Soviet Air Force Manpower

From OnAirpower.org

Soviet Air Force Manpower

[edit] Interwar Years

In 1924, the Red Army air forces had 8,300 men operating a total of 321 aircraft^[1]. The official table of organization created for 1924 projected total Red Army strength at 529,865 personnel, of which 10,246 (about 2% of the total) were allocated to the air forces^[2].

By 1928, the size of the Red Army was 617,000 (not counting an additional 1.8 million "territorial militia" with limited military training) and the size of the air forces had increased to 30,000 personnel (just under 5% of the total) operating a total of 1,200-1,400 aircraft^[3]

At the beginning of 1939, the Red Army Air Forces had a total of 203,600 personnel, which accounted for 10.4% of the total Red Army manpower^[4]

[edit] Sources

[edit] References

1. ↑ The Red Army 1918-1941: From Vanguard of World Revolution to US Ally by Earl F. Ziemke, pg. 149 (quoting Soviet Military Aviation 1917-1941)
2. ↑ The Red Army 1918-1941: From Vanguard of World Revolution to US Ally, pg. 151
3. ↑ The Red Army 1918-1941: From Vanguard of World Revolution to US Ally, pgs. 156-7
4. ↑ 1941: Bitter Lessons, pg. 28