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3rd Mechanized Corps (1940 Formation)
The 3rd Mechanized Corps () was a mechanized corps of the Red Army. Formed in June 1940 during World War II, the corps was stationed in occupied Lithuania under the Baltic Special Military District. The corps was destroyed in late June 1941 during the Battle of Raseiniai, one of the initial battles of Operation Barbarossa. Formation and prewar service The 3rd Mechanized Corps began forming in June 1940 in the Western Special Military District, just after the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. Responsibility for the formation of the corps was soon shifted to the newly created Baltic Special Military District. The headquarters and corps troops were formed at Vilnius from those of the 24th Rifle Corps, and the motorcycle regiment from the 123rd Cavalry Regiment of the 7th Cavalry Division. Its 2nd Tank Division was formed at Yanov from the 7th Cavalry Division, although its tank regiment was created by combining a tank battalion from the 21st Heavy Tank Brigade, the 7th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national republics; in practice, both its government and its economy were highly centralized until its final years. It was a one-party state governed by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with the city of Moscow serving as its capital as well as that of its largest and most populous republic: the Russian SFSR. Other major cities included Leningrad (Russian SFSR), Kiev (Ukrainian SSR), Minsk ( Byelorussian SSR), Tashkent (Uzbek SSR), Alma-Ata (Kazakh SSR), and Novosibirsk (Russian SFSR). It was the largest country in the world, covering over and spanning eleven time zones. The country's roots lay in the October Revolution of 1917, when the Bolsheviks, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Russian Provisional Government ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alytus
Alytus is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the capital of Alytus County. Its population in 2022 was 53,925. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The major roads linking Vilnius, Kaunas, Lazdijai (border with Poland), and Hrodna in Belarus pass through Alytus. Divided onto two separate entities for centuries, it consists of two parts still frequently referred to as ''Alytus I'' and ''Alytus II'', the earlier being a smaller town and the latter forming the city centre with parks, microdistricts and industrial areas. Name The name is derived from the Lithuanian hydronym Alytupis. In other languages the names of the town include Polish: ''Olita'', German: ''Aliten'', Russian: Олита ''Olita'', Belarusian: Аліта ''Alita'', Yiddish: אליטע ''Alite''. History The first historical record of Alytus dates back to 1377, when it was mentioned in the Chronicles of Wigand of Marbu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
T-34
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tank weapons. The Christie suspension was inherited from the design of American J. Walter Christie's M1928 tank, versions of which were sold turret-less to the Red Army and documented as "farm tractors", after being rejected by the U.S. Army. The T-34 had a profound effect on the conflict on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front in the World War II, Second World War, and had a short lasting impact on tank design. After the Germans encountered the tank in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, German general Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist called it "the finest tank in the world" and Heinz Guderian affirmed the T-34's "vast superiority" over German tanks. Alfred Jodl, chief of operations staff of the German armed forces noted in his war diar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KV-2
The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II. The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour protection during the early stages of the war, especially during the first year of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. In certain situations, even a single KV-1 or KV-2 supported by infantry could halt German formations. The German ''Wehrmacht'' at that time rarely deployed its tanks against KVs, as their own armament was too poor to deal with the "''Russischer Koloss''" – "Russian Colossus". The KV tanks were practically immune to the 3.7 cm KwK 36 and howitzer-like, short-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 37 guns mounted, respectively, on the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks fielded by the invading German forces. Until the Germans developed more effective guns, the KV-1 was invulnerable to almost any German weapon except the 8.8 cm Flak gun. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KV-1
The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II. The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour protection during the early stages of the war, especially during the first year of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. In certain situations, even a single KV-1 or KV-2 supported by infantry could halt German formations. The German ''Wehrmacht'' at that time rarely deployed its tanks against KVs, as their own armament was too poor to deal with the "''Russischer Koloss''" – "Russian Colossus". The KV tanks were practically immune to the 3.7 cm KwK 36 and howitzer-like, short-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 37 guns mounted, respectively, on the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks fielded by the invading German forces. Until the Germans developed more effective guns, the KV-1 was invulnerable to almost any German weapon except the 8.8 cm Flak gun. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
T-28 (medium Tank)
The T-28 was a Soviet multi-turreted medium tank. The prototype was completed in 1931, and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry support tank intended to break through fortified defences. The T-28 was designed to complement the heavier T-35 (also multi-turreted), with which it shared turret designs. The type did not have great success in combat, but it played an important role as a development project for Soviet tank designers. A series of new ideas and solutions that were tried out on the T-28 were later incorporated in future models. Design history The T-28 was in many ways similar to the British Vickers A1E1 Independent tank, which greatly influenced tank design in the period between the wars, even though only a single prototype was manufactured in 1926. The Kirov Factory in Leningrad began manufacturing a tank that was based on the design of the British Independent in 1932. The T-28 tank was officially approved on 11 August 1933. The T-28 had one large turre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
T-26
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light tank used during many conflicts of the Interwar period and in World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and was one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s until its light armour became vulnerable to newer anti-tank guns.Franco, ''El Tanque de la Guerra Civil Española'', p. 74. It was produced in greater numbers than any other tank of the period, with more than 11,000 units manufactured. During the 1930s, the USSR developed 53 variants of the T-26, including flame-throwing tanks, combat engineer vehicles, remotely controlled tanks, self-propelled guns, artillery tractors, and armoured carriers. Twenty-three of these were series-produced, others were experimental models. The T-26 and BT were the main tanks of the Red Army's armoured forces during the interwar period. The T-26 was the most important tank of the Spanish Civil War and played a significant role during the Battle of Lake Khasan in 1938, as well ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BT-7
The BT-7 BT (russian: БТ) is the Russian abbreviation for "fast tank" (, ). was the last of the BT series of Soviet cavalry tanks that were produced in large numbers between 1935 and 1940. It was lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for the time, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs. The BT tanks were known by the nickname ''Betka'' from the acronym, or its diminutive, ''Betushka.'' The BT-7's successor was the famous T-34 medium tank, introduced in 1940, which replaced all of the Soviet fast tanks, infantry tanks, and medium tanks then in service. Development The first prototypes of the BT-7 had a distinctive canted-ellipse shaped turret mounting both the main gun and a coaxial machine-gun. The specification also called for the project to allow for the installation of new guns without any significant change to the framework: the 76 mm KT-26 or PS-3 main gun (a short-barreled howitzer) and the 45 mm 20K model 1932/38, a long-barr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BA-20
The BA-20 (russian: Broneavtomobil 20, italic=yes) was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1934. It was intended to replace the FAI and its field trials were completed in 1935. The BA-20 was then used in the early stages of World War II. Design and production The BA-20 armored car was developed in 1934 for use by HQ staffs, reconnaissance and communications units. It was derived from the civilian GAZ-M1 car using its chassis, which was itself a modified version of a Ford design, produced by the Nizhny Novgorod-based vehicle manufacturer GAZ. Full production of the BA-20 started in 1935. The chassis was built at the Nizhny Novgorod factory; the body was built at the Vyksinskiy plant, where final assembly of the BA-20 occurred as well. Service The principal use of the BA-20 was as a scout vehicle. The BA-20's tires were designed to be resistant to bullets and shrapnel by the simple expedient of filling them with spongey rubber. A variant, the BA-20ZhD, could travel o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BA-10
The BA-10 ( ru , Broneavtomobil 10, italic=yes) was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1938 and produced through 1941. It was the most produced Soviet pre-1941 heavy armored car – 3311 were built in three versions. These versions were the BA-10, the BA-10M (improved version with new radio), and the BA-10ZhD (equipped for dual railway/road use). The basic BA-10 design was developed from the BA-3 and BA-6 heavy armored cars. It had an improved GAZ-AAA chassis and improved armor (up to 15mm at front and turret). It was intended that the BA-10 would be replaced in 1941 by the BA-11 with diesel engine and more sophisticated armor design, but the outbreak of war prevented BA-11 production. The BA-10 was in Red Army service until 1945. Significant numbers of captured BA-10s were used by Finland (at least 24), Germany and other Axis powers in Europe. Development During the late 1930s, Soviet armoured fighting vehicle designers incorporated sloped armor into all their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pavel Rotmistrov
Chief marshal of the armored troops Pavel Alexeyevich Rotmistrov (russian: Павел Алексеевич Ротмистров; 6 July 1901 in Skovorovo – 6 April 1982) was a Soviet military commander of armoured troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. he fought from the first days and was present in every major Soviet battle including Battle of Moscow, Battle of Stalingrad and for leading the 5th Guards Tank Army at the Battle of Prokhorovk at the Battle of Kursk. Rotmistrov became the first Marshal of the Soviet armoured troops . Pre-War Rotmistrov joined the Red Army in 1919, and served during the Russian Civil War, during which he was involved in the suppression of the Kronstadt Rebellion and in the Polish Soviet War. He commanded a platoon and later rifle company in 31st Rifle Regiment of 11th Rifle Division. In 1928 he entered Frunze Military Academy. From 1937 to 1940 he was an instructor at the Moscow Higher Military Academy. In May 1941 he b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yegor Solyankin
Yegor Nikolaevich Solyankin (; 21 April 190126 June 1941) was a Red Army major general. Solyankin led the 2nd Tank Division during the Battle of Raseiniai, a Soviet counterattack after the German invasion of the Soviet Union. He was killed in action during the defeat of his division. Early life and Russian Civil War Solyankin was born on 21 April 1901 in Moscow. He was orphaned at age four and was sent to be raised in a peasant family in a village in Gzhatsky Uyezd. Solyankin was a shepherd in the village. From the age of twelve he worked as a blacksmith in Moscow. On 17 June 1920, he was conscripted into the Red Army at Gzhatsk during the Russian Civil War. Sent to the 16th Reserve Rifle Regiment of the Moscow Military District at Dorogobuzh, Solyankin became a cadet at the 5th Petergof Infantry Course in September. His training was interrupted by being sent to fight on the Southern Front with the 1st Petrograd Cadet Brigade against the Army of Wrangel and the Revolutionary In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
