8th Cavalry Corps (Soviet Union)
Encyclopedia
The 8th Cavalry Corps of the Soviet Union
's Red Army
was a cavalry corps
active during the Second World War
.
It was created on 18 January 1942 at Tula
. General Lieutenant P.P. Korzun took command. From January to June 1942 to complete its formation, it was quartered in the Orel and Tula, Russia
regions.
) north of Stalingrad where it cooperated with the 1st Tank Corps (General V. V. Butkov) during Operation Uranus
. in which they had the task of cutting the rail road in the region of the stations Bolshaya Osipovka, Surovikino, and Oblivskaya.
During 1943, on January 30 from the area of the Seversky Donets
river the Corps went over to the offensive in the direction of Voroshilovgrad
(now Lugansk) as part of the 3rd Guards Army under the command of lieutenant general Dmitry Lelyushenko, where it was engaged in furious fighting on the approaches to the city. At dawn on February 14 began the assault, as a result of which the first provincial city in central Ukraine was liberated. Although the main role in this operation was played by the 59th
, 243rd, 279th Guard rifle divisions, 2nd Guard and 2nd Tank Corps, active assistance in the liberation of Lugansk was rendered by the 8th Cavalry Corps now under the command of General Major M.D. Borisov.
The Corps was assigned by the Soviet Southwestern Front
to break through German lines at Debaltsevo near the city and cut German communications. On the night of February 8, 1943, the Corps accomplished this and by February 14 the raid had been so successful that the whole corps was raised to Guards status. The Corps became 7th Guards Cavalry Corps, and its three divisions, the 21, 35, and 112 became the 14th, 15th and 16th Guards Cavalry Divisions. During the raid the corps also included the 148th Mortar Regiment, the 263d Separate Cavalry Artillery Battalion, and the 8th Separate Antitank Artillery Battalion. It completed this most difficult raid on the rear areas of enemy, distracting significant forces of enemy from reinforcing the frontline units. The Corps sustained very heavy losses breaking out of the encirclement, but the enemy also sustained losses in manpower and material which were essential for reinforcement of the forward units.
During 1943 and 1944 7th Guards Cavalry Corps helped liberate Left-bank Ukraine and eastern Belorussia, and participated in the Lublin
-Brest
operation. In 1945 the Corps took part in the Warsaw-Poznan, East Pomeranian, and Berlin offensives. In April 1945 it was given the honour title 'Brandenburg'.
in the Shahumyan region.
In 1988 it also included the 131st Tank Regiment, the 366th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR) (equipped with BMPs) based at Stepanakert
, and the 368th and 370th Guards MRRs, equipped with BTRs. The division's regimental artillery battalions were equipped with towed D-30 artillery pieces.
Elements of the division took part in Operation Ring
in May 1991. During the operation the division's commander was Colonel Budeykin. Immediately following this, the larger scope of combat engagements in the area of Stepanakert took place, including the use of BM-21
"Grad" artillery and Mil Mi-24
assault helicopters through to February 1992.
The division, along with the other three divisions of the 4th Army, was ordered to be withdrawn amidst the fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh War
in May and June. Elements of the 366th MRR appear to have been involved in the Khojaly massacre
of February 1992. The regiment was under the command of Colonel Yuri Zarvigorov. However, on June 21, 1992 the divisional column was prevented from departing Ganja by the civilian Azerbaijani population. The Azerbaijanis demanded that the division surrender its military equipment during Azeri declaration of independence, and the division commander, General Major Yury Pokhamov, complied to avoid civilian casualties. This was largely due to a lack of direction and indecision at Headquarters Transcaucasian Military District
and at the General Staff
. This did not occur because for the most part the officers of the 366th Motor Rifle Regiment had begun to offer assistance to the Armenian population, while the units based in Ganja deciding to side with the Azeri population. This was largely due to about 50 of the remaining 350 personnel of the 366th Motor Rifle Regiment being Armenian, including the commander of the 2nd Battalion, Major Seyran Ohanyan
. Of particular use to the Armenians was the regimental tank company's ten tanks.
The remaining personnel and equipment of the division was incorporated into the new Army of Azerbaijan
.
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...
was a cavalry corps
Cavalry corps (Red Army)
The cavalry corps of the Workers and Peasant Red Army was a type of military formation that existed from the early days of the Russian Civil War until 1947 when the Red Army was renamed as the Soviet Army and all cavalry corps were disbanded....
active during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
It was created on 18 January 1942 at Tula
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
. General Lieutenant P.P. Korzun took command. From January to June 1942 to complete its formation, it was quartered in the Orel and Tula, Russia
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
regions.
Second World War
It was concentrated north-west of Stalingrad and included the 21st mountain (14th Guard) cavalry division, 55th (I formation; renamed 73rd cavalry division with retention of subunits; II formation renamed 15th Guards) cavalry division, and 112th (renamed 16th Guards) cavalry division , 13th Separate Signals Battalion, and 23rd signals air-flight. The Corps was assigned to the Southwestern Front’s in the area of the 5th Tank Army (2nd formation) (SerafimovichSerafimovich
Serafimovich is a town and the administrative center of Serafimovichsky District of Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Don River, northwest of Volgograd. Population:...
) north of Stalingrad where it cooperated with the 1st Tank Corps (General V. V. Butkov) during Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus
Operation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation in World War II which led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romanian armies, and portions of the German Fourth Panzer Army. The operation formed part of the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad, and was...
. in which they had the task of cutting the rail road in the region of the stations Bolshaya Osipovka, Surovikino, and Oblivskaya.
During 1943, on January 30 from the area of the Seversky Donets
Seversky Donets
Seversky Donets is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine and then again through Russia to join the Don River, about from the Sea of Azov...
river the Corps went over to the offensive in the direction of Voroshilovgrad
Luhansk
Luhansk also known as Lugansk is a city in southeastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Luhansk Oblast . The city itself is also designated as its own separate municipality within the oblast...
(now Lugansk) as part of the 3rd Guards Army under the command of lieutenant general Dmitry Lelyushenko, where it was engaged in furious fighting on the approaches to the city. At dawn on February 14 began the assault, as a result of which the first provincial city in central Ukraine was liberated. Although the main role in this operation was played by the 59th
59th Guards Rifle Division
The 59th Guards Kramatorsk Order of Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Motor-Rifle Division of the Soviet Union's Red Army was initially formed near Krasnodar in March 1942 as the 197th Rifle Division . On the division's formation Colonel M. I...
, 243rd, 279th Guard rifle divisions, 2nd Guard and 2nd Tank Corps, active assistance in the liberation of Lugansk was rendered by the 8th Cavalry Corps now under the command of General Major M.D. Borisov.
The Corps was assigned by the Soviet Southwestern Front
Soviet Southwestern Front
The Southwestern Front was a name given to a Front by the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War, by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic during the Russian Civil War, and by the Red Army during the Second World War.The Southwestern Front in this article describes several...
to break through German lines at Debaltsevo near the city and cut German communications. On the night of February 8, 1943, the Corps accomplished this and by February 14 the raid had been so successful that the whole corps was raised to Guards status. The Corps became 7th Guards Cavalry Corps, and its three divisions, the 21, 35, and 112 became the 14th, 15th and 16th Guards Cavalry Divisions. During the raid the corps also included the 148th Mortar Regiment, the 263d Separate Cavalry Artillery Battalion, and the 8th Separate Antitank Artillery Battalion. It completed this most difficult raid on the rear areas of enemy, distracting significant forces of enemy from reinforcing the frontline units. The Corps sustained very heavy losses breaking out of the encirclement, but the enemy also sustained losses in manpower and material which were essential for reinforcement of the forward units.
During 1943 and 1944 7th Guards Cavalry Corps helped liberate Left-bank Ukraine and eastern Belorussia, and participated in the Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
-Brest
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
operation. In 1945 the Corps took part in the Warsaw-Poznan, East Pomeranian, and Berlin offensives. In April 1945 it was given the honour title 'Brandenburg'.
Campaign history
- Bryansk FrontBryansk FrontThe Bryansk Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War.General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first formed in mid-late August 1941, comprising, in Erickson's words, 'on paper two armies, 50th and 13th, with eight rifle divisions each, three...
July 1942 - VoronezhVoronezhVoronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
area August 1942 - Middle Don September 1942
- Southwestern Front October 1942
- Reserve of VGK November 1942
- Stalingrad offensiveOperation UranusOperation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation in World War II which led to the encirclement of the German Sixth Army, the Third and Fourth Romanian armies, and portions of the German Fourth Panzer Army. The operation formed part of the ongoing Battle of Stalingrad, and was...
as a mobile group of the 5th Tank Army November 1942 - Seversky DonetsSeversky DonetsSeversky Donets is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine and then again through Russia to join the Don River, about from the Sea of Azov...
December 1942 - Raid in DebaltseveDebaltseveDebaltseve is a city in the Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. Its population is 30,246 . The city was established in 1878. It has a large railway station....
area February 1943
Postwar
In July 1945 14th and 16th Guards Cavalry Divisions were merged to form the 31st Guards Mechanised Division, while the other division of the corps, 15th Guards Cavalry Division, became 12th Guards Mechanised Division and then, finally, 15th Guards Tank Division. 31st Guards Mechanised Division became the 23rd Motor Rifle Division around 1957, assigned to the 4th Army (IIIrd formation), and garrisoned in GanjaGanja, Azerbaijan
Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
in the Shahumyan region.
In 1988 it also included the 131st Tank Regiment, the 366th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR) (equipped with BMPs) based at Stepanakert
Stepanakert
Stepanakert is the largest city and capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent republic, though is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan...
, and the 368th and 370th Guards MRRs, equipped with BTRs. The division's regimental artillery battalions were equipped with towed D-30 artillery pieces.
Elements of the division took part in Operation Ring
Operation Ring
Operation Ring was the code name given to the May 1991 military operation conducted by Soviet Internal Security Forces and OMON units in the region of Shahumyan, north of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijan SSR...
in May 1991. During the operation the division's commander was Colonel Budeykin. Immediately following this, the larger scope of combat engagements in the area of Stepanakert took place, including the use of BM-21
BM-21
The BM-21 launch vehicle , a Soviet truck-mounted 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, and a M-21OF rocket were developed in the early 1960s. BM stands for boyevaya mashina, ‘combat vehicle’, and the nickname means ‘hail’. The complete system with the BM-21 launch vehicle and the M-21OF rocket...
"Grad" artillery and Mil Mi-24
Mil Mi-24
The Mil Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship and attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for 8 passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and operated since 1972 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and by over thirty other nations.In NATO circles the export...
assault helicopters through to February 1992.
The division, along with the other three divisions of the 4th Army, was ordered to be withdrawn amidst the fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh War
Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...
in May and June. Elements of the 366th MRR appear to have been involved in the Khojaly massacre
Khojaly Massacre
The Khojaly Massacre was the killing of hundreds of ethnic Azerbaijani civilians from the town of Khojaly on 25–26 February 1992 by the Armenian and Russian armed forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
of February 1992. The regiment was under the command of Colonel Yuri Zarvigorov. However, on June 21, 1992 the divisional column was prevented from departing Ganja by the civilian Azerbaijani population. The Azerbaijanis demanded that the division surrender its military equipment during Azeri declaration of independence, and the division commander, General Major Yury Pokhamov, complied to avoid civilian casualties. This was largely due to a lack of direction and indecision at Headquarters Transcaucasian Military District
Transcaucasian 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 USSR...
and at the General Staff
General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the military staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and oversees operational management of the armed forces under the Russian Ministry of Defence.The staff is...
. This did not occur because for the most part the officers of the 366th Motor Rifle Regiment had begun to offer assistance to the Armenian population, while the units based in Ganja deciding to side with the Azeri population. This was largely due to about 50 of the remaining 350 personnel of the 366th Motor Rifle Regiment being Armenian, including the commander of the 2nd Battalion, Major Seyran Ohanyan
Seyran Ohanyan
Seyran Ohanyan is the current Defence Minister of Armenia. He has held this position since April 14, 2008.-Biography:Ohanyan was born in the town of Shusha, then a part of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union...
. Of particular use to the Armenians was the regimental tank company's ten tanks.
The remaining personnel and equipment of the division was incorporated into the new Army of Azerbaijan
Army of Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani Land Forces are the land force component of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has been trying to further develop its armed forces into a professional, well trained, and mobile military. Based on 2007 statistics the country has about 56,840...
.
Sources
- Glants, D.M. (1), Soviet Military Deception in the Second World War, Frank Cass, London, 1989
- Glantz, D.M. (2), Companion to Colossus Reborn: key documents and statistics, University of Kansas2005
- Perecheni No.4, Command of Corps which were a part of the active Army during the years of the Great Patriotic War 1941-45, Supplement to the direction of the General Staff for year 1956 No.168780, Moscow, 1956
- Murphy, David E. "'Operation Ring': The Black Berets in Azerbaijan." The Journal of Soviet Military Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, March 1992.