Mountain troops

• Mountain (mountain infantry, mountain rifle) formations and units . The basis of the mountain troops . They mainly consist of mountain rifle (mountain infantry, mountain) units and divisions .
• Mountain artillery units . Enter mountain compounds and units. The genus of troops is artillery .
• Mountain cavalry units and units (GVK) ^[2] . They were widely distributed in the Soviet Union in the 1920s - 1930s. The type of troops is cavalry .
• Tank units of mountain compounds. Work on this topic was started in the mid-80s at the design bureau of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant . Three versions of the machine were made, which received the name "mountain tank". Subsequently, BMPT was created ^[3] . Although separate developments have existed since the late 30s ^[4] . Serial mountain tanks were not produced and are not produced. The tank units of the mountain rifle and mountain cavalry divisions of the Red Army in the 1930s - 1940s had conventional tanks and armored vehicles and were called armored divisions without a mountain prefix.

In the Russian Empire

The need for special training of individual units for operations in the mountains first arose in the 40s of the XIX century , when the Russian imperial army in Dagestan faced with units of Imam Shamil . Mobile, adapted to life and actions in the mountains, local residents easily got out of the battle and eluded the pursuit ^[5] .

In the Russian Empire, special mountain guns were adopted: three-pound (76.2 mm) model of 1867, two and a half inch (63.5 mm) mountain of Baranovsky and mountain model of 1883 , 76-mm mountain model of 1904 and 1909 years . They were equipped with mining artillery batteries in military districts with mountainous regions or adjacent to them - in the Caucasus , Turkestan , Amur and Kiev .

Since 1910, field artillery was divided into light and horse, mountain and horse-mountain , mortar and heavy.

After the October Revolution

According to the Russian military historian, an employee of the Institute of Military History of the Russian Ministry of Defense , Alexei Isaev , Soviet mountain rifle units did not receive specific mountaineering training before the Great Patriotic War . In fact, these were somewhat lightweight ordinary divisions . The peculiarity of the mountain compounds was mainly horse-drawn transport in the rear and artillery, mountain guns in the artillery regiment ^[6] and regimental batteries of mountain rifle regiments.

At the same time, according to research conducted by RGVA scientists under the leadership of T. F. Karyaeva, the Soviet mountain rifle divisions were distinguished by a special organization of units and subunits, special equipment, weapons, and the specifics of training personnel ^[7] .

In 1928, the 1st and 3rd Turkestan rifle divisions and in 1929 the Azerbaijan division, were experimentally transferred to a mountain organization, which became widespread by 1931 . Mountain rifle divisions included 3-4 mountain rifle regiments , 1-2 artillery regiments, a separate anti-aircraft battalion or battery, a cavalry squadron and special support and service units ^[7] .

Mountain Rifle Division

Russian and Soviet historians, including Hadji Murat Ibrahimbeyli , write about the specially trained, well-armed and equipped to operate in the mountains Soviet mountain rifle formations that existed during the Great Patriotic War ^[8] .

In the fight against basmachi

Since its inception, the Tajik mountain rifle battalion has been actively involved in the defeat of the Basmachis and the protection of the peaceful labor of the population of Tajikistan . With the growth of the republic, the composition of the Tajik battalion grew and strengthened ^[9] .

On March 2, 1927, a separate Tajik mountain rifle battalion ( Dushanbe ) was subordinated to the 7th separate Turkestan cavalry brigade. On October 11, 1931, a separate Tajik Mountain Rifle Battalion was reorganized into the Tajik Cavalry Division . By order of the commander of the SAVO troops No. 7 / 5661s of October 1, 32, a separate Tajik cavalry division was deployed in the Tajik Cavalry Regiment in the name of the Central Executive Committee of the Tajik SSR. Around the same time, the regiment became a mountain cavalry ^[10] .

Soviet Mountain Forces in World War II

By the beginning of World War II in the Red Army, there were 19 mountain rifle and 4 mountain cavalry divisions ( GSD and GKD).

In contrast to the SD, the mountain rifle division included:

• management (command and headquarters );
• 4 mountain rifle regiments (each of which consisted of five mountain rifle companies (there was no battalion unit) and other units);
• other parts and units.

The mountain cavalry division, unlike the cavalry one, had a slightly smaller number of equipment and personnel, and in the artillery battalion and batteries of the three mountain cavalry regiments, mountain guns and mortars, with approximately the same number of horses in the divisions and more in the mountain cavalry regiment than in the cavalry regiment ^[11] . .

The personnel of the mountain rifle and mountain cavalry divisions were trained to conduct combat operations in conditions of very rugged and wooded terrain, the weapons of the divisions received mountain guns and mortars adapted for transportation in horse packs . The State Duma was formed according to state No. 4/140, which provided for each of them 8,829 personnel, 130 guns and mortars , 3,160 horses, 203 cars, 6960 rifles and carbines, 788 machine guns, 110 machine guns and 314 light machine guns ^[12] .

• 126th light mountain rifle corps (before that, the 1st light rifle corps );
• 127th light mountain rifle corps (before that, 2nd light rifle corps );
• 3rd Mountain Rifle Corps (it is also until June 21, 1943 - the 3rd Rifle Corps );
• Mining Engineering Brigade

Soviet troops in Iran

In accordance with the article of the 6th Soviet-Iranian Treaty of 1921, the USSR had the right to send its troops to Iran "for self-defense".

On August 31, in the Astara region , the Caspian military flotilla landed troops as part of the 105th mountain rifle regiment and artillery division of the 77th mountain rifle division ^[13] .

Since the British troops operating from the territory of Iraq also entered Iran, the Iranian armed forces laid down their arms on the orders of the command on August 29-30. During the negotiations, Tehran agreed to expel all citizens of Germany and its allies from the country and not to impede the transit of military cargo for the USSR under Lend-Lease .

To speed up this process, the Soviet 68th Mountain Rifle Division from the 44th Army and the 24th Cavalry Division in mid-September temporarily occupied Tehran ^[14] .

The 68th Mountain Division was on the territory of northern Iran until May 1946 , after which it was withdrawn to the territory of the Turkestan Military District ^[15] .

Battle for the Caucasus

In January 1942, the 178th motorized rifle battalion of the NKVD operational forces was deployed in the 141st mountain rifle regiment.

When the German command advanced special alpine divisions into the mountains to capture passes and open the way to the Caucasus , Soviet climbers also defended the Caucasus. And their help was very significant ^[16] .

For the defense of inaccessible highland regions of the Georgian SSR , special mountain rifle units were formed . At the direction of the front commander, additional forces were brought up to the passes. This allowed the Soviet troops to stop the further advance of the enemy ^[17] .

Kh. M. Ibrahimbeyli, who worked at the Institute of Military History as the head of a group of the department of the history of the Great Patriotic War, describes in detail the participation of Soviet mountain rifle units in the Battle of the Caucasus .

Part of the 46th Army was transferred to high mountain passes , to mountain passages, catwalks and to glaciers in the central part of the Main Caucasian Range . The 46th Army faced a very difficult task. It was necessary to stop and overturn a strong, well-prepared enemy for the war in the mountains. This required special, well-trained mountain rifle troops. But in the 46th Army, and indeed on the Transcaucasian Front, there were no such troops. Most mountain rifle divisions, which were being prepared in peacetime in Transcaucasia, at one time were transferred to other sections of the Soviet-German front. However, the advantage of the rangers of the 49th mountain rifle corps , which determined the nature and course of hostilities on the high mountain passes of the Main Caucasus Range, was lost after the appearance of Soviet mountain rifle divisions here.

Taking advantage of the scarcity of cover for approaches to the Main Caucasian Range from the north, units of the 1st Edelweiss Mountain Rifle Division fought in mid-August with Soviet mountain rifle units on the Elbrus and Klukhor directions. On August 18, enemy mountain rangers reached the southern slopes of Elbrus and captured the Hotu-Tau and Chiper-Azau passes ^[8] .

It is difficult to overestimate what the Soviet climbers did to defend the Caucasus: how they arranged the passage through the snow and ice passes to thousands and thousands of refugees, how they helped save tens of thousands of heads of cattle and small cattle, and how they carried away stocks of precious molybdenum ^[16] .

War in Afghanistan

Not much is known about the actions of the Soviet mountain rifle units in the Afghan war of 1979-1989 . Their participation in the war is mentioned only in fiction. ^{[ what? ]} .

According to the directive of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces No. D-0314/3/00655, in OKSVA , in each motorized rifle brigade (MSBR) and motorized rifle regiment (MSB), on the basis of full-time motorized rifle battalions (MSB), having received the appropriate mountain uniform and equipment , were created mountain rifle battalions, in which the personnel underwent short mountain training (due to poor training of military personnel, lack of specialists - mountain miners, the proper effect was not achieved).

On the basis of two engineering mining and road companies, the 2088th separate engineering battalion (2088th detachment) was formed, which was engaged in the construction of roads in the northern provinces of Afghanistan (standing in the Sardoba fortress on the Tashkurgan road ( also known as Hulm - a city in Afghanistan at the entrance to the gorge Tangi pass (Gate of Alexander the Great), located on the Hairaton - Kabul highway) - Kunduz and in Kunduz in 1981 - 1985 , since 1985 in Charikar ). The 2088th Special Operations Regiment was included in 1985 in the 45th Engineer-Sapper Regiment (45th Isp) as an engineer battalion.

On the eve of the collapse of the USSR

The Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union included, the only specialized mountain brigade, the 68th separate motorized rifle brigade (mountain) (68th Omsbr (g)), deployed in the Kyrgyz SSR . The 68th Omsbr (g) in the state of wartime was supposed to have 3,800 personnel, but like all the units of the USSR Armed Forces, it was maintained in peacetime states and had a strength of 1,800 people. The brigade included:

• control;
• two separate motorized rifle battalions (OMSB) on the BMP-1 , reinforced by the Nona self-propelled artillery units ^[15] (12 units) and the AGS-17 Flame grenade launchers;
• two ombudsmen (mountain) on GAZ-66 vehicles, reinforced with AGS-17 Flame compartments, as well as flamethrower, mortar and anti-tank units;
• separate self-propelled artillery division (siege) (eighteen 122-mm self-propelled guns “Gvozdika”);
• battery of 120 mm mortars;
• anti-aircraft missile artillery battery, which included a platoon of four air defense systems "Strela-10" and a platoon of four ZSU-23-4 "Shilka".

To increase the degree of mobility and autonomy of operations of the 68th Omsbr (g) in high altitude conditions, a separate cavalry squadron (OKE) and a separate pack-transport company (ovr) were introduced to the brigade staff. Regularly in the OKE - first 510 horses, and subsequently - 170, in the ovr - 225. Cavalry and pack units were formed and prepared for action in the mountains. In addition, there were 8 mine search dogs in the oke.

Present Time

• 34th separate motorized rifle brigade (mountain) ( 34th omsbr (g) ) ( Storozhevaya station, Karachay-Cherkess Republic ).
• 291st Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment ( 291 MSP ) ( Borzoi , Chechen Republic ) ^[18] .
• 858th Separate Motorized Rifle Battalion (Mountain) ( 858 OMSB (g) ) of the 201st Military Base ( Dushanbe , Tajikistan ).
• 7th Guards Airborne Assault Division (Mountain) ( 7th Infantry Division (g) ) ( Novorossiysk , Krasnodar Territory ).
• Separate motorized rifle battalion (mountain) of the 126th separate coastal defense brigade . (p. Perevalnoye , Republic of Crimea ).
• 55th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (Mountain) ( 55th Omsbr (g) ) ( Kyzyl , Republic of Tuva ).

The armament of the Soviet mountain rifle, mountain artillery and mountain cavalry divisions, regiments and divisions received various types of weapons designed specifically for military use in the mountains.

Mountain Artillery

In the mountain rifle divisions in 1939-1940 there was a mountain artillery regiment: three divisions of 76 mm mountain cannons and a division of 122 mm howitzers . Divisions of three batteries, in the battery of three guns. In 1941, two regiments became a mountain rifle division - howitzer and mining artillery. В гаубичном полку было два дивизиона 122-мм гаубиц (24 орудия), в горном — два дивизиона с двумя батареями 76-мм пушек (по четыре орудия) и одной батареей 107-мм миномётов (шесть миномётов) в каждом. Дивизионная артиллерия горно-кавалерийской дивизии была представлена одним горно-артиллерийским дивизионом — восемь 76-мм горных пушек и шесть 107-мм миномётов. Состояли и готовились к принятию на вооружение следующие артиллерийские системы ^[19] :

• 76-мм горная пушка образца 1909 года . Была разработана фирмой Schneider в 1905 году. Выиграв конкурс, 26 февраля 1909 года поступила на вооружении русской армии. К 1 ноября 1936 года в частях РККА состояло 622 пушки, из которых исправными были 572 орудия. Пушка выпускалась до 1939 года. На 22 июня 1941 года на вооружении РККА состояла 1121 горная пушка образца 1909 года. Использовалась в горнострелковых и горно-кавалерийских соединениях. Иногда их использовали вместо полковых орудий ^[19] .

• 107-мм полковой горно-вьючный миномёт образца 1938 года

• 76 mm mountain gun of the 1938 model . It was developed in 1938 in a design bureau under the direction of L.I. Gorlitsky based on a 75-mm Škoda C-5 gun. Adopted in May 1939. It came into service with artillery batteries of mountain rifle regiments and mountain artillery regiments and mountain rifle and mountain cavalry divisions. On June 1, 1941, the troops had about 800 guns, of which 234 guns in the western border districts. Since 1944, guns were part of the mixed mining and artillery divisions of mountain rifle brigades ^[19] .

• Gorlitsky’s 107-mm howitzer (prototype). The design of the 107 mm mountain howitzers began in 1938. Tests of the 107-mm howitzer Gorlitsky were carried out in 1939-1940. The howitzer was planned to be produced in the second half of 1941, but after the outbreak of war with Germany, all work was stopped ^[19] .
• The 8-M-8 lightweight rocket launcher, for launching RS-82 rockets, was created by a group led by a 3rd-rank military engineer A.F. Alferov, in the fall of 1942. ^[20]
• The 82-mm BM-8-12 multiple launch rocket launcher of the 1943 model . Intended for mountain rifle troops. It could be transported by packs, but more often it was installed on passenger cars ^[19] .

The training of officers ( mountain training ) for mountain rifle formations, units and subunits was organized at three higher military schools of the USSR:

• Ordzhonikidze Higher Combined Arms Command School named after Marshal of the Soviet Union A.I. Eremenko (OrdzhVOKU);
• Alma-Ata Higher Combined Arms Command School named after Marshal of the Soviet Union I.S. Koneva (AVOKU);
• Tashkent Higher Combined Arms Command School named after V.I. Lenin (TVOKU);
• Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School named after the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan SS ^[21] P;
• Tbilisi Higher Artillery Command School ^[22] .

The mountain formations of India are the most numerous in the world : by June 2005, the Indian Ground Forces included, among others, 10 mountain infantry divisions and 6 separate mountain infantry brigades ^[23] (for 2015, the same 10 divisions and 2 brigades).

This is due to the long mountainous border of India in the north-east and north, passing through the highest mountain system in the world - the Himalayas, and the military confrontations that have been ongoing for 70 years, sometimes turning into armed conflicts, with Pakistan in the north-west and north and with China in northeast ^[23] . .

Mountain troops were an important part of the ground forces of the SFRY . The mountainous terrain in most of the country forced the Yugoslav command to develop mountain units. The structure of the mountain team of the JNA was as follows:

• Headquarters
• Scout
• Company of military police
• Several mountain battalions
  • Battalion headquarters
  • Air Defense Department
  • Several mountain mouths

In Memoirs

The writer Vitaly Zakrutkin , a participant in the defense of the Caucasus, cites in his book "Caucasian Notes" the words of the old mountain resident, military assistant Porfiry Ivanovich, who says that mountains have their own laws. Anyone who has learned to read their secrets will not be lost. He will be able to bury himself and attack the enemy, find the way and hide from the storm. And those who are not trained in the laws of the mountains will disappear for no smell of tobacco. ^[24]

In Fiction

In the book of the Russian writer in the action movie genre, Vladimir Kolychev , the main character Yaroslav Baryanov will go to war in Afghanistan , where he takes part in Operation Highway as part of a mountain rifle battalion ^[25] .

In Poetry

A member of the Union of Writers of the USSR , Boris Alexandrovich Chulkov, wrote a poem of the same name dedicated to the mountain troops (fragment) ^[26] :

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• Field Charter of the Red Army 1939
• The site of Alexander Zorich, Black jackets, the Battle of Novorossiysk. Tank landing in South Ozereyka. "Small land." Blue Line Breakthrough