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46th Army (Soviet Union)

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46th Army
Active1 August 1941 – 25 September 1945
Disbanded25 September 1945
CountrySoviet Union
BranchRed Army
TypeCombined Arms Army
SizeArmy
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Konstantin Leselidze
Vasily Glagolev

The46th Armywas aSovietRed Armyfield armyduring World War II. The army was formed in August 1941 and guarded the Turkish border. During the summer of 1942, it fought in theBattle of the Caucasus.During the spring of 1943, the army helped captureMaykopandKrasnodar.During the summer of 1943, it fought in theDonbass Strategic Offensiveand theBattle of the Dnieper.During early 1944, it fought in theNikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensiveand theOdessa Offensive.During the summer it fought in theSecond Jassy–Kishinev Offensive.The army advanced westward and participated in theBattle of DebrecenandBudapest Offensiveduring the fall. After the fall of Budapest in February 1945, the army fought in theVienna Offensiveand thePrague Offensive.During the summer of 1945, the army moved to theOdessa Military Districtand was disbanded in September.

History[edit]

1941[edit]

The army was formed on 1 August 1941 by order of the commander of theTranscaucasian Military District,dated 23 July 1941 based on the headquarters of the3rd Rifle Corps.Its first commander was Lieutenant General andHero of the Soviet UnionStepan Chernyak.[1]On 23 August the army was assigned the task of defending the border with Turkey from the Black Sea to the mountains ofUch-Tapalyarand the coast of the Black Sea to the area ofPoti-Sukhumiand transferred to theTranscaucasian Front.[2]

On 1 September 1941 the army comprised the4th,9th,47th Mountain,and the224th Rifle Divisions,the 51stFortified Region(УР), the 457th and 647th Corps Artillery Regiments (кап), 547th Howitzer Artillery Regiment of theReserve of the Supreme High Command(RVGK), 151st, 365th, and 388th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalions, plus the27th Fighter Aviation Division.The 51st and 75th Separate Engineering Battalions and the 7th Separate Armored Train Division were also part of the army.[3]

On 21 December, Major GeneralAlexander Khadeyevtook command.[4]The army was transferred to theCaucasian Fronton 30 December.[2]

1942[edit]

On 28 January 1942, the army was subordinated to theTranscaucasian Military District.Major GeneralVasily Sergatskovtook command of the army on 28 April.[5]On 15 May, the army became part of the Transcaucasian Front's Second Formation. In June 1942, the 3rd Rifle Corps became part of the army. The army was tasked to cover the passes through the Caucasus Mountains fromMamisontoBelorechenskoye.On 15 August 1942 the army defended the central passes against German attacks.[6]However, Sergatskov reportedly sent only small forces to observe the passes, allowing German troops to capture them. As a result, Sergatskov was replaced[5]by Major GeneralKonstantin Leselidzeon 28 August.[7][8]On 25 November, the army became part of the front's Black Sea Group.[2]

1943[edit]

During January and February 1943, the army fought in theNorth Caucasian Strategic Offensive.Leselidze was promoted to command47th Armyon 25 January[7]and was replaced by Major GeneralIvan Rosly.[9]On 29 January, it capturedMaykopwith the aid of local partisans. The army became part of the North Caucasian Front's Second Formation on 6 February. On 10 February, Rosly[9]was replaced by Major GeneralAlexander Ryzhov.[10]It capturedKrasnodaron 12 February in conjunction with the18th Army.By 11 March, the army reached theKubanmarshes in theTroitskyarea, where it went on the defensive. On 22 March, Ryzhov became 47th Army commander[10]and was replaced by Major GeneralVasily Glagolevthe next day.[11]The army was placed in Stavka reserve on 30 March and became part of theReserve Fronton 10 April. On 15 April, it became part of theSteppe Military District.On 1 June, the army became part of theSouthwestern Frontbut was sent back to Stavka reserve on 24 July. On 8 August, the army moved back to the Southwestern Front.[2]

On 24 August 1943 the army participated in theDonbass Strategic Offensiveand crossed the Dnieper River. On 28 August, it was committed south ofZmiiv,but was unable to dislodge German troops from their positions.[12]It became part of the Steppe Front on 11 September. On 2 October, it became part of the Southwestern Front. On 5 October 1943 the army fought a defensive battle to retain bridgeheads across the Dnieper River east ofDniprodzerzhynsk.The army then fought in theKrivoi Rog Offensiveand captured Dniproderzhynsk on 25 October. In conjunction with the8th Guards Army,it capturedDnipropetrovskon the same day.[2][13]

1944[edit]

In 1944 the army participated in the capture ofRight-bank Ukraine.From 30 January, it fought in theNikopol–Krivoi Rog Offensive.During the offensive, the army capturedApostoloveon 5 February. It then turned west towards theInhulets.It capturedKrivoy Rogon 22 February along with the37th Armyand crossed the Inhulets north of Shirokoe.[14]Between 6 and 18 March, the army fought in theBereznegovatoye–Snigirevka Offensive.The army then fought in theOdessa Offensive.By 14 April 1944, the army had reached the line of Leontina and Palanca at the mouth of theDniesterand seized a bridgehead southeast of Raskayevitsy.[2]On 27 May 1944, Glagolev was transferred to command 31st Army and was replaced by Lieutenant GeneralIvan Shlemin.[15]

During August and September, the army fought in theSecond Jassy–Kishinev Offensive.On 20 August, the army broke through German defences along a 25 mile front. The army capturedAkkermanon 22 August and soon broke through to theCogâlnic Riverin the rear of the RomanianThird Army.[16]In early September, the army advanced southwards towards Bulgaria in theGiurgiu-Silistraarea. It advanced in the direction ofEsechioiandKubratduring the attack into Bulgaria.[17]

The army became part of the2nd Ukrainian Fronton 20 September. From 6 October, the army fought in theBattle of Debrecen.On 8 October, the army attacked with three mobile columns north of Belgrade. 10th Guards Rifle Corps attacked throughVršacand clearedPančevoby 5 October against weak opposition. The 10th Guards Rifle Corps advanced on Belgrade from the north and northeast. The 31st Guards Rifle Corps advanced through theVoivodinaand advanced towardPetrovgradand theTisza.37th Rifle Corps advanced fromTimișoaratowardsKikinda,destroying elements of the4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Divisionand Hungarian forces.[18]It advanced towardsSzegedandSenta,providing the front's main fighting force in its advance from the south. On the night of 10–11 October, the army captured Szeged.[19]From the end of October, the army fought in theBudapest Offensive.The army was selected to advance towards Budapest throughKecskemét.[20]Kecskemet fell to the army on 1 November.[21]On 1 December, the army included the10th Guards Rifle Corps(including the49th,86thand109th Guards Rifle Divisions), the23rd Rifle Corps(including the68th Guards,99thand316th Rifle Divisions) and the37th Rifle Corps(including the59th Guards,108th Guardsand320th Rifle Divisions). The180th Rifle Divisionwas also part of the army. The 7th Breakthrough Artillery Division provided artillery support for the army. It included the 11th, 9th Guards and 17th Light Artillery Brigades, 25th Howitzer Artillery Brigade, 105th Heavy Howitzer Artillery Brigade and 3rd Mortar Brigade. The 45th Guards Light Artillery Brigade, 92nd Guards Corps Artillery Regiment, 12th and 24th Fighter Anti-Tank Artillery Brigades, 437th Fighter Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, and 462nd Mortar Regiment provided the rest of the army's artillery support. The 38th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division was also part of the army and included the 1401st, 1405th, 1709th and 1712th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiments. The 991st, 1505th and 1897th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiments and 51st Engineering Brigade provided self-propelled artillery and sapper capability to 46th Army.[22] The army crossed the Danube on the night of 4 December. On 5 December, the army's 37th Rifle Corps attacked positions of the271st Volksgrenadier Divisionsouth of Budapest. 37th Rifle Corps was then heavily counterattacked by the8th Panzer Division.[23]On the same day, the army advanced towardsCsepel Island.The army clearedErcsion 9 December and linked up with the 3rd Ukrainian Front atLake Velence.The army suffered heavy losses during its advance.[24]

On 14 December, the army was transferred to the3rd Ukrainian Front.[2]On 22 December,Valfell to the army's2nd Guards Mechanized Corps.The army's18th Tank Corpslinked up with the6th Guards Tank Armyon 24 December, surrounding Budapest.[25]

1945[edit]

The 46th Army conducted attacks on Buda until 3 January, when it was directed to prevent breakouts.[26]On 16 January, Shlemin was replaced by Major General Mikhail Filippovsky.[27]After the fall of Budapest on 13 February, the army became part of the 2nd Ukrainian Front on 21 February. On 4 March, Lieutenant General Alexander Petrushevsky became the army commander.[28]From 16 March, the army fought in theVienna Offensive.It attackedGyőralong with the2nd Guards Mechanized Corps.Other elements of the army attackedKomárno.Both cities were captured by 28 March. The army was transported across the Danube and attacked Vienna from the northeast. On 13 April, the army cleared Vienna of German troops in conjunction with the6th Guards Tank Army.The army then fought in thePrague Offensivefrom 6 May. The army reached the line ofČeské Budějoviceand Progarten by the end of 11 May.[29]From July to September 1945, the army was relocated to theOdessa Military Districtand on 25 September 1945 the army was disbanded.[2]

Subordination[edit]

Commanders[edit]

The following officers commanded the army.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Черняк Степан Иванович"[Chernyak Stepan].warheroes.ru(in Russian).Retrieved13 February2016.
  2. ^abcdefghi"46-я АРМИЯ"[46th Army].bdsa.ru(in Russian).Retrieved13 February2016.
  3. ^Combat composition of the Soviet Army,1 September 1941
  4. ^"Biography of Lieutenant-General Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Khadeev – (Александр Александрович Хадеев) (1894–1957), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved13 February2016.
  5. ^ab"Biography of Lieutenant-General Vasilii Fadeevich Sergatskov – (Василий Фадеевич Сергацков) (1898–1975), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved14 February2016.
  6. ^Glantz, David M. (1 January 2009).To the Gates of Stalingrad: Soviet-German Combat Operations, April–August 1942.University Press of Kansas. p. 447.ISBN9780700616305.
  7. ^ab"Biography of Colonel-General Konstantin Nikolaevich Leselidze – (Константин Николаевич Леселидзе) (1903–1944), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved14 February2016.
  8. ^Forczyk, Robert (20 May 2015).The Caucasus 1942–43: Kleist's race for oil.Osprey Publishing. p. 67.ISBN9781472805836.
  9. ^ab"Biography of Lieutenant-General Ivan Pavlovich Roslyi – (Иван Павлович Рослый) (1902–1980), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved14 February2016.
  10. ^ab"Biography of Lieutenant-General Aleksandr Ivanovich Ryzhov – (Александр Иванович Рыжов) (1895–1950), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved14 February2016.
  11. ^"Biography of Colonel-General Vasilii Vasilevich Glagolev – (Василий Васильевич Глаголев) (1896–1947), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved14 February2016.
  12. ^Glantz, David M. (12 November 2012).Soviet Military Deception in the Second World War.Routledge. p. 227.ISBN9781136287725.
  13. ^Erickson, John (1 January 1999).Stalin's War with Germany: The road to Berlin.Yale University Press. p.139.ISBN0300078137.
  14. ^Erickson 1999,pp. 179–180.
  15. ^"Biography of Lieutenant-General Ivan Timofeevich Shlemin – (Иван Тимофеевич Шлемин) (1898–1969), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved14 February2016.
  16. ^Erickson 1999,pp. 356–358.
  17. ^Erickson 1999,p. 376.
  18. ^Erickson 1999,pp. 385–386.
  19. ^Nevenkin, Kamen (1 July 2012).Take Budapest: The Struggle for Hungary, Autumn 1944.The History Press.ISBN9780752477039.
  20. ^Hitler's Army: The Evolution and Structure of German Forces.Da Capo Press. 2003. p. 345.ISBN0306812606.
  21. ^Glantz 2012,p. 446.
  22. ^Combat composition of the Soviet Army,1 December 1944
  23. ^Hitler's Army 2003,p. 328.
  24. ^Erickson 1999,pp. 433–434.
  25. ^Mitcham, Samuel W. (1 January 2007).The German Defeat in the East, 1944–45.Stackpole Books. p. 232.ISBN9780811733717.
  26. ^Ungváry, Krisztián (1 January 2011).Battle for Budapest: 100 Days in World War II.I.B.Tauris. p. 130.ISBN9781848859739.
  27. ^"Biography of Lieutenant-General Mikhail Sergeevich Filipovskii – (Михаил Сергеевич Филиповский) (1896–1956), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved14 February2016.
  28. ^ab"Biography of Colonel-General Aleksandr Vasilevich Petrushevskii – (Александр Васильевич Петрушевский) (1898–1976), Soviet Union".generals.dk.Retrieved13 February2016.
  29. ^"Петрушевский Александр Васильевич"[Petrushevsky Alexander].warheroes.ru(in Russian).Retrieved14 February2016.

External links[edit]

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