PVO: Russian acronym meaning Air Defense Force, a branch of the Soviet armed forces.
RAAM: Remotely scattered antiarmor mine, an artillery-delivered mine of the FASCAM series. Razvedchiki: Russian name for scout troops.
RGN: Russian acronym for a type of concussion hand grenade.
RGO: Russian acronym for a type of fragmentation hand grenade.
RKhM: Russian acronym for chemical reconnaissance vehicle, a tracked, armored vehicle based on the same chassis as the 2S1 selfpropelled howitzer. Used by Soviet chemical defense troops for scouting chemically contaminated areas.
RPG: Russian acronym meaning rocket-propelled antitank grenade. Includes types like the RPG-7, RPG-22.
RPV: Remotely piloted vehicle, usually referring to a small unmanned drone aircraft used for reconnaissance purposes.
RSC: Reconnaissance strike complex. Soviet term for future integrated artillery systems.
RWR: Radar warning receiver. An electronic device fitted to aircraft which warns the pilot when the plane is being tracked by enemy radars.
SADARM: Sense and destroy armor munition. A type of American artillery projectile that dispenses autonomously guided antiarmor submunitions.
SAM: Surface-to-air missile. An antiaircraft missile.
Spetsnaz: Russian abbreviation for "special purpose." Used to refer to Soviet special forces.
Su-24: Soviet codename for the Sukhoi strike aircraft known as Fencer in NATO. This is a large, high capability two-man strike aircraft similar in configuration to the U.S. Air Force F-111.
Su-25K: Soviet codename for the Sukhoi ground attack aircraft known as Frogfoot in NATO. This is a single-seat, subsonic attack aircraft, roughly comparable to the U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthog.
SVD: Russian acronym for a 7.62mm sniper rifle.
Syrena: Soviet codename for a RWR (radar warning receiver) mounted on a Soviet combat aircraft; means "siren" in Russian.
TGW: Terminally guided weapon. A NATO program to develop an autonomously guided submunition for the MLRS artillery rocket system.
TOW: Tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided antitank missile. The American BGM-71 heavy antitank missile, comparable to the Franco-German HOT or Soviet Konkurs.
Tyulpan: Soviet codename for the 2S4 240mm self-propelled mortar vehicle; in Russian it means "tulip flower."
UAC: Unified Army Corps; a new Soviet formation somewhat larger than a division and smaller than an army, used as the OMG or exploitation force of a Soviet front.
UAZ-469: A Soviet jeep.
Uragan: Soviet codename for the BM-22 multiple launch rocket system; means "hurricane" in Russian.
VDV: Russian acronym for Air Assault Force; a semi-independent branch of the Soviet army specializing in paratroop operations.
Villiys: Soviet slang for a jeep, stemming from "Willys."
VTA: Russian acronym for Military Transport Aviation, a branch of the Soviet Air Force responsible for transport aircraft.
VV: Russian acronym for Interior Army, a paramilitary state police force of the Ministry of the Interior.
VVS: Russian acronym for the Soviet Air Force.
ZiL-130: Soviet medium truck.
ZU-23: Soviet towed, twin-barrelled antiaircraft 23mm automatic cannon.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Detailed investigations of Soviet operational art and war planning are a fairly recent trend in military studies. As a result, there are few generally available books on the subject. Some of the most interesting and influential articles on Soviet operations and tactics have appeared in the monthly defense magazine International Defense Review. The scenarios presented here have been heavily influenced by the work of Col. David Glantz and the studies prepared by the Soviet Army Studies Office of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. These studies are not generally available, but fortunately in 1988, a new journal devoted to these subjects, the Journal of Soviet Military Studies, began publication. The editors of this magazine are Col. David Glantz and Christopher Donnelly, two of the most influential of the new generation of Soviet military scholars. The following list, while hardly exhaustive, includes some of the books that deal with issues raised in this chapter.
Baxter, William. Soviet Airland Battle Tactics. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1986.
Donnelly, Christopher. Red Banner: The Soviet Military System in Peace and War. London: Jane's Publishing, 1988.
Erickson, John, et al. Soviet Ground Forces: An Operational Assessment. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1986.
Isby, David. Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army. London: Jane's Publishing, 1988.
Johnson, A. Ross, et al. East European Military Establishments: The Warsaw Pact Northern Tier. New York: Crane, Russak & Co., 1982.
Monks, Alfred L. Soviet Military Doctrine: 1960 to the Present. New York: Irvington Publishers, 1984.
Suvorov, Viktor. Inside the Soviet Army. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1982.
U.S. Army. Soviet Army Operations. Washington, DC: U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, 1978.
U.S. Army. The Soviet Army. Field Manual 100-2-1. Washington, DC: HQ, Department of the Army, 1984.
Vigor, P. H. Soviet Blitzkrieg Theory. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983.
Alexiev, Alexander. Inside the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation, 1988.
Alexiev, Alexander, and S. Enders Ambush. Ethnic Minorities in the Red Army: Asset or Liability? Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1988.
Defense Intelligence Agency. The Soviet Motorized Rifle Battalion. Washington, DC: DIA, 1976 Defense Intelligence Agency. The Soviet Motorized Rifle Company. Washington, DC: DIA,
1976.
Jones, Ellen. Red Army and Society: A Sociology of the Soviet Military. Boston: Allen & Unwin,
1985.
Suvorov, Victor. The Liberators. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1981.
US. Army. BMP AICV Operator's Manual. Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD: 519th MI Bn, 1972 U.S. Army. The BMP: Capabilities and limitations. Fort Monroe, VA: U.S. Army TRADOC, 1971
Williams, E. S. The Soviet Military: Political Education, Training & Morale. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1986.
Zaloga, Steven. Inside the Soviet Amy Today. London: Osprey Publications, 1981 Zamascikov, Sergei. Political Organizations in the Soviet Armed Forces-The Role of the Party and Komsomol. Falls Church, VA: Delphic Associates, 1982.
Much of the material for this chapter was collected by the author during research on the book on Soviet tanks listed below. There is very little English language material on the training and experiences of Soviet tankers except for internal U.S. Army and DIA studies. A valuable source of information is the Soviet emigres living in the United States, many of whom served in die Soviet Ground Forces.
Baskalov, Yb. D., et al. Spravochnik serzhanta motostrelkovikh (tankovikh) voisk (Handbook for Sergeants of the Motor Rifle/lknk Forces). Moscow: Voenizdat, 1987 Defense Intelligence Agency. Soviet Tank Regiment Tactics. Washington, DC: DIA, 1979. Dragunskiy, D.A., Motostrelkoviy (tankovry) batalon v boyu (The Motor Rifle/Tank Battalion in Combat). Moscow: Voenizdat, 1986.
Evans, T. C. Current Objectives and Deficiencies in the Training of Soviet Tankers. Garmisch, FRG: U.S. Army Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, 1975.