An amphibious assault operation can be both the landing of a reconnaissance group of four people ashore, and the landing of an entire army on a significant part of the coast. Regardless of the scale of the operation, they are among the most difficult tactical operations, as they require unusually intensive logistical support.

An amphibious assault operation can be both the landing of a reconnaissance group of four people ashore, and the landing of an entire army on a significant part of the coast. Regardless of the scale of the operation, they are among the most difficult tactical operations, as they require unusually intensive logistical support. Most offensive amphibious assault operations are divided into seven phases:

Planning and preparation;

Boarding and loading onto ships;

Movement to the landing site;

Preparatory operations before disembarkation;

Movement from transports to the drop-off point;

Landing;

Anchoring.

River patrols are most vulnerable to shore ambushes. In the picture, a special forces group is attacking a patrol in three boats, while other teams cover them from the rear and flank in case of an enemy attack.

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Planning is arguably the most difficult part of an operation, as it involves coordinating the actions of multiple branches of service in a single battle plan. All available intelligence about the facility must be analyzed. First, the choice of the landing site. It should be favorable for amphibious assault landing with open navigation in the water area in the landing area and the absence of unfavorable sea conditions, for example, very strong cross currents. There should be a relatively steep rise of the coastline (shallow water increases the risk of ships getting aground even before landing); the landing site must be large enough to accommodate all attacking forces and subsequent rear support units.

First of all, reconnaissance must determine all fortified points of the enemy and the location of weapons in any place of disembarkation, especially those types of weapons that can threaten the movement of ships in the landing area and amphibious forces when they move from transports to the coast. These positions are usually suppressed by aerial bombardment and shelling from the sea prior to landing.

Once the landing area has been selected and defined, the intense logistics planning work begins. The logistics of the amphibious assault operation are coordinated between the army, navy and air force. They agree among themselves that the assault units reach their destination with full logistical support, which will be retained for days and weeks after disembarkation. After the questions of the rear have been determined, it remains to set the time and day. Disembarkation times should usually coincide with good weather conditions conducive to vessel traffic and air support, and low enemy activity in the disembarkation area. Night landings are usually a big tactical surprise, but make the landing itself more unpredictable. Dawn and dusk are the most common times for a landing.

BOARDING AND LOADING ON SHIPS

Embarkation and loading consists of gathering people and equipment for the upcoming operation and loading them aboard ships, which will then deliver them to the landing site. It is very difficult to load everything on board before sailing. During the operations of the United States Marine Corps in Pacific during World War II, it was discovered that the order in which materials are loaded on board is of paramount importance to what happens afterwards. Ammunition and vehicles are always loaded last, because they will be needed first when disembarking. Drinking water has the same meaning. All equipment should be unpacked at the disembarkation bridgehead without cluttering up the area and making it beyond the control of the disembarkation point commandant.

MOVEMENT TO THE LANDING AREA

The period of transition to the landing site is a dangerous phase of the amphibious assault operation. Enemy naval and air forces typically attempt to intercept an amphibious assault force (DOS) before it reaches the initial attack line. The main danger in modern battles - anti-ship missiles and naval mines launched by enemy aircraft and ships, and the threat posed by submarines (although only a few states in the world have a highly developed submarine fleet). The airborne task force takes the least dangerous path. It remains on the high seas for as long as possible, keeping away from the coastline, which may contain reconnaissance equipment and, possibly, anti-ship weapons. The open sea also makes it possible to disperse forces with a considerable distance between ships in the event of an enemy attack.

Shore reconnaissance (before disembarkation). The duties of the soldiers include: measuring the steepness of the coast (A); drawing up a message about the nature of the surf (B); ensuring safety for the boat and the crew (C); inspecting, locating and photographing landmarks on the shore (D).

Most of the airborne task forces are well protected during the transition. Destroyers protect against enemy surface ships and submarines, while escort aircraft provide air cover. Combat ships dispersed among, as a rule, unarmed transport ships. The entire convoy is protected by long-range reconnaissance systems such as over-the-horizon radar and early warning aircraft (AWAC). If the DOS is spotted, it strikes back with a strong retaliatory strike, continuing to head towards the landing site.

Amphibious operations require thoughtful planning, and the weakening of enemy forces begins weeks before the start of the transition. As a result, most DOS should be able to make transitions without encountering opposition from the enemy. More dangerous is the post-landing period, when the enemy has more time to plan offensive strikes. Many of the British ships sunk by Argentine aircraft during the Falklands War were lost during this period.

PREPARATORY OPERATION BEFORE LANDING

Before the assault team takes over, the landing zone is prepared in order to give the landing the best chance of success. The most common form of preparation is suppression fire to destroy enemy positions. In preparation for the Allied landing in Normandy, Allied bombers dropped about 80,000 tons of bombs on key rear targets in Western France, destroying a network of automobile and railways that could have been used to reinforce German counterattacks. Directly on the day of the invasion, the Allied naval forces subjected enemy coastal positions to massive shelling of large-caliber shells and rocket fire. US Marines in operations in the Pacific also used massive fire to destroy enemy coastal positions. However, by itself, fire from ships at coastal targets has a limited tactical effect. Japanese forces on the island of Okinawa, for example, withdrew inland when the Americans launched preparatory shelling before landing in order to conserve their forces and meet the Americans in a more defended area.

Many other types of preparatory operations before disembarkation are also used. Misleading has great importance to distract the enemy from the actual landing site. Before landing in Incheon (Korea) in 1950, American combat divers left reconnaissance equipment in a place located outside the actual zone of the upcoming landing in order to mislead the enemy about the plans of the UN forces. Misleading can also be achieved by landing a diversionary assault force or by conducting an operation in any part of enemy territory. To attack enemy positions outside the landing zone, special forces can be used, for example, a large parachute assault landing in the depths of the territory can draw off enemy forces from the coast. Another pre-landing operation is psychological warfare against the defenders of the coast. Broadcasting and throwing morale leaflets can help reduce resistance on the coast.

Pre-disembarkation operations also include the removal of obstacles in the landing zone, usually underwater traps for amphibious ships (mines or metal beams designed to penetrate the hulls of ships), anti-personnel and anti-tank mines or traps for vehicles directly on the coast. Therefore, immediately before the operation, a covert assault must be landed to destroy the obstacles or, more usually, map them so that the landing units can avoid them.

MOVEMENT FROM SHIPS TO SHORE

At this stage of the operation, the assault team is transported from the main group of ships to the landing site. This is done on specially designed amphibious assault vehicles such as amphibious transporters or helicopters deployed on aircraft carriers. Departure begins from a specially designated assembly area located close to the coastline, movement from ships to the coast is covered by support fire. It should be noted that, especially in modern naval doctrine, the concept of transport to shore is often replaced by the concept of transport to site. In this case, the landed units move directly from the landing area to the object deep into the territory, without waiting for the concentration of rear assets on the coast. Movement transport - the target provides a fast pace of operation, but requires high degree self-sufficiency of the airborne troops.

Landing

The first task of the landing is to capture a bridgehead on the shore. Heavy fire is being fired at enemy positions, and the landing subunits begin a "fire and maneuver" movement in the landing zone. Fortified enemy positions are assaulted and destroyed individually, and coastal obstacles are cleared. Part of the landing zone is dedicated to reinforcements and logistics services, which provide security for the bridgehead and support the ongoing operation. The bridgehead expands and fills with additional units as enemy positions are captured. Meanwhile, aerial bombardment and long-range naval shelling of enemy positions located far beyond the landing zone is being conducted in order to prevent the strengthening of the enemy.

Once the foothold is secured, the amphibious units either advance towards targets located in the depths, or allow other units to take over the mission. The wounded are evacuated from the shore to hospital ships located near the shore.

ANCHORING

Anchoring is important element the overall success of the amphibious assault. Usually, after the landing, a large-scale

counterattack of the enemy, if he has the strength to do so. This is an attempt to destroy the bridgehead, damage the landing forces and prevent any further concentration of rear services. Therefore, logistics and reinforcements must arrive ashore as quickly as possible. For the organization of supply from the coast of the forward units, vehicles must also be unloaded. At the same time, the ships carrying out the landing must receive material and technical supplies from the supply ships to maintain the pace of the operation.

Effective maneuvering during anchoring leads to the fact that the foothold turns into a reliable operating base for troops advancing inland and the main starting point for moving inland.

Incheon landing

The amphibious assault at the port of Incheon (Korea) was carried out by UN forces in 1950 in order to launch an offensive 332 kilometers behind the front line. The operation was extremely difficult. In fact, only four days a month were suitable for this operation. On other days, the depth of the water inside the port, which was 9 m, was insufficient for the landing ships' draft, which was 8.8 m. Moreover, there was no coastal strip, and therefore the disembarkation had to take place right in the center of Incheon. The port entrance was so narrow that one sunken ship would have completely blocked the passage for everyone else. The main landing force arrived on 14 September. Air Force naval and attack aircraft, as well as heavy naval artillery, fired at enemy positions for almost two days, destroying the most effective defensive positions. The attack began at 6 hours 15 minutes on the morning of September 15. A battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment captured Volmi-do, a heavily defended island that dominated the bay. The losses were only 17 wounded. The attack against the port itself began in the early evening. The Marine Corps had only three hours at its disposal before the water subsided and left their landing craft aground. Navigation has also become a serious problem due to the smoke creeping from the bombed areas. The troops quickly disembarked and entered the city. By half past one in the night of September 16, the landing was completed and all the goals set were achieved. Due to the suddenness of the attack, only 20 out of 70,000 soldiers were killed.

K. McNab, W. Fowler / Modern Combat / Weapons and Tactics.

troops intended for landing from the sea or landing on the enemy's coast. According to the scale and goals, the MDs are distinguished: strategic, operational, tactical, and reconnaissance and sabotage. M. d. Are landed by the "shore-to-shore" method, when the landing force is transported on landing ships (see. landing craft off the coast of the enemy.

• - troops specially trained and landed or intended for landing on enemy territory for the purpose of conducting hostilities ...

  Dictionary of military terms

• - troops specially prepared for landing on the territory occupied by the enemy, or in certain areas on their territory, or disembarking on it for the purpose of conducting service-combat or military operations ...

  Frontier vocabulary

• - disembarkation ground forces transported by sea or by air, on enemy territory for military operations, as well as for protective and demonstrative purposes ...

  Marine vocabulary

• - this is the name of the composition of a certain part of the ship's crew, brought for independent action on the shore ...
• - This is the name of the composition of a certain part of the ship's crew, brought for independent action on the run ...

  Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron

• - troops specially trained for landing on the territory occupied by the enemy, or landed on it for the purpose of conducting hostilities ...
• - troops intended for disembarkation from the sea or landed on the enemy's coast. In terms of scale and goals, they distinguish M. d.: Strategic, operational, tactical and reconnaissance and sabotage ...

  Great Soviet Encyclopedia

• - troops specially trained to land on the territory occupied by the enemy, or landed on it for the purpose of conducting hostilities ...

  Big encyclopedic Dictionary

• -; pl. des / nty, R ....

  Spelling dictionary of the Russian language

• - male, French, military disembarkation; a visiting army brought by ships ...

  Explanatory dictionary Dahl

• - DESANT, -a, husband. 1. The landing of troops on enemy territory, as well as the general landing somewhere. high-speed paramilitary groups. To produce D. D. firefighters in the taiga. 2 ...

  Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

• - DESANT, landing, husband. ... 1. A detachment of troops landed from ships on enemy territory for military operations. 2. Military operation, consisting in the landing of troops ...

  Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

• - landing m. 1. The landing of troops on the territory of the enemy for the conduct of hostilities. 2. Troops specially trained for such a landing. 3. transfer. A group of people sent somewhere for any purpose ...

  Efremova's Explanatory Dictionary

• - ten "...

  Russian orthographic dictionary

• - landing "landing of troops", starting with Peter I; see Smirnov 102. From the French. descente "descent" ...

  Vasmer's etymological dictionary

• - DESANT a, m. Descente f. 1.military The landing of troops from ships on the territory of the enemy. Sl. 18. || A military operation involving the landing of troops. Ush. 1934. Troops land on enemy territory. BAS-2 ...

  Historical Dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

"Amphibious assault" in the books

Landing