8th Mechanized Corps
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The 8th Mechanized Corps, was a mechanized corps of the
Soviet Ground Forces uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...
. It was destroyed in 1941 in the beginning of
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
. The formation of the 8th Mechanized Corps began on June 4, 1940. The commander was General Lieutenant
Dmitry Ryabyshev Dmitry Ivanovich Ryabyshev russian: Дми́трий Ива́нович Ря́бышев, , ( – November 18, 1985) was a Soviet military commander, commander of 8th Mechanized Corps (1941). Before World War II Ryabyshev was born in Koloto ...
. The insignia was inspired by
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
and his policies towards Germany.Ryabyshev''D.
first year of the war. - Moscow: Military Publishing, 1990. - 255. - (Military memoirs). / Literary record VM Zotkina /
Circulation 50,000 copies.
Ryabyshev's memoirs said: "The new corps was made up from elements of the 4th Cavalry Corps, 7th Rifle Division, 14th Heavy Tank Brigade and 23rd Light Tank Brigade. By June 1941, the corps comprised about 30,000 troops, 932 tanks (establishment strength was supposed to be 1031). However, heavy and medium tanks KV and
T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against Anti-tank warfare, anti-tan ...
received only 169. The remaining 763 machines were obsolete models averaging barely between maintenance checks, and 197 of them were in need of a full factory overhaul. Artillery also had enough. Of the 141 guns were 53 caliber 37 and 45 millimeters. Means of anti-aircraft defense represented by four 37 mm anti-aircraft guns and 24 machine guns. All the artillery was transported low-speed tractors." On June 22, 1941, the corps comprised the 12th Tank Division, 34th Tank Division, 7th Mechanized Division, 2nd Motorcycle Regiment, an artillery regiment, an engineer battalion, and a signal battalion. It was located at river Styr in the
Kiev Military District The Kiev Military District (; , abbreviated ) was a military district of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Red Army and Soviet Armed Forces. It was first formed in 1862, and was headquartered in Kiev (Kyiv) for most of its exis ...
. It thus became part of the Southwestern Front, and was engaged in the first battles of
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
. The 34th Tank Division itself comprised the 67th and 68th Tank Regiments and the 34th Motor Rifle Regiment. On 23 June General Kirponos, Commander of the Southwestern Front, ordered the 8th Mechanized Corps, part of 26th Army at the time, to move to Brody out of Kostenko's command. Afterwards, the formation operated assigned to the N. I. Muzychenko's 6th Army. During the road march from its initial positions in the Drogobychskaja sector in Ukraine to the Brody area, the corps lost about half its older tanks to mechanical breakdown and enemy air attack.
Dmitry Ryabyshev Dmitry Ivanovich Ryabyshev russian: Дми́трий Ива́нович Ря́бышев, , ( – November 18, 1985) was a Soviet military commander, commander of 8th Mechanized Corps (1941). Before World War II Ryabyshev was born in Koloto ...

On the role of the 8th Mechanised Corps as part of the June 1941 counteroffensive mounted by the Southwestern Front
battlefield.ru, accessed November 2011
It then became embroiled in the
Battle of Brody (1941) The Battle of Brody (other names in use include Battle of Dubna, Battle of Dubno, Battle of Rovne, Battle of Rovne-Brody) was a tank battle fought between the 1st Panzer Group's III Army Corps and XLVIII Army Corps (Motorized) and five mec ...
. On 25 June 1941, 12th and 34th Tank Divisions were clearing the hills south of
Brody Brody ( uk, Броди; russian: Броды, Brodï; pl, Brody; german: Brody; yi, בראָד, Brod) is a city in Zolochiv Raion of Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately ...
before the whole corps opened its attack later that day. "...Its 34th Tank Division and elements of the 12th Tank Division advanced northwards, cutting the main road between Dubno and Brody. This forced the 16th Panzer Division to wheel round and attack the 34th Tank Division in the area of Kozin, in order to clear the road."Easternfront.co.uk On June 26, attack plans that had been under preparation for some time were upstaged by direct orders from representatives of Southwestern Front HQ, who demanded that the corps attack immediately. Thus much of the unengaged remnants of 34th Tank Division were formed into an about 9,000-strong strike group led by Brigade Commissar Popel of corps headquarters, whose attack saw some initial success. Later however the strike group was encircled and destroyed. In July 1941 the corps command was redesignated Headquarters 38th Army, and thus the corps was disestablished.


References


External links


Page at mechcorps.rkka.ru
(archived) {{Soviet Union corps 08 Military units and formations established in 1940