Wednesday 3 August 2022

Rise and Shine

 "22nd Guards Tank Brigade
March 22nd, 1944

Active army

Training held on March 21st, 1944, showed that assembly for action after an alarm takes a long time. The 208th Tank Battalion assembled in 42 minutes. The mechanized machine gun battalion assembled in an hour and 10 minutes. The command company assembled in 40 minutes. The anti-tank battalion assembled in 10 minutes, the AA company in 10 minutes.

Communications in units are arranged badly. Messengers walk instead of running. The technical company does not have communication organized at all. Troops arrive at the assembly point in a disorganized manner, one at a time. 

Not all personnel showed up at assembly. The mechanized machine gun battalion was missing 113 men. Some troops arrived without rifles, rucksacks, having left them in their quarters, not fully dressed, without greatcoats. The medical squad of the mechanized machine gun battalion arrived without their medic bags.

The commanders of units and formations did not think through an assembly plan and did not distribute instructions (with the exception of the 208th Tank Battalion). 

I order that:

  1. Commanders of units and independent formations must compose an assembly plan for their unit or formation and provide it to be through the brigade staff for approval by March 23rd, 1944. The brigade chief of staff must prepare a brigade assembly plan.
  2. The brigade's assembly point it set at Sofievka, the square near the brigade HQ. Units and independent formations assemble near where they are quartered.
  3. The time for assembly is as follows:
    1. Company: 10 minutes
    2. Battalion: 30 minutes
    3. Brigade: 45 minutes
  4. Unit and independent formation commanders must resolve the aforementioned drawbacks in their planning and report by March 25th, 1944.
  5. This order must be read to all personnel.
Deputy Brigade Commander, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Nagirnyak
Brigade Chief of Staff, Guards Lieutenant Colonel Tretyak"

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