8th Guards Combined Arms Army

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8th Guards Combined Arms Army
Great emblem of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army
Great emblem of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army
ActiveOctober 1941 – July 1942 (7th Reserve Army)
July 1942 – May 1943 (62nd Army)
May 1943 – 1992 (8th Guards Army)
2017-present
Country Soviet Union
 Russia (1991–1992, 2017–)
Branch Soviet Army
 Russian Ground Forces
TypeCombined arms
SizeArmy
Part ofSouthern Military District
EngagementsBattle of Stalingrad
Operation Bagration
Battle of Poznań (1945)
Battle of Berlin
others
Decorations Order of Lenin
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel General Gennady V. Anashkin
Notable
commanders		Vasily Chuikov

The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army (abbreviated 8th CAA) is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, within Russia′s Southern Military District, that was reinstated in 2017 as a successor to the 8th Guards Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army (later Soviet Army), which was formed during World War II and was disbanded in 1998 after being downsized into a corps. Military Unit в/ч 61877.

The Soviet 8th Guards Army was formed from the

Vistula–Oder Offensive. The army helped capture Łódź, Poznań and Kostrzyn nad Odrą. The army then fought in the Battle of Berlin. During the war it was led by its commander during the Battle of Stalingrad, Vasily Chuikov. After the war the army was stationed at Nohra, covering the strategic Fulda Gap during the Cold War. In 1993 the army was withdrawn from Germany to Volgograd
(the former Stalingrad) and there downsized to a corps, before being disbanded in 1998.

World War II

Activated in October 1941 as the 7th Reserve Army, the Army was re-designated the

Stalingrad in July 1942. It was among the victors of Stalingrad
and thus re-designated the 8th Guards Army on 5 May 1943, in accordance with a Stavka directive dated 16 April 1943.

In July 1943, it took part in the

Dnipropetrovsk
south and captured a bridgehead on its right bank. By this time 28th, 29th and 4th Guards Rifle Corps were part of the army.

The army was part of the

Vasili Chuikov's Eighth Guards Army and Forty-Sixth Army attacked through a blizzard[2] and, by April 6, had driven the defenders past the Dniester River and isolated Odessa.[2] Odessa capitulated on April 10, and Soviet troops began entering Romania proper.[2]

In June 1944 the army was transferred to the

Soviet Military Cemetery
in Warsaw.

In 1945 the army was commanded by

Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front. One of the cities which the army took in its westward drive was Poznań, which the Army seized
in January–February 1945.

In a deliberate symbolic move the 8th Guards Army was then sent northwards to the center of the front, coming under command of

Weidling, the commander of the Berlin Defensive Area, and the rest of the Berlin garrison. Later the Eighth Guards Army became part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany
. On the creation of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany in 1945, the Army consisted of:

Commanders

Cold War

In the summer of 1946, the 4th Guards Rifle Corps was disbanded along with the 35th, 74th, 82nd and 88th Guards Rifle Divisions. In July 1956, the 28th and 29th Guards Rifle Corps were disbanded.[3]

During the

1st Guards Tank Army and was replaced by the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division. On 22 February 1968, it was awarded the Order of Lenin[5] for success in combat training.[6] In May 1983, the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division transferred to the 1st Guards Tank Army and was replaced by the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division.[5]

Nohra

In 1988, 8th Guards Army consisted of:[7][8][9]

Memorial cemetery to Soviet soldiers in the Battle of Küstrin in 1945

In February 1989, the 486th Separate Helicopter Regiment was activated at Jüterbog from the 241st, 311th, 327th and 345th Separate Helicopter Squadrons.[20]

After the Soviet withdrawal from Germany the army was reduced in size to become 8th Guards Army Corps on 1 June 1993, and withdrawn to Volgograd, the former Stalingrad. There it appears to have taken the place of the 34th Army Corps. From June 1993 to February 1995, it was commanded by Lev Rokhlin. 8th Guards Army Corps was disbanded in May 1998.[5]

Since 2017

The formation of the new 8th Combined Arms Army began in 2017; the first stage was intended to be completed in June 2017.[21] The 8th Combined Arms Army as of 2021 includes:

Support to the army is to be provided by fighter aircraft, bombers and ground attack aircraft (primarily drawn from the

4th Air and Air Defence Forces Army) and, in certain areas, by ships and submarines of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy).[21]

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Units from the 8th Guards Army participated in the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine under the command of Lieutenant General Andrei Sychevoi.[30][31]

According to experts, the 8th Combined Arms Army was intended to be a centrepiece of the Southern Military District in the southern European part of the Russian Federation, protecting from threats in that region.

Ukraine, the United States, and some analysts also describe the 1st (Donetsk) and 2nd (Luhansk) Army Corps of the

Russian separatist forces in Donbas, Ukraine, as under the command of the 8th CAA HQ.[32][33][34][35] As of 2021, subordinate units within these corps are said to include: 4 Motorized Rifle Brigades, 2 Motorized Rifle Regiments, 2 special forces battalions, 1 tank battalion, 1 reconnaissance battalion and 1 artillery brigade (1st Corps) and 3 Motorized Rifle Brigades, 1 Motorized Rifle Regiment, 1 tank battalion, 1 reconnaissance battalion and 1 artillery brigade (2nd Corps).[24]

Ukrainian officials reported that the commander of the army's

Vladimir Petrovich Frolov in combat in Ukraine.[41]

The 8th Guards Combined Arms Army has been involved in the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive around the city of Marinka.[42]

References

  1. ^ Willmott, p. 373
  2. ^ a b c Pimlott, p. 333
  3. ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 401
  4. ^ Powell
  5. ^ a b c Holm, Michael. "8th Guards Combined Arms Army". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  6. ^ Feskov et al 2013, p. 400
  7. ^ "Andy Johnson, Warsaw Pact Order of Battle June 1989, last updated 27 May 2000. More recent Russian sites give different Army-level units". www.genstab.ru.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Состав соединений и частей 8 я Гвардейская Общевойсковая армия" [8th Guards Army Structure]. www.gsvg.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  9. ^ Feskov et al 2013, pp. 402-403
  10. ^ Holm, Michael. "11th Missile Brigade". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  11. ^ Holm, Michael. "449th Missile Brigade". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  12. ^ Holm, Michael. "79th Guards Tank Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  13. ^ Holm, Michael. "27th Guards Motorised Rifle Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  14. ^ Holm, Michael. "39th Guards Motorised Rifle Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  15. ^ Holm, Michael. "57th Guards Motorised Rifle Division". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  16. ^ Holm, Michael. "390th Guards Artillery Brigade". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  17. ^ Holm, Michael. "900th independent Landing-Assault Battalion". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  18. ^ Holm, Michael. "336th Independent Helicopter Regiment". ww2.dk. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  19. ^ Holm, Michael. "65th Pontoon-Bridge Regiment". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  20. ^ Holm, Michael. "486th Independent Helicopter Regiment". ww2.dk. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  21. ^ a b Алексей Рамм; Евгений Андреев (March 17, 2017). В Южном военном округе появится новая армия. Известия.
  22. ^ "The 8th Combined Arms Army". Russian Defense Policy. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  23. ^ a b "RUSSIAN REGULAR GROUND FORCES ORDER OF BATTLE" (PDF). October 2023.
  24. ^ a b c "Russian Military Forces: Interactive Map".
  25. ^ "Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 81, 29 March - 9 May 2021".
  26. ^ "Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 99, 13 September - 19 September 2021".
  27. ^ "Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 119, 31 January – 6 February 2022".
  28. ^ Batashvili, David (2022-01-17). "Rearmament and Modernization". Rondeli Russian Military Digest. No. 117.
  29. ^ a b "Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 95, 16 August - 22 August 2021".
  30. ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  31. ^ "#Russian forces face mounting difficulties replacing combat losses in #Ukraine, including the possible death of the commander of the 150th Motor Rifle Division near #Mariupol. (info and footage from twitter (some info may be inaccurate and/or unconfirmed) Twitter references will be replaced with better sources when possible)". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  32. ^ Holopatiuk, Leonid (2020-07-01). Security Dialogue on the Vienna Document 2011 (PDF). 950th Meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation.
  33. ^ "UAWire - Muzhenko: There are more than 30,000 Russian soldiers in the Donbas". UAWire. 2018-08-17. Archived from the original on 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
  34. Center for Strategic & International Studies. Archived
    from the original on 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
  35. ^ Bowen, Andrew S. (2021-11-19). "Russian Troop Movements and Tensions along the Ukrainian Border". Insight. Congressional Research Service.
  36. ^ "War in Ukraine: Fourth Russian general killed - Zelensky". BBC News. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Грандиозный парад Победы прошел в Волгограде". Волгоградская Правда (in Russian). 2020-06-24. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  38. ^ "Советник Зеленского: «По предварительным данным, в результате удара ВСУ убит генерал-лейтенант РФ Андрей Мордвичев»". The Insider (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  39. ^ "According to preliminary data, Lieutenant-General Andrey Mordvichev was killed when Ukrainian defenders destroyed a command post at Kherson airport. (info and footage from twitter (some info may be inaccurate and/or unconfirmed) Twitter references will be replaced with better sources when possible)". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  40. ^ "Chechen Leader Travels to Mariupol: Reports". The Moscow Times. 28 March 2022.
  41. ^ "Russia Loses Another Major General in Ukraine Fighting". WSJ.
  42. ^ "Discussions in Russia about who is responsible for successes in vicinity of Marinka – ISW".

Bibliography

Further reading
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