Soviet reconnaissance, artillery, and Air defence

[JDR Dragoon]

In FM-100-2-1 under the reconnaissance chapter, the manual mentions Reconnaissance Detachments, Reconnaissance groups and Separate Reconnaissance Patrols?

Apparently they are temporary tactical units, conducting reconnaissance (surprise? ) and ambushes, for either the regiment or the division they belong to.

The manual mention that the different units are of different sizes:

A Separate Reconnaissance Patrol is a reinforced MR platoon sized force.
A Reconnaissance group is a reinforced MR platoon or MR company sized force.
A Reconnaissance detachment is a reinforced MR company or MR battalion sized force.

These units are not dong reconnaisance per se. What they are doing is acting as an "Advance Guard" for the higher formation behind them (dansk: "Forspids"). They are meant to provide march security against any ambushes or act as an outpost in a defensive line (dansk: "Indledende Kamp"). They are there in order that the larger unit behind them does not become decisively engaged before the commander of that unit chooses to do so (dansk: "Kommandøren bevarer sin handlefrihed"). None of this is really relevant to DF85 since you can´t really task organize WAPA units and you enerally can´r break them down to company sized units either. At most you can send out a Tank Battalion as a "Reconnaissance Detachment" and let the rest of the regiment/division trail by a few hexes or you can reinforce your divisional reconnaisance with a battery of SP-ATGMs on BRDMs.