Military quality mark: why the Russian army "shock" units
A soldier during the "Excellence in Military Intelligence" competition at the Koltsovo training ground in the Novosibirsk region
The status of "shock" formations will be assigned by a special order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation in relation to the most efficient motorized rifle, tank, marines, airborne and airborne assault units. They will be awarded a distinctive heraldic sign.
Lieutenant-General Ivan Buvaltsev, head of the Main Directorate of Combat Training of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, became aware of this initiative of the defense department.
Summing up the winter period of training the troops, he noted that Russian divisions, brigades and regiments had recently begun to compete for the right to receive the name "shock". The newspaper "Krasnaya Zvezda" reported that a special Regulation had already been enacted, in accordance with which the status of "shock" commission of the Ministry of Defense of Russia would assign the most combat-ready units.
As a result of the winter period of training in the troops, 78 formations, military units and subunits have already been represented for this status.
Division "in tone"
TASS military commentator Viktor Litovkin believes that the appearance of the title of "shock" is associated with the desire of the leadership of the Russian army to improve the quality of combat training. And most importantly, this title will need to be confirmed annually.
This can be done including by competition between platoons, companies, battalions, regiments and brigades. The best of the best as a prize or reward will receive this much binding title of "shock". So the units will be maintained "in good shape". And the quality of combat training and the country's defense as a whole will benefit from this
Viktor Litovkin
TASS military commentator
Like Litovkin, the chief editor of the Arsenal of Fatherland magazine, Viktor Murakhovsky believes that the creation of "shock" units is of a competitive nature.
It is like such a quality mark, relatively speaking. It does not provide for the formation of any special units and subunits, staffing them with some sort of special personnel, weapon systems, etc. These are regular units that performed well during the sudden and final inspections of the RF Armed Forces showed high combat readiness
Victor Murakhovsky
chief editor of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland"
A military expert also says that in Soviet times such status was not assigned, but there was, for example, the passing pennant of the Minister of Defense. He was handed over to the units and units that achieved the best results in combat training, and was awarded not for all, but for a year.
Litovkin recalls that in the Soviet Army there were also “guard” units, but they had a rank following the results of the Great Patriotic War. Today - the "drums." They should become the face of the modern Russian army and the Navy fleet, regularly confirming his high military prowess and mission.
"Death battalions"
Speaking about the first official "shock" units, Murakhovsky says that they appeared in the period of the First World War. These selected units of the Russian Imperial Army were necessary to break through the defenses of the enemy in the trench warfare. It was at the cost of the lives of their soldiers that they punched holes in the defense of the enemy and ensured the possibility of an offensive to the main units. Then they were also called "death battalions".
This name was demanded by the trench warfare (trench warfare), when small teams were first formed, and then it reached entire battalions. When you were face to face in the trenches, at a distance of a bayonet strike ... while the losses, of course, were large, you had to have a high level of courage and courage. Then came banners with names, cockades with skulls ...
Victor Murakhovsky
chief editor of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland"
During the Civil War, many "drummers" joined the White movement, and the Red Army did not develop this topic. Glory percussion parts again revived story Great Patriotic War.
During the Great Patriotic War, shock armies were formed. In 1954, they ceased to exist and were renamed normal combined arms. These armies performed tasks in the direction of the shock fronts. At the same time they were not given the rank of guard, despite the implementation of complex tasks. It was believed that for such associations such tasks are “ordinary” and this is their purpose.
Victor Murakhovsky
chief editor of the magazine "Arsenal of the Fatherland"
"Cherry on the cake"
Today, the title of "shock" does not cancel the high names for military units, notes Litovkin.
It is like a cherry on a cake. Mark of distinction. You can serve in the GRU special forces, in the special forces of the Airborne Forces or elsewhere, but you need to confirm the high quality of your training not once and for all, as a class qualification, but regularly. This is what the competition for the name of the "shock" part or "shock" unit is aimed at.
Viktor Litovkin
TASS military commentator
It is already known that following the results of the winter period of training, during the inspection of the commission of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, three units in the Far East, including a machine gun and artillery unit in the Kuril Islands, will receive the name “shock”. The Western Military District submitted for the assignment of the title of 14 units.
In the south of the country, the 16 motorized rifle, tank, and marine corps tested. In the summer period of training, the commander of the Southern Military District, Colonel-General Alexander Dvornikov, set the task of increasing the number of units that meet the criteria for "drums", providing such an opportunity not only to units manned by contract servicemen, but also to companies, divisions and ships in which ordinary draftees.
Reference units with the status of "shock" appeared in the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces). According to the commander of the Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Andrei Serdyukov, this status corresponds to one regimental tactical and one battalion tactical group in the Pskov formation, as well as several other battalion and several company groups and reconnaissance units.
During the summer period of training, military units will continue to fight for the right to receive the name "shock".
Information