Soviet First Army
Encyclopedia
The 1st Red Banner Army was a Red Army
field army
of World War II
that served in the Russian Far East
.
The 1st Army was created in July 1938 under the name of the 1st Coastal Army (or, depending on translation, 1st Maritime Army) in the Far East. Previously the Special Far Eastern Army had been the theatre command in the Far East, but 'with the conclusion of the lake Khasan (Changkufeng) fighting
against the Japanese and with the murder of Marshal Blyukher, Stalin abolished this command and established two armies in its place. The army was made responsible for the Ussuri area with its headquarters at Voroshilov' (now Ussuriysk
). It was soon renamed the 1st Separate Red Banner Army. Its initial commander was the later Marshal of the Soviet Union
, Andrei Yeremenko
. Several border skirmishes between the Red Army
and the Imperial Japanese Army
, such as the Battle of Halhin Gol took place until, in July 1940, two years after its formation, the 1st Coastal Army was re-named the 1st Red Banner Army in the far east. When Yeremenko arrived in early 1941, the Army was responsible for all the frontier between Vladivostok
and Khabarovsk
; on 18 March 1941, the 25th Army was established to cover the southern sector.
The official Soviet archives list the composition of the Army on 22 June 1941 as the 26th Rifle Corps (21, 22, 26th Rifle Divisions), 59th Rifle Corps (39th
, 59th Rifle Divisions), 1st, 4th and 5th Rifle Brigades, 8th Cavalry Division, 105th Fortified Region (УР), and 30th Mechanised Corps.
Until the war's end in 1945, the 1st Red Banner Army covered some of the long far eastern borders of the Soviet Union
. In August 1945, the Soviet Union
declared war on Japan, and the Soviet Far East Front
attacked into Japanese-occupied Manchuria
, as part of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, led by Marshal of the Soviet Union
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
. The area the Army was to operate through was mountainous, rugged taiga, and it was specifically tailored to the conditions it would face, in common with the other formations earmarked for the operation. The Army's forces at the beginning of the offensive included 26th and 59th Rifle Corps, 6 rifle divisions, 3 tank brigades (75th, 77th, 257th), 3 SP regiments, 6 SP battalions, 1 heavy tank/SP gun regiment, 5 artillery brigades, and 410 tanks/SP guns and 1,413 guns/mortars. The 6th and 112th Fortified Regions also formed part of the Army. The First Army's attack was aimed at northern Manchukuo
.
1st Red Banner Army was disbanded in 1959 while stationed at Ussuriysk
as part of the Primorskiy Military District
. 1st Red Banner Army should not be confused with the 1st Reserve Army that was made part of the Stalingrad Front in June 1942 and redesignated the 64th 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...
field army
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
of 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...
that served in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
.
The 1st Army was created in July 1938 under the name of the 1st Coastal Army (or, depending on translation, 1st Maritime Army) in the Far East. Previously the Special Far Eastern Army had been the theatre command in the Far East, but 'with the conclusion of the lake Khasan (Changkufeng) fighting
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...
against the Japanese and with the murder of Marshal Blyukher, Stalin abolished this command and established two armies in its place. The army was made responsible for the Ussuri area with its headquarters at Voroshilov' (now Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk is a city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, located in the fertile valley of the Razdolnaya River, north of Vladivostok and about from both the Chinese border and the Pacific Ocean. Population: -Medieval history:...
). It was soon renamed the 1st Separate Red Banner Army. Its initial commander was the later Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
, Andrei Yeremenko
Andrei Yeremenko
Andrey Ivanovich Yeryomenko or Yeremenko or Eremenko was a Soviet general during World War II, Marshal of the Soviet Union.-Draft and early service:...
. Several border skirmishes between 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...
and 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...
, such as the Battle of Halhin Gol took place until, in July 1940, two years after its formation, the 1st Coastal Army was re-named the 1st Red Banner Army in the far east. When Yeremenko arrived in early 1941, the Army was responsible for all the frontier between Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
and Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is the largest city and the administrative center of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
; on 18 March 1941, the 25th Army was established to cover the southern sector.
The official Soviet archives list the composition of the Army on 22 June 1941 as the 26th Rifle Corps (21, 22, 26th Rifle Divisions), 59th Rifle Corps (39th
39th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 39th Pacific Ocean Red Banner Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed in 1922, which fought in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria against the Japanese in 1945, and became a motor rifle division in 1957. It later became a machine-gun artillery division,...
, 59th Rifle Divisions), 1st, 4th and 5th Rifle Brigades, 8th Cavalry Division, 105th Fortified Region (УР), and 30th Mechanised Corps.
Until the war's end in 1945, the 1st Red Banner Army covered some of the long far eastern borders of the Soviet Union
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....
. In August 1945, the Soviet Union
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....
declared war on Japan, and the Soviet Far East Front
Soviet Far East Front
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....
attacked 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...
, as part of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, led by Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Vasilevsky
Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilevsky was a Russian career officer in the Red Army, promoted to Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1943. He was the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense during World War II, as well as Minister of Defense from 1949 to 1953...
. The area the Army was to operate through was mountainous, rugged taiga, and it was specifically tailored to the conditions it would face, in common with the other formations earmarked for the operation. The Army's forces at the beginning of the offensive included 26th and 59th Rifle Corps, 6 rifle divisions, 3 tank brigades (75th, 77th, 257th), 3 SP regiments, 6 SP battalions, 1 heavy tank/SP gun regiment, 5 artillery brigades, and 410 tanks/SP guns and 1,413 guns/mortars. The 6th and 112th Fortified Regions also formed part of the Army. The First Army's attack was aimed at northern 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...
.
1st Red Banner Army was disbanded in 1959 while stationed at Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk
Ussuriysk is a city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, located in the fertile valley of the Razdolnaya River, north of Vladivostok and about from both the Chinese border and the Pacific Ocean. Population: -Medieval history:...
as part of the Primorskiy Military District
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...
. 1st Red Banner Army should not be confused with the 1st Reserve Army that was made part of the Stalingrad Front in June 1942 and redesignated the 64th Army.
Commanders
- Kuzma PodlasKuzma PodlasKuzma Petrovich Podlas was a Soviet Lieutenant-General who was killed in action in World War II.In Russian Civil War, Podlas was a kombrig ) in the Red Army...
1938–1939 - Andrei YeremenkoAndrei YeremenkoAndrey Ivanovich Yeryomenko or Yeremenko or Eremenko was a Soviet general during World War II, Marshal of the Soviet Union.-Draft and early service:...
1.1941 – 6.1941? - Michael Vasiliev 6.1941 to 10.1942
- M.S. Savushkin 10.1942 to 6.1945
- A.P. Beloborodov
Source
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JAP/is_2_13/ai_n15623829