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SOVIET VOROSHILOV ACADEMY LECTURES
FRONT OPERATIONS

 

RECONNAISSANCE

 

Report of the Chief of Reconnaissance of the Front

 
 

The front 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 front 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 front reconnaissance will fulfill during the commitment into engagement of second-echelon;
----- what missions will be fulfilled during completion of front long range mission and their forces and means;
----- what forces and means are planned to remain in front 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 front offensive. The reconnaissance during the front operation has been planned in the following manner:
----- 1. 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. 21 agent sources and 7 agent "line crossers" will be sent in the first and second nights of the operation to the depth of 60-70 km from the state border.
---------- b. During preparation for the offensive, aerial reconnaissance will be conducted along the state border with the forces of the tactical and operational aviation reconnaissance regiments;
---------- c. Now the radio and radio technical regiment units are fully deployed in their positions; five radio direction finding companies of the radio regiment OSNAZ are conducting reconnaissance in the area ___, ___, ___. The command post of the radio regiment and battalions of the radio interception are deployed in regions ___, ___, ___. The sub-units of the radio technical reconnaissance from the composition of the radio technical regiment also are deployed near the state border and command post of the regiment is located at ___, ___. The total composition of the radio technical and radio regiments in the front area is 221 posts.
---------- d. Since this morning, we have organized the observation system along the state border with the forces of the First Guards Tank Army, Eighth Guards Army, 28th Combined Arms Army and the ____ Army.
---------- e. The exchange of information with neighboring fronts has been organized.

----- 2. 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 front first nuclear strike. Troop control of reconnaissance has been prepared with the participation of the staff of the air army and the control organs of front rocket and artillery forces. The graphic of the reconnaissance plan indicates the mass flight of reconnaissance aviation of the front air army in order to reconfirm targets designated for the initial nuclear strike. A select 100 aircraft will participate in the simultaneous flight. Of these, 50% are from the reconnaissance aircraft of the bomber and fighter-bomber aviation divisions.

In order to conduct reconfirming reconnaissance we select 10 agent sources, about 200 radio and radio technical posts, up to 100 ground observation posts, and 20 reconnaissance groups SPETZNAZ. The services of all these previously specified reconnaissance forces and means have been enlisted to obtain the required designation of the coordinates of the Pershing missile, and Lance units.

----- 3. The following reconnaissance missions have been planned ahead in the interest of the front 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 the employment in the sector ____, ___, (on the axis of main attack);

For this mission we use 400 sorties of reconnaissance aircraft, 12 flights of the drone reconnaissance aircraft, sources of agent reconnaissance, and forces and means of the radio and radio technical reconnaissance units of the front, armies and troops;

In addition on the first and second days of the operation we plan to insert 6 front SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups in the enemy rear in regions of special importance 1, 2, 3, 4. Also we insert SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups of the First Guards Tank Army, Eighth Guards Army, and 28th Combined Arms Army on the axis of the main attack of these armies.

----- 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 agent reconnaissance, aviation, and radio and radio technical reconnaissance.

----- 5. with the aim of supporting the commitment into engagement of the front second-echelon (7th Tank Guards Army) 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 7th Guards Tank Army.
---------- 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 7th Guards Tank Army 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:
----- 12 agent sources, 8 SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups, each day 250 -300 sorties of reconnaissance aircraft, 6-8 flights of drone aircraft, 100-120 radio and radio-technical posts, and the forces and means of the army reconnaissance.

Aerial photography is planned along the following lines:
------ Forward defense line in the sector of the main attack of front and armies, in the area of the commitment of the second-echelon, on airfields, and on rear service targets.

----- 6. for fulfillment of the long range mission the main forces of reconnaissance will be concentrated on support of the destruction of the Central Army Group, 4th ATAF, and forcing from the march the crossing of the Rhine River.

The main forces of reconnaissance will be concentrated against enemy strategic reserves that may arrive from America, Belgium, and France; and also on the mobilization of new formations in Western Germany.

With the aim of fulfilling reconnaissance missions in the interest of completion of the front long-range mission, the front reconnaissance plan forecasts the following:
----- during the course of the 4th day to the 9th day of the operation insert in enemy rear areas 18 reconnaissance groups SPETZNAZ and 16 agent sources;
----- each day we plan 200-250 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 regiments OSNAZ of the front.
----- also enlist the reconnaissance means of the First Tank Army, Eighth Guards Army, 28th CAA, and other army;
----- exchange of reconnaissance information with staffs of neighboring fronts and the staff of the TVD;

----- 7. In reserve we plan to maintain the following quantity of reconnaissance forces and means:
---------- during the period of preparing for the operation: 25 agent sources, 40 SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups, 125 reconnaissance sorties, and 36 tactical drone sorties;
---------- for fulfillment of immediate mission: 7 agent sources, 8 SPETZNAZ reconnaissance groups, and 60 sorties of reconnaissance aviation.
---------- at the end of the offensive: 20 agent sources, 8 SPETZNAZ groups, 40 sorties of reconnaissance aircraft,

----- 8. Troop control of reconnaissance forces and means is planned in the following manner:
---------- front reconnaissance units by means of the radio center of front staff and mobile command post of the chief of reconnaissance of front;
---------- agent sources by means of the front signal center of special designation and the center of special designation of the radio direction;
---------- special radio stations supported by the means of the front 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 front and armies, and reconnaissance directorate of front. 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 fronts.

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 front 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.