First season

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The first season ( Russian первый эшелон ) is an element of the combat structure of the troops. It comprises the troops who first enter the battle and usually have to carry out the main tasks of the operation. A first season can be provided on a tactical , operational and strategic level. Basically, the first season comprised the bulk of the forces and resources. Such a division of the troops in combat is or was provided in all armies, but this was only expressly referred to as the first squadron in the Soviet army or in armies structured and led according to their model. In asymmetrical conflicts , the division of battle into squadrons becomes less important.

A staggered division of troops can already be found in ancient times . At the Battle of Gaugamela , Alexander the Great lined up the phalanx of hoplites along with spear throwers, slingshots and archers. In the Roman Army , too, it was customary to form a line up in several meetings.

In the Soviet Army, the formation of a first squadron was planned on both an operational and a strategic level. The first strategic-level season was also referred to as the First Strategic Season . For example, during the Cold War, the first strategic squadron of Warsaw Pact troops in the Western European theater of war consisted of the bulk of the troops of the Group of Soviet Armed Forces in Germany , the National People's Army and the Polish People's Army .

At the operational level, the first season comprised around 60% of the forces and resources. The strategic grouping of the United Forces in the west consisted of a first and a second operational squadron, each consisting of several fronts . These fronts, in turn, were also divided into seasons. For example, the coastal front of Warsaw Pact troops in the western theater of war was divided into two squadrons and an airborne unit. The first squadron of the front comprised the 1st and 2nd Army, the second squadron the 4th Army.

At the tactical level, the first squadron usually comprised 70–90% of the forces and resources. For example, four motorized rifle divisions and two independent tank regiments of the Soviet Army belonged to the first squadron 5th Army of the NVA , while the second squadron consisted of the 9th armored division . The divisions of the first squadron of the army were again divided into two squadrons, with the first squadron consisting of the motorized rifle regiments, the second squadron of the tank regiments.

The task of the first season in attack is to break through the opposing defense and to carry forward the attack in depth. In defense, the troops of the First Squadron have to fend off the attack of superior forces and maintain their positions.

See also

literature

  • Soviet Military Encyclopedia , Issue 15, Military Publishing House of the GDR, Berlin, 1979.
  • Rüdiger Wenzke: The armed forces of the GDR and Poland in the operational planning of the Warsaw Pact , Volume 12 of Potsdam writings on military history, BoD - Books on Demand, 2010. ISBN 3941571095 .
  • Daniel Giese: The SED and its army .: The NVA between politicization and professionalism 1956 - 1965. , Oldenbourg Verlag, 2002. ISBN 3486645854 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Daniel Giese: The SED and their army. The NVA between politicization and professionalism 1956-1965. , Oldenbourg Verlag, 2002. ISBN 3486645854
  2. ^ Rüdiger Wenzke: The armed forces of the GDR and Poland in the planning of operations of the Warsaw Pact , p. 53
  3. ^ Rüdiger Wenzke: The armed forces of the GDR and Poland in the planning of operations of the Warsaw Pact , p. 80