Page 210 - The Chief Culprit
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Destruction of the Stalin Line
Only naïve people think that defense is the main task of fortified regions. No, fortified
regions are built for a more reliable preparation for advance. ey must reliably cover the
reserves of attacking groups, deflect any enemy attempt to curb the unfolding of attack,
and with the transition of our troops to advance, offer them full fire cover.
—M G P. G. G,
YOU ONLY MEET RATS IN THE UNDERGROUND
rom 1926 to 1937, thirteen fortified regions were constructed along the western bor-
ders of the USSR. at chain of fortifications was unofficially known as “the Stalin
FLine.”
A fortified region (FR) was an area prepared for defense; at the same time, it was also a
military formation, equal to a regiment or a brigade in number but equal to a corps in fire-
power. Each FR had a command and staff, from two to eight machine-gun and artillery
battalions, an artillery regiment, several separate heavy artillery batteries, a tank battalion, a
communications battalion, an engineering-sapper battalion and other formations. Each FR
occupied an area from 100 to 180 km long and 30 to 50 km deep. e region was equipped
with a complex system of concrete and armored military and supply buildings, mostly subter-
ranean. Within the FR, there were underground concrete storage units, electricity stations,
hospitals, command centers, and communication quarters. e underground constructions
were connected through a sophisticated system of tunnels, galleries, and covered passageways.
ere was also an intricate web of railroads for bringing in materials, maneuvering armored
trains, and quickly transferring reserves to the troops. Each FR could independently conduct
military operations during a long period of time and in isolated conditions.
e fortified regions were built by the distinguished fortification expert of the twentieth
century, Professor Dmitryi Karbyshev. In 1940, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant gen-
eral of engineering troops. Simultaneously with the developments on the western frontiers,
Karbyshev’s projects also encompassed construction of fortified regions in the Far East and in
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