20th Army (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
The 20th Army was a field army
of the Red Army
that fought during the Great Patriotic War.
reserves and was located west of Moscow.
On 27 June 1941 it was proposed to Joseph Stalin
that the Soviet armies (13th Army
, 19th Army
, 20th, 21st Army
, and 22nd Army
) would defend the line going through the Daugava-Polotsk-Vitebsk
-Orsha
-Mogilev
-Mazyr
as part of the Reserve Front.
Committed as part of Western Front in defensive battles in Belarussia, Smolensk, and Vyazma. The Army HQ was disbanded having been encircled and destroyed in the Vyazma Pocket.
, comprising 331st and 350th Rifle Divisions, and three separate brigades. Fought as part of the Western Front. In 1942-43 it operated on the Rzhev-Sychevka bridgehead, and took part in the Rzhev-Vyazma offensive operation. In 1944 it became part of the Stavka
Reserve and was then reassigned to Kalinin Front
and Leningrad Front
. It was disbanded in April 1944 by being dispersed within the formations of 3rd Baltic Front
.
The army was in strategic reserve from July 1943 to April 1944. In April 1944 the headquarters was disbanded and used to form the 3rd Baltic Front
.
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
that fought during the Great Patriotic War.
First formation
The Army was first formed in the Orel Military District in June 1941. On 22 June 1941 the Army was part of the STAVKAStavka
Stavka was the term used to refer to a command element of the armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus′, more formally during the history of Imperial Russia as administrative staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Soviet Union...
reserves and was located west of Moscow.
On 27 June 1941 it was proposed to Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
that the Soviet armies (13th Army
13th Army (Soviet Union)
The 13th Army was a name given to several field armies of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first created during the Russian Civil War...
, 19th Army
19th Army (Soviet Union)
The 19th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed in 1941 and active during the Second World War. It was disbanded in 1945 or 1947.-First Formation:...
, 20th, 21st Army
21st Army (Soviet Union)
-June to September 1941:21st Army was a part of the Second Operational Echelon of the RKKA. It was formed from the forces of the Volga Military District in May 1941 and was initially based on 63rd Rifle Corps and 66th Rifle Corps. The army was under the command of Lieutenant-General Vasilii...
, and 22nd Army
22nd Army (Soviet Union)
The 22nd Army was a field army of the Russian Ground Forces, part of the Moscow Military District. It was active from 1941 to 2010. The order for the formation's dissolution was signed by the Minister of Defence on 1 July 2009....
) would defend the line going through the Daugava-Polotsk-Vitebsk
Vitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
-Orsha
Orsha
Orsha is a city in Belarus in Vitebsk voblast on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers.-Facts:*Location: *Population: 125,000 *Phone code: +375 216*Postal codes: 211030, 211381–211394, 211396–211398-History:...
-Mogilev
Mogilev
Mogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants...
-Mazyr
Mazyr
Mazyr, also Mozyr is a city in the Homiel Province of Belarus on the Pripyat River about 210 km east of Pinsk and 100 km northwest of Chernobyl and is located at approximately . The population is 111,770 . The total urban area including Kalinkavičy across the river has a population of...
as part of the Reserve Front.
Committed as part of Western Front in defensive battles in Belarussia, Smolensk, and Vyazma. The Army HQ was disbanded having been encircled and destroyed in the Vyazma Pocket.
Order of Battle 22 June 1941
Source: BSSA via tashv and Leo Niehorster- 61st Rifle Corps
- 110th Rifle Division
- 144th Rifle Division
- 172nd Rifle Division
- 69th Rifle Corps
- 73rd Rifle Division
- 229th Rifle Division
- 233rd Rifle Division
- 18th Rifle Division
- 301st Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RGK)
- 537th High Power Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RGK)
- 438th Corps Artillery Regiment
- 7th Mechanised Corps
- 14th Tank Division
- 18th Tank Division
- 1st Mechanised Division
- 9th Motorcycle Regiment
- 60th Pontoon Bridge Battalion
Commanders
- Lieutenant General F.N. Remezov (Jun 1941 - Jul 1941)
- Lieutenant General Pavel KurochkinPavel Kurochkin-Biography:Pavel Kurochkin was born in the village of Gronevo, Vyazma district, Smolensk Oblast.-Military career:He joined the Red Army in 1918. Kurochkin completed his cavalry courses in Petrograd in 1920...
(Jul 1941 - Aug 1941) - Lieutenant General M.F. Lukin (Aug 1941 - Sep 1941)
- Lieutenant General F.A. Ershakov (Sep 1941 - Oct 1941) (POW)
Second formation
Reestablished in November 1941 from Operational Group Liziukov. Reformed November 1941 for the Battle of MoscowBattle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
, comprising 331st and 350th Rifle Divisions, and three separate brigades. Fought as part of the Western Front. In 1942-43 it operated on the Rzhev-Sychevka bridgehead, and took part in the Rzhev-Vyazma offensive operation. In 1944 it became part of the Stavka
Stavka
Stavka was the term used to refer to a command element of the armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus′, more formally during the history of Imperial Russia as administrative staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Soviet Union...
Reserve and was then reassigned to Kalinin Front
Kalinin Front
The Kalinin Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries.The Kalinin Front was...
and Leningrad Front
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the German approach on Leningrad .-History:...
. It was disbanded in April 1944 by being dispersed within the formations of 3rd Baltic Front
3rd Baltic Front
The 3rd Baltic Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was set up on 21 April 1944 and disbanded on 16 October that year after taking part in the occupation of the Baltic states by the USSR in summer and autumn 1944....
.
The army was in strategic reserve from July 1943 to April 1944. In April 1944 the headquarters was disbanded and used to form the 3rd Baltic Front
3rd Baltic Front
The 3rd Baltic Front was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was set up on 21 April 1944 and disbanded on 16 October that year after taking part in the occupation of the Baltic states by the USSR in summer and autumn 1944....
.
Commanders
- Lieutenant General Andrey VlasovAndrey VlasovAndrey Andreyevich Vlasov or Wlassow was a Russian Red Army general who collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early career:...
(Nov 1941 - Mar 1942) - Lieutenant General Max ReyterMax ReyterMax Andreyevich Reyter Alternative transliterations found in English-language sources include Reiter and Reuter. was an Imperial Russian and Soviet military officer of Latvian origin....
(Mar 1942 - Sep 1942) - Major General N.I. Kiriukhin (Oct 1942 - Dec 1942)
- Lieutenant General M.S. Khizin (Dec 1942 - Jan 1943)
- Lieutenant General Nikolai BerzarinNikolai BerzarinNikolai Erastovich Berzarin was a Soviet Red Army General during the Stalinist era and the Second World War. In 1945 he became commander of the Soviet occupying forces in Berlin.-Family:Berzarin was born the son of a pipefitter and a seamstress...
(Jan 1943 - Mar 1943) - Major General A.N. Ermakov (Mar 1943 - Aug 1943)
- Lieutenant General Nikolai BerzarinNikolai BerzarinNikolai Erastovich Berzarin was a Soviet Red Army General during the Stalinist era and the Second World War. In 1945 he became commander of the Soviet occupying forces in Berlin.-Family:Berzarin was born the son of a pipefitter and a seamstress...
(Aug 1943 - Sepr 1943) - Major General A.N. Ermakov (Sep 1943 - Sep 1943)
- Lieutenant General Anton LopatinAnton LopatinAnton Ivanovich Lopatin was a Soviet officer during the Second World War, and Hero of the Soviet Union.Lopatin begun his service in the Red Army in 1918, and participated in the Russian Civil War. After completing his command courses in 1927.From 1937 Lopatin was appointed commander of a cavalry...
(Sep 1943 - Oct 1943) - Lieutenant General Nikolai Gusev (Nov 1943 - Apr 1944)