“Unattainable defense lines of the 20th century” Stalin Line (part 3)

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The Stalin Line, which was never officially called so in the USSR, was one of the largest defensive projects ever carried out in stories of humanity. It was a chain of fortified areas stretching along the western border of the USSR, practically “from sea to sea”. With its flanks, the line rested against the Karelian Isthmus and into the Black Sea. The total length of the fortifications reached 1200 km. On the one hand, it was virtually impossible to circumvent, on the other hand, too long a length did not allow creating sufficiently dense defenses. In its fortifications, the line was clearly inferior to the Maginot Line, although it brought much more benefit.

"Stalin Line"

Officially, the chain of URs (mostly not bordering on each other) was never called the Stalin Line. This name first appeared in December 1936 of the year, with a light hand of journalists from the Latvian Russian-language newspaper Segodnya. Later her article was reprinted by the English newspaper “Daily Express”, and the term “Stalin's Line” firmly entered into use.

The construction of fortifications on the Stalin Line began in the year 1928 and continued until the year 1939. The line included the 23 fortified area (SD), which built more than 4000 various long-term firing points (DOTS), which were designed not only for the installation of machine guns, but also for artillery guns — first 45-76-mm, and from 1938 of the year and guns caliber 107, 122 or 152 mm. The battles on the Stalin Line even left their artistic mark on literature. Soviet writer Igor Alekseevich Akimov wrote the adventure story “The Legend of the Small Garrison”.

The construction of the defensive line began in 1928, on the western border of the USSR (with Finland, the Baltic states, Poland and Romania), which was originally created 13 fortified: Karelian, Kingisepp, Pskov, Polotsk, Minsk, Mozyr, Korosten, Novograd Volyn, Kyiv, Letichevsky, Mogilyov-Podolsky, Rybnitsky, Tiraspolsky. These fortified areas had a length of front from 50 to 150 km, where possible, the flanks of the URs were covered with natural obstacles. Fortifications were built in such a way that each of them provided control over an important route. In total, 1938 various defenses were erected in 13 YS for the 3196 year.

“Unattainable defense lines of the 20th century” Stalin Line (part 3)
Artillery biplane


All the fortifications built during these years had a number of identical features. The length of one UR on the front was on average 35-50 km. For the defense was used dense machine-gun and artillery fire, dispersed along the front and in depth, with a noticeable predominance of machine-gun fire. The main form of defense organization was the battalion defense areas (BRO), which were in fire communication with each other. The size of the BRO on the ground was most often 1x1 or 2x2 km. Such an area was intended to be occupied by one infantry battalion. For each BRO, construction was foreseen up to 18-20 pillboxes. The firing points were located in several lines, the first line consisted of 7-8 firing points. The bunkers were located with the possibility of fire cover of neighboring structures. The intervals between the BROs were to be covered with artillery fire. Often, the intervals between the battalion defense areas were 2,5-3 km.

Reinforced concrete firing points provided the possibility of a circular fire with a predominance of frontal fire. The most common structure was a bunker with three machine-gun embrasures. Among the artillery, the most widespread are two-gun semi-champions, in which 76,2-mm field guns were installed. In addition, anti-tank DOTs and small machine guns were created, with 1-2 machine-gun embrasures. The level of protection of the pillboxes allowed them to withstand 1-2 hit of 152-mm projectiles. Since the bunkers had the ability to cover each other with fire, the distance between them was usually 500-600 meters. A common feature of the EAs is the relatively low number of artillery firing points.
Three-armored bunker DOT

In 1938, the USSR began building more 8 fortified areas: Ostrovsky, Sebezhsky, Slutsk, Shepetovsky, Izyaslavsky, Starokonstantinovsky, Ostropolsky, Kamenets-Podolsky. During the period from 1938 to 1939, 1028 structures were erected in these zones (according to plans it was planned to build about 2 thousand). The fortification was discontinued due to the westward transfer of the border to 1939-1940. The construction of new units on the new border has begun. Most of the fortifications on the Stalin Line were mothballed.

Minsk fortified area

On the territory of Belarus, 4 Hooray was built - Polotsk, Minsk, Slutsk and Mozyr, in which there were 966 DOTs. The strongest not only of Belarus, but also of all the other URs of the “Line of Stalin” was considered the Minsk UR. This is not surprising, because it was here that the direct road to Moscow passed, which had been used by many unfortunate conquerors for hundreds of years.

The length of the Minsk UR was 140 km. In total, it numbered about 327 pillboxes. The depth of its defense line in the main directions reached 6 km, on the peripheral directions to 2-3 km. The stronghold included in its structure not only pillboxes, but also a developed network of various engineering barriers, full profile trenches, air and underground communication lines, as well as a developed network of roads.

The machine-gun pillboxes of the Minsk UR were mostly three-bolt and were armed with Maxim system machine guns mounted on a special caponier machine. Most artillery was located in two-gun half-guns. Such a half-capier was equipped with two 76-mm guns in an armored caponier installation. In addition, there were special anti-tank firing points that were created using towers decommissioned from weapons tanks T-26 (45-mm gun and machine gun).
Maxim machine gun on a caponier machine

The reinforced concrete walls of the pillboxes were up to 1,5 meters thick, and the overlaps up to the 1,1 meter could withstand heavy artillery shells of up to 152 mm. Each DOT was equipped with a gas filter absorber, a fan for removal of powder gases and fresh air intake from the DOT, a periscope, electric signaling, intercom pipes, and a telephone connection.

In tactical terms, the DOTs of the Minsk UR were supposed to cover the capital of the Republic of Minsk and the city of Borisov from enemy attacks from the Molodechno and Vileyka regions. Already 24 June units of the 3-th tank group of Goth forced Vilya, and 25 June 57-th motorized German corps captured Molodechno. On the same day, the German tanks came close to the strip of fortifications of the Minsk Ur, which was not occupied by troops. The fortified areas were to be defended by units of the 44 Infantry Corps of the division commander Yushkevich, who was assigned the task of defensive action of the SD on the evening of June 24. The echelons of the 64 and 108 of the rifle divisions of his corps went from Smolensk and Vyazma to Minsk, and from there, on foot, they were sent to occupy the fortifications in its western sector. Two more rifle divisions, 100 and 162, from the 2 rifle corps, occupied the defense line east and north-east of Minsk. At the junction of the Minsk and Slutsk URs, the 20 th mechanized corps of General Nikitin was to take up defense.
German soldiers inspect DOT on the Stalin Line

However, the units simply did not have time to fully occupy the strip of fortifications, while the north-western approaches to Minsk turned out to be virtually uncovered. The Soviet command dispersed the existing forces on a broad front, thereby predetermining their further defeat. On average, one division accounted for up to 50 km along the front. With such a density of defense, many pillboxes were simply not occupied by the troops, which adversely affected the ability to hold UR.

Already the 26 numbers of the German 20 Tank Division broke through the Minsk SD in the 64 Rifle Division. And on June 27, the commander of the 100 th Infantry Division of Russiyanov, in order to rectify the situation, was forced to launch a counterattack without artillery and anti-tank weapons. Instead of them, the divisional commander, relying on his Spanish combat experience, ordered to deliver glass containers and several tons of fuel from the Minsk glass factory 12. The 100 Division was one of the first to meet German tanks with incendiary bottles.

In the end, all the fortifications were broken through to the full depth, and by December 1941 the Germans were at the gates of Moscow. But even those days, somewhere weeks, and near Kiev, and the months during which the built URAs helped the Red Army units to restrain the advance of the Hitlerites to the East, contributed to the victory of 1945 of the year.

Sources used:

www.belgazeta.by/20060626.25/010162211/
www.volk59.narod.ru/Stalinline.htm
www.fortressby.com/index.php?option=com_deeppockets&task=catShow&id=10&Itemid=15
www.belarustourism.by/belarus/history/sovet/object-war/stalin-line/
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    1. provodnikbdsm
      0
      3 June 2011 18: 06
      Really climbed only in the Karelian UR in the area of ​​Sestroretsk-Beloostrov.
      Impressive. Until now, bunkers with 100mm howitzers in an armored casing have been preserved.
      By the density of bunkers, KaUR surpasses the so-called Mannerheim line. Yes, and Peter from the southwest was well covered. The truth was built after June 22, but they managed to, and they restrained the Nazis.
      1. Redmd
        +1
        11 October 2011 16: 51
        What you saw in Sestroretsk is the fruit of post-war labors; only boxes remained from the old buildings. There were no 100 mm "howitzers" in the Soviet army, but what you saw is the 85 mm missile defense system ZIF-26.

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