The 1st Mechanized Corps was a mechanized corps of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, formed twice.

World War II

1st Formation

Initially formed in March 1940 it was attached 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 ...

, and held in reserve near the Pskov Fortified Region. It was under the command of Major General Mikhail Chernyavsky when the German

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 afte ...

began in June 1941. It initially comprised the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and 3rd Tank Divisions, and the 168th Mechanized Division. On 22 June 1941, 1st Mechanized Corps consisted 31,439 Men, 1037 Tanks, 239 Armored Cars, 148 Artillery Pieces, 146 Mortars, 4730 Vehicles, 246 Tractors & 467 Motorcycles including lighter models

T-26 The T-26 tank was a Soviet light tank used during many conflicts of the Interwar period and in World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and was one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s until its light ...

, Bt 7, &

T-28 The T-28 was a Soviet multi-turreted medium tank. The prototype was completed in 1931, and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry support tank intended to break through fortified defences. The T-28 was designed to complement the hea ...

's. After the invasion began the

was renamed Northern Front, Commanded by Lieutenant General Markian M. Popov. The front fielded 14th, 7th Armies, 23rd Armies, the 65th Rifle Corps & the Leningrad Military District forces including the 2nd Division of NKVD troops. The 1st Mechanized Corps was heavily engaged in the first battles of

, particularly during the

Baltic Operation (1941) The Baltic operation, also known as the defensive operation in Lithuania and Latvia, encompassed the operations of the Red Army from 22 June to 9 July 1941 conducted over the territories of the occupied Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in respons ...

. On 29 June 1941 the 1st Mechanized Corps was ordered to reinforce new defenses anchored on the

Velikaya River The Velikaya () is a river in Novosokolnichesky, Pustoshkinsky, Sebezhsky, Opochetsky, Pushkinogorsky, Ostrovsky, Palkinsky, and Pskovsky Districts of Pskov Oblast, as well as in the city of Pskov in Russia. It is a major tributary of La ...

near Ostrov on the former Stalin Line after the spectacular advances by

Georg-Hans Reinhardt Georg-Hans Reinhardt (1 March 1887 – 23 November 1963) was a German general and war criminal during World War II. He commanded the 3rd Panzer Army from 1941 to 1944, and Army Group Centre in 1944 and 1945, reaching the rank of colonel general ...

XLI Panzer Corps XXXXI Panzer Corps (also written as: XLI Panzer Corps) was a Panzer (armoured) corps in the German Army during World War II. Operational history The corps was originally formed, as the XXXXI Corps, on 5 February 1940 in ''Wehrkreis'' VIII (Sile ...

which had crossed the

Daugava River , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic S ...

. However it was unable to hold the line. On 11 July 1941 Col P Poluboiarov, Northwestern Front armoured directorate reported that the 1st Mechanized Corps had at the present moment fewer than 100 Tanks remaining.

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 ...

and Ostrov were captured within weeks &

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

invested. On 2 August 1941 Colonel Limarenko, Chief of Staff of the 1st Mechanized Corps reported that the Corps 'possessed no

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 weapons. The C ...

Kv-1s 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 ...

when sent into action 20 were delivered only after combat began. The 1st Mechanized Corps was disbanded in August 1941, although 1st Tank Division remained in 14th Army.

2nd Formation

The Corps was formed a second time on the basis of the 27th Tank Corps on September 8, 1942 in Kalinin. It fought actively during the Second World War from September 26, 1942 to March 10, 1943, from July 9, 1943 to January 13, 1944, from June 7, 1944 to September 5, 1944 and from October 30, 1944 to May 9, 1945. It took heavy casualties during the

Battle in Berlin The battle in Berlin was an end phase of the Battle of Berlin. While the Battle ''of'' Berlin encompassed the attack by three Soviet Army Groups to capture not only Berlin but the territory of Germany east of the River Elbe still under German co ...

. After the end of World War II, the Corps became part of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany.

Cold War

In 1946, the corps became the 1st Mechanized Division. The division became the 19th Motor Rifle Division in Olympisches Dorf as part of the

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 ...

. In June 1964, it was subordinated to the

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 t ...

. On 1 January 1965, it became the 35th Motor Rifle Division. On 22 February 1968, the division was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

. In May 1983, it relocated to Krampnitz. In May 1989, the 219th Tank Regiment was moved to the Soviet Union and disbanded. It was replaced by the

32nd Guards Tank Division The 32nd Guards Tank Division was a tank formation of the Soviet Army/Soviet Ground Forces. Its predecessor, the 9th Guards Airborne Division, was a Red Army Airborne division of World War II. On 19 June 1945, it became the 116th Guards Rifle Div ...

's 69th Motor Rifle Regiment. During the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

, the division was maintained at full strength. In December 1991, the division moved to

Chebarkul Chebarkul (russian: Чебарку́ль) is a town in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the shores of Lake Chebarkul, west of Chelyabinsk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: Etymology The name of the town derives from t ...

and became part of the Volga–Urals Military District. The division was disbanded in April 1992.

World War II

1st Formation

2nd Formation

Cold War

Sources & References

Further reading