TENTH ARMY

Tenth ˈArmy

Of the 1st command. It was formed in the Belarusian Special Military District in 1939. As part of the Belarusian Front in 1939, it participated in the Red Army’s invasion into western Belarus and western Ukraine of 1939.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was located on the Western Front. It included the 1st and 5th Rifle, 6th and 13th Mechanised and 6th Cavalry corps, the 155th Rifle Division, the 66th Fortified District, artillery and other units.

It conducted defensive battles in the Białystok direction. As part of the Cavalry-Mechanised Group under lieutenant general I. V. Boldin, the 6th Mechanised Corps and part of the forces of the 6th Cavalry Corps participated in counteroffensives in the area of Grodna.

At the end of June, the German 3rd and 2nd Tank groups broke through the defence of the Western Front on its flanks and, in the west of Minsk, these tank groups joined together, encircling the troops of the 10th Army and other front formations. Soviet troops had fought in the encirclement until July 8 and, without having fuel and ammunition, left the encirclement in small groups and detachments to the main forces of the front. The rest of the army was concentrated to the east of Gomiel. The army command was disbanded, the troops of this army were deployed to other formations and units to staff with them.

Commanding officers were komkor (corps commander) I. G. Zakharkin (1939), major general K. D. Golubev (June — July 1941).

Of the 2nd command. It was formed on October 1, 1941, in the southwestern direction (on the Southern Front). The command was not completed, and the troops were deployed to other military formations. It was disbanded on October 17, 1941.

Of the 3rd formation. It was formed in November 1941 in the Privolzhye Military District.

It included the 322nd, 323rd, 324th, 325th, 326th, 328th, 330th Rifle divisions, 57th and 75th Cavalry divisions, artillery, engineering and other units.

Since December 1941, as part of the Western Front, it participated in the counteroffensive in the vicinity of Moscow, in the Smolensk operation of 1943. By the beginning of October 1943, it had entered the territory of Belarus in the area of Chavusy. As part of the Belarusian and 1st Belarusian fronts, it took up the defence on the Pronia River (until the spring of 1944). In April 1944, the command of the 2nd Belarusian Front was established on the basis of the army command. The troops and the army’s defence line were deployed to the 49th Army.

Commanding officers were lieutenant general F. I. Golikov (October 1941 — February 1942); major general, from June 5, 1942, lieutenant general V. S. Popov (February 1942 — April 1944).