The Guards Army was a guards operational formation (association, army) of the

Workers' and Peasants' 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 ...

of the

Armed Forces of the Soviet Union The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

during the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

and in the postwar period.Guards Army. Ministry of Defense of Russia
/ref> Guards Armies are also currently in the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

. Guards Armies appeared in the

, when for the displayed

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

ism,

courage Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

and high combat skill by the personnel of the formations (such as the army and the tank army), they were awarded honorary titles – the guards.

History

As an operational formation, the "army" first emerged at the beginning of the 19th century. The emergence of armies was caused by an increase in the size of the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

, the development of weapons and

military equipment A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, communications and the increased spatial scope of

military operations A military operation (op) is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operatio ...

. In these conditions, to increase the efficiency of command and control, to better use the combat and maneuverable capabilities of the troops, it was necessary to divide the armed forces operating in the

theater of operations In warfare, a theater or theatre is an area in which important military events occur or are in progress. A theater can include the entirety of the airspace, land, and sea area that is—or that may potentially become—involved in war operations ...

into armies, and the Russians were the first to do this. From 1806 to the 60s of the 19th century, the Russian Imperial Army included

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

(the highest formations in the

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

and

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

are non–permanent), which had two

divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...

(a permanent military formation consisting of two or three

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

s of two-regiment composition and an artillery brigade) and artillery brigades (corps). There were guards formations in the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

, the largest of which is the 1st Guards Corps. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

, they were all disbanded.Guards Army. Russian History
/ref> During the

, for the heroism, courage and high military skill of the personnel shown in the defense of the Fatherland from the attacking

enemy An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...

, the assignment of honorary titles to the formations of the

began – the guards. Upon receipt of its formation, it was renamed, they were assigned new military numbers. Accordingly, as the number of guards formations increased, guards corps and armies appeared. Guards Armies were formed from guards formations and units. During operations, the Guards Armies were used in the most critical sectors and directions, since they had an increased combat ability in the offensive and special staunchness in defense. In total, during the Great Patriotic War, 11 armies and 6 tank armies were awarded the honorary title of the Guards. During the period of Khrushchev's reductions, Guards Mechanized Armies appeared in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, and later returned to the Guards Tank Armies.

Structure

The composition of the Guards Army, depending on the type of troops, included: *Management (

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

); *Formations (

, divisions); *Units (brigades, regiments, separate

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

divizion {{army units A divizion (dywizjon) (a word in several European languages, mostly Slavic) is a military unit in some armed branches, usually artillery and cavalry, being an equivalent of battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically ...

s and

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

); *Institutions (

hospitals A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergency ...

, bases,

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the rural–urban fringe, out ...

s).

Banner

Each Guards Army was awarded a Guards Red Banner in accordance with the Regulations on the Red Banners of the Guards Army and the Guards Corps:Guards Army. Arguments and Facts
/ref>

Formations

* 1st Guards Army; *

2nd Guards Army The 2nd Guards Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army that fought in World War II, most notably at Stalingrad. History The 2nd Guards Army was formed according to the order of the Staff of the Supreme High Command (Stavka) from O ...

; * 3rd Guards Army; * 4th Guards Army; *

5th Guards Army The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition o ...

; *

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 ...

; *

7th Guards Army The 7th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II and of the Soviet Army during the Cold War. History The 7th Guards Army was formed from the 64th Army on April 16, 1943. 64th Army had originally been formed from 1s ...

; *

8th Guards Army The 8th Guards Order of Lenin Combined Arms Army (abbreviated 8th GCAA) was an army of the Soviet Army, as a successor to the 62nd Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, which was formed during World War II and was disbanded in 1998 after being do ...

; *

9th Guards Army The 9th Guards Army was a field army of the Red Army during World War II, which fought in the Vienna Offensive and the Prague Offensive at the end of the war. The army was formed in January 1945 and included airborne divisions converted into infant ...

; * 10th Guards Army; *

11th Guards Army The 11th Guards Army () was a field army of the Red Army, the Soviet Ground Forces, and the Russian Ground Forces, active from 1943 to 1997. History World War II For its prowess in battle, the second formation of the 16th Army was redesignat ...

; *

20th Guards Army The 20th Guards Combined Arms Army (originally designated as the 4th Tank Army, 4th Guards Tank Army in 1945, 4th Guards Mechanised Army in 1946, and the 20th Guards Army in 1960 within the Soviet Ground Forces) is a field army. In 1991, after th ...

; *

1st Guards Tank Army The 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army () is a tank army of the Russian Ground Forces (Military Unit Number 73621). The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st ...

; *

2nd Guards Tank Army The 2nd Guards Tank Army () was a large military formation of the Red Army and Soviet Army, later part of the Russian Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. The army was originally formed in early 1943 as the 2nd Tank Army. It was the firs ...

; *

3rd Guards Tank Army The 3rd Guards Tank Army () was a tank army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II. The 3rd Tank Army was created in 1942 and fought in the southern areas of the Soviet Union and Poland, then in Germany and Czechoslovakia ...

; * 4th Guards Tank Army; *

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 ...

; *

6th Guards Tank Army The 6th Guards Order of Red Banner Tank Army was a tank army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, first formed in January 1944 as the 6th Tank Army,Glantz (Companion), p. 66. and disbanded in Ukraine in the 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet U ...

; * 1st Guards Mechanized Army; * 2nd Guards Mechanized Army; * 3rd Guards Mechanized Army; * 4th Guards Mechanized Army; * 5th Guards Mechanized Army; * 6th Guards Mechanized Army; * 33rd Guards Missile Army.

References

Sources

*Great Soviet Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Published by the Publishing House "Soviet Encyclopedia" in 1969–1978 in 30 Volumes *A – Bureau of Military Commissars / Edited by Andrey Grechko – Moscow: Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1976 – 637 Pages – (

Soviet Military Encyclopedia The ''Soviet Military Encyclopedia'' () is an eight-volume encyclopedic dictionary of military subjects. It was published by Voenizdat, the publishing house of the Ministry of Defense (Soviet Union), Soviet Ministry of Defense, between 1976 an ...

: in 8 Volumes; 1976–1980, Volume 1) *Soviet Armed Forces – 60 Years Old (Accompanying Text, Part Two) / N. I. Kobrin, B. P. Frolov – Moscow: Knowledge, 1978 – 32 Pages *

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

. Construction History – Moscow: Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1978 *Military Encyclopedic Dictionary, Moscow, Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1984, 863 Pages With Illustrations, 30 Sheets *Guards Army // Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945: Encyclopedia / Edited by Mikhail Kozlov – Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1985 – Page 501 – 500,000 Copies *Dictionary of Military Terms / Compiled by Anatoly Plekhov, S. G. Shapkin – Moscow: Military Publishing House of the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union, 1988 *A. Kryukovskikh. Dictionary of Historical Terms – 1998; * *Big Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2000 *Andrey Lensky, Mikhail Tsybin. "Soviet Ground Forces in the Last Year of the Soviet Union. Directory" – Saint Petersburg, 2001 *Vitaly Feskov, Konstantin Kalashnikov, Valery Golikov. Soviet Army During the Cold War (1945–1991) – Tomsk: Tomsk University Publishing House, 2004 – 236 Pages
60 Years of the Great Victory
{{Armies of the Soviet Army Guards Armies

History

Structure

Banner

Formations

See also

References

Sources