6th Rifle Corps

6th Rifle Corps
Active
  • 1st formation: June 1922–July 1941
  • 2nd formation: c. August 1942–April 1943
  • 3rd formation: May 1943–1957
Country Soviet Union
Branch Red Army (Soviet Army from 1946)
Engagements

The 6th Rifle Corps (Russian: 6-й стрелковый корпус) was a rifle corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army and later the Soviet Army, formed three times.

The corps was first formed in 1922, and spent most of the interwar period headquartered at Odessa. It fought in the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, moving into what became western Ukraine. Stationed on the border when Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began on 22 June 1941, the corps was destroyed in the first weeks of the war. Reformed in mid-1942, the corps' second formation was converted into the 19th Guards Rifle Corps in April 1943. The corps' third formation was formed in May of that year, and fought in the Continuation War. Postwar it was relocated to the North Caucasus, becoming the 6th Army Corps in 1957 before being disbanded in 1960.

First formation

Interwar period

The 6th Rifle Corps was first formed in Kiev during June 1922, in accordance with an order of the Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Crimea of 23 May 1922, from units formerly part of the Kiev and Kharkov Military Districts. The corps was not headquartered in Kiev for long, however, and moved to Yelizavetgrad in the month of its formation. It became part of the Ukrainian Military District upon its formation, and relocated south to Odessa in March 1923. In May 1935 the corps joined the Kharkov Military District when the Ukrainian Military District was split, but it transferred to the Kiev Military District in 1937.[1]

On 26 July 1938, the Kiev Military District was converted to the Kiev Special Military District (KOVO), and army groups were formed. The headquarters of the Odessa Army Group (ODAGA) was formed on the basis of HQ 6th RC in Odessa.

A new headquarters was formed for corps in Odessa. On 16 September 1939 the corps joined the Ukrainian Front, fighting in the Soviet invasion of Poland. It advanced into what was annexed to the Soviet Union as western Ukraine, and its headquarters was established at Yavorov at the conclusion of the operation.[1]

The corps consisted of 41st, 97th, and 159th Rifle Divisions, and was part of 6th Army of the Kiev Special Military District on 22 June 1941.[2] The corps was part of the 'operational army' from 22.06.1941 to 25.09.1941. The divisions were located : 97th Rifle Division northwest Yavorov several deep northeast Yavorov 159th Infantry Division, and further still northeast Yavorov 41st Rifle Division.

Operation Barbarossa

On 22 June, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, began. The 41st Rifle Division maintained the defence in the 6th Fortified Region (Rava-Ruska) and kept the defence there, where they managed to halt the German attack until 23 June. Moreover, part of the 41st Rifle Division not only held the area, but also entered the territory occupied by Germany, more than three kilometers away, at the end of the day were at the turn Zhychki, Teniatiska ( 2 km south of Lyubycha Królewska ) Brusno Nova, 97th Rifle Division - at the turn Mloduv, Hotynets . 159th Rifle Division on 22.06.1941 had to be moved from the area in the district Nemirov Mageruv. On 23 June the German troops attacked the junction between the 159th and 97th Divisions,, endangering the army. By the evening of 24 June the gap between divisions reached 40 kilometers, and was exploited by the German troops, who captured Nemirov by the end of the same day.

On 25.06.1941, the 41st Rifle Division and the 159th Rifle Division held defense positions, the 97th Rifle Division, in conjunction with the 3rd Cavalry Division and parts of the 4th Mechanized Corps was tasked to restore the position on the flank of the German units, advancing along the highway and reach the line Drogomysl, Swidnica, Morantse .

Although the divisions was held fortified area, the morale of the troops left much to be desired. From 22 to 25/6/1941, there were about 5,000 deserters, 100 people were shot.

The 97th Division was unsuccessful, and although 6/26/1941, 41st Rifle Division and the 159th Rifle Division defended the area, they were forced to leave the position and start a planned withdrawal. The disorganized and battered 97th Rifle Division was concentrated in the area of the Stazhiska highway and the forest to the south.

On 07/08/1941 the corps supported by the 186th Anti-Tank Regiment, the 109th and 229th corps artillery regiments and 30 tanks of the 12th Tank Division went on the offensive, providing the right flank of 26th Army's assault group, advanced a few tens of kilometers. However the troops were forced to turn to the north, in the direction of Kiev, on the flank of the enemy troops. After the onset of the corps, as a combat unit ceased to exist, that is, the body is left alone control, and body connection were directly subordinated to the army. The corps ceased to exist by July.[1]

The corps headquarters was officially disbanded on 25 September 1941, after being destroyed during the initial phase of Operation Barbarossa.

Second formation

Second formation was formed in summer 1942 and became 19th Guards Rifle Corps on 19 April 1943.

Third formation

Third formation was established in May 1943, and fought through the rest of the war. On Jan. 1, 1944, the corps was in 59th Army and was under command of Mjr. Gen. S.P. Mikil'sky, and consisted of 65th, 239th and 310th Rifle Divisions.[3]

The corps fought in the Continuation War with Finland. During the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, in addition to the losses of the Soviet 21st Army, the 6th Rifle Corps of the 23rd Army that attacked east of the 21st Army closer to Vuoksi waterway suffered 7905 casualties, of which 1458 were killed in action (KIA) and 288 missing in action (MIA), without taking the losses of its supporting formations into account.[4]

Postwar

The corps headquarters was moved from Latvia to the North Caucasus, and established at Stalingrad in August 1945.[5] In October 1945 the corps comprised the 10th Rifle Division, 109th Rifle Division and 327th Rifle Division, the first two in the vicinity of what was then still Stalingrad and the third possibly at Kamyshin. On 4 February 1946 it came under the control of the North Caucasus Military District and at the same time all three divisions became independent rifle brigades: the 15th, 18th, and 46th. But the 15th Ind Rifle Brigade disbanded in 1947. On 22 August 1949 the corps came again under the command of the reformed Don Military District with its two brigades located at Stalingrad (18th) and Uryupinsk (46th). In October 1953 the brigades were expanded into divisions and became the 68th Mechanised Division at Stalingrad and the 372nd Rifle Division at Uryupinsk. The 372nd Rifle Division was redesignated as the 68th Rifle Division in June 1955.

On 10 June 1957 both the divisions and the corps headquarters was redesignated, the corps becoming the 6th Army Corps:

The corps was disbanded in 1960.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Dvoinykh, Kariaeva, Stegantsev, eds. 1993, p. 22.
  2. ↑ 6th Army, Kiev Special Military District, Red Army, 22.06.41
  3. ↑ David M. Glantz, The Battle for Leningrad, 1941 - 1944, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2002, p 521
  4. ↑ Raunio, Ari; Kilin, Juri (2008). Jatkosodan puolustustaisteluja 1942–44. Keuruu: Otavan Kirjapaino Oy. p. 192. ISBN 978-951-593-070-5.
  5. ↑ Michael Holm 6th Army Corps, 2015, and V.I. Feskov et al 2013.

Bibliography

  • Dvoinykh, L.V.; Kariaeva, T.F.; Stegantsev, M.V., eds. (1993). Центральный государственный архив Советской армии [Central State Archive of the Soviet Army] (in Russian). 2. Minneapolis: Eastview Publications. ISBN 1-879944-03-0. Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2018-01-04.

Further reading

  • Pokrovsky, Gen.Col., Perecheni No.4: Headquarters of corps included in the structure of the active army during the years of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945, Military-Scientific Directorate of General Staff, Moscow, 1954
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