26th Army (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
The 26th Army was a field army
of the Soviet Union's Red Army
, active from 1941.
and Carpathian Mountains
in June 1941. The Army was located on the eastern bank of San river
manning the 8th Fortified District. The 26th Army commander was Lt.Gen. F.Ya. Kostenko who was a Ukrainian. Its opponent was the German Seventeenth Army under command of General von Stülpnagel.
The Germans attacked the junction between 6th Army
and 26th Army. On 23 June General Kirponos ordered 26th Army armour troops (8th Mechanized Corps) to move to Brody out of the command of Kostenko. Meanwhile German assault created a twenty-mile breach on 24 June. During the night from 26th to 27 June, 6th and 26th retreated from frontier fortifications. The 26th Army and 12th Army now held a line from Ostropol
to Bar
. On 10 July Kostenko's Army together with 6th Army and 12th Army became threatened by south eastern swing of Kleist's 1st Panzer Group, which could cut them off from Dnieper river. On 20 July two Rifle Corps of 26th Army attacked in northern direction towards the Dnieper. Only small part of the 26th Army with its commander reached the Dnieper. Most of its units were destroyed or captured by Germans. The 6th Army and 26th Army were split apart.
The 26th Army was quickly rebuilt by subsequent reinforcments and now defended the Dnieper river at Kaniev and Rzhishchev south-west of Kiev. 6th and 12th Army ended up in Uman
Pocket. 26th Army tried to relieve those armies and attacked in the Boguslav-Zwenigorodka direction. It didn't work. In September 26 Army itself became surrounded in the Kiev Pocket
. The Soviets tried to break out, 26th Army was supposed to attack on Lubny
. General Kostenko escaped from the encirclement with quite a large group of his soldiers.
26th Army was later reformed in October 1941, including elements of 1st Guards Special Rifle Corps
and other formations, only to be destroyed in battle again. Remnants went to 50th Army of the Bryansk Front
and the command staff was disbanded. The army was reformed for a third time in November 1941 in the Volga Military District. It was only active for less than two months before being reorganised as 2nd Shock Army
. The army was reformed for the fourth time within the Karelian Front
in March–April 1942. (Keith E. Bonn, Slaughterhouse, Aberjona Press, 2005, p. 318) Its commander in 1943-1945 was major-general (later lietenant-general) Lev Skvirsky
.
Headquarters: Borislav
Subordinate Units:
Infantry:
8th Rifle Corps:
99th Rifle Division
173rd Rifle Division
72nd Mountain Rifle Division
8th Fortified District
Artillery:
2nd Anti-Tank Brigade
233rd Corps Artillery Regiment
236th Corps Artillery Regiment
28th Independent Anti-Aircraft Squadron
Armour Troops:
8th Mechanized Corps
12th Tank Division
34th Tank Division
7th Mechanized Division
Engineer Troops:
17 Pontoon-Bridge Regiment
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
of the Soviet Union's Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, active from 1941.
Operational history
26th Army was a part of the Southwestern Front (Soviet Union) and defended the Soviet-German border between PrzemyślPrzemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
and Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
in June 1941. The Army was located on the eastern bank of San river
San River
The San is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, a tributary of the Vistula River, with a length of 433 km and a basin area of 16,861 km2...
manning the 8th Fortified District. The 26th Army commander was Lt.Gen. F.Ya. Kostenko who was a Ukrainian. Its opponent was the German Seventeenth Army under command of General von Stülpnagel.
The Germans attacked the junction between 6th Army
6th Army (Soviet Union)
The 6th Army was a field army of the Soviet Red Army formed four times during World War II and active with the Russian Ground Forces up until 1998...
and 26th Army. On 23 June General Kirponos ordered 26th Army armour troops (8th Mechanized Corps) to move to Brody out of the command of Kostenko. Meanwhile German assault created a twenty-mile breach on 24 June. During the night from 26th to 27 June, 6th and 26th retreated from frontier fortifications. The 26th Army and 12th Army now held a line from Ostropol
Ostropol
Ostropol , also known as Staryy Ostropil, is a small town on the Sluch River located in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast about 133 miles WSW of Kiev, Ukraine. It is located at latitude 49°48' N, longitude 27°34' E and is situated at an altitude of 742.5 feet...
to Bar
Bar, Ukraine
Bar is a city located on the Rov River in the Vinnytsia Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Barskyi Raion , and is part of the historic region of Podolia. The current estimated population is 17,200 .-History:The city was a small trade outpost named Row...
. On 10 July Kostenko's Army together with 6th Army and 12th Army became threatened by south eastern swing of Kleist's 1st Panzer Group, which could cut them off from Dnieper river. On 20 July two Rifle Corps of 26th Army attacked in northern direction towards the Dnieper. Only small part of the 26th Army with its commander reached the Dnieper. Most of its units were destroyed or captured by Germans. The 6th Army and 26th Army were split apart.
The 26th Army was quickly rebuilt by subsequent reinforcments and now defended the Dnieper river at Kaniev and Rzhishchev south-west of Kiev. 6th and 12th Army ended up in Uman
Uman
Uman is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. The city rests on the banks of the Umanka River at around , and serves as the self-governing administrative center of the Umanskyi Raion ....
Pocket. 26th Army tried to relieve those armies and attacked in the Boguslav-Zwenigorodka direction. It didn't work. In September 26 Army itself became surrounded in the Kiev Pocket
Battle of Kiev (1941)
The Battle of Kiev was the German name for the operation that resulted in a very large encirclement of Soviet troops in the vicinity of Kiev during World War II. It is considered the largest encirclement of troops in history. The operation ran from 23 August – 26 September 1941 as part of Operation...
. The Soviets tried to break out, 26th Army was supposed to attack on Lubny
Lubny
Lubny is a city in the Poltava Oblast of central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Lubensky Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
. General Kostenko escaped from the encirclement with quite a large group of his soldiers.
26th Army was later reformed in October 1941, including elements of 1st Guards Special Rifle Corps
1st Guards Special Rifle Corps
The 1st Guards Special Rifle Corps was a hastily formed Red Army blocking formation active briefly in 1941, during the German advance on Moscow....
and other formations, only to be destroyed in battle again. Remnants went to 50th Army of the Bryansk Front
Bryansk Front
The Bryansk Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War.General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first formed in mid-late August 1941, comprising, in Erickson's words, 'on paper two armies, 50th and 13th, with eight rifle divisions each, three...
and the command staff was disbanded. The army was reformed for a third time in November 1941 in the Volga Military District. It was only active for less than two months before being reorganised as 2nd Shock Army
2nd Shock Army
The 2nd Shock Army was a field army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This type of formation was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to overcome difficult defensive dispositions in order to create a tactical penetration of sufficient breadth and...
. The army was reformed for the fourth time within the Karelian Front
Karelian Front
The Karelian Front was a Front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, and operated in Karelia.- Wartime :...
in March–April 1942. (Keith E. Bonn, Slaughterhouse, Aberjona Press, 2005, p. 318) Its commander in 1943-1945 was major-general (later lietenant-general) Lev Skvirsky
Lev Skvirsky
Lev Solomonovich Skvirsky was a Soviet military leader and lieutenant-general. In World War II, Skvirsky was appointed chief of staff for the 14th Army in Karelia in 1940 and for the entire Karelian Front in 1941-1943...
.
26th Army organisation on 22 June 1941
Commander: Lieutenant General F.Ya. KostenkoHeadquarters: Borislav
Subordinate Units:
Infantry:
8th Rifle Corps:
99th Rifle Division
99th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 99th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army which fought in World War II...
173rd Rifle Division
72nd Mountain Rifle Division
8th Fortified District
Artillery:
2nd Anti-Tank Brigade
233rd Corps Artillery Regiment
236th Corps Artillery Regiment
28th Independent Anti-Aircraft Squadron
Armour Troops:
8th Mechanized Corps
12th Tank Division
34th Tank Division
7th Mechanized Division
Engineer Troops:
17 Pontoon-Bridge Regiment
See also
- Boevoi Sostav Sovietskoi Armii czast I juni-dekabr 1941 goda Moskva 1966
- http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schematische_Kriegsgliederung_der_Roten_Armee_am...
- http://docs.vif2.ru/