24th Army (Soviet Union)

24th Army (1941-1943)
Active 1 July 1941 - 13 April 1943
Country Soviet Union
Branch Red Army
Size Army
Part of I Formation
Siberian Military District
Reserve Front
Western Front
II Formation
Moscow Military District
Moscow Defense Zone<nr>III Formation
Southern Front
North Caucasus Front
Transcaucasian Front
IV Formation
Stalingrad Front
Don Front
Steppe Military District
Engagements Yelnya Offensive
Vyazma Defensive
Battle of Stalingrad
Commanders
Notable
commanders
See List

The 24th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed in 1941 and active during the Second World War. The army was disbanded and reformed a number of times during the war.

First Formation

The army headquarters, formed from Headquarters Siberian Military District; under General Staff instructions of 25 June 1941 arrived on 28 June 1941 at Vyazma, accepting on arrival in this area six Siberian rifle divisions of the high command reserve (RVGK). Involved in the Yelnya Offensive, August–September 1941. Headquarters disbanded 10 October 1941, having been destroyed in the Vyazma Pocket.

Composition on 1 September 1941:[1]

19th Rifle Division
100th Rifle Division
106th Rifle Division
107th Rifle Division
120th Rifle Division
303rd Rifle Division
309th Rifle Division
6th Moscow People's Militia Division
275th Corps Artillery Regiment
488th Corps Artillery Regiment
685th Corps Artillery Regiment
305th Gun Artillery Regiment
573rd Gun Artillery Regiment
105th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
544th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
533rd Antitank Artillery Regiment
879th Antitank Artillery Regiment
880th Antitank Artillery Regiment
24th Mortar Battalion
102nd Tank Division
105th Tank Division
103rd Motorized Division
37th Engineer Battalion
88th Engineer Battalion
103rd Motorized Engineer Battalion
56th Motorized Pontoon-Bridge Battalion
38th Mixed Aviation Division
10th Fighter Aviation Regiment
163rd Fighter Aviation Regiment
50th Bomber Aviation Regiment
77th Assault Aviation Regiment

Composition on 1 October 1941:[2]

19th Rifle Division
103rd Rifle Division
106th Rifle Division
139th Rifle Division (II)
170th Rifle Division
309th Rifle Division
275th Corps Artillery Regiment
305th Gun Artillery Regiment
573rd Gun Artillery Regiment
103rd Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
105th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
544th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
879th Antitank Artillery Regiment
880th Antitank Artillery Regiment
42nd Artillery Battalion
24th Mortar Battalion
144th Tank Brigade
146th Tank Brigade
37th Engineer Battalion
88th Engineer Battalion
103rd Motorized Engineer Battalion
56th Motorized Pontoon-Bridge Battalion
38th Mixed Aviation Division
10th Fighter Aviation Regiment
66th Assault Aviation Regiment

Second Formation

Reformed from 9 December 1941 to 4 January 1942. The army was assigned the 385th Rifle Division for less than a month. The army remained in the Moscow Defense Zone through April 1942 with no assigned forces. The army was redesignated as 1st Reserve Army (II).[3][4]

Third Formation

Reformed again on 20 May 1942, from an Operational Group under the command of Major General Aleksei Grechkin[5] while assigned to the Southern Front. The army was concentrated in the area of Salsk, Rostov Oblast. The army was then transferred to the North Caucasus Front on 28 July. In early August the units assigned were transferred to the 12th and 37th Armies, and its headquarters relocated to Grozny, Chechen Republic, Soviet Union, where is was assigned to the Transcaucasian Front. The army was disbanded on 23 August and the headquarters personnel were used to form the 58th Army (II) on August 28, 1942;[6]

Composition on 1 June 1942:[7]

73rd Rifle Division
140th Rifle Division
228th Rifle Division
255th Rifle Division
1660th Sapper Battalion
1663rd Sapper Battalion

On 1 August only the Sapper Battalions remained assigned to the Army.[8]

Fourth Formation

Soon afterwards reformed again as part of the Stalingrad front from 9th Reserve Army on 1 September 1942. The army participated in the Battle of Stalingrad as part of both the Stalingrad and Don Fronts. In March–April 1943 relocated to the Voronezh area and was assigned to the Steppe Military District as part of the STAVKA reserves for rebuilding. Was redesignated 4th Guards Army in May 1943.

Composition as of 1 September 1942:[9]

173rd Rifle Division
207th Rifle Division
221st Rifle Division
292nd Rifle Division
308th Rifle Division
1166th Gun Artillery Regiment
383rd Tank Destroyer Regiment
136th Mortar Regiment
247th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
278th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
217th Tank Brigade

Composition 1 May 1943:[10]

20th Guards Rifle Corps
5th Guards Airborne Division
7th Guards Airborne Division
8th Guards Airborne Division
21st Guards Rifle Corps
68th Guards Rifle Division
69th Guards Rifle Division
84th Rifle Division
214th Rifle Division
233rd Rifle Division
252nd Rifle Division
452nd Tank Destroyer Regiment
1317th Tank Destroyer Regiment
466th Mortar Regiment
27th Antiaircraft Division
1354th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
1358th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
1364th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
1370th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
48th Engineer Battalion

Commanders

See also

References

  1. Marchand, Vol 1 pp 88-89
  2. Marchand, Vol 2 pp 9-10
  3. List No.2; Appendix No. 3 to General Staff Directive No. D-043 of 1970
  4. Marchand, Vol II and IV
  5. Ammentorp, Steen. "Aleksei Grechkin". Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  6. David Glantz, personal correspondence, December 2007
  7. Marchand, vol V, pg 98
  8. Marchand, vol VI, pg 95
  9. Marchand, Vol VII, pg 27
  10. Marchand, Vol XI, pg 47
  11. Ammentorp, Steen. "Stepan Kalinin". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  12. Ammentorp, Steen. "Konstantin Rakutin". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  13. Ammentorp, Steen. "Generals.dk". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  14. Ammentorp, Steen. "Iakov Broud". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  15. Ammentorp, Steen. "Ilia Smirnov". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  16. Ammentorp, Steen. "Vladimir Martsinkevich". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  17. Ammentorp, Steen. "Vasilii Khomenko". Generals.dk. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  18. Ammentorp, Steen. "Dimitri Kozlov". Generals.dk. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  19. Ammentorp, Steen. "Ivan Galanin". Generals.dk. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  20. Ammentorp, Steen. "Aleksandr Gorbatov". Generals.dk. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  21. Ammentorp, Steen. "German Tarasov". Generals.dk. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  22. Ammentorp, Steen. "Grigorii Kulik". Generals.dk. Retrieved 3 August 2013.

Sources