Central Group of Forces

Soviet officers in Libavá training center, winter 1985

The Central Group of Forces was a Soviet military formation used to control Soviet troops in Central Europe on two occasions: in Austria and Hungary from 1945-55 and troops stationed in Czechoslovakia after the Prague Spring of 1968.

After the end of the Second World War, Soviet High Command reorganized its troops on the territories it liberated from the Nazi occupation and now occupied. Directive Nr 11097 on 10 June 1945 created several new formations, known as Groups of Forces, equivalent to military districts but located outside the Soviet Union. Such groups were stationed in Germany (Western Group of Forces), Poland (Northern Group of Forces), and the Balkan region (Southern Group of Forces in Romania and Hungary).

The Central Group of Forces was created around that time to control troops in Austria and Hungary, and did so from 1945 until 1955, when Soviet troops were withdrawn from Austria after the Austrian State Treaty was agreed. Army General Vladimir Kurasov commanded the Group from 1946-49. On its creation it consisted of the 4th, 5th, and 7th Guards Armies though many formations were quickly withdrawn.

The Central Group of Forces was reinstituted as a legacy of the 1968 Prague Spring events. Till that time, no Soviet troops were permanently garrisoned within Czechoslovakian territory. The Central Group of forces had a total strength of about 85,000 and comprised two tank divisions, three mechanized infantry divisions, three missile brigades, an artillery brigade, and an airborne assault brigade. Four of the five Soviet ground divisions in Czechoslovakia were stationed in the Czech lands (15th Guards Tank Division at Milovice, 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division at Mladá Boleslav, 48th MRD at Vysoké Mýto, and 31st Tank Division at Bruntál), while one was headquartered in Slovakia (the 30th Guards Motor Rifle Division at Zvolen). Group headquarters was located in Milovice (38 km northeast of Prague). Also at Milovice was the 131st Mixed Aviation Division, which arrived from Ivano-Frankovsk in the Ukrainian SSR in August 1968.

Following the end of the Cold War, the divisions were withdrawn as follows:

• 15th Guards Tank Division to Chebakul, Volga-Ural Military District
• 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division to Kaliningrad, Baltic Military District
• 30th Guards Motor Rifle Division to Belarus, and reduced to a storage base
• 31st Tank Division to the Moscow Military District and
• 48th Motor Rifle Division - 1996 Jane's Intelligence Review information indicated the Division had been moved to Smolensk in the Moscow Military District where it was later disbanded. Russian forum information ([1] and following) indicates that it was actually withdrawn to Chuguev in Ukraine with 265 гв., 1335 мсп, 353 оучб, 31 орб, 813 обс, 88 орвб, 409 обмо, 34 омедб, 99 оиср, 348 орхз, and then later became part of the National Guard of Ukraine)

References

• Soviet Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia
• Group of Soviet Forces in Czechoslovakia Central Group of Forces (CGF)
• Site and forum of veterans of the Central Group of Forces (CGF) (in Russian)