Country USSR Type Field Army | Size Army | |
Active 16 July - 12 October 194110 March 1942 - August 19451969 - 4 June 1991 Engagements World War IIBattle of MoscowSvir–Petrozavodsk Offensive | ||
The 32nd Army was a formation of the Soviet Army during World War II. The army was formed twice during the war, disbanded as part of the post-war demobilization and then reformed in 1969 to protect the Soviet-Chinese border.
Contents
First Formation
The army was formed on 16 July 1941 in the Moscow Military District near the cities of Naro-Fominsk, Kubinka, and the settlement of Dorokhovo. The army was formed with four divisions of Moscow Militia. The assigned units included the 2nd, 7th, 8th, 13th Moscow Militia divisions. In addition, on 20 July 1941, 18th Moscow People's Militia Divisions was assigned to the Army at positions west of Moscow. The 18th had a strength of 10,000.
On 18 July the army was incorporated into the Moscow line of defense and took up defensive positions in the vicinity of Karacharovo. On 30 July the army was assigned to the Reserve Front. On 1 October, the army included the 2nd Rifle Division, 8th Rifle Division, 29th Rifle Division and the 140th Rifle Division. It also included the 685th Corps Artillery Regiment, 533rd Antitank Artillery Regiment, 877th Antitank Artillery Regiment, 200th Naval Artillery Battalion and the 36th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion.
On 3 October the army was heavily engaged in a defensive battle against German forces advancing on Vyazma as part of the northern wing of Operation Typhoon. On 5 October the army was reassigned to the Western Front and two days later along with the 16th, 19th, 20th and 24th Armies were encircled by the German 4th and 9th Armies and 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups. The 32nd Army was disbanded on 12 October 1941. Small elements of the army were able to break out of the encirclement and were assigned to the 16th and 19th Armies.
Second Formation
STAVKA ordered the army reformed on 2 March 1942. The reformation was completed on 10 March 1942. The army was formed from the Medvezhegorshaya and Maselskaya Operational Groups of the Karelian Front. On 1 April 1942 the army was composed of:
37th Rifle Division71st Rifle Division186th Rifle Division263rd Rifle Division289th Rifle Division313th Rifle Division61st Naval Rifle Brigade65th Naval Rifle Brigade66th Naval Rifle Brigade1st Ski Brigade2nd Ski Brigade196th Ski Battalion197th Ski Battalion198th Ski Battalion17th Mortar Battalion208th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion6th Aerosleigh Battalion9th Aerosleigh Battalion36th Aerosleigh Battalion227th Separate Tank Company261st Engineer Battalion1211th Sapper Battalion1212th Sapper BattalionUntil the end of May 1944 the 32nd Army defended the frontier in the Medvezhyegorsky District and from 21 July to 9 August the army participated in the Svir-Petrozavodsk Offensive, when part of the army reached the Finish border in the vicinity of Longonvara. When Finland was knocked out of the war on 19 September 1944 the army was relegated to guarding the Finnish border. During the offensive the army consisted of:
289th Rifle Division313th Rifle Division376th Rifle Division65th Naval Rifle Brigade80th Naval Rifle Brigade33rd Ski Brigade1237th Gun Artillery Regiment173rd Mortar Regiment280th Mortar Regiment298th Mortar Regiment63rd Guards Mortar Regiment (minus 297th Battalion)275th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment208th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion446th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion376th Tank Battalion (minus Tank Company KV)21st Aerosleigh Battalion22nd Aerosleigh Battalion26th Aerosleigh Battalion261st Engineer BattalionComposition on 1 November 1944:
135th Rifle Corps621st Mortar Regiment63rd Guards Mortar Regiment275th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment32nd Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion446th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion29th Tank Brigade90th Separate Tank Regiment261st Engineer Battalion6th Flamethrower Battalion194th Flamethrower Company196th Flamethrower CompanyOn 15 November 1944 the 32nd Army was put into the Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Stavka Reserve) and on 21 April 1945 was directly subordinated to the Stavka.
On 1 May 1945 the Army was composed of:
203rd Gun Artillery Brigade621st Mortar Regiment275th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment194th Flamethrower Company196th Flamethrower CompanyThe army was disbanded in August 1945.
Third Formation
This army was reformed using the command staff of the 1st Army Corps in 1969 when the Central Asian Military District was reestablished to protect the Soviet-Chinese border.
Composition:
71st Motor Rifle Division - The 71st Motor Rifle Division was formed in 1984 at Semipalatinsk. The 71st Motor Rifle Division became the 5202nd Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment (VKhVT) (Semipalatinsk) in 1989. The 5202nd Base for Storage of Weapons and Equipment became part of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991-92.155th Motor Rifle Division (Ust-Kamengorsk)203rd Motor Rifle Division (Karaganda)78th Tank Division (Ayaguz)In March 1988 32nd Army became 1st Army Corps, and then in 1991 (June 1991) 40th Army was reformed at Semipalatinsk.
The army was redesignated on 4 June 1991 as the 40th Army.