SOVIET VOROSHILOV ACADEMY LECTURES PRACTICAL LESSONS

Instructor Notes:
Author: Jalali, Sloan, Wardak
Date: July

1. General: This one hour lesson is designed to give the students only a general awareness of the format and content of Soviet troop control documents and the richness of their map symbology.


2. Sublesson Introduction: Explain to the students that in one hour you will only cover the subject very broadly. Only through extensive practice will they become adept at drawing Soviet map symbols. For the purpose of this course they will use pre-drawn map symbols and fill in the blanks in prepared combat documents.


3. Teacher Learning Objective: The students need to acquire a general understanding and familiarization with Soviet combat documents, plans, and maps as quickly as possible in order to begin to accomplish the practical exercises. They obviously need this information also to perform their functions in the OPFOR headquarters. From this brief exposure, they will not be able to create Soviet plans, maps, or other documents unaided. However they should at least become sufficiently familiar with them so that they won't feel afraid to start using Soviet forms in their course of their work. Otherwise they will usually fall back on using American army methods. The question is frequently raised, well, why not just perform the functions of the Soviet staff but use U. S. map symbols and combat document forms? We believe the Soviet planning method is so integrally tied to the conceptualization of decisions "on the map" and the structuring of orders in terms of the document forms in use, that it is essential to absorb these aspects of the Soviet "mentality" in order to take the role of Soviet staff officers in an OPFOR staff. The following tasks are designed to begin this process of acculturation.


Task: Describe the types of artillery documents prepared by the artillery staff.

Condition: Given prepared forms and student handouts.

Standard: The description should differentiate between the three kinds of documents: troop control, information, and reference. Refer students to the Handbook on Soviet Planning, Chapter Six for samples of many documents and text discussing the nature of combat documents.


Task: Describe Soviet map symbols.

Condition: Given prepared maps and sets of map symbols.

Standard: Students need to gain some familiarity with Soviet map symbols to enable them to complete the practical exercises in later lessons. Show various symbols and point out how they are created logically by building on a basic symbol. In this course we naturally focus on the symbols required for artillery plans, the students will gain familiarity with other symbols in the other courses.


Task: Describe the Soviet plan map.

Condition: Given prepared maps and map symbols.

Standard: The description should include the division, army, and front artillery maps. Using a wall sized sample go through the parts of the map in sequence showing what information is depicted at each level. The description of the content of the artillery map is given in the Handbook. The artillery map shows the basic skeleton of the indices of the operation as a framework on which the artillery units and their missions are presented in great detail. One principle is to depict artillery units two echelons below the headquarters preparing the plan.


4. Level of Instruction: Survey.


5. Method of Instruction: Lecture with demonstration of samples of maps and documents.


6. Author's Intent: Overall - The purpose of this hour is to familiarize the students with the general nature of the materials they will be handling during the practical exercises to come. They cannot be expected to learn much about the Soviet theory or rationale behind the use of various map symbols or the whys or wherefore of Soviet combat documents. In the practical exercises they will "fill in the blanks" and prepare maps and documents "by the numbers". Only after much exposure to these materials through usage will they become fully comfortable with them. The instructor will have to adapt his discussion to his observation of the current level of student knowledge of maps and documents.

a: types of artillery documents - The student should be familiar with basic Soviet combat documents relating to artillery. There is not enough time for the students to become thoroughly adept at creating original documents. This would only come with extensive practice, but the instructor can show examples of each main document with both standard, generic, unfilled-in forms and completed versions. The students will gain further ability to use the documents be filling in sample forms during the practical exercises.

b. map symbols - Again, full ability to identify Soviet map symbols will only come with extensive practice, however, the instructor can provide a full set of the symbols used in these exercises and can discuss some of the general principles of their construction. This should aid the students in their initial work with Soviet artillery planning maps. For the practical exercises the students will receive cut-outs of prepared symbols to place on their maps so they won't be required to learn how to draw the symbols immediately.

c. marking artillery situation on map - This period will be a short practical exercise in using the map symbols. The instructor should focus on discussion of just what information is shown on the Soviet map and what is not shown. He may use samples of Soviet artillery maps placed on the wall or diagrams representing Soviet artillery maps, which might be placed on the table. The instructor and course organizers will have to determine how many copies of maps to provide, (or the reverse, how many students they believe should use one map or diagram.



7. Equipment/Materials:

This period requires a student handout showing Soviet map symbols, packages of predrawn symbols and blank schematics in place of maps. The students should also receive sets of all the documents they will be working with later in the practical exercises. The particular references, which should be available for further study, are Pombrik, I. D. and Sherchenko, N. A., The Officer's Map, Moscow, 1985, JPRS trans.; DIA books on Soviet may symbols.

8. Homework: none, but students should read course materials prior to class.

9. Annexes

Discussion agenda

List of viewgraphs

Excerpt from Handbook - Soviet documents

LESSON 3 DISCUSSION AGENDA

3 min

Lesson III - Introduction: The purpose and content of this hour of instruction.


VG 1


20 min

a. types of artillery documents prepared by the artillery staff:

VG 2-7
1. troop control documents:
--- decision on combat employment of artillery;
--- artillery plan;
--- combat instructions to artillery troops;
--- instructions on artillery to lower echelon;
--- instructions on all types of support.

2. information and accountability documents:
--- status report;
--- situation combat reports to higher artillery staff;
--- operation and reconnaissance summaries.

3. reference documents:
--- suggestions to the combined arms commander on the combat employment of artillery;
--- data on the assessment and mathematical modeling of artillery action grouping and deployment;
--- listings of the effective troop combat strength;
--- data on amount and delivery of ammunition;
--- various table, diagrams, and other reference materials.

10 min
b. artillery map symbols (diagram)

VG 8-9


20 min
c. marking the artillery situation and missions on the maps:

VG 10-12
--- deploying, showing the location of batteries;
-- -deploying artillery groups;
-- -artillery fires (SO, PSO, OV, NZO, PZO, MO);
--- antitank reserve in initial area on move and on firing lines in the depth;
--- deploying artillery reconnaissance means.

VG 1- Outline Lesson III

VG 2- Artillery documents

VG 3-7 Sample documents

VG 8-9 Map symbols

VG 10- Points in the graphic part of the artillery plan

VG 11- Points in the written instructions

VG 12- Points reflected in other work documents

types of artillery documents

artillery map symbols

marking artillery situation and plan on map

1. troop control documents:
- decision on combat employment of artillery;
- artillery plan;
- combat instructions to artillery troops;
- instructions on artillery to lower echelon;
- instructions on all types of support.

2. information and accountability documents:
- status report;
- situation combat reports to higher artillery staff;
- operation and reconnaissance summaries.

3. reference documents:
- suggestions to the combined arms commander on the combat employment of artillery;
- data on the assessment and mathematical modeling of artillery action grouping and deployment;
- listings of the effective troop combat strength;
- data on amount and delivery of ammunition;
- various table, diagrams, and other reference materials.

Figure 1 - Distribution of Frontal Artillery and Artillery Units from Higher Command

Figure 2 - Distribution of Army Artillery and Artillery from Front

Figure 3 - Distribution of Division Artillery and Artillery from Army

Figure 4 - Availability, Time of delivery and Distribution of Nucmear and Chemical Rounds

Figure 5 - Availability, Location and Distribution of Material Supplies

Figure 6 - Availability, Time of Preparation and Disribution of Nuclear and Chemical Weapons

Figure 7 - Availability, Delivery and Expenditure of Artillery Ammunition

Figure 8 - Graphic of Artillerfy preparatory Fire - 5th MRD

Figure 9 - Annex to the Division Artillery Fire Plan

Figure 10 - Availability, Time of Delivery and Distribution of Nuclear and Chemical Rounds

Figure 11 - Availability, Time of Delivery and Distributio nof Nuclear and Chemical Rounds

Figure 12 - Availibility, Time of Preparation and Distribution of Nuclear and Chemical Weapons

Distributed separately

POINTS IN THE GRAPHIC PART OF THE ARTILLERY PLAN

1. enemy situations, his important groupings, and targets of rocket troops;

2. situations and missions of front, armies, (division, regiment) with boundaries between organizations;

3. missions of rocket troops in initial and subsequent nuclear strikes and specifying numbers of targets, yields of nuclear rounds, types of bursts, specifying the rocket sub-units and units launching strikes on specific targets, and the time of launching the strike;

4. employing rocket troops against enemy means of counternuclear weapons struggle;

5. directions of movement, position areas (deployment and assembly areas) of rocket troops, rocket technical units and large units, and artillery and their relocation during the operation;

6. groupings of army, division, (regiment) artillery;

7. penetration areas and density of artillery there;

8. areas of location and directions of action of anti-tank reserves of armies and divisions regiments);

9. areas of location and direction of actions of front antitank reserves;

10. maneuver of rocket and artillery troops during operations;

11. areas of radar coverage and positions of air defense artillery;

12. other elements of combat formations.

1. specific numbers of nuclear and chemical rockets allocated for the operation and their distribution in terms of the initial nuclear strike, front missions, and among different armies;

2. availability and distribution of conventional rockets in terms of front missions and among armies;

3. combat composition of front rocket and artillery troops, distribution of artillery of the Supreme High Command (attached to the front), and front artillery among armies and their regroupment during the operation;

4. distribution of artillery ammunition in terms of front missions and among armies;

5. composition of antitank reserves.

1. method, time of preparation, and delivery of rockets to troops;

2. calculating the time for bringing artillery and rocket troops to a state of full combat-readiness;

3. expending conventional rounds;

4. measures for protecting troops against mass-destruction weapons.VG - Points in the graphic part of the artillery plan.

I. PLANNING AND COMBAT DOCUMENTS


Preparation and Formulation of Combat Documents

The effectiveness of troop control and maintaining mission-oriented coordination in the activities of the staff in troop control are directly related to the formulation, transmission, use, and storage of combat documents.

Combat documents include all documents related to organization, preparation, and conduct of combat actions (operations). Combat documents also include documents connected with movement and deployment (concentration) of the troops on the terrain. They are used in the process of preparing data, formulating the commander's decision, planning combat actions (operations), and in disseminating missions to the troops. In addition, they are used to transmit necessary information to higher, lower, and interacting headquarters and to summarize and disseminate experiences of combat actions. Therefore, combat documents are considered general-purpose information means which affect all control organs, since some formulate them, some insure their transmission, some organize accountability and storage, and others are guided by these documents in their practical activities. The documents contain information needed for troop control displayed by letters, figures, set drawings, and symbols.

Preparation and duplication of combat documents is normally conducted with the help of technical documentation equipment. These documents are easy to store, transport, and transmit over all modern technical communication equipment. In addition, written combat documents have a great legal significance and their storage in archives makes it possible to study and analyze the experiences of preparing and conducting combat actions. Moreover, combat documents are one of the most convenient forms of feeding information into a computer and its subsequent processing and output.



Classification

Depending on their various characteristics, combat documents can be classified in various ways. In terms of their purpose and content, they are broken into three categories:

Troop control documents (Dokumenti po upravlenie): These documents are intended for drawing up the commander's decisions, planning an operation (battle), and assigning missions to the troops. They include the following:
--- decisions;
--- plans;
--- operational directives;
--- operational orders;
--- combat instructions;
--- instructions on all types of support;
--- working maps.
--- Information and accountability documents (Otchotno - enformtsioni dokumenti): These documents are intended for reports to higher commands on the progress of conducting assigned missions, developing situations, new decisions, as well as for informing higher and interacting staffs. They include the following:
--- situation combat reports (Boevie Donisenie);
--- operational and reconnaissance summaries;
--- reports on various types of support;
--- rear service summaries;
--- accounts, combat action logs, wrap-ups, maps, diagrams, etc.

Reference documents (Spravochni Dokumenti): These are reference documents designated for support of the commander's decision making, planning an operation (battle), and also for reports to the commanders and other officials in the process of directing troop combat actions. They include the following:
--- data on the operational assessment and mathematical modeling of an operation (battle);
--- listings of the effective troop combat strength;
--- data on the amount and delivery time of ammunition, various tables, diagrams, and other reference materials necessary in the work of the control organs.

In terms of the form of preparation, combat documents are classified as follows:
--- written (textual);
--- graphic (on map and diagrams);
--- tape recordings;
--- phonograms;
--- photographs;
--- computer software.

Written documents can be prepared in the following forms:
--- Standard and arbitrary statement forms: Today the most commonly used documents in the practical work of the staff are those in which the information is stated in an arbitrary form but has a specific structure. Such documents are characterized by brevity and even a certain vividness of stating the information contained in them;
--- Formalized form: Includes documents drawn up with the help of special forms which are pre-prepared for specific types of combat documents. The formalized documents form consists of two parts - fixed and variable information. The fixed part of the form includes the description of information (group of information) which is always contained in a given combat document and also the corresponding codes. The variable part of the form is filled out while preparing the document. To fill out the form, means to state clearly and specifically only that information, the descriptions of which are indicated in the corresponding lines of the fixed portion of the form.



Preparation

Experience gained from exercises indicates that commanders and staffs spend a lot of time preparing combat documents. Therefore, in order to speed up the preparation of combat documents, cut the preparation time, and also to insure the working out of the combat documents in accordance with prescribed specification and requirements of combat manuals (regulations), necessary pre-prepared formalized blank forms should be established.

At the same time the recommended forms for various combat documents should not be very rigid (structured) in order to prevent them from negatively affecting the initiative and creativity of commanders and staff in preparing them. Depending on the availability of time, the characteristics of the assigned missions, and the method of conveying missions to the executing elements, the form of such documents can be adjusted.

The form of formalized documents (blank forms) should be suitable to use in case of employment of nuclear weapons or without the use of such weapons. In the later case irrelevant points are crossed out.



Contemporary Requirements of Combat Documents

In contemporary times experiences of various exercises indicate that one of the important characteristics of troop control is the ever-increasing volume and complexity of information which must be received and processed in the interest of accomplishing troop control tasks. This entails an increase in the number of documents prepared by staffs, while at the same time reducing the time for developing them. Resolution of this contradiction is one of the important problems of modern troop control. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the increased demands for documents and the broad possibilities of using technical equipment for their development, formulation, transmission, processing, and depiction.

Secrecy, accuracy, and speed have always been the principle requirements in preparing combat documents. Today combat documents must also be as brief as possible and permit machine processing. They should be clear and concise in statement, have a high standard and clarity in design, and be easy to document, duplicate, transmit, process, and display by technical equipment. Another important requirement of a modern combat document is its timely development and transmission.

In order to achieve the brevity, clarity, and conciseness of statement in combat documents, concise and clear wording, standard abbreviation, and conventional signs must be used. In all combat documents, particularly directives, only extremely necessary information, orders, and combat instructions should be included without repeating already known information or irrelevant information and data known to the recipients from other sources. It must also be noted that brevity of documents does not degrade the clarity and must not subject the statement to different understanding or interpretation or raise questions or necessitate additional explanation.

When including situation data in combat documents such as the time, status, and character of action of friendly and enemy troops, only verified information should be included. Information requiring verification or clarification should be so stated, if there is a need to show it in the document.

Clarity of graphic documents is achieved by using appropriate symbols, conventional signs, and setting off the content of the document against the background of the topographic features of the map. Clarity is also achieved by using the appropriate colors established for conventional signs. The graphic document should not be cluttered up with textual data and tables. Reference and explanatory texts should not block the topographic background of the map. Given the various capabilities of technical equipment for documentation and reproduction of combat documents and for transmission of textual and graphic information and their processing, the capabilities of available technical equipment must be taken into account in preparing the documents in terms of size, structure, color combination, and others.

One of the most important requirements of combat documents in contemporary times is the timeliness of developing and transmitting of documents to executing elements. An untimely prepared or transmitted document is useless. This requirement follows directly from the nature of modern operations (battles), characterized by high dynamism and abrupt and rapid changes in the situation. The timeliness of working out combat documents depends on the following factors:
---preparing and training of control organs;
--- overall organization of the work in the staff, directorates, and sections;
--- perfecting levels of methods used in preparing documents;
--- types of combat documents;
--- technical equipment used.

In addition to the need for timeliness in the development of combat documents, timeliness in transmitting the documents is equally important. The time for transmitting a document is determined by the following:
--- size of the document;
--- type of document (written form, graphic, or a combination of both);
--- speed and reliability of the transmission equipment.

Since the form and structure of combat documents greatly affects their preparation and transmission time and their overall effectiveness as combat documents, one way of further improving combat documents is to find new forms and structures. The introduction of formalized documents (blank forms) is part of the effort. Formalization of combat documents insures a substantial reduction in the size of the part of the document being developed and reduces the time to prepare and transmit it over technical communication equipment, while the load on the equipment is significantly decreased. In addition, formalization helps to standardize documents and eliminates duplicate and superfluous information in them. Moreover, the possibility of using formalized combat documents for transmitting and processing information in automated control systems is another important advantage of formalized documents. The formalized documents can be easily used as input into a computer without any kind of preliminary preparation. Furthermore, the use of formalized documents simplifies the transmission of information when conducting troop control of multi-national troops of a coalition force. This reduces the problems caused by language barriers.

Despite all advantages of formalized documents they can not replace all of the usual forms of combat documents, particularly in peacetime and when adequate time is available to prepare combat documents during the preparation and conduct of an operation (battle). Therefore, it is recommended to formalize only those combat documents which are characterized by a relatively consistent set of information needed for troop control and are frequently and regularly circulated and which should be sent quickly to headquarters and the troops. These will primarily include combat instructions issued in the course of combat action and the information and accountability documents (Otchotno-enformatsioni dokumenti) such as combat situation reports (Boyevie Donisenie), operational and reconnaissance summaries, reports on different types of support, combat action logs, etc.

One of the most convenient forms for preparing and transmitting formalized documents is considered to be the questionnaire form structure. In addition to the questionnaire form structure of the formalized document, a tabular form may be used. Formalized document forms can be published as tablets of forms as applied to each type of combat document. After development of the document, the form is torn off and the drafter and time of development and transmission of the document to the communication center are indicated on the remaining stubs. These form tablets, have their own permanent numbers, and are provided to all staffs between which the corresponding types of combat documents may be circulated.



Procedure for Preparation and Transmission of Combat Documents

The procedure of preparation and transmission of combat documents is specified by the orders, instructions, and directions of the commander and the chief of staff. The specific listing of combat documents to be prepared in actual situations is specified by the chief of staff on the basis of the commander's instructions, higher command's directions, and the prescribed priority report log. The chief of staff determines who must develop which documents, the procedure and times for submitting the documents for signature, and the method and forms of transmitting them.

On the basis of the instructions of the chief of staff, the heads of staff directorates (sections), chiefs of arms and services, and heads of working groups within the control organs, organize direct development of related combat documents and assign specific officers to prepare each document. The drafters of such documents are instructed on the content of the documents, form of their design, and the number of copies and deadlines to prepare them. The chiefs of staff directorates (sections) and chiefs of arms and services and other control organs follow and track the preparation of assigned combat documents and at the prescribed time submit them to the commander and chief of staff for signature and approval.

The design of combat documents requires preparation of a set of specific procedural information. They are as follows:
--- title and statement of content;
--- classification and copy number;
--- addressee;
--- identification of the originating unit (formation);
--- location of the originating command post;
--- date and time of the document being signed;
--- scale and year of edition of the map;
--- signature of officials indicating their name, rank, and position;
--- remarks on time of dispatch and reception of the document by the addressee.

During the preparation of combat documents the following must be taken into consideration:

Time is shown on the basis of Moscow time, when necessary local time is shown but clearly stated as local;

Names of populated areas (cities, towns) and terrain features are written in capital letters and not parenthesized. When necessary their map coordinates are given;


In identifying areas of deployment of our own forces by population centers and terrain features, they are mentioned from right flank -- and for enemy location from his left;

To identify defensive areas, strong points, and areas of deployment or concentration of troops, a minimum of three reference points (orientation points) must be shown. To identify lines a minimum of two points must be shown;
--- boundary lines are identified by using population centers and terrain features as orientation points in the following manner:
--- first from the right, covering the depth of combat formation of our own forces and the entire depth of offensive mission in the enemy's depth;
--- then, by the same method on the left;
--- in defense, the boundary lines begin from the rear of defensive area to the point in front of the forward line which corresponds with the range of available weapons;

The direction of the attack is identified by several points starting from the line of initiation of the attack (line of commitment into battle) and ending with the line of the assigned mission;

Only those abbreviations are to be used which are officially established and are standard. Quantities of units and sub-units in combat documents are shown in written form such as:
--- two tank companies;
--- one motorized rifle platoon;
--- In tables of correlation of forces and means and other calculation tables quantities of units and weapons are shown in number form such as:
--- tank companies - 2;
--- T-62 tanks - 27;
--- Zil-157 vehicles - 8;

Numbers of echelons in combat formations are shown in written form such as:
--- first-echelon;
--- second-echelon.

Graphic documents are usually prepared on maps of various scales. When they are prepared on non-transparent paper, the paper must have a grid system with numbering of coordinates corresponding to the map. A graphic document made on overlay paper must have grid square references in the corners or at least three local features plotted to facilitate matching the overlay to the map. It must also include a north direction indicator, a linear scale, and a reference to the map from which it was made. In preparing graphic documents the following must be taken into account:
--- situation of friendly forces, their missions and actions are marked in red except for rocket troops, artillery, engineer, chemical, radio technical, and signal troops which are marked in black;
--- the situation and action of the enemy are marked in blue;
--- numbers, names of units, and explanatory details for our own forces are written in black and for the enemy forces in blue;
--- symbols to show friendly and enemy forces and weapons are marked in accordance with the ground features and their deployment on the basis of directions of actions and fire; when needed the type and number of equipment are written next to the symbol;
--- situation data is marked by fine lines without covering and smearing map details;
--- sources of information acquired are marked by appropriate symbols in black at the side of the markings such as:
----- (N) for observation, (P) for POW interrogation, (DP) for enemy documents, (MZh) for debriefing local populations, (PRTZ) for information provided by partisans; (?) for unverified information; time and date of information received from the source are shown beside the symbols;
--- actual situations and actions of troops are shown in solid lines, while likely or expected situations and actions are marked by dotted lines;
--- when several situations (at several times) are shown on the map, the markings related to different times are distinguished by different color shadows or other marks (dots, crosses, dashes, etc. along solid lines).

The time for development of combat document,, particularly graphic documents, can be greatly reduced by advance preparation of blank forms, calculations, tables, commander's decision map (plan of the operation), and charts with information on them which is not subject to change during the time of documents' preparation, such as:
--- initial situation of our own and enemy forces;
--- assigned missions;
--- boundaries;
--- target coverage;
--- zones of enemy's fixed sites;
--- etc.

In order to expedite the preparation of combat documents, their development can be conducted concurrently with making the commander's decision. Specially prepared blanks of standard combat documents can be of great help in making the required documents in a short time. They include a set of texts on various types of combat actions (operations) applicable to various command levels, the nature of missions to be accomplished, and the types of operations (battles).

Transmission of combat documents is conducted both over technical communication equipment and by postal-courier service or staff officers. The selection of specific methods of transmitting a written document is determined by taking into account its importance, the time allocated for its dissemination, and also the transmission reliability requirements.

The staff is obliged to inform the commander or the chief of staff of subordinate troops about the dispatch of operational directives, operation orders, and instructions, indicating when and how the document was sent. The receipt of operational directives, operation orders, and instructions, including those transmitted over technical communications equipment, is acknowledged immediately.



Operations Reports

The operations section in addition to keeping itself informed, is responsible for disseminating information. this is done by means of verbal and written reports and answering inquiries. In addition to keeping the commander and the chief of staff informed, the operations section must keep the next higher headquarters, other staff sections, staffs of chiefs of arms and services, and subordinate staffs informed, and must provide for mutual exchange of information with adjacent staffs. This responsibility is assigned to one of the assistant chiefs of the operations section. Inquiries from the next higher headquarters, usually from the operations section or the operations duty officer, normally are answered orally, using prearranged message codes and map codes. In addition to oral reports, the operations section prepares written reports, the most important of which are the combat report and operations summary. The operations section also maintains the journal of combat operations and at army level maintains the summarized report of combat experiences.



Combat Report:

The combat report (boyevoye doneseniye) is one of the basis documents that provide information to higher commanders and staffs relative to the situation and the progress of the operation. The document is used by the higher commander to estimate the situation and also serves as a basis for his supervision over the fulfillment of missions by subordinate units. The combat report is a periodic report; that is, it is submitted at regular specified intervals, often 3 or 4 times a day, to higher headquarters. This does not preclude the lower unit commander from rendering a combat report at any time upon his own initiative, when the changing situation requires a new plan of action. The final scheduled combat report of the day (every 24 hours) is submitted as a summary and is signed by the commander. It purpose is to give the higher commander information on the activities of the enemy, of his own troops, and on the course of the operation during the day. It contains more detailed information than the other periodic combat reports and may describe in considerable detail significant happenings and heroic achievements by individuals or units. The typical combat report covers the following points in order:
--- the first part describes the character of the assigned operation and progress or results attained during the report period. (Locations and activities of units need not be discussed in order; eg right units to left units as in the operations order, but begins with the unit concerned with the most significant or critical action.)
--- the second part contains new enemy order of battle information and enemy activities.
--- the third part outlines the decision of the commander of the reporting unit and briefly describes how the decision is to be implemented
--- the fourth part contains requests for assistance (additional units or equipment) if the situation requires it.

The combat report, if directed to the next higher commander, is signed by the lower commander and his chief of staff. However, combat reports may also be submitted to the chief of staff of the higher headquarters, in which case they are signed by the lower chief of staff and chief of operations directorate. Shorter combat reports are frequently sent over radio or wire.



Operations Summary:

The operations summary (operativnaya svodka) is a document which summarizes the situation during the last 24 hours, briefly describing friendly and enemy operations, condition of units and equipment, and general progress in accomplishing missions by each subordinate unit. It is prepared by the operations department (directorate) on the basis of written reports and summaries received from subordinate units and reports from staff observers, from observation posts, and from liaison officers. This document differs from the combat report in that it is purely a staff document, not going to the next higher commander but direct to the next staff level. It is signed by the chief of staff and the chief of operations. The operations summary normally includes the following:
---general description of the operation of the unit as a whole, evaluation of enemy and friendly operations, locations of the main forces at the time of the summary was prepared, a listing of the losses, and a brief description of friendly and enemy air activity.
--- description of the operations of each subordinate unit (separate paragraph for each unit). Situation and condition of each unit, losses and capabilities, and major episodes involving contact with the enemy.
--- situation of specialized units and reserves
--- activities and situation of adjacent units
--- information on terrain and weather;
--- information on the status and types of communications with subordinate and adjacent units



Compiled Summary of Combat Experiences:

The compiled summary of combat experiences (itogovaya svodka oboshchennogo boyevogo opyta) is prepared twice a month at division level and once a month at army level. Its primary purpose is to inform the higher commands of the lesson learned from combat experiences. The form of this summary is not prescribed, but Soviet manuals do recommend that the general sequence be followed. The summarized report should include the following:
--- a short description of the situation, progress of the operation, and results attained during operations by the unit for the period covered in the report;
--- general description of enemy activity, with particular emphasis on typical characteristics observed in enemy organizations, methods of combat, and use of arms and technical equipment. The enemy's tactical and technical concepts, fortified areas, defensive organization and centers of resistance, antitank and antipersonnel obstacles, and similar matters are described.
--- typical characteristics observed in the operations of friendly troops and the use of new methods of coordinating, maneuvering, regrouping, or supervising units and installation also are included;
--- use of various arms and services in combat should be described;
--- significant observations on the exercise of troop control and organization of communications, especially the use of radio equipment, are reported;
--- conclusions are offered as to the lessons learned as a result of the combat experience of subordinate units during the report period.