§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated number of men and tanks in a Soviet armoured division in the group of Soviet forces in Germany in each year since 1955.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownOur estimates are:
Tank Division
Period 1955–68:
Just over 8,000 men, 320 tanks.Period 1968–76:
Building up to 10,000 men, 320 tanks.
§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated number of men and tanks in a Soviet motorised rifle/mechanised infantry division in the group of Soviet forces in Germany in each year since 1955.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownOur estimates are:
Motor Rifle/Mechanised Division
Period 1955–68:
Just over 10,000 men, 190 tanks.Period 1968–76:
Building up to 12,500 men, 260 tanks.
§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated ratio of combat to support troops in (a) a Soviet armoured division, (b) a motorised rifle/mechanised infantry division in the group of Soviet forces in Germany in each year since 1955.
699W
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThough the Soviet administrative system to support divisions is different from the Western practice, in general current Russian divisions do not differ to any great extent from their Western counterparts in the ratio of combatant to support troops.
§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the Soviet ground forces stationed in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, indicating how many divisions are armoured, in each year since 1955.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownOur estimates are as follows:
Period Number of Divisions (a) Poland 1955–63 1 mechanised, 1 tank 1964–76 2 tank (b) Hungary 1955–56 2 mechanised 1957–59 3 mechanised 1960 1 motor rifle, 2 mechanised 1961 1 motor rifle, 3 tank 1962–76 2 motor rifle, 2 tank (c) Czechoslovakia 1955–67 Nil 1968–76 3 motor rifle, 2 tank The mechanised divisions are considered to be equivalent to armoured divisions.
§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Soviet divisions are deployed in the western military districts of the USSR—European Russia—and, of these, how many are at full strength.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownOur estimates are that about 30 Soviet divisions are deployed in the Western military districts of the USSR. Of these it is estimated that about 20 are at full strength.
§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of Soviet divisions stationed in Eastern Europe in each of the years since 1955.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownOur estimates are as follows:
700W
Period No. of Divisions 1955–56 26 1957–58 28 1959–60 25 1961–67 26 1968–76 31
§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Soviet airborne divisions are at present either fully mobilised or capable of being mobilised rapidly and stationed west of the Urals.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownOur estimate is seven.
§ Mr. Maurice Macmillanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average number of (i) armoured and (ii) motorised rifle/mechanised infantry divisions in the group of Soviet forces in Germany in each year since 1955.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownOur estimates are as follows:
1955–57
- 4 rifle divisions
- 10 mechanised divisions
- 8 tank divisions
1958–76
- 10 motor rifle divisions
- 10 tank divisions