| Motor Rifle Troops of the USSR | |
|---|---|
| Мотострелковые войска СССР | |
 Patch with the emblem of the motor rifle troops | |
| Active | 1957–1991 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Allegiance | Soviet Armed Forces |
| Branch |  Ground Forces |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Mechanised infantry |
| Equipment | BTR,BMP |
Motor Rifle Troops of the USSR (Russian:Мотострелковые войска СССР) was the motorized infantry arm of theArmy Ground Forces of the Soviet Union during theCold War.They weremechanised infantry formations usingcombined arms doctrine, based around infantry operating closely witharmoured personnel carriers andinfantry fighting vehicles, aided by organicarmour andartillery.[1][2][3]
On the 9 July 1945, a decree of theState Defence Committee No. GKO-9488ss, "On the Replenishment of Armoured and Mechanised Troops of the Red Army" was issued. It ordered the creation of mechanised divisions from existing rifle, cavalry, and airborne divisions, under the control of theArmoured and Mechanised branch[4]
The Soviet motor rifle troops officially appeared in accordance with the Directive of the Minister of Defence of the USSR No. org. / 3/62540 of the 27th of February 1957. Under this directive, all rifle divisions and part of the mechanised divisions would be reorganised into motor rifles.[5]
The main force of the post-war Soviet ground forces was split into Tank Divisions and Motor Rifle Divisions. Whereas Tank Divisions were designed for rapid breakthrough and exploitation, Motor Rifle divisions were designed for areas unsuitable for tanks, and attacking heavily fortified positions. Because of their high mobility, the motor rifle divisions could keep pace with the tank divisions.[6]
Motor rifles were the largest branch of troops in the USSR Armed Forces. By the middle of the 1980s, they made up around three-quarters of the strength of Soviet manoeuvre divisions.[7]
Soviet doctrine stressed the importance of combined arms, with all branches of forces working together at every level. This was reflected in the design of the motor rifle formations, with organic tank and artillery formations at the regimental level, down to the cooperation between infantry squads and their vehicles,[1]
On the attack, a Soviet motor rifle formation would use its advantage in mobility to manoeuvre around and exploit an enemy defensive position, and carry out the attack with overwhelming concentration of firepower and forces. Motor rifles typically deployed in echelons. The first echelon was the main attacking force, tasked with achieving the primary objectives, and the second echelon was to follow on from the first, passing through or bypassing them, and achieve any further objectives.[8]
In the defensive, Soviet motor rifles also employed fire and manoeuvre, and emphasised a flexibledefence in depth.[1]
Soviet motor rifle infantry were mounted in a mixture of wheeledBTR seriesarmoured personnel carriers (APCs) and trackedBMP seriesinfantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), with a typical division having two infantry regiments mounted in BTRs, and one in BMPs.[9]
Both the BTR and BMP wereamphibious and hadCBRN defence, allowing for rapid strategic movement across water rivers, and contaminated areas in a nuclear battlefield.[1]
The largest organisational unit for the motor rifles in the Soviet Army was thedivision.
A Motor Rifle Division was organised as follows:[10][11]
A Motor Rifle Division contains three motor rifle regiments, with infantry mounted in either BTR or BMP.[9]
The Motor Rifle Battalion was the basic building block of the division, as it was the lowest level containing its own organic mortar, signals, Anti-Aircraft, Anti-Tank, and support elements. There were three motor rifle battalions per regiment.[12]
Each rifle squad was mounted in one BMP or BTR depending on the equipment of the regiment.