Soviet Rifle Brigade TOEs

[Wiedrock]

***** WIP ***** WIP ***** WIP ***
ToDo:
Naval
...maybe MotBrig

Working though Rifle Corps and Rifle Divisions the last step in the line is to get the Briagades correct, so that the early Rifle Corps can be properly multiply-created.

So far the general Brigades are "finished" from my side, implemented Amendments from ~autumn 1942 (if their changes ever were seriously implemented is the other question).
Share further suggestions and Infos.
Trying to get Naval Brigades incorporated as well. Possibly also Mot Rifle Brigades, not sure yet.

The Question arising is how to calculate the 07/1942 TOE (which remains basically for the rest of the game).
The TOE should have 4 Battalions and 6k manpower, the calculation I've decided now (3 Battalions + all Support assets) is already a massive boost compared to the vanilla version and Brigades (when used as 3xper Corps anyways OP) but it remains at the former 5k manpower.

Sources:
Senerally, see links in Posts and see Picture's namings, mostly containing the BArch folders.
BARch Folders:
RH 2/2522 (many types of "Infantry/Foot" Brigades)
RH 2/2713 (full TOE charts for 10/41 and 04/42)
https://pamyat-naroda.ru → search for unit-abbreviation "сбр"
Companion to the Red Army (by Zaloga, Ness)

Content:
09/1941
04/1942
07/1942
05/1943
06/1944
Final V1

[Wiedrock]

09/1941 Shtat No. 04/730-744 of 15.10.1941 "(Independent) Cadet Rifle Brigade"

Rifle Brigade Artillery Battalion TOE 12/1941
Rifle Brigade Company Calculation 03/1942
Strenght Report 01.09.1942

[Wiedrock]

04/1942 Shtat No. 04/200-241 of 17.04.1942

Full set up TOEs of German Intel can be found in BArch RH 2/2713 pic 196ff.
Full TOEs in June 1942
Strength Report
Strength Report 08/42
Strength Report 20.07.1942

[Wiedrock]

07/1942 Shtat No. 04/330-342 of 29.07.1942

So, here it starts to get complicated...
There's the general TOE initially released, but also a list of Amendments.

General Idea is trying to keep the "balance" and stick to:

1. only 3 Battalions instead of 4 (some only had 3 Battalions anyways as it seems, not clear how many 3 or 4)
2. using the current 5k Manpower as a "target" (the actual TOE had 6k as can be seen, due to four battalions, further due to amendments the Manpower may have been increased up to ~6.5k)

Initial Variant

Brigade 07-1942_best.jpg (135.86 KiB) Viewed 966 times

Initial result using the regular proposed TOE I get the above result. It's the whole Brigade TOE and I only removed the Ampoulet manpower and the 4th battalion.
So we get almost exactly the 5k as before.
But what stands out is that it'd still be much better and therefore the current TOE is massively missing assets/elements.
This is also highlighted by more than 48.7% Support (current Brigade TOE) vs 41% (current Division TOE). So there's clearly something off and I think it's now clear what it is.

Now, obv. there may have been amendments, I unfortunately can't decipher these.... If someone could translate this order, would be nice.
EDIT: Found the Amendments translated in German Intel files (BArch RH 2/2522 p.19). These will be included in the Amended variant.
If you see some changes necessary tell me what, but those changes's manpower changes then also need to be accounted for.

Amended Variant:
Amendment to TOE 04/331

1. SMG Platoon (33Men) becomes SMG Company (100Men) [100-33=+67]
2. Each Rifle Platoon of a Rifle Company receives +2 Snipers. [3Cox3Pltx2=+18]
3. Recons lose one 10Men Squad [-10]
4. Each Rifle Platoon of a Rifle Company loses 8Men (2Men per Squad) [3Cox3Pltx(-8)=-72]
5. The MG Company loses 3Men total, one in each Platoon. [-3]

Totals: +67+18-10-72-3=0
So as seen, Battalion size does not seem to have changed due to these amendments (if my math is right).
So only the firepower was supposed to be increased (e.g. more SMGs and less people per LMG/MMG).
In how far these Amendments were rly implemented is obv. not fully clear. But there are SMG numbers in 1943 (when SMG numbers were generally increased) giving a Brigade ~1600SMGs.

So following the Amended Version.

Brigade 07-1942_AMENDMENT.jpg (492.16 KiB) Viewed 1015 times

---

Strength Report 05.10.1942 (6000Men)
Strength Report 16.03.1943 (6039)
Strength Report 26.03.1943 (6048)
Strength Report 23.05.1943 (6700+ (additional elements))
Calculation Table
Manpower calculation (needs to be worked through)

The State Defense Committee

Ordinance
of July 29, 1942 No. GKO-2124ss

On the reorganization of a separate rifle brigade

The State Defence Committee decides:

I.

Reorganize a separate rifle brigade and have it in the following composition:
1. Division Management (100 people)
2. four separate infantry battalions (904 people), each consisting of: 3 infant stream, machine-gun company (12 machine guns), companies of anti-tank guns (18 ATP), a mortar company of 82 mm mortars (6 mortars), an ampoule platoon (6 ampoules), platoons of pedesture, platoon of machine guns (33 submachine guns), demining platoon, combat support units and economic.
In each rifle company: 3 rifle platoons (51 people each) and one platoon 50 mm mortars (3 mortars).
In each infant platoon 4 infantry compartments of 12 people.
3. Artillery division of five-battery composition, armed with 16 - 76 mm guns of the USV and 4 - 76 mm regimen guns (154 people).
4. A separate machine-gun battalion: 27 machine guns and 12 guns of the PTR (253 people).
5. separate fighter anti-tank division (337 people) 12 45 mm guns and 72 PTRs.
6. A separate battalion of 82 mm mortars (24 mortars - 220 people).
7. Separate division 120 mm mortars (12 mortars - 202 people).
8. A separate battalion of machine gunners, three-modromat composition (304 submachine guns - 324 people).
9. A separate company of scouts (71 people).
10. Separate communication company (141 people).
11. Separate sapper company (136 people).
12. Separate author of delivery (74 people, 47 cars).
13. Separate health company (63 people).

II.

The staff and armament of the brigade shall be installed:
People - 6000
Horses - 836
Rifles - 3830
Submachine guns - 824
Machine guns - 145
Machine guns - 75
Machine guns large-caliber - 3
Anti-tank rifles - 156
Mortars 50 mm - 36
Mortars 82 mm - 48
Mortars 120 mm - 12
Gun 45 mm - 12
Gun 76 mm regimen - 4
Guns 76 mm USV - 16
Cars of cars - 5
Trucks - 90
Special vehicles - 6
Tractors - 20

[Wiedrock]

05/1943 (same TOE numbers as 07/1942 - no major changes)

Strength Report 30.06.1943 3Battalions (no authorized numbers)
Division/Brigade comparison

Battalion size increased from 904 to 925, 928, 963 or 1000+ somewhen year shift 1942/43 (or so). Not sure what it was based on or how exactly either is calculated. Some Divisions seem to not have had the 82mm 08/332 Mortar TOE, and had instead higher numbers of 82mm inside the Battalions.

changes to previous TOE:

• SMG
  Boosting SMGs as with the Divisions. See this Post or that Thread for more info in the SMG increases.
  1. The "Missing Manpower" inside Squads gets converted into SMG Squads.
  2. The Line Infantry gets SMG'rized by 1/4th. (Stalin ordered 1/3rd - so this is a mix of this 1/4th and the missing manpower becomming SMG'rized (no perfect math))
  3. The Recons become Reconnaissance Squad 41 to boost SMGs
• Sappers
  Continuing matching Squad numbers first.

Amended Variant

Brigade 05-1943_AMENDMENT.jpg (140.93 KiB) Viewed 1010 times

[Wiedrock]

06/1944 (same TOE numbers as 07/1942 and 05/1943 - no major changes)

Amended Variant

• PTRD (just ideas)
  May make sense reducing. As with the Divisional Guards variant which was reduced by the Devs at this mid 1944 TOE one could add a reduction here too, removing the 72 PTRD from the AT Battalion. Not sure what the vanilla 80 are based on...so hard to say.
• MMG (just ideas)
  One could remove the whole MMG Battalion (27MMG+12PTRD) total ~250Men, in a sense that they are rather defensive assets and Soviets would rather attack during this time.

Brigade 06-1944_AMENDMENT.jpg (142.25 KiB) Viewed 967 times

After 1942 no new Brigades were rly formed ("general statement"), many combined into Divisions, so infos are scarce. In 1944 many Naval Brigade Strength reports are available tho.

If someone has further infos, would be amazing.

[Wiedrock]

WOTE "Squad-corrected" Variant
(Also not perfect (if that's even possible), dues to the weird 12→10Men Squads in Brigades ... no idea why you'd use 11→9Men in Rifle Divisions and 12→10Men inside Rifle Brigades...)

For Squad changes see here.

EDIT: Amendments have been included, the addition of the 2Snipers per Platoon is little messing with the totals making the upgrade into an downgrade regarding "active fighters" and reducing the Squads by ~4 total, but it is what it is, Snipers are always left out as a rule.

Brigades Final.jpg (378.24 KiB) Viewed 1006 times

VANILLA "normal Squads" Variant
(Reduced the above Variant by the "additional Squads" first, then removed the "added Sappers" (intended to reach proper Sapper Squad numbers (those are also not always 100% clear) and then tried to reduce in a way "that makes sense" (was only needed in the 5th TOE - basically reducing the Battalion's SMG Company (9Sq) into a Platoon with 4Sq)).
The "negative numbers" are only there to highlight the changes, the numbers have already been substracted and are therefore only for info.

Brigades Final_VANILLA.jpg (422.99 KiB) Viewed 1000 times

[Denniss]

I would like to use the Recon Squad 41 for the recon part of these units but I doubt the current composition is right with so many SMGs. Do you have any suggestion regarding composition change for this squad? I would forward those to Jim, I guees this is easily done as the 41 variant is seemingly not used at all. This would then replaced the Rifle Squad (-) you deemed to represent recons.

To clarify: are your composition changes above using standard squad sizes or your corrected ones? Changing squad sizes would required a lot of aditional work so I would currently prefer change suggestions using standard squad sizes. Basically phase 1 to get equipment right and then phase 2 to correct manpower issues in a large amount of units.

[Wiedrock]

To clarify: are your composition changes above using standard squad sizes or your corrected ones? Changing squad sizes would required a lot of aditional work so I would currently prefer change suggestions using standard squad sizes. Basically phase 1 to get equipment right and then phase 2 to correct manpower issues in a large amount of units.

TLDR: I have found the unreadable doc translated properly.
I'll work in this (now clearly readable) amendments into my versions and add versions using the Vanilla Squads.

The "final" versions currently in the Post above are using the "corrected" versions highlighted in the pic.

---

The translation for the source/amendment I couldn't tranlsate with Google (due to poor picture quality) and for whatever reason this order is also not listed in the "Lists of Orders of Volkskommissars UDSSR".

07/1942 Shtat No. 04/330-342 of 29.07.1942

[...]

Now, obv. there may have been amendments, I unfortunately can't decipher these.... If someone could translate this order, would be nice.
If you see some changes necessary tell me what, but those changes's manpower changes then also need to be accounted for.

[...]

07-1942_Errata_06-1943_RH_2_2522_0019.jpg (318.46 KiB) Viewed 1022 times

So this changes a bunch of things. It seems to contain issues with the dates (e.g. Soviets supposedly wrote this 30.03.1942 and are talking about the TOE 04/331, but that TOE only appeared 29.07.1942, this order may ofc. be ralated to planning on new TOEs but I doubt that early, especially since the 200-241 series was released shortly after in April 1942....weird...
But the Soviet Archive link also lists this Document as being number 552 while it is 652, so not even Russian can read their own stuff, so possible the date is an error and actually means 30.08 or 30.09.1942 (or so). So if it was rly a amendment in ~10/1942 it may be fair to use the 9Men Squads (wheter now 12-8=10 or 11-2=9Men is another question...). Another question is in how far this order then was applied/executed...

I would like to use the Recon Squad 41 for the recon part of these units but I doubt the current composition is right with so many SMGs. Do you have any suggestion regarding composition change for this squad? I would forward those to Jim, I guees this is easily done as the 41 variant is seemingly not used at all. This would then replaced the Rifle Squad (-) you deemed to represent recons.

I'd need to see all the Mot/Mech/Tank formations to be sure it's not needed there. I think it's good to be used from late42/mid43 for Recons, just before that as you say its too many SMGs.

[Denniss]

Looked at OB with a text editor and found 12 cases of Recon Squad 41 usage. Sad. Found at least one strange use in 42a Tank Corps, not used in later OBs until the mech 43 version in 43G+ or 44+ Tank Corps. Most of them are used by Reduced Rifle Div OBs. Using the Rifle Squad minus as recons - should it be extended until the Recon Squad 41 with all its SMGs become a better equipment match or shall I ask Jim to add a variant recon Squad with different equipment?

[Wiedrock]

I have amended the 07/1942+ TOEs to include the Amendments made in autumn of 1942.
I also added a "Vanilla Squad Version" for all TOEs in the "Final" Post (4 Posts above) for the regular Brigades.
If you find errors of have better ideas, let me know.
There certainly from 07/1942 onwards could be several ways of "building" the TOEs to make the TOEs more "balanced" or "historic" (e.g. leave out certain parts and add/exchange them "in" later on to more reflect "real/actual TOEs" or to account for balance), but leaving out/sticking to 3 instead of 4 Battalions is already a major reduction (to reach the old 5k manpower figure) regarding balance. The way it is now is an increase by +13.6% in Elements and +10.5% in CV (additionally many added elements are long range assets), so already a buff by sticking to the 5k manpower (current TOEs are definitley missing stuff/have too much Support either way, so each correction/change results in a buff).

Looked at OB with a text editor and found 12 cases of Recon Squad 41 usage. Sad. Found at least one strange use in 42a Tank Corps, not used in later OBs until the mech 43 version in 43G+ or 44+ Tank Corps. Most of them are used by Reduced Rifle Div OBs.

I only can find these 7 TOEs with them in it with my "automated search", which else you've found?

773.PNG (17.25 KiB) Viewed 966 times

Using the Rifle Squad minus as recons - should it be extended until the Recon Squad 41 with all its SMGs become a better equipment match or shall I ask Jim to add a variant recon Squad with different equipment?

Imo the Rifle Squad (-) is fine/fits well with all the earlier Infantry versions.
I've created collages for Recons and Sappers (since they are such a pain in the a** with all the different versions) of all infos I could find for the different TOEs and the "Foot Recons" are always about 11-10Men and having 0-2SMGs during the earlier period. So adding a Squad would only be for OCD reason to have the Squad named "Recon" and have the numbers separate and not mixed together, not that I am not a fan of that but it's nothing fundamentally needed imo. If anything, a 7 (or 8) Men Cavalry Recon with 1 SMG would be needed...but Horsed Recons had even weirder changes over the time.

rec-sap.jpg (96.19 KiB) Viewed 966 times

[Denniss]

Squad 773: 3x false positives in german OBs + 2x new or changed Ski Bde/Bn in data for next beta
EDIT: that gfx with recon squads is impossible to read - too small.
Do you see the current recon squad 41 as OK or does it have far too many SMG and should have more rifles instead?