Corps participated in operations of the Great Patriotic War:
- Rzhev-Sychevskaya operation of the troops of the Western Front
- Battle of Kursk
- Kyiv defensive operation
- Dnieper-Carpathian strategic offensive operation (Liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine)
- Zhytomyr-Berdychiv front-line offensive operation
- Participation of parts of the corps in the defeat of the encircled Korsun-Shevchenko enemy group
- Proskurov-Chernivtsi front-line offensive operation
- Warsaw-Poznan front-line offensive operation
October 23, 1943 Order of the NPO of the USSR No. 306 of October 23, 1943 on the transformation of the 6th Tank Corps into the 11th Guards Tank Corps
December 24, 1943 Ukrainian front
February 4 - 18, 1944 Participation of parts of the corps in the defeat of the encircled Korsun-Shevchenko enemy group
March 21, 1944 The transition of the corps to the offensive in the Proskurovo-Chernivtsi operation of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Exit of parts of the hull to the Dniester
March 29, 1944 state border USSR
March 30, 1944 Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief with an announcement of gratitude to the personnel of the corps for successful military operations. Assignment of the honorary name "Prikarpatsky" to the corps
July 17, 1944 Entering the breakthrough in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation of the 1st Ukrainian Front. The entry of the corps to the Soviet-Polish state border of the USSR, the beginning of the liberation of Poland from the German fascist invaders
July 30, 1944 Vistula and the battles for the capture of the Sandomierz bridgehead
February 2, 1945 Crossing the Oder by parts of the corps, capturing a bridgehead on its western bank
May 2, 1945 Exit to the center of Berlin. The end of the fighting of the corps in the Great Patriotic War. Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on conferring the honorary title "Berlin" on the corps
Final statement by type of combat activity (by number of days)
| on the offensive | on the defensive | in reserve | in reserve front | in the army reserve | in the 2nd echelon | in the 3rd echelon | |
| 1941 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1942 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1943 | 9 | - | 35 | 24 | - | - | - |
| 1944 | 88 | 62 | 85 | 56 | 31 | 43 | - |
| 1945 | 92 | - | - | 12 | 18 | - | - |
A glorious page in the heroic annals of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War was written by the 11th Guards Red Banner Army, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year.
The 16th (11th) army was formed from formations and units of the Trans-Baikal Military District in 1940 in Dauria. Lieutenant General Lukin Mikhail Fedorovich, an experienced, talented military leader, who enjoyed well-deserved authority among the personnel, was appointed the first commander of the army.
The army troops received their baptism of fire in 1941 near the city of Smolensk, where the Nazis could not advance for more than a month. During the defensive hostilities near Moscow, 38 fighters and commanders of the 16th Army, including 28 Panfilov soldiers, were awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union.
On April 16, 1943, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, for valor and combat skill, the 16th Army was transformed into the 11th Guards (commanded by Lieutenant General Bagramyan I.Kh.).
In the summer campaign of 1943, for two months of fighting, the 11th Guards Army participated in three offensive operations - Volkhov, Oryol and Bryansk. Army troops liberated the cities of Gorodok, Orsha, Vitebsk, Borisov from the Nazi invaders.
On October 18, 1944, units of the 11th Guards Army crossed the border of East Prussia. On the night of January 21 to January 22, 1945, army troops, in cooperation with the 5th Army, launched an assault on the city of Insterburg and captured the city by morning.
As part of the 3rd Belorussian Front, the 11th Guards Army took a direct part in the assault and capture of the fortress city of Koenigsberg. The fortress city of Koenigsberg was taken by storm in four days from April 6 to April 9, 1945.
For courage and heroism shown during the assault and capture of the city of Koenigsberg, 25 guardsmen of the 11th Army became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
The last battles in which the 11th Guards Army took part took place on the Zemland Peninsula. On April 25, army troops stormed the city of Pillau (now the city of Baltiysk).
The 11th Guards Army during the war years, carried out independently, or participated in the 21st offensive and defensive operation, released 14 major cities, over 11 thousand settlements, took possession of more than a hundred heavily fortified cities and towns of East Prussia. 170 army soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
In the post-war period, the troops of the 11th Guards Army reliably protected the peaceful labor of the Soviet people on the westernmost borders of our Motherland. The personnel of the army units took the most Active participation in the formation and development of the Kaliningrad region. For the successes achieved in peacetime, the 11th Guards Army was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1967.
Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the 11th Guards Red Banner Army Major General, retired Kosenkov Boris Andreevich:
“The memory of those who died for the honor and independence of the Great Motherland will live forever in our hearts. Today we say a huge thank you to the army veterans living near us for their military work and active life position, for the patriotic education of the youth of the Kaliningrad region.”
By the end of the 1930s, a bloc was finally formed around the borders of our Motherland, which included Germany, Italy and Japan. Fascist Germany, encouraged by Western militaristic circles, having occupied one European state after another, was preparing to attack the Soviet Union.
Under these conditions, the leadership of the USSR directed all the efforts of the Soviet people to the creation and strengthening of the economic and defense might of the country and the Armed Forces.
Along with other large scale government events to strengthen the country's defense capability, the 16th Army was formed on the basis of the Trans-Baikal Military District in July 1940 (for outstanding military merits on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War in 1943, the army was transformed into the 11th Guards Army).
Lieutenant General Mikhail Fedorovich Lukin, an experienced, talented military leader, who at that time was 48 years old, was appointed commander of the army.
In May 1941, the army began redeployment to the Kiev Special Military District. Early in the morning of June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany treacherously attacked the Soviet Union, striking from the Baltic to the Black Sea. The Great Patriotic War began.
The first baptism of fire for formations and units of the 16th Army took place near SHEPETOVKA, where they, under the command of General Lukin, fought bloody battles for ten days and destroyed more than 6 thousand Nazis, 63 tanks and 80 enemy guns.
In connection with the dangerous situation that had developed in the central strategic direction, the 16th Army began to advance to the Smolensk region, to the Western Front. The battle of Smolensk, which unfolded on July 10 and lasted until September 10, was one of the glorious pages of the heroic annals of the Great Patriotic War.
The direct defense of the city was entrusted to the 16th Army. For three weeks in heavy battles with superior enemy forces, units of the army fought heroically in Smolensk and for Smolensk, did not give the Nazis the opportunity to cut the Minsk-Moscow highway, and inflicted significant damage to the enemy in manpower and equipment.
In early August, the headquarters and administration of the army were relocated to the Yartsevo direction and merged with the task force of General K.K. Rokossovsky, who was appointed commander of the 16th Army. The former composition of the army joined the 20th army, under the command of General Lukin.
The new commander K.K. Rokossovsky quickly gained high prestige among the troops. Sociable by nature, attentive and fair to his subordinates, Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky respected the human dignity of soldiers and officers, and endeared himself to people with genuine kindness.
On August 22, the final stage began Smolensk battle. On September 1, 1941, the 16th Army went on the offensive. In the eight-day battles, four enemy divisions were defeated.
Tough fights Soviet troops near Smolensk, in which the troops of the 16th Army were actively operating, exhausted the enemy, significantly weakened his strike force, allowed them to gain time, prepare reserves and defensive lines on the outskirts of Moscow.
On October 5, the headquarters and administration of the army, headed by General K.K. Rokossovsky, having transferred the troops and the defense zone of the 20th Army, marched to the Vyazma region. All troops in the area of the Volokolamsk fortified region were repaired by the 16th Army, including units and subunits that were leaving the encirclement.
The army took up defensive positions in the direction of the enemy's main attack, protecting the approaches to Moscow. As part of the army, the defense was occupied by: the cavalry group of Major General L.M. Dovator, 316th Infantry Division Major General I.V. Panfilov, 18th militia rifle division, combined cadet regiment.
From October 16 to 27, formations and units of the army with active defense held back the powerful onslaught of the enemy. The Nazis attacked furiously day and night. The forces of the army were on the chapel, but the enemy was forced to stop the offensive for a while.
The pause in active hostilities made it possible to replenish the army with new formations, including the tank brigade of M.E. Katukov, 78th Infantry Division A.P. Beloborodov. Four cavalry divisions arrived in the army from Central Asia.
The parade was of great importance in mobilizing forces to fight the enemy. military units on Red Square on November 7, 1941, dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Several units of the 16th Army also participated in the parade.
On November 16, 1941, the fascist troops of the Army Group Center, having concentrated fresh forces and means in the Moscow direction, went on the offensive. On the northwestern approaches to Moscow, the most fierce and bloody battles began. Fighters, commanders and political workers stood to the death in the way of the fascist invaders. During the defensive battles, an outstanding feat was accomplished by 28 Panfilov heroes at a height near the Dubosekovo railway siding. It was there that the inspiring appeal of political instructor V.N. Klyuchkova: "Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind."
For boundless courage, heroism, military prowess and courage in 28 wars, the Panfilovites were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Defensive battles in the Moscow region showed the increased operational-tactical skill of commanders of all levels, the mass heroism of the army personnel. During the defense of the capital, 38 fighters and commanders were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union, hundreds of soldiers were awarded orders and medals, ten formations and separate units of the army received the name of guards, including the 18th Guards Rifle Division.
In the course of a stubborn and active defense, the advance of the Nazi troops was finally stopped. The plan to encircle and capture the capital of the USSR suffered a complete collapse. In the counteroffensive near Moscow, which began on December 5, 1941 and lasted until January 20, 1942, the enemy was defeated and driven back to the west for 100-350 kilometers. The troops of the 16th Army, fighting in the offensive zone, liberated the settlements of Kryukovo, Istra, Volokolamsk, Sukhinichi. On March 8, 1942, at the command post of the army, the army commander K.K. was seriously wounded by a fragment of an enemy shell. Rokossovsky.
After his recovery, General Rokossovsky commanded the army for a short time. By decision of the headquarters of the VKG, he was appointed commander of the Bryansk Front. Lieutenant General Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan took command of the 16th Army.
In tense defensive and offensive battles in the summer, autumn of 1942 and winter of 1943, on the left flank of the Western Front, the 16th Army thwarted the enemy’s plan, which amounted to a deep breakthrough in the defenses of the 16th and 61st armies, the development of success in the direction of Sukhinichi and Yukhnov, diverted significant forces enemy. The 16th Army made a certain contribution to the liquidation of the enemy's Rzhev-Vyazemsky bridgehead.
In the summer of 1943, Hitler's strategists chose the Kursk Bulge region for a new offensive, where they concentrated up to 50 divisions, including 16 tank and motorized divisions, a total of 900 thousand soldiers and officers, 10 thousand guns and mortars, 2700 tanks and 2050 aircraft.
Soviet command timely unraveled the enemy's plan. In preparation for the counteroffensive on April 16, 1943, for the valor and combat skill of the soldiers, the 16th Army was transformed into the 11th Guards.
I participate in the summer campaign of 1943 to defeat the strategic German fascist grouping in the area of Kursk and Orel, the 11th Guards Army, in two months of continuous and fierce offensive fighting, brilliantly carried out three offensive operations - Bykhovskaya, Orlovskaya, Bryanskaya. She fought 227 kilometers, liberated 810 settlements, including the cities of Karachev, Navlya, Khotynets, actively contributed to the liberation of the cities of Bryansk and Bolkhov. It defeated three infantry, seven tank and mechanized divisions, inflicted serious damage on ten infantry and two tank divisions, including the SS division "Grossdeutschland".
By the end of September 1943, the general military-political situation on the Soviet-German front was developing favorably for the Soviet Armed Forces. In the central strategic direction, hostilities were transferred to the territory of Belarus.
On November 26, 1943, Lieutenant General K.N. took command of the 11th Guards Army. Galitsky, who previously commanded the 3rd shock army. Colonel General I.Kh. Bagramyan was appointed commander of the 1st Baltic Front.
Breaking the resistance of the enemy, the war-guards fought forward, liberating the lands of Belarus. The formations and units of the armies participating in the Gorodok operation showed themselves with the best side. For exemplary actions, courage and courage in the battles for Gorodok, the 5th, 11th, 26th and 83rd Guards Rifle Divisions of the army were awarded honorary title Gorodoksky. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief expressed gratitude to all participants in the assault on Gorodok, and the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, saluted the soldiers-guardsmen with artillery volleys from 124 guns.
After the defeat of the enemy near Leningrad, in Belarus and in the Lvov direction, the Supreme Command Headquarters considered it possible to launch active operations in the summer and autumn of 1944 in the Balkan direction, as well as in the Baltic states and in the Far North.
The idea and plan of Operation Bagration in Belarus assigned the 11th Guards Army as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front the main role in the operation to defeat the central grouping of fascist troops, advanced far to the east and covering the main routes to the most important industrial and food centers of Germany.
In terms of execution, decisiveness of actions, and also in terms of the pace of the offensive, the 11th Guards Army in Operation Bagration surpassed all the best examples of known army offensive operations. The guards liberated the cities of Orsha, Vitebsk, Borisov, Logoisk, Molodechno and thousands of other settlements. Together with other troops, the 11th Guards Army took part in the liberation of Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Army troops crossed the Neman River and approached the borders of East Prussia.
The whole army, from the private to the general, was imbued with one desire - to expel the hated enemy from their native land as soon as possible. In this, feelings of patriotism and love for the Motherland, devotion to their people found their expression.
In the battles near Orsha, an immortal feat was accomplished by Guards Private Smirnov Yuri Vasilevich. In a night attack on tanks, he, being part of the landing force, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner in an unconscious state. During the painful interrogation, Yuri Smirnov did not utter a single word about the goals of intelligence of his unit.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Yu.V. Smirnov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the battles for Orsha, the 1st Guards separate communications regiment, which received the honorary name Orsha, distinguished itself.
The 31st Guards Rifle Division, operating on the right flank of the army in cooperation with formations of the 5th Army, contributed to the defeat of the encircled enemy grouping in the Vitebsk region. For the courage and courage shown by the personnel in these battles, the 31st Guards Rifle Division was given the honorary name of Vitebsk.
In the battles for Minsk, the 1st Guards Rifle Division, awarded the honorary title of Minsk, distinguished itself.
In the Gumbinensky operation of the 3rd Belorussian Front, which began on October 16, 1944, the troops of the 11th Guards Army broke through the powerful defense in depth that covered the borders of East Prussia, broke into the long-term fortifications of the border strip and defeated the opposing fascist troops.
This operation was of great military and political significance. In a short time, the army troops broke through the fortifications that had been created by German militarists for decades, on the impregnability of which the fascist command so counted, and transferred their combat operations to one of the most important military-economic regions of Germany - to East Prussia.
The Gumbinen operation went down in the history of the Great Patriotic War as one of the instructive examples of the breakthrough of a heavily fortified enemy defense in depth. The advance of the troops of the 11th Guards Army and reaching the nearest approaches to Gumbinen created the prerequisites for a further offensive on Insterburg and Konigsberg.
On October 18, 1944, the 171st regiment of Lieutenant Colonel N.D. was the first to cross the German border. Kuroshov of the 1st Guards Rifle Division. Colonel S.K. distinguished himself in the battles on the outskirts of Gumbinen. Nesterov, deputy commander of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, which operated as part of the army. For courage and courage, Stepan Kuzmich Nesterov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Based on the experience of the October battles of 1944, everyone understood that the offensive in East Prussia would be in the nature of an assault on solid fortifications.
The East Prussian operation began on January 13, 1945. The 11th Guards Army, being in the second echelon of the 3rd Belorussian Front, entered the battle from the line of the Inster River on the night of January 20th.
Suddenly, without the usual artillery preparation, advanced mobile detachments of the first operational echelon of the army - the 26th, 31st, 18th and 16th Guards Rifle Divisions - entered the battle. Their night actions were crowned with success, wedged into the enemy defenses up to 20 kilometers.
Parts of the 1st Panzer Corps at dawn on January 20 immediately captured the village (now Bolshakovo) and launched combat operations in a southwestern direction along the highway connecting Koenigsberg with the eastern provinces. Destroying small enemy garrisons, the 89th tank brigade of Colonel A.I. Sommer, operating in the offensive zone of the 11th Guards Army, immediately captured the bridge over the Pregel River. For courage and bravery shown during the capture of the bridge behind enemy lines, tankers I.S. were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Malov, I.P. Kondrashin, A.I. Sommer.
Formations and units of the army, in cooperation with units of the 5th Army, by night assault on January 22, 1945, captured an important stronghold on the outskirts of Koenigsberg - Insterburg.
The heroic actions of the army troops were noted by the Supreme Commander. On January 22, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, saluted the valiant warriors who captured the city of Insterburg with 20 artillery salvos from 224 guns, and each participant in the assault on the city received letters of gratitude from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The 18th Guards Rifle Division (commander Major General G.I. Karizhsky) and the 1st Tank Corps (commander Lieutenant General V.V. Butkov), who distinguished themselves in battle, were awarded the honorary title of Insterburg.
Having broken the resistance of the enemy on the distant approaches to Koenigsberg, the army crossed the Pregel and Alle rivers and on January 28, on its right flank and in the center, reached the outer contour of the Koenigsberg fortress.
On January 29, units of the 8th and 16th Guards Corps captured a number of strongholds in front of the first defense position of Koenigsberg with a swift strike on the move, and units of the 36th Guards Corps reached the Frisches-Haff Bay (Kaliningrad Bay). On the same day, units of the 169th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 1st Guards Rifle Division stormed the 9th fort - one of the 15 forts of the outer contour, located in a ring around the city - the fortress of Koenigsberg.
Preparations for the assault on Koenigsberg demanded from the commanding and political staff of the 11th Guards Army great creative efforts, tireless work, and the full return of all knowledge and experience. In a certain short time it was necessary to plan an operation, bring in ammunition, material and technical means, concentrate and train troops in actions in a large fortified city, and prepare a bridgehead for an offensive.
Three more armies, the 43rd, 50th, and 39th, took part in the assault on the fortress city of Koenigsberg. But the 11th Guards Army was assigned the most difficult task. The idea of the Koenigsberg offensive operation it boiled down to delivering the main blows from the south, where the 11th Guards Army advanced, and from the north-west - the 43rd Army; encircle, crush and destroy the garrison of the Königsberg fortress with concentric strikes.
On the morning of April 6, 1945, the artillery of the 11th Guards Army, consisting of more than 1,500 guns and mortars, of which about half were heavy, began a three-hour artillery preparation for the attack. As a result of the fighting on April 6, the army advanced 3-4 kilometers, cleared 43 suburban quarters of the Nazis and fully completed the task of the day.
In order to prevent the enemy from regrouping his forces and organizing defense on the internal lines of the fortress, the 11th Guards Army continued to conduct heavy combat operations on the night of April 7th. Courage and skill were shown by the soldiers of the assault detachments of the 1st and 31st Guards Rifle Divisions in the battle for the South Station. The guardsmen of the 1st division were the first to begin the crossing to the right bank of the Pregel River.
During April 7, the army troops took 20 heavily fortified strongholds, broke through the first position of the fortress in a 9-kilometer section and an intermediate defensive line in a 5-kilometer strip.
On April 8, all formations and units of the army continued the assault on Koenigsberg with unrelenting force. In the afternoon, divisions of the 16th Guards Rifle Corps of the Army reached the embankment of the Pregel River and fought in the center of the city.
On April 9, the army conducted combat operations to destroy the enemy in the central regions of the fortress. In the morning, the 169th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 1st Guards Rifle Division, regiment commander A.M. Ivannikov, took possession of the Cathedral. The 1st Guards, Proletarian, Moscow-Minsk Division stormed the Royal Castle and the main post office. The Royal Castle was defended by special consolidated officer detachments of the 69th Infantry Division.
At 2 am on April 10, the commandant of the Koenigsberg garrison, General von Lyash, having accepted the ultimatum of surrender, was taken to command post 11th Guards Rifle Division of the 11th Guards Army. An ultimatum on unconditional surrender was delivered to General Lyash's command post by army officers, Lieutenant Colonel P.G. Yanovsky, captain A.E. Fedorko and translator Captain V.M. Shpitalnik.
Formations and units of the 11th Guards Army during the assault on the fortress city of Koenigsberg covered themselves with unfading glory, their battle banners deservedly adorned the new orders. The Order of Suvorov II degree was awarded to the 19th Guards Rifle Division, the Order of Alexander Nevsky to the 1st guards regiment communications, the Order of the Red Banner - the 8th and 36th Guards Corps, and the 16th Guards Rifle Corps received the honorary name "Kenigsberg". 27 soldiers were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the defeat of the Koenigsberg grouping, the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front were given the task of clearing the Zemland Peninsula from the enemy. The 11th Guards Army received an order - on the night of April 18, to change units of the 2nd Guards Army, break through the enemy defenses and, developing the offensive, capture the city, port and fortress of Pillau by the end of the second day of the operation. In the future, destroy the accumulation of enemy troops on the Frische-Nerung spit and completely master this spit.
Using extremely favorable conditions for defense, the enemy created five defensive lines on the Pillau Peninsula, consisting of a system of permanent, reinforced concrete structures, trenches, anti-tank ditches and firing positions.
By the time the offensive began, the 11th Guards Army had 65,000 soldiers and officers, 1,200 guns and mortars, 166 tanks and assault guns.
Overcoming the stubborn resistance of the enemy, the troops of the army in the early morning of April 26 captured the fortress city of Pillau, and on May 1, the formations of the 16th Guards Corps of the army completed the defeat of the enemy on the Frische-Nerung spit.
In the battles for Pillau and the Frische-Nerung spit, the 11th Guards Army defeated five infantry divisions and two tank and motorized divisions, including the Grossdeutschland division.
In these battles, the personnel of the army, as before, showed mass heroism. For exploits in battles with the enemy, 24 guardsmen were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The Order of Lenin was awarded to the 5th Guards Division, the Order of Kutuzov II degree to the 1st Guards Rifle Division.
On May 1, 1945, the battles of the 11th Guards Army in East Prussia ended, and with them the fighting of the army troops in the Great Patriotic War.
During the Great Patriotic War, the 11th Guards Army conducted independently or participated in the 21st offensive and defensive operation, liberated 14 large cities, over 11 thousand settlements, 34 formations and units of the army were given honorary names of the cities they liberated; 170 army soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union, 13 guardsmen became full cavaliers of the orders of Glory; 96 orders adorned the combat banners of units and formations; 6 warrior-heroes are permanently assigned to the parts lists.
IN post-war years The 11th Guards Army was stationed on the territory of the Kaliningrad region. Along with intense combat training, the army personnel actively helped the population in the formation and development of the region's economy.
The army troops demonstrated their military prowess during the major exercises "Neman-79", "West-81" and "Commonwealth".
For great merits in the defense of the Fatherland and achievements high results in combat training in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces, the 11th Guards Army was awarded the Order of the Red Banner by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 22, 1968.
In 1997, the 11th Guards Army was reorganized into the Land and Coastal Forces of the Baltic Fleet.
And today, the soldiers of the units and formations of the Coastal Forces of the twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet revere and multiply the glorious combat traditions of the 11th Guards Army.
Great work on patriotic education military personnel and youth are conducted by veterans of the 11th Guards Army. Veteran guardsmen of the army are still in the ranks today!
The memory of the guardsmen who died during the Great Patriotic War in the fight against fascist german invaders will forever remain in our hearts!
Formed January 5, 1942 by transforming the 18th Rifle Division (2nd Formation) into the Guards Division, formerly called the 18th Moscow People's Militia Division (Leningradsky District).
On January 14, having handed over her section of the 354sd and 18sbr by rail, she left through Moscow and Tula to the Belev area, leaving the reserve of the Western Front. By January 26, 16, Rokossovsky's army was transferred from the Volokolamsk direction to the left flank of the Western Front near Sukhinichi. On January 31, 11gvsd was also transferred to the 16A. Participated in the liberation of the city of Sukhinichi. On February 4, she took a defensive battle in the area of Verebevo, Tsepovaya, Vyselki. Until February 20, she carried out several private offensive operations.
March 5 went on the offensive on Zhizdra. In the offensive, the division was supported by 146 and 149 brigade. By the morning of March 8, Slobodka was captured. She advanced on Kotovichi, Maklaki. By March 30, 42. reached the line of Slobodka, Kamenka. Then it was transferred to the 5GvSK and in the Frolovskoye, Erobkino Svododa area was replenished with personnel and equipment.
On the morning of July 6, after strong artillery and air preparation, 16A Rokossovsky went on the offensive in the direction of the city of Zhizdra. It was planned to break through the enemy defenses between the Nepolod and Zhizdra rivers and capture the city of Zhizdra. By the time the 16A offensive began, the southern sector of the Soviet-German front was experiencing a severe crisis. The defense of the Bryansk and Southwestern fronts was crushed. German troops captured the city of Voronezh on the day our offensive began. The Soviet command planned to withdraw part of the enemy forces and reserves from the southern sector by offensive operations in the central sector of the front. From the enemy, this section of the front was occupied by 18td and units 208 and 216pd. The main blow in the 16A was delivered by General Korotkov's 5GvSK, which was supported by 283gap, 698lap, 112mp, 5 gmgd and tank units - 112 and 94 tbbr, 519 otdogntb. 5GvSK included 11gvsd, 19sbr, 115sbr and 4sbr. The reserve was 123sbr. Also, 10TK and 1gvmsd were concentrated in the immediate rear.
By the beginning of the offensive, the 11gvsd numbered (together with the artillery units supporting it and tank units-11gvsd, 94tbr and 519 otdogntb were supported in the offensive) 8500 bayonets, 5115 rifles, 769 machine guns, 237rp, 60 st. pool., 2 zen. pull., 176ptr, 16 122mm guns, 48 76mm guns, 15 45mm guns, 20 120mm mortars, 70 82mm mortars, 63 50mm mortars, 12 203mm guns. (regiment 1094apbm) 7 KV, 17 T-34, 13 T-60, 4 T-26, 16 KhT-130.
At 06:10 on July 6, artillery preparation began, and at 08:30 the infantry went on the attack. The tanks were late for the attack by 30 minutes, and when they went on the attack, they went off course (where passages were made and 240 mins were shot). Our infantry followed the tanks. Breaking into the enemy trenches, the regiments broke through the front line of the enemy. 40gvsp captured Katovichi. The 4th Rifle Brigade, advancing to the right, drove the enemy out of Zaprudnoye. However, in the afternoon, enemy resistance increased. German air raids began. We couldn't move forward that day.
It was not possible to resume the offensive on the morning of July 7, due to enemy counterattacks. Having pulled up their reserves, the Germans, having launched a counterattack, broke into Katovichi. However, together with the approaching 10TK brigades, our troops managed to recapture Kotovichi back. During a heavy battle, the German contracting units were driven back to Dmitrievka. Our units could not advance during the day. fighting July 8-9 also failed. The German units continuously launched counterattacks. There was no progress. Until July 14, the division, together with the 10TK brigades, launched an offensive against Bukan, but there was no success. On July 14, our units began to go on the defensive.
August 12, 1942 year withdrawn to the reserve of the Western Front. August 14, 1942 took up defensive positions on the river. Zhizdra from Gretnya to the mouth of the river. Red. Over the next days, together with the 32nd brigade, they repelled the attacks of the German 17th and 9th tank divisions (Operation Wirbelwind). On August 18, the Kampfgruppe Seitz (63rd MP, 17th Tank Division) broke through the division's defenses - two battalions of the 33rd Guards Rifle Regiment were surrounded and the division headquarters was destroyed. The defense of the 40th and 27th Guards Rifle Regiments was led by Major Shcherbina. The division was saved from further defeat by a counterattack by the 9th Tank Corps and the 326th Rifle Division. By August 23, units of the 40th and 33rd Guards Rifle Regiments withdrew beyond the river. Drisenka - from where they launched a counteroffensive in the following days. By August 26, parts of the division, pursuing the retreating enemy, crossed the river. Zhizdra and liberated the village of Vosty.
From September 1942 until the beginning of February 1943, the division took up defense south of the Zhizdra River at the turn of Gretnya, Vosta, Ulyanovsk district, Kaluga region.
At the end of March 1943 VGK rate and General base began to develop their plan for conducting military operations for the summer and autumn. From the middle, the development of a plan for both a defensive operation near Kursk and a counteroffensive under the code name Operation Kutuzov began. Due to the decision of the Stavka to switch to strategic defense in the summer of 1943 and the expectation of a German offensive, the start of the operation was postponed. It was proposed to wait for the results of the defensive battle near Kursk and, if successful, strike the German Oryol grouping from the northern front of the Oryol ledge of the front.
The 11th Guards Army (former 16th Army), which included the 11th Guards Rifle Division, was a formidable force. It included, for example, 12 rifle divisions and 2 tank corps, as well as many other units. In total, more than 170 thousand people.
5'th of July The German attack on Kursk began - Operation Citadel. By July 9, it became clear that the northern German group 9A Model could not achieve decisive success. The Germans brought into battle almost all the units of the 9th Army, but they could not break through the defenses of the Central Front. In seven days of fighting, the enemy advanced 10-12 km, and it was clear that further offensive attempts would not yield results.
July 12, 1943 our troops went on the offensive against the Oryol grouping of the enemy. From that moment it became clear that the Germans lost the battle, or rather the entire war, and now their lot is strategic defense along the entire eastern front ...
The 11th Guards Rifle Division was part of the 8GvSK. The 11th and 83rd Guards Rifle Divisions advanced in the first echelon, and the 26th Guards Rifle Division advanced in the second echelon. The task of breaking through the defense was as follows: 11th Guards Rifle Division with the 2nd Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment, the 1536th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, a company of the 140th Engineering Barrage Battalion, one company of the 243rd Army Engineer Battalion, and the 207th Separate Company of Knapsack Flamethrowers with a strike along roads Kolosovo, Otvershek to break through the enemy defenses in the sector (suit) Gray, the road Trostnyanka - Otvershek, destroy the enemy in the strongholds of Otvershek and Bely Verkh and, in cooperation with the 43rd Guards Tank Brigade and the 83rd Guards Rifle Division, capture the border of the southern slopes heights 242.8, 239.8; in the future, advancing south and interacting from the turn of the river. Fomin with the 5th Panzer Corps, by the end of the day, capture the Obukhovo line, (claim.) Elev. 215.2. By the end of the day, the forward detachments of the division, together with the 5th Panzer Corps, would reach the Vesnina-Krapivna line and hold it firmly until the main forces of the division approached.
On July 12, at 3:20 a.m., powerful artillery preparation began. Having fairly accurate data on the location of targets throughout the entire depth of the main zone, artillery in the first 5-minute fire raid brought down fire on trenches on the front line and strong points in the nearest depth, suppressing and destroying manpower and enemy firepower. After mastering the first position of the enemy's defense, the corps commander brought the 43rd Guards Tank Brigade into battle. Bypassing and blocking the strongholds, the advancing units captured by 9 o'clock: the 11th Guards Rifle Division with the 2nd Guards Heavy Tank Regiment of the breakthrough - an unnamed height east of Pochinki. As a result of the first day of the battle, the divisions of the 8th Guards Rifle Corps broke through the enemy's main line of defense, advanced 8–10 km and reached the second defensive line, while the neighbors on the right and left fought fierce battles for the third and second positions of the main line.
to the end July 13, 1943 fighting, the 8th Guards Rifle Corps, in cooperation with the 5th Tank Corps, broke through the entire tactical defense zone of the enemy, advanced to a depth of 16 km, and the forward detachments of divisions, together with formations of the 5th Tank Corps, to a depth of 22-30 km and created conditions for the offensive of the army troops on Bolkhov and Khotynets.
Meanwhile, in the Khotynets direction, the 16th Guards Rifle Corps was advancing south almost without hindrance. By the end of July 14, the depth of its wedging reached 45 km. To develop success, I.Kh. Bagramyan sent the 11th Guards Rifle Division from Bolkhov to this direction, and on July 17 he brought into battle the 25th Tank Corps of General F.G. Anikushkin. As a result, by July 19, the penetration depth reached 70 km. Army troops approached Khotynets, and the advanced units of the 16th Guards and 11th Rifle Divisions cut railway Orel-Kursk. But due to the fact that the offensive zone of the army expanded to 120 km, gaps formed between the formations. To correct the situation, I.Kh. Bagramyan began to hastily transfer troops from the flanks to the Khotynets direction. However, they were introduced into the battle at different times, and this did not allow to achieve significant results.
IN October 1943 11GvA was transferred to the Nevel area. There, the division, together with other units, on December 24, 1943, captured the large Gorodok railway junction. She participated in the Belarusian strategic offensive operation (Operation Bagration), distinguished herself in the battles for Vitebsk, crossed the Neman near the city of Alytus, seizing a bridgehead and advancing 60 kilometers in three days. Then she took part in the Gumbinen and East Prussian operations, the capture of Koenigsberg, and the battles in the Pillau area.
Plan:
- Introduction
- 1 Battle path
- 2 Troop commanders
- 3 Heroes Literature
Introduction
11th Guards Army- operational military association (combined arms army) as part of the Red Army and SA Armed Forces USSR
1. Battle path
Transformed in accordance with the directive of the Headquarters of the Supreme Command of April 16, 1943 from the 16th Army, formed in the Trans-Baikal Military District in 1940 (in Dauria).
By the time of the transformation, it included the 8th and 16th Guards Corps and one rifle division. Formed May 1, 1943. It was part of the Western, from July 30 Bryansk, from October 10 Baltic (from October 20, 1943 of the 2nd Baltic), from May 1944 - the 3rd Belorussian fronts.
Participated in the Oryol, Bryansk, Gorodok, Vitebsk, Belorussian, Gumbinnen and East Prussian offensive operations.
As part of the 3rd Belorussian Front, she participated in the assault on Koenigsberg, where she ended the war.
In total, during the Great Patriotic War, the army participated in 21 operations, occupied 14 large cities, more than 11,000 settlements, in East Prussia, during the East Prussian operation, captured more than 100 fortified settlements.
In the army during the war years, 170 servicemen became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
After the war, it was stationed in the Kaliningrad region.
In September 1945, in Kaliningrad, the first memorial in the country to those who died during the Great Patriotic War - 1200 guardsmen of the 11th Army was erected by the forces of the army personnel.
In peacetime in 1967, the army was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Participated in Operation Danube in Czechoslovakia.
Disbanded in the 1990s, troops transferred Baltic Fleet as coastal troops.
2. Troop commanders
- THEIR. Bagramyan, Marshal of the Soviet Union, (May 1, 1943 - November 1943);
- A.S. Ksenofontov, lieutenant general, (November 1943 - November 1943);
- K.N. Galitsky, army general, (November 1943 - May 1945);
3. Heroes
- I. N. Antonov
- S. S. Guriev
- A. I. Sommer
Literature
- Galitsky K. N. In the battles for East Prussia. Notes of the Commander of the 11th Guards Army. - M.: Nauka, 1970. 500 C.
- Galitsky K. N. Years of severe trials. 1941-1944. Commander's Notes. - M.: Nauka, 1973. 600 C.
- The assault on Koenigsberg. - Kaliningrad: Kaliningrad book publishing house, 1973. 384 C.
This abstract is based on an article from the Russian Wikipedia. Synchronization completed on 07/11/11 05:23:58
Related abstracts: 1st Guards Army , 2nd Guards Army , 4th Guards Army , Guards Army , 8th Guards Army , 9th Guards Army , 9th Guards Army (USSR) , 33rd Guards Rocket army,
