army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

World War II 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 opposing ...

Mikhail Katukov Marshal of Armoured Troops Mikhail Yefimovich Katukov (russian: Михаи́л Ефи́мович Катуко́в – 8 June 1976) served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as o ...

Operation Uranus Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis ...

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history ...

Group of Soviet Forces in Germany The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupat ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Stalingrad Front from the 38th Army in July 1942, under the command of Major General

Kirill Moskalenko Kirill Semyonovich Moskalenko (russian: Кирилл Семёнович Москаленко, uk, Кирило Семенович Москаленко; May 11, 1902 – June 17, 1985) was a Marshal of the Soviet Union. A member of the Soviet Arm ...

. The army was encircled and partially destroyed. It was disbanded as a result in August 1942, its headquarters becoming the

Southeastern Front The Southeastern Front was a front (Soviet Army), front of the Red Army during World War II. It was formed on August 5, 1942, out of parts of the Stalingrad Front, using the command elements from the 1st Tank Army, First Tank Army and the disbande ...

headquarters.

Second formation

The 1st Tank Army was formed a second time on 30 January 1943 (order No.46021) from the headquarters of the 29th Army, under the command of famous armoured troops commander Lieutenant General of Tank Troops

Mikhail Katukov Marshal of Armoured Troops Mikhail Yefimovich Katukov (russian: Михаи́л Ефи́мович Катуко́в – 8 June 1976) served as a commander of armored troops in the Red Army during and following World War II. He is viewed as o ...

, personally appointed by Stalin. The army was transferred to the

North-Western Front The Northwestern Front (Russian: ''Северо-Западный фронт'') was a military formation of the Red Army during the Winter War and World War II. It was operational with the 7th and 13th Armies during the Winter War. It was re-cr ...

. The 3rd Mechanised Corps (later to become 8th Guards Mechanised Corps) and 6th Tank Corps (later to become 11th Guards Tank Corps) joined it on formation, and served with the army throughout the war. It was quickly transferred to

Voronezh Front The 1st Ukrainian Front (Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front (Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a ...

for the defense of the

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

salient's southern shoulder. It was awarded a Guards title and became the 1st Guards Tank Army in April 1944, and Katukov was promoted to Colonel General. On 1 January 1945, the Army's principal combat formations were: *

8th Guards Mechanized Corps The 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division () is a formation of the Russian Ground Forces, originally formed within the Soviet Red Army as the 3rd Mechanised Corps. The division was reformed in 2021 from the former 20th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. Th ...

(Major General Ivan Dremov) (3 January 1944 – 9 May 1945) ** 19th Guards Mechanized Brigade ** 20th Guards Mechanized Brigade ** 21st Guards Mechanized Brigade ** 1st Guards Tank Brigade ** 48th Guards Separate Tank Regiment ** 353rd Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment ** 400th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment ** 265th Guards Mortar Regiment * ** 405th Guards Mortar Battalion * ** 358th Guards Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment ** 8th Guards Motorcycle Battalion *

11th Guards Tank Corps 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

(Colonel

Hamazasp Babadzhanian russian: Амазасп Хачатурович Бабаджанян , native_name_lang = , image = Hamazasp Babadzhanian 4.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = , birth_date = , death_date = , birth_place = ...

) (25 August 1944 – 9 May 1945) ** 40th Guards Tank Brigade ** 44th Guards Tank Brigade ** 45th Guards Tank Brigade ** 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade ** 399th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment ** 362nd Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment ** 1454th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment ** 350th Light Artillery Regiment ** 270th Guards Mortar Regiment * ** 53rd Guards Mortar Battalion * ** 1018th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment ** 9th Guards Motorcycle Battalion * Army Troops ** 64th Guards Tank Brigade ** 11th Guards Separate Tank Regiment ** 19th Light Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade ** 197th Light Artillery Brigade ** 79th Guards Mortar Regiment * ** 17th Motorised Engineer Brigade ** 191st Guards Liaison Aviation Regiment ** 6th Motorcycle Regiment ** 12th Guards Motorcycle Regiment * Guards Mortar Regiment (or Battalion) () was the overt designation used for

Katyusha rocket launcher The Katyusha ( rus, Катю́ша, p=kɐˈtʲuʂə, a=Ru-Катюша.ogg) is a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area ...

units. It participated in the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history ...

, the Proskurov-Chernovtsy Operation, Lvov-Sandomierz Operation, the Vistula-Oder Offensive, and the Battle of Berlin. The 1st Guards Tank Army was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...

postwar. It became part of the Soviet occupation force in Germany, known as

Group of Soviet Forces in Germany The Western Group of Forces (WGF),. previously known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG). and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG),. were the troops of the Soviet Army in East Germany. The Group of Soviet Occupat ...

, with its headquarters in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

. In 1968, it, along with the 11th Guards Tank and 20th Guards Motor Rifle Divisions, took part in the

Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...

, and then immediately returned to their respective garrisons. In the late 1980s the Army included the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 9th Tank Division, and

11th Guards Tank Division 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

. The headquarters was withdrawn to Smolensk, in the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military D ...

in the early 1990s, and lost the 'Tank' from its title in 1995. In its last period within the Russian Army it comprised the 4th Guards 'Kantemir' Tank Division and the 144th Motor Rifle Division (which had been withdrawn from

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

). It was disbanded in 1998.

1988 structure

The army's composition in 1988 was (with main equipment), with honorific titles in italics: * Army Headquarters,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

** 234th Separate Guard and Security Battalion,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 3rd Separate Guards ''Carpathian'' Communications Regiment,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 253rd Separate Radio Engineering Regiment,

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a dioces ...

* 51st Separate Radio Engineering Battalion,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 106th Separate Electronic Warfare Battalion,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 595th Separate Intelligence Gathering Battalion, Chemnitz (K-611) * 6th Separate Airborne Battalion,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 308th Artillery Brigade, Zeithain ( 2c5 Hyacinth) * 181st Guards ''Novozybkovskaya Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Alexander Nevsky'' Missile Brigade, Kochstedt * 432nd Missile Brigade,

Wurzen Wurzen () is a town in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Mulde, here crossed by two bridges, 25 km east of Leipzig, by rail N.E. of Leipzig on the main line via Riesa to Dresden. It has a cathedral datin ...

*

53rd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade The 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade is a surface-to-air missile brigade of the Russian Ground Forces. Part of the 20th Guards Army, the brigade is based at Kursk. Formed from an anti-aircraft regiment in 1967 in Armenia, the brigade was transfe ...

, Altenburg * 443rd Separate Engineer and Combat Engineering Battalion,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 68th Pontoon Bridge Regiment,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 41st Materiel Support Brigade,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

** 303rd Separate Repair and Recovery Battalion,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

** 338th Separate Repair and Recovery Battalion,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 225th Separate Attack Helicopter Regiment,

Allstedt Allstedt () is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approximatively 10 km southeast of Sangerhausen. History Allstedt is mentioned as the tithable place ''Altstedi'' in Friesenfeld in the H ...

(

Mil Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been ...

) * 485th Separate Attack Helicopter Regiment, Brandis (

Mil Mi-24 The Mil Mi-24 (russian: Миль Ми-24; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been ...

) * 6th Separate Transport Helicopter Squadron,

Klotzsche Klotzsche is a borough (''Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany. It consists of four quarters (''Stadtteile''): *Klotzsche proper *Hellerau *Rähnitz *Wilschdorf The borough is located north of the Elbe Valley and the Dresden city centre, on the we ...

( Mil Mi-8) * 9th ''Bobruisk-Berlin Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov'' Tank Division,

Riesa Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany. It is located on the river Elbe, approximately northwest of Dresden. History The name ''Riesa'' is derived from Slavic ''Riezowe''. This name, romanised as "Rezoa", appears first i ...

* 11th Guards ''Berlin-Carpathian'' Tank Division,

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

* 20th Guards ''Taganrog Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Division'' Motor Rifle Division,

Grimma Grimma ( hsb, Grima) is a town in Saxony, Central Germany, on the left bank of the Mulde, southeast of Leipzig. Founded in 1170, it is part of the Leipzig district. Location The town is in northern Saxony, southeast of Leipzig and south o ...

Reactivation

After a 15-year hiatus, the Army was reconstituted in November 2014, probably on 13 November 2014. The army was formed as the main ground forces manoeuvre and reserve operational formation of the

Western Military District The Western Military District (russian: Западный военный округ, Zapadnyy voyennyy okrug) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primari ...

, in addition to the 6th Combined Arms Army (headquartered in

Saint Petersburg 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 ...

) and the

20th Guards Combined Arms Army The 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (originally designated as the 4th Tank Army, 4th Guards Tank Army in 1945, 4th Guards Mechanised Army in 1946, and the 20th Guards Army in 1960 within the Soviet Ground Forces) is a field army. In 1991, after th ...

(headquartered in

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...

). It is considered an elite formation of the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...

. The army carries on the traditions of the chronologically first army of the Soviet Union to reach '''Guards status. It commands the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle and the 4th Guards Tank Divisions, which are considered the elite formations of their respective combat arms. The most decorated divisions of the Soviet Army, they were garrisoned the closest to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

for the city's defense. Due to their proximity to the capital, extra scrutiny was applied to personnel of these formations, making these postings especially prestigious. These units received the latest hardware and were thus known as the 'household' divisions of the Soviet Army. Their loyalty to the government was demonstrated by their involvement in the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt. The divisions retained their elite status within the Russian Army. The army also included the 6th Separate Guards Tank and the 27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigades. While the 4th Guards Tank Division uses T-80 tanks, the rest of the Army uses

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks h ...

B and

T-90 The T-90 is a third-generation Russian main battle tank. It uses a 125mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner's thermal sight. Standard protective measures include a blend of steel and comp ...

tanks, and

Kurganets-25 The Kurganets-25 (russian: Курганец-25) is a tracked, 25-ton modular infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier being developed for the Russian Army. The Kurganets-25 will evolve into various models, gradually replacing BMP, ...

fighting vehicles. Today the Army is composed of: * Army Headquarters (

Odintsovo Odintsovo ( rus, Одинцово, , ɐdʲɪnˈtsovə) is a city and the administrative center of Odintsovsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Western suburb of Moscow. Population: History The village of Odintsovo was established in the late ...

, Moscow Oblast) * 60th Command Brigade (Selyatino village near

Odintsovo Odintsovo ( rus, Одинцово, , ɐdʲɪnˈtsovə) is a city and the administrative center of Odintsovsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Western suburb of Moscow. Population: History The village of Odintsovo was established in the late ...

, Moscow Oblast) * 2nd Guards Motor Rifle '''Tamanskaya Division ( Kalininets, Moscow Oblast) * 4th Guards Tank '''Kantemirovskaya Division ( Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Oblast) with

T-80 The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72. The chief designer of the T-80 was S ...

tanks *

47th Guards Tank Division The 47th Guards Tank Division () is a tank division of the Russian Ground Forces. It was formed in October 1942, during World War II from the first formation of the 154th Rifle Division as the 47th Guards Rifle Division. It served with the 8 ...

( Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, reestablished 2022) * 27th Guards Motor Rifle '''Sevastopol Brigade ( Mosrentgen, Moscow City) * 112th Guards Missile '''Novorossiysk Brigade (

Shuya, Ivanovo Oblast Shuya ( rus, Шу́я, p=ˈʂujə) is the third largest town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia; located on the Teza River. Population: History The first record of Shuya is dated by 1393. Since 1403, the area was held by a branch of the House of S ...

) (

9K720 Iskander The 9K720 Iskander (russian: «Искандер»; NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a mobile short-range ballistic missile system produced and deployed by the Russian military. The missile systems () are to replace the obsolete OTR-21 ''Toc ...

) * 288th Artillery '''Warsaw Brigade ( Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast) *

49th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade The 49th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade () (russian: 49-я зенитная ракетная бригада (49 зрбр), translit=49-ya zenitnaya raketnaya brigada (49 zrbr); Military Unit Number 21555) is a surface-to-air missile brigade of the ...

( Krasnyi Bor, Smolensk Oblast) (

Buk-M2 The Buk (russian: link=no, "Бук"; "beech" (tree), ) is a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the Soviet Union and its successor state, the Russian Federation, and designed to counter cruise mis ...

) * 96th

ISTAR ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing ...

Brigade ( Sormovo, Nizhny Novgorod City) * 20th NBC Defence Regiment ( Tsentralny, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast) (MUN 12102) * 69th Logistics Brigade ( Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast)

Russo-Ukrainian War

During the

2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis In March and April 2021, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to begin massing thousands of personnel and equipment near its border with Ukraine and in Crimea, representing the largest mobilization since the anne ...

, elements of the 1st Guards Tank Army were reported to have forward deployed to the Pogonovo training ground south of

Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on ...

. Main battle tanks, self-propelled and towed artillery, and long-range multiple rocket launchers (MRLs), reportedly drawn from the 4th Guards Tank Division and the 2nd Motorised Rifle Division, were reported to have been positioned in the vicinity of Voronezh. A few months before the invasion, the

47th Guards Tank Division The 47th Guards Tank Division () is a tank division of the Russian Ground Forces. It was formed in October 1942, during World War II from the first formation of the 154th Rifle Division as the 47th Guards Rifle Division. It served with the 8 ...

was formed from the 6th Separate Guards Tank Brigade. After the invasion began in February 2022, the Army took part in the Northeastern Ukraine offensive of the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, with the 2nd Guards MRD taking part in the failed

Siege of Chernihiv The siege of Chernihiv was a military engagement in the city of Chernihiv, in Chernihiv Oblast in the north of Ukraine. It began on 24 February 2022, as part of the northeastern Ukraine offensive, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. On ...

. After 3 weeks of fighting 1st Guards Tank Army had lost 409 men (61 KIA, 209 WIA, 44 missing, 96 surrendered) and 308 units of military equipment according to Russian military documents according to Ukraine. The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence reported on 19 May 2022 that army commander General-Lieutenant Sergey Kisel had been suspended for his failure to capture

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Defence Intelligence Defence Intelligence (DI) is an organisation within the United Kingdom intelligence community which focuses on gathering and analysing military intelligence. It differs from the UK's intelligence agencies (MI6, GCHQ and MI5) in that it is an ...

identified 1st Guards Tank Army as the primary force that retreated from

Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast ( uk, Харківська́ о́бласть, translit=Kharkivska oblast), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna ( uk, Ха́рківщина), is an oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhan ...

during the Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive. Having suffered heavy casualties, it described the army as "severely degraded" and its ability to counter NATO "severely weakened."

Commanders of the Army

# Katukov, Mikhail Yefimovich – Guard ColGen, 1943–1947 # Belov, Yeftikhin Emelyanovich – Guard LtGen, 1947–1951 # Govorunenkov, Pyotr Dmitrievich – Guard GenLt, 1951–1953 # Yakubovsky, Ivan Ignatyevitch – Guard GenLt, 1953–1957 # Tolubko, Vladimir Fyodorovich – Guard MajGen, 1957–1958 # Ukhov, Vladimir Dmitrievich – Guard MajGen, 1958–1961 # Ivanovski, Yevgeny Filippovich – Guard MajGen, 1961–1964 # Kotsasnov, Konstantin Grigoryevich – Guard GenLt, 1964–1968 # Gerasimov, Ivan Aleksandrovich – Guard GenLt, 1968–1971 # Lushev, Pyotr Georgievich – Guard GenLt, 1971–1973 # Snetkov, Boris Vasilievich – Guard LtGen, 1973–1975 # Popov, Nikolai Ivanovich – Guard LtGen, 1975–1979 # Sovotskin, Roman Mikhailovich – Guard LtGen, 1979–1981 # Osipov, Vladimir Vasilyevich – Guard LtGen, 1981–1983 # Shein, Boris Pertovich – Guard LtGen, 1983–1986 # Tchernitsov, Anatoli Kupyanovich – Guard LtGen, 1986–1990 # Kolchkin, Gennadi Andreevich – Guard LtGen, 1990–1992 # Shevtsov, Leonti Pavlovich – Guard LtGen, 1992–1993 # Sosyedov, Vasili Petrovich – Guard LtGen, 1993–1995 # Roshchin, Viktor Mikhailovich – Guard LtGen, 1995–1999 # Did not exist (1999–2014) # Aleksandr Chaiko – Guard LtGen, 2014–2018 # Kisel, Sergei Aleksandrovich - Guard LtGen, 2018–2020"First Russian Soldier Standing Trial for War Crime in Ukraine Asks for Forgiveness Faces Life Imprisonment," ''Kyiv Independent,'' May 19, 2022
/ref>

References

* Bonn, K.E. 'Slaughterhouse – The Handbook of the Eastern Front', Aberjona Press, 2005 * Duncan, Andrew 'Russian Forces in Decline – Part 3', Jane's Intelligence Review, November 1996. * V.I. Feskov, Golikov V.I., K.A. Kalashnikov, and S.A. Slugin, ''The Armed Forces of the USSR after World War II, from the Red Army to the Soviet (Part 1: Land Forces).'' (В.И. Слугин С.А. Вооруженные силы СССР после Второй Мировой войны: от Красной Армии к Советской (часть 1: Сухопутные войска))

Tomsk Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a n ...

, 2013. * Glantz, David M. 'Companion to Colossus Reborn' University Press of Kansas, 2005. * {{Armies of the Russian Armed Forces Tank armies of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner Guards Armies Armies of the Russian Federation