44th Army (Soviet Union)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
44th Army
Active1941–1943
Country Soviet Union
BranchRed Army
TypeField army
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Ivan Yefimovich Petrov

The 44th Army (

Transcaucasian Front, its main actions included the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran and the Kerch amphibious landings (both in 1941), before being transferred to the Southern Front on 6 February 1943. There it took part in the Rostov, Donbas and Melitopol offensives. The army was disbanded in November 1943 and its units were transferred to other armies.[1]

History

Formation and Invasion of Iran

Soviet troops crossing the Iranian border, 25 August 1941

The 44th Army was formed on 1 August 1941 from the

Bandar Pahlavi and Rasht by the next day.[4] By 1 September, the 220th Separate Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, 36th and 265th Fighter Aviation Regiments and the 205th Separate Sapper Battalion had joined the army.[5]

Battle of the Kerch Peninsula

In October 1941, the army was relocated from Iran to

Caucasian Front. On 15 January 1942,[7] Pervushin was seriously wounded when an airstrike hit his command post.[8] Major General Ivan Dashichev became acting commander, leading the army during its retreat from advancing German troops. The army suffered heavy losses from the German counterattacks and Dashichev was replaced in command by Major General Serafim Rozhdestvensky on 21 January. He was arrested soon after for "negligence in command" and would eventually serve 10 years in the gulag.[9] The army moved to control of the Crimean Front on 28 January 1942. Rozhdestvensky was replaced in command on 11 February[10] by Lieutenant General Stepan Chernyak.[11] The army launched several unsuccessful attacks during February and April.[12]

On 8 May, German troops launched

Operation Trappenjagd (Bustard Hunt). Troops of the XXX Army Corps broke through the front lines of the 44th Army. A German landing behind the main line of resistance unhinged the 44th Army's second echelon. The army's line soon collapsed, and the German troops captured 4,514 prisoners by the end of the day.[13]The army retreated into Kerch and was evacuated to the Taman Peninsula.[1] The army suffered heavy losses during the battle.[12][14]

Battle of the Caucasus

On 20 May, the 44th Army became part of the

Mozdok during a series of counterattacks.[1]

1943

During January 1943, the army attacked towards

Zavadovka, Kakhovka and Britsantsy. Lieutenant General Khomenko and army artillery commander Major General Bobkov mistakenly drove their vehicles into German lines on 9 November and were killed. Stalin feared that the generals had defected to the enemy and disbanded the army. Its units were transferred to other armies.[1][18]

Commanders

  • Major General Alexander Khadeyev (July - December 1941),
  • Major General Aleksei Pervushin (December 1941 - January 15, 1942) (wounded in action)
  • Major-General Ivan Dashichev (January 16–21, 1942) (arrested due to heavy losses during the withdrawal of the 44th Army),
  • Colonel Serafim Rozhdestvensky (January 21 - February 11, 1942),
  • Lieutenant General Stepan Chernyak (February 8 - May 29, 1942),
  • Major General Andrei Khryashchev (June - July 1942),
  • Major General
    Ivan Yefimovich Petrov
    (August - October 1942),
  • Major General Kondrat Melnik (October 1942),
  • Major General Grigory Kotov (October–November 1942),
  • Lieutenant-General Vasily Khomenko (November 21, 1942 - November 9, 1943); killed in action.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "44-я АРМИЯ" [44th Army]. bdsa.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  2. Combat composition of the Soviet Army
    , 1 August 1941
  3. ^ "Biography of Lieutenant-General Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Khadeev – (Александр Александрович Хадеев) (1894–1957), Soviet Union". generals.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  4. ISBN 9780275927936
    .
  5. Combat composition of the Soviet Army
    , 1 September 1941
  6. ISBN 9781846032219
    .
  7. ^ "Biography of Major-General Aleksei Nikolaevich Pervushin – (Алексей Николаевич Первушин) (1905–1975), Soviet Union". generals.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  8. ^ Beshanov, V.V. (2003). Год 1942 — «учебный» [1942 – Training] (in Russian). Moscow: Kharvest. pp. 166–167.
  9. ^ "Иван Федорович Дашичев" [Ivan Fyodorovich Dashichev]. debryansk.ru (in Russian). Suponevo village administration. Archived from the original on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
  10. ^ "Biography of Major-General Serafim Evgenevich Rozhdestvenskii – (Серафим Евгеньевич Рождественский) (1904–1963), Soviet Union". generals.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  11. ^ "Biography of Lieutenant-General Stepan Ivanovich Cherniak – (Степан Иванович Черняк) (1899–1976), Soviet Union". generals.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  12. ^ a b c "Черняк Степан Иванович" [Chernyak Stepan Ivanovich]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  13. ^ Forczyk 2008, pp. 35–36.
  14. ISBN 9781782009764
    .
  15. ^ "Петров Иван Ефимович" [Petrov Ivan Yefimovich]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  16. ^ "Biography of Lieutenant-General Kondrat Semenovich Melnik – (Кондрат Семенович Мельник) (1900–1971), Soviet Union". generals.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  17. ^ "Biography of Lieutenant-General Vasilii Afanasevich Khomenko – (Василий Афанасьевич Хоменко) (1899–1943), Soviet Union". generals.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  18. ISBN 9781135252427
    .
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