27th Army (USSR)

Formation

The 27th Army Directorate was formed on May 25, 1941 in the Baltic Special Military District .

As part of the army from June 22, 1941 to December 25, 1941.

1941

In accordance with the plan for covering the state border, the army was given a rather limited task: to defend the coastal areas of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea and the islands of the Moonsund archipelago , that is, to conduct anti-landing defense of the coast, as well as the territory of Estonia and northern Latvia .

On June 22, 1941, the army’s command was stationed in Riga, and with the outbreak of hostilities, the army’s tasks changed: already on June 25, 1941, army formations were to defend along the Western Dvina River and prevent enemy units from crossing the Gulbene - Livani section to the left of the lane, where the defense was to organize the outgoing units of the 8th army . However, the army did not manage to organize defense, as already on June 26, 1941 the advanced German units of the 56th motorized corps crossed the river and occupied Daugavpils . In fairness, it should be noted that in general there was nothing to organize the defense of the army: low-fighting national formations: the 22nd Rifle Corps had just begun to move from Estonia , the 24th Rifle Corps was selected from near Riga . The 67th Infantry Division was killed in Liepaja , the 16th Infantry Division was left in Estonia, being almost the only more or less large unit covering this territory. The 3rd rifle brigade was generally located on the islands.

Thus, it is fair to say that the 27th Army only by the end of June 1941 began to organize some kind of defense along the Zapadnaya Dvina River . However, this defense turned out to be short-lived: on July 2, 1941, German troops went on the offensive, striking, in particular, between the units of the 27th Army and the 8th Army, as a result of which the army units began to retreat to Opochka - Ostrov .

By July 10, 1941, units of the army were defending on the Opochka section (along the Velikaya river) - Novorzhev , the army was in Bezhanitsy . To the left of the army was the 22nd Army of the Western Front, more or less firmly covering the direction to Nevel , and to the right of the army, German troops broke through in the direction of Porkhov - Bottom , cutting and chasing the formations of the 11th Army . During the second half of July 1941, army formations gradually retreated to the line of the Lovat river on the Staraya Russa - Kholm section. The army retreated with battles, some of its units were surrounded several times, in the end, on August 3, 1941, the army left the hill and moved east. On August 9, 1941, Soviet troops left Staraya Russa north and retreated to Lovat . Since August 12, 1941, an army from the area east of the Hill has been attacking in the area of ​​Staraya Russa, Kholm , the army units had some advance, but were stopped on the outskirts of the city.

On August 30, 1941, German troops, in turn, launched a massive offensive on the entire Northwest Front , on September 1, 1941, and on the army site. Moreover, one of the powerful blows was inflicted from the Hill region by the forces of the 57th motorized corps of Army Group Center , in the general direction of Demyansk and to the area south of it. The army’s defense was quickly broken through, partly the army was encircled in the interfluve of Pola and Lovati, partly retreated to Molvotitsy – Ostashkov – Demyansk . September 8, 1941 the combined detachment of the army headquarters was one of the last to leave Demyansk . On September 9-10, 1941, the army, which had withdrawn to parts of Demyansk and escaped from the encirclement, made attempts to return Demyansk, but they were unsuccessful, and the army formations retreat further. By the beginning of October 1941, the front line in the army strip had stabilized: the army had defended at the turn: the eastern shore of Lake Velho - the northern tip of Lake Seliger - the eastern shore of Lake Seliger . The German troops could not advance beyond this line, but in general they were not particularly active, as the communications of the Wehrmacht were already very stretched, the right flank of the German troops was almost bare, from the left flank over the so-called Demyansk ledge hung parts of the 11th and 34th Army.

Until December 1941, the army was on the defensive in its former positions, limited to private operations.

Disbandment

On December 25, 1941, the army was renamed the 4th shock army as part of the North-Western Front .

Guide

Commanders:

• Berzarin, Nikolai Erastovich , Major General , from 05.25.1941 to 12.25.1941

Members of the Military Council:

• Batrakov, Pyotr Kapitonovich , Division Commissioner , from 13.06.1941 to 09.25.1941
• Rudakov, Mikhail Vasilievich , Brigadier Commissioner , from 09.25.1941 to 12.25.1941

Chiefs of Staff:

• Boloznev V.V., Colonel , from 05.25.1941 to 07.19.1941
• Yarmoshkevich, Pavel Sergeevich , major general , from 07/19/1941 to 10/11/1941
• Romanov F.N., Major General , from 10/11/1941 to 12/25/1941

Combat composition

At various times, the army included

Army Monthly Combat

Formation

The 27th Army of the 2nd formation was formed on June 1, 1942 on the basis of the directive of the Supreme High Command Headquarters of May 22, 1942 on the basis of the formations of the 11th Army in the North-Western Front .

As part of the army from June 1, 1942 to April 8, 1943 and from July 9, 1943 to May 9, 1945.

1942

The army is located on the stretch of Staraya Russa - Ramushevo - Pola River, is fighting on the Ramushev corridor .

1943

From February 8, 1943, the Army took part in the Demyan offensive operation and in the Old Russian operation , after which it was withdrawn to the headquarters of the Supreme Command. He re-enlisted in the army in July 1943, entered the battle during the Belgorod-Kharkov offensive operation , advancing from the southern face of the Kursk Bulge , approximately from the Proletarsky region, to Graivoron and Akhtyrka , where south of Akhtyrka came under counterattack by enemy troops.

At the end of September 1943, the army was transferred to the Bukrinsky bridgehead , where it is fighting for its expansion. After the liberation of Kiev, from November 21, 1943, it fights south of the city, adjoining the Dnieper with its left flank.

1944

In the same area, it breaks through the enemy’s defenses, forming the inner front of the encirclement during the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky operation , and takes part in the destruction of the encircled group. At the end of the operation, it was transferred north of Uman , from where it comes during the Uman-Botoshan operation , and entered the territory of Romania.

In early April 1944, the Great Germany division launched a successful counterattack in the Tirgu Frumos region of Romania , where it defeated by encircling the 35th Guards Rifle Corps of the 27th Soviet Army ^[1] .

During the Iasi-Chisinau operation, it advances south from the area west of Iasi , went to Ploiesti , then to Pitesti , from there it advances north to Cluj , from where it proceeds towards Debrecen during the Debrecen operation , then during the Budapest operation to Miskolc .

1945

In February 1945, it was deployed south of Budapest , where it takes part in the Balaton operation , and then went on the offensive during the Vienna operation , advancing in the general direction of Veszprem - Zalaegerszeg - Graz . In the course of the Graz-Amstetten offensive operation, the army reached the Mur River on the Graz - Brook section by May 10, 1945, where it met with allied American forces.

Disbandment

Army management disbanded in August 1946.

Guide

Commanders:

• Ozerov, Fedor Petrovich , Major General , from 05.22.1942 to 01.29.1943
• Trofimenko, Sergey Georgievich , lieutenant general , from September 13, 1944 colonel general from 01/29/1943 to 09/09/1945
• Boldin, Ivan Vasilievich , Colonel General , from July 9, 1945 to July 5, 1946

Members of the Military Council:

• Shevchenko, Ivan Petrovich , major general , from 05.25.1942 to 05.29.1944
• Sevastyanov, Pyotr Vasilyevich , major general , from 05/30/1944 to 05/09/1945

Chiefs of Staff:

• Stepanov, Ivan Ivanovich , Colonel , from 10/14/1942 - Major General, from 05/22/1942 to 12/16/1942
• Lukyanchenko, Grigory Sergeevich , Colonel , from September 15, 1943 - Major General, from December 16, 1942 to July 23, 1944
• Bragin, Georgy Mikhailovich , Major General of the Signal Corps, from 07.23.1944 to 09.13.1945

Battle

At different times, the army included:

Army Monthly Combat

• N.V. Ogarkov. Twenty-seventh Army // Soviet Military Encyclopedia. - Moscow: Military Publishing House, 1977. - T. 3. - S. 108. - 672 p. - 105,000 copies.

• List No. 2 of the directorates of all armies, districts and flotillas that were part of the army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
• The combat structure of the Soviet army. Parts 1-5
• 27th army