60 
and technological feasibility to build them was clearly present in the 
mid-1950’s, but it required 7 to 8 years before the first group of 
those ships and the aircraft for them could be developed, built, and 
initial operation experience acquired. 
NAVAL AVIATION 
The birth of Russian naval aviation dates back to the year 1912, 
when the first seaplanes arrived in the Black Sea Fleet. Up to 1914, 
the naval aviation units were equipped primarily with foreign-built 
seaplanes. During World War I most of the aircraft were Russian 
built. Of special note, is the “Il’ya Moromets” designed by I. Sikorskiy, 
who after the Revolution left Russia and continued his work in the 
United States. “Ilya Moromets,”’ the first multi-engined aircraft, was 
particularly well suited to meet the requirements of naval reconnais- 
sance. In 1915, the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets acquired aircraft 
carriers. Since the Revolution, the Soviet Navy has always had in- 
tegrated naval aviation. When the war started in June, 1941, the 
Soviet Navy had 2,581 aircraft distributed among its four fleets of 
which 10 percent were torpedo carriers; 14 percent, bombers; 45 
percent, fighters; 25 percent, reconnaissance; and 6 percent miscel- 
laneous. During the war, the naval aviation received considerable 
number of fighter aircraft and bombers. * 
The post-World War II period witnessed the steady growth of naval 
aviation. But this growth up to 1955 followed the familiar prewar 
and wartime pattern, exclusively land-based aircraft with heavy empha- 
sis upon fighters and the virtual absence (with the exception of a 
few TU-4’s) of long-range aircraft. In addition to various types of 
MIG’s, IL—28’s in light bomber, torpedo carrier, and reconnaissance 
versions were delivered. In 1955, the first regiments of TU-16 Badger 
medium-range bombers were transferred to the navy from long-range 
aviation. 
SHORE DEFENSE FORCES AND NAVAL INFANTRY 
The Russian Navy and later the Soviet Navy have traditionally had 
sizable and well-organized shore defense forces. The major element 
of this force was represented by gunnery units deployed along the 
extensive Soviet shoreline with heavier concentrations around naval 
bases. Some areas, particularly the approaches to Leningrad, 
Vladivostok, and Sevastopol, had been protected by the system of 
forts with heavy caliber long-range guns since long before the Revolu- 
tion. The Soviet Navy, while improving the hardware, changed little 
up to the late 1950’s, when the gradual introduction of shore-based 
fixed and mobile surface-to-surface missiles started. 
The naval infantry has a long history interrupted by certain periods 
when it was either reduced in importance or even deactivated in 
the Russian or Soviet Navy. It was born in 1705 when, on the order 
of Peter the Great on 16 November, the first naval infantry regiment 
was formed.* At the time of Peter’s death in 1725, there were 50,000 
troops of naval infantry in the Baltic. During the reigns of Peter’s 
successors the strength and importance of naval infantry fluctuated. 
However, it was extensively and quite often successfully used in nu- 
merous wars, particularly against Turkey in the Mediterranean. 
47““Morskoy Sbornik’’, No. 8, 1971, pp. 18-23. 
4*Kh. Kamalov and others, ““Morskaya Pekhota” (naval infantry), military P. H. Moscow, 1957, p. 
de 
