Preparation of the Red Army soldiers for the fight in the city through information and training activities (on the example of Gdańsk in March 1945)

Abstract

Fighting in enemy territory, conducted in a previously unknown area, usually requires prior preparation of own soldiers for new conditions. In March 1945, units of the Red Army, including the 44th Guards Rifle Division from the 65th Army, were getting ready for the assault on Gdańsk. One of the forms of preparation of troops to take over a highly urbanized complex, consisting of a city, a shipyard and a port, was information and training activities. Knowledge was mainly disseminated about how enemy is defend in large cities, as well as about one’s own tactics for win. The rules of street fighting were presented with the help of assault groups and landing units. The specifics of the weapons used in such circumstances and the necessity of cooperation between soldiers of different specialties were discussed. The ranks of the Red Army soldiers were informed and trained during meetings and exercises conducted and coordinated by political officers, as well as with the help of newspapers and widely distributed leaflets, which then discussed the upcoming fights in greater detail. In the article below, this activity is presented mainly on the basis of the prints preserved in the archives, then prepared and distributed at the military and division level.