After occupying Bessarabia and Bukovina in 1940, the Soviet Union quickly organized monitors, armoured boats, transports, launches, shore batteries, naval infantry, antiaircraft troops, and fighter support on the Danube. The Romanian Navy was the main river opponent in 1941, and Romanian and Soviet accounts are described as portraying the forces as fairly evenly matched. As the Red Army withdrew, Soviet craft sustained bridgeheads and evacuated troops where possible. Built-up riverbanks and surrounding hills provided opportunities for surprise and small-unit fighting. The wider retreat eventually forced the flotilla's disbandment in November 1941.
Chapter · 48:34-54:18
The Soviet Danube Flotilla in the 1941 retreat
The Soviet Union rapidly formed a combined river force in 1940, then used it to support bridgeheads and withdrawals during the Axis advance.