72062 WWII SOVIET SAILORS

The roots of the Russian, and later the Soviet, marines go back to the reign of Tsar Peter the Great, who established this type of formation in 1705. The soldiers included in the group fought not only in the Great Northern War (1700-1721), but also in many other conflicts with the participation of the Russian state, such as the Crimean War (1853-1856), the war with Japan (1904-1905) or World War I ( 1914-1918). After the October Revolution, this formation was not disbanded, but like many other units of the Red Army, it underwent profound changes. In the course of the next world war (1939-1945), approx. 350 thousand people took part in the fighting on land. sailors and soldiers of the Soviet Navy. At the beginning, the Soviet marines consisted of only one brigade of marines serving as part of the Baltic Fleet, but during the war (especially in the course of the conflict with Germany), six regiments of marines, about 40 brigades, and one full division were formed. ! The situation with the fonts, especially in the years 1941-1943, meant that these often well-trained units fought primarily in classically land operations, including defending Sevastopol, Moscow, Kerch and Stalingrad. It is worth adding that in the years 1941-1945 the Soviet marines carried out about 120 landings from the sea, but most often the landings concerned platoons or at most companies. It is worth adding that 122 soldiers serving in this formation were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.