The 26th Mechanized Corps ( Military Unit Number 7476) was a

Mechanized corps Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is disti ...

of the Red Army. The mechanized corps of the Red Army were reorganized after Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The corps was reorganized and disbanded before it saw action.

History

Formation

The 26th Mechanized Corps was formed in March 1941 in the North Caucasus Military District. The corps included the 52nd and 56th Tank Divisions, and the 103rd Motorized Division (the former 103rd Rifle Division).Дриг Евгений. Механизированные корпуса РККА в бою: история автобронетанковых войск Красной Армии в 1940—1941 гг. — М.: АСТ: Транзиткнига, 2005. The corps headquarters and the 56th Tank Division were at Armavir, the 52nd Tank Division at Mineralnye Vody, and the 103rd Motorized Division at Voroshilovsk. The corps was commanded by Major General Nikolai Kirichenko. It became part of the 19th Army. On 1 June, the units of the corps were equipped with 86 BT tanks and T-26 tanks, and 15 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.S ...

, 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.

World War II

On 22 June, Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union began. Between 28 and 29 June the corps was sent to the

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

region with the 19th Army. The corps initially consisted of about 200 tanks and received reinforcements. It moved north with the 19th Army on 2 July. The corps was transferred to the 24th Army in the Dorogobuzh region southwest of Vyazma in early July. The corps was ordered to prepare fortified defensive lines northeast of Vyazma. On 8 July the corps was disbanded before it saw action as a result of the reorganization of Red Army mechanized forces. The 52nd and 56th Tank Divisions became the 101st and 102nd Tank Divisions. The 103rd Motorized Division became the 103rd Tank Division. All three divisions became part of the 24th Army's reserve. In mid-July, the Soviet General Staff decided to disband the mechanized corps as a result of combat experienced in the first weeks of the war, and planned to reform the corps headquarters as a rifle corps. On 16 July the

107th Rifle Division 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

, 108th Rifle Division, 6th People's Militia Division, 19th Rifle Division, and the 444th Rifle Regiment, with artillery units, were ordered to become part of the rifle corps. The order was countermanded the next day and the rifle corps was never created.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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