47th Army
Encyclopedia
The 47th Army of the Soviet Union
's Red Army
was an army
-level command
active from 1941 to 1946.
The 47th Army was formed in late July 1941 in the Transcaucasian Military District
as part of the Soviet Union's border defenses with Iran. On 1 August 1941 the army's composition was reported as including the 236th Rifle Division, 63rd and 76th Mountain Rifle Division
s, the 116th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (an RVGK asset), the 456th Corps Artillery Regiment, the 6th and 54th Tank Divisions, and engineering forces which included the 61st motorized engineer battalion, 75th independent engineer battaion, and the 6th and 54th pontoon bridge battalions. By January 1942, the army was assigned to the Crimean Front
, and fought in the Kerch Peninsula
in Crimea, the Taman Peninsula
and Caucasus region of southern Russia, in the Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive, and to the east of the Dnieper River
in Ukraine until early 1944.
In March 1944, the 47th Army was subordinated to the 2nd Belorussian Front
, and then moved to the 1st Belorussian Front
in mid-April 1944 and fought as part of this force until the end of World War II
in Europe. As part of the 1st BRF, the 47th Army fought in the Vistula-Oder Offensive, East Pomeranian Offensive, and the Berlin Offensive.
Key actions that the 47th Army took part in were the liberation of Kovel
on July 6, 1944, forcing the Germans out of the Praga
suburb of Warsaw on September 14, 1944, and achieving a junction with troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front on April 25, 1945 that completed the encirclement of Berlin.
The 47th Army in January 1945 had nine rifle divisions (77th Rifle Corps with 185th, 234th, 328th Rifle Divisions), 125th Rifle Corps (60th, 76th
, 175th Rifle Divisions), 129th Rifle Corps (132nd, 143rd, 260th Rifle Divisions), 30th Guards Gun-artillery Brigade, 31st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division with four anti-aircraft artillery regiments (1376th, 1380th, 1386th, and 1392nd) plus a separate anti-aircraft artillery regiment (1488th), 163rd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, 460th Mortar Regiment, 75th rocket launcher regiment, 70th Guards Independent Tank Regiment, four regiments of self-propelled guns, an armoured train unit, a DUKW
truck battalion, an engineer-sapper brigade, and two flamethrower units.
The 47th Army was inactivated on February 5, 1946 in Halle
, Germany, after taking part in the occupation of eastern Germany.
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....
'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...
was an 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....
-level command
Command (military formation)
A command in military terminology is an organisational unit that the individual in Military command has responsibility for. A Commander will normally be specifically appointed into the role in order to provide a legal framework for the authority bestowed...
active from 1941 to 1946.
The 47th Army was formed in late July 1941 in the Transcaucasian Military District
Transcaucasian Military District
The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the USSR...
as part of the Soviet Union's border defenses with Iran. On 1 August 1941 the army's composition was reported as including the 236th Rifle Division, 63rd and 76th Mountain Rifle Division
76th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The Soviet 76th "K. E. Voroshilov" Division known also as the 76th Armenian Mountain Division, was a Soviet infantry fighting unit of the Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. The 76th was made up primarily of Armenians from the newly established Soviet Socialist...
s, the 116th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (an RVGK asset), the 456th Corps Artillery Regiment, the 6th and 54th Tank Divisions, and engineering forces which included the 61st motorized engineer battalion, 75th independent engineer battaion, and the 6th and 54th pontoon bridge battalions. By January 1942, the army was assigned to the Crimean Front
Crimean Front
The Crimean Front was one of the Soviet Army fronts of World War II. It was commanded throughout its existence by Dmitr Timofeyevich Kozlov and was made up of the Soviet 44th, 47th and 51st Armies...
, and fought in the Kerch Peninsula
Kerch Peninsula
The Kerch Peninsula is a major and prominent geographic feature located at the eastern portion of Crimea. Stretching towards the Taman peninsula, it is reminiscent of an isthmus between two neighboring seas: Azov Sea and Black Sea...
in Crimea, the Taman Peninsula
Taman peninsula
The Taman Peninsula is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia. It is bounded on the north by the Sea of Azov, on the west by the Strait of Kerch and on the south by the Black Sea. The peninsula has evolved over the past two millennia from a chain of islands into the peninsula it is...
and Caucasus region of southern Russia, in the Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive, and to the east of the Dnieper River
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
in Ukraine until early 1944.
In March 1944, the 47th Army was subordinated 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...
, and then moved to the 1st Belorussian Front
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
in mid-April 1944 and fought as part of this force until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Europe. As part of the 1st BRF, the 47th Army fought in the Vistula-Oder Offensive, East Pomeranian Offensive, and the Berlin Offensive.
Key actions that the 47th Army took part in were the liberation of Kovel
Kovel
Kovel is a city located in the Volyn Oblast , in northwestern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Kovelskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. The current estimated population is around 65,777.Kovel gives its name to one of the...
on July 6, 1944, forcing the Germans out of the Praga
Praga
Praga is a historical borough of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It is located on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.- History :...
suburb of Warsaw on September 14, 1944, and achieving a junction with troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front on April 25, 1945 that completed the encirclement of Berlin.
The 47th Army in January 1945 had nine rifle divisions (77th Rifle Corps with 185th, 234th, 328th Rifle Divisions), 125th Rifle Corps (60th, 76th
76th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The Soviet 76th "K. E. Voroshilov" Division known also as the 76th Armenian Mountain Division, was a Soviet infantry fighting unit of the Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. The 76th was made up primarily of Armenians from the newly established Soviet Socialist...
, 175th Rifle Divisions), 129th Rifle Corps (132nd, 143rd, 260th Rifle Divisions), 30th Guards Gun-artillery Brigade, 31st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division with four anti-aircraft artillery regiments (1376th, 1380th, 1386th, and 1392nd) plus a separate anti-aircraft artillery regiment (1488th), 163rd Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, 460th Mortar Regiment, 75th rocket launcher regiment, 70th Guards Independent Tank Regiment, four regiments of self-propelled guns, an armoured train unit, a DUKW
DUKW
The DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...
truck battalion, an engineer-sapper brigade, and two flamethrower units.
The 47th Army was inactivated on February 5, 1946 in Halle
Halle
Halle is a noun that means hall in the German language. It may also refer to:-In Germany:* Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, official name Halle , also called Halle or Halle an der Saale...
, Germany, after taking part in the occupation of eastern Germany.
Commanders
- General-Major V. V. Novikov (Новиков В. В.) July – October 1941
- General-Major K. F. Baronov (Баронов К. Ф.) October 1941 – February 1942
- General-Lieutenant S. I. Chernyak (Черняк С. И.) February 1942
- General-Major K. S. Kolganov (Колганов К. С.) February – May 1942
- General-Major G. P. Kotov (Котов Г. П.) May – September 1942
- General-Major A. A. Grechko (Гречко А. А.) September – October 1942
- General-Lieutenant F. V. Kamkov (Камков Ф. В.) October 1942 – January 1943
- General-Lieutenant K. N. Leselidze (Леселидзе К. Н.) January – March 1943
- General-Major A. I. Ryzhov (Рыжов А. И.) March – July 1943
- General-Major P. M. Kozlov (Козлов П. М.) July – August 1943
- General-Lieutenant P. P. Korzun (Корзун П. П.) August – September 1943
- General-Lieutenant F. F. Zhmachenko (Жмаченко Ф. Ф.) September – October 1943
- General-Lieutenant V. S. Polenov (Поленов В. С.) October 1943 – May 1944
- General-Lieutenant N. I. Gusev (Гусев Н. И.) May – November 1944
- General-Major, from January 1945, General-Lieutenant F. I. Perhorovich (Перхорович Ф. И.) November 1944 – May 1945
Sources
- Bonn, Keith (ed.) Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Bedford: Aberjona Press, 2005