Front (Soviet Army)
Encyclopedia
A front was a major military organization
in the Soviet Army
during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group
in the militaries of most other countries except Germany. It should not to be confused with the more general usage of military front, describing a geographic area in wartime.
An interesting and important distinction between army group
s and fronts is that a Soviet front typically had its own army-sized tactical fixed-wing air organization. This air army
was directly subordinated to the front commander (typically a ground commander). The entire front might report either to the Stavka
or to a theatre of military operations (TVD).
The Soviet fronts were first raised during the Russian Civil War
. They were wartime organizations only, in the peacetime the fronts were normally disbanded and their armies organized back into military districts
.
Usually a single district formed a single front at the start of the hostilities, or when hostilities were anticipated. Some military districts could not form a front, and some did not have an organic air army. The occasions when one or more fronts were activated were: the Russian Civil War, the Polish-Soviet War
of 1920, the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939, the Invasion of Poland
in 1939, and the Second World War.
During the Cold War
, fronts and their staffs became groups of Soviet forces in the Warsaw Pact
organisation.
were later known as the 1st formation fronts.
.
Soviet fronts in the European Theatre during the Second World War
from 1941 to 1945:
Military organization
Military organization is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer military capability required by the national defence policy. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation's armed forces...
in the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
in the militaries of most other countries except Germany. It should not to be confused with the more general usage of military front, describing a geographic area in wartime.
An interesting and important distinction between army group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
s and fronts is that a Soviet front typically had its own army-sized tactical fixed-wing air organization. This air army
Air Army
An air army was a type of large military formation, comprising several corps or divisions, in the forces of the Soviet Union and the Japanese Empire before, during and after the Second World War...
was directly subordinated to the front commander (typically a ground commander). The entire front might report either to the Stavka
Stavka
Stavka was the term used to refer to a command element of the armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus′, more formally during the history of Imperial Russia as administrative staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Soviet Union...
or to a theatre of military operations (TVD).
The Soviet fronts were first raised during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. They were wartime organizations only, in the peacetime the fronts were normally disbanded and their armies organized back into military districts
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
.
Usually a single district formed a single front at the start of the hostilities, or when hostilities were anticipated. Some military districts could not form a front, and some did not have an organic air army. The occasions when one or more fronts were activated were: the Russian Civil War, the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
of 1920, the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939, the Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in 1939, and the Second World War.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, fronts and their staffs became groups of Soviet forces in the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
organisation.
List of Soviet Fronts in the Russian Civil War
The fronts created during the Russian Civil WarRussian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
were later known as the 1st formation fronts.
- Northern FrontNorthern FrontNorthern Front may refer to one of the following.* Russian Northern Front , a unit of the Imperial Russian army during the World War I.* Polish Northern Front , a unit of the Polish Army during the Polish-Bolshevik War...
- Eastern Front
- Turkestan Front
- Caucasian Front
- Southeastern FrontSoutheastern FrontThe Southeastern Front was a front of the Soviet Army during World War II. It was formed on 5 August 1942 out of parts of the Stalingrad Front, using the command elements from the First Tank Army and the disbanded Southern Front...
- Southern FrontSouthern FrontThe Southern Front is a geographical area where armies are engaged in conflict* The Soviet Southern Front was one of the Soviet Fronts in WWII*Southern Front...
- Ukrainian FrontUkrainian FrontUkrainian Front may refer to several Soviet fronts of the Second World War:* Ukrainian Front formed during the Polish September Campaign*1st Ukrainian Front, renamed from Voronezh Front on October 20, 1943....
- Southwestern FrontSouthwestern FrontSouthwestern front may refer to one of the following.*A Southwestern front, a particular geographical area where armies are engaged in conflict* The Soviet Southwestern Front, one of the Soviet Fronts in World War Two...
- Western Front
List of Soviet fronts in World War II
The degree of change in the structure and performance of individual fronts can only be understood when seen in the context of the Strategic operations of the Red Army in World War IIStrategic operations of the Red Army in World War II
The Strategic operations of the Red Army in World War II were major military events on the Eastern Front during the Second World War, commonly conducted by at least one Front or major part of its forces...
.
Soviet fronts in the European Theatre during the Second World War
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...
from 1941 to 1945:
- Baltic Fronts
- 1st Baltic Front1st Baltic FrontThe First Baltic Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The commanders of it were Army General Andrey Yeryomenko and succeeded by Army General Bagramyan. It was formed by re-naming the Kalinin Front in October 12, 1943 and took part in several important military...
: Formed from Kalinin Front late 1943. - 2nd Baltic Front: Formed from Bryansk FrontBryansk FrontThe 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...
on 10 October 1943. - 3rd Baltic Front3rd Baltic FrontThe 3rd Baltic Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was set up on 21 April 1944 and disbanded on 16 October that year after taking part in the occupation of the Baltic states by the USSR in summer and autumn 1944....
- 1st Baltic Front
- Bryansk FrontBryansk FrontThe 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...
- Created 18 December 1941, to take sector between the Western and Southwestern Fronts. Disbanded 11/12 March 1943. Reformed from Orel Front 28 March 1943. - Belorussian Fronts (alternative spellings are ByelorussianByelorussian SSRThe Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union. It was one of the four original founding members of the Soviet Union in 1922, together with the Ukrainian SSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
Front and BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian Front)- 1st Belorussian Front1st Belorussian FrontThe 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
- 2nd Belorussian Front2nd Belorussian FrontThe 2nd Belorussian Front was a military formation of Army group size of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
- 3rd Belorussian Front3rd Belorussian FrontThe 3rd Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
- 1st Belorussian Front
- Caucasus FrontSoviet Caucasian FrontThe Caucasian Front or Caucasus Front was a military subdivision 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...
- renamed Belorussian Front late 1943 - Central FrontSoviet Central FrontThe Central Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War.The Central Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war...
- Crimean FrontCrimean FrontThe 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...
- formed January 1942 to reconquer the Crimea, incorporating 44th, 47th, and 51st51st Army (Soviet Union)The 51st Army was a field army of the Red Army that saw action against the Germans in World War II on both the southern and northern sectors of the front. In particular, it was involved in the Crimean debacle of May 1942, and the final cutting-off of German forces in the Courland area next to the...
Armies - Don FrontDon FrontThe Don Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name refers to Don River, Russia....
- Far East FrontSoviet Far East FrontThe Far Eastern Front was a Front — a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group — of the Soviet Army during the Russian Civil War and the Second World War....
- 1st Far East Front
- 2nd Far East Front
- Kalinin FrontKalinin FrontThe 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...
- the Kalinin Front was formally established by StavkaStavkaStavka was the term used to refer to a command element of the armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus′, more formally during the history of Imperial Russia as administrative staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Soviet Union...
directive on 17 October 1941, and allocated three armies - 22nd, 29th and 30th. Renamed 1st Baltic Front Oct-Dec 1943. - Karelian FrontKarelian FrontThe Karelian Front was a Front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II, and operated in Karelia.- Wartime :...
- formed from Northern Front, along with Leningrad Front, on 23 August 1941. - Kursk FrontKursk FrontThe Kursk Front was a front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. It was set up on 23 March 1943 by renaming the Reserve Front, to defend Kursk....
- Leningrad FrontLeningrad FrontThe 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:...
- formed from Northern Front, along with Karelian Front, on 23 August 1941. - Moscow Zone of Defense
- Moscow Reserve FrontMoscow Reserve FrontThe Moscow Reserve Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 October 1941 on the basis of the the Moscow defensive line in the Volokolamsk, Mozhaisky Maloyaroslavets Kaluga and fortified areas....
- Mozhaysk Line of Defense
- North Caucasus Front - redesignated TC Front's Black Sea Group of Forces, 1 September 1942
- Northern FrontSoviet Northern FrontThe Northern Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War.The Northern Front was created on June 24, 1941 from the Leningrad Military District. Its primary goal was the defense of the Kola Peninsula and the northern shores of the Gulf of Finland. On August 23, 1941, the Front's...
- formed from Leningrad Military DistrictLeningrad Military DistrictThe Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:...
on 24 June 1941 - Northwestern Front - formed from Baltic Special Military District on 22 June 1941
- Orel Front - created 24 March 1943 to defend opposite the tip of the German salient east of OrelOryolOryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
. Composed of Western Front's 61st Army, Central Front's 3rd Army, and 15th Air Army. Redesignated Bryansk FrontBryansk FrontThe 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...
28 March 1943. - Army Group of Primorye
- Reserve FrontSoviet Reserve FrontThe Reserve Front was a Front, or roughly Army group-sized military formation, of the Soviet Army during the Second World War.-First Formation:...
- Front of Reserve Armies formed 14 July 1941 - Southeastern Front - formed from armies on Stalingrad Front's left wing, 7 August 1942. Redesignated Stalingrad Front 28 September 1942.
- Southern FrontSoviet Southern FrontThe Southern Front was a Front - a roughly Army group sized formation - of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. The Southern Front directed military operations during the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in 1940, and then was formed twice after the June 1941 German...
- renamed 4th Ukrainian Front 20 October 1943. - Southwestern FrontSoviet Southwestern FrontThe Southwestern Front was a name given to a Front by the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War, by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic during the Russian Civil War, and by the Red Army during the Second World War.The Southwestern Front in this article describes several...
- Formed initially on 22 June 1941. Reestablished 22 October 1942 between Don and Voronezh Fronts. Renamed 3rd Ukrainian Front 20 October 1943. - Stalingrad FrontStalingrad FrontThe Stalingrad Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the city of Stalingrad on the Volga River....
- Along with Voronezh Front, formed from remnants of Southwestern Front July 1942. Became Don Front 28 September 1942. - Steppe FrontSteppe FrontThe Steppe Front and later the 2nd Ukrainian Front was a Front , effectively an Army group sized formation, of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
- renamed 2nd Ukrainian Front 20 October 1943. - Transbaikal FrontTransbaikal FrontThe Transbaikal Front was a front formed on September 15, 1941 on base of the Transbaikal Military District. Initially, it included the 17th and 36th armies, but in August 1942 the 12th Air Army was added to the front, and, finally, in June-July 1945 the 39th and the 53rd armies, the 6th Guards...
- Transcaucasian FrontTranscaucasian FrontTranscaucasian Front or Transcaucasus 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...
- formed 23 August 1941 - Ukrainian Fronts
- 1st Ukrainian Front1st Ukrainian FrontThe 1st Ukrainian Front was a front—a force the size of a Western Army group—of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.-Wartime:...
- 2nd Ukrainian Front
- 3rd Ukrainian Front3rd Ukrainian Front3rd Ukrainian Front was a Front of the Red Army during World War II.It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwestern Front. It included 1st Guards Army, 8th Guards Army, 6th, 12th, and 46th Armies and 17th Air Army...
- 4th Ukrainian Front4th Ukrainian FrontThe 4th Ukrainian Front was a front of the Red Army during World War II...
- 1st Ukrainian Front
- Volkhov FrontVolkhov FrontThe 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:...
- formed 17 December 1941 - Voronezh FrontVoronezh FrontThe Voronezh Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the town of Voronezh on the Don River....
- renamed 1st Ukrainian Front 20 October 1943. - Western FrontSoviet Western FrontThe Western Front was a Front of the Red Army, one of the Red Army Fronts during the Second World War. This sense of the term is different from the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front usually operates within designated...
- formed from Western Special Military District on 22 June 1941
External links
- Inside the Soviet Army (external link)