|
Soviet Union [USSR] Naval Infantry
In the early 1960s, Naval Infantry became a combat arm of the
Soviet Naval Forces. In 1989 Naval Infantry consisted of 18,000
marine troops organized into one division and three brigades. Naval
Infantry had its own amphibious versions of standard armored
vehicles and tanks used by the Ground Forces. Its primary wartime
missions would be to seize and hold strategic straits or islands
and to make seaborne tactical landings behind enemy lines. The
Soviet Naval forces had over eighty landing ships as well as two
Ivan Rogov-class amphibious assault docks. The latter were assault
ships that could transport one infantry battalion with forty
armored vehicles and their amphibious landing craft. At seventyfive units, the Soviet Union had the world's largest inventory of
air-cushion assault craft. In addition, many of the Soviet merchant
fleet's (Morflot) 2,500 ocean-going ships could off-load weapons
and supplies in an amphibious landing.
Data as of May 1989
|
