The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army (abbreviated 8th CAA) is an
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
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 ...
, headquartered in
Novocherkassk
Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known ...
,
Rostov Oblast, within Russia′s
Southern Military District, that was reinstated in 2017 as a successor to the 8th Guards Army of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
's
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 ...
(later
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
), which was formed 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 ...
and was disbanded in 1998 after being downsized into a corps.
The Soviet 8th Guards Army was formed from the
62nd Army
The 62nd Army (russian: 62-я армия) was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. Formed as the 7th Reserve Army as part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command in May 1942, the formation was des ...
in May 1943 and received
Guards status in recognition of its actions in the
Battle of Stalingrad. It went on to defend the right bank of the
Donets and fight in the
Donbass Strategic Offensive in August and September. It then fought in the
Lower Dnepr Offensive, where it captured
Zaporizhia
Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a populatio ...
. During winter and spring 1944 the army fought in the
Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive. After the capture of
Odessa, the army was transferred to the
Kovel area and fought in the
Lublin–Brest Offensive
The Lublin–Brest Offensive (russian: Люблин‐Брестская наступательная операция, 18 July – 2 August 1944) was a part of the Operation Bagration strategic offensive by the Soviet Red Army to clear the Nazi ...
during the summer, capturing
Lublin, crossing the
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
and seizing the
Magnuszew bridgehead. The army defended the bridgehead until January 1945, when it helped launch the
Vistula–Oder Offensive. The army helped capture
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
,
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
and
Kostrzyn nad Odrą
Kostrzyn nad Odrą (literally Kostrzyn upon Oder) (; german: Küstrin ) is a town in Gorzów County, Lubusz Voivodeship in western Poland, close to the border with Germany.
Geography
The town is situated within the historic Lubusz Land (''Ziemia ...
. The army then fought in the
Battle of Berlin. During the war it was led by its commander during the Battle of Stalingrad,
Vasily Chuikov
Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (russian: link=no, Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в; ; – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is best known for commanding the 62nd Army which saw h ...
. After the war the army was stationed at
Nohra, covering the strategic
Fulda Gap
The Fulda Gap (german: Fulda-Lücke), an area between the Hesse-Thuringian border (the former Inner German border) and Frankfurt am Main, contains two corridors of lowlands through which tanks might have driven in a surprise attack by the Sovi ...
during the
Cold War. In 1993 the army was withdrawn from Germany to
Volgograd
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...
(the former Stalingrad) and there downsized to a corps, before being disbanded in 1998.
World War II
Activated in October 1941 as the 7th Reserve Army, the Army was re-designated the
62nd Army
The 62nd Army (russian: 62-я армия) was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. Formed as the 7th Reserve Army as part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command in May 1942, the formation was des ...
at
Stalingrad in July 1942. It was among the victors of
Stalingrad and thus re-designated the 8th Guards Army on 5 May 1943, in accordance with a Stavka directive dated 16 April 1943.
In July 1943, it took part in the
Izyum-Barvenkovo Offensive (July 17–27), and in August–September - in the
Donbass strategic offensive operation
The Donbas strategic offensive was the second of two strategic operations of the Soviet Red Army on the Eastern Front of World War II,, with the goal of liberating the Donetsk Basin, or Donbas, from the forces of Nazi Germany.
Situation Prio ...
(August 13 - September 22) . Developing the offensive in the direction of the Dnieper, the Army with other troops of the
Southwestern Front liberated
Zaporozhye
Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a populatio ...
(October 14), crossed the
Dnieper
}
The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...
south of
Dnipropetrovsk south and captured a bridgehead on its right bank. By this time 28th, 29th and 4th Guards Rifle Corps were part of the army.
The army was part of the
3rd Ukrainian Front
The 3rd Ukrainian Front (Russian: Третий Украинский фронт) was a Front of the Red Army during World War II.
It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southweste ...
during the
Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive. By March 25, 1944, the
Prut River had fallen and the
3rd Ukrainian Front
The 3rd Ukrainian Front (Russian: Третий Украинский фронт) was a Front of the Red Army during World War II.
It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southweste ...
was dispatched to secure
Odessa.
[Willmott, p. 373] On April 2,
Vasili Chuikov's Eighth Guards Army and Forty-Sixth Army attacked through a blizzard
[Pimlott, p. 333] and, by April 6, had driven the defenders past the
Dniester River and isolated Odessa.
Odessa capitulated on April 10, and Soviet troops began entering
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
proper.
In June 1944 the army was transferred to the
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Белорусский фронт, ''Perviy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian") was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army ...
and took part in the
Lublin–Brest Offensive
The Lublin–Brest Offensive (russian: Люблин‐Брестская наступательная операция, 18 July – 2 August 1944) was a part of the Operation Bagration strategic offensive by the Soviet Red Army to clear the Nazi ...
, seizing and defending a bridgehead over the
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
river at
Magnuszew. Soldiers who perished during battles over
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
are buried at the
Soviet Military Cemetery in Warsaw.
In 1945 the army was commanded by
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 ...
Vasily Chuikov
Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (russian: link=no, Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в; ; – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is best known for commanding the 62nd Army which saw h ...
. It was part of
Marshal Zhukov
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( rus, Георгий Константинович Жуков, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ˈʐukəf, a=Ru-Георгий_Константинович_Жуков.ogg; 1 December 1896 – ...
's
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Белорусский фронт, ''Perviy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian") was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army ...
. One of the cities which the army took in its westward drive was
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
, which the Army
seized in January–February 1945.
In a deliberate symbolic move the 8th Guards Army was then sent northwards to the center of the front, coming under command of
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Белорусский фронт, ''Perviy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian") was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army ...
; Stalin was determined that the army that had defended Stalingrad would take part in the capture of Berlin (
Battle of Berlin). On 2 May 1945, Chuikov took the surrender of the German General
Weidling, the commander of the Berlin Defensive Area, and the rest of the Berlin garrison. Later the Eighth Guards Army became 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 Occupat ...
. On the creation of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany in 1945, the Army consisted of:
*Headquarters at
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
*
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 ...
(
35th 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 July 1 ...
,
47th Guards, and
57th Guards Rifle Divisions)
*
28th Guards Rifle Corps (
39th Guards Rifle Division,
79th Guards Rifle Division,
88th Guards Rifle Division)
*
29th Guards Rifle Corps
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 ...
(
27th
27 (twenty-seven; Roman numeral XXVII) is the natural number following 26 and preceding 28.
In mathematics
* Twenty-seven is a cube of 3: 3^3=3\times 3\times 3. 27 is also 23 (see tetration). There are exactly 27 straight lines on a smooth ...
,
74th,
82nd Guards Rifle Divisions)
*
11th Tank Corps
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 ...
Commanders
* Guard Lieutenant-General
Vasily Chuikov
Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (russian: link=no, Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в; ; – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is best known for commanding the 62nd Army which saw h ...
(April 17, 1943 - October 18, 1943),
* Guard Colonel-General
Ivan Maslennikov (October 21, 1943 - November 15, 1943),
* Guard Colonel-General
Vasily Chuikov
Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (russian: link=no, Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в; ; – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is best known for commanding the 62nd Army which saw h ...
(November 15, 1943 - May 9, 1945).
Cold War
In the summer of 1946, the 4th Guards Rifle Corps was disbanded along with the 35th, 74th, 82nd and 88th Guards Rifle Divisions. In July 1956, the 28th and 29th Guards Rifle Corps were disbanded.
During the
Cold War, 8th Guards Army stood opposed to
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
forces (specifically the
US V Corps) along the strategically vital
Fulda Gap
The Fulda Gap (german: Fulda-Lücke), an area between the Hesse-Thuringian border (the former Inner German border) and Frankfurt am Main, contains two corridors of lowlands through which tanks might have driven in a surprise attack by the Sovi ...
in
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. In June 1964, the
21st Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 38th Separate Guards Vitebskaya order of Lenin Red Banner order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Russian Ground Forces, part of the Eastern Military District.
The brigade was formed during the 2009 Ru ...
transferred to the
1st Guards Tank Army
The 1st Guards Tank Army () is a tank 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 1944. The arm ...
and was replaced by the
20th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division () is a formation of the Russian Ground Forces, originally formed within the Soviet Red Army as the 3rd Mechanised Corps. The division was reformed in 2021 from the former 20th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.
Th ...
. On 22 February 1968, it was awarded the
of Lenin for success in combat training. In May 1983, the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division transferred to the 1st Guards Tank Army and was replaced by the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division.
In 1988, 8th Guards Army consisted of:
*Headquarters at Weimar-Nohra
*227th Separate Protection and Enforcement Battalion - Weimar-Nohra
*794th Separate Spetsnaz Company - Weimar-Nohra
*747th Communications Center - Weimar-Nohra
*
11th Missile Brigade -
Jena-Forst
*
449th Missile Brigade -
Arnstadt
*
79th Guards Tank Division -
Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...
, GDR: - disbanded, 1992
**17th Guards Tank Regiment (Saalfeld)
**45th Guards Tank Regiment (Weimar)
**211th Guards Tank Regiment (Jena)
**247th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Weimar)
**172nd Guards Artillery Regiment (Rudolstadt)
**1075th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Weimar)
*
27th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division (Military Unit Number 35100)Michael Holm27th Guards Motorised Rifle Division/ref> was a Red Army rifle division in World War II which later became a Soviet Army motor rifle division.
History
The division dr ...
- General-Maerker-Kaserne,
Halle, GDR: - to
Totskoye
Totskoye (russian: То́цкое) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') and the administrative center of Totsky District of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. Population:
During World War I, it was the site of a prisoner-of-war camp that became notorious ...
,
Volga Military District
The Volga Military District (PriVO) was a military district of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation that existed from 1918 to 1989 and 1992 to 2001.
The district headquarters was located at Kazan, Saratov and Kuibyshev (Samara) at different ...
**68th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Halle)
**243rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Halle)
**244th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Schlotheim)
**28th Tank Regiment (Halle)
**54th Guards Artillery Regiment (Halle)
**286th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Halle)
*
39th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 39th Guards Motor Rifle Division of the Soviet Ground Forces was a mechanised infantry division active from 1965 to 1992. It was originally formed as the 39th Guards Rifle Division of the Workers and Peasant's Red Army. It was formed during ...
-
Ohrdruf
Ohrdruf () is a small town in the district of Gotha in the German state of Thuringia. It lies some 30 km southwest of Erfurt at the foot of the northern slope of the Thuringian Forest. The former municipalities Crawinkel, Gräfenhain an ...
, GDR: - disbanded, 1992
**117th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Meiningen)
**120th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Ohrdruf)
**172nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Gotha)
**15th Guards Tank Regiment (Ohrdruf)
**87th Guards Artillery Regiment (Gotha)
**915th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Ohrdruf)
*
57th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 57th Guards Motor Rifle Division was a division of the Soviet Ground Forces.
History World War II
It traces its history to the 57th Guards Rifle Division. The 57th Guards Rifle Division was formed from the 153rd Rifle Division (Second fo ...
-
Naumburg
Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. ...
, GDR – disbanded, 1993
**170th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Naumburg)
**174th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Weißenfels)
**241st Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (Leipzig)
**57th Guards Tank Regiment (Zeitz)
**128th Guards Artillery Regiment (Zeitz)
**901st Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Naumburg)
*119th Separate Tank Regiment -
Bad Langensalza
Bad Langensalza (; until 1956: Langensalza) is a spa town of 17,500 inhabitants in the Unstrut-Hainich district, Thuringia, central Germany.
Geography Location
Bad Langensalza is located in the Thuringian Basin, the fertile lowlands alon ...
*390th Guards Artillery Brigade - Ohrdruf, disbanded, 1998
*227th Separate Protection and Enforcement Battalion - Nohra
*18th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade - Gotha
*943rd Separate Anti-Tank Battalion - Altenburg
*194th Separate Radio Engineering Regiment - Weimar
*46th Separate Radio Engineering Battalion - Nohra
*678th Separate Electronic Warfare Battalion - Frankendorf
*91st Separate Communications Regiment - Weimar
*446th Separate Radio Relay Cable Battalion - Naumburg
*325th Separate Engineer Battalion - Gera
*722nd Separate Airborne Ferry Battalion - Halle
*134th Separate NBC Reconnaissance Battalion - Gera
*116th Material Support Brigade - Altenburg
*173rd Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion - Markensdorf
*202nd Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion - Oberlungwitz
*794th Separate Special Purpose Company - Nohra
*
900th Separate Air Assault Battalion - Leipzig
*336th Separate Helicopter Regiment - Nohra
*65th Pontoon-Bridge Regiment - Merseburg
In February 1989, the 486th Separate Helicopter Regiment was activated at
Jüterbog
Jüterbog () is a historic town in north-eastern Germany, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. It is on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Fläming hill range, about southwest of Berlin.
History
The Slavic settlement of ' ...
from the 241st, 311th, 327th and 345th Separate Helicopter Squadrons.
After the Soviet withdrawal from Germany the army was reduced in size to become 8th Guards Army Corps on 1 June 1993, and withdrawn to
Volgograd
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...
, the former Stalingrad. There it appears to have taken the place of the 34th Army Corps. From June 1993 to February 1995, it was commanded by
Lev Rokhlin. 8th Guards Army Corps was disbanded in May 1998.
Since 2017
The formation of the new 8th Combined Arms Army began in 2017; the first stage was intended to be completed in June 2017.
The 8th Combined Arms Army includes the
150th Motor 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 G ...
(re-established in 2016), also based at
Novocherkassk
Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known ...
.
As of July 2017, Major General
Sergey Kuzovlev was appointed its commander.
As of 2021, the
20th Guards Motor Rifle Division
The 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division () is a formation of the Russian Ground Forces, originally formed within the Soviet Red Army as the 3rd Mechanised Corps. The division was reformed in 2021 from the former 20th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.
Th ...
in the Volgograd region and the 464th Rocket Brigade are also reported to be subordinate to the 8th Army,
with the former 20th Guards Brigade reportedly having expanded into a division-strength formation. The division was reportedly established by the end of summer, 2021 and incorporated the following formations: 242nd Mechanized Regiment (Kamyshin, Volgograd Oblast); 255th Mechanized Regiment (Volgograd); 33rd Motor Rifle Regiment (Kamyshin); 944th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment; 358th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment; 428th Separate Tank Battalion (Volgograd proximity); and, 487th Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion.
According to experts, the 8th Combined Arms Army is intended to be a centrepiece of the
Southern Military District in the southern European part of the Russian Federation,
protecting from threats in that region. Combined-arms field armies were in 2017 reported to be created by Russia in all strategic directions (apart from motorized rifle and tank divisions and brigades, Combined-arms field armies were intended to include artillery and engineering regiments and brigades, air defence units, as well as communications and
CBRN
Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN defence) are protective measures taken in situations in which chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear warfare (including terrorism) hazards may be present. CBRN defence consi ...
units. As of 2021, the 47th Missile Brigade (equipped with the
Iskander surface-to-surface missile system)
and the 238th Artillery Brigade (equipped with
2A65 Msta-B guns and
9K57 Uragan multiple launch rocket systems)
were also established as sub-units within the 8th Army. Additionally, the 77th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade was deployed at Korenovsk and equipped with
S-300V4 anti-aircraft missile system.
Support to the army is to be provided by fighter aircraft, bombers and ground attack aircraft (primarily drawn from the
4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army
The 4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army () is an air army of the Russian Air Force, part of the Southern Military District and headquartered in Rostov-on-Don.
The 4th Air Army (''4 Vozdushnaya Armiya'') was a Soviet Air Force formation and from ...
) and, in certain areas, by ships and submarines of the
Black Sea Fleet of the
Russian Navy).
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ukraine, the United States, and some analysts also describe the 1st (Donetsk) and 2nd (Luhansk) Army Corps of the
Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Ukraine, as under the command of the 8th CAA HQ. As of 2021, subordinate units within these corps are said to include: 4 Motorized Rifle Brigades, 2 Motorized Rifle Regiments, 2 special forces battalions, 1 tank battalion, 1 reconnaissance battalion and 1 artillery brigade (1st Corps) and 3 Motorized Rifle Brigades, 1 Motorized Rifle Regiment, 1 tank battalion, 1 reconnaissance battalion and 1 artillery brigade (2nd Corps).
As of 2022, units from the 8th Guards Army are participating in the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...
.
Ukrainian officials reported that the commander of the army's
150th Motor 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 G ...
, Major General
Oleg Mityaev, was killed on 15 March in the
Siege of Mariupol
The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022 and lasted until 20 May 2022, as part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces (alongside the Donetsk People's Militia) and the Ukrainian Armed ...
. Army commander Lieutenant General
Andrey Mordvichev, was claimed by Ukrainian intelligence to have been
killed in action near
Kherson airport in
Chornobaivka on March 18, 2022 during the
2022 Chornobaivka attacks. This was proven wrong when a video showing Mordvichev and
Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov ce, КъадаргӀеран Ахьмат-кӏант Рамзан, translit= (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated to the ...
was released ten days later. On 16 April, Russian officials admitted the death of army deputy commander Major General
Vladimir Petrovich Frolov
Vladimir Petrovich Frolov (russian: Владимир Петрович Фролов; 1967 – 10 March 2022) was a Russian major general who died during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biography
Vladimir Frolov was born into the family of ...
in combat in Ukraine.
References
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Beevor, Antony;
Cooper, Artemis (2002). ''The Fall of Berlin 1945'' (1st ed.). New York: Viking.
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Powell, Colin L.; Persico, Joseph (1996). ''My American Journey'' (1st ed.). New York: Ballantine Books.
Further reading
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Vasily Chuikov
Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (russian: link=no, Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в; ; – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is best known for commanding the 62nd Army which saw h ...
, The Fall of Berlin, transl/pub 1969
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