Steppe Front

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The Steppe Front was a Front (military subdivision), effectively an Army group sized formation, of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries.

[edit] History

On 6 April 1943 STAVKA formed a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, effective 30 April. It consisted of the 2nd Reserve Army, the 24th, 53rd, 66th, 46th, 47th, 5th Guards Tank, and eight mobile corps (Tank, Guards Tank, and Mechanised). Most of these armies had been reassigned from the North-Western Front, North Caucasus Front, or the STAVKA Reserve, the RVGK. On 13 April 1943 the Front was renamed the Steppe Military District, to be effective 15 April.

The Steppe Military District was redesignated the Steppe Front on July 7, 1943. It incorporated forces from the Soviet rear areas to the West of Kursk salient along the line Tula-Yelets-Stary Oskol-Rossosh (Тула-Елец-Старый Оскол-Россошь). It included units pulled out of the battles of Stalingrad and Leningrad and others. Under the command of Colonel General Ivan Koniev from July to October 1943, it took part in the offensive of the Battle of Kursk.