The 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (originally designated as the 4th Tank Army, 4th Guards Tank Army in 1945, 4th Guards Mechanised Army in 1946, and the 20th Guards Army in 1960 within the Soviet Ground Forces) is a

field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

. In 1991, after the dissolution of the

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 ...

, the army became part of the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

1st formation (4th Tank Army)

The army was first formed by

Stavka The ''Stavka'' (Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка) is a name of the high command of the armed forces formerly in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrative staff, a ...

order within Stalingrad Front on July 22, 1942, based on the remaining elements of the headquarters of the former 28th Army, which had been largely destroyed in recent fighting. Major General

Vasily Kryuchenkin Vasily Dmitrievich Kryuchenkin (, ; January 13, 1894 – June 10, 1976, Kyiv) was a Soviet Lieutenant general during World War II who commanded several armies. Before World War II He was born in the village of Karpovka in the Orenburg Oblas ...

, commander of the former 28th Army, was given command of 4th Tank Army. The new formation incorporated the

22nd Tank Corps 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

, under Major General Aleksandr Shamshin, and Major General Abram Khasin's

23rd Tank Corps Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

, plus three rifle divisions transferred from the Far Eastern Front, two anti-tank regiments and two anti-aircraft regiments. 8th Separate Fighter Air Brigade provided support. It was committed to battle without being fully formed, as German forces had broken through. The Army attempted to stop the German 6th Army, but was not successful and lost a large number of tanks. On 1 August 1942 official Soviet records show the Army as comprising the 22nd Tank Corps (133rd, 173rd, 176th, and 182nd Tank Brigades plus the 22nd Motor Rifle Brigade), the

18th 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. ...

and 205th Rifle Divisions, an independent brigade, and two artillery regiments. In August 1942 it fought on the southern approaches to Stalingrad, having conducted some successful counterattacks against units of the German

48th Panzer Corps XXXXVIII Panzer Corps (also: XXXXVIII Army Corp or XXXXVIII. Armeekorps), was a corps-level formation of the German Army which saw extensive action on both the Eastern and Western Fronts during World War II. History The corps was originally f ...

. 4th Tank Army later came under command of General Konstantin Rokossovsky's

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. For ...

. On 22 October Kryuchenkin was replaced by General Pavel Batov. The much diminished army was re-designated the 65th Army on 27 October, and served for the duration under Batov's command.

2nd formation (4th Guards Tank Army)

On 15 July 1943, after an abortive attempt to form the Army for a second time had been called off in February, it was reformed as 4th Guards Tank Army drawing on the headquarters of the previous 19th Cavalry Corps. Initially the new army consisted of

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

and 30th Ural Volunteer Tank Corps and

6th Guards Mechanised Corps G6, G.VI, G.6 or G-6 may refer to: International politics * G6 (EU), the six largest European Union members * Group of Six, a 1975 international summit which led to the G7 and G8 * 44th G7 summit, referred to as the "G6+1" or just "G6" due to ...

. Its first operation as 4th Tank Army, under Lt. General Tank Tr.

Vasily Badanov Vasily Mikhailovich Badanov (russian: Васи́лий Миха́йлович Бада́нов; 14 December 18951 April 1971) was a Soviet military officer and general, best known for his leadership in the Tatsinskaya Raid (1942) and subsequent ...

, (July 1943 – March 1944) was at Orel, the counterattack ( Operation Kutuzov) on the northern side of the Kursk bulge after the German defeat at the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

proper.

John Erickson John Erickson may refer to: * John E. Erickson (Montana politician) (1863–1946), American politician from Montana * John E. Erickson (basketball) (1927–2020), American basketball coach and executive, Wisconsin politician * John P. Erickson (1 ...

wrote that "at 1100 on 26 July, two of Badanov's corps (11th Tank and 6th Guards Mechanised) put in a ragged attack towards Bolkhov. For the next few hours, under the very gaze of Ivan Bagramyan ommander of 11th Guards Army, whose sector 4th Tank was attacking through">11th_Guards_Army.html" ;"title="ommander of 11th Guards Army">ommander of 11th Guards Army, whose sector 4th Tank was attacking throughand Badanov, both corps were heavily battered by the concealed German tanks and assault guns." It took part in the winter battles in Ukraine in 1944 ( Proskurov-Chernovitsy), then the Lvov–Sandomierz offensive">Lvov–Sandomierz Operation in the summer. Its commander was Lt. Gen. (later Col. Gen.)

Dmitry Lelyushenko Dmitry Danilovich Lelyushenko (russian: Дми́трий Дани́лович Лелюше́нко; ( – July 20, 1987) was a Soviet military commander, the highest rank achieved being that of an Army General (1959). Twice the Hero of the Soviet ...

(March 1944 – May 1945). It then participated in the Lower Silesian offensive, Lower Silesian, Upper Silesian offensive, Upper Silesian, Battle of Berlin, Berlin, and Prague offensive, Prague operations. In the last days of the war, it achieved Guards status by an order of the NKO dated 17 March 1945 ( Krasnaya Zvezda).

Cold War

200px, in Berlin, 1981 It was initially part of the Central Group of Forces, but in 1947 was moved to eastern Germany. In the first days of the Soviet occupation of eastern Germany, it had its headquarters at Eberswalde and consisted of the

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

and 6th Guards Mechanised Corps and the

10th Guards Tank Corps 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

. From 1946 to 1957 the Army was named 4th Guards Mechanised Army. It was renamed 20th Guards Army in 1960, and served for many years as part of the

Group of Soviet Forces in Germany The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupati ...

. It took part in the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. In 1982 the 14th Guards Motor Rifle Division became the 32nd Guards Tank Division, and two motor rifle regiments became tank regiments. In 1985 the former 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division became the 90th Guards Tank Division. In the late 1980s it controlled the 25th Tank Division (HQ Vogelsang, disbanded 1989),

32nd Guards Tank Division The 32nd Guards Tank Division was a tank formation of the Soviet Army/Soviet Ground Forces. Its predecessor, the 9th Guards Airborne Division, was a Red Army Airborne division of World War II. On 19 June 1945, it became the 116th Guards Rifle Div ...

(HQ Juterbog, disbanded 1989), 90th Guards Tank Division (HQ Bernau, withdrawn to Chernorech'e in the Volga Military District, early 1990s), the

35th Motor Rifle Division Military units * 35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force * 35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I * 35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 Jul ...

(HQ

Krampnitz Krampnitz Kaserne was a military complex, in Fahrland, Potsdam, created by the Germans during the rearmament period. It was used by the Germans until the end of the Second World War. After the war it was used by Soviet troops until its abandonme ...

, withdrawn to Chebarkul and disbanded, December 1991-April 1992), the 6th Guards Separate Motor Rifle Brigade at

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Karlshorst Karlshorst (, ; ; literally meaning ''Karl's nest'') is a locality in the borough of Lichtenberg in Berlin. Located there are a harness racing track and the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (''HTW''), the largest University of Appli ...

(withdrawn to

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

) and many combat support and service support units, including the

387th Guards Artillery Brigade 387th may refer to: *387th Air Expeditionary Group (387 AEG) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait * 387th EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Company, part of the ...

, 27th and 464th Rocket Brigades, a

SAM Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional ...

brigade, an engineer-sapper brigade, and two helicopter regiments. After the fall of the Soviet Union 20th Guards Army was withdrawn to

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the ...

in the Moscow Military District.

Post Cold War

In June 2006 elements of the Army took part in the "Shield of Union" joint Russian-Belorussian exercises.(Warfare.ru) From 2009 to 2014 the 6th Separate Czestochowa Tank Brigade at Mulino was part of the army. In 2014 it transferred to the

1st Guards Tank Army The 1st Guards Tank Army () is a tank Field army, army of the Russian Ground Forces. The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st Guards Tank Army in January 1 ...

. In mid-August 2016, Major General

Yevgeny Nikiforov Yevgeny Valeryevich Nikiforov (russian: Евгений Валерьевич Никифоров; born 1 January 1970), is a Russian military officer who is currently the commander of the Western Military District since 23 January 2023. He had prev ...

became the army commander. 68th Army Corps commander Major General

Alexander Peryazev Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

took command in February 2017 as Nikiforov transferred to the

58th Army The 58th Combined Arms Army (russian: 58-я общевойсковая армия) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered at Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, within Russia's Southern Military District. It was formed in 1941 as pa ...

Composition

3rd Motor Rifle Division The 3rd Vislenskaya Red Banner Motor Rifle Division is a motorized infantry division of the Russian Ground Forces. The 3rd Motor Rifle Division was formed in 1997 from the amalgamation of the 31st and 47th Guards Tank Divisions of the Moscow Mi ...

(Boguchar) *

144th Guards Motor Rifle Division The 144th Guards Yelnya Red Banner Order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Division () is a motorized infantry division of the Russian Ground Forces, reestablished in 2016 with its headquarters at Yelnya, Smolensk Oblast. The division traces its lineage ba ...

( Yelnya) * 236th Artillery Brigade ( Kolomna) *

448th Rocket Brigade The 448th Rocket Brigade named for S.P. Nepobedimy is a tactical ballistic missile brigade of the Russian Ground Forces. Based in Kursk, the brigade is part of the 20th Guards Army. History The brigade was formed in September 1987 at Born in E ...

(

) * 99th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base (

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...

) * 7015th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base (Mulino) * 152nd Logistic Support Brigade ( Liski) * 9th Guards Command Brigade (Voronezh) * Battalion of the 82nd Separate Warsaw Radio Engineering Special Purpose Brigade

Commanders

The following officers have commanded the army: * Major General

(22 July 1942 – 20 October 1942) * Colonel General Pavel Batov (22 October 1942 – 27 October 1942) * Lieutenant General

(15 July 1943 – 29 March 1944) * Colonel General

(29 March 1944 – 30 August 1947) * Lieutenant General

Viktor Obukhov Viktor Timofeyevich Obukhov (; – 26 November 1975) was a Soviet Army colonel general and a Hero of the Soviet Union. The son of an Orenburg Cossack, Obukhov fought on the Eastern Front of the Russian Civil War and commanded cavalry against the ...

(30 August 1947 – 15 December 1951) * Major General Pyotr Kalininchenko (15 December 1951 – 11 May 1953) * Lieutenant General Vladimir Komarov (11 May 1953 – 10 January 1955) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 8 August 1955)

Vladimir Chizh Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukra ...

(10 January 1955 – 22 January 1960) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 27 April 1962)

Viktor Kotov The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

(22 January 1960 – 9 December 1964) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 7 May 1966) Mikhail Khomulo (9 December 1964 – 12 May 1968) * Lieutenant General

Ivan Velichko Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgar ...

(12 May 1968 – 12 May 1970) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 8 November 1971) Nikolay Lapygin (12 May 1970 – 19 October 1972) * Lieutenant General

Vladimir Sivenok Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukra ...

(6 December 1972 – 7 July 1975) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 14 February 1977) Vladimir Arkhipov (7 July 1975 – 17 April 1979) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 25 October 1979)

Ivan Chelombeyev Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgar ...

(17 April 1979 – December 1981) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 5 November 1985)

Albert Makashov Colonel General Albert Mikhailovich Makashov (russian: Альберт Михайлович Макашóв; born 12 June 1938) is a Russian officer and a nationalist- communist politician. Biography Makashov was born in Levaya Rossosh, Voronezh ...

(9 January 1982 – January 1986) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 16 February 1988) Alexander Chumakov (January 1986 – April 1988) * Major General (promoted to Lieutenant General 18 December 1991) Mikhail Arkhipov (April 1988 – 22 December 1991) * Lieutenant General Nikolay Pugachyov (23 December 1991 – 28 June 1993) * Major General

Alexey Nefyodov Alexey, Alexei, Alexie, Aleksei, or Aleksey (russian: Алексе́й ; bg, Алексей ) is a Russian and Bulgarian male first name deriving from the Greek ''Aléxios'' (), meaning "Defender", and thus of the same origin as the Latin A ...

(29 June 1993 – 1994) * Lieutenant General

Vladimir Chuzhikov Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukra ...

(1994–2000) * Major General Sergey Makarov (2000 – August 2002) * Lieutenant General Alexander Postnikov-Streltsov (August 2002 – November 2004)

References and sources

Citations

Bibliography

*Keith E. Bonn (ed.), Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, 2005, p. 334 *see also (Ru) http://polk69wunsdorf.narod.ru/simple11.html * *Glantz, David M. 'Companion to Colossus Reborn' Univ. Press of Kansas, 2005. {{Armies of the Russian Armed Forces Tank armies of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1942 Armies of the Russian Federation Guards Armies