The Volkhov Front (russian: Волховский фронт) was a
major formation of the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
during the first period of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. It was formed as an expediency of an early attempt to halt the advance of the Wehrmacht
Army Group North
Army Group North (german: Heeresgruppe Nord) was a German strategic formation, commanding a grouping of field armies during World War II. The German Army Group was subordinated to the ''Oberkommando des Heeres'' (OKH), the German army high comman ...
in its offensive thrust towards
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. Initially the front operated to the south of Leningrad, with its flank on
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga (; rus, Ла́дожское о́зеро, r=Ladozhskoye ozero, p=ˈladəʂskəjə ˈozʲɪrə or rus, Ла́дога, r=Ladoga, p=ˈladəɡə, fi, Laatokka arlier in Finnish ''Nevajärvi'' ; vep, Ladog, Ladoganjärv) is a fresh ...
.
First formation
The Volkhov Front was formed on 17 December 1941 from the left wing of the
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. ...
and elements of the
Reserve of the Supreme High Command
The Reserve of the Supreme High Command (Russian: Резерв Верховного Главнокомандования; also known as the ''Stavka'' Reserve or RVGK ( ru , РВГК)) comprises reserve military formations and units; the Stav ...
(''
Stavka
The ''Stavka'' (Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка) is a name of the high command of the armed forces formerly in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine.
In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrative staff ...
'' Reserve) during the conduct of the
Tikhvin Offensive operation under the command of the
Army General
Army general is the highest ranked general officer in many countries that use the French Revolutionary System.
In countries that adopt the general officer four rank system, it is rank of general commanding an army in the field, but in coun ...
Kirill Meretskov, with General
Grigory Stelmakh (former commander of the
4th Army) as Chief of Staff and
Army Commissar of 1st rank A.I.Zaporozhets.
[Meretskov, On the service of the nation, Ch.6]
Initially
Sokolov's
26th Army (later
2nd Shock Army
The 2nd Shock Army (russian: 2-я Ударная армия) was a field army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This type of formation was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to ''overcome diffi ...
) and
Galanin's
59th Armies were allocated to the Front's formation. The Front also included Meretskov's
4th Army and
Klykov's
52nd Army. The Front's
air support was provided by the
14th Air Army
The 14th Air Army was an air army of the Soviet Air Forces during World War II and the Cold War and of the Ukrainian Air Force in the early Post-Soviet period.
Soviet period
The Army was first formed from the Air Forces of the Volkhov Front in ...
(russian: 14-я воздушная армия) of General-Major I.P.
Zhuravlev. The
8th Army that was formed in early January was also added to the Front. Initially the Front held a frontage of 250 km.
The Front's neighbouring formations were the
54th Army of the
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. ...
(later incorporated into the Volkhov Front) and the
11th Army of the
North-Western Front.
Volkhov Front's goal was to move westward, pushing towards the Leningrad Front. In order to do this, it had to deceive the German army in several respects. This was carried out, for instance, by attacking the enemy in a swampy region, the least trafficable area where the German weakness compensated for the difficulty in movement.
This constituted a deception because the Soviets have been focusing their attacks on a very narrow attack sector (16 kilometers).
Secondly, Meretskov also directed a series of false and diversionary maneuvers. There was the case of tactical strategy that made the Germans believe the troops were amassing in the Malaya Vishera, which is located east of the Volkhov region.
This gave the impression that the Volkov Front's target was Novgorod while the attack took place elsewhere. Meretskov's front's aimed to inflict the main blow south to Chudovo while the 8th army's main target was north of Mga.
2nd Shock Army and Vlasov
Andrey Vlasov
Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov (russian: Андрéй Андрéевич Влáсов, – August 1, 1946) was a Soviet Red Army general and Nazi collaborator. During World War II, he fought in the Battle of Moscow and later was captured att ...
was named Deputy Commander under Meretskov and in charge of the
2nd Shock Army
The 2nd Shock Army (russian: 2-я Ударная армия) was a field army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. This type of formation was created in accordance with prewar doctrine that called for Shock Armies to ''overcome diffi ...
(russian: 2-ая Ударная Армия). On January 7, 1942, he spearheaded the
Lyuban Offensive Operation
The Battle of Lyuban, Lyuban offensive operation or Battle of the Volkhov (7 January 1942 – 30 April 1942) (Russian: Любанская наступательная операция; German: Schlacht am Wolchow) was a Soviet offensive operatio ...
to break the
Leningrad encirclement. Planned as a combined operation between the Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts on a 30 km frontage, other armies of the
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. ...
(including the 54th) were supposed to participate at scheduled intervals in this operation. Crossing the
Volkhov River
The Volkhov (russian: Во́лхов) is a river in Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. It connects Lake Ilmen and Lake Ladoga and form ...
Vlasov's army was successful in breaking through the
German Eighteenth Army lines and penetrated 70–74 km deep inside the German rear area.
The other armies (Volkhov Front's 4th, 52nd, and 59th Armies, 13th Cavalry Corps, and 4th and 6th Guards Rifle Corps), however, failed to provide the required support, and Vlasov's army became stranded. Permission to retreat was refused. With the counter-offensive in May 1942, the Second Shock Army was finally allowed to retreat, but by now, too weakened, it was annihilated. Vlasov was taken prisoner by the Wehrmacht troops on July 6, 1942.
Volkhov Operational Group
The Front was disbanded and its elements reorganised as the ''Volkhov Operational Group'' and incorporated into the
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. ...
on 23 April 1942.
[Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation]
Strategic operations
*
Tikhvin strategic offensive operation of 1941 (russian: Тихвинская стратегическая наступательная операция 1941 года)
Front and Army operations
*
Tikhvinsk-Kirishsk offensive operation of 1941 (russian: Тихвинско-Киришская наступательная операция 1941 года)
*
Malo-Vishersk offensive operation of 1941 (russian: Мало-Вишерская наступательная операция 1941 года)
*
Lyubansk offensive operation of 1942 (russian: Любанская наступательная операция 1942 года).
Second formation
The Front was reformed on the 9 June 1942 from the
Volkhov Operational Group of the
Leningrad Front
The Leningrad Front (russian: Ленинградский фронт) was formed during the 1941 German approach on Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) by dividing the Northern Front into the Leningrad Front and Karelian Front on August 27, 1941. ...
and served until 15 February 1944, participating in the relief of the
Siege of Leningrad
The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of ...
and taking part in other operations including:
Campaigns
*
Winter Campaign on 1942–43
*
Summer Autumn Campaign of 1943
*
Winter-Spring Campaign of 1944
The strategic operations
*
Leningrad-Novgorod strategic offensive operation of 1944 (russian: Ленинградско-Новгородская стратегическая наступательная операция 1944 года)
* Relief of the Leningrad blockade through
Operation Spark in 1943 (russian: Наступательная операция «Искра» 1943 года)
Front and army operations
*
Operation for the conclusion of extricating of the 2nd Shock Army of 1942 (russian: Операция по выводу из окружения 2-й ударной армии 1942 года)
*
1942 Sinyavin offensive (russian: Синявинская наступательная операция 1942 года)
*
Minsk offensive operation of 1943 (russian: Минская наступательная операция 1943 года)
*
Novgorod-Luzhsk offensive operation of 1944 (russian: Новгородско-Лужская наступательная операция 1944 года)
References
Sources
*Meretskov, K.A., On the service of the nation. Moscow, Politizdat, 1968 (russian: Мерецков К.А. На службе народу. — М.: Политиздат, 1968.)
*Bonn/Glantz, Slaughterhouse: Handbook of the Eastern Front, Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005
*
John Erickson John Erickson may refer to:
* John E. Erickson (Montana politician) (1863–1946), American politician from Montana
* John E. Erickson (basketball) (1927–2020), American basketball coach and executive, Wisconsin politician
* John P. Erickson (1 ...
, The Road to Stalingrad, 1975, p. 278, 332
* Lubbeck, William and David B. Hurt. ''At Leningrad's Gates: The Story of a Soldier with Army Group North'', Philadelphia, PA: Casemate, 2006 ().
{{Fronts of the Red Army in World War II
Soviet fronts