OSPREYPUB L I SH ING

Written by: Andy Chambers

Edited by: Rick Priestley and Alessio Cavatore

Cover artwork: Peter Dennis

Interior Artwork: Peter Dennis and Ron Volstad

Photography: Warwick Kinrade, Mark Owen, Rick Priestley and Paul Sawyer

Artefacts: John Stallard Collection.

Miniatures painted by: Simon Bargery, Neil Burt, Andrés Amián Fernández, Stephan Huber, Alan Mander

and Gary Martin.

Thanks to: Simon Bargery, Andrew Chesney, Wojtek Flis, Paul Hicks, David Holmes, Dave Lawrence, Bernard Lewis,

Paul Sawyer and John Stallard

ospreypublishing.comwarlordgames.com

Armies of the

Soviet Union

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Edited by: Rick Priestle

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Photography: Warwick Kinrade, Ma

Artefacts: J

Miniatures painted by: SiAndrés Amián Fernández, Steph

ThT anksk to: Simon Bargery, AndrewPaul Hicks, Daviiidd Holmes, Dave Law

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REYI NG

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ContentsWhat Is This Book? 5

The Red Army Of World War II 7The October Revolution and the Civil War  8The Red Army  8The Purges  9The Russo–Finnish War  11The Great Patriotic War  121941 – Moscow  121942 – Stalingrad  141943 – Kursk  151944–45 – Berlin  16

Army List 17REINFORCED PLATOON  19ARMY SPECIAL RULES  21

The Great Patriotic War 21Quantity has a quality all of its own 21Not one step back! 21Massed Batteries 21

TYPES OF UNIT 21

INFANTRY 22HEADQUARTERS UNITS 22

Officer 22Commissar 22Medic 22Forward Observer 23

INFANTRY SQUADS & TEAMS 23Rifle Squad 23Light Machine Gun Squad 24Submachine Gun Squad 25Tank Riders Squad 25Guards Squad 26Veteran Squads 26NKVD Squads 26Shtrafbat Squad 27Cavalry Squad 27People’s Militia Squad 27Siberian Squad 28Ski Troops Squad 28Airborne Squad 29Naval Squad 31Partisan Squad 32Scout Squad 32Assault Engineer Squad 32Motorcycle Squad 33Medium Machine Gun Team 33Dshk Heavy Machine Gun Team 33Anti-Tank Rifle Team 34

Ampulomet ‘Molotov Launcher’ Anti-Tank Team 34‘Tank Hunters’ Anti-Tank Team 34Dog Mines Anti-Tank Team 35Sniper Team 36Flamethrower Team 36Light Mortar Team 36Medium Mortar Team 37Heavy Mortar Team 37

ARTILLERY 38FIELD ARTILLERY 38

Light Howitzer 38Medium Howitzer 38Heavy Howitzer 39

ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS 3937mm 61-K Model 1939 3925mm 72-K Model 1940 39

ANTI-TANK GUNS 3945mm Model 1937 Anti-Tank Gun 39M-42 Anti-Tank Gun 40ZiS-2 Anti-Tank Gun 40ZiS-3 Divisional Gun 4085mm Model 1939 41A-19 Field Gun 41BS-3 Anti-Tank Gun 41

VEHICLES 42TANKS 42

T-26 Light Tank 42BT-5 And BT-7 Light Tank 43T-37 Light Tank 44T-40 Light Tank 44T-50 Light Infantry Tank 45T-60 Light Tank 45T-70 Light Tank 45T-28 Medium Tank 45T-34 Medium Tank 45T-34/85 Medium Tank 46T-35 Heavy Tank 46KV-1 Heavy Tank 46KV-85 And IS-1 Heavy Tank 47IS-2 Heavy Tank 47

TANK DESTROYERS 49ZIS-30 49SU-85 50SU-100 50ISU-122 50

SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY 50Tachanka 50SU-76 50SU-122 51

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ARMIES OF the soviet union

KV-2 51SU-152 and ISU-152 51Katyusha 52

ANTI-AIRCRAFT VEHICLES 52Tokarev 4M Quad Maxim On Gaz-AAA Truck 52M17 MGMC Anti-Aircraft Vehicle 53

ARMOURED CARS 53BA-64 53BA-20 54BA-10 54

TRANSPORTS AND TOWS 54Truck 54Half-Track Truck 55Gaz ‘Jeep’ 55Artillery Tractors 55T-20 Komsomolets 55Aerosan 56

Theatre Selectors 57ANTI-TANK TEAM THREE-FOR-ONE RULE  58SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR SCENARIOS  61

The Quality of Quantity 61Anarchy 61Forests and Swamps 61Deep Snow 61Frostbite 61

BARBAROSSA! 62Fortified Region Reinforced Platoon 62Special Rules 62

BATTLE OF KIEV 63Battle of Kiev Reinforced Platoon 63Special Rules 63

ZHUKOV TAKES COMMAND 64Leningrad Approaches Reinforced Platoon 64Special Rules 64

SIEGE OF SEVASTOPOL 66Sevastopol Reinforced Platoon 66Special Rules 66

OPERATION TYPHOON 67Moscow Defenders Reinforced Platoon 67Special Rules 67

BLITZFREEZE 68Moscow Counter-Offensive Reinforced Platoon 68Special Rules 68

RZHEV–VYAZMA 69Battle of Rzhev Reinforced Platoon 69Special Rules 69

SECOND BATTLE OF KHARKOV 70Second Battle of Kharkov Reinforced Platoon 71Special Rules 71

BATTLE OF VORONEZHV 72Battle of Voronezhv Reinforced Platoon 73Special Rules 73

BATTLE OF STALINGRAD 74STREET-FIGHTING ACADEMY,

Battle of Stalingrad Reinforced Platoon 75Special Rules 75

OPERATION URANUS 76DEATH ON THE VOLGA,

Operation Uranus Reinforced Platoon 77OPERATION STAR: THIRD BATTLE OF KHARKOV 78

Operation Star Reinforced Platoon 78BATTLE OF KURSK 80

Battle of Kursk Reinforced Platoon 80LENINGRAD–NOVGOROD OFFENSIVE 82

Leningrad–Novgorod Reinforced Platoon 83OPERATION BAGRATION 84

Operation Bagration Reinforced Platoon 84VISTULA–ODER OFFENSIVE 85

Vistula–Oder Offensive Reinforced Platoon 85SEELOW HEIGHTS 86

Seelow Heights Reinforced Platoon 86BERLIN 87

Berlin Reinforced Platoon 87

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WHAT IS THIS BOOK?

WHAT IS THIS BOOK?

The Soviet 8th Army attempts to break out at the Dunaburg bridgehead, 28 June 1941, by Peter Dennis © Osprey Publishing Ltd. Taken from Campaign 148: Operation Barbarossa 1941 (2).

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ARMIES OF the soviet union

This book is a supplement for the Bolt Action World War II tabletop wargame. It contains all the background,

rules and Army List information needed to field a Soviet Army in the Bolt Action game. Inside you’ll find details of organisation and equipment covering the Soviet Union’s Red Army forces from the beginning of what came to be called the Great Patriotic War (22 June 1941, the opening day of operation Barbarossa) to the end of the war in Europe (7 May 1945, the surrender of Germany).

As you will see, the main Army List includes all the necessary gaming details for all the troop types, vehicles and equipment fielded by the Soviets in World War II. Alongside this main list you will find 18 specific Theatre Selectors. These indicate which kinds of troops, weapons and vehicles are available during different phases of

the war and in different theatres on the Eastern Front. While the Soviet Union had the largest army in the world at the beginning of the German-led invasion, it proved no match for the elite Panzer divisions that had brought Europe to its knees. Four years of bitter fighting, unthinkable hardship and incalculable determination enabled the Soviet Union to eventually emerge victorious

over Nazi Germany.To avoid a lot of pointless repetition, the

main Army List includes all the rules needed for each kind of unit as well as all the options potentially available to it. The Theatre Selectors narrow this information down as appropriate to that specific campaign or phase of the war. The Theatre Selectors indicate the predominant kinds of troops and equipment available during a campaign or at a certain time, but exceptions are perfectly allowable so long as both players agree.

A Maxim medium machine gun covers the Soviet advance

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THE RED ARMY OF WORLD WAR II

THE RED ARMY OF WORLD WAR II

The attack on the Reichstag, by Peter Dennis © Osprey Publishing Ltd. Taken from Campaign 159: Berlin 1945.

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