MILITARY NEWS:SIMULATION IN TROOP EXERCISES, BY LIEUTENANT-GENERAL OF ENGINEER TROOPS A. SMIRNOV-NESVITSKIY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A029500340001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 9, 1962
• Content Type: MEMO

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Simulation in Troop Exercises
by
Lieutenant-General of Engineer Troops
A. Smirnov-Nesvitskiy
In the Collection of Articles from the journal',
"Military News", No. 28 of 1959, Lieutenant-Colonel
K. Lantsetov, in his article "Simulation in Tactical
Exercises," is right, on the whole, in suggesting that
these questions should be reviewed. But the author
reduces them only to the simulation of artillery fire
and bomb strikes by aviation.
The problem of simulation during training has long
been urgent and has not met the demands that have been
placed upon it. Therefore, we should like to share our
experience in conducting simulation in troop exercises
in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG) where
it is organized in a different manner. It should be
noted that the method used earlier had one advantage--
fundamentally it produced sound and visual effect. But
does it make sense to spend so much energy and means for
this? We think not. Everybody knows the picture.
Before the start of the exercise a solemn silence reigns
over the field. But then at the appointed time the
"sapper artillery" (sapernaya artilleriya) thunders
forth, producing tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands
of explosions.
The cost of this type of simulation is very high.
For instance, during one army exercise 80 tons of
explosives and a corresponding rate of accessories for
their detonation were used. Consequently, more than
600,000 rubles were spent for the simulation. Considerable
expenditure was also required for the simulation of
atomic bursts. The fuel expended on this purpose alone
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was sufficient to run a "Pobeda" vehicle of the first
category for five years. And how many such exercises
take place in our army! It should be remembered that
the cost of simulation involving the use of one ton of
explosives is 8,130 rubales. This amount of explosives
is generally expended by a division. Therefore, in
addition to the other expenditure for training, simulation
puts a heavy burden on our military budget. Several
millions of rubles are spent on it every year and this
money could be spent to-.'greater advantage for the
building of training centers and improving the whole
training base (baza).
Sound and visual effects are a superficial and
expensive feature of training. It not only does not
justify itself economically, but neither does it
satisfy the requirements of combat training of troops
and their field famili*rization. Therefore, we have
rejected this type of simulation.
Modern requirements for troop training under
conditions approximating those of battle have made it
necessary to change the manner of training and have left
an imprint on how simulation is conducted.
Usually the entire simulation was prepared in
advance, but often the battle would develop away from
the area where it had been prepared. In addition, in
the interests of safety, the simulation fields were
fenced in. This confined maneuvers and limited troop
operations. On the whole, this type of simulation
mainly assisted the breakthrough of the prepared
defenses of the "enemy'!
In our opinion, the simulation should now be
done in accordance with the decision made by the
commanding officer, i.e., in troop exercises it is
necessary to create a picture of the battle which
corresponds to the situation that is being eated.
That is why simulation must be mobile. Another
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important defect is that in most cases only artillery
fire and bursts of nuclear munitions are simulated, and
much less often bomb strikes by aviation. This is not
enough. It is time to look also at the general picture
of the battle which should be produced by the '9ttnulation
for the benefit of other arms of troops. On the
battlefield it should be wider than a number of officers
have understood it to be,and wider than has been the
case in some exercises.
In our opinion, it is essential that the simulation
should reflect those goals which the leader has set
before the troops and should assist in the evaluation
of their operations. Consequently, it should be
directed toward the training of personnel of all units
and subunits in their specialty and for improving that
specialty during troop exercises; it should assist in
the training of units and large units in coordination
on the battlefield. Simulation must be mobile in the
full sense of this word and must help to check the field
training of troops during the exercises.
The application of these requirements to simulation,
as practiced during exercises in the Group of Soviet
Forces in Germany,has produced positive results. On
the battlefield the troops began to make broader use
of the equipment with which they were armed, to carry
on reconnaissance in an improved manner and to show
initiative in accomplishing the tasks arising from the
use of simulation.
What type of simulation should be used in the
training of large units and units during troop exercises?
In our opinion, this may be the simulation of
artillery and mortar fire, nuclear bursts, fires (pozhar),
and bomb strikes; the simulation of the use of antiper-
sonnel and antitank minefields; and the simulation of
fire from tanks, guns, and other combat equipment of the
enemy as well as of our troops. Such variety in the use
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of simulation will permit the creation of a more
complete picture of the battle and will force the
troops to operate under conditions approlaching those
of combat.
Let us examine the use of mobile simulation in the
experience of exercises in the GSFG.
The simulation of artillery and mortar fire is
done with the purpose of testing the training of
artillerymen for conducting reconnaissance and to see
how accurately they prepare fire against planned and
unplanned targets. The evaluation of artillery subunit
operations is made by a combined-arms commanding officer
according to the results of their firing (in the dynamics
of battle the actual artillery fire is usually replaced
by simulation).
In resolving the problem of who should be the
organizer and executor of such a simulation, we came to
the conclusion that it should be the chiefs of artillery.
The experience of exercises has shown that this
leadership is the most fruitful. At army exercises the
simulation was effected by the group (district) chief
of artillery, at divisional exercises by the chief of
army artillery, at regimental exercises by the chief
of divisional artillery, and at battalion exercises
by the chief of regimental artillery.
For simulation of artillery fire on divisional
and regimental exercises, we organized one simulation
group for a battalion, and at battalion exercises, one
for a battery. Such a group was commanded by a fire
umpire (ognevoy posrednik), an artillery officer. He
has two or three enlisted men subordinate to him,who are
trained to carry out this task,and one radio operator.
They are issued a specially equipped vehicle with
simulation shells. The group is subordinate to a troop
umpire (voyskovoy posrednik) attached to the commanding
officer of the artillery battalion and receives the
task from him.
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The number of simulation shells for the group is
determined by the number of guns and mortars actually
employed in the exercise. Usually one simulation shell
represents 10 to 20, and sometimes even more rounds.
Experience shows that 30 to 40 simulation shells are
sufficient for a battalion (ba t a. to n) exercise,
100 to 120 for a regimental exercise, and 200 to 250 are
sufficient for a divisional exercise.
For greater accuracy in simulation, the troop and
fire umpires attached to the commanding officer of the
battalion prepare uniform coded maps of the exercise
area with the scale of 1:25,000 6r"-=1:50,000. Control
of the group is done by radio and the coded map.
During the exercises, the simulation group mbveo?
in combat formations of the opposing side, maintaining
constant radio contact with the umpire attached to the
commanding officer of the battalion, and it simulates
fire in accordance with the operations of the artillery.
After the bursts have been set off, the ump re attached
to the commanding officer of artillery determines which
targets have been destroyed and the losses suffered by
the enemy, and he reports these data to the combined-
arms umpire who passes it on to the leadership.
In this way, by the use of mobile means of simulation
it is possible to determine the accuracy of data of
artillery reconnaissance subunits, to establish the
effectiveness of destruction delivered by the artillery
fire, and also, to some extent to determine the
coordination of the artillery units and subunits
participating in the exercises.
The use of simulation shells makes it possible to
replace the expensive explosives by cheaper pyrotechnical
devices.
The suggestion to employ mobile simulation, the
fashioning of a shell for a motor vehicle, and the
electrical circuit for detonating simulation shells
were developed by Lieutenant-Colonel I. R. Rybalko.
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Subsequently, these suggestions were improved upon
by our efficiency experts (ratsionalizator).
Let us examine briefly what a simulation shell is.
It consists of a cardboard directing cartridge case
(gilza) with a wooden bottom, an expelling charge with
an electric detonator, and an explosive charge with a
delay element. The total weight is 1.1 to 2.2 kg
(Figure 1).
The expelling charge (75 grams of black powder)
is placed in a conical #partridge case made of several
layers of paper painted with water resistant paint.
There is an opening at the bottom of the cartridge case
for the electric detonator. The explosive charge is
placed inside a spherical casing also made of several
layers of paper. Inside the casing is a charge of
235 grams of black powder with some aluminum powder
added. The delay element is a time fuse 3 to 5 cm long.
This ensures that the shell bursts at a height of
50 to 70 m.
The simulation shell is fired electrically. The
sources of current are BAS-60 or BAS-80 batteries or
storage batteries.
The shells are loaded, 30 at a time, onto a motor
vehicle with good roadability in special cassettes made
of boards 20 to 30 mm thick (Figure 2). To ensure
safety from a possible detonation, the shells are
,,packed so as to leave a nest filled with sand
between them.
The electric circuit for firing the shells can be
closed either by means of a switch mounted in the body
of the motor ve cle (Figure 3) or by a "Broom" (Metelka)
type contact (Figure 4).
Usually not more than 6 to 8 minutes are required
to prepare the shells for firing.
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In our opinion, the simulation of a nuclear burst
should be carried out by subunits of the chemical troops
in cooperation with the engineers. The main charge should
consist of phosphorus flame thrower fuel (fosfornoye
ognemetnoye goryuchiye?--FOG) with a suitable addition
of smoke mixture. The shock wave should be simulated
by a blast of an external charge (naruzhnyy zaryad) of
explosives weighing 3 to 5 kg.
The use of heavy infantry flame throwers (tyazhelyy
pekhotnyy ognemet--TPO) for this purpose has given good
results. To simulate a blast we took three flame thrower
barrels. One of them was loaded with an "S-4"smoke
mixture and the other two with diesel mixture. To
produce the explosion the barrels were erected vertically.
The shock wave was also simulated by exploding 4 to 5 kg
of explosives.
The simulation team does not require more than 10
minutes to prepare for a burst. To reload the barrels
takes about 15 minutes. Barrels can be transported
safely when loaded. We consider this method to be the
most economical and sufficiently safe.
Simulation of a bomb strike can also be done by
the use of simulation shells us ng a "Broom"' type
contact system. According to the decision of the
commanding officer delivering the bomb strike, the
simulation team arrives at its indicated place and sets
up the shells 10 to 15 minutes before the aircraft
arrive. The successive detonation of shells permits
the creation of the complete effect of a bomb strike.
The simulation of antitank minefields with UTMD-B
training simulation cartridges uc ebnaya tankovaya mina
derevyannaya-B--wooden antitank training mine-B) gives
its positive results in combat training of subunits and
units. It forces them to carry out thorough engineer
reconnaissance and obliges the commanding officer to
make decisions in accordance with the situation that
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is developing. Such simulation permits the practical
solution of such problems as the evacuation of "blown up"
tanks, the making and widening of lanes in'/enemy"
minefields and also a number of other problems which
are not being mastered in exercises because of the
absence, or insufficient use, of simulation.
The use of antipersonnel minefields, employing
UPMD-B (uchebnaya protivopekhotnaya m na derevyannaya-B?--
wooden training antipersonnel mines-B) and UPOM-Z-2
(uchebnoye protivopekhotnoye oskolochnoye minovzryvnoyp
zagrazhdeniye?--training antipersonnel fragmentation
minefield) also gives more realism to the battlefield.
These weapons make it possible to demonstrate the Pole
of mobile obstacle detachments in modern combat and
the organization of coordination when surmounting
obstacles.
Also of no small importance in practical training
is the role of antitank ditches and craters created
during the battle by explosives. These are quickly
made by engineer troops using mechanical means and
explosives.
The creation of antitank ditches and craters by
means of explosives in front of attacking tanks has
rendered considerable assistance to the defenders. The
experience of our exercises has shown that tank subunits,
by stopping at the obstacles, lost up to 40 to 50 percent
of their combat vehicles from "artillery fire" and from
"blowing up" on simulated minefields.
The simulation of fires, tank and artillery gunfire,
etc., is, as everyone knows, described in detail in the
Military Camouflage Manual, Part II. Unfortunately,
however, it is not used everywhere in exercises, and this
is also reflected in their instructiveness.
Perhaps the question raised by us should be
discussed further andoin particular the question of
industrial production of the shells should be given
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careftiii thought. We have reached the following
conclusions based on the experience of our exercises:
--mobile simulation has fully justified itself;
it requires the minimum amount of personnel and
equipment, is safe and simple to carry out;
--the organization and preparation of artillery
fire simulation teams must-be assigned to artillery
officers; the ` 411T"sfant::Yeader:: leader.-for the exercises in
simulation should be the artillery chief;
--it would be advantageous to add to the
instructions on organization and condu t of combined-
arms exercises the requirement of test ng the skill of
commanding officers and staffs of artillery units
(groups) in'arrying out fire and controlling it in
mobile, maneuvering forms of combat;
--in exercises, the simulation not only of fire
but also of other types of troop combat activity should
be widely practiced; this gives more realism to the
"battlefield", makes the exercises interesting and
instructive, and develops initiative in all the
participants; simulation should be a combined-arms matter
and not the monopoly of one arm of troops;
--the time has come to exclude the use of
expensive explosives for simulation and to replace
them with more economical pyrotechnical means along the
line of the shells suggested by us.
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The directing cartridge cas
Explosive charge
Delay element
Expelling charge
Electric detonator
Figure 1 - Diagram of a Sirnulation Shell
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Figure 21 Installation in a vehicle
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Figure 3 - Diagram abd Circuit foe' Elfctrical DetcmaticW With a :witch
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