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8th Army (Soviet Union)

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8th Army
Active1939(1939)–1945
CountrySoviet Union
BranchRed Army
Size100,000+ (organized intocorps)
Part ofLeningrad Front
EngagementsWinter War,
Operation Barbarossa,
Baltic Operation,
Leningrad Strategic Defensive
Siege of Leningrad,
Battle of Narva

The8th Armywas afield armyof the SovietRed Armyduring theSecond World War.

Winter War[edit]

See also:Winter War,Battle of Tolvajärvi,andBattle of Kollaa

The 8th Army was formed in October 1939 (or 14 September 1939[1]) from the Novgorod Army Operational Group of theLeningrad Military Districtwith the task of providing security of the Northwestern borders of theUSSR.(The Novgorod Group had been created a month before, on 13 August 1939 by the order No. 0129 of the Chairman of thePeople's Commissariat for Defence,Marshal of the Soviet UnionK.E. Voroshilov.The Group was created for operations inEstoniaandLatvia.)

On 30 November 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in theWinter War.The strength of the 8th Army, or overall the Red Army, in the north ofLake Ladoga(Ladoga Karelia), surprised the Finnish general staff. The Finns deployed only two divisions, and they had a support group of threebrigades,bringing their total strength to over 30,000 uniforms.[2]The Soviets had adivisionfor almost all roads leading west to the Finnish border. The Eighth Army was led byIvan Khabarov,but on 13 December he was replaced byGrigori Shtern.The Vice Commander of the Southern Group wasVladimir Kurdyumovfrom December 1939, who later was appointed the Vice Commander of the 15th Army.[3]

The mission was to destroy the Finnish troops in the area of Ladoga Karelia and advance to the area betweenSortavalaandJoensuuwithin ten days. The Soviets had the advantage of a three-to-one ratio in men, five-to-one in artillery and alsoair supremacy.[2]

The Finnish troops conducted a pre-planned retreat before the overwhelming opposition. On 7 December, in middle of the Ladoga Karelian front, the Finns retreated near the small stream ofKollaa.The waterway itself did not offer any protection, but alongside there wereridgesup to ten meters. Thebattle of Kollaalasted until the end of war. Up to north the Finns retreated fromÄgläjärvitoTolvajärvion 5 December, and defeated Soviet attacks by the139th Rifle Divisionand 75th Rifle Division in thebattle of Tolvajärvion 12 December.[2]

In the south, two Soviet divisions were united on the northern side of the coastal road of Lake Ladoga. As before, these divisions were in a trap as the Finns could make counterattacks from a north to columns flank. The Finns made counterattacks in all fronts but were not successful – however the Red Army was now facing a position of defence rather than attack. On 19 December the Finns temporarily ceased their assaults as the soldiers were exhausted. It was not until the period 6 to 16 January 1940 that the Finns made another major offensive, and cut the Soviet division into a smaller group of different sizedmottis.[2]

Contrary to Finnish expectation, the encircled Soviets divisions did not try to break through to the east but instead they stayed put and entrenched themselves. The Soviets were expecting auxiliary troops and service shipments support to arrive by the air. However, the Finns repelled all efforts of the Soviet Eighth Army to resupply the encircled troops, and they did not get enough supplies from the air. As the Finns lacked the necessary heavy artillery equipment and were short of men, they did not directly attack the mottis they had created, but instead focussed on eliminating the most dangerous threats only and bide their time.[2]

Eastern Front[edit]

Fortified Regions,(1939–41) of theMolotov Line,1. Telšiai, 2. Šiauliai, 3. Kaunas, 4. Alytus, 5. Grodno, 6. Osowiec, 7. Zambrów, 8. Brest, 9. Kovel, 10. Volodymyr-Volyns'kyi, 11. Kamyanka-Buzka, 12. Rawa Ruska, 13. Przemyśl.

In 1940 the Army became a part of theBaltic Special Military District.

From the morning of 22 June 1941 as part of theNorthwestern Frontthe army (10th Rifle Corpswith10th,48th,and90th Rifle Divisionsand11th Rifle Corpswith11th Rifle Divisionand125th Rifle Division,12th Mechanised Corps,47th, 51st, and 74th Corps Artillery Regiments, and 9th Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade and a number of other units)[4]joined the heavy fighting with superior forces of the GermanWehrmachton theŠiauliaiaxis.

On 23–25 June its 12th Mechanised Corps with the part of the3rd Mechanised Corpsof the11th Armysouthwest of Shyaulyaya executed a counterblow on the forces of the enemy'sPanzer Group 4,as a result of which their advance was delayed by several days. After 30 June the22nd Motor Rifle Division NKVDstarted operating as part of10th Rifle Corps.(Glantz, SC, 175)

During July–August the troops of the 8th Army conducted persistent defensive actions in the territory of Estonia. On 14 July, the army was transferred to theNorthern Front,and on 27 August of theLeningrad Front.In the beginning of September 1941 the army's troops fought on the neighboring approaches to Leningrad, retaining contact with the forces of the Red BannerBaltic Fleeton theOranienbaum bridgeheadwhich played an important role in theSiege of Leningrad.At the beginning of November, the Army headquarters and some formations and units of the 8th Army were relocated into the eastern sector of the defence of the Leningrad Front and to the bridgehead on theNeva RiverinMoskovskaya Dubrovka(Nevsky Pyatachok). During November- December, they conducted persistent offensive combat for achieving Leningrad blockade break-through.

At the end of January 1942 the administration of the army, crossed onLake Ladogaice to theVolkhovdirection, combined formations and units for the Sinyavino operations group of54th Army,which occupied defenses from the south coast of Ladoga lake to theKirovrailroad. On 9 June, the army was subordinated to theVolkhov Front.In August- September, it acted as a part of the Front's assault group for theSinyavino Offensive (1942).

During January 1943, the 8th Army participated in the Leningrad blockade break-through, covering the southern flank of the Front's assault group. During July–August it conducted furious fighting in the1st Mga Offensive.

During January 1944, the army headquarters and its support units were moved betweenNovgorodandLake Peipus.119th Rifle Corps with286thand374th Rifle Divisionswas established within the Army in November 1943.[5]

After accepting new formations, the Army participated in the Novgorod-Luga Offensive Operation. After regrouping as part of the Leningrad Front (from 16 February), the Army made several attempts to encircle the German Army Group Narwa in thebattle for Narva Bridgehead.After the failure to do so, the army took up defensive positions in late March to July. The Army participated in theNarva Offensive (July 1944)and theBattle of Tannenberg Line,25 July to 10 August 1944. During September in cooperation with the2nd Shock Armyand theBaltic Fleet,the army conducted theTallinn Offensive,as a result of which, mainland Estonia and the capitalTallinnwere captured.

In October–November the army together with theBaltic Fleetconducted theMoonsund Landing Operationto capture theWest Estonian archipelago(Moonsund archipelago).

From December 1944, the Army carried out coastal defence tasks in Estonia to the end of the war.

In September 1945, the Army was disbanded by being redesignated HQ WesternSiberian Military DistrictinNovosibirsk.

Commanding officers[edit]

Members of the military council:

  • divisional commissar Shabalov S.I. (June July 1941.);
  • divisional commissar Chukhnov I.F. (July- September 1941);
  • the brigade commissar Okorokov A.D. (September 1941. - April 1942.);
  • brigade commissar, December 1942. divisional commissar Sosnovikov V.V. (May- December 1942);
  • Major General Zubov V.A. (December 1942. - to the end of the war).

Chiefs of staff:

  • Major General Larionov G.A. (1940 - August 1941.);
  • Colonel Smirnov V.I. (August- September 1941);
  • Major General Kokorev P.I. (September 1941. - December 1942.);
  • Colonel, June 1944. Major General Golovchiner B.M. (December 1942 - to the end of the war).

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^Meltukhov M.I., Stalin's missed chance: Soviet Union and the struggle for Europe 1939-1941 (documents, facts, judgments), Moscow, Veche, 2000 (Russian: Мельтюхов М.И. Упущенный шанс Сталина. Советский Союз и борьба за Европу: 1939–1941 (Документы, факты, суждения). — М.: Вече, 2000.)
  2. ^abcdeJuutilainen, Antti (1999). "Laatokan karjalan taistelut". In Leskinen, Jari; Juutilainen, Antti (eds.).Talvisodan pikkujättiläinen(in Finnish) (1st ed.). Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö. pp. 501–529.ISBN951-0-23536-9.
  3. ^Kilin and Raunio 2007,p. 113
  4. ^Leo Niehorster,8th Army, BSMD,retrieved January 2013.
  5. ^"Боевой состав Советской Армии на 1 января 1944 г."teatrskazka.Retrieved7 May2023.

Bibliography[edit]

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