4th Army (Soviet Union)
4th Army | |
---|---|
Active | 1939–1992 |
Country | Rifle corps |
Part of | Transcaucasian Military District (1950s–1990s) |
Garrison/HQ | Baku (c. 1945–1991) |
Engagements | Operation Barbarossa, others |
The 4th Army was a
World War II
First Formation
The Fourth Army was created in August 1939 in the
When the German invasion of the Soviet Union commenced on 22 June 1941, the Army was part of the
It should be clearly understood that John Erickson (historian) was writing in the pre-1990 period when formation designations could be unclear, sometimes to the point of deliberate deception (Soviet 'maskirovka'). According to Sharp the 12th Rifle Division was identified by the Germans on the Western Front, but the unit was assigned to the Far East for the entire war.[4] The formation that appears to have been moved into Brest Fortress was 42nd Rifle Division.
Facing the 4th Army across the
On the eve of the attack, 4th Army suffered, as did many Soviet formations, from German communication sabotage. Units lost telephone connections, electrical power, and the
At the end of July 1941, the Fourth Army began to dissolve. The Fourth Army's staff members were absorbed into the general staff of the
Composition on 22 June 1941
Source:[citation needed]
Commander Lieutenant General Aleksandr Korobkov
- 28th Rifle Corps – Major General V.S. Popov
- 6th Rifle Division – Col. M. A. Popsiu-Shapko
- 42nd Rifle Division – Maj. Gen. I. S. Lazarenko (According to Sharp the 12th RD was identified by the Germans on the Western Front, but the unit was assigned to the Far East for the entire war. 42nd RD was assigned to Brest Fortress at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa.)[4]
- 49th Rifle Division – Col. C. F. Vasil’ev
- 75th Rifle Division – Col. Nedwigin
- 14th Mechanized Corps – Major General S. I. Oborin
- 22nd Tank Division – Maj. Gen. V. P. Puganov
- Semen Bogdanov
- 205th Motorized Division– Col. F. F. Kudjurov
Second Formation
At the end of September 1941, the Fourth Army was formed for the second time, retaining its Independent status until December while remaining in the
The Fourth Army participated in the defense and attack of
Third Formation
The 4th Army was disbanded in November 1943 and set up again in January 1944 as part of the
In February 1944, the 4th Army consisted of:[8]
- 58th Rifle Corps
- 68th Mountain Rifle Division
- 75th Rifle Division
- 89th Rifle Brigade
- 90th Rifle Brigade
- 15th Cavalry Corps
- 1st Cavalry Division (second formation, ex 1st Mountain Cavalry Division)
- 23rd Cavalry Division
- 39th Cavalry Division
- 1595th AT Regiment
- 15th Independent AT Battalion
- 17th Mortar Battalion
- 28th Anti-Aircraft Battery
- 492nd Assault Aviation Regiment
- 167th Fighter Aviation Regiment
Commanders During World War II
- Aleksandr Korobkov 4th Army (1st formation) (1939 – 8 July 1941)
- Leonid Sandalov 4th Army (1st formation) (8–23 July 1941)
- Vsevolod Yakovlev, 4th Army (2nd formation) (26 September – 9 November 1941)
- Kirill Meretskov, 4th Army (2nd formation) (9 November – 16 December 1941)
- Pyotr Ivanov, 4th Army (2nd formation) (16 December 1941 – 3 February 1942)
- Pyotr Lyapin, 4th Army (2nd formation) (3 February – 25 June 1942)
- Nikolai Gusev, 4th Army (2nd formation) (26 June 1942 – 30 October 1943)
- Ivan Sovetnikov, 4th Army (3rd formation) (1944–1945)
Postwar service
In the years after World War II the Fourth Army was stationed in the
1988 Order of Battle
In the late 1980s the 4th Army was composed of:[9][10]
- Ganja) from 1989)
- Lenkoran
- 75th Motor Rifle Division, Nakhichevan, Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ru:75-я мотострелковая дивизия).[11] Commanded by Colonel (later General-Major) Vasily Shakhnovich (August 1961 – November 1964). In November 1988 Lev Rokhlin became commander of the 75th Motor Rifle Division. In early 1990 the division was transferred to the Soviet Border Troops of the KGB, and Rokhlin was promoted to major-general in February of the same year.[12] Disbanded July 1992.
- 295th Motor Rifle Division, Baku
- Other smaller formations and units:
- Perekishkyul, Azerbaijani SSR, 1981–1992)[13]
- 117th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade, Baku
- 714th Independent Reconnaissance Battery (отдельный разведывательный артдивизион, a divizion), Baku
- two artillery units at Qobu:[14]
- 215th Guards Gun Dniproderzhynsk Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Artillery Regiment (24 D-20)
- 941st Reactive Artillery Regiment (36 BM-21Grad multiple rocket launchers);
- 215th Guards Gun Dniproderzhynsk Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov Artillery Regiment (24
- and two helicopter-equipped aviation units:
- the 121st Independent Mixed Aviation Squadron (5 Mi-8, 1 Mi-6), Kyzyl-Agach[15]
- and the 381st Independent Helicopter Squadron (13 Mi-24, 4 Mi-8), Nakhichevan[16]
Cold War-era commanders
- Colonel General Alexander Luchinsky (25 December 1945 – 19 February 1947)
- Colonel General Ivan Managarov (19 February 1947 – 1 April 1949)
- Colonel General Issa Pliyev (1 April 1949 – 27 June 1955)
- Lieutenant General Sergey Bobruk (27 June 1955 – 12 December 1957)
- Lieutenant General Konstantin Provalov (28 January 1958 – 6 March 1959)
- Lieutenant General Mikhail Lugovtsev (6 March 1959 – 25 February 1961)
- Lieutenant General Antatoly Andrushchenko (25 February 1961 – 4 December 1964)
- Lieutenant General Ivan Tretyak (4 December 1964 – 21 September 1967)
- Lieutenant General Andrey Bolibrukh (22 September 1967 – 19 January 1973)
- Lieutenant General Dmitry Yazov (19 January 1973 – 20 May 1974)
- Lieutenant General Vasily Kirilyuk (20 May 1974 – November 1978)
- Lieutenant General Alexander Kovtunov (December 1978 – June 1981)
- Lieutenant General Viktor Samsonov (May 1985 – May 1987)
- Lieutenant General Anatoly Shapovalov (May 1987 – February 1989)
- Lieutenant General Vladimir Sokolov (February 1989 – December 1991)
- Major General Nikolay Popov (December 1991 – August 1992)
Sources
Citations
- ^ BOVO (00 СВЭ, Ô.8, ß.468.)(00 СВЭ, т.8, с.468.) 00; Western Special MD, A.G. Lenskii, Сухопутные силы RKKA в предвоенные годы. Справочник. — Saint Petersburg B&К, 2000
- ^ Niehorster, Order of Battle, 22 June 1941
- ^ John Erickson, Road to Stalingrad, 2003 Cassel Military Paperbacks edition, p.86-7.
- ^ a b Sharp, Charles (1996). Soviet Order of Battle World War II Vol VIII Red Legions. George F. Nafziger. pp. 20, 32. was assigned to Brest Fortress at the beginning of Operation Baraborossa
- ^ Erickson, 2003 edition, p.90-1
- ^ Erickson, 2003, p.130-1, 133
- ^ Erickson, 2003, p.150-2, 155
- Combat composition of the Soviet Army('BSSA'), 1 February 1944, via Axis History Forum
- ^ a b Feskov et al 2013, pp. 531–532.
- ^ Holm, Michael. "4th Combined Arms Army". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- ^ Holm, Michael. "75th Motorised Rifle Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ISBN 504001676X, 9785040016761
- ^ Holm, Michael. "136th Missile Brigade". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- ^ V.I. Feskov et al. 2004, 63.
- ^ Holm, Michael. "121st independent Mixed Aviation Squadron". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- ^ Holm, Michael. "381st independent Helicopter Squadron". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
Bibliography
- Feskov, V.I.; K.A. Kalashnikov; V.I. Golikov. (2004). The Soviet Army in the Years of the 'Cold War' (1945-1991). ISBN 5-7511-1819-7.
- Feskov, V.I.; Golikov, V.I.; Kalashnikov, K.A.; Slugin, S.A. (2013). Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской [The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II: From the Red Army to the Soviet: Part 1 Land Forces] (in Russian). Tomsk: Scientific and Technical Literature Publishing. ISBN 9785895035306.
- see also http://samsv.narod.ru/Arm/a04/arm.html