22nd Army (Soviet Union)

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The 22nd Army (Russian: 22-я армия) was a field army of the Red Army during World War II.

The 22nd Army was formed in June 1941 after the

German invasion of the Soviet Union
and served through World War II until its disbandment in 1945.

World War II

Originally it was formed in June 1941 within the

174th, and 186th Rifle Divisions), and several separate regiments, including the 336th and 545th Corps Artillery Regiments.[1] Headquarters was at Velikiye Luki by 22 June 1941, and General Lieutenant Filipp Yershakov
took command (who would direct the army until August 1941). Lenski notes that it was then made part of the 'Group of armies of the Reserve of the Main Command'.

During the Battle of Smolensk (1941), six rifle divisions of the army fought fiercely against what victory.mil.ru describes as sixteen Wehrmacht divisions, including three tank and three motorized, and under their assault 22nd Army was forced to retreat.[2] On July 16, 1941, the Germans managed to surround the 51st Rifle Corps, and on July 20, to seize Velikiye Luki. 48th Tank Division joined the Army by August 1, 1941.[3]

As part of the

83rd Corps Artillery Regiment
had joined the Army by 1 November 1942.

The Army's task as part of Operation Mars was as part of what in Soviet parlance was the 'Bely Offensive Operation in conjunction with 39th Army. Spearheaded by the 3rd Mechanised Corps, the army was tasked to: 'advance eastward up the Luchesa River valley, pierce the German defenses, assist in the capture of Bely, and encircle German forces around Olenino in conjunction with 39th Army.'[4] 'Early on 25 November, 22nd Army, with over 50,000 men and 270 tanks of 3rd Mechanised Corps, assaulted eastward up the Luchesa River valley. Attacking along a narrow corridor flanked by forests and frozen swamps, Soviet forces tore a gaping hole through German defences and drove German forces eastward up the valley. General Yushkevich's attack was spearheaded by Colonel I. V. Karpov's 238th Rifle Division and two regiments of Colonel M. F. Andryushenko's 185th Rifle Division, supported by a tank brigade of General Katukov's mechanised corps. The combined force routed a regiment of the German 86th Infantry Division and punctured the German front.'

In 1943, the Army fought as part of the

Baltic Offensive. Since October 1944, together with the other armies of the Front it carried out the blockade of the German Army Group Courland in the Courland Pocket. One of the Army's rifle corps was the Latvian 130th Rifle Corps that included two rifle divisions in which served a large number of Latvians in their ranks who would soon be facing their opposites in the Latvian 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS
.

Postwar

Immediately after the war ended, its headquarters, along with the

Tavria Military District
.

It arrived in the Odessa/Tavria area with the

48th Rifle Division). Seemingly all these forces, except the 48th Rifle Division, were disestablished rather quickly in 1945-46.[5]

Commanders

References

  1. ^ Orbat.com/Niehorster, Order of Battle 22 June 1941, accessed May 2008
  2. ^ Victory.mil.ru entry Archived 2012-08-05 at archive.today, accessed April 2008
  3. ^ "Боевой состав Soviet Army on 1 August 1941". Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  4. ^
    David Glantz, Counterpoint to Stalingrad: Operation Mars (November-December 1942) Archived 2007-08-01 at archive.today, Foreign Military Studies Office
  5. ^ V.I. Feskov et al 2013, 489.
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