The 10th Tank Corps was a

tank corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armou ...

of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, formed twice.

First Formation

In May–June 1938, the 7th Mechanized Corps headquarters was relocated from Novy Petergof to Luga and converted into the 10th Tank Corps when the Red Army mechanized forces transitioned from a mechanized corps structure to a tank corps structure. On 4 August 1938, the 107th Separate Air Liaison Flight was formed as part of the corps at Luga. On 27 September 1939, the corps was relocated to the

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

area on the Estonian border, to back up threats of force against that country. On 2 October it was moved to the Latvian border to threaten Latvia as well. Both of these movements were made to force the two Baltic states into signing the

Soviet–Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty The Soviet–Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty (, ), also known as the Bases Treaty () was a bilateral treaty between the Soviet Union and Estonia, signed in Moscow on 28 September 1939. The treaty obliged both parties to respect each other's so ...

and the

Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty The Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty (, ) was a bilateral treaty between the Soviet Union and Latvia, signed in Moscow on October 5, 1939. The treaty obliged both parties to respect each other's sovereignty and independence, while in pr ...

, respectively, which established Soviet military bases on the territory of both countries. On 10 October, the 18th Light Tank Brigade was transferred to another unit and replaced by the 1st Light Tank Brigade. The corps' other brigades were the 13th Light Tank Brigade and the 15th Motor Rifle and Machine Gun Brigade. On 13 October the corps was transferred back to the

Leningrad Military District The Order of Lenin Leningrad Military District () is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010, it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern ...

from the 8th Army and returned to Luga. By 30 November, in preparation for the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

, the Soviet attack on Finland, the 10th was relocated to the Finnish border as part of the 7th Army. On 30 November, the corps crossed the border at the beginning of the invasion, with its headquarters in the Korkiamyaki area, then at

Rautu Sosnovo (; ) is a rural locality (a logging depot settlement) in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Karelian Isthmus, and an important railway station of the Saint Petersburg-Kuznechnoye railroad. Population: 7, ...

and Liipua. Between 13 and 16 December the 10th Tank Corps was transferred to advance towards

Vyborg Vyborg (; , ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of Vyborg Bay, northwest of St. Petersburg, east of the Finnish capital H ...

, concentrating in the Baboshino area. Its units were pulled out of combat and moved to Baboshin, with the headquarters at Tomilla by 20 December. The Red Army command considered the performance of the large tank corps to be unsatisfactory and ordered all of them, including the 10th, disbanded in January 1940 by an order dated 17 January. The corps headquarters was moved to

Kingisepp Kingisepp ( or ), formerly Yamburg (), Yam (), and Yama (; Votic language, Votic: Jaama), is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the ...

to be used to form an army group under the command of Dmitry Pavlov.

Second Formation

The corps was reformed in April 1942 and was part of

Steppe Front The Steppe Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War which existed from July to October 1943. History On 9 July 1943, Stavka designated a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, that had been effective since 30 April.G ...

for the

Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk, also called the Battle of the Kursk Salient, was a major World War II Eastern Front battle between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in southwestern Russia during the summer of 1943, resulting in ...

. Fatyh Zaripovich Sharipov appears to have won the

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

while operating with the corps. 10th Tank Corps was subsequently assigned to the

5th Guards Tank Army The 5th Guards Tank Army (Russian: 5-я гварде́йская та́нковая а́рмия) was a Soviet Guards armored formation which fought in many notable actions during World War II. The army was formed in February 1943. Until the aft ...

, but by April 1945 during the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula–Od ...

, the 10th Tank Corps was part 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 () or RGK ( comprises reserve military formations and units; the ''Stavka'' ...

(RVGK). It comprised the 178th, 183rd, and 186th Tank Brigades, and the 11th Motor Rifle Brigade. It should not be confused with 30th Tank Corps, which became 10th Guards Tank Corps. Postwar it became the 10th Tank Division. On 30 April 1957, it became the 34th Heavy Tank Division. In March 1965, it became the

34th Tank Division The 34th Tank Division was a formation of the Red Army and Soviet Ground Forces that was formed twice. First formation The first formation was with 8th Mechanized Corps in 1941. The formation began to be formed on June 4, 1940; it was under ...

. On 20 March 1992, it was taken over by Belarus. The division became the 34th Weapons and Equipment Storage Base, part of

North Western Operational Command North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north' ...

References

{{Soviet Union corps Tank corps of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1938 1942 establishments in the Soviet Union Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945