Steppe Front
Encyclopedia
The Steppe Front and later the 2nd Ukrainian Front was a Front (military subdivision)
, effectively an Army group
sized formation, of the Soviet Army
during the Second World War
. This sense of the term "front" is not identical with the more general usage of military front
which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries.
formed a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh
region, effective 30 April. It consisted of the command component of the 2nd Reserve Army (augmented by several officer and NCO courses), the 27th
, 52nd, 53rd, 46th, 47th, 4th Guards Tank
, 5th Air Army
and eight mobile corps (Tank, Guards Tank, and Mechanised). Most of these armies had been reassigned from the Northwestern Front, North Caucasus Front, or the STAVKA Reserve, the RVGK. On 13 April 1943 the Front was renamed the Steppe Military District, to be effective 15 April.
The Steppe Military District was redesignated the Steppe Front on July 9, 1943. It incorporated forces from the Soviet rear areas to the West of Kursk
salient
along the line Tula
-Yelets
-Stary Oskol
-Rossosh
(Тула-Елец-Старый Оскол-Россошь). It included units pulled out of the battles of Stalingrad
and Leningrad
and others.
Under the command of Colonel General
Ivan Konev
from July to October 1943, it took part in the offensive of the Battle of Kursk
.
It was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front on October 20, 1943.
, comprised:
On 1 January 1945 during the Siege of Budapest the Front consisted of the 7th Guards Army
, 27th, 40th, and 53rd Armies, 6th Guards Tank Army, a Cavalry mechanized group
consisting of 4th and 6th Guards Cavalry Corps, and 5th Air Army
.
On 10 June 1945, in accordance with a Stavka directive of 29 May 1945, 2nd Ukrainian Front was disbanded. Elements were incorporated into Headquarters Odessa Military District
.
Front (Soviet Army)
A front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group in the militaries of most other countries except Germany...
, effectively an Army group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
sized formation, of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This sense of the term "front" is not identical with the more general usage of military front
Front (military)
A military front or battlefront is a contested armed frontier between opposing forces. This can be a local or tactical front, or it can range to a theater...
which indicates a geographic area in wartime, although a Soviet Front may operate within designated boundaries.
History
On 9 July 1943 the StavkaStavka
Stavka was the term used to refer to a command element of the armed forces from the time of the Kievan Rus′, more formally during the history of Imperial Russia as administrative staff and General Headquarters during late 19th Century Imperial Russian armed forces and those of the Soviet Union...
formed a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh
Voronezh
Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
region, effective 30 April. It consisted of the command component of the 2nd Reserve Army (augmented by several officer and NCO courses), the 27th
27th Army (Soviet Union)
The 27th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which fought in World War II. First formed in May 1941. Initial commander was H. E. Berzarin. Took part in battles in the Baltic. On 22 June 1941 it consisted of the 22nd and 24th Rifle Corps, 16th and 67th Rifle Divisions, 3rd Separate...
, 52nd, 53rd, 46th, 47th, 4th Guards Tank
4th Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The 20th Guards Army, , is a field army, since 1991, part of the Russian Ground Forces.-1st Formation :It was first formed within the Stalingrad Front from July 1942 and...
, 5th Air Army
5th Air Army
The 5th Air Army was the Russian Air Force's smallest Air Army, with the headquarters located in Yekaterinburg, its zone of responsibility being the Volga-Ural Military District, on the border between Europe and Asia...
and eight mobile corps (Tank, Guards Tank, and Mechanised). Most of these armies had been reassigned from the Northwestern Front, North Caucasus Front, or the STAVKA Reserve, the RVGK. On 13 April 1943 the Front was renamed the Steppe Military District, to be effective 15 April.
The Steppe Military District was redesignated the Steppe Front on July 9, 1943. It incorporated forces from the Soviet rear areas to the West of Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
salient
Salients, re-entrants and pockets
A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...
along the line Tula
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
-Yelets
Yelets
Yelets is a city in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Sosna River, which is a tributary of the Don. Population: -History:Yelets is the oldest center of the Central Black Earth Region. It is mentioned in historical documents as far back as 1146, when it belonged to the Princes of Ryazan...
-Stary Oskol
Stary Oskol
Stary Oskol is a city in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located south of Moscow, on the Oskol River. Population: 221,163 ; 215,898 ; -History:...
-Rossosh
Rossosh
Rossosh is a town and the administrative center of Rossoshansky District of Voronezh Oblast, Russia. Population:...
(Тула-Елец-Старый Оскол-Россошь). It included units pulled out of the battles of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
and Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
and others.
Under the command of Colonel General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Ivan Konev
Ivan Konev
Ivan Stepanovich Konev , was a Soviet military commander, who led Red Army forces on the Eastern Front during World War II, retook much of Eastern Europe from occupation by the Axis Powers, and helped in the capture of Germany's capital, Berlin....
from July to October 1943, it took part in the offensive of the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
.
It was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front on October 20, 1943.
2nd Ukrainian Front
During the second Jassy-Kishinev Operation, 2nd Ukrainian Front, led by Army General Rodion MalinovskyRodion Malinovsky
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky was a Soviet military commander in World War II and Defense Minister of the Soviet Union in the late 1950s and 1960s. He contributed to the major defeat of Nazi Germany at the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Budapest...
, comprised:
- 6th Guards Tank Army6th Guards Tank ArmyThe 6th Guards Order of Red Banner Tank Army was a tank army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first formed during World War II and disbanded in Ukraine in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Union....
- Major General A.G. Kravchenko - 18th Tank Corps - Major General V.I. Polozkov
- Cavalry-Mechanized Group Gorshkov - Major General S.I.Gorshkov
- 5th Guards Cavalry Corps
- 23rd Tank Corps - Lieutenant General A.O. Akhmanov
- 4th Guards Army4th Guards Army (Soviet Union)The Fourth Guards Army was an elite army headquarters of the Soviet Union during World War II and the postwar era.Formed on the basis of the 24th Army on April 16, 1943, the Fourth Guards Army fought in decisive actions such as the Battle of Kursk, the Iassy-Kishinev Offensive, the struggle for...
- Galanin - 27th Army27th Army (Soviet Union)The 27th Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which fought in World War II. First formed in May 1941. Initial commander was H. E. Berzarin. Took part in battles in the Baltic. On 22 June 1941 it consisted of the 22nd and 24th Rifle Corps, 16th and 67th Rifle Divisions, 3rd Separate...
- Lieutenant General S.G. TrofimenkoSergei TrofimenkoSergei G. Trofimenko was a Soviet military commander, active in the Russian Civil War and Second World War. His final rank was colonel-general.... - 52nd Army - Koroteev
- Seventh Guards Army- Shumilov
- 40th Army40th Army (Soviet Union)The 40th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active from 1941 to 1945 and then again from 1979 to circa 1990.It was first formed, after Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, had commenced, from elements of the 26th and 37th Armies under the command...
- Lieutenant General F.F. Zhmachenko - 53rd Army - Lieutenant General I.M. Managarov
On 1 January 1945 during the Siege of Budapest the Front consisted of the 7th Guards Army
7th Guards Army
The Red Army's 7th Guards Army was re-designated from the Soviet 64th Army on April 16, 1943.64th Army had originally been formed from 1st Reserve Army in July 1942, and alongside the 62nd Army, fought the German offensive during the Battle of Stalingrad to a standstill, for which it was raised to...
, 27th, 40th, and 53rd Armies, 6th Guards Tank Army, a Cavalry mechanized group
Cavalry Mechanized Group
A cavalry-mechanized group was a type of military formation used in the Red Army during World War II against Germany and Japan.- Organization :...
consisting of 4th and 6th Guards Cavalry Corps, and 5th Air Army
5th Air Army
The 5th Air Army was the Russian Air Force's smallest Air Army, with the headquarters located in Yekaterinburg, its zone of responsibility being the Volga-Ural Military District, on the border between Europe and Asia...
.
On 10 June 1945, in accordance with a Stavka directive of 29 May 1945, 2nd Ukrainian Front was disbanded. Elements were incorporated into Headquarters Odessa Military District
Odessa Military District
The Odessa Military District was a military administrative division of the Imperial Russian military, the Soviet Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was known under such name from around 1862 to 1998. It was reorganized as part of the Military of Ukraine and the Military of Moldova in...
.