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SOVIET VOROSHILOV ACADEMY LECTURES
ARMY OPERATIONS

 

CHAPTER I-12


 

REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF RECONNAISSANCE OF THE ARMY

 
 

The army chief of reconnaissance, while he is obtaining approval of the reconnaissance plan from the commander, reports the following:
----- what reconnaissance missions will be fulfilled prior to the start of the operation and what forces and means will be designated to do these missions;
----- what missions will be fulfilled from the start of the operation and what forces and means he has designated for these missions;
----- what missions for reconnaissance will be fulfilled during the movement through the enemy covering force area and at the enemy's first line of defense, what reconnaissance forces and means are designated for these, and in what regions the main forces and reconnaissance will be concentrated;
----- what missions will be fulfilled by the reconnaissance organs of army with the aim of support for air forces and air assault and naval landing operations and what forces and means are designated for these;
----- what missions army reconnaissance will fulfill during the commitment into engagement of second-echelon;
----- what missions will be fulfilled during completion of army long range mission and their forces and means;
----- what forces and means are planned to remain in army reserve;
----- how troop control of reconnaissance forces is planned for the duration of the operation;
----- results showing his understanding of the reconnaissance problem from his preliminary planning .



 
 

Report about the Reconnaissance Plan for the Offensive Operation

In accordance with your instructions and the chief of staff's instructions the reconnaissance directorate has prepared the reconnaissance plan for the army offensive. The reconnaissance during the army operation has been planned in the following manner:

During the preparation period for the operation the main reconnaissance forces will be concentrated on discovering the time and possibilities for NATO initiating an attack against the WP countries, determining the composition, grouping of their armed forces, especially ground forces, and the 4th (ATAF); the parameters of their possible initial massive air blow, concept of their operations, system of command and control of forces, and weapons systems. With aim of fulfilling this mission the following forces and means have been designated:
----- a. Now the radio and radio technical battalion sub-units are fully deployed in their positions; five radio direction finding platoons of the radio battalion OSNAZ are conducting reconnaissance in the area ___, ___, ___. The command post of the radio battalion and companies of radio interception are deployed in regions ___, ___, ___. The sub-units of the radio technical reconnaissance from the composition of the radio technical battalion also are deployed near the state border and command post of the battalion is located at ___, ___. The total composition of the radio technical and radio battalions in the army area is 57 posts.
----- b. Since this morning, we have organized the observation system along the state border with the forces of the divisions.
----- c. The exchange of information with neighboring armies has been organized.

With the start of combat operations the main forces of reconnaissance will be concentrated on the fulfillment of re-confirmation of enemy targets for the army first nuclear strike. Troop control of reconnaissance has been prepared with the participation of the air army's combat control center and the control organs of army rocket and artillery forces.

The following reconnaissance missions have been planned ahead in the interest of the army forces' movement across the enemy covering force area and through his first line of defense from the march:
----- specifying the composition, and grouping of the covering forces, engineer fortifications, and obstacles,
----- determiniuung the layout of the defense, level of engineer fortifications, system of fire, system of obstacles, and unoccupied sectors or weakly held areas in defenses;
----- observing and discovering enemy operational reserves, their composition, their situation, and where and how they will be employed in the enemy concept for their use;
----- clarifying the radioactive situation in the covering force area and forward defense line;

The main forces of reconnaissance are concentrated for employment in the sector ____, ___, (on the axis of main attack);

For this mission we use 12 flights of the drone reconnaissance aircraft and forces and means of the radio and radio technical reconnaissance units of the army and troops. In addition on the first and second days of the operation we plan to insert 6 army SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups in the enemy rear in regions of special importance 1, 2, 3, 4.

In the interests of inserting air assault forces we plan to fulfill the following reconnaissance tasks:
----- clarify the enemy character of actions, defense system, PVO system, and engineer obstacles in the area __, ___;
----- clarify the grouping of enemy reserves in this region;
----- determine the possible reinforcements of ground forces and tactical aviation in this area.
----- fulfilling these tasks will be accomplished by forces and means of aviation, and radio and radio technical reconnaissance.

With the aim of supporting the commitment into engagement of the army second-echelon and destruction of enemy operational reserves we plan reconnaissance operations to accomplish the following:
----- designation of enemy grouping of forces and means, their composition and combat capability, and also character of actions in the area of the commitment into engagement of the 17th Tank Division.
----- determine character of engineer obstacles along intermediate defense lines in the area ___, ___, ___;
----- determine quantity and level of radiation in the terrain in the area of the movement of the 17th Tank Division and its commitment line ;
----- observe and follow enemy operational reserves and the mobilization of enemy forces in the area ___, ___.
----- determine the composition, grouping, and bases of air forces and air defense forces;

For fulfilling the above designated missions we plan:

3 SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups, 6-8 flights of drone aircraft, 20-30 radio and radio-technical posts, and the forces and means of division reconnaissance. Aerial photography is planned along the following lines:
Forward defense line in the sector of the main attack of army and armies, in the area of the commitment of the second-echelon, on airfields, and on rear service targets.

To fulfill the long range mission the main forces of reconnaissance will be concentrated on support of the destruction elements of of the Central Army Group, 4th ATAF, and seizing the line ___, ___.

The main forces of reconnaissance will be concentrated against enemy

With the aim of fulfilling reconnaissance missions in the interest of completion of the army long-range mission, the army reconnaissance plan forecasts the following:
----- during the course of the 4th day to the 6th day of the operation insert in enemy rear areas 4 reconnaissance groups SPETZNAZ;
----- each day we plan 30-40 sorties of reconnaissance aviation and 4-6 tactical drone aircraft, and aerial photography along lines __, ___, ___.
----- radio and radio technical reconnaissance with the forces and means of the radio and radio technical battalions OSNAZ of the army.
----- also enlist the reconnaissance means of the divisions;
----- exchange of reconnaissance information with staffs of neighboring armies and the staff of the front;

In reserve we plan to maintain the following quantity of reconnaissance forces and means:
----- during the period of preparing for the operation: 8 SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups and 36 tactical drone sorties;
----- for fulfillment of immediate mission: 2 SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups.
----- at the end of the offensive: 2 SPETZNAZ groups, 12 sorties of drones.

Troop control of reconnaissance forces and means is planned in the following manner:
----- army reconnaissance units by means of the radio center of army staff and mobile command post of the chief of reconnaissance of army;
----- special radio stations supported by the means of the army signal center will be established with the aim of obtaining reconnaissance data from reconnaissance aviation at all command posts of divisions, armies, chiefs of artillery and rocket forces, and PVO of army and armies, and reconnaissance directorate of army. To support this mission we send the working frequencies for communication between aircraft and ground stations to the chiefs of reconnaissance of armies and neighboring armies.

Results of assessment of reconnaissance requirements:

The planning measures for the combat employment of reconnaissance forces and means require that the reconnaissance missions will be fulfilled in the main during the period of preparation of the operation and during the operation. The most difficult and complex mission is the support of data on targets for the army initial nuclear strike and their confirming reconnaissance by the beginning of the operation. But this mission is accomplished by the simultaneous massive flight of reconnaissance aviation.