A mechanised corps was a

Soviet 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, ...

armoured formation used prior to the beginning of

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 opposin ...

and reintroduced during the war, in 1942.

Pre-war development of Soviet mechanised forces

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

, the term armored forces (thus called ''Bronevyye sily'') preceded the mechanised corps. They consisted of the autonomous armored units (''avtobroneotryady'') made of

armored vehicle Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighting ...

s and armored trains. The country did not have its own tanks during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

of 1918–1920. In January 1918, the Russian

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 ...

established the Soviet of Armored Units (''Sovet bronevykh chastey'', or ''Tsentrobron’''), later renamed to Central Armored Directorate and then once again to Chief Armored Directorate (''Glavnoye bronevoye upravleniye''). In December 1920, the

received its first light tanks, assembled at the

Sormovo Factory Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard No. 112 named after Andrei Zhdanov (russian: Судостроительное предприятие "Кра́сное Со́рмово" имени А. А. Жданова) is one of the oldest shipbuilding factories ...

. In 1928, it began the production of the MS-1 tanks (''Malyy Soprovozhdeniya 1'', 'Small Convoy 1'). In 1929, it established the Central Directorate for Mechanisation and Motorisation of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. Tanks became a part of the mechanised corps at this point. During this time, and based on the experience of the Civil War with its sweeping movements of horse-mobile formations, Soviet military theorists such as

Vladimir Triandafillov Vladimir Kiriakovitch Triandafillov (; 14 March 189412 July 1931) was a Soviet military commander and theoretician considered by many to be the "father of Soviet operational art". Biography He was born on 14 March 1894 in Magaradzhik village in K ...

born in Pontus of Greek parents and Konstantin Kalinovsky elaborated the principles of combat use of armored units, which envisioned a large-scale use of tanks in different situations in cooperation with various army units. In the mid-1930s, these ideas found their reflection in the so-called

deep operation Deep operation (, ''glubokaya operatsiya''), also known as Soviet Deep Battle, was a military theory developed by the Soviet Union for its armed forces during the 1920s and 1930s. It was a tenet that emphasized destroying, suppressing or disorg ...

and deep combat theories. From the second half of the 1920s, tank warfare development took place at

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...

, where the

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was allowed to participate. In 1930, the First Mechanised Brigade had its own tank regiment of 110 tanks. The formation of two mechanized corps was authorized in 1932. The first two corps formed were the 11th Mechanized Corps in 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 ...

and the 45th Mechanized Corps, formed in the

Ukrainian 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 exist ...

. That same year, the Red Army established the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army (which existed up until 1998 as the Military Academy of Armored Units named after

Rodion Malinovsky Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky (russian: Родио́н Я́ковлевич Малино́вский, ukr, Родіо́н Я́кович Малино́вський ; – 31 March 1967) was a Soviet military commander. He was Marshal of the Sovi ...

Mikhail Katukov Marshal of Armoured Troops Mikhail Yefimovich Katukov (russian: Михаи́л Ефи́мович Катуко́в – 8 June 1976) served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as on ...

had his first major command as acting commanding officer of the 5th light Tank Brigade of the 45th Mechanized Corps in 1938. In 1931–1935, the Red Army adopted light, medium, and later heavy tanks of different types. By the beginning of the 1936, it already had four mechanised corps, six separate mechanised brigades, six separate tank regiments, fifteen mechanised regiments within cavalry divisions and considerable number of tank battalions and companies. The creation of mechanised and tank units marked the dawn of a new branch of armed forces, which would be called armored forces. In 1937, the Central Directorate of Mechanization and Motorization was renamed to Directorate of Automotive Armored Units (''Avtobronetankovoye upravleniye'') and then to Chief Directorate of Automotive Armored Units (''Glavnoye avtobronetankovoye upravleniye''), headed by Dmitry Pavlov. This was carried out under Marshal Tukhachevsky, one of the generals shot in June 1937 in the

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Nikolay Yezhov, Yezhov'), was General ...

. Soviet armored units gained some combat experience during the

Battle of Lake Khasan The Battle of Lake Khasan (29 July – 11 August 1938), also known as the Changkufeng Incident (russian: Хасанские бои, Chinese and Japanese: ; Chinese pinyin: ; Japanese romaji: ) in China and Japan, was an attempted military incurs ...

(1938), the

Battle of Khalkhin Gol The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (russian: Бои на Халхин-Голе; mn, Халхын голын байлдаан) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Ja ...

(1939) and the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

with

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

(1939–1940). But these operations and also observation of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, led People’s Commissar for Defence Marshal Voroshilov to the conclusion that the mechanised corps formations were too cumbersome. A decision was taken to disband them in November 1939, and to distribute their units among infantry. This was a mistake, as the success of German panzer divisions in France showed, and in May 1940 Voroshilov was replaced by Marshal Timoshenko. Future Marshal

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov ( rus, Георгий Константинович Жуков, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ˈʐukəf, a=Ru-Георгий_Константинович_Жуков.ogg; 1 December 1896 – ...

had drawn different conclusions from his own experience at Khalkhin Gol and from the other battles. The decision was reversed, and on 6 July 1940 the NKO ordered the formation of nine new mechanised corps, and in February and March 1941, began forming an additional 20. By June 1941, 29 existed in the

, although the degree of staffing they had significantly varied. However, there was not enough time before the German attack in June 1941 to reform the mechanised corps units fully and for them to reach their former efficiency.

Period 1940–41

In June 1941 there were twenty-nine mechanised corps in various stages of formation. The plan was for each of them to have about 36,000 men and 1,000 tanks, and a few approached that strength level by the time war with Germany broke out. Of this number, two formations especially stood out: 4th and 6th Mechanized Corps. (the only English translations of Solonin's works seem to be, as of June 2011
these online chapters
On 22 June 1941 each of these was fully formed, armed with more than 900 operational tanks, and stationed not further than 100–300 kilometers from the border. Considering the armor qualities, each of these formations had a substantial concentration of the

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 ...

and

KV-1 The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks are a series of Soviet heavy tanks named after the Soviet defence commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov who operated with the Red Army during World War II. The KV tanks were known for their heavy armour pro ...

tanks. Both of these formations, having more than 350 of the T-34 plus KV-1, could be reasonably expected to break through any German Panzer Corps of the time, not to say Army Corps. Such estimation is based on sheer number of concentrated tanks, their main armament, the thickness of their armor, their actual failure rate, the eventual losses to aircraft, and normal scheduled maintenance. What it does not count are human-related factors. That being said, during the war against the Axis, all mechanised corps stationed in frontline areas were destroyed during the early phase of the invasion of the Soviet Union (including 4th and 6th), and less than a month after the attack, the Red Army formally abolished the Mechanised Corps as a formation type. Remaining tanks were concentrated in smaller formations that were easier to handle.

Period 1942–46

In September 1942, the General Headquarters (''

Stavka The ''Stavka'' (Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка) is a name of the high command of the armed forces formerly in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrative staff, a ...

'') authorized the formation of a new type of mechanised corps which was to become the main operational mechanised formation for the remainder of the war. They were about the same size as a German

panzer division A Panzer division was one of the armored (tank) divisions in the army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Panzer divisions were the key element of German success in the blitzkrieg operations of the early years of World War II. Later the Waffe ...

, and designed as a true combined-arms formation with a good balance of armor, infantry, and artillery. Mechanised corps were not to be used in breakthrough battles, but only in the exploitation phase of an operation. They shared with the new

Tank Corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armo ...

a four-manoeuvre-brigade structure – three mechanised brigades and one tank brigade, plus an anti-tank regiment, artillery, and other support units. The new tank corps had three tank brigades and one mechanised brigade. A total of thirteen mechanised corps were formed during the war against the Axis nations, nine of them becoming guards mechanised corps. A further corps, the 10th Mechanised Corps, was formed in June 1945 and saw action during the

Soviet invasion of Manchuria The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian strategic offensive operation (russian: Манчжурская стратегическая наступательная операция, Manchzhurskaya Strategicheskaya Nastu ...

. The 1st, 3rd, and 9th Guards Mechanised Corps were equipped with

Lend Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

tanks, Sherman M4A2. The mechanised corps were converted to mechanised divisions relatively quickly after the war – by 1946 in most cases.

Composition of a mechanised corps (1941)

* 2 Tank Divisions ** 2 Tank Regiments ** Motorized Rifle Regiment ** Motorized Howitzer Regiment ** Division Troops *** Antiaircraft Battalion *** Armored Reconnaissance Battalion *** Truck Battalion *** Maintenance Battalion *** Medical Battalion * 1 Motorized Division ** 2 Motorized Rifle Regiments ** Light Tank Regiment ** Motorized Artillery Regiment ** Division Troops *** Antitank Battalion *** Antiaircraft Battalion *** Reconnaissance Battalion *** Truck Battalion *** Division Trains * Corps Troops ** 1 Motorcycle Regiment ** 1 Signal Battalion ** 1 Motorized Engineer Battalion ** 1 Aviation Troop Total
:1,031 Tanks (420 T-34s, 126 KVs, 485 Light tanks) :36,100 personnel :5 Tank Regiments with 20 Tank Battalions :4 Motorized Rifle Regiments with 12 Motorized Rifle Battalions :3 Motorized Artillery/Howitzer Regiments with 6 Artillery Battalions The formation was seen as very tank-heavy, lacking sufficient infantry or artillery to support the tank formations. The 1942 order of battle was much more flexible.

Composition of a mechanised corps (1944)

* 3 Mechanised Brigades ** 1 Tank Regiment ** 3 Motorized Rifle Battalions ** 1 Submachine Gun Company ** 1 Antitank Rifle Company ** 1 Mortar Battalion ** 1 Artillery Battalion ** 1 Anti Aircraft Machine Gun Company ** 1 Pioneer Mine Company ** 1 Trains Company ** 1 Medical Platoon * 1 Tank Brigade ** 3 Tank Battalions ** 1 Motorized Submachine Gun Battalion ** 1 Anti-aircraft Machine Gun Company ** 1 Trains Company ** 1 Medical Platoon * 3 Assault Gun Regiments * 1 Motorcycle Battalion * 1 Mortar Regiment * 1 Anti-aircraft Regiment * 1 Rocket Launcher Battalion Total: :246 Armored Fighting Vehicles (186 T-34, 21 SU-76, 21 ISU-122, 21 ISU-152) :16,438 personnel :3 Tank Regiments and 3 Tank Battalions :9 Motorised Rifle Battalions and 1 Motorised Submachine Gun Battalion :3 Motorised Artillery Battalions

List of Soviet mechanised corps

The listing and data here are drawn from Keith E. Bonn, Slaughterhouse: Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005, and V.I. Feskov et al., The Soviet Army during the Period of the Cold War, Tomsk University Press,

Tomsk Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a not ...

, 2004 (mostly pages 71–75). * 1st Mechanised Corps – formed January 1941, at

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

in the

Soviet Northern Front The Northern Front (russian: Северный фронт) was a Front (military formation), front of the Red Army during the World War II, Second World War. The Northern Front was created on June 24, 1941 from the Leningrad Military District. Its p ...

in June 1941. Disbanded in August. Reformed August 1942. Circa 1946 became 1st Mechanised Division, and after a brief period as 19th Motor Rifle Division in 1965 became 35th Motor Rifle Division. Served much of the Cold War with 20th Guards Army in

GSFG 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 Occupati ...

. * 2nd Mechanised Corps – 9th Army,

Odessa Military District The Odesa Military District (russian: Одесский военный округ, ОВО; , abbreviated ) was a military administrative division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 1998 most of its territory was transformed into the Southern Operat ...

– On June 22, 1941, the 2nd Mechanised Corps was stationed in the Odessa district near Kisjinov. Comprised 11th Tank Division, 16th Tank Division, and 15th Mechanised Division. The corps was lightly involved until about the middle of July, when it was heavily engaged. By 7–8 August, the 2nd Mechanised Corps was totally destroyed. * 3rd Mechanised Corps– 11th Army,

Baltic Military District The Baltic Military District () was a military district of the Soviet armed forces in the Baltic states, formed briefly before the Operation Barbarossa, German invasion during the World War II. After end of the war the Kaliningrad Oblast was added ...

June 1941. Was encircled & largely destroyed at the

Battle of Raseiniai The Battle of Raseiniai (23–27 June 1941) was a large tank battle that took place in the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The battle was fought between the elements of the German 4th Panzer Group an ...

in June 1941. Reformed Oct 1942 and became 8 GMC Oct 1943. * 4th Mechanised Corps – formed Jan 41 and began war, under command of General Major

Andrey Vlasov Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov (russian: Андрéй Андрéевич Влáсов, – August 1, 1946) was a Soviet Red Army general and Nazi collaborator. During World War II, he fought in the Battle of Moscow and later was captured att ...

, with 6th Army, at

Lvov Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

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 exist ...

. Disbanded August, but reformed in Sept 1942 and became 3rd Guards Mech Corps. * 5th Mechanised Corps – started the war in the

Transbaikal Military District The Transbaikal Military District (russian: Забайкальский военный округ) was a military district of first the Soviet Armed Forces and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on May 17, 1935 and included the ...

. Was with 16th Army on 1 July 1941. Consisted of 13th and 17th Tank Divisions and the 109th Mechanised Division. 126th Corps Artillery Regiment and the 112th Separate Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion. Disbanded August 1941, reformed in Nov 1942, and in Sept 1944 converted to 9th Guards Mechanised Corps * 6th Mechanised Corps – formed June 1940 and started war with 10th Army, but disbanded or destroyed by end of July 1941. Reformed Sept 1942, and in January 1943 converted into 5th Guards Mech Corps, which became 5th Guards Mech Division after the war, and after a brief period as 53rd Guards Motor Rifle Division from 1957 to 1965, became 5th Guards MRD and served with

40th Army The 40th Army (, ''40-ya obshchevoyskovaya armiya'', "40th Combined Arms Army") of the Soviet Ground Forces was an army-level command that participated in World War II from 1941 to 1945 and was reformed specifically for the Soviet–Afghan War fro ...

Shindand Sabzwār ( fa, سبزوار) is a town and the center of the Sabzwar District, Herat Province, Afghanistan. It is located at at 1,066 m altitude on the Harut River. The Sabzwar Air Base is located about 15 miles northeast of the town. S ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

for some years. * 7th Mechanised Corps – started war in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military Di ...

, under General Major V.I. Vinogradov. Comprised 14th and 18th Tank Divisions and 1st Moscow Motor Rifle Division, plus 9th Motorcycle Regiment. Disbanded and staff used to form 16th Army (Second Formation) August 1941. Reformed August 1943. After the war converted to 7th Mech Div with 5th Army in the Far East, but then disbanded in 1957. * 8th Mechanised Corps – July 1940 – August 1941 in Kiev Special MD/

Soviet Southwestern Front The Southwestern Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War, formed thrice. It was first created on June 22, 1941 from the Kiev Special Military District. The western boundary of the front in June 1941 was 865 km long, fro ...

, including 12th Tank Division, 34th Tank Division, and 7th Mechanized Division. Destroyed in battle or disbanded. Reestablished August 1943. After war became 8th Mechanized Division, then 28th Tank Division, serving in the

Belorussian Military District , image = Soviet Union Belorussian Military District.svg , image_size = 300px , caption = The territory of the Byelorussian Military District in 1991. , dates = 28 November 1918 – 6 May 1992 , country = (1918–1920) (1920–1991) (1922� ...

. * 9th Mechanised Corps – formed November 1940. Started Barbarossa with 5th Army; disbanded Aug 1941. Reformed August 1943; assigned to

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 ...

until the end of the war. Took part in the clearing of left and right bank Ukraine, Lvov-Sandomir, Sandomir-Silesia, Lower Silesia, Berlin, and Prague offensives. In 1944 gained the names Zhitomir and Kiev as honorifics. Became 9th Mechanised Division, then 82nd Motor Rifle Division, before being disbanded in 1958 in the

, still with 3 GTA. * 10th Mechanized Corps – acting as Northern Front reserve in 1941 (21st, 24th TDs). Second establishment became 10th Mechanised Division after war, 84th MRD in 1957, 121st MRD in 1965, and finally 121st MRTD in the

Far Eastern Military District The Far Eastern Military District (russian: Дальневосточный военный округ; Dalʹnevostochnyĭ voennyĭ okrug) was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific ...

. * 11th Mechanised Corps – started Barbarossa with 3rd Army. Active March–August 1941, then disbanded. * 12th Mechanized Corps – formed March 1941. Started Barbarossa with 8th Army,

& was disbanded following the

in August 1941 * 13th Mechanised Corps – formed March 1941. Started war with 10th Army in the Western Front. Consisted of 25th and 31st Tank Division and 208th Motorised Division. Disbanded August 1941. This corps should not be confused with

13th Tank Corps In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave pl ...

, which was reorganised as a mechanised corps without a change of number in November 1942. * 14th Mechanised Corps – activated March 1941. With 4th Army June 1941. Disbanded July. * 15th Mechanised Corps * 16th Mechanised Corps * 17th Mechanised Corps formed March 1941. Destroyed in the

Battle of Białystok–Minsk The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbarossa, ...

and Battle of Smolensk . Became 147th Tank Brigade 1 August 1941. *

18th Mechanised Corps 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

* 19th Mechanised Corps * 20th Mechanised Corps formed March 1941. Destroyed in the

. * 21st Mechanised Corps – formed March 1941. Fought in

June 1941. Disbanded Aug 1941. * 22nd Mechanised Corps * 23rd Mechanised Corps – 48th and 51st Tank Divisions and 220th Mechanised Division. Does not appear to have fought as a formation. By 1 August 1941, the corps appears to have been dispersed, with 48th Tank Division in 22nd Army of Western Front, 220th Division, now a standard rifle division, part of 32nd Army of Reserve Front, and 51st Tank Division having been redesignated (possibly as 108th or 110th Tank Division.) 51st Tank Division's prewar headquarters was at

Bryansk Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population: Geography Urban layout The location of the settlement was originally ass ...

. With the outbreak of hostilities it was a part of a corps of the 24th Army, but on 01.07.1941, was reassigned to the 19th Army. Most parts of the division remained on peacetime levels of equipment, and suffered shortages. For example, the nominal demand for motor vehicles on 03.07.1941 was 80%. For these reasons, the division remained raising its readiness near Rzhev, where Glantz notes it was to 'support the newly formed reserve armies' (BD p. 92). An exception was the 102nd Tank Regiment, which commanded by the 23rd Mechanized Corps was directed at

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest ci ...

, where it participated in the 10 July 1941 unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the enemy from the bridgehead on the eastern part of the city (see :ru:Витебское сражение), along with the 220th Motor Rifle Division. (Source Ruwiki, 51st Tank Division) * 24th Mechanised Corps – comprised 45th and 49th Tank Divisions & 216th Motorised Division, within the

Kiev Special Military District Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

on June 22, 1941. * 25th Mechanised Corps – 50th TD eventually became 150th Tank Bn and was then destroyed at Vyazma in October 1941. 55th TD was destroyed at

Chernigov Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative ...

in August 1941, and was reformed as the 8th and 14th Separate Tank Battalions. 219th Motorized Division was destroyed at Chernigov in August 1941.Glantz, Stumbling Colossus, Table 8.5, 231. * 26th Mechanised Corps – included 52nd and 56th Tank Divisions, 103rd Motorized Division, and 27th Motorcycle Regiment. North Caucasus Military District. Destroyed at

Vyazma Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Throu ...

in October 1941. * 27th Mechanised Corps – included 9th Tank Division. 53rd Tank Division, 221st Motorised Division under General Major I.E. Petrov.

Central Asian Military District The Red Banner Central Asian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, which existed in 1926–1945 and 1969–1989, with its headquarters at Tashkent (1926–1945) and Almaty (1969–1989). By USSR Order No.304 of 4 ...

In July 1941 the 9th and 53rd TDs became the 104th and 105th TDs respectively. By July the 221st Motorized Division had been 'disbanded', according to Glantz in ''Stumbling Colossus''. By September the 104th and 105th TDs became the 145th and 146th Tank Brigades, respectively, and then in October the corps was destroyed at

. * 28th Mechanised Corps – General Major V.V. Novikov, 6th Tank Division, 54th Tank Division, 236th Motorized Division,

Transcaucasus Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Grou ...

. * 29th Mechanised Corps – formed March 1941, disbanded 7 May 1941 * 30th Mechanised Corps – active March–June 1941 in the

Far East Military District The Far Eastern Military District (russian: Дальневосточный военный округ; Dalʹnevostochnyĭ voennyĭ okrug) was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific ...

LTG V.S. Golubovskiy. 58th Tank Division, 60th Tank Division, 239th Motorized Division.

Guards

* 1st Guards Mechanised Corps – Formed 24 October 1942 from the 1st Guards Rifle Division. Became 1st Guards Mechanised Division in July 1945. Became 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division on 25 June 1957. It was converted into the 2nd Guards Training Motor Rifle Division on 4 May 1962, 16th Guards Training Motor Rifle Division on 17 November 1964, then 100th Guards Training Motor Rifle Division on 3 November 1967. * 2nd Guards Mechanised Corps – formed Nov 1942 in Tambov region. Assigned in sequence to the Stalingrad, Southern, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts. 1945 took part in the Budapest, Bratislava-Brno, Prague, and Vienna operations. Became 2nd Guards Mechanised Division after the war, and then c. 1957 became 19th Guards Tank Division in

Southern Group of Forces Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...

. *

3rd Guards Mechanised Corps The 4th Mechanized Corps was a formation in the Soviet Red Army during the Second World War. Operation Barbarossa Initially formed in January 1941, it was serving with the 6th Army, Kiev Special Military District under the command of General Ma ...

– Formed from the 28th Tank Corps on 18 December 1942. Converted into the 3rd Guards Mechanised Division in November 1945. Became 47th Guards Motor Rifle Division 1957 and disbanded in 1959. * 4th Guards Mechanised Corps – ( :ru:4-й гвардейский механизированный корпус) formed from 13th Tank Corps. Circa 1946 4th Guards Mechanised Division. Redesignated 5 June 1957 as 63rd Guards Motor Rifle Division at

Lugansk Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). A ...

. On 17 December 1964 redesignated 4th Guards Motor Rifle Division. On 15 February 1980 transferred to

Termez Termez ( uz, Termiz/Термиз; fa, ترمذ ''Termez, Tirmiz''; ar, ترمذ ''Tirmidh''; russian: Термез; Ancient Greek: ''Tàrmita'', ''Thàrmis'', ) is the capital of Surxondaryo Region in southern Uzbekistan. Administratively, it is ...

, Surkhandar'inskaya Oblast,

Turkestan Military District The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...

, to replace

108th Motor Rifle Division The 108th Nevelskaya Motor Rifle Division, abbreviated as the "108th MRD," was a unit of the Soviet Ground Forces and the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan. It was the successor to the 360th Rifle Division. The division was created in August 1941 by t ...

which had been sent to Afghanistan. The division's 15th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment was left behind, and was replaced by a new 1213th Motor Rifle Regiment, activated in Termez. Disbanded in March 1989 and parts absorbed by returning 108th Motor Rifle Division. * 5th Guards Mechanised Corps – see 6th Mechanised Corps *

6th Guards Mechanised Corps G6, G.VI, G.6 or G-6 may refer to: International politics * G6 (EU), the six largest European Union members * Group of Six, a 1975 international summit which led to the G7 and G8 * 44th G7 summit, referred to as the "G6+1" or just "G6" due to ...

– Formed on 17 June 1943 from the 3rd Guards Motor Rifle Division. Converted into the 6th Guards Mechanised Division on 10 June 1945 with 4th Guards Tank Army. Became 6th Guards Motor Rifle Division on 30 April 1957 and 90th Guards Tank Division on 8 February 1985. * 7th Guards Mechanised Corps – Formed from the 2nd Mechanised Corps on 26 July 1943. Honorifics "Kuzbass-Nezhin". Converted into the 7th Guards Mechanised Division on 10 June 1945 with 4th Guards Tank Army. Became 11th Guards Motor Rifle Division on 30 April 1957. * 8th Guards Mechanised Corps – Formed from 3rd Mechanised Corps October 1943, after having taken part in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...

. From its formation to the end of the war, the Corps served with

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 ...

. In April 1944 awarded 'Carpathian' honorific. On 10 June 1945, it became the 8th Guards Mechanised Division. Converted into the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division in 1957, serving with 1st Guards Tank Army in

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 Occupati ...

postwar. *

9th Guards Mechanised Corps The 9th Guards Motor Rifle Division was a Soviet Army unit initially formed as a tank corps in April 1942. In the same year, it was then formed as a mechanized corps in November 1942. This unit then became a Guards mechanized corps in September ...

– Formed from the 5th Mechanised Corps (Third Formation) on 12 September 1944. Became 9th Guards Mechanised Division by October 1945, then 9th Guards Motor Rifle Division in 1957. The division was disbanded on 1 November 1958 while serving with the

6th Guards Tank Army The 6th Guards Order of Red Banner Tank Army was a tank army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first formed in January 1944 as the 6th Tank Army,Glantz (Companion), p. 66. and disbanded in Ukraine in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Un ...

in the

Sainshand Sainshand ( mn, Сайншанд; ) is the capital of Dornogovi Province in Mongolia. It is located in the eastern Gobi desert steppe, on the Trans-Mongolian Railway. Administration The territory of Sainshand sum consists of 5 ''bags'' (commune ...

References

Sources and further reading

* * Evgeniĭ Drig, Механизированные корпуса РККА в бою : история автобронетанковых войск Красной Армии в 1940–1941 годах / ekhanizirovannye korpusa RKKA v boi︠u︡ : istorii︠a︡ avtobronetankovykh voĭsk Krasnoĭ Armii v 1940–1941 godakhАСТ : Транзиткнига, Moskva : AST : Tranzitkniga, 2005. * * Glantz, David, ''The Initial Period of War on the Eastern Front, 22 June–August 1941'', p. 19 * {{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SDfInc6Gb40C, title=Barbarossa Derailed: The German Advance to Smolensk, the Encirclement Battle, and the First and Second Soviet Counteroffensives, 10 July – 24 August 1941, last=Glantz, first=David M., publisher=Casemate, year=2010, isbn=9781906033729, location=Philadelphia * Page, J. and Bean, Tim, ''Russian Tanks of World War II'', Zenith Press * Sharp, Charles,
Soviet Armor Tactics in World War II: Red Army Armor Tactics from Individual Vehicle to Company from the Combat Regulations of 1944
' * Sharp, Charles, ''Soviet Order of Battle in World War II Vol 1: The Deadly Beginning: Soviet Tank, Mechanized, Motorized Divisions and Tank Brigades of 1940–1942'' * Zaloga, Steven & Ness, Leland ''The Red Army Handbook''
Axis History Forum discussion on Mech Corps

External links

– Article on the development of Red Army armoured formations

* Army corps of the Soviet Union

Pre-war development of Soviet mechanised forces

Period 1940–41

Period 1942–46

Composition of a mechanised corps (1941)

Composition of a mechanised corps (1944)

List of Soviet mechanised corps

Guards

See also

References

Sources and further reading

External links