them. In contrast to the offensive Soviet tank desant tactics of World War II, these were soldiers who wanted to be able to move from their vehicles quickly in case of ambush (which often turned their transports into death traps). Fearing land mines and rocket-propelled grenades widely used by guerrillas, these soldiers refused to stay inside the personnel carriers—contravening normal standing orders for several reasons: The infantrymen on the outside represented more eyes and rifles at the ready to locate and fire upon a small force or single ambusher. Explosive concussion inside the personnel compartment, caused by a rocket-propelled grenade or land mine hitting the armour, was said to be more dangerous than enemy fire on the personnel mounted outside. Many of these soldiers wore body armor, which reduced their fear of small-arms fire. Spall liners have only recently become common. Wounded soldiers trapped inside were very unlikely to be extracted safely until after the battle, especially if the vehicle was on fire. Soviet soldiers also adopted the tactic of riding the roofs of their BTRs (armoured personnel carriers), BMP-1s, BMD-1s, and, more rarely, tanks. During the Second Chechen War and other local conflicts of the post-Soviet era, the units of the Russian military and law enforcement acquired the tactic, making it a routine. However, riding outside the vehicles is still prohibited by Russian military doctrine, so it is not used during training and maneuvers. Tank desant was employed in combat during hostilities between the Ukrainian Army and separatists in the 2015 Battle of Debaltseve. It was used in an attempt to quickly retreat from Debaltseve and the surrounding region, so as to avoid being encircled by separatist armies. Gallery See also Panzergrenadier Mechanized infantry and motorized infantry M113 APC in the Vietnam War BMP development Notes References Simpkin, Richard; Erickson, John. Deep battle: the brainchild of Marshal Tukhachevskii, Brasseys', London,1987 Zaloga, Steven J. (1999). Soviet Tank Operations in the Spanish Civil War, in Journal of Slavic Military Studies vol 12, no 3, September 1999. No.2, 1944 (Military Herald) = (dead Link) 404 - Компонент не найден External links Land warfare Maneuver tactics Infantry Tank tactics