16th Army

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The 16th Army was a Soviet field army active from 1940 to 1945.

First Formation, 16th Army

Before Operation Barbarossa, HQ 16th Army was formed in July 1940 in the Transbaikal Military District (uniting the forces deployed in Dauriya). General Lieutenant М. F. Лукин (June - August 1941) took command.^[1] In June 1941 it was relocated (with six Trans-Baikalian divisions) to Ukraine and subordinated to the Kiev Special Military District.^[2] On 1 July 1941 the 16th Army consisted of the 32nd Rifle Corps (with the 46th and 152nd Rifle Divisions), two artillery regiments, and the 5th Mechanised Corps (13th and 17th Tank Divisions and the 109th Mechanised Division).^[3] 126th Corps Artillery Regiment and the 112th Separate Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion. Army HQ was at Orel on 22 June 1941.

On the eve of World War II, May 25, 1941, the army received orders to relocate to the Ukraine. The first trains Army (109 th Motorized Division of the 5th Mechanized Corps) disembarked in Berdichev June 18, 1941. After the start of World War II in connection with the crisis situation prevailing on the Western Front, 26 June 1941 entered an order steerable 16th army in the area of Orsha - Smolensk. However, the breakthrough of German 11 Panzer Division in the direction of Ostrov during the afternoon of June 26 demanded an emergency response. Lieutenant-General Mikhail Lukin took part of the 109th Motorised Division from loading and directed them towards the enemy. These units under the command of Mikhail Lukin received the name "Group Lukin."^{[citation needed]}

Most of the 16th Army began concentrating in the region of Smolensk, but the 5th Mechanised Corps was transferred into the 20th army and participated in the counterattack at Lepel 6–9 July.^{[citation needed]}

In connection with the breakthrough of the German mechanized troops to Smolensk, by order of Marshal S. К. Timoshenko on July 14, the commander of the 16th Army, MF Lukin united all units of the garrison city of Smolensk, of arriving by rail to other Army and unloaded in the region of Smolensk, as well as parts, which occupy the defense sector, directly adjacent to the city of Smolensk.^{[citation needed]}

Communication with the rear could be maintained only through Solovyovsk crossing of wooded and swampy area south of Yartsevo. Street fighting began.^{[citation needed]}

The Army HQ was disbanded on 8 August 1941 after encirclement (the Battle of Smolensk (1941)) just west of Smolensk as part of the Western Front. The army was reformed three times in 1941.^{[citation needed]}

Second Formation, 16th Army

In September 1941, Konstantin Rokossovsky was given command of 16th Army and tasked with blocking the Volokolamsk Highway, and barring the German forces' access towards Moscow.^[4] By late November, 16th Army had gradually been forced back to a line Krasnaya Polyana-Kryukovo-Istra, but here it held firm until the Red Army went over to the offensive in December. In January 1942, the Army was fighting on the offensive Gzhatsk direction.^{[citation needed]}

In the second half of January 1942, its troops were transferred to the 5th Army, and its headquarters is directed to the area Sukhinichi, where the Army HQ took command of the troops and the defensive line of 10th Army. Until May 1943 the troops of the Army conducted defensive and offensive battles in Zhizdrinsky District direction.^{[citation needed]}

On July 15, 1942, Rokossovsky was transferred to take command of the Bryansk Front to rescue the collapse of Battle of Voronezh (1942). General Zhukov, the commander of Western Front, asked for STAVKA appointing Hovhannes Bagramyan of the vice commander of the right neighborhood 61st Army as the commander of the 16th Army in Rokossovsky's place.^{[citation needed]}

On August 11, 1942, however, German forces mounted a surprise offensive on the southern flank of Western Front, splitting the 61st Army from the 16th Army, which was not taking part in the Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive Operation.^[5] The German forces threatened Bagramyan's left flank as he quickly moved his forces to counter their movements and halted them from advancing further on September 9.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 May 1943, on the basis of directives Stavka on 16 April 1943, the army was reorganized into the 11th Guards Army in the Western Front.^{[citation needed]}

Orders of Battle

On 1 October 1941

• 38th Rifle Division
• 108th Rifle Division
• 112th Rifle Division
• 214th Rifle Division
• 127th Tank Brigade
• 49, 471, 587 corps artillery regiment (кап).
• 375 howitzer artillery regiment of Supreme High Command Reserve (гап РВГК).
• 700 antitank defense artillery regiment (ап ПТО).
• 1/10 Guards Mortar Regiment (гв. мп).
• 42, 133 Motorized Engineer Battalion (миб).
• 243, 290 Separate sapper battalion (осб).

On 1 April 1942

• 5th Guards Rifle Corps
  • 11th Guards Rifle Division
  • 4th Rifle Brigade
  • 30th Rifle Brigade
  • 115 th Rifle Brigade
  • 123rd Rifle Brigade
• 12th Guards Rifle Division
• 97th Rifle Division
• 322nd Rifle Division
• 323rd Rifle Division
• 324th Rifle Division
• 328th Rifle Division
• 19th Rifle Brigade
• 94th Tank Brigade
• 146th Tank Brigade
• 41 Guards Corps Artillery Regiment (гв. кап).
• 486 Artillery Regiment (ап).
• 523 Cannon Artillery Regiment (пап).
• 533 antitank defense artillery regiment (ап ПТО).
• 5, 31, 240 separate Guards Mortar Battalion (огв. мдн).
• 172 separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion (озадн).
• 43 separate armored train battalion (одн бронепоездов).
• 145, 243, 451 separate engineer battalion (оиб), 835 separate sapper battalion (осб).
• 168 Fighter Aviation Regiment (иап), 693, 735 light bombardment Regiment (лбап).

On 1 January 1943

• 11 th Guards Rifle Division
• 97 th Rifle Division
• 217th Rifle Division
• 322nd Rifle Division
• 324th Rifle Division
• 4th Rifle Brigade
• 6th Guards Tank Brigade
• 43 separate armored train battalion (одн брп)
• 21 light artillery brigade (лабр) (6 battalion (ад)); 523 Cannon Artillery Regiment (пап); 545, 546 Mortar Artillery Regiment (аминп); 10 separate Guards Mortar Battalion (огв. мдн).
• 1280 Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment (зенап), 4 separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion (озадн).
• 226, 243, 367 separate engineer battalion (оиб).
• 168 Mixed Aviation Regiment (сап).

Third Formation, 16th Army

16th Army was formed for the third time on 10 July 1943 in the Far Eastern Front on the basis of the Special Rifle Corps. Covered the Soviet state border with Japan on the island of Sakhalin, since the spring of 1945 - also the coast of Tatar Strait by Sovetskaya Gavan to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.^{[citation needed]}

On 5 August 1945 and having in its composition, 56 Rifle Corps, 3rd, 103 th and 104 th fortified areas, 5th and 113th separate infantry brigades, 214th Tank Brigade, a number of separate infantry, tank, artillery and other units was included in the 2nd Far East Front.^[6] 56th Rifle Corps, under General Lieutenant J.V. Novoselsky, consisted of 79th Rifle Division, 2nd Rifle Brigade, the Sakhalin Rifle Regiment, the 6th Battalion (infantry) and other formations and units.^{[citation needed]}

During the Soviet-Japanese War in cooperation with the Russian Pacific Fleet held Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk operation, part of the forces involved in Kuril landing operation in 1945.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 October 1945 the army entered the Far Eastern Military District and within a month was disbanded.^{[citation needed]}

Army Commander

• M. G. Dubkov (July 1 - September 8, 1943), Maj.-Gen.^{[citation needed]}
• Leonty Cheremisov (September 8, 1943 - October 8, 1945), Major-General (from September 8, 1945 - Lieutenant-General)^{[citation needed]}

References

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