Far Eastern Front
TheFar Eastern Front(Russian:Дальневосточный фронт) was afront— a level ofmilitary formationthat is equivalent toarmy group— of theRed Armyduring theSecond World War.[1]
Early war service
[edit]Тhe Far Eastern Front was created on June 28, 1938 from theSpecial Red Banner Far Eastern Armywithin theFar East Military District.It included the1st Red Banner Armyand the2nd Red Banner Army.In 1938 Front forces — seemingly theSoviet 32nd Rifle Divisionof 39th Rifle Corps — engaged JapaneseManchukuoforces at theBattle of Lake Khasan.On the eve of the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany, the Front comprised:[2]
- 1st Red Banner Army[citation needed]
- 26th Rifle Corps
- 59th Rifle Corps
- 1st, 4th, 5th Rifle Brigades
- 8th Cavalry Division
- Onefortified region,artillery, engineers
- 2nd Red Banner Army
- 3rd Rifle Division
- 12th Amurskaya Rifle Division
- 59th Tank Division
- 69th Mechanized Division
- One fortified region, artillery, engineers
- 15th Army[citation needed]
- 18th Rifle Corps
- One fortified region, artillery, engineers
- 25th Army
- 39th Rifle Corps
- Five fortified regions, artillery, and engineers
- Special Rifle Corps[citation needed]
- 35th Rifle Division[citation needed]
- 66th Rifle Division[citation needed]
- 78th Rifle Division[citation needed]
- Three fortified regions, artillery, engineers[citation needed]
On August 5, 1945, the Front was divided and reorganized as the 1st Far Eastern Front and 2nd Far Eastern Front:
2nd Far Eastern Front,under GeneralM. A. Purkayev(aimed at easternManchukuo), including:
1st Far Eastern Front,under MarshalK. A. Meretskov(aimed at northern Manchukuo), including:
- 1st Red Banner Army.
- 5th Army.
- 25th Army.
- 35th Army
- 9th Air Army
- Chuguevsk Operational Group.
- Amur River Flotilla.
Transbaikal Frontincluded the12th Air Army.
In theSoviet invasion of Manchuriait led the attack into Japanese-occupiedManchuria.[3]Although theKwantung Armyof theImperial Japanese Armyhad more than 1 million soldiers, theJapanesedefenders were overwhelmed by the offensive. Allied forces ofMongoliaandChiang Kai-shek'sNationalist Chinaaided theSovietoperation. On August 19, the Far East Front continued its routing of the Kwantung Army by capturingHarbinandMukden.By August 21, theRed Armyhad captured almost all ofManchuria,and the final surrender of the Kwantung Army took place.[4]
On August 11 to 12, 1945, the87th Rifle Corpswas brought out from the reserve of the 1st Far Eastern Front, and received new orders to prepare for landing operations on the island of Hokkaido (Japan); however, the planned operation never took place, although elements of the 87th Corps participated in other operations against Japanese forces in the theatre.[citation needed]
On September 30, 1945, thePrimorskiy(Maritime Provinces) Military District was formed on the territory ofPrimorsky Krai(territory of the former Ussuri Oblast), from HQ1st Far East Front.[5][6]
Commanders
[edit]- Marshal of the Soviet UnionVasily K. Blukher(1 July – 4 September, 1938)
- KomkorGrigori M. Shtern(August 1938; July 1940 – January 1941)
- Colonel GeneralIosif R. Apanasenko[promoted to Army General in February 1941] (January 1941 – April 1943)
- Colonel GeneralMaxim A. Purkaev[promoted to Army General in October 1944] (April 1943 – August 1945)
Notes
[edit]- ^Keith E. Bonn, Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005;David Glantz,Stumbling Colossus. "
- ^Orbat /Niehorster,Order of Battle, 22 June 1941
- ^"Soviets declare war on Japan; invade Manchuria".
- ^"Far Eastern Military District".
- ^Stavka Directive № 11128 of September 10, 1945, andhttp:// ww2.dk/new/army/gkv/primvo.htm
- ^"Operation Downfall 4: Allied plans for Olympic and Coronet".
External links
[edit]- David Glantz,Stumbling Colossus,University Press of Kansas, 1998 (for 1941 order of battle)