1st Shock Army
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013) |
| 1st Shock Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1945 |
| Country | Riga Offensive Courland Encirclement |
The 1st Shock Army (
. The 1st Shock Army was created in late 1941 and fought in the northern areas of Russia and theBaltic States until the surrender of Germany in 1945. The Army was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to 'overcome difficult defensive dispositions in order to create a tactical penetration of sufficient breadth and depth to permit the commitment of mobile formations for deeper exploitation.'[1]
However, as the war went on, Shock Armies lost this specific role and reverted, in general, to ordinary frontline formations.
History
The 1st Shock Army was formed as part of the
133rd Rifle Division, 29th, 44th, 47th, 50th, 55th, 56th, 71st, and 84th Rifle Brigades, 17th Cavalry Division, two tank battalions, an artillery regiment of the Stavka reserve, and other support units.[2] All the rifle brigades were formed from the naval personnel of the Pacific Fleet
.
1st Shock Army was then airlifted to
Army Group Kurland in the northern reaches of Latvia
.
In January 1945, the 1st Shock Army comprised the 112th Rifle Corps (
53rd Guards, 374th, 376th Rifle Divisions), the 377th Rifle Division
, and the 118th and 155th Fortified Regions.
108th, 7th, 119th, and 123rd Rifle Corps all fought the Germans around Staroselye in April.[3] This offensive was part of maintaining pressure on the Courland Pocket.
In May 1945, the 1st Shock Army commanded four
376th Rifle Divisions
), totaling ten rifle divisions. The 1st Shock Army had by that point been strongly reinforced with three artillery divisions, a corps artillery brigade, a tank brigade, and seven regiments of tanks and assault guns.
1st Shock Army was disbanded by being redesignated Headquarters Turkestan Military District on 9 July 1945.
Second World War commanders
- Nov 1941 to May 1942: Lieutenant General V. I. Kuznetsov
- May 1942 to Nov 1942: Lieutenant General Vladimir Zakharovich Romanovsky
- Nov 1942 to Feb 1943: Lieutenant General Vasili Morozov
- Feb 1943 to Apr 1944: Lieutenant General Gennady Korotkov
- Apr 1944 to May 1944: Colonel General N. E. Chibisov
- May 1944 to Jan 1945: Lieutenant General Nikanor Zakhvatayev
- Feb 1945 to May 1945: Lieutenant General Vladimir N. Razuvaev
Notes
- ^ Keith E. Bonn (ed.), Slaughterhouse, p.306
- ^ Combat Composition of the Soviet Army Archived 2008-04-03 at the Wayback Machine, 1 December 1941 (Russian)
- ^ Greentree, David. SU-152/ISU-152 Vs Tiger: Eastern Front 1943–45. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022, 62.
- ^ "33rd Army Corps". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
References
- Bonn, Keith E. (ed.) Slaughterhouse. Bedford: Aberjona Press, 2005. ISBN 0-9717650-9-X.
- Glantz, David M. Companion to Colossus Reborn. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2005. ISBN 0-7006-1359-5.
- Poirier, Robert G., and Conner, Albert Z. The Red Army Order of Battle in the Great Patriotic War. Novato: Presidio Press, 1985. ISBN 0-89141-237-9.
Further reading
- Berdnikov, Grigory (1985). Первая ударная. Боевой путь 1-й ударной армии в Великой Отечественной войне [1st Shock: The Combat Route of the 1st Shock Army in the Great Patriotic War] (in Russian). Moscow: Voenizdat.
| Armies |
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|---|---|
| Guards | |
| Tank/Mechanized | |
| Guards Tank/Mechanized | |
| Shock | |
| Cavalry |
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| Sapper |
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| Reserve Army |
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