The 1st Guards Army was a
Soviet
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 nation ...
Guards field army that fought on the
Eastern Front during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
First Formation
On August 6, 1942, the army formed from the
2nd Reserve Army with five Guards Rifle Divisions, the 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st. On August 9, the army was incorporated into
Southeastern Front The Southeastern Front was a front (Soviet Army), front of the Red Army during World War II.
It was formed on August 5, 1942, out of parts of the Stalingrad Front, using the command elements from the 1st Tank Army, First Tank Army and the disbande ...
. On August 18, it was transferred to the
Stalingrad Front (renamed
Don Front The Don Front was a front of the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War, which existed between September 1942 and February 1943, and was commanded during its entire existence by Konstantin Rokossovsky. The name refers to Don River, Russia.
Fo ...
on September 30).
During the
German Sixth Army's assault on
Stalingrad in August 1942, the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
launched a counter-offensive to drive the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
forces back. The 1st Guards Army and the
24th Army launched the attack. Little success was met. The 1st Guards Army managed an advance of just a few miles, while the 24th Army was pushed back right into its start-line.
On October 16, 1942, the headquarters of the army transferred into
Stavka reserve and its troops transferred to the
24th Army. On 25 October 1942 the army was disbanded, its headquarters was converted to the field management of the 2nd formation of
Southwestern Front according to the Stavka directive of 22 October 1942.
Commanders
*Lieutenant General
Filipp Ivanovich Golikov(August 1942)
*Guard Major General Artillery
Kirill Semenovich Moskalenko (August–October 1942)
*Guard Major General
Ivan Mikhailovich Chistyakov (October 1942).
Second Formation
On November 5, 1942, 1st Guards Army was reformed from
63rd Army according to the Stavka directive of November 1.
The army was a part of
Southwestern Front. When the German troops were making their attack on
Stalingrad, the First Guards Army was facing the
Italian Eighth Army in the upper part of the
Don River
The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire.
Its ...
. The Army participated in Stalingrad strategic offensive
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis ...
. As the right flank of the front shock group, 1st Guards Army with 5th Tank Army created the appearance of the Stalingrad encirclement "boiler".
On December 5, 1942, 1st Guards Army is split, its left wing being renamed
3rd Guards Army
The 3rd Guards Army () was a field army of the Soviet Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II.
The army fought in the Battle of Berlin, during which it mopped up German resistance around Cottbus.
1942 to 1945
It was formed o ...
of the
Southwestern Front.
Commander
*Lieutenant General
Dmitri Danilovich Lelyushenko (November – December 1942 ).
Third Formation
The 1st Guards Army was created on December 8, 1942, according to the Stavka directive of December 5, 1942. The troops of the army was formed from the part of the operational group of
Southwestern Front, and the headquarters of the army formed of management of
4th Army Reserve. It is composed of units of the right wing of the previous version of the 1st guard army and some reinforcement units : the
4th Guards Rifle Corps
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
, the
6th Guards Rifle Corps, the
153rd Rifle Division
The 153rd Rifle Division was a Soviet infantry division of the Red Army during World War II. It was formed in the Ural Military District. On 22 June 1941 when the German Operation Barbarossa began, it was serving under command of Nikolai Gagen wi ...
, and the
18th Tank Corps
18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19.
In mathematics
* Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...
. After the German relief operation was held, the 1st Guards Army, along with the
6th Army and
3rd Guards Army
The 3rd Guards Army () was a field army of the Soviet Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II.
The army fought in the Battle of Berlin, during which it mopped up German resistance around Cottbus.
1942 to 1945
It was formed o ...
, launched an attack in
Operation Little Saturn
Operation Little Saturn was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942.
The success of Operation Uranus, launc ...
. During the operation the
Soviets
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in ...
defeated the
Italian Eighth Army and gained a respectable amount of territory. By the end of the year, the 1st Guards Army was outside
Millerovo Millerovo (russian: Миллерово) is the name of several inhabited localities in Rostov Oblast, Russia.
;Urban localities
*Millerovo, Millerovsky District, Rostov Oblast, a town in Millerovsky District
Millerovsky District (russian: Ми́ ...
.
The 1st Guards Army also took part in
Operation Saturn
Operation Little Saturn was a Red Army offensive on the Eastern Front of World War II that led to battles in Don and Chir rivers region in German-occupied Soviet Union territory in 16–30 December 1942.
The success of Operation Uranus, launch ...
, where the Red Army successfully drove back
Army Group South
Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II.
It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group So ...
to the
Donets Basin
The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets, is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv, Done ...
in the
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. The 1st Guards Army was part of the
Soviet Southwestern Front
The Southwestern Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War, formed thrice.
It was first created on June 22, 1941 from the Kiev Special Military District. The western boundary of the front in June 1941 was 865 km long, fr ...
, and took part in the victorious Soviet pushing into Germany in 1943 to 1945. Also, in 1943, the 1st Guards Army was the first unit of the soviet army to operate the new
T-34/85
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 weapons. The Chri ...
tank. Among its units when the war ended in 1945 was the
81st Rifle Division
The 81st Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army during World War II.
It was established at Lubny (Kiev or Kharkov Military Districts) around 1936. As 81st Mechanised Division, part of 4th Mechanised Corps, with 6th Army, Southw ...
. In August, the 1st Guards Army became the headquarters of the
Kiev Military District
The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exis ...
.
Commanders
*Lieutenant-General, and from May 1943, Colonel-General
Vasily Ivanovich Kuznetsov (December 1942 – December 1943 )
*Colonel-General
Andrei Antonovich Grechko (December 1943 – the end of the war).
After World War II
In July 1958, the 1st Separate Combined Arms Army (the
Special Mechanized Army
The Special Mechanized Army () was a mechanized army of the Soviet Army. It was formed from the Southern Group of Forces in 1947 in Romania. Elements of the army fought in Operation Whirlwind, the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. I ...
until 1957) was moved from its headquarters in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
to
Chernigov
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within t ...
and renamed the 1st Combined Arms Army. The 1st Combined Arms Army was subordinated to the
Kiev Military District
The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exis ...
and in 1960 consisted of the
72nd,
81st and
115th Guards Motor Rifle Divisions, as well as the
35th Guards Tank Division. On 5 October 1967, it was renamed the 1st Guards Combined Arms Army at the request of now-
Minister of Defense Grechko, who had commanded the army's third formation during World War II. On 22 February 1968, it was awarded the
Order of the Red Banner
The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...
.
For a period the army HQ was actually an operations group of the District. By this time it had been awarded the
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration ...
. It included among its forces the
72nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, and the
25th Guards Motor Rifle Division.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union the Army became the 1st Army Corps of the
Ukrainian Ground Forces
The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the land forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They ...
, and then
Territorial Directorate "North".
Commanders
The following officers commanded the 1st Guards Combined Arms Army and the previous 1st Combined Arms Army.
* Lieutenant General
Vasily Arkhipov
Vasily Aleksandrovich Arkhipov ( rus, Василий Александрович Архипов, p=vɐˈsʲilʲɪj ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ arˈxʲipəf, 30 January 1926 – 19 August 1998) was a Soviet Naval officer credited with preventing a ...
(formation – 23 May 1960)
* Colonel General
Alexander Rodimtsev
Alexander Ilich Rodimtsev (; 8 March 1905 13 April 1977) was a colonel general in the Red Army during World War II and who was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1937 and 1945.
Career
Rodimtsev joined the Red Army in the 1920s. He fo ...
(23 May 1960 – 18 March 1966)
* Lieutenant General
Grigory Batalov Grigory, Grigori and Grigoriy are Russian language, Russian masculine given names.
It may refer to watcher angels or more specifically to Watcher (angel)#Grigori, the egrḗgoroi or Watcher angels.
Grigory
* Grigory Baklanov (1923–2009), Russ ...
(18 March 1966 – 13 June 1969)
* Lieutenant General
Sergey Molokoedov (13 June 1969 – 2 September 1970)
* Lieutenant General
Grigory Gorodetsky (2 September 1970 – 1973)
* ?? (1973–1976)
* Lieutenant General
Alexander Elagin (1976 – September 1979)
* Lieutenant General
Aleksey Fyodorov (September 1979 – May 1982)
* Lieutenant General
Alexey Demidov (May 1982 – 1984)
* ?? (1984 – May 1988)
* Lieutenant General
Valentin Bobryshev (May 1988 – 1 August 1991)
* Major General
Andrei Nikolayev (1 August 1991 – February 1992)
Notes
References
*
http://samsv.narod.ru/Arm/ag01/arm.html(Russian)
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Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1991
Guards Armies