24th Army (Soviet Union)

The 24th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, formed in 1941 and active during the Second World War. The army was disbanded and reformed a number of times during the war.

24th Army (1941–1943)
Active	1 July 1941 – 13 April 1943
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Size	Army
Part of	I Formation Siberian Military District Reserve Front Western Front II Formation Moscow Military District Moscow Defense Zone III Formation Southern Front North Caucasus Front Transcaucasian Front IV Formation Stalingrad Front Don Front Steppe Military District
Engagements	Yelnya Offensive Vyazma Defensive Operation Battle of Stalingrad
Commanders
Notable commanders	See List

First Formation

The army headquarters, formed from Headquarters Siberian Military District; under General Staff instructions of 25 June 1941 arrived on 28 June 1941 at Vyazma, accepting on arrival in this area six Siberian rifle divisions of the high command reserve (RVGK). Involved in the Yelnya Offensive, August–September 1941. Headquarters disbanded 10 October 1941, having been destroyed in the Vyazma Pocket.

Composition on 1 September 1941:^[1]

19th Rifle Division 100th Rifle Division 106th Rifle Division 107th Rifle Division 120th Rifle Division 303rd Rifle Division 309th Rifle Division 6th Moscow People's Militia Division 275th Corps Artillery Regiment 488th Corps Artillery Regiment 685th Corps Artillery Regiment 305th Gun Artillery Regiment 573rd Gun Artillery Regiment 105th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK) 544th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK) 533rd Antitank Artillery Regiment 879th Antitank Artillery Regiment 880th Antitank Artillery Regiment 24th Mortar Battalion 102nd Tank Division 105th Tank Division 103rd Motorized Division 37th Engineer Battalion 88th Engineer Battalion 103rd Motorized Engineer Battalion 56th Motorized Pontoon-Bridge Battalion 38th Mixed Aviation Division 10th Fighter Aviation Regiment 163rd Fighter Aviation Regiment 50th Bomber Aviation Regiment 77th Assault Aviation Regiment

Composition on 1 October 1941:[2] 19th Rifle Division 103rd Rifle Division 106th Rifle Division 139th Rifle Division (II) 170th Rifle Division 309th Rifle Division 275th Corps Artillery Regiment 305th Gun Artillery Regiment 573rd Gun Artillery Regiment 103rd Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK) 105th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK) 544th Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK) 879th Antitank Artillery Regiment 880th Antitank Artillery Regiment 42nd Artillery Battalion 24th Mortar Battalion 144th Tank Brigade 146th Tank Brigade 37th Engineer Battalion 88th Engineer Battalion 103rd Motorized Engineer Battalion 56th Motorized Pontoon-Bridge Battalion 38th Mixed Aviation Division 10th Fighter Aviation Regiment 66th Assault Aviation Regiment

Second Formation

Reformed from 9 December 1941 to 4 January 1942 when it was redesignated as 1st Reserve Army (II).^[3][4] The army was assigned the 385th Rifle Division for less than a month. The army remained in the Moscow Defense Zone through April 1942 with no assigned forces.

Third Formation

Reformed again on 20 May 1942, from an Operational Group under the command of Major General Aleksei Grechkin^[5] while assigned to the Southern Front. The army was concentrated in the area of Salsk, Rostov Oblast. The army was then transferred to the North Caucasus Front on 28 July. In early August the units assigned were transferred to the 12th and 37th Armies, and its headquarters relocated to Grozny, Chechen Republic, Soviet Union, where it was assigned to the Transcaucasian Front. The army was disbanded on 23 August and the headquarters personnel were used to form the 58th Army (II) on August 28, 1942;^[6]

Composition on 1 June 1942:^[7]

73rd Rifle Division

140th Rifle Division

228th Rifle Division

255th Rifle Division

1660th Sapper Battalion

1663rd Sapper Battalion

On 1 August only the Sapper Battalions remained assigned to the Army.^[8]

Fourth Formation

Soon afterwards reformed again as part of the Stalingrad front from 9th Reserve Army on 1 September 1942. The army participated in the Battle of Stalingrad as part of both the Stalingrad and Don Fronts. In March–April 1943 relocated to the Voronezh area and was assigned to the Steppe Military District as part of the STAVKA reserves for rebuilding. Was redesignated 4th Guards Army in May 1943.

Composition as of 1 September 1942:[9] 173rd Rifle Division 207th Rifle Division 221st Rifle Division 292nd Rifle Division 308th Rifle Division 1166th Gun Artillery Regiment 383rd Tank Destroyer Regiment 136th Mortar Regiment 247th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment 278th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment 217th Tank Brigade

Composition 1 May 1943:[10] 20th Guards Rifle Corps 5th Guards Airborne Division 7th Guards Airborne Division 8th Guards Airborne Division 21st Guards Rifle Corps 68th Guards Rifle Division 69th Guards Rifle Division 84th Rifle Division 214th Rifle Division 233rd Rifle Division 252nd Rifle Division 452nd Tank Destroyer Regiment 1317th Tank Destroyer Regiment 466th Mortar Regiment 27th Antiaircraft Division 1354th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment 1358th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment 1364th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment 1370th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment 48th Engineer Battalion

Commanders

• Lieutenant General Stepan Kalinin - (26 June – 15 July, 1941)^[11]
• Major General Konstantin Rakutin (NKVD) - (15 July – 7 October, 1941)(KIA)^[12]
• Major General Mikhail Ivanov - (10 December 1941 – 17 March 1942)^[13]
• Major General of Artillery Iakov Broud - (17 March – 1 May, 1942)^[14]
• Lieutenant General Ilia Smirnov - (12 May – 15 July, 1942)^[15]
• Major General Vladimir Marcinkiewicz (ru) - (15 July – 6 August, 1942)^[16]
• Major General Vasily Khomenko (NKVD) - (7–23 August 1942)^[17]
• Major General Dmitry Timofeyevich Kozlov - (August–October 1942)^[18]
• Major General (Lieutenant General January 1943) Ivan Galanin (October 1942 – April 1943)^[19]
• Lieutenant General Alexander Gorbatov - (April 1943)^[20]
• Major General German Tarasov^[21]
• Lieutenant General Grigory Kulik (April 1943)^[22]

See also

• List of Soviet armies