16th Army (Soviet Union)
| 16th Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1940-1945 |
| Country |
 Soviet Union
|
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Combined arms |
| Size | Field army |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Konstantin Rokossovsky |
Konstantin Rokossovsky
Ivan Bagramyan
The 16th Army was a Soviet field army active from 1940 to 1945.
The 16th Army Headquarters was formed in July 1940 in the Transbaikal Military District to command Soviet forces deployed in the Dauriya area. On 25 May 1941, four weeks before the commencement of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, the army received orders to deploy (with six Trans-Baikalian divisions) to the Ukraine to be subordinated to the Kiev Special Military District. The first 16th Army units to arrive (109th Motorized Division of the 5th Mechanized Corps) in Berdichev on 18 June 1941. The Army was commanded by Lieutenant-General М. F. Lukin, and on 22 June the Army Headquarters was located in Orel.
Soon after the commencement of Operation Barbarossa a crisis situation developed on the Western Front sector of the frontline, and on 26 June 1941 16th Army was ordered to redeploy to the area of Orsha - Smolensk. However, the breakthrough of the German 11 Panzer Division in the direction of Ostrov during the afternoon of 26 June required an emergency response. Lukin took part of the 109th Motorised Division directly from disembarkation from the trains and directed them towards the enemy. The units involved were designated "Group Lukin."
On 1 July 1941 16th Army consisted of the 32nd Rifle Corps (with the 46th and 152nd Rifle Divisions), two artillery regiments, and the 5th Mechanised Corps (13th and 17th Tank Divisions and the 109th Mechanised Division).126th Corps Artillery Regiment and the 112th Separate Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion.
Most of the 16th Army began concentrating in the region of Smolensk, but the 5th Mechanised Corps was transferred to the 20th Army and participated in the counterattack at Lepel 6–9 July. On 9 July a status report from the army chief of staff said that the command group, 32nd Rifle Corps, and some units of 5th Mechanised Corps were still at peacetime establishment strength. About this time the separate 57th Tank Division from the Far East joined the army, and on 20 July elements of the 129th Rifle Division arrived as well.
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