“The primary mission of the Soviet Naval Infantry (Morskaya Pekhota) is to seize control of territory adjacent to important straits and other waterways. This can be accomplished by independent amphibious landings, by spearheading combined marine-army operations, or in combined operations with airborne troops. The secondary mission of Soviet marines is to defend captured coastal territory and naval bases.”[1]
The Team Yankee period Soviet Naval Infantry is composed of a single independent infantry division and four independent infantry brigades. The Pacific Fleet’s NI division is based in Vladivostok. The Baltic and Black Sea Fleets each have one brigade and the Northern Fleet has two independent brigades.
The Baltic Fleet’s 336th Naval Infantry Brigade along with the Polish 7th Sea Landing Brigade can be expected to lead the effort to secure the Denmark Straits. The Soviet 7th Guards Airborne Division and the Polish 6th Airborne Brigade would likely coordinate with amphibious operations.
Coming soon... Red Tide: Soviet Naval Infantry - Part 2 Companies, Platoons and Support
[1] The Soviet Navy: Landing Their Landing Force By Norman Polmar, Editor, Guide to the Soviet Navy, January 1987, Proceedings Vol. 113/1/1,007
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