The 2nd Guards Rifle Corps () was a rifle corps 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 ...

World War II

The 2nd Guards Rifle Corps headquarters was formed by a

Stavka The ''Stavka'' ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка, ) is a name of the high command of the armed forces used formerly in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrat ...

order of 31 December 1941. The corps headquarters was formed in the area of Nakhabino, where its units concentrated. From 3 February 1942 the corps became part of the

Kalinin Front The Kalinin Front was a major formation of the Red Army active in the Eastern Front of 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 ...

, entering battle in the zone between

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 the

Lovat river The Lovat (, ; ) is a river in Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus, Usvyatsky, Velikoluksky, and Loknyansky Districts, as well as of the city of Velikiye Luki, of Pskov Oblast and Kholmsky, Poddorsky, Starorussky, and Parfinsky Districts of Novg ...

. On the first day of the offensive the corps advanced fifteen kilometers to the south and reached the Kholm highway. On 15 February in the area of Kholm the corps linked up with units of the

3rd Shock Army The 3rd Shock Army () was a field army of the Red Army formed during the Second World War. The "Shock" armies were created with the specific structure to engage and destroy significant enemy forces, and were reinforced with more armoured and ar ...

. The corps advanced deep into the rear of the Demyansk group of German troops and cut off its main forces in the

Demyansk Pocket The Demyansk Pocket (; ) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. The pocket existed mainly from 8 February to 21 April 1942. A much ...

. At the end of February the neighboring 1st Guards Rifle Corps, also advancing from the north of the corps, linked up with the 42nd Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Shock Army in the area of Zaluchye. These actions thus formed the outer and inner fronts of the encirclement, with a gap between them of up to 40 kilometers. The German 16th Army was in encirclement for more than two months, but the Soviet forces did not manage to destroy the encircled troops. From June 1942 the corps as part of the 3rd Shock Army of the Kalinin Front conducted intense battles for the town of Kholm, but could not take it. From 13 August 1943 units of the corps went over to the offensive in the area of Dukhovshchina. Meeting sustained German resistance, the divisions of the corps went over to the defensive. On 3 September the corps resumed the offensive, and creating a salient within the German defenses, consolidated on a line along the east bank of the Velenya river on 8 September. The corps began moving forward from 14 September and broke through the German defenses at Dukhovschina and reached the Tsarevich river. From 25 September, the corps, under the operational control of the

4th Shock Army The 4th Shock Army was a combined arms army of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II. The Army was formed from the 27th Army on 25 December 1941 (1st formation) within the Northwestern Front. On 1 October 1942 it included the 249th, 332 ...

, fought in battles on the Nevel axis. From 9 to 24 December the corps took part in the Gorodok offensive as part of the 3rd Shock Army. From 5 February 1944 the corps was part of the Kalinin Front, and in March went over to the defensive on the line of Vitebsk and Polotsk under the operational control of the

6th Guards Army The 6th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought against Nazi Germany during World War II under the command of General Ivan Chistyakov. The Army's chief of staff was General Valentin Antonovich Penkovskii. The 6th Guards Army was ...

. The corps fought in

Operation Bagration Operation Bagration () was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (), a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern ...

, during which it participated in the Polotsk offensive and the battles in

Dvinsk Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...

. In August the corps participated in fighting on the Memel river, and at the end of August was relocated to the area southwest of

Mitava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...

, taking positions on the approaches to that city on the line of

Dobele Dobele (; ) is a town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. It is located near the center of Latvia on the banks of the river Bērze. It received town rights in 1917 whilst being a part of the German occupied Courland Governorate during the First ...

and

Žagarė Žagarė (, see also #Etymology, other names) is a city located in the Joniškis district, northern Lithuania, close to the border with Latvia. It has a population of about 2,000, down from 14,000 in 1914, when it was the 7th largest city in Lith ...

, preparing for the offensive. The corps fought in the Memel Offensive in early October, attacking from the area northwest of

Šiauliai Šiauliai ( ; ) is a city in northern Lithuania, the List of cities in Lithuania, country's fourth largest city and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, sixth largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of 112 581 in 202 ...

on the

Liepāja Liepāja () (formerly: Libau) is a Administrative divisions of Latvia, state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest city in the Courland region and the third-largest in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an ...

axis. From October 1944 the corps fought in the encirclement of the

Courland Pocket The Courland Pocket was a Pocket (military), pocket located on the Courland Peninsula in Latvia on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 9 October 1944 to 10 May 1945. Army Group North of the ''Wehrmacht'' were ...

in the area of Priekulė, where it ended the war.

Postwar

The corps took over coast defense of the area of

Aizpute Aizpute (; historically Polish language, Polish: ''Hazenpot'') is a town in South Kurzeme Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia, in the valley of the Tebra River, situated northeast of Liepāja. History The territory of modern Aizpute ...

Pāvilosta Pāvilosta (; ) is a small port town in South Kurzeme Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia. It is located at the mouth of Saka river. The population in 2020 was 881. History The territory of modern Pāvilosta has been inhabited since t ...

, and Rucava, alongside the 97th Rifle Corps of the 51st Army on 30 May 1945. The corps was relocated to the

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 ...

area between 11 and 24 July. After the end of the war, the corps 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 ...

, headquartered at Kaunas. It included the 9th Guards Rifle Division at

Marijampolė Marijampolė (; also known by Marijampolė#Names, several other names) is the Capital city, capital of Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The city's population stood ...

, the

71st Guards Rifle Division The 71st Guards Rifle Division was reformed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in March 1943, based on the 1st formation of the 23rd Rifle Division, and served in that role until after the end of the Great Patriotic War. As the 23rd it ...

at Kaunas and the

166th Rifle Division The 166th Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army that fought in World War II, formed twice. The division's first formation was formed in 1939 and wiped out in the Vyazma Pocket in October 1941. In January 1942, the ...

Alytus Alytus () is a city with Town privileges, municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the List of cities in Lithuania, sixth-largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, 14th-largest city in the Baltic ...

. All three divisions were disbanded during 1946 and 1947 and by 1 May 1947 it included the

43rd Guards Rifle Division The 43rd Guards Rifle Division was an elite Latvian infantry division of the Red Army during World War II. The division was formed as an elite infantry division of the Red Army in October, 1942, based on the 1st formation of the 201st Rifle Divisi ...

and 29th Guards Mechanized Division. During 1948 and 1949 the divisions were reorganized as separate rifle brigades, and at the beginning of 1949 the corps included the 29th Guards Separate Rifle Brigade (the former 43rd Guards Rifle Division), 42nd Guards Separate Rifle Brigade (the former 51st Guards Rifle Division), and 44th Separate Rifle Brigade (the former 16th Lithuanian Rifle Division). After the brigades were expanded back into divisions the corps included the 43rd Guards and 51st Guards Rifle Divisions and the 29th Guards Mechanized Division on 1 May 1955. The corps headquarters, by then at Riga, was disbanded on 9 June 1956 as the number of corps headquarters in the Soviet Army was reduced. The 43rd Guards Rifle Division was disbanded weeks later, while the 51st Guards Rifle Division and the 29th Guards Mechanized Division came under direct district control.

Commanders

The following officers commanded the corps: * Colonel Aleksandr Lizyukov (1 January–April 1942) *

Ivan Chistyakov Ivan Mikhailovich Chistyakov (; – 7 March 1979) was a Soviet Army colonel general and a Hero of the Soviet Union. Chistyakov joined the Red Army during the Russian Civil War and rose from ordinary soldier to junior commander. He served in Dage ...

(April–September 1942) * Veniamin Beylin (29 September–24 October 1942) * Mikhail Pavlovich Kutuzov (October 1942–August 1943) *

Afanasy Beloborodov Afanasy Pavlantyevich Beloborodov (; – 1 September 1990) was a general in the Red Army during the Second World War who was twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Between 1963 and 1968, he commanded the Moscow Military District. Ea ...

(August 1943–March 1944) * Aleksandr Ksenofontov (June–August 1944) * Major General Aleksey Baksov (21 August 1944–December 1945) * Lieutenant General Arkhip Ruchkin (December 1945–18 January 1946) * Lieutenant General of Tank Forces Makar Teryokhin (18 January 1946–June 1950 * Lieutenant General

Arkady Yermakov Arkady Nikolayevich Yermakov ( – 25 October 1957) was a Soviet Army lieutenant general. Yermakov served as a Red Army commander during the Winter War and World War II. He served as the Senior Military Adviser to the Chinese People's Liberati ...

(June 1950–3 June 1953) * Lieutenant General Andrey Stuchenko (3 September 1953–19 June 1954) * Lieutenant General Pyotr Lashchenko (19 June 1954–2 September 1955)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{Soviet Union corps Rifle corps of the Soviet Union Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1956