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Soviet Naval Actions During WWII

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Old Hermit (U2900766) on Tuesday, 14th April 2009

  Just posing a question on the Soviet Navy during the Second World War. There doesn't appear to be a great deal of awareness about it and I was wondering what the Soviet Navy did during the Second World War. I know at the end of the war the Soviet Navy had the largest submarine fleet in the world but during the war I know very little of its actions.
  
  Did it help greatly in the Artic Convoys?
  
  Did it ever engage the Japanese Navy or had it not exorcised the ghosts of the 1906 Russo-Japanese War?
  
  What role did its surface forces play?

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Palaisglide (U3102587) on Tuesday, 14th April 2009

  Russia and Japan were not at war until 1945 when Russia attacked Manchuria and Korea.
  The reason the Russians could send so many troops from the East to stem the German attack was because of a non aggression pact between Russia and Japan.
  The attack on Manchuria was at a time when Russia was trying to influence the peace with Japan and the Allied forces.
  Stalin had also signed a pact with the West to attack Japan as soon as the war in Europe ended but for his own ends.
  Frank.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by Grand Falcon Railroad (U3267675) on Tuesday, 14th April 2009

  infamously submarine I-26 commanded by AI Marensco sank Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea in 1945 - it cost about 5000 lives. Another Sub sank another "Strength Thru Joy" liner in Jan 1945 and cost another 7k lives - but apart from that I'm not really sure what they did.

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• Message 4

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  Posted by tucuxii (U13714114) on Tuesday, 14th April 2009

  The Baltic Fleet was blockaded in Leningrad and acted as a fixed gun battery.
  
  The Black Sea Fleet defended, supplied and evacuated soviet ports.
  
  The Northern Fleet helped escort artic convoys.
  
  Large numbers of Russian sailors and naval guns were transfered to the eastern frony to fight alongside the Red Army.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by MattJ18 (U13798409) on Tuesday, 14th April 2009

  Old Hermit - do you have the statistics available about the number and tonnage of the Russian submarine fleet in 1945 compared to the rest of the world's navies? Sorry to be a cynic, but I can't believe that it would have been bigger than the USA's. Or Britain's. Or even Germany's! Surely they didn't plough resources in to their naval fleets when they were fighting the greatest land war ever seen?
  
  

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by George1507 (U2607963) on Tuesday, 14th April 2009

  Try googling 'Wilhelm Gustloff' or 'sinking of the Goya'.
  
  As usual, it's another part of WWII that has just entirely escaped the West.
  
  And we complain about Americans hijacking the capture of the Enigma.

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• Message 7

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  Posted by Parti-NG-ton Blue (U13898629) on Tuesday, 14th April 2009

  There was a program on Military History last week on this I believe.
  
  Only caught the last 10 minutes though. Waiting to catch it again.

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by Steelers708 (U1831340) on Tuesday, 14th April 2009

  I've no idea of tonnage but as of VJ Day the Soviet Navy comprised 530 warships and 1,700 minor vessels of which 88 and 1,000 respectively had been built in home shipyards during the war, whilst 166 and 340 respectively had been supplied under Lend-Lease. Most of the Russian ships were either obsolescent or worn out at the end of the war.
  
  As far as I can tell the Soviets had 163 submarines at the end of the war, they lost at least 98 during the war.

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• Message 9

  , in reply to message 8.

  Posted by Nik (U1777139) on Wednesday, 15th April 2009

  Aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff were listed 5500 people (including 1000 crew - that was a luxurious cruise ship) but as the ship was desperately overload by fleeing Germans in panick, is it more than certain that these passed 7,000 people and there are valid suspicisions based on German reports that they were around 9,500 (a view gaining ground nowadays) as the ship was full of people, everwhere from the emptied piscines to corridors and alleys and balconies. In any case it becomes the worst known maritime catastrophe!
  
  What is even more weird is that is that Marineso went on to sink another ship having on board another 3,000 people hence this crazy submarine captain had managed to press the button and kill 12,000 in a single day provoking the worst catastrophes in maritime history? I like his name - sounds a bit Romanian (I think he was from Ukraine but from Romanian border side) and implies he was possibly from a family of maritime tradition! Nice!

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• Message 10

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by Vizzer aka U_numbers (U2011621) on Wednesday, 15th April 2009

  The Baltic Fleet was blockaded in Leningrad and acted as a fixed gun battery.
  
  The Black Sea Fleet defended, supplied and evacuated soviet ports.
  
  The Northern Fleet helped escort artic convoys.
  
  Large numbers of Russian sailors and naval guns were transfered to the eastern frony to fight alongside the Red Army.Β 
  
  Also - the Caspian Sea Fleet launched amphibious landings at Bandar-e-Anzali during the UK-Soviet invasion of Iran in August 1941.

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• Message 11

  , in reply to message 10.

  Posted by Grand Falcon Railroad (U3267675) on Wednesday, 15th April 2009

  Marinesco was also apparently a stunning drunk and didn't receive a pension until many years later along with his Red Banner for the attack as the NKVD investigated him as no believed he sank the Gustloff alone.

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• Message 12

  , in reply to message 11.

  Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Wednesday, 15th April 2009

  There is a book called Janes fighting Ships of World War 11 that lists the whole of the Russian fleet. I picked up a copy at one of those End of Lines book shops, but I should imagine you should be able to buy one on line.
  
  G F

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