3rd Shock Army (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
The 3rd Shock Army was a field army
of the Red Army
formed during the Second World War. The 'Shock' armies were created with the specific structure to engage and destroy significant enemy forces, and were reinforced with more armoured and artillery assets than other combined arms armies. Where necessary the Shock armies were reinforced with mechanised, tank and cavalry formations and units. During the Second World War some Shock armies included armoured train
s and air-sled equipped units.
in November 1941. Initially 60th Army comprised the 334th, 336th, 348th, 352nd, 358th, 360th RDs and the 11th Cavalry Division, and was tasked to fortify the left bank of the Volga River
from Unza to Kosmodemiansk.
60th Army was converted into 3rd Shock Army on 25 December 1941, under the command of General Lieutenant M.A. Puryakev. On January 1 1942 the Army was composed of the 23rd, 33rd and 257th Rifle Divisions, 20th, 27th, 31st, 42nd, 45th and 54th Independent Rifle Brigades, and a number of artillery and other units. The Shock Army was also singled out by having its own aviation units attached in view of its intended operational doctrine which included: 163rd fighter aviation regiment (Yak-1), 728th fighter aviation regiment (I-16), 128th short-range bombing regiment (Pe-2), 621st aviation regiment (R-5) and 663rd aviation regiment (Po-2). However by the beginning of April this was reduced to one light-bombing regiment (twelve Po-2) and three fighter regiments with twelve I-16s in total.
It was initially a part of the Moscow Defense Zone
in the Reserve of the Supreme High Commander (RVGK). However, 3rd Shock was soon allocated to join North-Western Front
(from 27 December 1941) as part of the Moscow counteroffensive. Matters were not improved by the lack of supplies, aggravated by horrible communications; the assault troops did not get a full meal before the offensive due to food shortages.
However after a few days the offensive – the Toropets-Kholm operation
– began to roll forward, with 3rd Shock approaching Kholm
, but it was getting dangerously separated from its neighbour, 4th Shock Army. By mid January, 3 Shock had surrounded Kholm and its forward units had cut the road between Kholm and Toropets. Kholm
itself was surrounded on 22 January (but never taken and relieved on 5 May). With some success in view, Stalin widened the operation's goals, and with a Stavka directive of 19 January directed 3rd Shock, as part of the wider operation, to head for Velikie Luki, and thence to Vitebsk, Orsha, and Smolensk. Two days later, 3rd Shock was shifted from North-Western Front to the Kalinin Front
. However the forces available were becoming dangerously thin for the enormous tasks Stalin was setting them. But the Army got no further than Velikie Luki (though not taking the town) in the face of stiffening German resistance and shortages of food, fuel, and ammunition. Velikie Luki was finally taken by Kalinin Front
on 17 January 1943.
The Army's next major effort was as part of the Nevel'-Gorodok offensive operation in October- November 1943. Nevel was taken at the start of the offensive on 6 October 1943. Kalinin Front had been renamed Baltic Front on 13 October 1943, and under Yeremenko, used two armies on the left flank, 43rd and 49th, to distract the Germans’ attention from his main blow, from 3rd and 4th Shock Armies against Third Panzer Army focused on the Nevel
area. This would see the Soviets astride the routes leading to the rear of Army Group North and cut vital rail links.
Following the Starorussa-Novorzhev offensive operation (February 1944), the Army's next attack was as part of 2nd Baltic Front's July 1944 offensive – the Rezhitsa-Dvina offensive operation. Kicking off on 10 July, 3 Shock Army had reached the Velikaya River by 12 July, captured the bridges despite the demolition charges laid on them, and gone on to outflank Idritsa. Idritsa was liberated that same day. Five days later the Army liberated Sebezh
after a deep outflanking movement. Rezhitsa (now Rēzekne
, Latvia) was taken on 26 July 1943, with the help of 10th Guards Army. 2nd Baltic Front was now facing central Latvia, and on 2 August 1944 the armies were on the march again, with 3rd Shock tasked to move south of Lake Lubań and on to south of Madon, but after the Soviet forces seized Krustpils, some heavy fighting followed with only limited success. 3rd Shock forced a passage over a tributary of the Dvina River, the Oger, on 19 August, but then had to fend off a strong German attack mounted by three divisions with air support. Slowly the Soviets moved toward Riga, but the emphasis was shifted south, and 2nd Baltic Front found itself playing a supporting role from early October as Bagramyan's First Baltic Front raced for the Baltic coastline itself to sever the remaining connection between the German forces in East Prussia and those in Latvia and Estonia. Riga fell on 13 October and the remaining German forces in the area were bottled up in the Courland area.
3rd Shock then took part in the blockade of the Courland pocket, and the first Soviet attacks started on 16 October. However by the end of October it was seen that despite some advances, there was little hope for full success, and the Army was shifted south. 3rd Shock became part of the 1st Belorussian Front
from 31 December 1943. The Army was placed in the second echelon for the Warsaw-Poznań' strategic offensive operation, attacking in the direction of Poznań under Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front
. It then took part in the Vistula-Oder Offensive
between 12.1.1945 – 3.2.1945.
As the Army moved quickly across Poland in March 1945, during the Eastern-Pomeranian strategic offensive operation
, it liberated a number of cities: Vangerin (now Vengozhino, Poland) and Labes (now Lobez, Poland)(together with the troops of the 1st Guards Tank Army) on 3 March, and Frayenvalde (now Khotsivel, Poland) and Regenvalde (now Resko, Poland) on 4 March 1945. The same day, in conjunction with the Polish 1st Army and the 1st Guards Tank Army
3rd Shock entered Dramburg (now Dravsko-Pomorske, Poland).
A day later, 3rd Shock entered Gyultsov (now Golchevo, Poland), and on 6 March: Kammin (now Kamen'-Pomorski, Poland). On 7 March, 3 Shock entered Shtepenitts (now Stepnitsa, Poland), and liberated Gollnov (now Golenyuv, Poland) together with troops of the 2nd Guards Tank Army
.
The Army was in the 2nd echelon of the 1st Belorussian Front
in the Battle of Berlin
.
In April 1945 the 3rd Shock Army (HQ Stendal) as part of the 1st Belorussian Front
had the following major component formations and units:
The Army took Pankow, a suburb of Berlin, on 23 April 1945. A week later, two regiments of the 150th Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps were responsible for erecting flags over the Reichstag on 30 April 1945, one of which was known as the "Victory Flag"
. A future commander of the Army, V.I. Varennikov, would also command the honour guard of the "Victory Flag". The curtain came down on the Army's war service when fighting ceased in Berlin on 8 May 1945.
. During the 1960s and early 1970s the Army's divisions were equipped with the T-62 and T-55 tanks.
During the late 1970s the divisions received T-64A, T-64B (one third of each battalion), and eventually T-64BV with dynamic armour. In 1984 a decision was made to re-equip the formations with T-80BV variants (10th Guards Tank Division), replacing the T-64s
BMP-1/2 and variants, and various BTR variants.
During 1989–91 a past commanding officer of the Army (1969) V.I. Varennikov
was the Commander in Chief of the Ground Forces
of the Soviet Union. The Army was relocated from Germany during 1990–1991 and dispersed throughout the former Soviet Union, with many units and sub-units disbanded or converted to training units and storage depots. Army headquarters was briefly sent to the Far East Military District but then disbanded.
Late in the Cold War the Army was unique in having four tank divisions as part of its formation. It was located in Magdeburg
, and its order of battle included:
Formation and units subordinate to Army
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 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...
formed during the Second World War. The 'Shock' armies were created with the specific structure to engage and destroy significant enemy forces, and were reinforced with more armoured and artillery assets than other combined arms armies. Where necessary the Shock armies were reinforced with mechanised, tank and cavalry formations and units. During the Second World War some Shock armies included armoured train
Armoured train
An armoured train is a train protected with armour. They are usually equipped with railroad cars armed with artillery and machine guns. They were mostly used during the late 19th and early 20th century, when they offered an innovative way to quickly move large amounts of firepower...
s and air-sled equipped units.
Campaign history
The Army was created from the 60th Army (1st formation), which had been formed in the Moscow Military DistrictMoscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
in November 1941. Initially 60th Army comprised the 334th, 336th, 348th, 352nd, 358th, 360th RDs and the 11th Cavalry Division, and was tasked to fortify the left bank of the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
from Unza to Kosmodemiansk.
60th Army was converted into 3rd Shock Army on 25 December 1941, under the command of General Lieutenant M.A. Puryakev. On January 1 1942 the Army was composed of the 23rd, 33rd and 257th Rifle Divisions, 20th, 27th, 31st, 42nd, 45th and 54th Independent Rifle Brigades, and a number of artillery and other units. The Shock Army was also singled out by having its own aviation units attached in view of its intended operational doctrine which included: 163rd fighter aviation regiment (Yak-1), 728th fighter aviation regiment (I-16), 128th short-range bombing regiment (Pe-2), 621st aviation regiment (R-5) and 663rd aviation regiment (Po-2). However by the beginning of April this was reduced to one light-bombing regiment (twelve Po-2) and three fighter regiments with twelve I-16s in total.
It was initially a part of the Moscow Defense Zone
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
in the Reserve of the Supreme High Commander (RVGK). However, 3rd Shock was soon allocated to join North-Western Front
North-Western Front
The Northwestern Front was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-created on June 22, 1941, the first day of the Soviet-German War on the basis of the Baltic Special Military...
(from 27 December 1941) as part of the Moscow counteroffensive. Matters were not improved by the lack of supplies, aggravated by horrible communications; the assault troops did not get a full meal before the offensive due to food shortages.
However after a few days the offensive – the Toropets-Kholm operation
Toropets-Kholm Operation
The Toropets–Kholm Offensive was a military operation conducted south of Lake Ilmen by the Red Army during World War II, from 9 January-6 February 1942. The operation contributed to the formation of the Kholm Pocket, the encirclement of the Wehrmachts II...
– began to roll forward, with 3rd Shock approaching Kholm
Kholm
Kholm is a town and the administrative center of Kholmsky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Lovat and Kunya Rivers, north of Toropets, southwest of Staraya Russa, and south of Veliky Novgorod. Population:...
, but it was getting dangerously separated from its neighbour, 4th Shock Army. By mid January, 3 Shock had surrounded Kholm and its forward units had cut the road between Kholm and Toropets. Kholm
Kholm
Kholm is a town and the administrative center of Kholmsky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Lovat and Kunya Rivers, north of Toropets, southwest of Staraya Russa, and south of Veliky Novgorod. Population:...
itself was surrounded on 22 January (but never taken and relieved on 5 May). With some success in view, Stalin widened the operation's goals, and with a Stavka directive of 19 January directed 3rd Shock, as part of the wider operation, to head for Velikie Luki, and thence to Vitebsk, Orsha, and Smolensk. Two days later, 3rd Shock was shifted from North-Western Front to the Kalinin Front
Kalinin Front
The Kalinin Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries.The Kalinin Front was...
. However the forces available were becoming dangerously thin for the enormous tasks Stalin was setting them. But the Army got no further than Velikie Luki (though not taking the town) in the face of stiffening German resistance and shortages of food, fuel, and ammunition. Velikie Luki was finally taken by Kalinin Front
Kalinin Front
The Kalinin Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries.The Kalinin Front was...
on 17 January 1943.
The Army's next major effort was as part of the Nevel'-Gorodok offensive operation in October- November 1943. Nevel was taken at the start of the offensive on 6 October 1943. Kalinin Front had been renamed Baltic Front on 13 October 1943, and under Yeremenko, used two armies on the left flank, 43rd and 49th, to distract the Germans’ attention from his main blow, from 3rd and 4th Shock Armies against Third Panzer Army focused on the Nevel
Nevel
Nevel is a town and the administrative center of Nevelsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on Lake Nevel southeast of Pskov. Population:...
area. This would see the Soviets astride the routes leading to the rear of Army Group North and cut vital rail links.
Following the Starorussa-Novorzhev offensive operation (February 1944), the Army's next attack was as part of 2nd Baltic Front's July 1944 offensive – the Rezhitsa-Dvina offensive operation. Kicking off on 10 July, 3 Shock Army had reached the Velikaya River by 12 July, captured the bridges despite the demolition charges laid on them, and gone on to outflank Idritsa. Idritsa was liberated that same day. Five days later the Army liberated Sebezh
Sebezh
Sebezh is a town and the administrative center of Sebezhsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in a picturesque setting between lakes Sebezhskoye and Orono south of Pskov. Population:...
after a deep outflanking movement. Rezhitsa (now Rēzekne
Rezekne
In the 19th century, the population of Rēzekne was 2/3 Jewish. As a result of the Pale of Settlement many Jews settled in Latgalia and were confined to the cities. The remainder of the population included Poles, Germans, Russians, and an extreme minority of native Latgalians...
, Latvia) was taken on 26 July 1943, with the help of 10th Guards Army. 2nd Baltic Front was now facing central Latvia, and on 2 August 1944 the armies were on the march again, with 3rd Shock tasked to move south of Lake Lubań and on to south of Madon, but after the Soviet forces seized Krustpils, some heavy fighting followed with only limited success. 3rd Shock forced a passage over a tributary of the Dvina River, the Oger, on 19 August, but then had to fend off a strong German attack mounted by three divisions with air support. Slowly the Soviets moved toward Riga, but the emphasis was shifted south, and 2nd Baltic Front found itself playing a supporting role from early October as Bagramyan's First Baltic Front raced for the Baltic coastline itself to sever the remaining connection between the German forces in East Prussia and those in Latvia and Estonia. Riga fell on 13 October and the remaining German forces in the area were bottled up in the Courland area.
3rd Shock then took part in the blockade of the Courland pocket, and the first Soviet attacks started on 16 October. However by the end of October it was seen that despite some advances, there was little hope for full success, and the Army was shifted south. 3rd Shock became part of the 1st Belorussian Front
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
from 31 December 1943. The Army was placed in the second echelon for the Warsaw-Poznań' strategic offensive operation, attacking in the direction of Poznań under Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
. It then took part in the Vistula-Oder Offensive
Vistula-Oder Offensive
The Vistula–Oder Offensive was a successful Red Army operation on the Eastern Front in the European Theatre of World War II; it took place between 12 January and 2 February 1945...
between 12.1.1945 – 3.2.1945.
As the Army moved quickly across Poland in March 1945, during the Eastern-Pomeranian strategic offensive operation
East Pomeranian Offensive
The East Pomeranian Strategic Offensive operation was an offensive by the Red Army in its fight against the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front...
, it liberated a number of cities: Vangerin (now Vengozhino, Poland) and Labes (now Lobez, Poland)(together with the troops of the 1st Guards Tank Army) on 3 March, and Frayenvalde (now Khotsivel, Poland) and Regenvalde (now Resko, Poland) on 4 March 1945. The same day, in conjunction with the Polish 1st Army and the 1st Guards Tank Army
Soviet 1st Guards Tank Army
The 1st Tank Army was a Soviet armoured formation that fought as part of the Red Army on the Eastern Front during World War II. The army was commanded throughout most of the war by Mikhail Katukov...
3rd Shock entered Dramburg (now Dravsko-Pomorske, Poland).
A day later, 3rd Shock entered Gyultsov (now Golchevo, Poland), and on 6 March: Kammin (now Kamen'-Pomorski, Poland). On 7 March, 3 Shock entered Shtepenitts (now Stepnitsa, Poland), and liberated Gollnov (now Golenyuv, Poland) together with troops of the 2nd Guards Tank Army
2nd Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The Second Tank Army of the Red Army was formed in January - February, 1943 on the basis of the 3rd Reserve Army of the Bryansk Front.Originally the Army comprised 11th and 16th Tank Corps, 60th, 112th and 194th Rifle Divisions, the 11th Guards Separate tank brigade, 115th Rifle Brigade, the 28th...
.
The Army was in the 2nd echelon of the 1st Belorussian Front
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
in the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
.
In April 1945 the 3rd Shock Army (HQ Stendal) as part of the 1st Belorussian Front
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
had the following major component formations and units:
- 7th Rifle Corps (146th, 265th, 364th Rifle Divisions)
- 9th Tank Corps9th Tank DivisionThe 9th Tank Division was a division of the Red Army that saw action briefly in 1941. It was formed in the Central Asian Military District in the summer of 1940. In April 1941 the Division joined the newly formed 27th Mechanised Corps...
(23rd, 95th, 108th tank and 8th motor-rifle brigades) - 12th Guards Rifle Corps (23rd Guards, 52nd Guards, 33rd Rifle Divisions)
- 79th Rifle Corps (150th, 171st, 207th Rifle Divisions)
- 1455th Independent self-propelled assault artillery regiment
- 1508th Independent self-propelled assault artillery regiment
The Army took Pankow, a suburb of Berlin, on 23 April 1945. A week later, two regiments of the 150th Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps were responsible for erecting flags over the Reichstag on 30 April 1945, one of which was known as the "Victory Flag"
Victory Banner
The Soviet Banner of Victory is the banner raised by the Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin, on April 30, 1945. It was raised by three Soviet soldiers: Alexei Berest, Mikhail Yegorov, and Meliton Kantaria, from Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia respectively.The Victory Banner, made...
. A future commander of the Army, V.I. Varennikov, would also command the honour guard of the "Victory Flag". The curtain came down on the Army's war service when fighting ceased in Berlin on 8 May 1945.
Campaigns and Operation participation
- Winter Campaign of 1941–42 (Russian: Зимняя кампания 1941/42 г.) (5 December 1941 – 30 April 1942)
- Toropets-Kholm OffensiveToropets-Kholm OperationThe Toropets–Kholm Offensive was a military operation conducted south of Lake Ilmen by the Red Army during World War II, from 9 January-6 February 1942. The operation contributed to the formation of the Kholm Pocket, the encirclement of the Wehrmachts II...
(9 January 1942 – 6 February 1942)- Summer-Autumn Campaign (Russian: Летне-осенняя кампания 1942 г.) (1 May – 18 November 1942)
- Winter Campaign of 1942–43 (Russian: Зимняя кампания 1942–1943 гг.) (19 November 1942 – 3 March 1943)
- Velikie Luki offensive (November 1942 – January 1943)
- Summer-Autumn Campaign of 1943 (Russian: Летне-осенняя кампания 1943 г.) (1 July – 31 December 1943)
- Nevel'-Gorodok offensive operation (October- November 1943)
- Winter-Spring Campaign (Russian: Зимне-весенняя кампания 1944 г.) (1 January – 31 May 1944)
- Starorussa-Novorzhev offensive operation (February 1944)
- Summer-Autumn Campaign of 1944 (Russian: Летне-осенняя кампания 1944 г.) (1 June – 31 December 1944)
- On 15 December 1944 army is returned to the reserve of the STAVKA.
- Rezhitsa-Dvinsk Offensive Operation (10 July 1944 – 27 July 1944)
- Madon Offensive Operation (1 August 1944 – 28 August 1944)
- Riga Offensive (1944)Riga Offensive (1944)The Riga Offensive The Riga Offensive The Riga Offensive (known in was part of the larger Baltic Offensive on the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place late in 1944, and drove German forces from the city of Riga.-Prelude:...
(14 September 1944 – 24 October 1944) - Kurland peninsula blockadeCourland PocketThe Courland Pocket referred to the Red Army's blockade or encirclement of Axis forces on the Courland peninsula during the closing months of World War II...
(from October 1944 – 8 May 1945)- Campaign in Europe during 1945 (Russian: Кампания в Европе 1945 г.) (1 January – 9 May 1945)
Notable service personnel
- 3rd highest ranking sniper, Guards senior sergent Michail Budenkov, sniper of 59th Guards Rifle Regiment (21st Guards rifle division, 3rd Shock Army, 2nd Baltic Front (437 confirmed).
- 11th highest ranking sniper, senior sergent Abuhadji Idrisov, 1232nd Rifle Regiment (370th Rifle Division, 3rd Shock Army, 2nd Baltic Front (349 confirmed).
Commanders
- General Lieutenant M.A. Purkaev (December 1941 – August 1942) Major General, since January 1943.
- General Lieutenant Kuzma GalitskyKuzma GalitskyKuzma Nikitovich Galitsky was a Soviet army general who earned the title Hero of the Soviet Union.-Biography:Kuzma Galitsky was born on October 24, 1897 in the city of Taganrog into a worker's family. He studied at the Taganrog Boys Gymnasium, which he graduated from in 1912, and worked at the...
(September 1942 – November 1943) - General Colonel N.E. Chibisov (November 1943 – April 1944)
- General Lieutenant V.A. Yushkevich (April – August 1944)
- General Lieutenant M.N. Gerasimov (August – October 1944)
- General Major N.P. Simonyak (October 1944 – March 1945)
- General Colonel V.I. KuznetsovVasily Kuznetsov (general)Vasily Ivanovich Kuznetsov was a Soviet General and a Hero of the Soviet Union.-Early life:...
(March 1945 – to the end of the war)
Leaders of the Military Council
- Brigade Commissioner A.P. Riazanov (December 1941 – February 1943)
- General Lieutenant P.K. Ponomarenko (February – March 1943)
- General Major A.I. Litvinov (March 1943 – to the end of the war)
Chiefs of staff
- General Major A.P. Pokrovskiy (December 1941 – February 1942)
- General Major M.N. Sharokhin (February – August 1942)
- General Major I.O. Yudintsev (August 1942 – March 1943)
- General Major M.M. Busarov (March May 1943)
- General Major F.A. Zuev (May October 1943)
- General Major V.L. Beylin (October 1943 – August 1944)
- General Major, from July 1945. General Lieutenant M.F. Bukshtynovich (August 1944 – to the end of the war).
Service in Germany
3rd Shock Army stayed in Germany after the end of the war, becoming part of the Group of Soviet Forces in GermanyGroup of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany , also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Western Group of Forces were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany....
. During the 1960s and early 1970s the Army's divisions were equipped with the T-62 and T-55 tanks.
During the late 1970s the divisions received T-64A, T-64B (one third of each battalion), and eventually T-64BV with dynamic armour. In 1984 a decision was made to re-equip the formations with T-80BV variants (10th Guards Tank Division), replacing the T-64s
BMP-1/2 and variants, and various BTR variants.
During 1989–91 a past commanding officer of the Army (1969) V.I. Varennikov
Valentin Varennikov
Valentin Ivanovich Varennikov was a Soviet/Russian general and politician, best known for being one of the planners and leaders of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, as well as one of the instigators of the Soviet coup attempt of 1991.-Early life:Valentin Varennikov was born to a poor Cossack family...
was the Commander in Chief of the Ground Forces
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...
of the Soviet Union. The Army was relocated from Germany during 1990–1991 and dispersed throughout the former Soviet Union, with many units and sub-units disbanded or converted to training units and storage depots. Army headquarters was briefly sent to the Far East Military District but then disbanded.
Cold War order of battle
For most of the 1970s and 1980s the Army was composed from the following major formations:- 10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank Division10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Tank DivisionThe 10th Guards Uralsko-Lvovskaya Volunteer Tank Division, also known at the Ural-Lvov Tank Division, is a tank division of the Russian Ground Forces and part of the Moscow Military District's 20th Army, under the command of Lt. General Andrey Tretyak. The division traces its heritage back to 1943,...
- 12th Guards Tank Division12th Guards Tank DivisionThe 12th Guards Uman, Orders of Lenin, Red Banner and Suvorov Tank Division was a tank division of the Soviet Ground Forces. It drew its history from the World War II 16th Tank Corps. It was redesignated successively as 12th Guards Tank Corps and 12th Guards Tank Division .The division was...
- 47th Guards Tank Division
- 207th Guards Motor Rifle Division
Late in the Cold War the Army was unique in having four tank divisions as part of its formation. It was located in Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, and its order of battle included:
- 7 Guards tank Kiev-Berlin division (Roßlau) (disbanded 1990)
- 55 Guards tank Vasilkovskiy regiment (Lutherstadt-Wittenberg)
- 56 Guards tank Vasilkov Shepetovsk regiment (Zerbst)
- 79 Guards tank Bobruiskiy regiment (Roßlau)
- 40 motor-rifle Berlin regiment (Bernburg)
- 670 Guards motorised artillery regiment (Cochstedt)
- 287 Guards antiaircraft-missile regiment (Roßlau)
- 4 Independent Reconnaissance Battalion (Quedlinburg-Quarmbeck)
- 146 (?) independent signal battalion (Roßlau?)
- 121 independent engineer battalion (Roßlau)
- (?) independent battalion of chemical protection (Roßlau?)
- 183 independent battalion of materiel supply (Roßlau)
- 58 independent is repair-restoration battalion (Roßlau)
- 89 independent medical-sanitary battalion (Dessau)
- 10 Guards tank Ural Volunteer division in the name of Marshal of Soviet Union R. A. Malinovsky (Altengrabow) (now at BogucharBogucharBoguchar is a town in Voronezh Oblast, Russia, located on the Boguchar River south of Voronezh. Population: Town status was granted to it in 1779....
in the Moscow Military DistrictMoscow Military DistrictThe Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
)- 61 Guards tank Sverdlovsk regiment (Altengrabow)
- 62 Guards tank Permian-Keletskiy regiment (Altengrabow)
- 63 Guards tank Chelyabinsk-Petrokovskiy regiment (Altengrabow)
- 248 Guards motor-rifle Unechskiy regiment (Schönebeck)
- 744 Guards motorised artillery Ternopol regiment (Altengrabow)
- 359 Guards anti-aircraft missile L'vov regiment (Altengrabow)
- 112 independent reconnaissance battalion (Khalershtadt) later Altengrabow
- 152 independent signal battalion (Altengrabow)
- 131 independent engineer battalion (Magdeburg)
- 127 independent battalion of chemical protection (Altengrabow)
- 1072 independent battalion of materiel supply (Altengrabow)
- 60 independent is repair-restoration battalion (Altengrabow)
- 188 independent medical-sanitary battalion (Altengrabow)
- 12 Guards Tank Uman Division (Neuruppin) (disbanded 1991)
- 48 Guards tank Vapnyarsko-Varshavsky regiment (Neuruppin)
- 332 Guards tank Warsaw red banner of order A. Nevsky regiment (Neuruppin)
- 353 Guards tank Vapnyarsko-Berlin regiment (Neuruppin)
- 200 Guards motor-rifle Fastov regiment (Burg)
- 117 self-propelled artillery regiment (Mahlwinkel)
- 933 antiaircraft-missile Upper Dnieper regiment (Burg)
- 18 independent Guards reconnaissance Demblin battalion (Mahlwinkel)
- 490 independent signal battalion (Neuruppin)
- 136 independent Guards Demblin engineer battalion (Neuruppin)
- (?) individual company of chemical protection (Neuruppin)
- 1074 independent battalion of materiel supply (Wulkow)
- 64 independent is repair-restoration battalion (Neuruppin)
- 208 independent medical-sanitary battalion (Neuruppin?)
- 47 Guards tank Lower-Dnepr division (Hillersleben)(withdrawn to Moscow Military DistrictMoscow Military DistrictThe Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
, amalgamated in the mid-1990s with the 31st Tank Division as the 3rd Motor Rifle Division3rd Motor Rifle DivisionThe Soviet Army's 3rd Rifle Division was an infantry division active from 1921 to 1946 and from 1955 to 1956. It was formed 5 June 1921 in the Ukraine Military District. It appears that Order No. № 724/284 created the division from the 3rd and 46th Separate Rifle Brigades. At the beginning of...
)- 26 tank Feodosiya regiment (Hillersleben)
- 153 tank Smolensk Red Banner Order of Kutuzov regiment (Hillersleben)
- 197 Guards tank Vapnyar-Warsaw regiment (Halberstadt)
- 245 Guards motor-rifle Gneznenskiy Red Banner, Order of Suvorov regiment (Mahlwinkel)
- 99 Guards motorised artillery Pomeranian regiment (Mahlwinkel)
- 1009 antiaircraft-missile Order of Red Star regiment (Hillersleben)
- 7 independent reconnaissance battalion (Hillersleben later Burg)
- 73 independent signal battalion (Hillersleben)
- 52 independent engineer battalion (Hillersleben)
- 1077 independent battalion of materiel supply(Hillersleben)
- 332 individual company of chemical protection (Mahlwinkel?)
- 65 independent is repair-restoration battalion (Hillersleben?)
- 63 independent medical-sanitary battalion (Hillersleben)
Formation and units subordinate to Army
- 792 individual company of special purpose (SpetsNaz) (Cochstedt)
- 115 individual tank regiment (Quedlinburg)
- 899 independent landing-assault battalion (Burg)
- 232 independent battalion of protection and security (Magdeburg)
- 178 individual helicopter regiment (Borstel)
- 440 individual helicopter regiment (Borstel)
- 296 independent helicopter squadron (Mahlwinkel)
- 36 missile brigade (Altengrabow)
- 448 missile brigade (Born)
- 49 antiaircraft-missile brigade (Planken)
- 385 artillery brigade (Planken)
- 451 individual anti-tank artillery battalion (Magdeburg)
- 254 individual radio-technical regiment (Cochstedt)
- 15 independent radio-technical battalion (Magdeburg)
- 10 independent battalion radio-electronic combat (Stahnsdorf)
- 105 independent communications regiment (Magdeburg)
- 457 independent radio relay cable battalion (Magdeurg)
- 323 independent engineer battalion (Magdeburg)
- 36 Łódź engineer pontoon bridge regiment (Magdeburg)
- 2 independent battalion of chemical protection (Burg)
- 42 brigades of materiel supply (Magdeburg)
- 298 independent equip. maint. and recovery battalion (Schönebeck)
- 302 independent equip. maint. and recovery battalion (Schönebeck)
- (?) military hospital (Magdeburg)