Southern Group of Forces
Encyclopedia
The Southern Group of Forces was a Soviet Armed Forces
formation formed twice following the Second World War, most notably around the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Following the Iassy-Kishinev Operation, on June 15, 1945, the 26th and 37th Armies (from 3rd Ukrainian Front
) in Romania
and Bulgaria
, plus a division which had reached Yugoslavia
, were grouped into the Southern Group of Forces (YUGV). A year later, the 37th Army became the 10th Mechanised Army. After the signing of the Paris Peace Treaties
in 1947, the SGF disbanded, along with HQ 26th Army, and passed on its functions to the 10th Mechanised Army, which had now been redesignated the Special Mechanized Army.
seemingly during September 1955 (though former Soviet sources disagree; Feskov et al. say it
was created on November 24, 1956). Lenskii says that it was re-created in 1955 to control the Soviet troops in Hungary
following the disbandment of the former Central Group of Forces
which had controlled troops in Austria and Hungary from 1945 to 1955, and the Soviet withdrawal from Austria. Under its command were the 2nd Guards 'Nikolayevsk-Budapest' Mechanised Division, the 17th Guards 'Yenakievskiy-Danube' Mechanised Division, two air divisions, and other troops. Lenskii says their function was 'to cover the boundary with neutral Austria
and to guarantee communications in the case of the advancement of troops from the USSR'.
, the 11th Guards 'Rovenskaya' Mechanized and 128th Guards Rifle Division, entered Hungary under the control of a Rifle Corps. The forces already in Hungary and those entering totalled 31,500 men. The 33rd Guards Mechanised Division took the lead role in suppressing the Hungarian Revolution in Budapest, and lost, according to Soviet sources, 14 tanks and assault guns as well as 9 armoured personnel carriers. Seven months afterward, on May 28, 1957, an agreement on the status of Soviet troops, comprising the Southern Group of Forces, was made between the USSR and Hungary.
The 11th Guards Mechanised and 128th Guards Rifle Divisions returned to the Carpathian Military District
and were replaced by the 21st Guards 'Poltava' Tank Division and the 27th 'Cherkass' Motor Rifle Division, both under the command of the Carpathian Military District
's 38th Army. 2nd Guards Mechanised Division was re-formed into the 19th Guards Tank Division, and the 17th Guards Mechanised Division was re-formed into the 17th Guard Motor Rifle Division and withdrawn to the USSR. The 33rd Guards Mechanised Division was then replaced by the 35th Guards 'Kharkov' Mechanised Division.
Later, either in 1957 or 1965, three of the four divisions in the Group were redesignated, and toward the end of the 1980s the Group comprised:
The removal of Soviet troops from Hungary began during May 1989, with the withdrawal and disbandment of 13th Guards Tank Division. Later the 19th Guards Tank Division was withdrawn to the Belorussian Military District and the 254th Motor Rifle Division to the Kiev Military District
. The 93rd Guards Motor Rifle Division was withdrawn in early 1991 to the Kiev Military District
and the Group finally disbanded on 16 June 1991.
in Austria to Veszprém
-Jutas in Hungary in November 1945. It was stationed there until September 1949. It came under command of the 78th Guards Fighter Aviation Corps in January 1949. On 10 January 1949 it was renamed the 195th Guards Fighter Aviation Division. In 1950 it comprised the 1st, 5th, and 106th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiments at Tokol
and Papa
flying MiG-15s. The 106th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded in mid-1961, and was replaced by the 14th 'Leningradskiy' Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The 1st GUards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment became independent of the division, reporting directly to 36th Air Army, in mid 1963, and from July 1960 to 22 April 1991 with two short breaks was stationed at Kunmadaras
.
The division was returned to its previous title of 11th as the 11th Guards Fighter Aviation Division in April 1968.
Structure 1970:
The 14th GvIAP was based in 1981 at Kiskunlachaza air base in Hungary. The 14th acquired MiG-23Ms in 1975 and in 1979 also received MLs. The MiG-23s were replaced by MiG-29s in 1986. Elements of the regiment took part in the Warsaw Pact Exercise Zapad-81 in East Germany in late 1981.
The 515th Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded at Tokol in August 1989. The 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded in October 1990, with aircraft and crews being withdrawn to Biaroza
, Brest Oblast, in the Byelorussian SSR
.
Following these disbandments, the structure of the 36th Air Army on 1 January 1991 was:
Two regiments of the 36th Air Army were returned to the Soviet Union in April 1991. On 21 April the 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment moved back to Zherdevka
, Tambov Oblast
, in the Moscow Military District
. The next day (22 April 1991) the 1st Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment was transferred back to the Soviet Union, being moved back to Lebyazhye
in Volgograd Oblast
.
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...
formation formed twice following the Second World War, most notably around the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Following the Iassy-Kishinev Operation, on June 15, 1945, the 26th and 37th Armies (from 3rd Ukrainian Front
3rd Ukrainian Front
3rd Ukrainian Front was a Front of the Red Army during World War II.It was founded on 20 October 1943, on the basis of a Stavka order of October 16, 1943, by renaming the Southwestern Front. It included 1st Guards Army, 8th Guards Army, 6th, 12th, and 46th Armies and 17th Air Army...
) in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, plus a division which had reached Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, were grouped into the Southern Group of Forces (YUGV). A year later, the 37th Army became the 10th Mechanised Army. After the signing of the Paris Peace Treaties
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Conference resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947. The victorious wartime Allied powers negotiated the details of treaties with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland .The...
in 1947, the SGF disbanded, along with HQ 26th Army, and passed on its functions to the 10th Mechanised Army, which had now been redesignated the Special Mechanized Army.
Second Formation
The Group was re-created for a second time with its staff in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
seemingly during September 1955 (though former Soviet sources disagree; Feskov et al. say it
was created on November 24, 1956). Lenskii says that it was re-created in 1955 to control the Soviet troops in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
following the disbandment of the former Central Group of Forces
Central Group of Forces
The Central Group of Forces was a Soviet military formation used to control Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945-55 and troops stationed in Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring of 1968....
which had controlled troops in Austria and Hungary from 1945 to 1955, and the Soviet withdrawal from Austria. Under its command were the 2nd Guards 'Nikolayevsk-Budapest' Mechanised Division, the 17th Guards 'Yenakievskiy-Danube' Mechanised Division, two air divisions, and other troops. Lenskii says their function was 'to cover the boundary with neutral Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and to guarantee communications in the case of the advancement of troops from the USSR'.
Hungarian Revolution
On October 24, 1956 the 33rd Guard Kherson Mechanized Division, previously stationed in Romania near the Romanian-Hungarian border, and two divisions from the Carpathian Military DistrictCarpathian Military District
The Carpathian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1945 after the conclusion of the Second World War to 1990-91. It became part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1991 and was disbanded by being redesignated the Western Operational Command later in the 1990s.Two...
, the 11th Guards 'Rovenskaya' Mechanized and 128th Guards Rifle Division, entered Hungary under the control of a Rifle Corps. The forces already in Hungary and those entering totalled 31,500 men. The 33rd Guards Mechanised Division took the lead role in suppressing the Hungarian Revolution in Budapest, and lost, according to Soviet sources, 14 tanks and assault guns as well as 9 armoured personnel carriers. Seven months afterward, on May 28, 1957, an agreement on the status of Soviet troops, comprising the Southern Group of Forces, was made between the USSR and Hungary.
The 11th Guards Mechanised and 128th Guards Rifle Divisions returned to the Carpathian Military District
Carpathian Military District
The Carpathian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1945 after the conclusion of the Second World War to 1990-91. It became part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1991 and was disbanded by being redesignated the Western Operational Command later in the 1990s.Two...
and were replaced by the 21st Guards 'Poltava' Tank Division and the 27th 'Cherkass' Motor Rifle Division, both under the command of the Carpathian Military District
Carpathian Military District
The Carpathian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1945 after the conclusion of the Second World War to 1990-91. It became part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1991 and was disbanded by being redesignated the Western Operational Command later in the 1990s.Two...
's 38th Army. 2nd Guards Mechanised Division was re-formed into the 19th Guards Tank Division, and the 17th Guards Mechanised Division was re-formed into the 17th Guard Motor Rifle Division and withdrawn to the USSR. The 33rd Guards Mechanised Division was then replaced by the 35th Guards 'Kharkov' Mechanised Division.
Later, either in 1957 or 1965, three of the four divisions in the Group were redesignated, and toward the end of the 1980s the Group comprised:
- 13th Guards Tank Poltava Division (former 21st Tank, and carrying the lineage of the wartime 13th Guards Rifle Division13th Guards Rifle DivisionThe 13th Guards Rifle Division was a Soviet Union Red Army infantry division that served with distinction during the Second World War.-Formation:The unit's origin lies with the 87th Rifle Division, a pre-war division, which was established in 1929...
) - in VeszprémVeszprémVeszprém is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.-Location:...
; - 19th Guards Tank Nikolayevsk-Budapest Division - in EsztergomEsztergomEsztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
; - 93rd Guards Motor Rifle Kharkov Division (former 35th Guards)(now 93rd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)93rd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)The 93rd Guards Mechanized Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. The full name of the Brigade is the 93rd Separate Guards Mechanized Kharkiv twice Order of the Red Banner, Suvorov's and Kutuzov's awards Brigade....
) - 254th 'Cherkass' Motor Rifle Division (former 27th) - in SzékesfehérvárSzékesfehérvárSzékesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
. - 36th Air Army
The removal of Soviet troops from Hungary began during May 1989, with the withdrawal and disbandment of 13th Guards Tank Division. Later the 19th Guards Tank Division was withdrawn to the Belorussian Military District and the 254th Motor Rifle Division to the Kiev Military District
Kiev Military District
The Kiev Military District was a Russian unit of military-administrative division of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces...
. The 93rd Guards Motor Rifle Division was withdrawn in early 1991 to the Kiev Military District
Kiev Military District
The Kiev Military District was a Russian unit of military-administrative division of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces...
and the Group finally disbanded on 16 June 1991.
Air Forces of the Southern Group of Forces
The 11th Guards Fighter Aviation Division (11 GvIAD) moved from ParndorfParndorf
Parndorf is a town in the district of Neusiedl am See in Burgenland in Austria....
in Austria to Veszprém
Veszprém
Veszprém is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.-Location:...
-Jutas in Hungary in November 1945. It was stationed there until September 1949. It came under command of the 78th Guards Fighter Aviation Corps in January 1949. On 10 January 1949 it was renamed the 195th Guards Fighter Aviation Division. In 1950 it comprised the 1st, 5th, and 106th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiments at Tokol
Tököl
Tököl is a town in Pest county, Hungary.- External links :*...
and Papa
Papa
Papa or PAPA may refer to:*P, in the ICAO spelling alphabet*Papa class submarine*Pāpa, in Hinduism, the Sanskrit word for the concept of sin* Papa is a word used in many languages as an affectionate term for fatherPeople:...
flying MiG-15s. The 106th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded in mid-1961, and was replaced by the 14th 'Leningradskiy' Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. The 1st GUards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment became independent of the division, reporting directly to 36th Air Army, in mid 1963, and from July 1960 to 22 April 1991 with two short breaks was stationed at Kunmadaras
Kunmadaras
Kunmadaras is a village in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary. The first written record of the existence of the village is from 1393. According to it Sigismund gave this area to the possession of György Madaras, that is where the name comes...
.
The division was returned to its previous title of 11th as the 11th Guards Fighter Aviation Division in April 1968.
Structure 1970:
- 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (SármellékSármellékSármellék is a village in Zala County, Hungary, notable for the Sármellék International Airport.-External links:*...
, Hungary) with MiG-21 - 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (KiskunlacházaKiskunlacházaKiskunlacháza is a town in Pest county in the northern part of Central Hungary, approximately 4 miles from the Danube river and its largest neighbor, Ráckeve. It is divided between the larger Lacháza, a predominantly Protestant and wealthy village, and Pereg, a mostly Catholic and rural village;...
, Hungary) with MiG-21 - 515th Fighter Aviation Regiment (TökölTökölTököl is a town in Pest county, Hungary.- External links :*...
, Hungary) with MiG-21
The 14th GvIAP was based in 1981 at Kiskunlachaza air base in Hungary. The 14th acquired MiG-23Ms in 1975 and in 1979 also received MLs. The MiG-23s were replaced by MiG-29s in 1986. Elements of the regiment took part in the Warsaw Pact Exercise Zapad-81 in East Germany in late 1981.
The 515th Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded at Tokol in August 1989. The 5th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was disbanded in October 1990, with aircraft and crews being withdrawn to Biaroza
Biaroza
Biaroza is a town of 31 000 inhabitants in Western Belarus in Brest voblast, center of the Biaroza rayon.- History :The village of Biaroza was first mentioned in 1477 as part of the Slonim paviet. In the 15th century, the village probably received the town charter. Between 1538 and 1600 it was...
, Brest Oblast, in 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...
.
Following these disbandments, the structure of the 36th Air Army on 1 January 1991 was:
- HQ 36th Air Army, Budapest (Southern Group of Forces)
- 18th Independent Communications Regiment (Pilishaba)
- 201st OSAE (Tekel) with 10 Mi-8 and a few transport aircraft
- 190th APIB (Kunmadarash) with 32 MiG-27 and 10 MiG-23
- 328th Guards ORAP (KunmadarasKunmadarasKunmadaras is a village in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary. The first written record of the existence of the village is from 1393. According to it Sigismund gave this area to the possession of György Madaras, that is where the name comes...
) with 12 Su-24 and 15 Su-17 - withdrawn to Ukraine and disbanded, April 1991 - 11th Guards "Dnepropetrovsk" IAD (Tekel)
- 14th Guards "Leningrad" IAP (Kishkunlakhaza) with 34 MiG-29 and 9 MiG-23
Two regiments of the 36th Air Army were returned to the Soviet Union in April 1991. On 21 April the 14th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment moved back to Zherdevka
Zherdevka (air base)
Zherdevka is an interceptor aircraft air base in Russia located 7 km east of Zherdevka, Tambov Oblast. It is home to 14 Guards IAP which flew MiG-29E aircraft from 21 April 1991 through the mid 2000s....
, Tambov Oblast
Tambov Oblast
Tambov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tambov. Population: down from 1,178,443 recorded by the 2002 Census.Tambov Oblast is situated in forest steppe.-Birth rate:...
, in 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...
. The next day (22 April 1991) the 1st Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment was transferred back to the Soviet Union, being moved back to Lebyazhye
Lebyazhye (air base)
Lebyazhye is an air base in Russia located 18 km northwest of Kamyshin and 170 km north of Volgograd...
in Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Volgograd. Population: -Geography:*Area: 113,900 km²;*Borders length: 2221,9 km²....
.
See also
- Soviet occupation of RomaniaSoviet occupation of RomaniaThe Soviet occupation of Romania refers to the period from 1944 to August 1958, during which the Soviet Union maintained a significant military presence in Romania...
- Central Group of ForcesCentral Group of ForcesThe Central Group of Forces was a Soviet military formation used to control Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945-55 and troops stationed in Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring of 1968....
- Northern Group of ForcesNorthern Group of ForcesThe Northern Group of Forces was the military formation of the Soviet Army stationed in Poland from the end of Second World War in 1945 until 1993 when they were withdrawn in the aftermath of the fall of Soviet Union...
- Western Group of Forces
Sources
- A.G. Lenskii, M.M. Tsybin, The Soviet Ground Forces in the last years of the USSR, St Petersburg, 1991
- Feskov et al., The Soviet Army in the years of the Cold War 1945-1991, Tomsk University Press, 2004