11th Guards Army
| 11th Guards Army | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1943-1997 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Type | Field army |
| Engagements |
Operation Kutuzov Briyansk Gorodok Operation Bagration Gumbinnen Operation East Prussian Offensive Battle of Königsberg Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia |
| Disbanded | Redesignated as Ground and Coastal Defence Forces of the Baltic Fleet |
The 11th Guards Army was a Soviet field army active from 1943 to 1997, which traces its origins to the formation of the Soviet 16th Army in June – July 1940.
Before Operation Barbarossa, HQ 16th Army was formed in July, 1940 in the Transbaikal Military District (uniting the forces deployed in Dauriya). General Lieutenant М. F. Лукин (June - August 1941) took command. In June 1941 it was relocated (with six Trans-Baikalian divisions) to Ukraine and subordinated to the Kiev Special Military District. The Army HQ was disbanded on 8 August 1941 after encirclement (the Battle of Smolensk (1941)) just west of Smolensk as part of the Western Front. For its prowess in battle, the second formation of the 16th Army was redesignated as the 11th Guards Army on 16 April 1943.
On 1 June 1943 the 11th Guards Army consisted of the 8th Guards Rifle Corps (11th, 26th and 83rd Guards Rifle Divisions), 16th Guards Rifle Corps (1st, 16th & 31st Guards, and 169th Rifle Divisions), and the 5th, 18th, and 84th Guards, and the 108th and 217th Rifle Divisions, several artillery divisions, armoured units, and other support units. The Army took part in the Orel Offensive (Operation Kutuzov), Briyansk, Gorodok, Operation Bagration, the Gumbinnen Operation the East Prussian Offensive, and finally the Battle of Königsberg under Bagramyan's command.
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