aircraft, but much of it was obsolete or poorly maintained.
– Training and Readiness: Suffered from lack of experienced officers, poor training, and logistical problems due to the purges.
– Recent Combat: The Red Army performed poorly in the Winter War against Finland (1939–1940), exposing serious weaknesses in leadership, tactics, and coordination.

Summary

Before WW2, the Red Army was:
– Numerically large and rapidly modernizing.
– Severely weakened by political purges.
– Possessed innovative doctrines but lacked trained leaders to implement them.
– Entered WW2 with significant material resources, but poor readiness and morale.

These factors contributed to the Red Army’s initial setbacks during the German invasion in 1941, but also laid the groundwork for later recovery and eventual victory.

The Red Army at the beginning of the Second World War

During 1939-40, the Red Army were undergoing a period of transition. New weapons and tactical ideas were being developed, but misguided and often stultifying central control meant that there was little sense of initiative or responsibility, and important advances in any sphere were often left in isolation. The excellent progress made in tank construction, for instance, was counterbalanced by the absence of an effective radio-communication system, without which tanks were severely restricted.

The Soviet Union placed great reliance on cavalry because of vast distances, poor road and rail communications and the inability of Soviet industry to provide vehicles for all of such a huge army.

The Soviet Union was divided into 13 military districts and 2 military commissariats.

The Army was essentially a standing army which was run by professional cadre, but it relied on conscription for the mass of its personnel. Men were liable for military service for a period of 22 years from the age of 20 to 41.
The peacetime strength of the army was estimated at 1,800,000 men, while mobilized strength could be as high as 11,000,000.

The baleful influence of Joseph Stalin over the Soviet armed forces during the 1930s culminated in the purges of 1938 which decimated the officer corps. Almost inevitably, the most able and outspoken officers were destroyed by the purges and this was a significant factor in the poor performance of the Red Army in the Winter War against Finland in 1939. It has been estimated that Russian casualties were about 200,000 men during this short campaign.

Basic Red Army units:

Armored fighting vehicles of the Red Army 1939:

Armored Car Strength of the Red Army 1939: 2,594
Armored Car Strength of the Red Army 1940: 4,819

Red Army Order of Battle in the Winter War 1939-40

Order of Battle against Finland:

Total Soviet Forces against Finland:
600,000 men, 32 divisions, 1,200 tanks
696 planes divided between the armies and 300 more in Estonia
2 battleships, 1 cruiser, 9 destroyers, 16 small warships, 11 submarines deployed by the Baltic and Arctic Fleets

References and literature

The Armed Forces of World War II (Andrew Mollo)
World War II – A Statistical Survey (John Ellis)
Der Grosse Atlas zum II. Weltkrieg (Peter Young)
Stalin’s Purge and Its Impact on the Red Army (Overy, Russia’s War)
The Red Army and the Second World War (Alexander Hill)
Stumbling Colossus: The Red Army on the Eve of World War (David M. Glantz)