There is a lot around Vladivostok! That would be great, thanks.
You're not kidding! I was always told Ivan believed in quantity but looking at what he had around Vladivostok, four SAM brigades! That'll be hairy for someone! [:D]
In the next installment, here is the 23rd Air Defense Corps, focused on defending the airspace around Vladivostok and the area immediately to the north and northeast. The corps consists of four PVO Fighter regiments, four SAM brigades, two SAM regiments, one Radio-Technical brigade and one radio-technical regiments. Three of the airbases are included in the stock game, I'll indicate which is which but I'll give a complete OOB for those interested.
1. 22nd Guards Red Banner Fighter Aviation Regiment: This regiment was based at Tsentralnaya Uglovaya, just northeast of Vladivostok. In 1989, the unit was flying Mig-23ML's (it converted to the SU-27 in 1994).
2. 47th Fighter Aviation Regiment: the 47th was based at Zolotaya Dolina (Unashi), easterly of Vladivostok. It flew SU-15's until 1989, being replaced by SU-27's which had started arriving in 1988.
3. 530th Fighter Aviation Regiment: This unit was stationed at Chuguevka, about 100 miles northeast of Vladivostok. It had been equipped with Mig-25's since 1974 and the Mig-31 arrived in 1990.
4. 820th Fighter Aviation Regiment: This unit was based at Spassk-Dalniy, a now-decommissioned airbase that appears to be eroding. In 1989 it was an active base flying Mig-23MLD's. This is the only airbase included in the zip as the other three are included in the stock game.
5. 88th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade: The 88th guarded the eastern approaches to Vladivostok and in 1990, was quipped with SA-2, SA-3, SA-5 and SA-10 missile battalions. By 1994, only the SA-10's existed and the brigade was converted into the 589th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment.
6. 130th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade: A large brigade with 12-14 battalions, it guarded the immediate surrounding area in the vicinity of Vladivostok and, like the 88th, was equipped with four generations of missiles. Also like the 88th, only the SA-10's would remain by 1994 and the brigade was reflagged the 1533rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment.
7. 150th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade: the 150th was spread out in an arc north to northeast of the port city it guarded, equipped with SA-2's and SA-3's. It disbanded in 1994.
8. 267th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade: A small brigade with seven battalions of SA-2 and -3 missiles strung out along the border with China, it disbanded in 1993.
9. 749th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment: A nine battalion regiment ~125 miles to the northeast of Vladivostok with a mix of SA-2, SA-3 and SA-5's. It disbanded in 1994.
10. 1300th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment: A small (three battalion) SAM regiment on to the northwest of Vladivostok, guarding the approach to the city from China. Equipped purely with SA-2's, it was disbanded before the other SAM units in the area, departing in 1992.
11. 10th Radio-Technical Brigade: A large collection of air search and defense radars in the Vladivostok region. The locations are known but, as with others, I had to take guesses at the equipment.
12. 123rd Radio-Technical Regiment: A collection of coastal radars along the coast, facing the Sea of Japan.
Heading towards Khabarovsk to explore their facilities next. Have fun assaulting (or defending) Vladivostok! While SA-2's and -3's are not state of the art by the late 1980's, the sheer density of SAM's in the area should make any strikes exciting to say the least. [X(]
As far as defenses go, when you layer on 1st Red Banner Air Army (VVS) and Pacific Fleet Aviation, it really gets impressive.
In Northern Fury, there are a few changes as the priority goes to the north and south flanks starting in about 91.
47th IAP does not receive Su-27 but upgrades to MiG-25-PDS instead
88th AD Bde moves west and you'll find it in Norway, it takes its SA-10s but leaves all the older stuff for mobilization troops. The 589th Regt has since received one Bn of SA-10.
All of the other AD units remain with the older kit manned by mobilization forces
For interest the PVO version of the Su-27 is the 'P' which is identical to the VVS version - the 'S'. The MiG-23s used by PVO are upgraded 'P' variants, now the 'PD' which are supposed to be the same as the 'MLD' used by the VVS - NATO calls them both the Flogger K
Glad you like it. I'm interested to see how you're shifting the different components around.
One thing I've seen in the Khabarovsk region is the SAM units mention additional reserve battalions for SA-2's but no coordinates. I may just leave those out since they're not mapped.
Most of the shifting I've done is in bits of spreadsheet here and there, I sometimes have to fabricate stuff but there is enough detail out there that reasonable suppositions can explain the changes I've made.
The third and smallest Air Defense Corps of the 11th Air Defense Army, the 8th Red Banner Air Defense Corps was responsible defending an area generally centered on the major industrial cities of Komsomolsk-na-Amure and Khabarovsk. In 1989-1990, the 8th Corps consisted of 3 fighter regiments, 3 SAM brigades and 1 SAM regiment, 1 radio-technical brigade and 3 radio-technical regiments. Two of the regimental airfields are already in the same and are indicated below.
1. 60th Fighter Aviation Regiment: The 60th regiment is located (as it was in 1990) at Dzemgi, a large airbase to the northeast of Komsomolsk-na-Amure. It flew the SU-15 until 1985 when it upgraded to the SU-27, which it still flies. Interestingly, a major factory producing Sukhoi planes (both military and commercial is located right next to the airbase to the south. While I ultimately didn't add the facility to the base, one could (or create it as a separate group) as doubtless it would be a target in any campaign.
2. 301st Fighter Aviation Regiment: This unit was based at Kalinka Airbase, a base located to the east of Khabarovsk. In 1990, the based housed two regiments from different branches. The 301st was a PVO regiment flying Mig-23's. It was also home to a Frontal Aviation unit, the 216th regiment which had formed up in 1986 and flew the SU-27. In 1991, the 216th transferred to Dzemgi and left Kalinka to the 301st. The regiment disbanded in the 1990's and the base shut in 2009. This base was not included in the stock game so I've added it. Ammo and fuel are notional and the base is undergoing decay and revegetation.
3. 308th Fighter Aviation Regiment: A Mig-23 regiment flying for the PVO out of Postovaya. The airbase is included in the game as Sovetskaya Gayan, as that's the name of the port city the airbase is adjacent to.
4. 109th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade: A SAM brigade guarding Khabarovsk with SA-2's, -3's and -5's. This unit did not receive the SA-10 until 1993.
5. 118th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade: A SAM brigade guarding Komsomolsk-na-Amure with SA-2's, -3's and -5's. This unit did not receive the SA-10 until 1993.
6. 345th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade: A SAM brigade guarding Sovetskaya Gayan with SA-5' and -10's. It probably received the SA-10's first as it was anticipated any attacks from American forces would come from the ocean areas to the east.
7. 1251st Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment: A small, two battalion unit guarding the Magadan region with SA-2's. Disbanded in 1992.
8. the 55th Radio-Technical Brigade and the 9th, 48th and 213th Radio-Technical Regiments provided radar coverage for much of northeastern Siberia.
There are still two more divisions assigned to the corps, those are next and they'll be small I think.
Interestingly, a major factory producing Sukhoi planes (both military and commercial is located right next to the airbase to the south. While I ultimately didn't add the facility to the base, one could (or create it as a separate group) as doubtless it would be a target in any campaign.
I've focused my energies on the PVO, but there's a ton of interesting facilities in these necks of the woods. Frontal Aviation, Naval Aviation, what might be a mobile ICBM/MRBM base and a metric ton of ammo facilities (not sure for which branches). Let me know if you're seeking anything else.
Okay, I realized I screwed up Spassk-Dalniy. I was so focused on it's role as a Mig-23 base in the PVO that I missed it was also home to the 219th independent Long-Range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment flying TU-16R's! I meant no disrespect but all I can say is the aerials I'm looking at to make some bases are really showing me the remains of bases and sometimes you don't see it all. Anyhow, I've upgraded this and now you should be able to use Spassk-Dalniy to both defend the Motherland with your Mig's while spying on the decadent forces of capitalism with your long range recon assets. As always, any mistakes are mine and if anyone has thoughts or suggestions, I'm all ears.
Here is the 25th Sakhalinskaya Air Defence Division, another component of the 11th independent Red Banner Air Defence Army guarding the Far Eastern portion of the Soviet Union (later Russia). These units are assigned to some of the most isolated and inaccessible locations with weather that can likely be quite beastly. I'm not sure if being assigned to the 25th was considered an honor (as you're trusted to be close to on your own) or as a punishment but I can imagine it was a lonely existence.
The 25th had the following units assigned:
1. 171st FIghter Aviation Regiment: A PVO regiment equipped with SU-15T's in an air defense role and based at Ugolnye Kopi. It was disbanded in 1992. The airbase came with the game so is not included in the zip file.
2. 762nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment: An SA-2 regiment with four battalions guarding the area around the Ugolyne Kopi Airbase. Disbanded in 1992.
3. 1242nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment: An SA-2 regiment guarding the Provideniya port and airbase. Also disbanded in 1992.
4. 129th Radio-Technical Brigade: A radar brigade dispersed over nine sites providing radar coverage for the farthest parts of eastern Siberia. The brigade disbanded in 1998 but some sites appear active when viewed on commercial platforms such as Google.
Okay, here is the 29th Amurskaya Air Defence Division, a small air defense division in the western part of the 11th independent Red Banner Air Defence Army. It has no assigned aviation assets but a SAM Brigade, two SAM Regiments and a Radar Brigade.
1. 110th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade: A brigade employing SA-2, -3 and -5 missiles and guarding the border with China. Disbanded in 1994.
2. 112th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment: A three battalion SA-2 regiment that existed here from 1972-1993.
3. 237th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment: Another three battalion SA-2 regiment from 1976-1994.
4. 47th Radio-Technical Brigade: A brigade-level formation with six radar sites scattered along the northerly portions of the Soviet-Chinese border.
So that completes the 11th independent Red Banner Air Defence Army for the defense of the Soviet Far East area. Hope you enjoy blowing it up (or protecting it)!
If you have time, Naval Aviation and Frontal Aviation bases would be fantastic, I think some of them are in the game already but it's a bit hit & miss. No rush.
Together these make one heck of a good laydown of the Soviet/Russian Far East which has been in many scenarios.
Here's selection of various facilites I've created over the years. I originally posted a smaller version of this over on the CMANO subreddit but since I'm now able to add files to my posts I'll share them here as well.
Included are:
--Late Cold War air defences for Czechoslovakia (EW incomplete), East Germany, Poland (missing EW), Romania (missing EW), and the USSR (incomplete).
--Four West German highway strips
--Sondrestrom AB and Thule AB in Greenland
--Den Helder NB, Leeuwarden AB, Twente AB, Valkenburg AB, and Volkel AB in The Netherlands
--Several UK Naval and Air bases.
--A handful of Soviet navy facilities
--A variety of Russian EW sites.
As I've done a number of bases, you start to get some ideas about the ways the various militaries act and think. Russia is no exception and I was looking at some bases recently that looked a bit ramshackle. And while many have hardened shelters (camouflaged to boot) for their airplanes, the ammo often sits out in the open. So today I was looking at a naval base with Backfires and found a bunch of what appears to be AS-4 Kitchen missiles sitting out. Granted, ammo bunkers big enough to accommodate such beasts would be expensive to design and build but, really, is this the best way? They're one accident away from having the Backfires take on a US CVBG with gravity bombs! [8D][:D][:-]
There is question if these missiles are destined to be scrapped anyway.
But the question about ammunition storage and especially missiles is valid. During the Cold War WarPac PVOS's SAM Regiments/Brigades had usually one or more technical battalions where the missiles were stored while SAM units itself during peacetime had only limited amount of missiles (in Czechoslovakia SA-2 battalion had only 12 missiles in normal conditions). Thus hitting such facilities early could cause quite a big capacity reduction.
This actually happened in 1999 during Allied Force in Yugoslavia when such storage depot with SA-3 missiles was hit early on and destroying quite a large number of missiles. Yugoslavian SA-3 battalions were then constrained by limited amount of available missiles till the end of war.
Ammunition storage standards in the WP were somewhat different than in NATO.
Had occasion to visit a former East German NVA base in 1992, it was mostly deserted but the escorting Bundeswehr Colonel showed us this large empty building. The only stuff left in it were oil stains and garbage but he said that it was for a divisional ammunition transport battalion.
In its day, there were almost 100 trucks parked fender to fender in the building blocked up on railway ties (cut to size on end, there were a few left over) - loaded with ammunition! With the help of a few sledge hammers the trucks would just drive away and be ready for battle. He also said they only found one map in the entire battalion, in the commanders truck. It was like a role of toilet paper and unrolled with strip of detail about an inch wide - starting at the camps front gate and ending in western France...
