The 34th Army was part of 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 ...

during the Second World War. The army was formed on 16 July 1941 in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military D ...

Combat history

1941

On 18 July the army was assigned to the Moscow line of defense occupying positions west of

Maloyaroslavets Maloyaroslavets (russian: Малояросла́вец) is a town and the administrative center of Maloyaroslavetsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Luzha River (Oka's basin), northeast of Kaluga, the adminis ...

where it was assigned troops. On 25 July the army became part of the backup for Lieutenant General Bagdanov, which on 30 July was designated as the

Reserve Front The Reserve Front was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation The Reserve Front describes either of two distinct organizations during the war. The first version was created on July 30, 1941 in a reorganiza ...

the army headquarters located in Lüübnitsa, Russia (now Estonia). On 6 August the army was reassigned to the

Northwestern Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-cr ...

. Composition on 1 August 1941: : 245th Rifle Division : 257th Rifle Division : 259th Rifle Division : 262nd Rifle Division : 25th Cavalry Division : 54th Cavalry Division :171st Antitank Artillery Regiment :759th Antitank Artillery Regiment :16th Armored Train :59th Armored Train The army was tasked to defend the eastern bank of the

Lovat River The Lovat ( be, Ловаць ''Łovać'', ; russian: река́ Ло́вать) is a river in Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus, Usvyatsky, Velikoluksky, and Loknyansky Districts, as well as of the city of Velikiye Luki, of Pskov Oblast and Kholmsky ...

from Kholm to

Kulakovo Kulakovo (russian: Кулаково) is a rural locality (a village) in Pokrovskoye Rural Settlement, Velikoustyugsky District, Vologda Oblast, Russia. The population was 7 as of 2002. Geography Kulakovo is located 26 km southeast of Veliky Usty ...

south of the German-held city of

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa ( rus, Старая Русса, p=ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased o ...

. STAVKA Directive 00824 tasked the army to strike the left wing of the German forces defeating the forces in the area between

Soltsy Soltsy (russian: Сольцы́) is a town and the administrative center of Soletsky District in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Shelon River, southwest of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Populat ...

and Staraya Russa. If successful, the operation could cut off the entire right flank of the

Army Group North Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comman ...

. According to the order the army was by 15 August to advance more the 25 miles to the line of Snezhka-Chudinovo-Rechnye Kottsy, and by 18 August was to reach the line of Volot-Dolzhino. By 11 August the army had reached the

Polist River The Polist () is a river in Bezhanitsky District of Pskov Oblast and in Poddorsky and Starorussky District, as well as in the town of Staraya Russa of Novgorod Oblast of Russia. It is technically a tributary of the Lovat though it forms a common ...

along a 24-mile front from Vzglyady to Gojko and launched their offensive. The German X Corps only had small outposts on its flank with the 30th and 129th Infantry Divisions east of Staraya Russa arrayed against the Soviet 11th Army and the 290th Infantry Division on the south side of Staraya Russa guarding the Germ right flank. After the start of the Soviet Offensive the German forces were moved west of Staraya Russa. The first echelon, consisting of the 245th, 257th, 262nd Rifle and the 25th Cavalry Divisions, advanced quickly reaching there 18 August goals by 14 August and cutting the railroad between

Dno Dno (russian: Дно) is a town and the administrative center of Dnovsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located at the intersection of the Pskov– Bologoye and St. Petersburg–Vitebsk railways, east of Pskov, the administrative cen ...

and Staraya Russa. By the end of September the army's line had stabilized to the north and northeast of

Demyansk Demyansk (russian: Демя́нск) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Yavon River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Demyanskoye Urban Se ...

from

Lake Vella A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

to Lychkovo and remained in these positions through the end of the year.

1942

1943

The year began as it did in 1942 with preparations for participation in the

Demyansk Offensive The Battle of Demyansk was part of the Soviet offensive Operation Polar Star against Axis forces which took place in Demyansk from 15 to 28 February 1943. The Northwestern Front and Mikhail Khozin Special Group engaged the 16th Army of Army Gr ...

. Composition on 1 February 1943: : 171st Rifle Division : 182nd Rifle Division : 200th Rifle Division : 245th Rifle Division :144th Rifle Brigade :146th Rifle Brigade :161st Rifle Brigade :91st Fortified Region :458th Light Artillery Regiment (75th Light Artillery Brigade) :698th Light Artillery Regiment (78th Light Artillery Brigade) :387th Gun Artillery Regiment (76th Gun Artillery Brigade) :575th High-Power Howitzer Artillery Regiment :1200th High-Power Howitzer Artillery Regiment :482nd Mortar Regiment :9th Guards Mortar Brigade :95th Guards Mortar Regiment :83rd Tank Brigade :29th Armored Train Battalion :238th Engineer Battalion :1391st Engineer Regiment :597th Bomber Aviation Regiment Prior to the start of the offensive the German successfully withdrew their forces from the

Demyansk Pocket The Demyansk Pocket (german: Kessel von Demjansk; russian: Демя́нский котёл) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. Th ...

and the 34th Army was limited to pursuing rear guard forces. By 28 February the army had arrived at the

. By the elimination of the pocket the front line had been significantly decreased, and the units of the 34th Army were reassigned to the

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 atteste ...

and 52nd Armies and the headquarters airlifted to the area northeast of

where it took command of some of the forces assigned to the 27th Army. On 18 March the army, with forces recently reassigned from the 27th attempted to storm Staraya Russa. The army encountered five German divisions along the line of villages Dinner Medvedno, Bryashnaya Gore Sobolev Derevkovo to Porus, the attack was repulsed, restarted on 20 March when it was able to liberate a few small villages moving a little closer to Staraya Russa but unable to liberate the city. The army remained outside Staraya Russa until November 1943 holding the defensive line and attempting to storm the city. On 17–20 August another massive attack was attempted and repulsed again. Composition on 1 April 1943: :

12th Guards Rifle Corps The 12th Guards Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army. Formed in 1942, the corps fought in the Vistula–Oder Offensive, East Pomeranian Offensive and Berlin Offensive. The corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its act ...

::127th Rifle Brigade ::144th Rifle Brigade ::151st Rifle Brigade ::161st Rifle Brigade : 26th Rifle Division : 245th Rifle Division : 254th Rifle Division : 282nd Rifle Division :

370th Rifle Division The 370th Rifle Division was raised in 1941 as a standard Red Army rifle division, and served for the duration of the Great Patriotic War in that role. It began forming in August 1941 in the Siberian Military District. After forming, it was initial ...

:27th Ski Brigade :

26th Artillery Division 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smalles ...

::75th Light Artillery Brigade ::72nd Gun Artillery Brigade ::77th Howitzer Artillery Brigade ::24th Mortar Brigade :11th Guards Army Artillery Regiment :191st High-Power Howitzer Artillery Regiment :515th High-Power Howitzer Artillery Regiment :402nd High-Power Artillery Regiment :482nd Mortar Regiment :8th Guards Mortar Brigade :22nd Guards Mortar Regiment :26th Guards Mortar Regiment :39th Guards Mortar Regiment :95th Guards Mortar Regiment :708th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment ( 44th Antiaircraft Artillery Division) :3rd Separate Guards Tank Regiment :239th Separate Tank Regiment :11th Aerosleigh Battalion :18th Aerosleigh Battalion :35th Aerosleigh Battalion :29th Armored Train Battalion :35th Armored Train Battalion :238th Engineer Battalion :1391st Engineer Battalion :86th Pontoon-Bridge Battalion Composition on 1 November 1943:Marchand, vol XIV , pg 8 : 96th Rifle Corps ::

37th Rifle Division The 37th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. It served in the North Caucasus Military District; established at Novocherkassk in 1919. In June–July 1939 it was at Omsk preparing for action ...

150th Rifle Division The 150th Idritsa-Berlin Order of Kutuzov 2nd Class Motor Rifle Division (russian: Russian: 150-я Идрицко-Берлинская ордена Кутузова 2-й степени мотострелковая дивизия) of the Russian Gr ...

: 26th Rifle Division : 182nd Rifle Division :37th Rifle Brigade :

27th Artillery Division 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

::78th Light Artillery Brigade ::76th Gun Artillery Brigade ::74th Howitzer Artillery Brigade :151st Gun Artillery Regiment :989th Howitzer Artillery Regiment :641st Tank Destroyer Regiment :32nd Mortar Brigade :482nd Mortar Regiment :21st Guards Mortar Brigade :26th Guards Mortar Regiment :27th Guards Mortar Regiment :70th Guards Mortar Regiment : 47th Antiaircraft Artillery Division ::1585th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment ::1586th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment ::1591st Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment ::1592nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment :582nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment :63rd Guards Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion :64th Guards Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion :65th Separate Tank Regiment :239th Separate Tank Regiment :249th Separate Tank Regiment :29th Armored Train Battalion :35th Armored Train Battalion :1391st Engineer Battalion :54th Pontoon-Bridge Battalion :58th Pontoon-Bridge Battalion :86th Pontoon-Bridge Battalion

Disbanding

On 20 November 1943 the forces assigned to the army were transferred to

1st Shock Army The 1st Shock Army (russian: 1-я ударная армия) was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. The 1st Shock Army was created in late 1941 and fought in the northern areas of Russia and the Baltic ...

and the headquarters placed in STAVKA reserve. On 15 January 1944 the headquarters was redesignated 4th Army (III formation).

Commanders

*Brigade Commander Nikolai Nilovich Pronin- (18 July – 3 August 1941) *Major General Kuzma Kachanov ( ru) - (3 August – 12 September 1941) - executed *Major General Petr Alferev - (12 September – 25 December 1941) *Major General Nikolai Berzarin - (25 December 1941 – 14 October 1942) *Lieutenant General Anton Lopatin - (14 October 1942 – 10 March 1943) *Lieutenant General

Pavel Kurochkin Pavel Alekseyevich Kurochkin (russian: Па́вел Алексе́евич Ку́рочкин; – 28 December 1989) was a Soviet army commander. Military career Pavel Kurochkin was born in the village of Gornevo, Smolensk Governorate. He ...

- (10 March – 22 June 1943) *Lieutenant General Ivan Sovetnikov - (22 June 1943 – 13 January 1944)

References

;Notes ;Sources * *Marchand, Jean-Luc. Order of Battle Soviet Army World War 2. The Nafziger Collection, 24 Volumes {{Armies of the Soviet Army Field armies of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1941