35th Combined Arms Army

Last updated

35th Combined Arms Army
35-я общевойсковая армия
Great emblem of the 35th Combined Arms Army.svg
35th Army great emblem (from 2015)
Active
  • July 1941–Late 1945
  • 1969–Present
CountryFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union (1941-1945; 1969-1991)
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia (since 1991)
BranchFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Army (until 1991)
Flag of the Russian ground forces.svg  Russian Ground Forces
Type Combined Arms
Size Army
Part of Eastern Military District
Garrison/HQ Belogorsk, Amur Oblast
Engagements World War II

Russo-Ukrainian War
2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Contents

Commanders
Current
commander
Lieutenant General Aleksandr Semyonovich Sanchik
Notable
commanders
Nikanor Zakhvatayev
Insignia
NATO Map Symbol
35
NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Army.svg
ОА
Military Symbol - Hostile Unit (Monochrome Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Infantry (NATO APP-6).svg

The 35th Combined Arms Red Banner Army is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces. The army was first formed in July 1941 with the Far Eastern Front. After spending most of World War II guarding the border in Primorsky Krai, the army fought in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945, and was disbanded shortly after the end of the war. Reformed at Belogorsk when Sino-Soviet tensions rose in the late 1960s in the Far East, the army became part of the Eastern Military District in 2010.

World War II

The 35th Army was formed from the 18th Rifle Corps in July 1941, part of the Far Eastern Front. It included the 35th, 66th and 78th Rifle Divisions, the 109th Fortified Region and smaller artillery and infantry units. It defended the Soviet border in Primorsky Krai. 18th Rifle Corps commander Major General Vladimir Zaytsev became the army commander. [3] On 1 May 1945 35th Army joined the Maritime Group of Forces. In June, Lieutenant General and Hero of the Soviet Union Nikanor Zakhvatayev became the army commander. [4] Zaytsev was still a major general and became the army's deputy commander. [5] The Maritime Group of Forces was transformed on 5 August 1945 to the 1st Far East Front. It had as part of its structure the 66th, 264th and 363rd Rifle Divisions, the 8th and 109th Fortified Regions, the 125th, 208th, and 209th Tank Brigades, and a number of artillery and other units. [6] With these forces the army participated in the Harbin-Kirin Offensive Operation during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. [7]

During the Harbin-Kirin Offensive, the army was tasked with attacking from positions southwest of Lesozavodsk towards Mishan. The army was to defeat elements of the Kwantung Army on the left bank of the Songacha River and capture the Hutou Fortified Area. Parts of the army were assigned to defend the right bank of the Ussuri and Songacha Rivers, as well as defending railways and roads in the Guberovo and Spassk-Dalny areas. At the beginning of the offensive, the army crossed the Ussuri and Songacha Rivers using transports of the Amur Flotilla and captured Hulin. It captured Mishan on 12 August and by the end of the next day had captured Dunan. The army then captured Kentey-Alin and Boli on 16 August. The army cut off the Kwangtung Army's line of retreat at Mudanjiang. By 19 August, the army was in the Linkou County. The army was then involved in disarming surrendering Japanese soldiers. On 1 October 1945, the army became part of the Primorsky Military District and was disbanded within a month. [8]

Commanders

Cold War 1969 reformation

In June 1969 the 29th Army Corps became the 35th Army. In 1968–69 four divisions were gathered to become part of the corps, later army, in the Far East: 265th Motor Rifle Division arrived in 1968, 266th Motor Rifle Division arrived from the North Caucasus Military District and the 31st Guards Motor Rifle Division from the Baltic Military District in 1969, and the 192nd Motor Rifle Division was activated that same year. [9]

On 16 May 1977, the 31st Guards Motor Rifle Division became the 21st Guards Tank Division. In February 1980, the 67th Motor Rifle Division was transferred to the army from the Leningrad Military District. [9]

In 1988 the 35th Army consisted of the: [10]

Headquarters 35th Red Banner Army (Belogorsk, Amur Oblast):

Russian Federation

The 35th Army is still stationed in the Eastern Military District with its headquarters at Belogorsk.

Until the 2008–2011 reform when it became the 35CAA, it consisted of three divisions: the 21st Guards (Belogorsk) and 270th (Krasnaya Rechka, Khabarovsk) Motor Rifle Divisions, and the 128th Machine-Gun Artillery Division (Babstovo), along with smaller combat and support units.

In 2009, the 128th Machine-Gun Artillery Division became the 69th Separate Fortress Brigade. [11] In 2010, the 270th Motor Rifle Division became the 243rd Weapons and Equipment Storage Base. [12] The 21st Guards Motor Rifle Division appears to have become the 38th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.

In 2016, the army consisted of the following units: [13]

2022 invasion of Ukraine

In the context of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, elements of the 35th Army (including units from the 38th Motor Rifle Brigade, 64th Motor Rifle Brigade, 69th Fortress Brigade, 165th Artillery Brigade and 107th Rocket Brigade) had been deployed to Belarus and were participating in active combat operations. [14]

In June 2022, Russian military bloggers reported that the 35CAA was routed in the battle of Izyum and that the remnants of the army withdrew to Belgorod, [15] claiming that the number of infantry in the brigades of the army had fallen to "12-15 people (64th brigade), the combined number of 38th and 64th motorised brigades – less than 100 of truly combat-ready infantry in each brigade." [16] On 4 June 2022 Ukrainian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces had almost completely annihilated the 35CAA. [17]

In August 2022 the remnants of the 35CAA were reportedly sent to defend the occupied territory of Kherson Oblast on the West Bank of the Dnieper river, alongside the 49th Combined Arms Army. [18]

Commanders

Soviet era

The following officers commanded the 35th Army from 1969 to 1991. [9]

Russian Federation

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th Guards Combined Arms Army</span> Russian Ground Forces formation

The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, within Russia′s Southern Military District, that was reinstated in 2017 as a successor to the 8th Guards Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which was formed during World War II and was disbanded in 1998 after being downsized into a corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leningrad Military District</span> Military unit

The Leningrad Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Caucasus Military District</span> Military unit

The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also included the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Far Eastern Military District</span> Military unit

The Far Eastern Military District was a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Pacific Fleet and part of the Siberian Military District to form the new Eastern Military District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siberian Military District</span> Military unit

The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. The district was originally formed as a military district of the Russian Empire in 1864. In 1924 it was reformed in the Red Army. After the end of World War II the district was split into the Western and Eastern Siberian Military Districts. In 1956 the district was reformed. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Combined Arms Army</span> Soviet and Russian field army

The 6th Army is a field army of the Red Army and the Soviet Army that was active with the Russian Ground Forces until 1998, and has been active since 2010 as the 6th Combined Arms Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">90th Guards Lvov Tank Division (1985–1997)</span> Armored division of the Soviet Army

The 90th Guards Tank Division was a division of the Soviet Army, and then of the Russian Ground Forces.

The 85th Leningrad-Pavlovsk Red Banner Motor Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Red Army converted to a motorised formation in 1957. It was part of the Russian Ground Forces until it was reorganised as the 32nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade in 2009. In 2016, the 32nd Separate Motor Rifle Brigade was reorganised as the 228th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 90th Guards Tank Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Guards Tank Army</span> Russian Ground Forces formation

The 2nd Guards Tank Army was a large military formation of the Red Army and later the Soviet Army, now part of the Russian Ground Forces of the Russian Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">58th Combined Arms Army</span> Russian Ground Forces formation

The 58th Combined Arms Army is an army of the Russian Ground Forces, headquartered at Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia-Alania, within Russia's Southern Military District. It was formed in 1941 as part of the Soviet Union's Red Army and has been part of the Russian Army since 1995.

The 3rd Shock Army was a field army of the Red Army formed during the Second World War. The "Shock" armies were created with the specific structure to engage and destroy significant enemy forces, and were reinforced with more armoured and artillery assets than other combined arms armies. Where necessary the Shock armies were reinforced with mechanised, tank, and cavalry units. During the Second World War, some Shock armies included armoured trains and air–sled equipped units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">38th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade</span> Russian Ground Forces formation

The 38th Separate Guards Vitebskaya order of Lenin Red Banner order of Suvorov Motor Rifle Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Russian Ground Forces, part of the Eastern Military District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">41st Combined Arms Army</span> Military unit

The 41st Combined Arms Army is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces, currently part of the Central Military District. Originally, it was formed in 1942 as part of the Soviet Red Army, during World War II. It was reformed in 1998, when the Transbaikal Military District and Siberian Military District were amalgamated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">22nd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)</span> Ukrainian Ground Forces formation

The 22nd Mechanized Brigade is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. It traces its origins to the 66th Guards Rifle Division, originally a formation of the Red Army and later of the Soviet Ground Forces.

The 127th Red Banner Order of Kutuzov Motor Rifle Division is a division of the Russian Ground Forces. It was reformed from the 59th Separate and 70th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigades in 2018, and was the 127th Machine-Gun Artillery Division from 1990 to 2009. The division traces its history to the 66th Rifle Division of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Military District</span> One of the operational strategic commands of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The Western Military District is a military district of Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Military District</span> Russian military district

The Southern Military District is a military district of Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Military District</span> Military district of Russia

The Eastern Military District is a military district of Russia.

The 207th Rifle Division began its combat path under unusual circumstances. It was partly formed for the first time as a standard Red Army rifle division in the spring of 1941, before the German invasion, but was never completed. A second formation began in April 1942 and was completed on June 1, after which it was sent to the Stalingrad Front. Heavily depleted in counterattacks against the north flank of German Sixth Army, by November the survivors were reassigned and the division disbanded. The 207th was formed for a third time in June 1943, and fought its way through the central part of the Soviet-German front, ending the war in the heart of Berlin in the battle for the Reichstag. The division saw postwar service in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

The 22nd Guards Tank Division was a tank division of the Soviet Army. The division traced its lineage back to the World War II 7th Guards Airborne Division, which became the 115th Guards Rifle Division after the end of the war. In 1957, the 115th became the 22nd Guards Tank Division. The division was based in the small military town of Novoye, which was quickly renamed Cherkaske after the Cherkassy honorific title of the division. From May 1957, it was part of the 6th Guards Tank Army, relocated from the Transbaikal. The division's 223rd Tank Regiment was transferred from the 16th Tank Division of the 6th Guards Tank Army, formerly stationed in Mongolia. The division was maintained as a high strength cadre division, not ready for combat. It was disbanded in 1990 to make room for the 93rd Guards Motor Rifle Division, which had been withdrawn from Hungary.

References

Citations

  1. "На войне в Украине погиб еще один российский генерал". The Moscow Times . 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  2. "Russians Mourn 'Best' General as Ukraine Counteroffensive Gains Ground". 13 June 2023.
  3. "Biography of Lieutenant-General Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zaitsev – (Владимир Александрович Зайцев) (1899–1955), Soviet Union". generals.dk. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  4. "Захватаев Никонор Дмитриевич" [Zakhvatayev Nikanor Dmitryevich]. warheroes.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  5. "ЗАЙЦЕВ Владимир Александрович" [Zaytsev Vladimir Alexandrovich]. myfront.in.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  6. Combat composition of the Soviet Army, 1 May 1945
  7. "35-я армия" [35th Army]. samsv.narod.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  8. "35-я армия" [35th Army]. victory.mil.ru (in Russian). Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  9. 1 2 3 Holm, 35th Combined Arms Army
  10. 1 2 3 Feskov et al 2013, 594, Holm.
  11. Holm, Michael. "272nd Motorised Rifle Division". ww2.dk. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  12. Holm, Michael. "270th Motorised Rifle Division". ww2.dk. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  13. Galeotti 2017, p. 31.
  14. "Rondeli Russian Military Digest: Issue 118, 24 January – 30 January 2022".
  15. "Institute for the Study of War Daily Update, 3 June 2022".
  16. Masinski, Dmitri (3 June 2022). "Russian 35th combined-arms army (Izyum) is destroyed by its own command". WarTranslated – Dmitri Masinski. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  17. "Ukraine forces wipe out almost entire 35th Combined-Arms Russian Army in Izium". Ukrinform . 4 June 2022.
  18. Kuczyński, Grzegorz (31 August 2022). "Ukraine Starts Counteroffensive in Country's South". Warsaw Institute.

Bibliography