Soviet Southern Front
Encyclopedia
The 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 invasion, Operation Barbarossa
.
During the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in 1940, the Soviets deployed three armies (12th
, 5th and 9th
). Altogether the Soviet Southern Front opposing Bessarabia and Bukovina consisted of 32 (or 31) rifle divisions, 2 (or 3) motorised rifle divisions, 6 cavalry divisions, 11 tank brigades, 3 airborne brigades (one in reserve), 14 corp's artillery regiments, 16 artillery regiments of the Main Reserve Command and 4 heavy artillery divisions. In numbers this would be around 460,000 men, ca. 12,000 guns and mortars, ca. 3,000 tanks and 2,160 aircraft.
and Odessa Military District
s, and included the 9th Army
. It was commanded by General Ivan V. Tiulenev
from June 1941 to August 1941. Lieutenant General Dmitri I. Ryabyshev
took over on 30 August 1941 and held command until 5 October, when Colonel General Yakov Cherevichenko
took command, until December 1941. During 1941 the Front fought in the border battles in the southern Ukraine, defended Odessa
, and then conducted the defense and successful counteroffensive at Rostov-on-Don
.
Lieutenant General Rodion Ia. Malinovsky
arrived in December and held the reins until July 1942. In 1942 the Front took part in the Donbass, Barvenko-Lozovaia, and Voronezh
-Volgograd
(Stalingrad) operations. According to Glantz and Bonn, the Front then suffered a notable failure at the Second Battle of Kharkov
. The Front received additional forces from the (disbanded) Southwestern Front
on July 12, 1942 and was formally disbanded on July 28, 1942, with the forces transferred to the North Caucasus Front.
and 62nd
armies respectively. They formed the core of the Stalingrad Front on 12 July. The Stalingrad Front was then divided into the Stalingrad Front, under General Lieutenant V.N. Gordov, and the Southeastern Front, under General Colonel Andrei I. Yeremenko on 7 August 1942 as the Battle of Stalingrad
began. Stalin had actually taken the decision to split the two fronts on 3 August at 0300 despite protest from his advisors. The Tsaritsa gully in Stalingrad was the dividing line. Yeremenko's new South-Eastern Front included the 51st
, 57th, and 64th Armies. They were then re-transformed into the Don and Southwestern Fronts on 28 September with the Southeastern Front becoming the Stalingrad Front (Second Formation).
The Southern Front was re-formed from the Stalingrad Front on January 1, 1943, and Colonel General Andrei I. Yeremenko
stayed in command, until February 1943. General Lieutenant Rodion Malinovsky [promoted to Colonel General in February 1943] then filled in until Lieutenant General Fyodor I. Tolbukhin
took command in March 1943. Tolbukhin was promoted to Colonel General in April. He would command the Front into 1944.
On 1 April 1943 Southern Front comprised 2nd Guards Army, 5th Shock Army, 28th Army
, 44th Army, 51st Army, 8th Air Army, and a significant number of Front troops. Among the Front troops were the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps (3 гв. кк (5 и 6 гв., 32 кд, 14 гв. иптап, 3 гв. оиптдн, 64 гв. миндн)), 4th Guards Cavalry Corps (4 гв. кк (9 и 10 гв., 30 кд, 152 гв. иптап, 4 гв. оиптдн, 68 гв. миндн, 255 зенап)) and 5th Guards Cavalry Corps (5 гв. кк (11 и 12 гв., 63 кд, 150 гв. иптап, 5 гв. оиптдн, 72 гв. миндн, 585 зенап)), 3rd and 4th Guards Mechanised Corps, as well as the 76th, 78th, and 116th Fortified Regions.
Southern Front was renamed the 4th Ukrainian Front
on October 20, 1943.
Front (Soviet Army)
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...
- a roughly 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...
sized formation - of 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 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 invasion, Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
.
During the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in 1940, the Soviets deployed three armies (12th
12th Army (Soviet Union)
The Soviet Union's 12th Army was a field army formed multiple times during the Russian Civil War and World War II.-Civil War & Polish-Soviet War:...
, 5th and 9th
9th Army (Soviet Union)
The 9th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was a Soviet field army, active from 1939 – 43, and then after the war from 1966 to 1989.It was active during the Winter War against Finland as part of the Leningrad Military District, beginning operations at the end of November 1939 under ComKor M.P....
). Altogether the Soviet Southern Front opposing Bessarabia and Bukovina consisted of 32 (or 31) rifle divisions, 2 (or 3) motorised rifle divisions, 6 cavalry divisions, 11 tank brigades, 3 airborne brigades (one in reserve), 14 corp's artillery regiments, 16 artillery regiments of the Main Reserve Command and 4 heavy artillery divisions. In numbers this would be around 460,000 men, ca. 12,000 guns and mortars, ca. 3,000 tanks and 2,160 aircraft.
First Formation
After the German invasion, the Southern Front was re-created on June 25, 1941 from the forces in the MoscowMoscow 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...
and Odessa Military District
Odessa Military District
The Odessa Military District was a military administrative division of the Imperial Russian military, the Soviet Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was known under such name from around 1862 to 1998. It was reorganized as part of the Military of Ukraine and the Military of Moldova in...
s, and included the 9th Army
9th Army (Soviet Union)
The 9th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was a Soviet field army, active from 1939 – 43, and then after the war from 1966 to 1989.It was active during the Winter War against Finland as part of the Leningrad Military District, beginning operations at the end of November 1939 under ComKor M.P....
. It was commanded by General Ivan V. Tiulenev
Ivan Tyulenev
Ivan Vladimirovich Tyulenev was a Soviet military commander, one of the first to be promoted Soviet General of the Army in 1940.- Biography :...
from June 1941 to August 1941. Lieutenant General Dmitri I. Ryabyshev
Dmitry Ryabyshev
Dmitry Ivanovich Ryabyshev , was a Soviet military commander, commander of 8th mechanized corps .- Before World War II :Ryabyshev was born in Kolotovka, , Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 he was a commander of the 42nd Brigade, 14th Division of the 1st Cavalry Army during...
took over on 30 August 1941 and held command until 5 October, when Colonel General Yakov Cherevichenko
Yakov Cherevichenko
Yakov Timofeyevich Cherevichenko , Army General , was a Soviet military leader.In 1940, he held the rank of Lieutenant General and participated in the Bessarabian campaign.-Honours and awards:...
took command, until December 1941. During 1941 the Front fought in the border battles in the southern Ukraine, defended Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, and then conducted the defense and successful counteroffensive at Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
.
Lieutenant General Rodion Ia. Malinovsky
Rodion Malinovsky
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky was a Soviet military commander in World War II and Defense Minister of the Soviet Union in the late 1950s and 1960s. He contributed to the major defeat of Nazi Germany at the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Budapest...
arrived in December and held the reins until July 1942. In 1942 the Front took part in the Donbass, Barvenko-Lozovaia, and Voronezh
Voronezh
Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
-Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
(Stalingrad) operations. According to Glantz and Bonn, the Front then suffered a notable failure at the Second Battle of Kharkov
Second Battle of Kharkov
The Second Battle of Kharkov, so named by Wilhelm Keitel, was an Axis counter-offensive against the Red Army Izium bridgehead offensive conducted from 12 May to 28 May 1942, on the Eastern Front during World War II. Its objective was to eliminate the Izium bridgehead over Seversky Donets, or the...
. The Front received additional forces from the (disbanded) Southwestern Front
Soviet Southwestern Front
The 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...
on July 12, 1942 and was formally disbanded on July 28, 1942, with the forces transferred to the North Caucasus Front.
Second Formation
In July 1942, three armies (the 1st, 5th and 7th Reserve Armies) out of the Supreme High Command reserve were moved into the Stalingrad sector and redesignated the 64th, 63rd63rd Army (Soviet Union)
The 63rd Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was formed in July 1942, by the order of Headquarters Red Army Supreme Command № 994110, by renaming Stavka's 5th Reserve Army....
and 62nd
62nd Army (Soviet Union)
The 62nd Order of Lenin Army was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. Formed as the 7th Reserve Army as part of the Stavka Reserve in May 1942, the formation was designated as the 62nd Rifle Army the following month...
armies respectively. They formed the core of the Stalingrad Front on 12 July. The Stalingrad Front was then divided into the Stalingrad Front, under General Lieutenant V.N. Gordov, and the Southeastern Front, under General Colonel Andrei I. Yeremenko on 7 August 1942 as the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
began. Stalin had actually taken the decision to split the two fronts on 3 August at 0300 despite protest from his advisors. The Tsaritsa gully in Stalingrad was the dividing line. Yeremenko's new South-Eastern Front included the 51st
51st 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...
, 57th, and 64th Armies. They were then re-transformed into the Don and Southwestern Fronts on 28 September with the Southeastern Front becoming the Stalingrad Front (Second Formation).
The Southern Front was re-formed from the Stalingrad Front on January 1, 1943, and Colonel General Andrei I. Yeremenko
Andrei Yeremenko
Andrey Ivanovich Yeryomenko or Yeremenko or Eremenko was a Soviet general during World War II, Marshal of the Soviet Union.-Draft and early service:...
stayed in command, until February 1943. General Lieutenant Rodion Malinovsky [promoted to Colonel General in February 1943] then filled in until Lieutenant General Fyodor I. Tolbukhin
Fyodor Tolbukhin
Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin was a Soviet military commander.-Biography:Tolbukhin was born into a peasant family in the province of Yaroslavl, north-east of Moscow. He volunteered for the Imperial Army in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I. He was steadily promoted, advancing from private to...
took command in March 1943. Tolbukhin was promoted to Colonel General in April. He would command the Front into 1944.
On 1 April 1943 Southern Front comprised 2nd Guards Army, 5th Shock Army, 28th Army
28th Army (Soviet Union)
The 28th Army was a field army of the Red Army and the Soviet Ground Forces, formed three times in 1941-42 and postwar active for many years in the Belorussian Military District.- First Formation :...
, 44th Army, 51st Army, 8th Air Army, and a significant number of Front troops. Among the Front troops were the 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps (3 гв. кк (5 и 6 гв., 32 кд, 14 гв. иптап, 3 гв. оиптдн, 64 гв. миндн)), 4th Guards Cavalry Corps (4 гв. кк (9 и 10 гв., 30 кд, 152 гв. иптап, 4 гв. оиптдн, 68 гв. миндн, 255 зенап)) and 5th Guards Cavalry Corps (5 гв. кк (11 и 12 гв., 63 кд, 150 гв. иптап, 5 гв. оиптдн, 72 гв. миндн, 585 зенап)), 3rd and 4th Guards Mechanised Corps, as well as the 76th, 78th, and 116th Fortified Regions.
Southern Front was renamed the 4th Ukrainian Front
4th Ukrainian Front
The 4th Ukrainian Front was a front of the Red Army during World War II...
on October 20, 1943.
Sources and External References
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAP/is_2_13/ai_n15623829 - 62nd, 63rd, and 64th Armies
- http://www.berdichev.org/germany_invades_ukraine.htm