Tank desant (Russian: танковый десант, tankovyy desant) is a military combined armstactic, where infantry soldiers ride into an attack on tanks, then dismount to fight on foot in the final phase of the assault. Note that this differs from infantry troops merely riding on tanks as a form of ad-hoc transportation. Desant (from the French: descendre, "to disembark") is a pan-Slavic general term for airborne or parachute drops and naval infantry amphibious landing operations.
The tactic was used as an expedient by the Red Army during World War II. Tank desant troops (tankodesantniki) were infantry trained in the tactic in order to offer small-arms support in suppression of enemy anti-tank weapons or enemy infantry using anti-tank grenades. After the war, T-55 and T-62 tanks were built with hand-holds for this purpose. In northern areas during winter, similar tactics were used by Soviet infantry riding the skids of aerosani or towed behind them on skis. Nowadays, this tactic is very rare (outside of dire emergencies) in well-equipped armed forces, with front-line troops usually riding in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles.
Churchill tank carrying infantry desant in Saint-Pierre-Tarentaine (Normandy), 3 August 1944
The tank desant tactic, like more conventional airborne and amphibious operations, was used to achieve fundamental goals of maneuver warfare - "surprise, leverage, simultaneity and interchangeability."[1]
The use of tank desant was only prescribed within the first kilometer of the forward edge of the combat area for only the simplest of tactical mission objectives, since the circumstances would be difficult for the troops engaged.[2]
Riding on tanks during actual combat is very dangerous. Tank riders are very vulnerable to machine gun and high explosive fire, and the high silhouette of most tanks would draw enemy fire. Smoke and covering fire may be used to reduce the hazards. Tank riding is mostly used when troops need to move faster than is possible on foot and there is a shortage of motor transport or armoured personnel carriers.
Usually, the infantry and their heavy weapons were assigned to specific tanks well before the execution of the mission. This allowed the infantry to become familiar with the tanks and train with the tank crews. Support platforms for the heavy weapons were sometimes attached to the tanks to allow firing on the move. Ropes were attached to provide hand-holds for the infantry. The number of infantry assigned to a tank depended on the class of the tank; the usual numbers were:[2]
Heavy tank, 10-12 soldiers
Medium tank, 8-10 soldiers
Light tank, 5-6 soldiers
Tank desant would be used in such a way as to ensure surprise, approaching during a snow storm or mist or employing either smoke grenades or a smoke screen prepared by sappers or laid down by artillery.
Today, tank desant is considered a wasteful and human-costly improvisation, which, in the opinion of some writers, was adopted by the Red Army because they failed to appreciate the problem of tank–infantry cooperation.[3] However, there is evidence that tank desant was used as early as 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. On 13 October, during the Aragon Front advance in the area of the Fuentes de Ebro, the 1st Independent Tank Regiment (Republican Army), using BT-5 tanks attached to the XV International Brigade, conducted a tank desant mission with the attached 24th Infantry Battalion of the Spanish army (24ta de Voluntarios, commanded by Captain Aquilla). But lack of coordination and communication between the Soviet crews, who had just completed a 630 kilometres (390 mi) march, and the Spanish infantry resulted in sixteen tanks being either destroyed or disabled (some salvaged) and 37 tank crewmen becoming casualties.[4]
Analysis of the Red Army's doctrine developed during the 1930s and documented in the 1936 Field Manual[5] shows that the cavalry arm was expected to perform in the role of the supporting dismounted infantry and this was repeatedly displayed during the operations on the Eastern Front through use of the cavalry mechanized groups. The idea of using infantry tank desant was, however, retained in the 1942 Field Instructions for the infantry (battalion).[6]
Almost universal mechanization has, in theory, rendered this tactic mostly obsolete among the more advanced armed forces, with infantry riding special-purpose armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles into battle. The use of active protection systems (especially hard kill types such as Arena) and/or explosive reactive armour, which creates a danger zone around an armoured vehicle by detonating an explosive charge when the tank suffers a serious hit, along with gas turbine engines in some tank designs, with their extremely hot exhaust, makes tank desant generally a dangerous and undesirable alternative.
In contrast to the offensive Soviet tank desant tactics of World War II, these were soldiers who wanted to be able to move from their vehicles quickly in case of ambush (which often turned their transports into death traps). Fearing land mines and rocket-propelled grenades widely used by guerrillas, these soldiers refused to stay inside the personnel carriers—contravening normal standing orders for several reasons:
The infantrymen on the outside represented more eyes and rifles at the ready to locate and fire upon a small force or single ambusher.
Explosive concussion inside the personnel compartment, caused by a rocket-propelled grenade or land mine hitting the armour, was said to be more dangerous than enemy fire on the personnel mounted outside. Many of these soldiers wore body armor, which reduced their fear of small-arms fire. Spall liners have only recently become common.
Wounded soldiers trapped inside were very unlikely to be extracted safely until after the battle, especially if the vehicle was on fire.
Soviet soldiers also adopted the tactic of riding the roofs of their BTRs (armoured personnel carriers), BMP-1s, BMD-1s, and, more rarely, tanks. During the Second Chechen War and other local conflicts of the post-Soviet era, the units of the Russian military and law enforcement acquired the tactic, making it a routine. However, riding outside the vehicles is still prohibited by Russian military doctrine, so it is not used during training and maneuvers.
Tank desant was employed in combat during hostilities between the Ukrainian Army and separatists in the 2015 Battle of Debaltseve. It was used in an attempt to quickly retreat from Debaltseve and the surrounding region, so as to avoid being encircled by separatist armies.
Gallery
German infantry desant, during an advance, 1941
Tank-borne infantry desant, of the 29th Marines, Okinawa, 1945
^Combat regulations for infantry of the Red Army, Part 2 (battalion, regiment), Moscow, Voenizdat NKO USSR, 1942 (Боевой устав пехоты Красной Армии. Часть 2 (батальон, полк). — М.: Воениздат НКО СССР, 1942.)
References
Simpkin, Richard; Erickson, John. Deep battle: the brainchild of Marshal Tukhachevskii, Brasseys', London,1987
Zaloga, Steven J. (1999). Soviet Tank Operations in the Spanish Civil War, in Journal of Slavic Military Studies vol 12, no 3, September 1999.
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Tank desant Russian tankovyj desant tankovyy desant is a military combined arms tactic where infantry soldiers ride into an attack on tanks then dismount to fight on foot in the final phase of the assault Note that this differs from infantry troops merely riding on tanks as a form of ad hoc transportation Desant from the French descendre to disembark is a pan Slavic general term for airborne or parachute drops and naval infantry amphibious landing operations The tactic was used as an expedient by the Red Army during World War II Tank desant troops tankodesantniki were infantry trained in the tactic in order to offer small arms support in suppression of enemy anti tank weapons or enemy infantry using anti tank grenades After the war T 55 and T 62 tanks were built with hand holds for this purpose In northern areas during winter similar tactics were used by Soviet infantry riding the skids of aerosani or towed behind them on skis Nowadays this tactic is very rare outside of dire emergencies in well equipped armed forces with front line troops usually riding in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles Contents 1 Usage 2 History 2 1 Modern usage 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksUsage Edit Churchill tank carrying infantry desant in Saint Pierre Tarentaine Normandy 3 August 1944 The tank desant tactic like more conventional airborne and amphibious operations was used to achieve fundamental goals of maneuver warfare surprise leverage simultaneity and interchangeability 1 The use of tank desant was only prescribed within the first kilometer of the forward edge of the combat area for only the simplest of tactical mission objectives since the circumstances would be difficult for the troops engaged 2 Riding on tanks during actual combat is very dangerous Tank riders are very vulnerable to machine gun and high explosive fire and the high silhouette of most tanks would draw enemy fire Smoke and covering fire may be used to reduce the hazards Tank riding is mostly used when troops need to move faster than is possible on foot and there is a shortage of motor transport or armoured personnel carriers Usually the infantry and their heavy weapons were assigned to specific tanks well before the execution of the mission This allowed the infantry to become familiar with the tanks and train with the tank crews Support platforms for the heavy weapons were sometimes attached to the tanks to allow firing on the move Ropes were attached to provide hand holds for the infantry The number of infantry assigned to a tank depended on the class of the tank the usual numbers were 2 Heavy tank 10 12 soldiers Medium tank 8 10 soldiers Light tank 5 6 soldiersTank desant would be used in such a way as to ensure surprise approaching during a snow storm or mist or employing either smoke grenades or a smoke screen prepared by sappers or laid down by artillery History EditThis section is written like a personal reflection personal essay or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor s personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style May 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message A German Panzer III carries infantry desant through the Russian SFSR in 1942 Today tank desant is considered a wasteful and human costly improvisation which in the opinion of some writers was adopted by the Red Army because they failed to appreciate the problem of tank infantry cooperation 3 However there is evidence that tank desant was used as early as 1937 during the Spanish Civil War On 13 October during the Aragon Front advance in the area of the Fuentes de Ebro the 1st Independent Tank Regiment Republican Army using BT 5 tanks attached to the XV International Brigade conducted a tank desant mission with the attached 24th Infantry Battalion of the Spanish army 24ta de Voluntarios commanded by Captain Aquilla But lack of coordination and communication between the Soviet crews who had just completed a 630 kilometres 390 mi march and the Spanish infantry resulted in sixteen tanks being either destroyed or disabled some salvaged and 37 tank crewmen becoming casualties 4 Analysis of the Red Army s doctrine developed during the 1930s and documented in the 1936 Field Manual 5 shows that the cavalry arm was expected to perform in the role of the supporting dismounted infantry and this was repeatedly displayed during the operations on the Eastern Front through use of the cavalry mechanized groups The idea of using infantry tank desant was however retained in the 1942 Field Instructions for the infantry battalion 6 Almost universal mechanization has in theory rendered this tactic mostly obsolete among the more advanced armed forces with infantry riding special purpose armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles into battle The use of active protection systems especially hard kill types such as Arena and or explosive reactive armour which creates a danger zone around an armoured vehicle by detonating an explosive charge when the tank suffers a serious hit along with gas turbine engines in some tank designs with their extremely hot exhaust makes tank desant generally a dangerous and undesirable alternative Modern usage Edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed October 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message US Marines riding desant on top of an LAV 25 IFV in December 2001 during the War in Afghanistan Other military forces including the United States Army in the Vietnam War Sino Vietnamese War the Soviet Army in the Soviet Afghan War and the Russian Ground Forces in the First Chechen War have chosen to ride atop their carriers while on patrol or routine movement rather than inside them In contrast to the offensive Soviet tank desant tactics of World War II these were soldiers who wanted to be able to move from their vehicles quickly in case of ambush which often turned their transports into death traps Fearing land mines and rocket propelled grenades widely used by guerrillas these soldiers refused to stay inside the personnel carriers contravening normal standing orders for several reasons The infantrymen on the outside represented more eyes and rifles at the ready to locate and fire upon a small force or single ambusher Explosive concussion inside the personnel compartment caused by a rocket propelled grenade or land mine hitting the armour was said to be more dangerous than enemy fire on the personnel mounted outside Many of these soldiers wore body armor which reduced their fear of small arms fire Spall liners have only recently become common Wounded soldiers trapped inside were very unlikely to be extracted safely until after the battle especially if the vehicle was on fire Soviet soldiers also adopted the tactic of riding the roofs of their BTRs armoured personnel carriers BMP 1s BMD 1s and more rarely tanks During the Second Chechen War and other local conflicts of the post Soviet era the units of the Russian military and law enforcement acquired the tactic making it a routine However riding outside the vehicles is still prohibited by Russian military doctrine so it is not used during training and maneuvers Tank desant was employed in combat during hostilities between the Ukrainian Army and separatists in the 2015 Battle of Debaltseve It was used in an attempt to quickly retreat from Debaltseve and the surrounding region so as to avoid being encircled by separatist armies Gallery Edit German infantry desant during an advance 1941 Tank borne infantry desant of the 29th Marines Okinawa 1945 APC by David E Graves Vietnam Combat Artists Program CAT IX 1969 70 Courtesy of National Museum of the U S Army U S Marines ride desant aboard an M1A1 Abrams tank in Baghdad Iraq in April 2003 Russian Engineer Troops ride desant aboard BTR 82As in Aleppo Syria in December 2016See also EditPanzergrenadier Mechanized infantry and motorized infantry M113 APC in the Vietnam War BMP developmentNotes Edit p 55 Simpkin a b Voyenny Vestnik No 2 1944 Military Herald Russian VOENNYJ VESTNIK 2 ZA 1944 GOD dead link Zaloga 1999 Combat use of BT 5 in Spain Boevoe primenenie tankov BT 5 v Ispanii p 177 Simpkin Combat regulations for infantry of the Red Army Part 2 battalion regiment Moscow Voenizdat NKO USSR 1942 Boevoj ustav pehoty Krasnoj Armii Chast 2 batalon polk M Voenizdat NKO SSSR 1942 References EditSimpkin Richard Erickson John Deep battle the brainchild of Marshal Tukhachevskii Brasseys London 1987 Zaloga Steven J 1999 Soviet Tank Operations in the Spanish Civil War in Journal of Slavic Military Studies vol 12 no 3 September 1999 No 2 1944 Military Herald dead Link 404 Komponent ne najdenExternal links Edit Media related to Tank desant at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tank desant amp oldid 1103385750, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
