43rd Army (Soviet Union)
| 43rd Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941–1946 |
| Country |
 Soviet Union
|
| Branch |
 Red Army
|
| Type | Combined arms |
| Size | 11 divisions |
| Part of |
Western Front Reserve Front 2nd Belorussian Front 3rd Belorussian Front Kalinin Front |
| Engagements |
Battle of Moscow Battle of Smolensk Operation Bagration Baltic Offensive East Prussian Offensive |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Ivan Zakharkin |
Ivan Zakharkin
Pavel Kurochkin
Konstantin Golubev
The 43rd Army was a Red Army field army of World War II that served on the Eastern Front. Formed in late July 1941, the army fought in the Battle of Smolensk (1941). It was forced to retreat after German troops broke through in October 1941 and subsequently fought in the Battle of Moscow. The army then fought in the Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive. After the end of the offensive, the army held its positions and transferred to the Demidov area in late 1942. It fought in the Battle of Smolensk (1943). During the summer of 1944 the army fought in Operation Bagration. In the fall the army advanced into the Baltic region and fought in the Riga Offensive (1944) and the Battle of Memel. In 1945 the army fought in the East Prussian Offensive before being placed in reserve near the end of April. The 43rd Army was disbanded postwar in July 1946.
The 43rd Army was formed on 31 July 1941 in accordance with a Stavka order dated 30 July 1941. The army was formed from the 33rd Rifle Corps and was part of the Reserve Front. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Ivan Zakharkin. By 10 August, it included the following units.
From its formation the army defended the Desna River south of Yelnya on the line of Kholmets and Bogdanovo, fighting in the Battle of Smolensk. After the destruction of Group Kachalov, some of its units became part of the 43rd Army. On 6 August, the army was to attack and destroy the German troops around Roslavl. The attacks, launched in conjunction with the 24th Army were unsuccessful. On 8 August,Pavel Kurochkin was appointed army commander in place of Zakharkin. During the Dukhovschina Offensive, a portion of the army was to attack west across the Desna south of Yelnya. On 2 October, the 4th Panzer Group and the 4th Army attacked the 43rd Army at its boundary with the Bryansk Front. The German attack was part of Operation Typhoon and broke through the defenses of the 43rd Army, creating a 4-6 kilometer wedge in its positions. The army counterattacked with the 149th Rifle Division and the 148th Tank Brigade. The attack was stopped by German air attacks. On 3 October, the army became part of the Western Front. It was ordered to defend the Snopot River. The army was beaten to the river by German troops and became disorganized. On 7 October, Ivan Bogdanov reported that army commander Pyotr Sobennikov had only a group of staff officers with him. The army retreated in heavy fighting back to the Mozhaisk Defence Line. The army was pushed further back to the Nara River northwest of Serpukhov, where it stopped the German advance.
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