8th Army (Soviet Union)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2008) |
| 8th Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939–1945 |
| Country | |
The 8th Army was a
Winter War
The 8th Army was formed in October 1939 (or 14 September 1939
On 30 November 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the
The mission was to destroy the Finnish troops in the area of Ladoga Karelia and advance to the area between Sortavala and Joensuu within ten days. The Soviets had the advantage of a three-to-one ratio in men, five-to-one in artillery and also air supremacy.[2]
The Finnish troops conducted a pre-planned retreat before the overwhelming opposition. On 7 December, in middle of the Ladoga Karelian front, the Finns retreated near the small stream of
In the south, two Soviet divisions were united on the northern side of the coastal road of Lake Ladoga. As before, these divisions were in a trap as the Finns could make counterattacks from a north to columns flank. The Finns made counterattacks in all fronts but were not successful – however the Red Army was now facing a position of defence rather than attack. On 19 December the Finns temporarily ceased their assaults as the soldiers were exhausted. It was not until the period 6 to 16 January 1940 that the Finns made another major offensive, and cut the Soviet division into a smaller group of different sized
Contrary to Finnish expectation, the encircled Soviets divisions did not try to break through to the east but instead they stayed put and entrenched themselves. The Soviets were expecting auxiliary troops and service shipments support to arrive by the air. However, the Finns repelled all efforts of the Soviet Eighth Army to resupply the encircled troops, and they did not get enough supplies from the air. As the Finns lacked the necessary heavy artillery equipment and were short of men, they did not directly attack the mottis they had created, but instead focussed on eliminating the most dangerous threats only and bide their time.[2]
Eastern Front
In 1940 the Army became a part of the Baltic Special Military District.
From the morning of 22 June 1941 as part of the
On 23–25 June its 12th Mechanised Corps with the part of the
During July–August the troops of the 8th Army conducted persistent defensive actions in the territory of Estonia. On 14 July, the army was transferred to the
At the end of January 1942 the administration of the army, crossed on Lake Ladoga ice to the Volkhov direction, combined formations and units for the Sinyavino operations group of 54th Army, which occupied defenses from the south coast of Ladoga lake to the Kirov railroad. On 9 June, the army was subordinated to the
During January 1943, the 8th Army participated in the Leningrad blockade break-through, covering the southern flank of the Front's assault group. During July–August it conducted furious fighting in the
During January 1944, the army headquarters and its support units were moved between
After accepting new formations, the Army participated in the Novgorod-Luga Offensive Operation. After regrouping as part of the Leningrad Front (from 16 February), the Army made several attempts to encircle the German Army Group Narwa in the
In October–November the army together with the
From December 1944, the Army carried out coastal defence tasks in Estonia to the end of the war.
In September 1945, the Army was disbanded by being redesignated HQ Western Siberian Military District in Novosibirsk.
Commanding officers
- I.N. Khabarov (13 September - 13 December 1939);
- G.M. Shtern(13 December 1939 - June 1940)
- Lieutenant General Konstantin Pyadyshev, (June 1940 - July 1940)
- Lieutenant General Aleksandr Tyurin, (July 1940 - 11 March 1941)
- Major General Pyotr Sobennikov (11 March - 30 June 1941);
- lieutenant general Fedor Sergeevich Ivanov (30 June – 24 July 1941);
- Major General Lyubovtsev I.M. (24 July - 6 August 1941);
- lieutenant general Pyotr Pshennikov (7 August - 1 September 1941);
- Major General Vladimir Shcherbakov (1 - 24 September 1941.);
- lieutenant general Trifon Shevaldin (24 September - 28 November 1941);
- Colonel, since October 1941. Major General Andrei Bondarev (28 November 1941 - 28 January 1942);
- Major General Aleksandr Sukhomlin (28 January - 22 April 1942);
- Major General, since November 1942 Lieutenant General Filipp Starikov (22 April 1942 - to the end of the war).
Members of the military council:
- divisional commissar Shabalov S.I. (June July 1941.);
- divisional commissar Chukhnov I.F. (July- September 1941);
- the brigade commissar Okorokov A.D. (September 1941. - April 1942.);
- brigade commissar, December 1942. divisional commissar Sosnovikov V.V. (May- December 1942);
- Major General Zubov V.A. (December 1942. - to the end of the war).
Chiefs of staff :
- Major General Larionov G.A. (1940 - August 1941.);
- Colonel Smirnov V.I. (August- September 1941);
- Major General Kokorev P.I. (September 1941. - December 1942.);
- Colonel, June 1944. Major General Golovchiner B.M. (December 1942 - to the end of the war).
References
Citations
- ^ Meltukhov M.I., Stalin's missed chance: Soviet Union and the struggle for Europe 1939-1941 (documents, facts, judgments), Moscow, Veche, 2000 (Russian: Мельтюхов М.И. Упущенный шанс Сталина. Советский Союз и борьба за Европу: 1939–1941 (Документы, факты, суждения). — М.: Вече, 2000.)
- ^ ISBN 951-0-23536-9.
- ^ Kilin and Raunio 2007, p. 113
- ^ Leo Niehorster, 8th Army, BSMD, retrieved January 2013.
- ^ "Боевой состав Советской Армии на 1 января 1944 г." www.teatrskazka.com. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-951-593-068-2.
- ВОВ-60 -- 8-я армия Commemorating 60 years since Victory in the Great Patriotic War
- 8-я армия - страница клуба "Память" Воронежского госуниверситета
| Armies |
|
|---|---|
| Guards | |
| Tank/Mechanized | |
| Guards Tank/Mechanized | |
| Shock | |
| Cavalry |
|
| Sapper |
|
| Reserve Army |
|
.svg){kind=small}