Soviet order of battle for invasion of Poland in 1939

The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for the Soviet surprise attack on Poland on September 17, 1939. As a result of joining battle after the Germans had already launched their invasion, the Soviets, prepared for battle in secrecy, met comparatively limited resistance. Several skirmishes between the German and Soviet forces did occur, but neither government was prepared for starting a larger conflict, and these were soon referred to as "misunderstandings".^[1]

Map of central Poland with the Siege of Warsaw (upper middle). Situation after September 14, 1939 - the map also gives information on placement and movement of some Soviet troops

Before the invasion there were created two "fronts" as a form of the Army Group based on Byelorussian Special Military District (BOVO) into the Byelorussian Front and Kiev Special Military District (KOVO) into the Ukrainian Front.

Like the Germans, the Soviets employed two primary offensive axes, each managed by a Front. Each Front commander had at his disposal a mobile group of forces created from cavalry and mechanised troops; a precursor of the cavalry-mechanised groups of the Second World War.

The effects of the purge are visible in the ranks of the commanders in the order of battle, with only one Army commander serving in the appropriate rank of Komandarm, in this case 2nd Class (Komandarm 2nd rank, Russian: командарм 2 ранга), the rest serving in being Corps (Komcor) and Divisional (Komdiv) Commander rank (Russian: комкор, комдив)

Belorussian Front

Covered north-eastern sector of Polish front from Byelorussian Special Military District
Komandarm 2nd rank Mikhail Kovalyov
Chief of Staff Komkor Maksim Purkayev

Polotsk Army Group[a] Komkor Vasily Kuznetsov 4th Rifle Corps 27th Rifle Division 50th Rifle Division Lepelska Group[b] 5th Rifle Division 24th Cavalry Division 22nd Tank Brigade 25th Tank Brigade Minsk Army Group Komdiv Nikifor Medvedev [ru] 16th Rifle Corps 2nd Rifle Division 100th Rifle Division 3rd Cavalry Corps 7th Cavalry Division 36th Cavalry Division 6th Tank Brigade BSSR Border Troops Kombrig Ivan Bogdanov

Dzerzhinsk Cavalry-mechanised Group Komkor Ivan Boldin[2] 5th Rifle Corps[1] 4th Rifle Division 13th Rifle Division 6th Cavalry Corps 4th Cavalry Division 6th Cavalry Division 11th Cavalry Division 15th Tank Corps 2nd Tank Brigade 21st Tank Brigade 27th Tank Brigade 20th Motorised Rifle Brigade

Tenth Army[c] Komkor Ivan Zakharkin 11th Rifle Corps 6th Rifle Division 33rd Rifle Division 121st Rifle Division Slutsk Army Group Komdiv Vasily Chuikov 8th Rifle Division 29th Tank Brigade 32nd Tank Brigade 23rd Rifle Corps 52nd Rifle Division Dnieper Flotilla

Ukrainian Front

Covered southern sector of Polish front from Kiev Special Military District
Komandarm 1st rank Semyon Timoshenko
Chief of Staff Kombrig Nikolai Vatutin

Shepetovka Army Group Komdiv Ivan Sovetnikov 15th Rifle Corps 45th Rifle Division 60th Rifle Division 87th Rifle Division 8th Rifle Corps 44th Rifle Division 81st Rifle Division 36th Light-Tank Brigade[d] UkrSSR Border Troops Komdiv Vasiliy Osokin [ru]

Volochysk Army Group Komkor Filipp Golikov 2nd Cavalry Corps 3rd Cavalry Division 5th Cavalry Division 14th Cavalry Division 24th Light Tank Brigade[e] 17th Rifle Corps 96th Rifle Division 97th Rifle Division 10th Heavy-Tank Brigade[f] 38th Light-Tank Brigade[g]

Kamienets-Podolsky Army Group Komandarm Ivan Tyulenev 13th Rifle Corps 72nd Rifle Division 99th Rifle Division Front Cavalry Group[h] 4th Cavalry Corps 32nd Cavalry Division 34th Cavalry Division 26th Independent Light-Tank Brigade[i] 5th Cavalry Corps 9th Cavalry Division 16th Cavalry Division 23rd Independent Light-Tank Brigade[j] 25th Tank Corps[k] 4th Light-Tank Brigade 5th Light-Tank Brigade[l] 1st Motor Rifle Brigade

See also

War and campaign articles

World War II

Invasion of Poland

Other forces in the Polish Campaign

German order of battle for Operation Fall Weiss

Polish army order of battle in 1939

Notes

1. According to narod.ru, the 3rd Army also included the 150th Rifle Division (in Odessa Military District as third echelon)
2. Staging area in and around the city of Lepiel
3. Transferred from the Kalinin Military District
4. BT tanks
5. 237 BT tanks
6. 58 T-28 and 20 BT-7 tanks
7. 142 T-26 tanks
8. From 28 September; initially part of Twelfth Army
9. T-26 tanks
10. BT tanks
11. Subordinated to Twelfth Army
12. BT and T-38 tanks