Front (large association)
Front ( Russian Фронт ) denotes in Russian and Soviet military science the highest operational union of several large units of different branches of the armed forces and at the same time the highest form of division of the armed forces in times of war . It roughly corresponds to an army or army group .
The front originated as an operational formation in the Russo-Japanese War 1904/1905. During the First World War , the front was already an integral part of the structure of the Russian armed forces. The Red Army used the front as a major operational unit in the Polish-Soviet War in 1920, during the occupation of Eastern Poland and in the Soviet-Finnish Winter War in 1939. During the German attack on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the western military districts initially formed four fronts ( north , north-west , west and south-west ). By the end of the war, other fronts were formed and renamed again and again. To this day, the Russian armed forces provide for the formation of fronts through the military districts in the event of mobilization .
Fronts of the Red Army 1941–1945
During the Great Patriotic War , the fronts were either directly subordinate to the High Command ( Stawka ) or to one of the regional commanders-in-chief (Glawkom) who had been deployed in July 1941 for the Northwestern , Southwestern and South Strategic Direction (Naprawlenije) and as regional representatives of the Stawka the operations directed several fronts in one theater of war. In this way they were formally equal to the army groups of the German Wehrmacht , although these generally had more units and had the strength of several Soviet fronts. In fact, the number of large units subordinate to the Soviet fronts decreased in the course of the war, so that towards the end of the war they were more like a German army command in terms of strength .
The front commands were similar to the general commands of the German Wehrmacht i. d. R. set up from the headquarters of the military districts, a deputy command remained in the military districts. The commander of the military district then took over the leadership of the front, with a staff at his side. In the Red Army and later in the Soviet Army there was also the (1st) member of the War Council ( Political Commissar ) and, for political work, a political department under a head of the political department. The front consisted of several armies, independent corps and special troop units such as artillery divisions and regiments and engineer troop units. During the Second World War , an air army was usually subordinate to a front. Some of the fronts also had units of the naval forces. B. subordinated to the southern front air forces of the Black Sea Fleet .
The purpose of the fronts was to enable central leadership for a specific task. If a front had to fulfill several tasks at the same time, it was often separated into new fronts. The names of the fronts changed accordingly. After the fronts crossed the pre-war borders of the Soviet Union in 1943/44, their designation remained unchanged until the end of the war.
It was envisaged that the fronts would conduct deep operations . With the armies under their command, they were to attack in converging directions in order to break through the enemy defensive positions and encircle and destroy the main enemy power. The development of the offensive into the operational depth should then take place through the use of mechanized and cavalry corps, front-line reserves and air landings in the enemy rear. The structure of a front for this purpose provided:
- 3-4 shock armies
- 1-2 general armies
- 1-2 mechanized, armored or cavalry corps
- 15–30 aviation divisions.
Such a front could advance in a 250–300 km wide section against targets at a depth of 150 to 250 km and lead the main attack on a 60–80 km wide section. This corresponded to a troop concentration of one division on 2–2.5 km, 40–100 guns per km, and 50–100 tanks per km. A frontline operation was supposed to take 15-20 days and advance 10-15 km per day for infantry and 40-50 km for mobile forces. The front usually consisted of an attack squadron of strong push and general armies and a mobile group of armored, mechanized and cavalry corps. Airmen and reserves supported the operating fronts.
Individual fronts during the German-Soviet War
As the Schematic of Battle of the Red Army on 22 June 1941 shows existed in the Red Army at the beginning of the Second World War, the northern front , Northwest Front , Western Front , Southwest Front and South Front . The Baltic Front , the Brjansk Front and the Central Front were later created , but after a short time they were reunited with the Brjansk Front. There was also the Transcaucasus Front , which was supposed to repel a possible attack by Turkey, and the Far Eastern Front . There was also the reserve front for a short time .
In defense of Leningrad, the Northern Front became the Leningrad Front and the Karelian Front . The Volkhov Front and the Kalinin Front in the Battle of Moscow were later established . In 1942 the Crimean front tried to retake the Crimea .
During the German advance ( Operation Blau ) in the south, the Voronezh Front , the Stalingrad Front and the North Caucasus Front emerged , which was later transformed into the Black Sea group of the Transcaucasus Front . At the height of the Battle of Stalingrad , the Stalingrad Front was divided into the Stalingrad Front and the Southeast Front . In preparation for the counter-offensive that was Stalingrad front in Don front and the southeastern front again in Stalingrad front renamed. After the defeat of the German 6th Army , the Don Front was renamed the Central Front and relocated. In preparation for the Kursk battle , a reserve front was created again, which was later renamed the Steppe Military District and then the Steppe Front .
In October 1943, the fronts were completely redesigned and renamed. The Baltic Front became the 2nd Baltic Front , the Kalinin Front became the 1st Baltic Front , the Central Front became the Belarusian Front , the Voronezh Front became the 1st Ukrainian Front , the Steppe Front became the 2nd Ukrainian Front , from the south-western front the 3rd Ukrainian front and from the southern front the 4th Ukrainian front , which was disbanded after the conquest of Crimea and was later created for the attack via the Eastern Carpathians into Slovakia. In 1944, the 2nd Belarusian Front was created and the Belarusian Front was renamed the 1st Belarusian Front . The Volkhov Front and the Northwest Front were dissolved. The North Caucasus Front was transformed into an independent coastal army. The western front was renamed the 3rd Belarusian Front . In addition, the 3rd Baltic Front was created.
In the war against Japan in 1945, the 1st Far Eastern Front and the 2nd Far Eastern Front were formed, supported by the Transbaikal Front , which had existed since 1941 .
List of fronts of the Red Army
| Belarusian front | October 1943 to February 1944 | became 1st Belarusian Front |
| 1. Belarusian Front | February 1944 to June 1945 | |
| 2. Belarusian Front | February to April 1944; April 1944 to June 1945 | |
| 3. Belarusian Front | April 1944 to August 1945 | |
| Bryansk Front | August to November 1941 and December 1941 to August / October 1943, in the meantime reserve front | incorporated into the Belarusian front |
| Volkhov Front | December 1941 to April 1942 and June 1942 to February 1944 | became 3rd Baltic Front |
| Voronezh Front | July 1942 to August 1943 | became 1st Ukrainian Front |
| Far Eastern Front | June to August 1938 and July 1940 to August 1945 | became 2nd Far Eastern Front |
| 1. Far Eastern Front | August to October 1945 | |
| 2. Far Eastern Front | August to September 1945 | |
| Donfront | July 1942 to February 1943 | became the central front |
| Transbaical Front | January 1941 to August 1945 | |
| Transcaucasus Front | August 1941 to August 1945 (December 1941 to May 1942 Caucasus Front) | |
| Western front | June 1941 to April 1944 | became 2nd Belarusian Front |
| Kalininer Front | October 1941 to October 1943 | became 1st Baltic Front |
| Karelian Front | September 1941 to November 1944 | became 1st Far Eastern Front |
| Crimean Front | January - May 1942 | |
| Leningrad Front | August 1941 to July 1945 | |
| Baltic front | October 1943 | became 2nd Baltic Front |
| 1. Baltic Front | October 1943 to February 1945 | |
| 2nd Baltic Front | October 1943 to April 1945 | |
| 3rd Baltic Front | April to October 1944 | |
| Reserve front (1st formation) | June to October 1941 | incorporated into the western front |
| Reserve front (2nd formation) | March to September 1943 (March 23-27, Kursk Front; March 27-28, Oreler Front) | interim name for the Brjansk Front |
| Northern front | June to August 1941 | became Leningrad Front / Karelian Front |
| Northwest Front | June 1941 to January / February 1944 | incorporated into the Baltic Front |
| North Caucasus Front | May to September 1942 and January to September / November 1943 | incorporated into the Transcaucasus Front |
| Stalingrad Front | July 1942 to January 1943 | became the Don Front in September 1942, the Southeast Front becomes the Stalingrad Front |
| Steppe front | July to October 1943 | became 2nd Ukrainian Front |
| 1st Ukrainian Front | October 1943 to June 1945 | |
| 2nd Ukrainian front | October 1943 to June 1945 | |
| 3rd Ukrainian front | October 1943 to June 1945 | |
| 4th Ukrainian front | October 1943 to July 1945 | |
| Central front | June to August 1941 and February to October 1943 | became the Belarusian front |
| Southeast front | August to September 1942 | became the Stalingrad Front |
| Southwest front | June 1941 to August 1943 | became 3rd Ukrainian Front |
| South front | June 1941 to July 1942 and January to August 1943 | became 4th Ukrainian Front |
See also: German-Soviet War
literature
- David M. Glantz, The Military Strategy of the Soviet Union. A history. London, Portland OR, 1992.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Glantz, p. 67.