Belorussian Military District
Encyclopedia
The Byelorussian Military District (alternative spelling Belorussian) was a military district
of the Soviet Armed Forces
. Originally in the times of Russian Civil War
it formed as the Western Front
, and in April 1924 it was renamed to the Western Military District. In October 1926 it was redesignated the Belorussian Military District, with its staff in Smolensk
. It covered the territory of the Byelorussian SSR
and the western part of the RSFSR (including Smolensk area, Bryansk
area, and parts of Kaluga
area).
In 1928, the first maneuvers of troops of the district were held, which was attended by 6th Cavalry Division and 7th Cavalry Division, 5th, 8th and 27th Infantry Division, 33rd territorial division, a tank brigade of the Moscow Military District
, artillery, aviation, communication, and engineering units. The exercises have shown growth in the combat skills of troops, which attended the USSR People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs Kliment Voroshilov
.
In 1932 it deployed from within the country the 4th Leningrad Cavalry Order of the Red Banner
Voroshilov division commanded by Georgy Zhukov
.
In 1932-1933, in connection with the development of armored vehicles, it formed seven separate tank brigades, armed with Soviet-made tanks: light T-24
, T-26
, medium T-28
, fast BT-2, BT-5, floating T-37
, heavy T-35
, slipper T-27
.
In 1937 the district deployed 15 infantry divisions, grouped into five infantry corps and five cavalry divisions.
On 26 July 1938, the district was transformed into the Belarussian Special Military District .
After the Soviet/German invasion of Poland
in September 1939, it took in most of the former Polish area and was redesignated the Belorussian Special Military District. In July 1940, it was redesignated the Western Special Military District. When the German invasion, Operation Barbarossa
, began on June 22, 1941 the district was again redesignated the Western Front
.
The district was reformed in October 1943 from the staff of the Moscow Zone of Defense (at Smolensk, which moved to Minsk
in August, 1944). From December, 1944 until July, 1945, the district was designated Byelorussian-Lithuanian Military District (covering the territory of Belarus and Lithuania
), and from July, 9, until January 26, 1946 it was divided in two districts - Minsk
District (from the staff of the Third Army), and Baranovichi
District (from the staff of 3rd Belorussian Front
with its headquarters staff at Bobruisk). The district covered the territory of the Byelorussian SSR.
From mid February 1949, in accordance with a directive issued 10 JAnuary 1949, the 1st Air Army
, present within the district, was redesignated the 26th Air Army. The 26th Air Army was subordinate to the BVO. In 1962 the 26th Air Army comprised the 95th Fighter Aviation Division (Shchuchin, Grodno Oblast), the 1st Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division
(Lida
, Grodno Oblast), and three separate smaller units: the 10th independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (Shchuchin, Grodno Oblast), the 248th independent Mixed Aviation Squadron (Minsk-Lipki, Minsk Oblast), and the 95th independent Mixed Aviation Squadron (Grodno, Grodno Oblast). In April 1980 the 26th Air Army was renamed the VVS Belorussian Military District. In May 1988 it was renamed again as the 26th Air Army. The 95th Fighter Aviation Division was disbanded in 1988.
The 26th Air Army included in 1990:
From the beginning of the 1950s three armies were subordinated to the district: 28th Army
, 5th Guards Tank Army
and 7th Tank Army - numbering 9 tank and 2 motor-rifle divisions, including training formations. 5th Guards Tank Army in 1988 had 8th Guards, 29th, and 193rd Tank Division
s while 7th 'Red Star' Tank Army had 3rd Guards, 34th
, and 37th Guards Tank Divisions. From the late 1970s the district was subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Strategic Direction. On the dissolution of the Soviet Union the 28th Army, headquartered at Grodno, included the 6th Guards Tank Division (Grodno), 28th Tank Division (Slonim
), 50th Guards Motor Rifle Division (Brest
), and the 76th Tank Division (possibly a Category 'V' cadre formation), also at Brest. The 120th 'Rogachev' Guards Motorised Rifle Division
, subordinated directly to district control, was the district's most prestigious division. Air defence was provided in the 1980s by the 2nd Army of the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) which included 11th and 28th PVO Corps.
The forces of the district became the basis of the Armed Forces of Belarus
after the district was disbanded in May 1992 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union
.
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
of the Soviet Armed Forces
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Armed Forces of the Soviet Union refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR , and Soviet Union from their beginnings in the...
. Originally in the times of Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
it formed as the Western Front
Front (Soviet Army)
A front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group in the militaries of most other countries except Germany...
, and in April 1924 it was renamed to the Western Military District. In October 1926 it was redesignated the Belorussian Military District, with its staff in Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
. It covered the territory of the Byelorussian SSR
Byelorussian SSR
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union. It was one of the four original founding members of the Soviet Union in 1922, together with the Ukrainian SSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
and the western part of the RSFSR (including Smolensk area, Bryansk
Bryansk
Bryansk is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population: -History:The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the Hypatian Codex, as Debryansk...
area, and parts of Kaluga
Kaluga
Kaluga is a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: It is served by Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
area).
In 1928, the first maneuvers of troops of the district were held, which was attended by 6th Cavalry Division and 7th Cavalry Division, 5th, 8th and 27th Infantry Division, 33rd territorial division, a tank brigade of the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
, artillery, aviation, communication, and engineering units. The exercises have shown growth in the combat skills of troops, which attended the USSR People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov , popularly known as Klim Voroshilov was a Soviet military officer, politician, and statesman...
.
In 1932 it deployed from within the country the 4th Leningrad Cavalry Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
Voroshilov division commanded by Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Zhukov
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
.
In 1932-1933, in connection with the development of armored vehicles, it formed seven separate tank brigades, armed with Soviet-made tanks: light T-24
T-24
The T-24 was a Soviet medium tank built in 1931. Only twenty-four tanks were built, and saw no combat. This was the first tank produced at the KhPZ factory in Ukraine, which was later responsible for the very successful T-34 and T-54 Soviet tanks...
, T-26
T-26
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s as well as during World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s....
, medium T-28
T-28
The Soviet T-28 was among the world's first medium tanks. The prototype was completed in 1931 and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry-support tank intended to break through fortified defences...
, fast BT-2, BT-5, floating T-37
T-37 tank
The T-37A was a Soviet amphibious light tank. The tank is often referred to as the T-37, although that designation was used by a different tank which never left the prototype stage.The T-37A was the first series of mass-produced fully amphibious tanks in the world.The tank was first created in...
, heavy T-35
T-35
The T-35 was a Soviet multi-turreted heavy tank of the interwar period and early Second World War that saw limited production and service with the Red Army. It was the only five-turreted heavy tank in the world to reach production but proved to be slow and mechanically unreliable...
, slipper T-27
T-27
The T-27 was a tankette produced in the 1930s by the Soviet Union. It was based on the design of the Carden Loyd tankette, bought under license from the United Kingdom in 1930.-Design:...
.
In 1937 the district deployed 15 infantry divisions, grouped into five infantry corps and five cavalry divisions.
On 26 July 1938, the district was transformed into the Belarussian Special Military District .
After the Soviet/German invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland (1939)
The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a Soviet military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II. Sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union did so from the east...
in September 1939, it took in most of the former Polish area and was redesignated the Belorussian Special Military District. In July 1940, it was redesignated the Western Special Military District. When the German invasion, Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, began on June 22, 1941 the district was again redesignated the Western Front
Soviet Western Front
The Western Front was a Front of the Red Army, one of the Red Army Fronts during the Second World War. This sense of the term is different from the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front usually operates within designated...
.
The district was reformed in October 1943 from the staff of the Moscow Zone of Defense (at Smolensk, which moved to Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
in August, 1944). From December, 1944 until July, 1945, the district was designated Byelorussian-Lithuanian Military District (covering the territory of Belarus and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
), and from July, 9, until January 26, 1946 it was divided in two districts - Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
District (from the staff of the Third Army), and Baranovichi
Baranovichi
Baranovichi , is a city in the Brest Province of western Belarus with a population of 173,000. It is a significant railway junction and home to a state university.-Overview:...
District (from the staff of 3rd Belorussian Front
3rd Belorussian Front
The 3rd Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War...
with its headquarters staff at Bobruisk). The district covered the territory of the Byelorussian SSR.
From mid February 1949, in accordance with a directive issued 10 JAnuary 1949, the 1st Air Army
1st Air Army
The 1st Air Army was an Air Army in the Soviet Air Force which served during World War II. It was formed on May 10, 1942 within the Soviet Western Front, and renamed the 26th Air Army on January 10, 1949 in the Belorussian Military District....
, present within the district, was redesignated the 26th Air Army. The 26th Air Army was subordinate to the BVO. In 1962 the 26th Air Army comprised the 95th Fighter Aviation Division (Shchuchin, Grodno Oblast), the 1st Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division
1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division
The 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division was an Aviation Division of the Soviet Air Force.-History:...
(Lida
Lida
Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
, Grodno Oblast), and three separate smaller units: the 10th independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (Shchuchin, Grodno Oblast), the 248th independent Mixed Aviation Squadron (Minsk-Lipki, Minsk Oblast), and the 95th independent Mixed Aviation Squadron (Grodno, Grodno Oblast). In April 1980 the 26th Air Army was renamed the VVS Belorussian Military District. In May 1988 it was renamed again as the 26th Air Army. The 95th Fighter Aviation Division was disbanded in 1988.
The 26th Air Army included in 1990:
- 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division1st Guards Bomber Aviation DivisionThe 1st Guards Bomber Aviation Division was an Aviation Division of the Soviet Air Force.-History:...
(Lida, Grodno Oblast) - 50th independent Mixed Aviation Regiment (Minsk, Minsk Oblast)
- 151st independent Aviation Regiment for Electronic Warfare (Shchuchin, Grodno Oblast)
- 927th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Bereza, Brest Oblast)
- 206th independent Assault Aviation Regiment (PruzhanyPruzhanyPruzhany is a town in Brest Voblast, Belarus. Pruzhany is the center of a district in Brest Region, Belarus. Its population is about 20.000 people. The town is located at the confluence of the Mukha River and the Vets Canal, which give the start to Mukhavets River.-History:Pruzhany has been known...
, Brest Oblast) - 378th independent Assault Aviation Regiment (Postavy, Vitebsk Oblast)
- 397th independent Assault Aviation Regiment (Kobrin, Brest Oblast)
- 10th independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (Shchuchin, Grodno Oblast)
- 302nd independent Helicopter Squadron for Electronic Warfare (Kobrin, Brest Oblast)
- 56th independent Communications Regiment (Minsk, Minsk Oblast)
From the beginning of the 1950s three armies were subordinated to the district: 28th Army
28th Army (Soviet Union)
The 28th Army was a field army of the Red Army and the Soviet Ground Forces, formed three times in 1941-42 and postwar active for many years in the Belorussian Military District.- First Formation :...
, 5th Guards Tank Army
5th Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The 5th Guards Tank Army was a Soviet Guards armoured formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II.The 5th Guards Tank Army was formed on 10 February 1942. Its organisation varied throughout its history, but in general included two or more Guards Tank Corps and one or more...
and 7th Tank Army - numbering 9 tank and 2 motor-rifle divisions, including training formations. 5th Guards Tank Army in 1988 had 8th Guards, 29th, and 193rd Tank Division
193rd Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 193rd Tank Division was originally a Red Army infantry division that was reorganised after World War II as a mechanised and finally a tank division of the Soviet Army.- 1st Formation :...
s while 7th 'Red Star' Tank Army had 3rd Guards, 34th
10th Tank Corps (Soviet Union)
The 34th Tank Division was a formation of the Red Army and Soviet Ground Forces that was formed twice.-First formation:The first formation was with 8th Mechanized Corps in June 1941. The formation began to be formed on June 4, 1940...
, and 37th Guards Tank Divisions. From the late 1970s the district was subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Strategic Direction. On the dissolution of the Soviet Union the 28th Army, headquartered at Grodno, included the 6th Guards Tank Division (Grodno), 28th Tank Division (Slonim
Slonim
Slonim is a city in Hrodna Voblast, Belarus, capital of the Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa rivers, 143 km southeast of Hrodna. The population in 2008 was 50,800.-Etymology and historical names:...
), 50th Guards Motor Rifle Division (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...
), and the 76th Tank Division (possibly a Category 'V' cadre formation), also at Brest. The 120th 'Rogachev' Guards Motorised Rifle Division
120th Guards Mechanised Brigade
The 120th Guards Mechanised Brigade is a mechanised infantry brigade of the Belarusian Ground Forces. It is the heir to the traditions of the Red Army 120th Guards Rifle Division which became the 120th Guards Motor Rifle Division around 1957....
, subordinated directly to district control, was the district's most prestigious division. Air defence was provided in the 1980s by the 2nd Army of the Soviet Air Defence Forces (PVO) which included 11th and 28th PVO Corps.
The forces of the district became the basis of the Armed Forces of Belarus
Armed Forces of Belarus
The Armed Forces of Belarus consist of the Army and the Air and Air Defense Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus...
after the district was disbanded in May 1992 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
.
Commanders 1945-91
- Marshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
S K TimoshenkoSemyon TimoshenkoSemyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko was a Soviet military commander and senior professional officer of the Red Army at the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.-Early life:...
(until March 1946), - General Colonel S G TrofimenkoSergei TrofimenkoSergei G. Trofimenko was a Soviet military commander, active in the Russian Civil War and Second World War. His final rank was colonel-general....
(04.1946-03.1949)(former commander of the 7th Army7th Army (Soviet Union)The Soviet Red Army's 7th Army first saw action in the 1939-40 Winter War against Finland. In November 1939, just before the initial Soviet attack, it consisted of the 19th Rifle Corps , 50th Rifle Corps , 10th Tank Corps, 138th Rifle Division, and an independent tank brigade...
) - again Marshal of the Soviet Union S K TimoshenkoSemyon TimoshenkoSemyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko was a Soviet military commander and senior professional officer of the Red Army at the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.-Early life:...
(03.1949-04.1960), - General Colonel V.I. Komarov (04.1960-07.1961)
- Army General V A Penkovskiy (07.1961-07.1964)
- General Colonel S S Маряхин (07.1964-09.1967)
- Colonel General I.M. Tretyak (Третьяк) (09.1967-06.1976)
- General Colonel MM Zaytsev (06.1976-11.1980)
- Army General EF Ivanovsky (12.1980-02.1985)
- General Colonel VM Shuraev (02.1985-01.1989)
- General Colonel AI Kostenko (01.1989-dissolution)
Sources
- Feskov et al., "The Soviet Army in the Period of the Cold War, 1945-89"
- А. Г. Ленский, Сухопутные силы РККА в предвоенные годы. Справочник. — Санкт-Петербург Б&К, 2000