3rd Air Army (Soviet Union)

3rd Air Army
Active	1942–49
Country	Soviet Union
Decorations	1st Rzhev-Sychevskaya Operation Luki operation Smolensk Operation Nevelskaya operation (1943) Gorodok operation (1943) Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive Byelorussian Operation (1944) Baltic Offensive East Prussian Offensive
Commanders
Notable commanders	Mikhail Gromov (May 1942 – May 1943) H. F. Papivin (May 1943 – May 1945).

3rd Air Army (3 VA) was an Air Army of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Second World War. It was formed May 16, 1942 in accordance with a People's Commissariat for Defence order of 5 May 1942 on the basis of the Air Forces of the Kalinin Front.

The formation's combat path began in July 1942 during a defensive operation in the town of Bely, Tver Oblast, then participated in Rzhev-Sychevskaya and in the Luki operation. In February 1943 a number of its formations supported the troops of the North-Western Front in the liquidation of the Demyansk pocket. Later the Kalinin Front (October 20, 1943 renamed to 1st Baltic Front) participated in the front Smolensk Nevel, Gorodok, Vitebsk, Belarusian and the Baltic Offensives. In February 1945 and the direction of the Koenigsberg became operational command 1st Air Army 3rd Belorussian Front and participated in the East Prussian Offensive. On 5 May 1945 it was transferred to the operational command of the Leningrad Front and with 15th Air Army took part in the blockade of German forces in the Courland Peninsula.

During the war 3VA flew over 200,000 sorties. It destroyed 4,000 enemy aircraft on the ground and in the air. Thousands of its soldiers were awarded orders and medals, many of the pilots and navigators the title Hero of the Soviet Union and Ivan Pavlov and Alexei S. Smirnov won the title twice.

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