The 85th Rifle Corps () was a rifle corps of the Red Army and later the Soviet Army. Formed in 1943 as part of the 17th Army of the Transbaikal Front, the corps spent the next two years as a garrison unit. In August 1945 its headquarters was used to provide a headquarters for the Soviet–Mongolian Cavalry-Mechanized Group during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Postwar, the corps garrisoned the Kuril Islands before being disbanded in the early 1950s.

World War II

The corps was formed in September 1943, under the command of Major General Nikаnor Samonov. Part of the 17th Army of the Transbaikal Front, it included the 36th and 57th Motor Rifle Divisions, stationed in the Mongolian People's Republic, as well as the

284th Rifle Division The 284th Rifle Division began service as a standard Red Army rifle division shortly after the German invasion. Moved to the front soon after, it helped defend the Soviet lines west of the Ukrainian capital for more than a month, but was then destr ...

and the 1st and 3rd Motor Rifle Regiments. On 4 April 1944, 57th Motor Rifle Division commander Major General

Viktor Nikiforov Viktor Vasilievich Nikiforov (December 4, 1931 – March 4, 1989) was a Soviet ice hockey player. He won a gold medal at the 1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( it, VII Gioch ...

replaced Samonov. The 284th Division and the two motor rifle regiments were directly subordinated to the army headquarters in December, leaving the 85th with only the 36th and 57th Divisions. From July 1945, the corps headquarters was used to provide a headquarters for the Soviet–Mongolian Cavalry-Mechanized Group. In this capacity, it participated in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Nikiforov served as chief of staff of the group during this period.

Postwar

On 26 September 1945, the corps headquarters was transferred from the Transbaikal region to the Kuril Islands. The corps, with Military Unit Number 64105, was headquartered in

Kurilsk Kurilsk (russian: Кури́льск; ja, 紗那村 ''Shana-mura'') is a town and the administrative center of Kurilsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the island of Iturup. Population: History Ainu have been known to inhabit ...

, part of the Far Eastern Military District. It included the

355th Rifle Division The 355th Rifle Division () was a standard Red Army rifle division of World War II, formed twice. The division's first formation began forming in August 1941 in the Kirov Oblast. During the winter counteroffensive in the Moscow region it was comm ...

Iturup , other_names = russian: Итуру́п; ja, 択捉島 , location = Sea of Okhotsk , coordinates = , archipelago = Kuril Islands , total_islands = , major_islands = , area_km2 = 3139 , length_km = 200 , width_km = 27 , coastline = , highest_moun ...

, the 2nd Separate Rifle Brigade at Urup, and the 113th Separate Rifle Brigade at Kunashir. In 1946 the 23rd Machine-Gun Artillery Brigade at Kunashir was part of the corps; it was formed from the 112th (Khorol) Fortified Region. In the spring of 1948, the 23rd Brigade became the 36th Machine-Gun Artillery Regiment, while around the same time the 355th Division, 2nd Brigade, and 113th Brigade were reorganized into the 7th, 20th, and 15th Machine-Gun Artillery Divisions, respectively. The corps was disbanded in January 1954.

Commanders

The following officers are known to have commanded the corps: * Major General Nikanor Samonov (15 September 1943–3 April 1944) * Major General

(4 April 1944–January 1946) * Lieutenant General

Alexei Danilov 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 Ale ...

(January–June 1946) * Lieutenant General Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov (June 1946–October 1949)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Soviet Union corps Rifle corps of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1954