Soviet order of battle for invasion of Poland in 1939
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The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September, 1939. The Invasion of Poland is best remembered for the German-Polish fighting, but the Soviets contributed a large force to occupation of Belarusian and Ukrainian lands.[clarification needed] Joining battle after the Germans had already launched their attacks, the Soviets met little resistance, but were prepared for battle.
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Several instances of combat between German and Soviet forces did occur, but neither government was prepared for starting a larger conflict, and these were soon referred to as "misunderstandings".[vague]
Like the Germans, the Soviets employed two primary offensive axes, each managed by a Front (similar to the structure of German Army Groups). Each Front commander had at his disposal a mobile group of forces created from cavalry and mechanised troops; a precursor of the cavalry-mechanised groups of the Second World War that were outlined in the doctrinal development of Marshal Tukhachevsky shortly before the purge of the Soviet officer Corps.
The effects of the purge are visible in the ranks of the commanders in the order of battle, with only one Army commander serving in the appropriate rank of the Army General, in this case 2nd Class (Komandarm 2nd rank, Russian: командарм 2 ранга), the rest serving in being Corps (Komcor) and Divisional (Komdiv) Commander rank Russian: комкор, комдив)
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[edit] Belorussian front
The Belorussian Front included four Armies and was the northern of the two fronts invading. Its commander was Komandarm 2nd rank Mikhail Kovalyov.
As of 17 September 1939 the Front included:
[edit] 3rd Army
The 3rd Army (Komkor Kuznetsov) included one Corps and one operational group.
- 4th Rifle Corps
- Lepelska Group (staging area in and around the city of Lepiel)
- according to narod.ru, the 3rd Army also included the 150th Rifle Division (in Odessa Military District as third echelon)
[edit] 11th Army
The 11th Army (Komdiv Medvedev)
Cavalry-mechanised Group (Komkor Boldin)
[edit] 10th Army
The 10th Army[1] (Komkor Zakharkin) comprised one corps.
[edit] 4th Army
The 4th Army (Komdiv Vasily Chuikov)
[edit] 24th Corps
[edit] Ukrainian front
The Ukrainian Front covered the southern sector of the Polish front in 1939, and included three Armies, commanded by Komandarm 1st rank Semyon Timoshenko.
As of 17 September 1939 the Front included:
[edit] 5th Army
The 5th Army (Komdiv Ivan Sovetnikov) comprised two corps.
[edit] 6th Army
The 6th Army (Komcor Filipp Golikov) comprised two corps.
[edit] 12th Army
The 12th Army (Komandarm Tulenev) comprised four corps.
Front Cavalry Group (from 28 September)
- 25th Tank Corps (subordinated to 12th Army)
[edit] Notes
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- ^ Transferred from the Kalinin Military District
[edit] Sources
- Meltyukhov M.I., Soviet-Polish wars. Military-political confrontation 1918-1939, Moscow, Veche, 2001. (Russian: Мельтюхов М.И. Советско-польские войны. Военно-политическое противостояние 1918-1939 гг. — М.: Вече, 2001.)[1]
[edit] See also
- War and campaign articles
- Other forces in the Polish Campaign
