Transcaucasus Front
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2013) |
| Transcaucasus Front | |
|---|---|
| Active | 23 August – 30 December 1941 15 May 1942 – 25 August 1945 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch |  Red Army |
| Type | Front |
| Size | Severalarmies |
| Engagements | World War II Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran Battle of the Caucasus |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Dmitry Kozlov Ivan Tyulenev |
TheTranscaucasus Front(Russian:Закавказский Фронт), also translated asTranscaucasian Front,was afrontof theSoviet Red Army—a military formation comparable to anarmy group,not ageographic military front—during theSecond World War.
The Transcaucasus Front describes two distinct organizations during the war.
First creation
[edit]The first version was created on 23 August 1941 from theTranscaucasus Military District,which was originally formed in 1922. The boundary of the Front extended along the Soviet border with Turkey and along theBlack Seacoast fromBatumitoTuapse.
It was commanded by Lieutenant-GeneralDmitry Kozlovfrom August 1941 to December 1941.
On 22 June 1941, when the German invasion started, the Transcaucasus Military District included the3rd,24th,and40th Rifle Corps,the28th Mechanised Corps,two cavalry divisions (the 17th Mountain and the24th) and three separate rifle divisions (the63rd,76th,and77th).[1]Also part of the District were three fortified regions and District troops, which included artillery and NKVD frontier units.
The initial Front organization incorporated the fourSoviet armiesstationed in the district in June 1941:
On 25 August 1941 troops from the Frontentered Iranaccording to theSoviet-Iran Treaty of Friendshipof 21 February 1921, which eliminated the direct threat to theBakuoil fields.
Order of Battle, Invasion of Iran, 1941
[edit]Soviet OOB for 25 August 1941:[2]
44th Army(Major GeneralAlexander Khadeyev)
- 20th Mountain Rifle Division
- 77th Mountain Rifle Division
- 17th Cavalry Division
- 24th Tank Regiment
47th Army(Major GeneralVasily Novikov)
- 63rd Mountain Rifle Division
- 76th Mountain Rifle Division
- 236th Rifle Division
- 6th Tank Division
- 54th Tank Division
- 13th Motorcycle Regiment
53rd Army(Major GeneralSergei Trofimenko) (invaded Iran from Turkmenistan,Central Asian Military District,on 27 August)
- 58th Rifle Corps
- 83rd Mountain Rifle Division
- 4th Cavalry Corps
As part of the Central Asian Military District (not the TCF), 53rd Army was described by theCombat composition of the Soviet Armyas including58th Rifle Corps(68th and83rd Mountain Rifle Divisions,389th Rifle Division),4th Cavalry Corps(18th,20th,39th Cavalry Divisions),44th Cavalry Division,and 72nd Independent Mountain Rifle Regiment (огсп) on 1 October 1941.[3]
On 1 November 1941 the front was listed in theCombat composition of the Soviet Armyas including the 44th (five divisions), 45th (four divisions and 55thFortified Region), 46th Army (9, 20th Mountain Rifle Division; 224, 388, 390th Rifle Divisions, 51st Fortified Region), and 47th Armies (five divisions), and forces of frontal subordination including the 61, 151, 223,396th Rifle Divisions,and forces in Iran consisting of the402nd Rifle Division,the1st Mountain Cavalry Division,and the23rd Cavalry Division.[4]
In November 1941, the51st Armyjoined the front after being evacuated from the Crimea.
The Transcaucasus Front was renamed theCaucasian Fronton 30 December 1941.
Second creation
[edit]The second version of this front was again created from the Transcaucasus Military District on 15 May 1942, and continued in existence until its reorganization as the Tbilisi Military District on 25 August 1945 after the end of the war.
It was commanded byGeneral Ivan V. Tyulenev(May 1942 - August 1945), and included the4thand58thArmies at various periods.
References
[edit]- ^Orbat /Niehorster,Administrative Order of Battle, Transcaucasus Military District, 22 June 1941
- ^The Forum of the 1.Jagdmoroner AbteilungArchived2007-10-07 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Боевой состав Советской Армии на 1 октября 1941 г. [Combat composition of the Soviet Army for 1 October 1941]".Retrieved2022-05-28.
- ^"Боевой состав Советской Армии на 1 ноября 1941 г. [Combat composition of the Soviet Army for 1 November 1941]".Retrieved2022-05-28.