Russian 181st Rifle Division
May 4th, 1938
After seven days of frantic exchange between the two armies, it seemed the inevitable resolution of the Russian thrust into Riga was at hand. While the T-26 battalions fared poorly in the urban conditions, the squadrons of BT-7s brought in to reinforce the infantry attacks managed to gain significant penetration inside the city. The arrival of several Russian Warships from the Baltic Sea fleet ended any hope for a successful stand against the superior Russian force for the Latvian and Estonian forces. Shelling of the city began on the 10th of April, while Russian tanks closed in on the metropolitan heart of the city. Several sorties undertaken by the battered Latvians nearly forced the Russians from the city again, but it appears the Ministry of War had numerous contingencies in mind.
Above: A Russian T-26 tank destroyed in a skirmish northeast of Riga by Estonian troops.
The ill-advised use of commissars instead of trained officers, the use of tank brigades formed entirely of T-26 light tanks with separate BT-7 brigades operating kilometers away from their Divisions--it was clear that there was something else afoot than simple strategic mismanagement. "Case Blue" was not simply the invasion of the Baltic states, but a complete strategic reevaluation of the combat effectiveness of the Russian forces. The hope was that the White Rifle divisions, supported by enough trucks and fast-moving tanks, could sweep through both nations before the military could mount a defense--the timetable was two to three weeks for Estonia, three to four for Latvia.
The aging T-26 light tank failed spectacularly in all areas required to meet the needs for combat effectiveness, aside for mobility. The T-26 easily maintained the pace with what few divisions were mechanized, who quickly outpaced their supply lines. This resulted in a frequent encirclement of the mechanized divisions, who would have to fight their way back to the lines. In Estonia the T-26's were sufficient to battle back to the lines, where in Latvia the mechanized divisions were cut piecemeal.
The T-28 tanks introduced in small, separate battalions fared considerably better. With no effective weapons to pierce the armor of the T-28s, the force spearheaded a breakthrough in the Latvian defensive line and collapsed a significant section of the city's outer defense, causing the suburbs of Riga, already turned to rubble from shelling, to fall to White troops. The additional BT-7 tanks gained considerable ground within the city once the initial breakthrough occurred, cutting off Latvian and Estonian units before they could fall back to the inner defensive line. The rest of the city was estimated to be days from surrender.
This "exercise", as it was being deemed by the Ministry of War, showed several major flaws in the Russian armored warfare capabilities: their tanks were outclassed significantly and faced mechanical problems that were near insurmountable in their current form, while their mechanized capabilities were nearly non-existent. To combat this, the "Case Blue Agenda" was established by high-ranking members of the Russian military. The Agenda called for greater production of trucks, armored cars and half-tracks capable of transporting the Russian infantry to keep pace with fast-moving tank brigades. In addition to this, the T-26 was to be relegated to reserve duties, and used instead as a light-armored fighting vehicle instead of its role as a tank. The T-28 tank, while facing significant technical difficulties, was to be modernized and to enter full-scale production, with 2,000 additional orders to be fulfilled.