1st Air Army
| 1st Air Army | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | May 10, 1942—January 10, 1949 July 1, 1957-1998 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Air Army |
| Size | Several |
| Part of |
Western Front 3rd Belarusian Front |
| Engagements |
Battles of Rzhev Battle of Kursk Battle of Smolensk Battle of Memel Operation Bagration East Prussian Offensive |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
T. F. Kucevalov (May — June 1942) S. А. Khudyakov (June 1942 — May 1943) М. М. Gromov (May 1943 — July 1944) T. T. Khryukin (July 1944 — May 1945) |
The 1st Air Army (Russian: 1-я воздушная армия) was an Air Army in the Soviet Air Force which served during World War II. It was formed on May 10, 1942, within the Soviet Western Front, and renamed the 26th Air Army on January 10, 1949, in the Belorussian Military District.
After the war, it was reformed on July 1, 1957, and was active until 1998.
When it was formed, the 1st Air Army was made up of two fighter aviation divisions (with four fighter aviation regiments each), two mixed aviation divisions (with two fighter aviation regiments, two assault aviation regiments and one bombing regiment each) a training aviation regiment, a long-range reconnaissance aviation regiment, a communications squadron, and a night close-range bombing aviation regiment.
May 10, 1942:
May 23, 1942:
In March 1943, the Air Army also included the French Normandie-Niemen squadron, which was later reorganized into a regiment. In 1942, the 1st Air Army fought alongside the troops of the Western Front, supporting them near Yukhnov, Gzhatsk and Rzhev. The Air Army later participated in the Rzhev-Sychevka, Rzhev-Vyazma, Oryol, Smolensk, Belarusian, Memel and East Prussian offensive operations.
In May 1945, the 1st Air Army comprised the:
Throughout the war, the 1st Air Army made 290,000 sorties. Five of the Air Army's formations where reorganized as "Guards Units", 50 formations were given "honourable titles", 44 formations received various awards, 145 pilots and navigators received the title "Hero of the Soviet Union" and over 17,000 of its servicemen were also given various medals and decorations.
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