Assault Engineering Brigades () or Storm Engineer-Sapper Brigades were formations of the

Reserve of the Supreme High Command The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the '' Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK ( ru , РВГК)) comprises reserve military formations and units; the Sta ...

of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

, being notable for their service during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. These brigades were designed to storm settlements and to break through heavily fortified enemy lines. These units are commonly abbreviated as ShISBr (), and are occasionally referred to as "armoured infantry" or "cuirass infantry" ().

History

Sapper-engineering assault units were formed in 1943. By 30 May of that year, the formation of the first 15 brigades was completed. Most of these units were formed from existing combat battalions, well-proven in battle. In August 1943, assault engineer-sapper brigades arrived at the front. These were each composed of: * Brigade Command (40 people) * Command Company (87 people) * Motorized Engineer-Scout Company (101 people) * 5 Assault Engineer-Sapper Battalions (388 people each) * Light Bridging and Crossing Equipment Crew (36 people) During the formations of assault engineering brigades, all soldiers over 40 years of age were reassigned. The most distinctive piece of individual equipment used by soldiers of the assault engineering brigades was the SN-42 () steel breastplate. In December 1943, a procedure was developed for the combat utilization of assault formations. Assault brigades were sent into battle to facilitate key breakthroughs in fortified defensive lines by means of

combat engineering A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tas ...

and sapping. Success in battle hinged on close coordination with infantry, armoured, mechanized, and artillery units. As soldiers of the assault brigades were not equipped with heavy small arms or their own artillery, they were immediately withdrawn after a successful breakthrough in the enemy lines to limit casualties. In the spring of 1944 the assault engineering brigades were supplied with

ROKS-3 upleft, A Finnish soldier with a captured ROKS-3 flamethrower, June 1943 The ROKS-2 and ROKS-3 were man-portable flamethrowers used by the USSR in the Second World War. The ROKS-2 was designed not to draw attention, so the fuel and gas tanks we ...

flamethrowers. The 1st, 2nd, 4th, 10th, and 2nd Guards assault engineer-sapper brigades were supplemented with engineer-tank regiments including PT-3 () mine flails and OT-34 flamethrower tanks, each composed of three companies with 20 combat vehicles per company. By May 1945, the brigades pushed through the city of Konigsberg (now Kaliningrad), with the city falling in a matter of days. Over the course of the Second World War 20 assault engineer-sapper brigades were formed, performing admirably in combat operations, and especially distinguishing themselves in the storming of cities, which was their intended purpose.

Legacy

Combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, Tunnel warfare, tunnel and l ...

s are one of the branches of the Red Army that are given special reverence. In 2015 and 2020, a formation of soldiers dressed in the uniforms of engineer assault brigades took part in the

Moscow Victory Day Parade The Moscow Victory Day Parade ( rus, Парад Победы в Москве, r= Parad Pobedy v Moskve) refers to the annual military parade of the Russian Armed Forces on Moscow's Red Square on May 9 during the Victory Day celebrations. The mos ...

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical bui ...

. During a national ceremony at the

Capul de pod Șerpeni Memorial Complex Capul de pod Șerpeni Memorial Complex ( ro, Complexul memorial „Capul de pod Șerpeni”) is a military memorial located in Șerpeni, a village in the Anenii Noi District of Moldova. It is dedicated to the 12,000 Red Army soldiers who died at ...

in August 2019, Russian Defence Minister

Sergey Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, ; tyv, Сергей Күжүгет оглу Шойгу, translit=Sergey Kyzhyget oglu Shoygu, . (russian: Сергей Кужугетович Шойгу; born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician who has served as ...

ceremonially handed to Moldovan Defence Minister

Pavel Voicu Pavel Voicu (born 29 January 1973) is a Moldovan politician who was the Minister of Defence of Moldova in the Sandu Cabinet and the Interior Minister under President Igor Dodon and Prime Minister Ion Chicu. He was also a personal advisor to Dodo ...

the military banners of the 14th Assault Engineering and Combat Brigade, which until that point, was kept at the

Central Armed Forces Museum , native_name_lang = , logo = , logo_upright = , logo_alt = , logo_caption = , image = Moscow Armed Forces Museum.jpg , image_upright = , alt = , capti ...

in Russia.

Structure

Jassy–Kishinev Offensive anniversary 06 (cropped)

* 1st Guards Assault Engineering Sapper Brigade * 1st Assault Engineering and Sapper Brigade * 2nd Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade *3rd Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 4th Assault Engineering and Sapper Brigade * 5th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 6th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 7th Assault Engineering and Sapper Brigade * 8th Assault Engineering and Sapper Brigade * 9th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 10th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 11th Assault Engineering and Sapper Brigade * 12th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 13th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 14th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 15th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 16th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 17th Assault Engineering and Combat Engineer Brigade * 18th Assault Engineering and Sapper Brigade * 19th Assault Engineering and Sapper Brigade

References

{{Reflist Red Army units and formations of World War II Engineering units and formations

History

Legacy

Structure

See also

References