The command structure of the Volga Military Flotilla (World War II)

The Volga Military Flotilla was created on October 23, 1941 in accordance with the order of the People's Commissar of the Navy. The flotilla was created on the basis of the training detachment of the Volga River ships , which, in turn, was created on July 16, 1941 ^[1] . At the time of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, in the Soviet Union there were several river naval flotillas (Pinsk, Dnieper, Amur), which had plans for the deployment, mobilization and other activities necessary for participation in hostilities. The pre-war plans did not provide for the creation of a military flotilla in the Volga basin. This was due to the location of the pool in the deep rear. However, the catastrophic course of the war in the 1941 campaign required a change in the pre-war plans of the Soviet command ^[2] . On November 6, 1941, the structure of the flotilla, its organization, composition and location were determined. By April 1, 1942, the flotilla was to consist of six river ship brigades (DBK), which included 54 gunboats, 30 armored boats, 90 minesweeper and patrol boats, 60 sea hunter boats, 6 squadrons (36 aircraft in total), 6 divisions torpedo boats and 6 separate marine battalions. This structure reflected the situation on the Soviet-German front at the time of adoption. It was assumed the use of flotilla forces in several operational directions in the space from Astrakhan to Kalinin ^[1] . The successes of the Red Army near Moscow and the results of the winter company weakened the attention of the Soviet leadership to the formation of the flotilla. On April 1, 1942 it consisted of 20 gunboats, 20 armored boats, 10 minesweeper boats, two floating batteries. Such a shortage was connected with the decision of the State Defense Committee of January 21, 1942, which suspended the mobilization of civilian courts. The ships that the flotilla possessed were part of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd brigades of river ships (DBK) ^[3] .

In the spring of 1942, a significant number of ships were transferred from the Volga Military Flotilla to the Onega Military Flotilla: 13 gunboats and 8 armored boats. In this regard, the 3rd brigade of river ships was disbanded. At the same time, the creation of the Separate Sweeping Brigade (MBT) began ^[4] .

At the beginning of the summer of 1942, the Volga Flotilla consisted of the 1st DBK (gunboat division, armored boat division, patrol boat detachment, half-glider squad and marine infantry battalion), 2nd DBK (gunboat division, 152mm battery battalion division, squad armored boats, a detachment of half-gliders and a battalion of marine corps) and a separate trawling brigade. Worst of all, the situation was with MBT, which was not fully equipped with minesweeper boats. The lack of strength was due to a delay in the transfer and conversion of civilian vessels to the flotilla ^[4] .

The personnel of the flotilla was formed of three contingents. The command structure of the flotilla consisted of experienced sailors who had experience in fighting in 1941 as part of the Pinsk and Dnieper river flotillas. Among the officers there were participants in hostilities in the Far East. The crews of the ships in large numbers consisted of experienced Volga riverboats mobilized into the fleet along with their ships. In addition, military personnel without naval experience, but who had military specialties (anti-aircraft gunners, machine gunners, etc.), were involved in service in the flotilla. Despite the difficulties, by the beginning of the summer company of 1942, the Volga Military Flotilla was ready to take an active part in the hostilities and ensuring navigation on the Volga. July 14, 1942 by directive of the People's Commissar of the Navy began the combat deployment of flotilla forces. In accordance with the directive, the 1st and 2nd DBK were to operate on the Volga section of Stalingrad - Saratov. A separate trawling team was supposed to accelerate the completion of the formation and ensure the mine defense of shipping on the Astrakhan - Saratov section. By July 22, the disposition of the flotilla forces was as follows: the 1st brigade of river ships operated in the Saratov region, the 2nd DBK was concentrated in the Krasnoarmeysk region, a separate trawling brigade was deployed in Stalingrad. The headquarters and command post of the flotilla were located in Stalingrad, and the rear bases were located in Kamyshin and Vladimirovka.

On July 24, the flotilla was quickly subordinated to the Stalingrad Front, and on August 5, the Military Council of the Stalingrad Front approved a plan for the operational deployment of the flotilla forces, which was adjusted in connection with the breakthrough of parts of the XIV tank corps of the Wehrmacht , to the Volga north of Stalingrad. By the moment of direct contact with the enemy, the deployment of the flotilla forces looked as follows:

• The 1st brigade of river ships (gunboats " Gromov " and " Rudnev ", floating batteries No. 97 and 98 and six armored boats) were located on the Krasnoarmeysk - Svetly Yar section, quickly subordinated to the 57th Army.
• The 2nd brigade of river ships (gunboats Kirov , Fedoseenko , Shchors , four armored boats) were located south of Krasnoarmeysk, subordinated to the 64th army.
• The northern group of ships (gunboats Chapaev and Usyskin , seven armored boats) was located on the Akhtuba River in the vicinity of the villages of Bezrodnoye and Kilyakovka , and quickly subordinated to the 62nd Army.
• A separate trawling brigade with attached armored boats and minesweeper boats was operatively subordinated to the chief of the engineering troops of the front and ensured ferry crossings and transportation.

At the same time, the 3rd brigade of river ships (12 gunboats, 9 armored boats, 4 patrol boats and 5 floating anti-aircraft batteries) was urgently formed in Saratov. Due to the lack of minesweepers (about 200 units were required), all minesweeping forces of the 1st and 2nd brigades of ships were transferred to the MBT, which distributed its forces (6 divisions, a total of 35 minesweepers) in six combat areas: Saratov - Kamenny Ir ( 1st Division MBT); Krasny Yar - Balykley (2nd division of MBT); Balykley-Raigorod (3rd division of MBT); Raygorod - Black Yar (4th division of MBT), Black Yar - Kopanovka (5th division of MBT); Kopanovka - Zamyany (2nd division 2 DBK). The Astrakhan naval base, temporarily subordinate to the command of the Volga Military Flotilla, took over the area from Astrakhan to Zamyan. The armored boats of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd DBK were also transferred under the control of the Separate Sweeping Brigade ^[5] .

On October 31, all gunboats (except Chapaev and Usyskina) and floating batteries No. 97 and 98 were withdrawn to the Astrakhan and Guryev districts for wintering. The remaining ships were reduced to the Stalingrad group of ships (the Usyskin and Chapaev cannons, the 1st and 2nd divisions of armored boats and minesweepers) ^[6] .

In the winter of 1942-43, flotilla ships were based in the ports of the Volga-Caspian basin: MBT was in Astrakhan, the 2nd DBK and part of the 1st DBK in Guryev, the 3rd DBK completed formation in Saratov, some of the flotilla ships were in Gorky ^{[ 7]} .

By the beginning of the company in 1943, the flotilla included: the 1st brigade of river ships (1st Guards Division of armored boats of three detachments, 1st Division of patrol boats, detachment of half-gliders); 2nd Brigade of River Ships (2nd Guards Division of armored boats of three detachments, patrol boat division, detachment of half-gliders); 3rd brigade of river ships (five gunboat divisions); A separate trawling team (eight divisions of minesweepers); Flotilla emergency rescue team (six diving boats, a rescue vessel, two tugboats); the headquarters ship Zheleznodorozhnik, six half-gliders of the headquarters of the flotilla. All floating batteries were disbanded ^[8] .

With the beginning of navigation in 1943, the flaws in planning the structure of the flotilla became apparent: a large number of artillery vessels (gunboats) (in the absence of contact with the enemy) and a lack of minesweepers (with the strengthening of mine installations by enemy aircraft). In May, at the suggestion of the command, the flotilla was reorganized and its structure changed significantly: the 1st and 2nd sweeping teams were created, the 3rd DBK included only gunboats, the 1st and 2nd DBK were reorganized into the 4th DBK (1 2nd and 2nd Guard divisions of armored boats, patrol boat division). In addition, naval bases were disbanded ^[9] .

In the navigation of 1943, the main activity of the flotilla was the fight against mines mounted on the Volga fairways by German aviation ^[10] . In accordance with this, the number of trawl vessels increased: at the beginning of April 27 minesweepers left, at the end of April there were already 57 ^[11] , as of July 1 there were 165 minesweepers and 209 different trawls, as of September 1 there were 213 minesweepers, and 317 ^[12] .

Since the second half of 1943, the Volga Flotilla became a kind of donor for the newly formed fleets on the Sea of ​​Azov, the Dnieper and Lake Peipsi. In the fall of 240 armored boats, minesweepers, mortar, patrol and other boats were transported by rail to new duty stations. 75 ships were returned to the civilian fleet to their former operators. By October 18, the flotilla consisted of 6 gunboats, 80 minesweepers, 13 patrol boats, 5 mortar boats, 35 half-gliders, 2 floating batteries, 5 headquarters ships, 30 towing towers. The 3rd and 4th DBK were disbanded. The 1st and 2nd sweeping crews were greatly reduced. From the remaining ships, a separate gunboat division and a separate detachment of half-lifters were created ^[13] .

November 1, 1943 began the process of reducing the forces of the flotilla. In April - June 1944, the last 8 divisions of minesweepers carried out control trawling from Astrakhan to Saratov ^[13] . June 30, 1944 by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, the Volga Military Flotilla was disbanded ^[14] .

Primary Source

The main source in the compilation of the lists was one of the works on the participation of the Volga Military Flotilla in the Great Patriotic War:

• Loktionov I.I. Brief information about the command, commanding and political composition of the Volga flotilla // Volga flotilla in the Great Patriotic War. - M .: Military Publishing House, 1974. - S. 175-182. - 182 p. - 30,000 copies.

If other sections of this source or other sources are used, they are indicated in the notes.

Management

Brigades

1st River Ship Brigade

2nd River Ship Brigade

3rd River Ship Brigade

4th River Ship Brigade

Separate Sweeping Team

1st Sweeping Team

2nd Sweeping Team

Northern group of ships (Stalingrad group of ships)

• Skritsky N.V. Flags of Victory. Commanders of the fleets and flotillas during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 . - M .: Centerpolygraph, 2012 .-- 575 p. - (On the front line. The truth about the war). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-227-03745-9 .