Stalin's Ocean-going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programmes, 1935-1953

STALIN’S OCEAN-GOING FLEET Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programmes 1935-1953......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
List of Plates......Page 10
List of Drawings......Page 11
Foreword by David M. Glantz......Page 12
Series Editor’s Preface......Page 14
List of Abbreviations......Page 16
1. Introduction......Page 18
2. Historiography on the Soviet Navy......Page 21
Condition of the Soviet Navy after the Civil War......Page 23
Personnel......Page 24
First Plans for a Reconstitution of the Navy......Page 25
The RKKF and International and National Politics......Page 26
Changes in the Personnel Situation......Page 28
Strategic Considerations......Page 29
Manoeuvres......Page 30
The Restoration of Ships......Page 31
Stalin on his Way to Dictatorship......Page 36
New Discussions about Strategy......Page 37
Tanks or Batdeships? What Fleet Do We Need?......Page 41
The First Five-Year Plan (1928-32)......Page 44
The ‘Small War at Sea’ Theory......Page 46
First Repressions of Leaders and Engineers Accused of Sabotage......Page 47
Foreign Aid from Germany......Page 49
Foreign Aid from Italy......Page 51
Shipbuilding in the First Five-Year Plan......Page 52
International Politics and Strategy......Page 58
Shipbuilding and the Forced Industrialization Programme......Page 59
Strategy and Shipbuilding Plans......Page 60
Foreign Aid during the Second Five-Year Plan......Page 62
Medium Submarines......Page 63
Big Submarines......Page 65
Cruisers......Page 74
Destroyer Leaders and Destroyers......Page 76
Motor Torpedo Boats and Other Small Vessels......Page 78
Reasons for Delays during the Second Five-Year Plan......Page 79
Stalin’s Role......Page 83
International Situation......Page 84
A New International Naval Arms Race......Page 85
First Soviet Battleship Plans......Page 87
The Spanish Civil War......Page 89
The Great Purges against the Army and Navy......Page 94
The Strategic Considerations in 1935-36......Page 95
The Baltic Fleet......Page 97
The Northern Fleet......Page 98
The Battleship Building Plans of 1936-37......Page 99
Changes in Strategic Planning and New Purges......Page 102
New Leaders and a New Strategy in 1939......Page 104
The Pacific Fleet......Page 105
The Baltic Fleet......Page 106
The Black Sea Fleet......Page 108
The Northern Fleet......Page 109
The Shipbuilding Organization in the Third Five-Year Plan......Page 110
Foreign Aid in Shipbuilding in the Third Five-Year Plan......Page 113
New Surface Ships......Page 115
Submarines......Page 117
New Battleships and Battlecruisers......Page 119
Aircraft Carriers......Page 122
Light Cruisers......Page 123
Destroyer Leaders and Destroyers......Page 124
Smaller Surface Combatants......Page 125
Operations and Tactics Reconsidered......Page 127
Soviet Foreign Policy in Spring and Summer 1939......Page 135
The First Period of Soviet-German Co-operation 1939-40......Page 136
Changes in the Strategic Situation, Autumn 1939-Summer 1940......Page 139
Change from Co-operation to Confrontation, Autumn 1940......Page 141
New Changes in the Soviet Naval Strategy in 1940......Page 142
New Changes in the Shipbuilding Programme......Page 144
Conferences on Operations and Tactics in October and December 1940......Page 146
Hitler and the German Wehrmacht Prepare for ‘Barbarossa......Page 152
The Debate about a Preventive or a Pre-emptive Attack in the Historiography......Page 155
Soviet Preparations for War......Page 156
The Soviet Navy at the Start of the Great Patriotic War......Page 160
The German Attack......Page 169
Consequences for the Soviet Navy of the German Attack up to mid-1942......Page 178
Planning and Design Processes during the War: Surface Ships and Vessels......Page 181
Battleships and Battlecruisers......Page 183
Heavy and Light Cruisers......Page 184
Aircraft Carriers......Page 185
Destroyer Leaders and Destroyers......Page 186
Patrol Ships and Minesweepers......Page 187
Small Surface Combatants......Page 189
Big Submarines......Page 191
Medium Submarines......Page 192
Small Submarines......Page 193
Special and Midget Submarines......Page 194
Lend-Lease Deliveries of Naval Vessels......Page 195
Lend-Lease Ships for the Northern Fleet......Page 196
Lend-Lease Ships for the Pacific Fleet......Page 198
War Booty Ships up to the End of the War......Page 200
Black Sea Fleet......Page 201
Northern Fleet......Page 202
Baltic Fleet......Page 203
Black Sea Fleet......Page 204
Pacific Fleet......Page 205
First Plans for the New Navy......Page 211
Ships as Reparation......Page 212
Return of the Lend-Lease Ships......Page 217
The Ten-Year Programme of 1945 (1946-55)......Page 218
Experiences, Strategies and Industrial Capacities......Page 221
Reorganization of the High Command and Purges......Page 223
New Discussions about Strategy......Page 224
Completion of Ships from Pre-war Designs......Page 225
New Surface Ships......Page 226
Battleships......Page 227
Battlecruisers and Heavy Cruisers......Page 228
Light Cruisers......Page 230
Aircraft Carriers......Page 232
Destroyers......Page 234
Patrol Ships......Page 235
Minesweepers......Page 236
Submarines......Page 237
Medium Submarines......Page 238
Small Submarines......Page 239
New Technologies and Changes in the Programme......Page 242
Cruise Missiles and Rockets......Page 243
Politics and Strategy, 1951-56......Page 248
11. Why Did Stalin Build his Big Ocean-Going Fleet?......Page 254
Appendices:......Page 258
1. Warships and submarines of the former Imperial Navy, serving in the RKKF/VMF......Page 259
2. Warships of the RKKF/ VMF, laid down or ordered, 1926-45......Page 262
3. Submarines of the RKKF/ VMF, laid down or ordered, 1926-45......Page 276
4. Lend-Lease vessels in the VMF, 1941-53......Page 290
5. Soviet warships and submarines lost, 1939-45......Page 293
6. Warships and submarines, taken as war booty into the VMF, 1944-53......Page 301
7. Warships of the VMF, laid down or ordered, 1945-53......Page 309
8. Submarines of the VMF, laid down or ordered, 1945-53......Page 316
Note on Soviet and Russian Sources......Page 326
Bibliography......Page 332
Names......Page 348
Ships......Page 352
Projects......Page 364