Signal Troops - Great Patriotic War
By the middle of 1941, the staffing of troops with radio equipment was: in the General Staff-front link up to 35%, in the army-corps link - 11%, in divisions - 62%, in regiments - 77%, in battalions - 58%. Of the total number of radio stations of obsolete types, 75% were in front-line radio networks, 24% in army, 89% in divisional, and 63% in regimental radio networks. By this time, a set of communications units only of central and district subordination consisted of 19 separate communications regiments, 25 separate communications battalions and other units and organizations.
Signalmen in the pre-war period took part in the fighting on the CER (Chinese Eastern Railway) (1929), near Lake Khasan (1938), near the Khalkhin-Gol River (1939), in the liberation of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine (1939), in the Soviet-Finnish War (1939 - 1940). From April 1924 to June 1941, the signal troops were successively led by N. M. Sinyavsky, R. V. Longva, A. M. Aksenov, I. A. Naydenov, N. I. Gapich.
In the first, most difficult period of the Great Patriotic War, major shortcomings in the preparedness of the border regions in terms of communications, technical equipment and in the preparedness of the signal troops themselves became apparent. The basing of wire communications on a network of state permanent overhead lines allowed enemy aircraft and saboteurs to disable it. Radio communication was neither organizationally nor materially prepared to ensure stable command and control of troops. In the conditions of retreat and the most difficult defensive battles, formations, formations and units of the Red Army were not fully equipped with units and communications units. The staffing and equipment of the communications units and subunits were extremely insufficient.
These circumstances were one of the reasons for the temporary failures of our troops in the initial period of the war. At the same time, the scale of the unfolding battles from the very beginning required the use of all the country's capabilities in the interests of ensuring communication with the troops.
In order to centralize the management of communications in the country and the army, by the decision of the State Defense Committee of July 23, 1941, Colonel I. T. Peresypkin was appointed head of communications of the Red Army (since February 1944 - marshal of the communications troops), who also retained the post of People's Commissar of Communications of the USSR .
With the formation of new front and army departments, the need for signal troops and technical means for them continuously increased. Under the energetic leadership of I. T. Peresypkin, during the first year of the war, over 1000 new communications units were formed, schools and courses were created for the accelerated training of various specialists to meet the needs of the front in them.
I. T. Peresypkin managed to use all the resources and opportunities available in the country to establish mass production of communications equipment and supply them to the troops. As a result of all these efforts, it was possible to reverse the situation with the provision of communications for the active troops. In 1942, the first portable domestic VHF radio station A-7 with frequency modulation was developed for rifle and artillery regiments, which was highly appreciated by the troops.
A noticeable increase in the role of radio communications occurred already during the operations of the summer-autumn campaign of 1942. The experience of combat operations has convincingly shown that radio, especially in an offensive, is becoming the main, and often the only, means of communication that ensures command and control of troops.
In the course of the war, the equipment of the troops with radio communications equipment also increased sharply. In 1944, industry supplied more than 64,000 radio stations of all types to the troops. There was a further improvement of the communications management bodies, the organizational and staffing structure of formations, units and communications units, an increase in their numbers.
New elements were introduced into the communication system of the General Staff - special-purpose communication centers (USON), through which direct wire communication of the Headquarters was provided with 2 - 4 fronts. USONs were located 50-200 km from the front line. It should be noted that they also provided communication between neighboring fronts. Throughout the war, the proportion of signalmen in the total number of army personnel increased continuously. In 1944, with an increase in the number of active fronts and an increase in the distances between the General Staff and the headquarters of the fronts, the number of RVGK signal units increased significantly, and RVGK signal brigades were formed.
Mass heroism, examples of courage and selflessness were shown by military signalmen on the battlefields. 294 signalmen became heroes of the Soviet Union, more than 100 signalmen became full holders of the Order of Glory. Many thousands of military signalmen were awarded orders and medals. During the war years, almost 600 communication units were awarded orders. And a number of front-line and army communications units were awarded the title of Guards.
Generalization and analysis of the experience of the combat use of signal troops convincingly showed that success in conducting operations and battles depends to a large extent on the quality of command and control of troops, and command and control on the state of technical equipment, capabilities and level of preparedness of signal troops. New elements were introduced into the communication system of the General Staff - special-purpose communication centers (USON), through which direct wire communication of the Headquarters was provided with 2 - 4 fronts. USONs were located 50-200 km from the front line. It should be noted that they also provided communication between neighboring fronts. Throughout the war, the proportion of signalmen in the total number of army personnel increased continuously.
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