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A front (front) was a major military organization
Military organization

File:USN-JASDF ship and aircraft formations during ANNUALEX 2008 081119-N-7047S-140.jpgA military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a state as a need to offer military capability required by the national defence policy....
 in the Soviet Army during the Second World War, roughly equivalent to an army group
Army group

An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area....
 in the militaries of most other countries except Germany. It should not to be confused with the more general usage of military front, describing a geographic area in wartime.

An interesting and important distinction between Army groups and Fronts is that a Soviet front typically had its own army-sized tactical fixed-wing air organization.






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A front (front) was a major military organization
Military organization

File:USN-JASDF ship and aircraft formations during ANNUALEX 2008 081119-N-7047S-140.jpgA military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a state as a need to offer military capability required by the national defence policy....
 in the Soviet Army during the Second World War, roughly equivalent to an army group
Army group

An army group is a military organization consisting of several field army, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area....
 in the militaries of most other countries except Germany. It should not to be confused with the more general usage of military front, describing a geographic area in wartime.

An interesting and important distinction between Army groups and Fronts is that a Soviet front typically had its own army-sized tactical fixed-wing air organization. This Air Army
Air Army

An air army was a type of large military formation, comprising several corps or divisions, in the forces of the Soviet Union and the Japanese Empire before, during and after the Second World War....
 is directly subordinated to the front commander (typically a ground commander). The entire front might report either to the Stavka
Stavka

Stavka was the term used to refer to commander-in-chief of armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus', more formally during the history of Military history of Imperial Russia as Staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Military history of the Soviet Union....
 or to a theatre of military operations
Theatre of Military Operations

A theatre of military operations is a large geographic subdivision used by the Soviet Armed Forces and Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to classify the continental geographic territories with their bordering maritime areas, islands, adjacent coasts and airspace....
 (TVD).

The Soviet fronts were first raised during the Russian Civil War and were activated for the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War

The Polish-Soviet War was an armed conflict of Russian SFSR and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic against the Second Polish Republic and the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic, four states in post-World War I Europe....
 of 1920, the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939, the Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)

The Invasion of Poland in 1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak invasion of Poland contingent....
 in 1939, and during the Second World War.

During the Second World War and the Cold War
Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed between a number of world powers, including the United States, the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, France, United Kingdom and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s....
, fronts and their staffs were integrated with various military district
Military district

Military districts are formation s of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle....
s, or became groups of Soviet forces in the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact

The Warsaw Pact was an organization of communist states in Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The treaty was signed in Warsaw, Poland on May 14, 1955 and official copies were made in Russian language, Polish language, Czech language and German language....
 organisation. It should be noted that not every military district could form a front, and some did not have an organic air army.

List of Soviet Fronts in the Russian Civil War

The fronts created during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War

The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed and the Bolshevik party assumed power in Saint Petersburg....
 were later known as the Ist formation fronts.

  • Northern Front
    Northern Front

    Northern Front may refer to one of the following.* Russian Northern Front , a unit of the Imperial Russian army during the World War I.* Polish Northern Front , a unit of the Polish Army during the Polish-Bolshevik War...
  • Eastern Front
    Eastern Front

    Eastern Front may refer to one of the following:* Eastern Front * Eastern Front * Eastern Front * Eastern Front ...
  • Turkestan Front
  • Caucasian Front
    Caucasian Front

    Caucasian Front may have one of the following meanings*Caucasian Front was the Russian military activities on Caucasus Campaign and Persian Campaign....
  • Southeastern Front
  • Southern Front
    Southern Front

    The Southern front is a geographical area where army are engaged in conflict* The Soviet Southern Front was one of the Soviet Fronts in WWII....
  • Ukrainian Front
    Ukrainian Front

    Ukrainian Front may refer to several Soviet Front of the Second World War:* Ukrainian Front formed during the Polish September Campaign*1st Ukrainian Front, renamed from Voronezh Front on October 20, 1943....
  • Southwestern Front
    Southwestern Front

    Southwestern front may refer to one of the following.*A Southwestern Front , a particular geographical area where army are engaged in conflict...
  • Western Front
    Western Front

    Western Front was a term used during the World War I and World War II world war to describe the "contested armed frontier" between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West....


List of Soviet fronts in World War II

The degree of change in the structure and performance of individual fronts can only be understood when seen in the context of the Strategic operations of the Red Army in World War II
Strategic operations of the Red Army in World War II

The Strategic operations of the Red Army in World War II were major military events on the Eastern Front during the Second World War, commonly conducted by at least one Front or major part of its forces....
.

Soviet fronts in the European Theatre during the Second World War
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 from 1941 to 1945:
  • Baltic Fronts
    • 1st Baltic Front
      1st Baltic Front

      The First Baltic Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the Second World War. It was formed by re-naming the Kalinin Front in October-December 1943 and took part in several important military operations, most notably Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944....
      : Formed from Kalinin Front late 1943.
    • 2nd Baltic Front: Formed from Bryansk Front
      Bryansk Front

      The Bryansk Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
       on 10 October 1943.
    • 3rd Baltic Front
  • Bryansk Front
    Bryansk Front

    The Bryansk Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
     - Created 18 December 1941, to take sector between the Western and Southwestern Fronts. Disbanded 11/12 March 1943. Reformed from Orel Front 28 March 1943.
  • Belorussian Fronts (alternative spellings are Byelorussian
    Byelorussian SSR

    The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of Republics of the Soviet Union of the Soviet Union. It was one of the four original founding members of the Soviet Union in 1922, together with the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the Transcaucasian SFSR and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic....
     Front     and Belarus
    Belarus

    Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north....
    ian Front    )
    • 1st Belorussian Front
      1st Belorussian Front

      The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II. As such it was a Soviet formation equivalent to a Western Army group....
    • 2nd Belorussian Front
      2nd Belorussian Front

      The 2nd Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
    • 3rd Belorussian Front
      3rd Belorussian Front

      The 3rd Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
  • Caucasus Front
    Soviet Caucasian Front

    The Caucasian Front or Caucasus Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
     - renamed Belorussian Front late 1943
  • Central Front
    Soviet Central Front

    The Central Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
  • Crimean Front - formed January 1942 to reconquer the Crimea, incorporating 44th, 47th, and 51st
    51st Army (Soviet Union)

    The 51st Army was a field army of the Red Army that saw action against the Germans in World War II on both the southern and northern sectors of the front....
     Armies
  • Don Front
  • Far East Front
    Soviet Far East Front

    The Far Eastern Front was a Front ? a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group ? of the Soviet Army during the Russian Civil War and the World War II....
    • 1st Far East Front
    • 2nd Far East Front
  • Kalinin Front
    Kalinin Front

    The Kalinin Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
     - the Kalinin Front was formally established by Stavka
    Stavka

    Stavka was the term used to refer to commander-in-chief of armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus', more formally during the history of Military history of Imperial Russia as Staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Military history of the Soviet Union....
     directive on 17 October 1941, and allocated three armies - 22nd, 29th and 30th. Renamed 1st Baltic Front Oct-Dec 1943.
  • Karelian Front
    Karelian Front

    The Karelian Front was a Front of the Soviet Union Red Army during World War II, and operated in Karelia....
     - formed from Northern Front, along with Leningrad Front, on 23 August 1941.
  • Kursk Front
  • Leningrad Front
    Leningrad Front

    The Leningrad Front was first formed on August 27, 1941, by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front, during the Wehrmacht approach on Leningrad ....
     - formed from Northern Front, along with Karelian Front, on 23 August 1941.
  • Moscow Zone of Defense
  • Moscow Reserve Front
  • Mozhaysk Line of Defense
  • North Caucasus Front - redesignated TC Front's Black Sea Group of Forces, 1 September 1942
  • Northern Front
    Soviet Northern Front

    The Northern Front was a Front of the Red Army during the World War II.The Northern Front was created on June 24, 1941 from the Leningrad Military District....
     - formed from Leningrad Military District
    Leningrad Military District

    The Leningrad Military District is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. As the Russian Military of Defence site officially states, it traces its history from the Petersburg Military District of Imperial Russia....
     on 24 June 1941
  • Northwestern Front - formed from Baltic Special Military District on 22 June 1941
  • Orel Front - created 24 March 1943 to defend opposite the tip of the German salient east of Orel
    Orel

    Orel or Oryol can refer to:*Oryol, a city in Russia, the administrative center of Oryol OblastIt can also refer to:*Alexander Oryol , Soviet military leader and admiral...
    . Composed of Western Front's 61st Army, Central Front's 3rd Army, and 15th Air Army. Redesignated Bryansk Front
    Bryansk Front

    The Bryansk Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
     28 March 1943.
  • Army Group of Primorye
  • Reserve Front
    Soviet Reserve Front

    The Reserve Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
     - Front of Reserve Armies formed 14 July 1941
  • Southeastern Front - formed from armies on Stalingrad Front's left wing, 7 August 1942. Redesignated Stalingrad Front 28 September 1942.
  • Southern Front
    Soviet Southern Front

    The Southern Front was a Front - a roughly Army group sized formation - of the Soviet Army during the World War II. The Southern Front directed military operations during the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in 1940, and then was formed twice after the June 1941 German invasion, Operation Barbarossa....
     - renamed 4th Ukrainian Front 20 October 1943.
  • Southwestern Front
    Soviet Southwestern Front

    The Southwestern Front was a name given to a Front by the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War, by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic during the Russian Civil War, and by the Red Army during the World War II....
     - Formed initially on 22 June 1941. Reestablished 22 October 1942 between Don and Voronezh Fronts. Renamed 3rd Ukrainian Front 20 October 1943.
  • Stalingrad Front - Along with Voronezh Front, formed from remnants of Southwestern Front July 1942. Became Don Front 28 September 1942.
  • Steppe Front
    Steppe Front

    The Steppe Front and later the 2nd Ukrainian Front was a Front , effectively an Army group sized formation, of the Soviet Army during the World War II....
     - renamed 2nd Ukrainian Front 20 October 1943.
  • Transbaikal Front
    Transbaikal Front

    File:Capitulation of Japanese forces.jpgThe Transbaikal Front was a front formed on September 15, 1941 on base of the Transbaikal Military District....
  • Transcaucasian Front
    Transcaucasian Front

    Transcaucasian Front or Transcaucasus Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the World War II. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of Front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries....
     - formed 23 August 1941
  • Ukrainian Fronts
    • 1st Ukrainian Front
      1st Ukrainian Front

      The 1st Ukrainian Front was a Front ?a force the size of a Western Army group?of the Soviet Union Red Army during the World War II....
    • 2nd Ukrainian Front
    • 3rd Ukrainian Front
    • 4th Ukrainian Front
      4th Ukrainian Front

      The 4th Ukrainian Front was a front, or roughly army group sized formation of the Red Army during World War II. It was formed on October 20, 1943 by renaming the Southern Front ....
  • Volkhov Front
    Volkhov Front

    The Volkhov Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during the First Period of the Second World War.It was formed as an expediency of an early attempt to halt the advance of the Wehrmacht Army Group North in its offensive thrust towards Leningrad....
     - formed 17 December 1941
  • Voronezh Front
    Voronezh Front

    The Voronezh Front was a Front of the Soviet Union Red Army during the World War II. The name indicated the primary geographical region in which the Front first fought, based on the town of Voronezh on the Don River, Russia....
     - renamed 1st Ukrainian Front 20 October 1943.
  • Western Front
    Soviet Western Front

    The Western Front was a Front of the Soviet Army, one of the Soviet Fronts in World War IIs during the Second World War. This sense of the term is not identical with the more general usage of military front which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front usually operates within designated boundaries....
     - formed from Western Special Military District on 22 June 1941


See also

  • Army (Soviet Army)
    Army (Soviet Army)

    An army, besides the generalized meanings of ?a country's armed forces? or its ?land forces?, is a type of Military organization#Units, Formations & Commands in militaries of various countries, including the Soviet Union....
  • Polish Southern Front
    Polish Southern Front

    The Southern Front was one of two fronts of the Polish Army created during the Invasion of Poland of 1939 against the allied forces of Nazi Germany and Soviet Union....

Citations and notes


Further reading


External links

  • (external link)