2nd tank corps

The 2nd Panzer Corps began to form in April 1942 on the basis of the directive of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR No. 724218ss, dated March 31, 1942, in the city of Gorky and the region. For the headquarters of the corps , three rooms of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin were allocated, and compounds and parts of the corps were directly formed in winter camps under the city, where weapons and military equipment arrived.

On April 24, the 2nd Panzer Corps was transferred to the Bryansk Front , and the corps headquarters was located in the village of Kazaki , located fifteen kilometers west of Yelets .

On May 25, the corps was transferred to the 5th Panzer Army , and on July 15 the corps was withdrawn from the army and reassigned to the Bryansk Front.

On October 27, after participating in the battles in Stalingrad, the corps was withdrawn to the VGK reserve in the Tatishchev tank camps near Saratov , where a column of T-34 tanks “ Tambov collective farmer ” arrived, for the creation of which collective farmers raised 40 million rubles. On December 14, 1942, 161 registered combat vehicles with the inscription “Tambov collective farmer” were transferred to the tank corps (98 T-34 units and 63 T-70 units). The base officers of the corps were former cadets of the Saratov Tank School .

On December 22, 1942, the acquisition of the corps was completed and the corps was transferred to the Southwestern Front .

Before the start of the battle near Prokhorovka, the corps was reassigned to and withdrawn from its composition artillery units and support units.

By order of the People’s Commissar of Defense of the Union No. 284, dated September 19, 1943, the 2nd Panzer Corps was awarded the honorary title “Guards” for courage and heroism of the personnel, received a new troop number, and was transformed into the 8th Guards Tank Corps .

Commanders

• Major General Lizyukov, Alexander Ilyich (from April 15 to May 28, 1942);
• Colonel Maltsev, Semyon Petrovich (from May 28 to June 9, 1942);
• Major General of Tank Troops Lazarev, Ivan Gavrilovich (from June 10 to July 1, 1942);
• Colonel, Major General of the Tank Troops Kravchenko, Andrei Grigorievich (from July 2 to September 13, 1942);
• Major General of Tank Troops Hasin, Abram Matveevich (from September 14 to October 15, 1942);
• Major General of the Tank Forces, Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces Popov, Alexei Fedorovich (from October 16, 1942 to September 19, 1943).

Military Commissioners

Since the end of 1942, deputy corps commander for political affairs:

• divisional commissioner Tumanyan, Gai Lazarevich (from April 12 to May 26, 1942);
• Regimental Commissar Assorov, Nikolai Pavlovich (from May 26 to July 4, 1942);
• regimental commissar, from 01.20.1943 Colonel Derevyankin, Ivan G. (from July 4, 1942 to June 16, 1943);
• Colonel Kolosov, Nikolai Andreevich (from June 16 to September 19, 1943)

Chiefs of Staff

• Colonel Limarenko, Pyotr Alekseevich (from May 31 to June 9, 1942);
• Colonel Maltsev, Semyon Petrovich (from June 9, 1942 to February 6, 1943);
• Major General Koshelev, Vasily Vasilievich (from February 22 to September 19, 1943)

By early April 1942, the corps included:

• Housing management;
• 26th tank brigade ;
• 27th tank brigade ;
• 148th tank brigade of heavy tanks ;
• 2nd motorized rifle brigade

Housing Parts

• 894th Separate Communications Battalion, April 20, 1943
• 174th separate combat engineer battalion, since April 20, 1943
• 55th separate chemical protection company, from July 1, 1942
• 73rd mobile repair base, since July 1, 1942
• 100th mobile repair base, from July 1, 1942
• air link, from May 13, 1943
• 51st field car factory, from May 13, 1943

When reforming, the corps received new connections and parts:

• 26th tank brigade
• 99th Tank Brigade
• 169th tank brigade
• 58th Motorized Rifle Brigade
• 12th separate armored reconnaissance battalion

•   Borisov Mikhail Fedorovich , Guard Senior Sergeant, Komsomol Artillery Division of the 58th Motorized Rifle Brigade.
•   Startsev, Fedor Grigoryevich , Red Army soldier, assistant gunner of the anti-tank gun of the 2nd battalion of the 58th motorized rifle brigade.

• Ivanovsky E.F. The attack was launched by tankers = http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/ivanovsky_ef/index.html . - M .: Military Publishing , 1984 . - S. 254. - (Military memoirs). - 100,000 copies.

• 2nd tank corps