CHAPTER 1: OPFOR Structure and Task Organization Principles

1-10 ANTITANK RESERVES TASK ORGANIZATION.

    Antitank reserves comprise units of AT artillery, often reinforced by other means, such as engineers, tank and/or mechanized infantry troops. They are directly subordinate to the combined arms commander, who uses them to reinforce AT defenses on important axes. They are a standard part of both operational and tactical formations down to brigade level. Almost invariably, these reserves work with engineer mobile obstacle detachments that create AT obstacles.

    In an army group, there may be one or more AT reserves based on an AT regiment or one or more brigades. The army forms its AT reserve from the AT regiment. At divisional level, the AT battalion fills this role. The addition of other elements depends on the mission and the assessment of the threat.

     a. Assets. OPFOR planners believe that AT fire plays a decisive role in repelling BLUFOR armor attacks. The OPFOR divides AT weapons into two categories: general and special.

         (1) General Weapons. General AT weapons systems include missiles, aircraft, tanks, and artillery. The purpose of these systems is to destroy a variety of battlefield targets. However, they may also deploy to fire against tanks and other armored vehicles. According to the OPFOR, any artillery-type weapon (over 20-millimeter) should have an AT capability. All conventional artillery up to 152-millimeter has good direct-fire AT capability and carries some armor-defeating ammunition. The 122-millimeter towed and SP howitzers and the 152-millimeter SP howitzer, which have a 360-degree traverse, are particularly effective in this role. Antitank forces often include direct-fire field artillery. Antiaircraft guns can also fire against ground targets.

    Guns and howitzers have the sights necessary for direct-fire engagements. Some weapons may reinforce the AT firepower of mechanized infantry strongpoints. However, should BLUFOR armor penetrate, the OPFOR may use artillery units. They can delay and disrupt the attackers and, thus, create favorable conditions for a counterattack and/or counterstrike into the BLUFOR's flank.

          (2) Special Weapons. Special AT weapons systems consist of antitank guided missiles (ATGMs), AT guns grenade launchers, and recoilless guns. The OPFOR designs these weapons to destroy tanks and their crews by direct fire. OPFOR antitank forces therefore have a mix of ATGMs and direct-fire weapons (guns and grenade launchers) which serve to compliment each system type’s capabilities.

     b. Organization. Because neither army group, army, nor corps has a fixed organizational structure, the AT units at these levels also vary. An army or corps might have an AT regiment. While mechanized infantry divisions an organic AT battalion there are no AT guns in tank brigades or at tank division level.

     c. Missions. The importance of the AT reserve continues to grow, partly because many armies today are almost totally mechanized; therefore, defense must first and foremost be antitank in nature. It is also partly a function of the growing trend for the defense to occupy broader frontages in order to achieve protection against NBC attack through dispersal. Gaps now routinely exist in the deployment of defending units and formations. These trends have increased the importance of the AT reserve in ensuring stability in defense and in maintaining the momentum of an offensive in the face of counterattack.

      d. Deployment. For planning purposes, AT units can be assigned the following sector widths:

• A division AT battalion, from 3.5 to 5 kilometers.

• An army AT regiment, from 8 to 10 kilometers.

• An army group AT regiment, from 20 to 25 kilometers.

    Where the commander holds a reserve, and how far from the line of contact (or head of tactical march column), depends on the operational or tactical situation. As a generalization the AT reserve deploys between the first and second echelon. Both in the offense and defense it is usual to designate two, three, or even more alternate lines of commitment on each axis depending on the assessment of likely BLUFOR actions. In the defense, the OPFOR places great stress on the surprise use of AT reserves.