The 11th Army was an army 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 ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The army was formed in the
Belarusian Special Military District (BSMD) in 1939 from the former Minsk Army Group. It fought in the
Soviet invasion of Poland
The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...
, the
Baltic Operation, the
Demyansk Pocket, and 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 ...
. The army disbanded in December 1943.
World War II
In 1939, the 11th Army was formed in the
Belarusian Special Military District (BSMD) from the former Minsk Army Group. It took part in the
Soviet invasion of Poland
The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...
. In the summer of 1940 it became part of the
Baltic Military District
The Baltic Military District () was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Baltic states, formed shortly before the German invasion during World War II. After the end of the war the Kaliningrad Oblast was added to the District's co ...
(from 17 August 1940 the Baltic Special military district).
During the
German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the 11th Army included the
16th Rifle Corps (which included the
5th,
33rd and
188th Rifle Divisions), the
29th Rifle Corps (
179th and
184th Rifle Divisions), the
3rd Mechanised Corps (640 tanks), the
23rd,
126th and
128th Rifle Divisions, the
42nd (Siauliai) and
46th Fortified Regions (Telsiai), the
45th Fortified Regions , and other smaller formations and units. It participated in military operations as part of the Soviet
Northwestern 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-c ...
west and south-west of
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
and
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
.
After 9 July 1941, it included the
41st,
22nd Rifle Corps, and the
1st Mechanised Corps. After 1 September 1941, it included the
180th,
182nd,
183rd,
202nd,
254th Rifle Divisions, 21st Motor Rifle Regiment, 9th Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade,
614th Corps Artillery Regiment, 698th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiment, the 87th and 110th Independent Tank Battalions,
7th Mixed Aviation Division, and a number of separate formations.
[ Combat composition of the Soviet Army, 1 September 1941]
In 1942 and 1943 it participated in attacks against the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
near
Solzy and
Staraya Russa
Staraya Russa (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist, Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased over ...
and in operations around the
Demyansk Pocket. In the summer and fall 1943 it was part of the
Western Front. In mid July 1943 the Army commanded the
53rd Rifle Corps, the
4th,
96th,
260th,
273rd and
323rd Rifle Division, the 225th Tank Regiment and other units. From July 30 11th Army joined the
Bryansk Front, and fought in 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 ...
.
In December 1943 the 11th Army was dissolved, with the personnel being integrated into other Soviet armies.
The commanders of the 11th Army were:
*
Nikifor Medvedev (7 September 1939 – 26 July 1940)
*
Vasili Morozov (26 July 1940 – 18 November 1942)
*
Pavel Kurochkin (18 November 1942 – 15 March 1943)
*
Anton Lopatin (15 March 1943 – 14 July 1943)
*
Ivan Fedyuninsky (14 July 1943 – 23 December 1943)
References
External links
* Orbat.com/Niehorster
Order of Battle, 22 June 1941
{{Armies of the Soviet Army , state=collapsed
011
Military units and formations established in 1939
Military units and formations disestablished in 1943
Military units and formations of the Soviet invasion of Poland