26th Army (Soviet Union)
| 26th Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1940-1947 |
| Country |
 Soviet Union
|
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Combined arms |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lev Skvirsky |
The 26th Army (Russian: 26-я армия 26-ya armiya) was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, active from 1941.
26th Army was a part of the Southwestern Front (Soviet Union) and defended the Soviet-German border between Przemyśl and the Carpathian Mountains in June 1941. The Army was located on the eastern bank of San river manning the 8th Fortified District. The 26th Army commander was Lt.Gen. F.Ya. Kostenko () who was a Ukrainian. Its opponent was the German Seventeenth Army under command of General Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel.
The 26th Army consisted of the 8th Rifle Corps, with the 99th Rifle Division, 173rd Rifle Division, and the 72nd Mountain Rifle Division, the 8th Fortified District, a number of artillery units (the 2nd Anti-Tank Brigade, 233rd Corps Artillery Regiment, 236th Corps Artillery Regiment, and the 28th Independent Anti-Aircraft Squadron, the 8th Mechanised Corps with the 12th Tank Division, 34th Tank Division, and the 7th Mechanized Division), and the 17th Pontoon-Bridge Regiment on 22 June 1941. Headquarters was at Borislav.
The Germans attacked the junction between 6th Army and 26th Army. On 23 June General Kirponos ordered 26th Army armour troops (8th Mechanized Corps) to move to Brody out of the command of Kostenko. Meanwhile, German assault created a twenty-mile breach on 24 June. During the night from 26th to 27 June, 6th and 26th retreated from frontier fortifications. The 26th Army and 12th Army now held a line from Ostropol to Bar. On 10 July Kostenko's Army together with 6th Army and 12th Army became threatened by south eastern swing of Kleist's 1st Panzer Group, which could cut them off from Dnieper river. On 20 July two Rifle Corps of 26th Army attacked in northern direction towards the Dnieper. Only small part of the 26th Army with its commander reached the Dnieper. Most of its units were destroyed or captured by Germans. The 6th Army and 26th Army were split apart.
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