Russian Ground Force Supply System
By Scott Gainer
The Russian supply system is under the command of the Tyl, an autonomous branch of the Army, which provides supply to all the services. This report concentrates on the Army.
The division will carry 5 or 6 days supplies of POL, ammunition, rations and other supplies (spare parts, medical et al) with its ammunition division train. The supply bases at the frontier will have 37 days ammunition and miscellaneous other stores with 16 days POL in them.
Front level supply bases are located 150 200 km behind the front lines. This base will include extensive depots and workshops. Rail links are established between the frontier and this base where possible. the army supply base is 100km behind the front lines and similar to the front base but with fewer workshops. A division support base will be established 24 40 km behind the lines, this is where the initial 5 6 days supplies reside and the destination of supplies from the upper echelon depots. Regimental supply depots are established 10 30 km behind the front, this is where the combat vehicles are loaded with supplies.
- POL distribution, in tons, is as follows:
Tank units
Army: 4,000 in the vehicles, 11,000 at the depot
Division: 800 in the vehicles, 1,700 in the depot
Regiment: 120 in the vehicles, 240 in the depot
Battalion: 24 in the vehicles, 40 in the train.
Motor rifle
Army: 5000 in the vehicles, 17,500 in depot
Division: 700 in vehicles, 1,450 in depot
Regiment: 90 in vehicles, 160 in depot
Battalion: 9 in vehicles, 11 in train.
This amounts to 2 fills for the vehicles at the army and division level, each, and 0.7 fills for the vehicles in the lower echelons. Each vehicle will have a fill in it's internal tanks and 0.5 fills in it's external tanks upon deployment.
As the Army and Divisional depots advance, pipeline battalions (another branch of the Tyl) construct pipeline, at a rate of 70km per day in normal terrain, to the depots from the frontier. Each pipeline can transport 2,000 tons of fuel each day.
Similar values, in terms of fills, applies to ammunition and other supplies held at the different levels, sans the 0.5 fill externally for ammunition. Ammunition is not normally carried externally.
Supplies, in game terms, are mostly moved by truck convoys. Convoys from the frontier to the Army and divisional depots are moved in 12 truck (MAZ543, 14 ton payload) companies, with a Commandanteur platoon (composed as a regular rifle platoon, 3 squads, 3 BTR90, HQ BTR 90 with the convoy commander and 2 manpad teams). Each convoy will move 168 tons of cargo to the Army depot. Additional truck units will move supplies from there to the divisional depot(s). The division, regiment and battalion organic supply vehicles will then move supplies to the appropriate supply points.- The added drag of supply on the roads will arise from 50 convoys, per day needing to reach the army level depot, from the frontier, just to maintain fuel parity, in POL alone until the pipelines are built. an additional 10 convoys per day are required to maintain the divisional depot in supply of POL. The train advancing with the division to establish the initial base will consist of 100 truck convoys (the bulk of these will fall back to the rear area at the frontier to help maintain the train once the base is established).