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58th Army (Russia)
Encyclopedia
The 58th Army is a field army
; first of the Soviet Union
's Red Army
and subsequently (since 1995) of the Russian Ground Forces
.
It was first formed in the Siberian Military District
in November 1941, including the 362nd, 364th, 368th, 370th, 380th, and 384th Rifle Divisions and the 77th Cavalry Division and moved to the Arkhangelsk Military District
, but then the Army was redesignated the 3rd Tank Army
in May 1942. It was reestablished within the Kalinin Front
in June 1942, and in July included the 16th and 27th Guards Rifle Divisions, the 215th and 375th Rifle Divisions, the 35th and 81st Tank Brigades, and other support units.
from the 24th Army on 28 August 1942, under General Khomenko of the NKVD. Much of its senior cadre also came from the NKVD, and among its missions was to keep order in the Caucasus, particularly in the Groznyi and Makhachkala regions. This was because of a Chechen rising that had gone on since 1941 (see 1940-1944 Chechnya insurgency). 58th Army later joined the North Caucasus Front. On 1 November 1942 it consisted of the 271st and 416th Rifle Divisions, and the Makhachkala Division of the NKVD
. Prior to the North Caucasus Front putting its main effort into the Kerch-Eltigen Operation
(November 1943) the Army HQ was reorganised as Headquarters Volga Military District in October 1943.
from the 42nd Army Corps at Vladikavkaz
.
During the Second Chechen War
, the Army was commanded by General Vladimir Shamanov
.
that links South Ossetia with North Ossetia. On 8 August 2008 the Army invaded Georgia, moving into South Ossetia and engaging in combat with Georgian forces in defense of the South Ossetian region, most notably its capital Tskhinval.
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The Army operates in a close coordination with the 4th Air Force and Air Defence Army
of the district, and includes:
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....
; first of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's 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...
and subsequently (since 1995) of the Russian Ground Forces
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
.
It was first formed in the Siberian Military District
Siberian Military District
The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :...
in November 1941, including the 362nd, 364th, 368th, 370th, 380th, and 384th Rifle Divisions and the 77th Cavalry Division and moved to the Arkhangelsk Military District
Arkhangelsk Military District
Arkhangelsk Military District existed from March 26, 1940 to December 15, 1944, and again from February 15, 1946 to June 29, 1951. Command of the district was established from command elements of the 15th Army...
, but then the Army was redesignated the 3rd Tank Army
3rd Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The 3rd Guards Tank Army 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 the Soviet Union, Poland, Germany, and Czechoslovakia until the defeat of Germany in 1945...
in May 1942. It was reestablished within the 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...
in June 1942, and in July included the 16th and 27th Guards Rifle Divisions, the 215th and 375th Rifle Divisions, the 35th and 81st Tank Brigades, and other support units.
World War II
It was reformed in the Transcaucasian FrontTranscaucasian Front
Transcaucasian Front or Transcaucasus 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...
from the 24th Army on 28 August 1942, under General Khomenko of the NKVD. Much of its senior cadre also came from the NKVD, and among its missions was to keep order in the Caucasus, particularly in the Groznyi and Makhachkala regions. This was because of a Chechen rising that had gone on since 1941 (see 1940-1944 Chechnya insurgency). 58th Army later joined the North Caucasus Front. On 1 November 1942 it consisted of the 271st and 416th Rifle Divisions, and the Makhachkala Division of the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
. Prior to the North Caucasus Front putting its main effort into the Kerch-Eltigen Operation
Kerch-Eltigen Operation
The Kerch–Eltigen Operation was a World War II amphibious offensive made in November 1943 by the Red Army as a precursor to the Crimean Offensive with the object of defeating and forcing the withdrawal of the German forces from the Crimea...
(November 1943) the Army HQ was reorganised as Headquarters Volga Military District in October 1943.
Second Chechen War
The headquarters was reformed in 1995 in the North Caucasus Military DistrictNorth Caucasus Military District
The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....
from the 42nd Army Corps at Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
.
During the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
, the Army was commanded by General Vladimir Shamanov
Vladimir Shamanov
Vladimir Anatolyevich Shamanov is a Lieutenant General in the Russian Army, the commander of the Russian Airborne Troops since May 2009 and a former Russian politician...
.
2008 Ossetia War
On 3 August 2008, five battalions of the Russian 58th Army commanded by General-Colonel Anatoliy Nogovitsin were moved to the vicinity of Roki TunnelRoki Tunnel
The Roki Tunnel is a mountain tunnel of the Transkam road through the Greater Caucasus Mountains, north of the village Upper Roka. It is the only road joining North Ossetia-Alania in the Russian Federation into South Ossetia, a breakaway republic of Georgia...
that links South Ossetia with North Ossetia. On 8 August 2008 the Army invaded Georgia, moving into South Ossetia and engaging in combat with Georgian forces in defense of the South Ossetian region, most notably its capital Tskhinval.
Order of Battle, 2003
4th Air Army
The 4th Air Army was a Soviet Air Force formation and from 1992 to 2009 was part of the Russian Air Force. From 1998 the army was designated the 4th Army of Air Forces and Air Defence. It was first established on 22 May 1942 from the Air Forces of the Soviet Southern Front, and fought on the...
of the district, and includes:
- 19th Motor Rifle Division - Vladikavkaz
- 205th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade- Budenovsk
- 136th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade- BuynakskBuynakskBuynaksk is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus on the Shura-Ozen River, southwest of the republic's capital Makhachkala. Population: 40,000 ....
, Dagestan (CyrillicCyrillic alphabetThe Cyrillic script or azbuka is an alphabetic writing system developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...
: гвардейская мотострелковая Уманско-Берлинская дивизия) - 135th Separate Motorized Rifle Regiment- Prochladny, Kabardino-Balkaria
- 291st Separate Artillery Brigade- Maikop- (equipped with 2A65152 mm howitzer 2A65The 2A65 "Msta-B" is a Soviet towed 152 mm howitzer. The "B" in the designation is an abbreviation for Buksiruemyi, or towed. This weapon has been fielded in Russian forces since at least 1987 and is currently in service with Russian front and army level artillery units...
) - 943rd Multiple Rocket Launcher Regiment – Krasnooktabrsky (Uragan 220mm MRLBM-27The BM-27 Uragan is a self-propelled multiple rocket launcher system designed in the Soviet Union. It began its service with the Soviet Army in the late 1970s, as its first modern spin and fin stabilized heavy multiple rocket launcher. This system is capable of launching 220 mm rockets from...
) - 1128th Anti-Tank Regiment- Maikop
- 67th Separate Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade (SAM)- Volgograd area (SA-11 'Buk' SAM)
- 487th Separate Helicopter Regiment (Mi-8Mil Mi-8The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....
/Mi-24)- Budenovsk - 11th Separate Engineer Regiment- Kavkazskay
- 234th Separate Signals Regiment – Vladikavkaz
- 22nd Separate Regiment of Electronic Warfare- Vladikavkaz
Further reading
- Murphy, Paul J., The Wolves of Islam: Russia and the Faces of Chechen Terror, Brassey's, 2004