The Guards Army was a guards operational

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

(association, army) of the

Workers' and Peasants' 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, after ...

of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union during the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...

and in the postwar period.Guards Army. Ministry of Defense of Russia
/ref> Guards Armies are also currently in the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

. Guards Armies appeared in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, when for the displayed

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

ism,

courage Courage (also called bravery or valor) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in battle. Physical courage is bravery in the face of physical pain, h ...

and high combat skill by the personnel of the formations (such as the army and the tank army), they were awarded honorary titles – the guards.

History

As an operational formation, the "army" first emerged at the beginning of the 19th century. The emergence of armies was caused by an increase in the size of the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of the state, the development of weapons and

military equipment A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, communications and the increased spatial scope of military operations. In these conditions, to increase the efficiency of command and control, to better use the combat and maneuverable capabilities of the troops, it was necessary to divide the armed forces operating in the

theater of operations In warfare, a theater or theatre is an area in which important military events occur or are in progress. A theater can include the entirety of the airspace, land and sea area that is or that may potentially become involved in war operations. T ...

into armies, and the Russians were the first to do this. From 1806 to the 60s of the 19th century, the Russian Imperial Army included

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

(the highest formations in the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

and

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

are non–permanent), which had two divisions (a permanent military formation consisting of two or three

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

s of two-regiment composition and an artillery brigade) and artillery brigades (corps). There were guards formations in the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

, the largest of which is the 1st Guards Corps. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, they were all disbanded.Guards Army. Russian History
/ref> During the

, for the heroism, courage and high military skill of the personnel shown in the defense of the Fatherland from the attacking enemy, the assignment of honorary titles to the formations of the

began – the guards. Upon receipt of its formation, it was renamed, they were assigned new military numbers. Accordingly, as the number of guards formations increased, guards corps and armies appeared. Guards Armies were formed from guards formations and units. During operations, the Guards Armies were used in the most critical sectors and directions, since they had an increased combat ability in the

offensive Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

and special staunchness in defense. In total, during the Great Patriotic War, 11 armies and 6 tank armies were awarded the honorary title of the Guards. During the period of Khrushchev's reductions, Guards Mechanized Armies appeared in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, and later returned to the Guards Tank Armies.

Structure

The composition of the Guards Army, depending on the type of troops, included: *Management (

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

); *Formations (

, divisions); *Units (brigades, regiments, separate

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

divizion {{army units A divizion (dywizjon) (a word in several European languages, mostly Slavic) is a military unit in some armed branches, usually artillery and cavalry, being an equivalent of battalion. It should be distinguished from division, which ...

s and companies); *Institutions (

hospitals A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

, bases,

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

s).

Banner

Each Guards Army was awarded a Guards Red Banner in accordance with the Regulations on the Red Banners of the Guards Army and the Guards Corps:Guards Army. Arguments and Facts
/ref>

Formations

* 1st Guards Army; *

2nd Guards Army The 2nd Guards Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army that fought in World War II, most notably at Stalingrad. History The 2nd Guards Army was formed according to the order of the Staff of the Supreme High Command (Stavka) from Oc ...

; *

3rd Guards Army The 3rd Guards Army () was a field army of the Soviet Red Army that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The army fought in the Battle of Berlin, during which it mopped up German resistance around Cottbus. 1942 to 1945 It was formed o ...

; *

4th Guards Army The 4th Guards Army was an elite Guards field army of the Soviet Union during World War II and the early postwar era. History On April 16, 1943, the Supreme Command ordered the army to be established. On May 5, 1943, the army was formed on t ...

; *

5th Guards Army The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition o ...

; * 6th Guards Army; * 7th Guards Army; *

8th Guards Army The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army (abbreviated 8th CAA) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, within Russia′s Southern Military District, that was reinstated in 2017 as a success ...

; * 9th Guards Army; *

10th Guards Army The 10th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought against Germany during World War II under the command of several generals. Formed in 1943, the army fought under various headquarters and ended the war besieging cut-off German force ...

; *

11th Guards Army The 11th Guards Army () was a field army of the Red Army, the Soviet Ground Forces, and the Russian Ground Forces, active from 1943 to 1997. History World War II For its prowess in battle, the second formation of the 16th Army was redesignat ...

; *

20th Guards Army The 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (originally designated as the 4th Tank Army, 4th Guards Tank Army in 1945, 4th Guards Mechanised Army in 1946, and the 20th Guards Army in 1960 within the Soviet Ground Forces) is a field army. In 1991, after th ...

; *

1st Guards Tank Army The 1st Guards Tank Army () is a tank Field army, 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 1 ...

; *

2nd Guards Tank Army The 2nd Guards Tank Army () was a large military formation of the Red Army and later the Soviet Army, now part of the Russian Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. The army was originally formed in early 1943 as the 2nd Tank Army. It was the ...

; *

3rd Guards Tank Army The 3rd Guards Tank Army (russian: 3-я гвардейская танковая армия) was a tank army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. The 3rd Tank Army was created in 1942 and fought in the southern areas of ...

; *

4th Guards Tank Army The 4th Guards Tank Army was an operational military unit within the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War and in the post–war period. Battle path during the Great Patriotic War Fighting in Upper Silesia The 4th Guards ...

; *

5th Guards Tank Army The 5th Guards Tank Army (Russian: 5-я гварде́йская та́нковая а́рмия) was a Soviet Guards armored formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II. The army was formed in February 1943. Until the aft ...

; * 6th Guards Tank Army; * 1st Guards Mechanized Army; * 2nd Guards Mechanized Army; * 3rd Guards Mechanized Army; * 4th Guards Mechanized Army; * 5th Guards Mechanized Army; * 6th Guards Mechanized Army; * 33rd Guards Missile Army.

References

Sources

*Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Published by the Publishing House "Soviet Encyclopedia" in 1969–1978 in 30 Volumes *A – Bureau of Military Commissars / Edited by Andrey Grechko – Moscow: Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1976 – 637 Pages – (

Soviet Military Encyclopedia The ''Soviet Military Encyclopedia'' () is an eight-volume encyclopedic dictionary of military subjects. It was published by Voenizdat, the publishing house of the Soviet Ministry of Defense, between 1976 and 1980. Background In the earl ...

: in 8 Volumes; 1976–1980, Volume 1) *Soviet Armed Forces – 60 Years Old (Accompanying Text, Part Two) / N. I. Kobrin, B. P. Frolov – Moscow: Knowledge, 1978 – 32 Pages *

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 ...

. Construction History – Moscow: Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1978 *Military Encyclopedic Dictionary, Moscow, Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1984, 863 Pages With Illustrations, 30 Sheets *Guards Army // Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945: Encyclopedia / Edited by Mikhail Kozlov – Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1985 – Page 501 – 500,000 Copies *Dictionary of Military Terms / Compiled by Anatoly Plekhov, S. G. Shapkin – Moscow: Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1988 *A. Kryukovskikh. Dictionary of Historical Terms – 1998; * *Big Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2000 *Andrey Lensky, Mikhail Tsybin. "Soviet Ground Forces in the Last Year of the Soviet Union. Directory" – Saint Petersburg, 2001 *Vitaly Feskov, Konstantin Kalashnikov, Valery Golikov. Soviet Army During the Cold War (1945–1991) – Tomsk: Tomsk University Publishing House, 2004 – 236 Pages
60 Years of the Great Victory
{{Armies of the Soviet Army Guards Armies

History

Structure

Banner

Formations

See also

References

Sources