The Belomorsky Military District (russian: Беломорский военный округ) was a

military district Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and ...

of the

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...

, active from in the immediate aftermath of the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

and just after the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

. The District was formed by the decree of the Council of the Peoples Commissars in May 1918. It existed: from May 4 - to August 15, 1918; from March 20, 1920 - to May 17, 1921; from 15 December 1944 year (note 1 January 1945 according to the Encyclopedia "Second World War") - to June 29, 1951.

First Formation

Formed on 4 May 1918 initially the Belomorsky Military District included the territories of the

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies o ...

Vologda Vologda ( rus, Вологда, p=ˈvoləɡdə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. ...

, and

Olonets Olonets (russian: Оло́нец; krl, Anus, olo, Anuksenlinnu; fi, Aunus, Aunuksenkaupunki or Aunuksenlinna) is a town and the administrative center of Olonetsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the Olonka River to th ...

districts, the islands of the

White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is su ...

and part of the islands of the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

. The headquarters was initially located in

. After the

North Russia Intervention The North Russia intervention, also known as the Northern Russian expedition, the Archangel campaign, and the Murman deployment, was part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War after the October Revolution. The intervention brought ...

by Western Forces in 1918. The district was abolished and the territory was transferred to the Yaroslavl, Ural and Petrograd military districts.

Second Formation

Reformed on 20 March 1920 after the Western military's and White Guards defeat it included the Arkhangelsk, Volgdo, North-Divinsky and Murmansk regions. The district headquarters was located in Arkhangelsk. Disbanded on 17 May 1921, the troops and territory were transferred to the

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and

Ural Military District The Red Banner Ural Military DistrictHistory of the Ural Military District / Edited by Alexander Egorovsky, Ivan Tutarinov – 1 – Moscow: Voenizdat, Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1970 – 352 Pages ...

s. Command of the Military District was located in Arkhangelsk, and later in

, Kem' and

Petrozavodsk Petrozavodsk (russian: Петрозаводск, p=pʲɪtrəzɐˈvotsk; Karelian, Vepsian and fi, Petroskoi) is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, which stretches along the western shore of Lake Onega for some . The population ...

Third Formation

On 15 December 1944, the Belomorsky Military District was reestablished from the

Arkhangelsk Military District The Arkhangelsk Military District () was a regional military district of the Red Army which oversaw the North-Western part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The district was formed in 1940 during a reorganisation of the Army, ...

by order of the

People's Commissar of Defence The Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union refers to the head of the Ministry of Defence who was responsible for defence of the socialist Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1917 to 1922 and the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1992. Pe ...

. The territory of the Military District included Arkhangelsk, Vologda,

Murmansk Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...

Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (Karelo-Finnish SSR; fi, ; rus, Каре́ло-Фи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респу́блика, r=Karelo-Finskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Resp ...

and the

Komi ASSR The Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (russian: Коми Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика; kv, Коми Автономнӧй Сӧветскӧй Социалистическӧй ...

; its headquarters were established at Kem'. Included in the military district was the 14th Army and a number of separate formations and units. The Military District was tasked with defending the northern borders of the USSR. Simultaneously the Belomorsky Military District executed formation and preparation of reserve formations and units for the active army. Just after the war, the district included under its command the

4th Rifle Corps The 4th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Red Army, active from the 1920s. First Formation It was formed during the Russian Civil War as part of the Western Front of the Red Army in May and June 1922. The corps headquarters was stationed in Vitebsk ...

(Arkhangelsk) ( 25th and

289th Rifle Division The 289th Rifle Division () was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed twice. The division was first formed in the summer of 1941, after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, and was sent to the front and destroyed in the ...

s);

31st Rifle Corps 31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number. In mathematics 31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits ...

(

) ( 45th, 67th, and 83rd (both the last located at Murmansk)) and the 131st Rifle Corps (

) ( 114th, 341st, and 367th Rifle Divisions, Rebol, Alakurtti, and

Sortavala Sortavala (russian: Сортавала; Finnish and krl, Sortavala; sv, Sordavala); till 1918 Serdobol (russian: Сердоболь) is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga near the Finnish bord ...

). By 1946 the 83rd and 114th Rifle Divisions had been disbanded.Feskov et al 2013, 429. It was reorganized after the war. In January 1946 HQ 2nd Shock Army arrived and took over the

Arkhangelsk Oblast Arkhangelsk Oblast (russian: Арха́нгельская о́бласть, ''Arkhangelskaya oblast'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic Ocean, Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land ...

Vologda Oblast Vologda Oblast ( rus, Вологодская область, p=vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Vologodskaya oblast, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. The Oblast has a population of 1,202,444 ...

Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (russian: Коми Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика; kv, Коми Автономнӧй Сӧветскӧй Социалистическӧй ...

and

Nenets Autonomous Okrug The Nenets Autonomous Okrug (russian: Не́нецкий автоно́мный о́круг; Nenets languages, Nenets: Ненёцие автономной ӈокрук, ''Nenjocije awtonomnoj ŋokruk'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal su ...

from the Belomorsky Military District, becoming the

. The Northern Military District was established from the Belomorsky Military District in June 1951, with its headquarters at

. Its territory included the

Karelo-Finnish SSR The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (Karelo-Finnish SSR; fi, ; rus, Каре́ло-Фи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респу́блика, r=Karelo-Finskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Resp ...

, the

Murmansk Oblast Murmansk Oblast (russian: Му́рманская о́бласть, p=ˈmurmənskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Murmanskaya oblast, ''Murmanskaya oblast''; Kildin Sami: Мурман е̄ммьне, ''Murman jemm'ne'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of ...

, and the Pechenga district of the RSFSR. Military District Commanders included 06.1951-05.1954 Měreckov, Kirill Afanasjevič, 05.1954-01.1956 Kolpakči, Vladimir Yakovlevich, 01.1956-03.1960 Stučenko, Andrew Trofimovic. From June 1951 to April 1952 it also included 31st Rifle Corps.

16th Guards Fighter Aviation Division The 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Division was an Aviation Division of the Soviet Air Forces, active from 1942 to 1998. Originally activated in 1942 as the 258th Fighter Aviation Division from the Air Forces of the 14th Army, then the 258th Mixed ...

was part of VVS Belomorsky Military District from November 1944 until January 1952, and then became part of 22nd Air Army, seemingly Northern Military District's aviation component, from 25 January 1952 until October 1953. In 1949 the division included two fighter regiments of

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

s, the 19th Guards at lakurtti, and the 773rd possibly stationed at

Monchegorsk Monchegorsk (russian: Мончего́рск) is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula, south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 52,242 ( 2002 Census); 68,652 ( 1989 Census). Name The ...

. The 20th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, the third regiment of the division, was also possibly stationed at

, and equipped with the

Yak-9 The Yakovlev Yak-9 (russian: Яковлев Як-9) is a single-engine, single-seat multipurpose fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union and its allies during World War II and the early Cold War. It was a development of the robust and successf ...

. In March 1960 the Northern Military District was disbanded and its territory transferred to the

Leningrad Military District The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District. Hi ...

, except for the Komi ASSR, which became part of the

Urals Military District The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

. On 23 July, the district headquarters became the 6th Army headquarters.Feskov et al 2013, p. 430

Fourth Formation

On 1 July 1951 the

was renamed the Belomorsky Military District with headquarters at

. The new Belomorsky Military District controlled troops in the territory of

, the

and the

. In April 1956 it was disbanded and headquarters became 44th Special Rifle Corps.

Commanding officers

*Ogorodnikov Fedor Evlampievich (26 May 1918 - 15 August 1918) *Kraevskiy Bronislaw Ignatevich (9 April 1920 - 27 August 1920) *Dudnikov (28 August 1920 - 18 September 1920) *Shipov M. (19 September 1920 - 10 November 1920) *Natsarenus Sergey Petrovich (November 1920 - April 1921) * Shevaldin Trifon Ivanovich (1944–1945) *Colonel General Valerian Alexandrovich Frolov (15 December 1944 - April 1948) *Colonel General Mikhail Stepanovich Shumilov (1948–1949) *

Kirill Meretskov Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov (russian: Кири́лл Афана́сьевич Мерецко́в; – 30 December 1968) was a Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1920. During th ...

(1949 - 29 June 1951) *Colonel General V A Frolov (29 June 1951 – 4 April 1956)

Sources and references

* {{Cite book, title = Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской, last1 = Feskov, first1 = V.I., last2 = Golikov, first2 = V.I., last3 = Kalashnikov, first3 = K.A., last4 = Slugin, first4 = S.A., publisher = Tomsk University Press, year = 2013, isbn = 9785895035306, volume = 1 Land Forces, location = Tomsk, language = Russian, trans-title = The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet *Source is translation of http://samsv.narod.ru/Okr/bmvo.html
History of the Red Sixth Army
*See also https://web.archive.org/web/20101019235144/http://bdsa.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=736&Itemid=30 Military districts of the Soviet Union 1918 establishments in Russia Military units and formations established in 1918 Military units and formations disestablished in 1960