The 17th Mechanized Corps (

Military Unit Number A Military Unit Number (Russian: Войсковая часть) is a numeric alternate designation for military units in the armed forces and internal troops of post-Soviet states, originally used by those of the Soviet Union. For ground forces t ...

9406) was a mechanised unit 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 ...

. Formed in March 1941, the corps was destroyed in the

Battle of Białystok–Minsk The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbarossa ...

and reduced in size to the 147th Tank Brigade.

History

Formation

Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F016199-10, Zerstörter sowjetischer Panzer

The 17th Mechanized Corps was formed in March 1941 at

Baranovichi Baranavichy ( ; be, Бара́навічы, Łacinka: , ; russian: Бара́новичи; yi, באַראַנאָוויטש; pl, Baranowicze) is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus, with a population (as of 2019) of 179,000. It is n ...

under the command of Mikhail Petrovich Petrov. It was part of the Western Special Military District's reserve at

Slonim Slonim ( be, Сло́нім, russian: Сло́ним, lt, Slanimas, lv, Sloņima, pl, Słonim, yi, סלאָנים, ''Slonim'') is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus, capital of the Slonimski rajon. It is located at the junction of the Ščar ...

. The corps included the 27th and 36th Tank Divisions, and the 209th Motorized Division. The 17th Mechanized Corps was a cadre-strength formation equipped with only 36 tanks, which included 24

BT tank The BT tanks (russian: Быстроходный танк/БТ, translit=Bystrokhodnyy tank, lit. "fast moving tank" or "high-speed tank") were a series of Soviet light tanks produced in large numbers between 1932 and 1941. They were lightly a ...

s, a T-26 tank, and eleven T-37,

T-38 T38 or T-38 may refer to: * T38 (classification), a disability sport classification for disability athletics * T.38, a standard for fax over IP * T-38 tank, a Soviet light tank * Allison T38, a turboprop aircraft engine * Northrop T-38 Talon, a U ...

, and

T-40 The T-40 amphibious scout tank was an amphibious light tank used by the Soviet Union during World War II. It was armed with one 12.7 mm (0.5 in) DShK machine gun. It was one of the few tanks that could cross an unfordable river without ...

amphibious tanks.

Battle of Białystok–Minsk

Following the

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

, the 17th Mechanized corps fought in the

. The corps was initially stationed in the rear but was moved forward to

to stop the German advance. On 26 June it fought in defensive battles around Baranovichi, Stowbtsy, and

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...

. Its positions were broken through by the German XLVII Army Corps (Motorized). The outnumbered 17th Mechanized Corps was unable to offer much resistance to the attack and its remnants retreated eastwards to the

Berezina The Berezina or Biarezina ( be, Бярэ́зіна; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is 613 km. The width of the river is 15-20 m, the ...

, where they linked up with other Soviet units. By 3 July it was still mostly fighting on the western bank of the

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine ...

. It suffered heavy losses in the fighting and on 5 July was allocated to the 21st Army after being ordered to

Babruysk Babruysk, Babrujsk or Bobruisk ( be, Бабруйск , Belarusian Latin alphabet, Łacinka: , rus, Бобруйск, Bobrujsk, bɐˈbruɪ̯s̪k, yi, באָברויסק ) is a city in the Mogilev Region of eastern Belarus on the Berezina rive ...

on the previous day. On 7 July the corps' strength returns (lists of equipment) showed no armored vehicles. On 14 July the 16th Army was ordered to attack south towards

Gorki Gorki may refer to: * Gorki Águila (b. 1968), Cuban rock musician * Gorki (band), a Belgian band of Luc De Vos * Gorki (Kazan Metro), a station of the Kazan Metro, Kazan, Russia * Gorki Ridge, a ridge in Antarctica * Gorki, Russia, several inh ...

alongside the 17th Mechanized Corps to destroy the German advance troops. The corps increased its resistance as it retreated, fighting against the German 10th Panzer Division as it advanced towards Pochinok on 16 July. On 18 July, the 16th Army was again ordered to attack south towards Gorki with the corps. On 21 July the corps ordered to withdraw to the

Sukhinichi Sukhinichi (russian: Сухи́ничи) is a town and the administrative center of Sukhinichsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, a large railway junction on the Moscow – Kyiv line, situated on the Bryn River southwest of Kaluga, the admi ...

area with 4th Army. On 24 July it was regrouping from Yartsevo to support the 16th Army with a strength of 1,600, according to Western Front commander

Semyon Timoshenko Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko (russian: link=no, Семён Константи́нович Тимоше́нко, ''Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko''; uk, Семе́н Костянти́нович Тимоше́нко, ''Semen Kostiantyno ...

's situation report on that day. The corps became the 147th Tank Brigade on 1 August. Its 27th and 36th Tank Divisions were disbanded on the same date.

References

* * * {{Soviet Union corps Mechanized corps of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1941