2nd Shock Army
Encyclopedia
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 depth to permit the commitment of mobile formations for deeper exploitation. However, as the war went on, Shock Armies lost this specific role and reverted, in general, to ordinary frontline formations.
in December 1941 and initially consisted of the 327th Rifle Division and eight separate rifle brigades. During the Lubanskaya Offensive, in which the 2nd infiltrated the Germans, were cut off from reinforcement and was not permitted to retreat. When the order for retreat finally came in, the 2nd was literally destroyed trying to escape. This happened again, during the Siniavino operation in which the 2nd Shock Army had to return back to the Front's HQ for resupply and manpower.
By 1944, the 2nd Shock Army consisted of five rifle divisions (11th, 43rd, 90th, 131st, and 196th) along with 600 artillery pieces, a tank brigade, another tank regiment, two SPG regiments, and masses of ammunition and supplies. which was used during the Battle of Narva
.
After the end of the war, until January 1946 2nd Shock remained in the northeast of Germany (with HQ at Schwerin), after which in full strength it was returned to the USSR, where its HQ was reorganized as HQ Arkhangel'sk Military District. It comprised 3 rifle corps by this time (9 divisions). After 2nd Shock was re-designated HQ Arkhangelsk MD 116th Rifle Corps and its divisions, 109th Rifle Corps (101st Guards, 46th and 372nd) went to the North Caucasus Military District
, and 134th Rifle Corps (102nd Guards, the 90th and 272nd RD) - in the Voronezh Region.
In January 1942 the Volkhov Front commander, Meretskov, had to request the Army’s commander, General Lieutenant Sokolov, a former NKVD commissar, be relieved, as he was absolutely incompetent. Command was handed over to the former commander of 52nd Army, General Lieutenant Klykov. Later that same month it was launched against Lyuban
, but its offensive saw the Army isolated, under a new commander, General Lieutenant A. A. Vlasov
.
On January 7, 1942, Vlasov's army had spearheaded the Lyuban Offensive Operation
to break the Leningrad encirclement
. Planned as a combined operation between the Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts on a 30 km frontage, other armies of the Leningrad Front
(including the 54th) were supposed to participate at scheduled intervals in this operation. Crossing the Volkhov River
Vlasov's army was successful in breaking through the German 18th Army's lines and penetrated 70–74 km deep inside German rear area. The other armies (Volkhov Front's 4th, 52nd, and 59th Armies, 13th Cavalry Corps, and 4th and 6th Guards Rifle Corps), however, failed to provide the required support, and Vlasov's army became stranded. Permission to retreat was refused. With the counter-offensive in May 1942, the Second Shock Army was finally allowed to retreat, but by now, too weakened, it was virtually annihilated during the final breakout at Myasnoi Bor.
Vlasov was taken prisoner by the Wehrmacht troops on July 6, 1942. He later raised a legion of Russians
who fought alongside the German forces.
2nd Shock Army again suffered severe losses during the Siniavino operation from 19 August - 20 October 1942. Again, the army was returned to the Front reserves for rebuilding.
In January 1943 it took part in the offensive which aimed to raise the Siege of Leningrad
. The Stavka then intervened in Leningrad Front offensive planning during September 1943, changing the plan so that 2nd Shock Army would attack from the Oranienbaum bridgehead. The offensive, under a newly appointed commander, General I.I. Fedyuninskii
, begun on 14 January, took part in breaking the almost 900-day Siege of Leningrad, and pushed west
to the outskirts of Narva
, resulting in the Battle of Narva
.
The 2nd Shock Army struggled to take Narva and German positions further west of the city until September 1944, when deep exploitation by Soviet forces in the Baltic States
forced a German retreat through Estonia. As a result of the strategic Soviet victory in this region, the 2nd Shock Army was moved south and assigned to the 2nd Belorussian Front
. As part of the 2nd Belorussian Front, the 2nd Shock Army fought across Poland and northeastern Germany, with its route of march taking it north of Warsaw and Stettin. On May 1, 1945, the 2nd Shock Army took Stralsund
on the Baltic Coast, ending the war there and on the island of Rügen
.
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
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
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 depth to permit the commitment of mobile formations for deeper exploitation. However, as the war went on, Shock Armies lost this specific role and reverted, in general, to ordinary frontline formations.
Formation
The 2nd Shock Army was formed from the 26th Army within the Volkhov FrontVolkhov Front
The Front was reformed on the 9 June 1942 from the Volkhov Operational Group of the Leningrad Front and served until 15 February 1944, participating in the relief of the Siege of Leningrad and taking part in other operations including:-Campaigns:...
in December 1941 and initially consisted of the 327th Rifle Division and eight separate rifle brigades. During the Lubanskaya Offensive, in which the 2nd infiltrated the Germans, were cut off from reinforcement and was not permitted to retreat. When the order for retreat finally came in, the 2nd was literally destroyed trying to escape. This happened again, during the Siniavino operation in which the 2nd Shock Army had to return back to the Front's HQ for resupply and manpower.
By 1944, the 2nd Shock Army consisted of five rifle divisions (11th, 43rd, 90th, 131st, and 196th) along with 600 artillery pieces, a tank brigade, another tank regiment, two SPG regiments, and masses of ammunition and supplies. which was used during the Battle of Narva
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
.
After the end of the war, until January 1946 2nd Shock remained in the northeast of Germany (with HQ at Schwerin), after which in full strength it was returned to the USSR, where its HQ was reorganized as HQ Arkhangel'sk Military District. It comprised 3 rifle corps by this time (9 divisions). After 2nd Shock was re-designated HQ Arkhangelsk MD 116th Rifle Corps and its divisions, 109th Rifle Corps (101st Guards, 46th and 372nd) went to the North Caucasus Military District
North Caucasus Military District
The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....
, and 134th Rifle Corps (102nd Guards, the 90th and 272nd RD) - in the Voronezh Region.
Military History
Lyuban
Lyuban is a town in Tosnensky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Tigoda River southeast of St. Petersburg. Population: -History:...
, but its offensive saw the Army isolated, under a new commander, General Lieutenant A. A. Vlasov
Andrey Vlasov
Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov or Wlassow was a Russian Red Army general who collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early career:...
.
On January 7, 1942, Vlasov's army had spearheaded the Lyuban Offensive Operation
Lyuban Offensive Operation
Lyuban Operation was an offensive operation conducted by the Volkhov Front of the Red Army with the goal of relieving Leningrad. After German counterattack, Soviet 2nd Shock Army was cut off and surrounded. It was destroyed in June 1942 and its commander, the infamous Andrey Vlasov, was taken...
to break the Leningrad encirclement
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
. Planned as a combined operation between the Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts on a 30 km frontage, other armies of the Leningrad Front
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
(including the 54th) were supposed to participate at scheduled intervals in this operation. Crossing the Volkhov River
Volkhov River
Volkhov is a river in Novgorod Oblast and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia.-Geography:The Volkhov flows out of Lake Ilmen north into Lake Ladoga, the largest lake of Europe. It is the second largest tributary of Lake Ladoga. It is navigable over its whole length. Discharge is highly...
Vlasov's army was successful in breaking through the German 18th Army's lines and penetrated 70–74 km deep inside German rear area. The other armies (Volkhov Front's 4th, 52nd, and 59th Armies, 13th Cavalry Corps, and 4th and 6th Guards Rifle Corps), however, failed to provide the required support, and Vlasov's army became stranded. Permission to retreat was refused. With the counter-offensive in May 1942, the Second Shock Army was finally allowed to retreat, but by now, too weakened, it was virtually annihilated during the final breakout at Myasnoi Bor.
Vlasov was taken prisoner by the Wehrmacht troops on July 6, 1942. He later raised a legion of Russians
Russian Liberation Army
Russian Liberation Army was a group of predominantly Russian forces subordinated to the Nazi German high command during World War II....
who fought alongside the German forces.
In January 1943 it took part in the offensive which aimed to raise the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
. The Stavka then intervened in Leningrad Front offensive planning during September 1943, changing the plan so that 2nd Shock Army would attack from the Oranienbaum bridgehead. The offensive, under a newly appointed commander, General I.I. Fedyuninskii
Ivan Fedyuninsky
Ivan Ivanovich Fedyuninsky was a Soviet military leader and Hero of the Soviet Union .Fedyuninsky was born into a peasant family near Tugulym in the Urals. He finished the village school in 1913 and was apprenticed to a painter and decorator. He joined the Red Army in 1919...
, begun on 14 January, took part in breaking the almost 900-day Siege of Leningrad, and pushed west
Krasnoye Selo–Ropsha Offensive
The Krasnoye Selo – Ropsha Offensive, also known as Operation January Thunder and Neva-2 was a campaign between the Soviet Leningrad Front and the German 18th Army fought for the western approaches of Leningrad in 14–30 January 1944....
to the outskirts of Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
, resulting in the Battle of Narva
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
.
The 2nd Shock Army struggled to take Narva and German positions further west of the city until September 1944, when deep exploitation by Soviet forces in the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
forced a German retreat through Estonia. As a result of the strategic Soviet victory in this region, the 2nd Shock Army was moved south and assigned to the 2nd Belorussian Front
2nd Belorussian Front
The 2nd Belorussian Front was a military formation of Army group size of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
. As part of the 2nd Belorussian Front, the 2nd Shock Army fought across Poland and northeastern Germany, with its route of march taking it north of Warsaw and Stettin. On May 1, 1945, the 2nd Shock Army took Stralsund
Stralsund
- Main sights :* The Brick Gothic historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.* The heart of the old town is the Old Market Square , with the Gothic Town Hall . Behind the town hall stands the imposing Nikolaikirche , built in 1270-1360...
on the Baltic Coast, ending the war there and on the island of Rügen
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
.
Notable Commanders
- Lieutenant General Andrey VlasovAndrey VlasovAndrey Andreyevich Vlasov or Wlassow was a Russian Red Army general who collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early career:...
and later commander of the pro-Nazi Russian Liberation ArmyRussian Liberation ArmyRussian Liberation Army was a group of predominantly Russian forces subordinated to the Nazi German high command during World War II.... - General Ivan FedyuninskyIvan FedyuninskyIvan Ivanovich Fedyuninsky was a Soviet military leader and Hero of the Soviet Union .Fedyuninsky was born into a peasant family near Tugulym in the Urals. He finished the village school in 1913 and was apprenticed to a painter and decorator. He joined the Red Army in 1919...
commander during the Battle of NarvaBattle of Narva (1944)The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
Sources and references
- Keith E. Bonn, Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005
- Feskov, The Soviet Army in the Period of the Cold War, TomskTomskTomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, 2004