__NOTOC__ The 1st Air Army (russian: 1-я воздушная армия) was an Air Army in the Soviet Air Force which served 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 opposin ...

. It was formed on May 10, 1942, within the Soviet Western Front, and renamed the

26th Air Army The 26th Air Army was an Air army of the Soviet Air Forces active from 1949 to 1980, and then 1988-1992. It was formed by redesignation of the 1st Air Army in February 1949 (in accordance with a decree of 10 January 1949, ГШ ВС СССР No. ...

on January 10, 1949, in the Belorussian Military District. After the war, it was reformed on July 1, 1957, and was active until 1998.

Second World War

When it was formed, the 1st Air Army was made up of two fighter aviation divisions (with four fighter aviation regiments each), two mixed aviation divisions (with two fighter aviation regiments, two assault aviation regiments and one bombing regiment each) a training aviation regiment, a long-range reconnaissance aviation regiment, a communications squadron, and a night close-range bombing aviation regiment.

Structure 1942

May 10, 1942: *201st Fighter Aviation Division *202nd Fighter Aviation Division *203rd Fighter Aviation Division *214th Assault Aviation Division *215th Mixed Aviation Division May 23, 1942: *201st Fighter Aviation Division *202nd Fighter Aviation Division *203rd Fighter Aviation Division *234th Fighter Aviation Division *235th Fighter Aviation Division *204th Bomber Aviation Division *213th Night Bomber Aviation Division *215th Mixed Aviation Division (later included the 894th Fighter Aviation Regiment in July 1942) *214th Assault Aviation Division *224th Assault Aviation Division *231st Assault Aviation Division *232nd Assault Aviation Division *233rd Assault Aviation Division From 22 February 1943 until May 1946, the

18th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment 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. ...

served with the 303rd Aviation Division ( :ru:303-я истребительная авиационная дивизия) of the Army. In March 1943, the Air Army also included the French Normandie-Niemen squadron, which was later reorganized into a regiment. In 1942, the 1st Air Army fought alongside the troops of the Western Front, supporting them near Yukhnov, Gzhatsk and

Rzhev Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa (town), Tver Oblast, Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It ...

. The Air Army later participated in the Rzhev-Sychevka, Rzhev-Vyazma, Oryol, Smolensk,

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

, Memel and

East Prussian East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871 ...

offensive operations. In May 1945, the 1st Air Army comprised the: *129th Fighter Aviation Division *130th Fighter Aviation Division (Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad Oblast) *303rd Fighter Aviation Division (Elblag, Poland) *330th Fighter Aviation Division *1st Guards Assault Aviation Division (Ketrzyn, Poland) *182nd Assault Aviation Division *277th Assault Aviation Division (Yudino, Kaliningrad Oblast) *311th Assault Aviation Division *6th Guards Bomber Aviation Division ( Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad Oblast) (later a division of

Military Transport Aviation Military Transport Aviation Command is part of the Russian Air Force. Military Transport Aviation Command (russian: Кома́ндование вое́нно-тра́нспортной авиа́ции (ВТА) — '' Komandovaniye voyenno-transp ...

) *213th Night-Bomber Aviation Division (Paslek, Poland) *276th Bomber Aviation Division *1st Free French (' Normandie-Niemen') Fighter Aviation Regiment (

Mamonovo Mamonovo (russian: Мамоново), prior to 1945 known by its German name Heiligenbeil ( pl, Święta Siekierka or ''Świętomiejsce''; lt, Šventpilis; Prussian: ''Swintamīstan''), is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Population figures ...

Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast (russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, translit=Kaliningradskaya oblast') is the westernmost federal subject of Russia. It is a semi-exclave situated on the Baltic Sea. The largest city and administr ...

) *406th Night-Bomber Aviation Regiment *10th independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment *90th independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment *142nd Transport Aviation Regiment *117th independent Artillery Correction Regiment *151st independent Artillery Correction Regiment *1st Medical Aviation Regiment *354th independent Communications Aviation Regiment *1st independent Agitation Aviation Squadron *33rd independent Communications Aviation Squadron *203rd independent Communication Aviation Squadron Throughout the war, the 1st Air Army made 290,000 sorties. Five of the Air Army's formations where reorganized as " Guards Units", 50 formations were given "honourable titles", 44 formations received various awards, 145 pilots and navigators received the title "

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

" and over 17,000 of its servicemen were also given various medals and decorations.

Command structure

Source: Militera.lib.ruCommanders of the Soviet Air Force 1941—1945 http://militera.lib.ru
(in Russian) Commanders: *

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(of Aviation) Timofei Kutsevalov (May–June 1942) *

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

(of Aviation)

Sergei Khudyakov russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Худяко́в , native_name_lang = , image = Sergei Khudyakov.jpg , alt = , caption = Khudyakov in 1944 , birth_date = , birth_place = Mets Tagher village ...

(June 1942 – May 1943) *

(of Aviation)

Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gromov Mikhail Mikhailovich Gromov (russian: link=no, Михаи́л Миха́йлович Гро́мов; – 22 January 1985) was a Russian and Soviet military aviator, test pilot, and Hero of the Soviet Union. Early life Gromov's father, Mikhai ...

(May 1943 – July 1944) *

Colonel General Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

(of Aviation) Timofey Khryukin (July 1944 – May 1945) Chiefs of Staff: *

(of Aviation) Aleksandr S. Pronin (5 May 1942 – 9 August 1944) *

(of Aviation) Ivan M. Belov (12 February – May, 1945)

Postwar

There were two Air Armies active by the end of the war in the Far East, the

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

and 10th Air Armies. In the early 1949 redesignations of the Soviet Air Forces, the 9th Air Army became 54th Air Army, the 10th Air Army became 29th Air Army in the Primorsky Military District. On 1 April 1957 the two were united as the 1st Special Far Eastern Air Army, and at some later point the designation was simplified purely to 1st Air Army. On 30 April 1975 the Army 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 th ...

. The army's order of battle c.1988 according to Vad777 and supplemented by Holm/Feskov et al. 2013 was: *HQ 1st Air Army (

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China ...

) **257th Mixed Aviation Regiment (Khabarovsk): transport airplanes and helicopters * 28th Fighter Aviation Division **216th Fighter Aviation Regiment ( Kalinovka, near Khabarovsk): Su-27. (disbanded May 1998) ** 1st?Fighter Aviation Regiment ( Orlovka, Amur Oblast): MiG-29. (Holm says this was the 404th, disbanded 2000–2001 with awards and banners to the 23 IAP.) * 33rd "Hinganskaya" Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division (Pereyaslavka) **229th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (Birofeld, Jewish Autonomous Oblast): Su-17. **300th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment: MiG-27( Pereyaslavka-2, Khabarovsk Kray, 70 km south of Khabarovsk). Disbanded November 1989. **302nd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment: (Pereyaslavka): Su-17М4. Reequipped with Su-24 1990 and redesignated a Bomber Aviation Regiment. *

83rd Bomber Aviation Division 83rd may refer to: * 83rd Academy Awards, a ceremony that honored the best films of 2010 in the United States and took place on February 27, 2011 *83rd Grey Cup, the 1995 Canadian Football League championship game *83rd meridian east, a line of lo ...

**277th "Mlavsky" Red Banner Bomber Aviation Regiment (

Khurba Khurba Airport (also given as Komsomolsk South, Khurba, Uchastok, and Kalinovka) is an air base (also used as an airport (russian: Аэропорт Хурба)) in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia south of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. This medium-sized base ha ...

under

Komsomolsk-on-Amur Komsomolsk-on-Amur ( rus, Комсомольск-на-Амуре, r=Komsomolsk-na-Amure, p=kəmsɐˈmolʲsk nɐɐˈmurʲə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located on the west bank of the Amur Rive ...

): Su-24. (Holm: 83rd Bomber Aviation Division) **26th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (10th Sector/10-й участок, under

): Su-17 (disbanded 1988). * 303rd "Smolenskaya" Red Banner Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division (

Ussuriisk Ussuriysk (russian: Уссури́йск) is a city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, located in the fertile valley of the Razdolnaya River, north of Vladivostok, the administrative center of the krai, and about from both the China–Russia border and ...

, Primorsky Krai) **18th "Vitebskiy" Guards twice Red Banner Order Recipient, Order of Suvorov Recipient Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (

Galenki Galyonki (russian: Галёнки) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Oktyabrsky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia. Population: History It was founded in 1880.Приморский крайисполком. "Приморский край. � ...

, 30 km north-west of Ussuriisk): MiG-27 **224th Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment ( Novoshakhtinsky under Ussuri): MiG-27. Disbanded 1992. **523rd "Orshanskiy" Red Banner, Suvorov and Kutuzov Orders Recipient Fighter-Bomber Regiment (

Vozdvizhenka Vozdvizhenka may refer to: *Vozdvizhenka Street, a street in Moscow, Russia *Vozdvizhenka (air base) Vozdvizhenka (also known as Ussuriysk and before the 1960s Voroshilov) is an air base in Primorsky Krai located close to the village of Vozdvizhen ...

under Ussuri): Su-17МЗ, М4. Disbanded October 1994. *Regiments reporting directly to Army HQ included: *293rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment ( Vozzhaevka, Belogarsky District Amur Oblast): Su-17. *187th Attack Aviation Regiment ( Chernigovka, Primorsky Krai under G. Sibirtsevo): Su-25. *799th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (

Varfolomeyevka (village), Primorsky Krai Varfolomeyevka (russian: Варфоломе́евка) is a village ('' selo'') in Yakovlevsky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia. Population: 1,300 (2005 est.). The village hosts the 799th Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment of the 11th Air Army ...

, in the district of Arseniev): Su-24. In 1989 the 1st Air Army disbanded the headquarters of the 33rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division,See for example Michael Holm
33 ADIP
/ref> and in 1994 the headquarters of the 303rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division. The 1st Air Army was merged with the

11th Air Defence Army The 11th Red Banner Air and Air Defence Forces Army () is a formation of the Russian Air Force, located in the Russian Far East, whose zone of responsibility covers the Eastern Military District. The 11th Army Air Force and Air Defense Army was ...

in 1998 to form the

11th Air and Air Defence Forces Army The 11th Red Banner Air and Air Defence Forces Army () is a formation of the Russian Air Force, located in the Russian Far East, whose zone of responsibility covers the Eastern Military District. The 11th Army Air Force and Air Defense Army was r ...

References

* {{Armies of the Soviet Air Forces 01 Air armies of the Russian Air Forces Air armies of the Red Air Force in World War II Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1998 1942 establishments in the Soviet Union Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner