39th Guards Airborne Corps

Last updated
39th Guards Airborne Corps
39th Guards Rifle Corps
Active 1944–1955
CountryFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
Branch Red Army
Type airborne, infantry
Size corps
Engagements

World War II

Battle honours

Vienna

Order of the red Banner OBVERSE.jpg Order of the Red Banner
Commanders
Notable
commanders

Mikhail Tikhonov

Alexander Kazankin

The 39th Guards Airborne Corps was a Red Army airborne corps. First formed in August 1944, it was converted to infantry in January 1945 and fought during World War II in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive. [1] [2] Postwar, it was converted back into an airborne unit and served in Ukraine before its disbandment in 1955.

Red Army 1917–1946 ground and air warfare branch of the Soviet Unions military

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, frequently shortened to Red Army was the army and the air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and, after 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The army was established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution. The Bolsheviks raised an army to oppose the military confederations of their adversaries during the Russian Civil War. Beginning in February 1946, the Red Army, along with the Soviet Navy, embodied the main component of the Soviet Armed Forces; taking the official name of "Soviet Army", until its dissolution in December 1991.

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Vienna Offensive conflict

The Vienna Offensive was launched by the Soviet 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in order to capture Vienna, Austria, during World War II. The offensive lasted from 2 April to 13 April 1945.

Contents

History

The 39th Airborne Corps was formed on 9 August 1944 under the command of Mikhail Tikhonov in Kalinin City. [2] It was converted to infantry on 5 January 1945 [1] and became part of the 9th Guards Army. The corps fought in the Vienna Offensive, where it participated in the capture of Vienna. For his leadership, Tikhonov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. [2] The corps was also given the honorary title "Vienna". [1]

Mikhail Tikhonov Red Army lieutenant general

Mikhail Fyodorovich Tikhonov was a Red Army lieutenant general and Hero of the Soviet Union. Tikhonov fought in the Russian Civil War and the Winter War. He commanded the 39th Guards Rifle Corps during its capture of Vienna during the Vienna Offensive. After the end of World War II, Tikhonov continued his career in the Soviet Armed Forces and was the chief Soviet advisor to the Hungarian People's Army during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

The 9th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II, which fought in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive at the end of the war. The army was formed in January 1945 and included airborne divisions converted into infantry. Postwar, the army headquarters became Soviet airborne headquarters.

Hero of the Soviet Union Highest award of the USSR awarded to Soviet citizens and foreigners for heroic acts

The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.

In July 1945, the corps was transferred to Bila Tserkva. On 10 June 1946, it became airborne again. Its headquarters moved to Kryvyi Rih on 11 May 1947. The 31st Guards Airborne Division was activated on 1 October 1948 from the 356th Guards Airborne Regiment to form a third division in the corps. The corps was disbanded on 12 January 1955. [1]

Bila Tserkva Place in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine

Bila Tserkva is a city in central Ukraine, the largest city in Kiev Oblast. Bila Tserkva is located on the Ros River approximately 80 km (50 mi) south of Kiev. The area is 34 km2 (13 sq mi). Its population is approximately 207,745 (2017 est.).

Kryvyi Rih City of regional significance in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine

Kryvyi Rih or Krivoy Rog is a city in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine; it is the 8th-most populous city in the country. It lies within a large urban area, administratively incorporated with Kryvyi Rih Municipality as a city of regional significance. It also serves as the administrative center of the district, although it is not part of it. The city extends for 126 km from north to south.

The 31st Guards Airborne Division was an airborne division of the Soviet airborne from 1948 to 1959. Originally part of the 39th Guards Airborne Corps, it was directly subordinated to Soviet airborne headquarters after the corps was disbanded in 1955. The division's only combat occurred in Operation Whirlwind, the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

Commanders

The corps was commanding by the following officers. [1]

Alexander Kazankin

Alexander Fyodorovich Kazankin was a Red Army Lieutenant general who commanded the Soviet airborne. He fought in the Russian Civil War and graduated from the Frunze Military Academy in 1934. Kazankin led the 4th Airborne Corps during the Vyazma airborne operation. He later commanded the 1st Guards Airborne Division, 16th Guards Airborne Division, 12th Guards Rifle Corps and 39th Guards Rifle Corps. Kazankin became the Soviet airborne commander in October 1947, but was demoted to deputy commander in December 1948. After briefly becoming airborne forces commander again between January and March 1950, Kazankin successively became inspector general of the airborne forces and then deputy airborne forces inspector general before his death on 20 March 1955.

Ivan Bezugly Soviet general

Ivan Semyonovich Bezugly was a Soviet Red Army officer who served as commander of the Red Army's 5th Airborne Corps in 1941, the first airborne corps of the Red Army to fight in World War II after the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. Suffering heavy casualties just south of Daugavpils in combat against the advancing Panzer units of Army Group North in the summer of 1941, the unit made its way to the Moscow Military District on 15 August.

Vasily Mitrofanovich Shatilov was a Soviet general who commanded the 150th Rifle Division during the Battle of Berlin.

Composition

The corps was composed of the following units in January 1945. [3]

The corps was composed of the following units in 1947. [1]

Related Research Articles

The 100th Guards Rifle Division was an elite Red Army airborne infantry division during World War II. The division fought in the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive and the Vienna Offensive. Postwar, it was designated as an airborne division and disbanded in 1955.

A rifle corps was a Soviet corps-level military formation during the mid-twentieth century. Rifle corps were made up of a varying number of rifle divisions, although the allocation of three rifle divisions to a rifle corps was common during the latter part of World War II.

5th Guards Tank Army 1943-1991 unit of the Red and Soviet Armies

The 5th Guards Tank Army was a Soviet Guards armored formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II. The army was formed in February 1943. Until the aftermath of the Vilnius Offensive in July 1944, it was commanded by Pavel Rotmistrov.

4th Guards Army

The 4th Guards Army was an elite Guards field army of the Soviet Union during World War II and the early postwar era.

The 75th Guards Rifle Division was a Red Army infantry division during World War II and afterwards, which later became the 75th Guards Tank Division and was finally disbanded in the 1990s.

103rd Guards Airborne Division Soviet airborne division

The 103rd Guards Airborne Division was a division of the Soviet Airborne Troops. It was established in 1946 and disbanded in 1993, a year after its transfer to the Armed Forces of Belarus. Its lineage is continued by a currently active brigade of the Belarusian Special Forces, the 103rd Guards Airborne Brigade.

The Soviet Airborne Troops formed a number of Airborne Corps before and during the Great Patriotic War/Second World War.

The 6th Guards Airborne Division was a Red Army airborne division that fought as infantry during World War II.

99th Guards Rifle Division

The 99th Guards Rifle Division was a Red Army division of World War II. It was formed from the 14th Guards Airborne Division in January 1944. It fought in the Svir-Petrozavodsk Offensive between June and August 1944. It became the 99th Guards Airborne Division in August but was converted into infantry again in December 1944 and January 1945. The division fought in the Budapest Offensive and in the defense against Operation Spring Awakening. At the end of the war it participated in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive. In August 1945 it transferred to the Far East and was converted into an airborne division in 1946. The division served in the Far East for the next decade and was disbanded in 1956.

The 8th Guards Airborne Division was an airborne division of the Red Army during World War II. On 27 December 1944, it was renamed the 107th Guards Rifle Division. It became the 107th Guards Airborne Division on 7 June 1946, before being disbanded in 1959.

The 104th Guards Airborne Division was an airborne division of the Red Army during the Cold War. It was originally formed as the 11th Guards Airborne Division. In January 1944, the 11th Guards Airborne Division became the 104th Guards Rifle Division. On 7 June 1946, the division was renamed the 104th Guards Airborne Division. It was finally disbanded in May 1998.

The 105th Guards Airborne Division was an airborne division of the Soviet Airborne Troops.

The 114th Guards Airborne Division was a Red Army airborne division. It was first formed as the 14th Guards Airborne Division. In December 1944, it was converted to the 114th Guards Rifle Division and became an airborne unit again in June 1946.

The 37th Guards Airborne Corps was a Red Army airborne corps. The corps was established as the 37th Guards Rifle Corps on 19 January 1944. In August, it was converted into an airborne corps. On 18 December, it became an infantry corps again. The corps was converted to an airborne corps on 10 June 1946 and disbanded in June 1956.

Pavel Mironov

Pavel Vasilyevich Mironov was a Red Army lieutenant general and Hero of the Soviet Union. Mironov led the 37th Guards Rifle Corps during World War II.

The 38th Guards Airborne Corps was an airborne corps of the Soviet airborne. It was activated during World War II in August 1944 and became a rifle corps in December of that year. The corps fought in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive during the spring of 1945. After the end of the war, it was converted back into an airborne corps. The corps served at Tula until its 1955 disbandment when the Soviet airborne was reorganized.

The 12th Guards Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army. Formed in 1942, the corps fought in the Vistula–Oder Offensive, East Pomeranian Offensive and Berlin Offensive. The corps was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its actions during the storming of Berlin. It was disbanded in Germany in June 1946.

The 1st Guards Tank Division was a tank division of the Soviet Army from 1945 to 1947, stationed in Neuruppin. It was formed in the spring of 1942 as the 26th Tank Corps. The corps fought in Operation Uranus and became the 1st Guards Tank Corps, being redesignated as a reward for its actions in December 1942. It fought in Operation Gallop, the Third Battle of Kharkov, Operation Kutuzov, Operation Bagration, the East Prussian Offensive, the East Pomeranian Offensive and the Berlin Offensive. During the East Prussian Offensive, the division captured Mława, Działdowo and Płońsk and was awarded the Order of Lenin for its actions. The division had been awarded the honorific "Don" for its actions in Operation Gallop. It also was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of Suvorov 2nd class.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Holm, Michael. "39th Guards Airborne Corps". www.ww2.dk. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
  2. 1 2 3 Bocharov, Anton. "Тихонов Михаил Фёдорович" [Mikhail Tikhonov]. www.warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-11-21.
  3. ↑ "107-я гвардейская стрелковая дивизия - страница клуба "Память" Воронежского госуниверситета" [107th Guards Rifle Division - Club page]. samsv.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-11-22.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.