Lietuvos kariuomenės taktinė žvalgyba XX a. 4-ajame dešimtmetyje

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Collection:
Mokslo publikacijos / Scientific publications
Document Type:
Straipsnis / Article
Language:
Lietuvių kalba / Lithuanian
Title:
Lietuvos kariuomenės taktinė žvalgyba XX a. 4-ajame dešimtmetyje
Alternative Title:
Tactical intelligence in the Lithuanian Armed Forces in the 1930s
Authors:
Zaleckis, Egidijus
In the Journal:
Karo archyvas. 2024, 39, p. 211-259
Subject Category:
LT
Karybos istorija / History of war; 1918-1940. Lietuva tarpukario metais; Lietuva (Lithuania).
Summary / Abstract:

LTStraipsnyje pristatomi taktinės žvalgybos uždaviniai, jų formavimo ir vykdymo metodai, nagrinėjama, kaip sekėsi juos atlikti pratybose ir bendradarbiaujant skirtingoms pajėgoms, ir daugelis kitų susijusių su taktine žvalgyba klausimų. Aptariamas taktinės žvalgybos uždavinio planavimas - nuo dalinio štabe žinių rinkimo plano sudarymo iki įsakymo žvalgybą vykdančiam patruliui. Analizuojama, į kokius veiksnius tuo metu atsižvelgdavo vadai planuodami ir priimdami sprendimus siųsti žvalgus į žvalgybą. Nagrinėjant žvalgybos užduotis nuo pėstininkų iki aviacijos lygmens supažindinama, kaip ir kur kariuomenė naudojo taktinę žvalgybą, kaip žvalgyba galėjo pereiti į kautynes. Darbe remiamasi Lietuvos kariuomenės išlikusiais dokumentais, kuriuose pateikti manevrų vertinimai ir pastabos, atskleidžiančios, kokių problemų kildavo vykdant taktinę žvalgybą. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: Lietuvos kariuomenė XX a. 4-ajame dešimtmetyje, taktinės žvalgybos užduotys, taktinių žinių rinkimas, Lietuvos kariuomenės kavalerija, taktinė žvalgyba iš oro.

ENIntelligence is one of the most important elements of military planning. In Lithuanian historiography, there are numerous works related to Lithuanian interwar military intelligence. However, it is strategic intelligence, which was very strong at the time, that has received the most attention. On the battlefield, though, strategic intelligence could not provide fine details or important information in real time. For this, there was tactical intelligence. Tactical intelligence operated under battle conditions and directly on the ground. This type of intelligence was carried out before the battles, during the battles and after the battles – in other words, tactical intelligence had to be carried out continuously. The fact that tactical intelligence was carried out during the Lithuanian Freedom Struggles is confirmed by historiographical sources about these battles. In this period, intelligence was still developing and was partly improvised. Little is known about what kind of tactical intelligence there was in the Lithuanian Armed Forces after the interwar period. Since the Lithuanian Armed Forces never fought again after the Freedom Struggles, we cannot assess how intelligence would have worked on the battlefield. Therefore, we can only assess what it was like in peacetime exercises. For this, the last decade of independence was chosen. This was chosen because, according to all rules, this is when the army should have reached the highest level of warfare and modernisation since the Freedom Struggles. Furthermore, the Lithuanian Armed Forces introduced a new tactic of delaying actions in the 1930s. All this should have been reflected in tactical intelligence as well. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to disclose what tactical intelligence there really was by touching on the formation of intelligence missions as well as intelligence tasks and their execution, and how all that fared in field manoeuvres.Since tactical intelligence was carried out by a range of units, from infantry to military aviation squadrons, this article will cover different types of weapons. The surviving documentation of military exercises provides an opportunity to analyse and assess how tactical intelligence planning was conducted in the headquarters and on the ground. The documentation reveals that the preparation of an intelligence mission was well thought out. It had a detailed plan that was followed to set priority missions for reconnaissance units. After receiving an intelligence mission, the commander of the reconnaissance unit had to put together a plan on how to implement it in on the ground. The surviving written exercises for the officers during the winter, which were no different in structure from practical exercises on the ground, say a lot about what the planning was like and how successful the commanders were in carrying it out. Planning at various levels reflected time, of which the lowest level usually had the least. Experienced commanders were able to minimise this problem, but the problem of time always remained. Cavalry and aviation, which were primarily responsible for tactical intelligence in the Lithuanian Armed Forces during the interwar period, receive the most attention in this work. However, the latter could not cover the entire need for intelligence. For this reason, tactical intelligence was also carried out by other types of weapons, which used various ways and methods for gathering information. Some types of weapons carried out specific tactical intelligence that no other type carried out. Educational periodicals have revealed a lot about the various ways, methods and specifics. Archival documents showed why and when intelligence changed to combat actions, and how this was related to combat tactics/broad sectors of delaying.Reviews of manoeuvre evaluators found in archives are presented in this work and contain observations from exercises and the actions of evaluative manoeuvres during the years of peace. The observations allow us to understand how prepared tactical intelligence personnel were. This reveals whether the soldiers were prepared properly during the training period and how skilled intelligence personnel commanders were in planning and carrying out intelligence missions. These observations reveal what grasp the command had of the actions on the ground, and what the most common mistakes were among soldiers, commanders or even staff officers. Some of the observations presented reveal that intelligence cooperation between certain types of weapons still needed considerable training, but was particularly smooth between other parts of the army.

DOI:
10.47459/ka.2024.39.4
ISSN:
1392-6489; 2424-6123
Subject:
Istorija / History
Related Publications:
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https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/115168
Updated:
2025-05-19 21:55:32
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