Soviet 1st Guards Tank Army
Encyclopedia
The 1st Tank Army was a Soviet armoured formation that fought as part of the Red Army
on the Eastern Front
during World War II
. The army was commanded throughout most of the war by Mikhail Katukov
. It fought in the early defense during the Battle of Stalingrad
, and Operation Uranus
.
The 1st Tank Army (Ist formation) was raised within the Stalingrad Front
from 38th Army in July 1942, but disbanded in August 1942. It was commanded by General K.S. Moskalenko
.
The 1st Tank Army (IInd formation) was formed on 30 January 1943 (order No.46021) on the basis of HQ 29th Army
, under the command of famous armoured troops commander Mikhail Katukov
personally appointed by Stalin, and transferred to the North-Western Front
. 3rd Mechanised Corps (later to become 8th Guards Mechanised Corps) and 6th Tank Corps (later to become 11th Guards Tank Corps) joined it on formation, and served with the army throughout the war. It was quickly transferred to Voronezh Front
for the defense of the Kursk
salient's southern shoulder. It was awarded a Guards
title and became the 1st Guards Tank Army in April 1944.
On 1 January 1945, the Army's principal combat formations were:
It participated in the Battle of Kursk
, the Lvov-Sandomierz Operation, the Vistula-Oder Offensive
, and the Battle of Berlin
.
The 1st Guards Tank Army was awarded the Order of the Red Banner
postwar, and became part of the Soviet occupation force in Germany, known as Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
, with its headquarters in Dresden
. In 1968, it, along with the 11th Guards Tank and 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division
s, took part in the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, but then immediately returned to their respective garrisons. In the late 1980s the Army included the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 9th Tank Division
, and 11th Guards Tank Division. The headquarters was withdrawn to Smolensk, in the Moscow Military District
in the early 1990s, and lost the 'Tank' from its title in 1995. It was disbanded in 1998.
In its last period within the Russian Army it comprised the 4th Guards 'Kantemir' Tank Division and the 144th Motor Rifle Division (which had been withdrawn from Tallinn
in Estonia
).
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...
on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
during World War II
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...
. The army was commanded throughout most of the war by Mikhail Katukov
Mikhail Katukov
Marshal of the Armored Troops Mikhail Efimovich Katukov served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as one of the most talented Soviet armor commanders.-Pre-War:...
. It fought in the early defense during the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
, and 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...
.
The 1st Tank Army (Ist formation) was raised within the Stalingrad Front
Stalingrad Front
The Stalingrad Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the city of Stalingrad on the Volga River....
from 38th Army in July 1942, but disbanded in August 1942. It was commanded by General K.S. Moskalenko
Kirill Moskalenko
Kirill Semyonovich Moskalenko was a Marshal of the Soviet Union. A member of the Soviet Army who fought in both the Russian Civil War and World War II, he later served as Commander in Chief of Strategic Missile Forces and Inspector General for the Ministry of Defense.-Biography:Moskalenko was born...
.
The 1st Tank Army (IInd formation) was formed on 30 January 1943 (order No.46021) on the basis of HQ 29th Army
29th Army (Soviet Union)
The Soviet Red Army's 29th Army was a field army of the Red Army and later the Russian Ground Forces.- History :It was first formed in July 1941 in the Moscow Military District on the basis of 30th Rifle Corps. The 245th, 252nd, 254th and 256th Rifle Divisions, and a number of smaller units made up...
, under the command of famous armoured troops commander Mikhail Katukov
Mikhail Katukov
Marshal of the Armored Troops Mikhail Efimovich Katukov served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as one of the most talented Soviet armor commanders.-Pre-War:...
personally appointed by Stalin, and transferred to the North-Western Front
North-Western Front
The Northwestern Front was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-created on June 22, 1941, the first day of the Soviet-German War on the basis of the Baltic Special Military...
. 3rd Mechanised Corps (later to become 8th Guards Mechanised Corps) and 6th Tank Corps (later to become 11th Guards Tank Corps) joined it on formation, and served with the army throughout the war. It was quickly transferred to Voronezh Front
Voronezh Front
The Voronezh Front was a front of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the town of Voronezh on the Don River....
for the defense of the Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
salient's southern shoulder. It was awarded a Guards
Russian Guards
Guards or Guards units were and are elite military units in Imperial Russia, Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. The tradition goes back to the retinue of a knyaz of medieval Kievan Rus' and the streltsy, the Muscovite harquebusiers formed by Ivan the Terrible by 1550...
title and became the 1st Guards Tank Army in April 1944.
On 1 January 1945, the Army's principal combat formations were:
- 8.Guards Mech.Corps (Gen.Maj.Dremov (rus.: Дрёмов)
- 19th Guards Mech.Brigade
- 20th Guards Mech.Brigade
- 21st Guards Mech.Brigade
- 1st Guards Tank Brigade
- 11.Guards Tank Corps (Gen.Babadzhanyan (rus.: Бабаджанян)
- 40.Guards Tank Brigade
- 44.Guards Tank Brigade
- 45.Guards Tank Brigade
- 27.Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
It participated in the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
, the Lvov-Sandomierz Operation, the Vistula-Oder Offensive
Vistula-Oder Offensive
The Vistula–Oder Offensive was a successful Red Army operation on the Eastern Front in the European Theatre of World War II; it took place between 12 January and 2 February 1945...
, and the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
.
The 1st Guards Tank Army was awarded the 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...
postwar, and became part of the Soviet occupation force in Germany, known as Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany , also known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany and the Western Group of Forces were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany....
, with its headquarters in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. In 1968, it, along with the 11th Guards Tank and 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division
3rd Mechanised Corps (Soviet Union)
The 20th Motor Rifle Division is a formation of the Russian Ground Forces, originally formed within the Soviet Red Army as the 3rd Mechanised Corps....
s, took part in the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, but then immediately returned to their respective garrisons. In the late 1980s the Army included the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 9th Tank Division
9th Tank Division
The 9th Tank Division was a division of the Red Army that saw action briefly in 1941. It was formed in the Central Asian Military District in the summer of 1940. In April 1941 the Division joined the newly formed 27th Mechanised Corps...
, and 11th Guards Tank Division. The headquarters was withdrawn to Smolensk, 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...
in the early 1990s, and lost the 'Tank' from its title in 1995. It was disbanded in 1998.
Components of the Army while in Germany
- 9-я танковая Бобруйско-Берлинская Краснознаменная ордена Суворова дивизия (Риза) вч пп 60990 позывной — Стрелка. (Выведена в Смоленск)
- 11th Guards Tank Прикарпатско-Берлинская Краснознаменная ордена Суворова дивизия (Дрезден) вч пп 58325 позывной — Рапид. (Выведена в Белоруссию, в г. Слоним, передана 11 механизированной бригаде, кроме 44 ТП, во VladimirVladimirVladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
, отдали только знамя.
- 20-я гвардейская мотострелковая Прикарпатско-Берлинская Краснознаменная ордена Суворова дивизия (Гримма) вч пп 22220 позывной — Стрекач. (Выведена в г. VolgogradVolgogradVolgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
).
- Соединения и части Армейского подчинения.
In its last period within the Russian Army it comprised the 4th Guards 'Kantemir' Tank Division and the 144th Motor Rifle Division (which had been withdrawn from Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
).