Soviet Far East Front
Encyclopedia
The Far Eastern Front was a Front
— a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group
— of the Soviet Army
during the Russian Civil War
and the Second World War
.
After its Civil War service, the Far Eastern Front was re-created on June 28, 1938 from the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army within the Far East Military District. It included the 1st Red Banner Army and the 2nd Red Banner Army. In 1938 Front forces — seemingly the Soviet 32nd Rifle Division of 39th Rifle Corps — engaged the Japanese at the Battle of Lake Khasan
. On the eve of the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany, the Front comprised:
On August 5, 1945, the Front was divided and reorganized as the 1st Far Eastern Front and 2nd Far Eastern Front:
2nd Far Eastern Front
, under General M. A. Purkayev
(aimed at eastern Manchukuo
), including:
1st Far Eastern Front, under Marshal K. A. Meretskov
(aimed at northern Manchukuo), including:
In the Soviet invasion of Manchuria it led the attack into Japanese-occupied Manchuria
. The Kantogun
of the Imperial Japanese Army
had more than 1 million soldiers, the Japan
ese defenders were overwhelmed by the offensive. Allied forces of Mongolia
and Chiang Kai-Shek
's Nationalist China aided the Soviet
operation. On August 19, the Far East Front continued its routing of the Kantogun
army by capturing Harbin
and Mukden. By August 21, the Red Army
had captured almost all of Manchuria
, and the final surrender of the Kantogun took place.
On August 11 to 12, 1945 the 87th Rifle Corps was brought out from the reserve of the 1st Far Eastern Front, and received new orders to prepare for landing operations on the island of Hokkaido (Japan), however the planned operation never took place, although elements of the 87th Corps participated in other operations against Japanese forces in the theatre.
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...
— a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
— of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
during the 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...
and 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...
.
After its Civil War service, the Far Eastern Front was re-created on June 28, 1938 from the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army within the Far East Military District. It included the 1st Red Banner Army and the 2nd Red Banner Army. In 1938 Front forces — seemingly the Soviet 32nd Rifle Division of 39th Rifle Corps — engaged the Japanese at the Battle of Lake Khasan
Battle of Lake Khasan
The Battle of Lake Khasan and also known as the Changkufeng Incident in China and Japan, was an attempted military incursion of Manchukuo into the territory claimed by the Soviet Union...
. On the eve of the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany, the Front comprised:
- 1st Red Banner Army
- 26th Rifle Corps
- 21st, 22nd, 26th Rifle Divisions
- 59th Rifle Corps
- 39th, 59th Rifle Divisions
- 1st, 4th, 5th Rifle Brigades
- 8th Cavalry Division
- 26th Rifle Corps
- 2nd Red Banner Army
- 15th Army
- 25th Army ((39th Rifle Corps with 32nd, 40th and 92nd Rifle Divisions), five fortified regions, artillery, and engineers)
- Special Rifle Corps
- 79th Rifle Division
- 101st Mountain Rifle Division
- 35th Rifle Division
- 66th Rifle Division127th Machine Gun Artillery DivisionThe 127th Order of Kutuzov Second Degree Machine-Gun Artillery Division was a division of the Russian Ground Forces, which traced its history to the 66th Rifle Division of World War II....
- 78th Rifle Division78th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The 78th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army, formed in 1932, in Novosibirsk, in the Siberian Military District. After being used to provide cadres for new divisions, in September 1939 the division was reformed for the second time...
On August 5, 1945, the Front was divided and reorganized as the 1st Far Eastern Front and 2nd Far Eastern Front:
2nd Far Eastern Front
2nd Far Eastern Front
The 2nd Far Eastern Front was a Front — a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group — of the Soviet Army. It was formed just prior to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and was active from August 5, 1945 until October 1, 1945.-History:...
, under General M. A. Purkayev
Maksim Purkayev
Maksim Alexeyevich Purkayev , 1894, in the village of Nalitovo, Dubyonsky Uyezd, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire - January 1, 1953, Moscow) was a Soviet military leader, reaching service rank of Army General....
(aimed at eastern Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
), including:
- 2nd Red Banner Army.
- 15th Army.
- 16th Army.
- 10th Air Army.
1st Far Eastern Front, under Marshal K. A. Meretskov
Kirill Meretskov
Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov was a Soviet military commander. Having joined the Communist Party in 1917, he served in the Red Army from 1920. During the Winter War, he was responsible for penetrating the Mannerheim Line as commander of the 7th Army...
(aimed at northern Manchukuo), including:
- 1st Red Banner Army.
- 5th Army.
- 25th Army.
- 35th Army35th Army (Soviet Union)The 35th Red Banner Army is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces.The 35th Army was originally formed within the Soviet Red Army in July 1941 on the basis of 18th Rifle Corps, and joined the Far Eastern Front. Within Far Eastern Front it comprised 35th, 66th, 78th Rifle Divisions, the 109th...
- Chuguevsk Operational Group.
- Amur River Flotilla.
In the Soviet invasion of Manchuria it led the attack into Japanese-occupied Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. The Kantogun
Kantogun
The , also known in China as the Guandong Army , was an army group of the Imperial Japanese Army in the first half of the twentieth century. It became the largest and most prestigious command in the IJA...
of the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
had more than 1 million soldiers, the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese defenders were overwhelmed by the offensive. Allied forces of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
and Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
's Nationalist China aided the Soviet
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....
operation. On August 19, the Far East Front continued its routing of the Kantogun
Kantogun
The , also known in China as the Guandong Army , was an army group of the Imperial Japanese Army in the first half of the twentieth century. It became the largest and most prestigious command in the IJA...
army by capturing Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
and Mukden. By August 21, the 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...
had captured almost all of Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, and the final surrender of the Kantogun took place.
On August 11 to 12, 1945 the 87th Rifle Corps was brought out from the reserve of the 1st Far Eastern Front, and received new orders to prepare for landing operations on the island of Hokkaido (Japan), however the planned operation never took place, although elements of the 87th Corps participated in other operations against Japanese forces in the theatre.
Commanders
- Marshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet UnionMarshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Vasily K. Blukher (1 July 1938 — 4 September 1938) - Komkor Grigori M. ShternGrigori ShternGrigori Mihailovich Shtern 1900, Smila, Kiev Governorate – 28 October 1941) was a Soviet officer in the Red Army and military advisor during the Spanish Civil War. He also served with distinction during the Soviet-Japanese Border Wars and the Winter War....
(August 1938; July 1940 - January 1941) - Colonel GeneralColonel GeneralColonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Iosif P. Apanasenko [promoted to Army General in February 1941] (January 1941 – April 1943) - Colonel General Maxim A. PurkaevMaksim PurkayevMaksim Alexeyevich Purkayev , 1894, in the village of Nalitovo, Dubyonsky Uyezd, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire - January 1, 1953, Moscow) was a Soviet military leader, reaching service rank of Army General....
[promoted to Army General in October 1944] (April 1943 – August 1945)
Sources
- Orbat.com/Niehorster, Order of Battle, 22 June 1941
- David GlantzDavid GlantzDavid M. Glantz is an American military historian and the editor of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies....
, Stumbling Colossus, University Press of Kansas, 1998 (for 1941 order of battle) - http://niehorster.orbat.com/012_ussr/45-08-08/1-far-east.html - OB for the Soviet invasion of Manchuria