31st Army (Soviet Union)

31st Army (1941–1945)
31st Army (1941–1945)
Active	July 15, 1941 – September 1945
Disbanded	September 1945
Country	Soviet Union
Branch	Red Army
Size	Army
Part of	Moscow Military District; Reserve Front; Western Front; Kalinin Front; 3rd Belorussian Front; 1st Ukrainian Front
Engagements	Battle of Moscow; Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive; Rzhev-Sychevka Strategic Offensive; Smolensk Strategic Offensive; Vitebsk Offensive; Operation Bagration; Gumbinnen Operation; East Prussian Offensive; Prague Operation
Commanders
Notable; commanders	See List

The 31st Army was a field army of the Red Army during the Second World War.

Formation

The army was formed on July 15, 1941 in the Moscow Military District. It was ordered to create a defensive line along Ostashkov - Selizharovo - Rzhev. The army was stationed between the 27th Army to the north and the 49th Army to the south.

31st Army was formed with the following units:

and on August 1, it was assigned to the Reserve Front, and added the following units:^[1]

119th Rifle Division

110th Tank Division

43rd Corps Artillery Regiment

766th Antitank Artillery Regiment

537th Miner-Sapper Battalion

The army was assigned to the Reserve Front on July 30, 1941, and it moved to the defensive line along Ostashkov - Yeltsy - Tishina River. It entered combat on October 2, 1941. At that time, the army was composed of:^[2]

5th Rifle Division

110th Rifle Division

119th Rifle Division

247th Rifle Division

249th Rifle Division

296th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion

297th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion

43rd Corps Artillery Regiment

336th Corps Artillery Regiment

766th Antitank Artillery Regiment

873rd Antitank Artillery Regiment

199th Naval Artillery Battalion

282nd Naval Gun Battery

537th Miner-Sapper Battalion

Combat operations

1941

The 31st Army engaged the Germans on October 2, 1941, during Operation Typhoon. On October 6, it formed a task force under the command of Major General Polenov, and along with a task force from 19th Army under the command of Lieutenant General I. Boldin, was given the mission to break the enemy advance near Volokolamsk and Rzhev. On October 7 the first snow fell, turning the roads into mud and forcing the 3rd Panzer Group's advance to a halt. The snow allowed the army to set up defensive positions along the Zhuralyovo − Large Yakovtsevo − Ivashkova and create a corridor for retreating Soviet troops. This began the Kalinin Defensive Operation phase of the Moscow Strategic Defensive operations.

On October 10, the 110th Tank Division was detached and ordered to Rzhev.

On October 19, the army was reduced to:

119th Rifle Division

183rd Rifle Division

46th Cavalry Division

54th Cavalry Division

8th Tank Brigade and

Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Kalinin Front

From October 19 to 22, the army fought against German forces, which had broken into the district of Mednoye. The army received reinforcements from the 113th and 252nd Rifle Divisions. On October 22, the army was ordered to take the offensive in conjunction with the 29th and 30th Armies to liberate the city of Kalinin. While unable to retake the city, the attack was able to draw off a number of German forces from the attack on Moscow.

On December 5 as part of the Moscow Strategic Offensive, the Kalinin Front began the Kalinin Offensive. Encountering stubborn resistance and repeated counterattacks, the 29th and 31st Army had broken the flanks of the forces defending Kalinin by December 15, and on December 16, the 31st Army liberated the city.

On January 7, 1942, troops of the 39th, 29th, 31st and 30th armies were stopped on prepared defensive lines north of Rhzev near Lotoshino.

1942

From January 8 to April 20, the army participated in the Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive. On April 20, the army moved into defensive positions east of Zubtsov, Russia.

On July 23, the army was assigned to the Western Front, and took part in the Rzhev-Sychevka offensive from July 30 to August 23, liberating the city of Zubstov on the 23 August.

From November 25 to December 20, 1942, the army participated in Operation Mars.

1943

On March 20, 1943, the army crossed the Dnieper River, despite the complications of the spring thaw breaking up the river's ice. The army attempted to go on the offensive, but was unable to break through the German defenses, and by the end of the month the commander decided to discontinue the general offensive and join the defense.

Composition as of August 1, 1943:^[3]

71st Rifle Corps (Headquarters only)

82nd Rifle Division

133rd Rifle Division

251st Rifle Division

392nd Gun Artillery Regiment

542nd Gun Artillery Regiment

644th Gun Artillery Regiment

646th Gun Artillery Regiment

529th Tank Destroyer Regiment

873rd Tank Destroyer Regiment

549th Mortar Regiment

341st Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

1269th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

1478th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

2nd Guard Motorcycle Regiment

72nd Engineer Battalion

291st Engineer Battalion

On August 7, the army went on the offensive as part of Operation Suvorov, part of the Smolensk Strategic Offensive. The army made only limited penetrations of the German lines. After a beating of heavy German counterattacks, the attack was suspended on August 11. After a regrouping of the forces, the attack resumed on August 16. However, the forces were unable to advance even a mile and the attack was again suspended on August 20.

The attack resumed on August 30 with little progress made. That evening the Germans began to withdraw their forces. The Soviet pursuit began on August 31 with the crossing of the Vopets River. After a week of retreating, the Germans managed to establish a defensive line near Yartsevo and on September 7 took up defensive positions.

On September 15 they resumed the attack, crossing the Vop River. In conjunction with the 5th and 68th Armies, they liberated Smolensk on September 25.

1944

From February to March, the army participated in operations to liberate Brest.

At the opening of Operation Bagration, the army consisted of:^[4]

140th Gun Artillery Brigade

392nd Corps Gun Artillery Regiment

570th Corps Gun Artillery Regiment

83rd Guards Howitzer Artillery Regiment

43rd Antitank Artillery Brigade

529th Tank Destroyer Regiment

549th Mortar Regiment

74th Guards Mortar Regiment

2nd Separate Artillery Observation Balloon Battalion

66th Antiaircraft Artillery Division

1981st Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

1985th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

1989th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

1993rd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

1275th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

1478th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

1481st Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment

525th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion

213th Tank Brigade

926th SU Regiment

927th SU Regiment

959th SU Regiment

1445th SU Regiment

52nd Armored Train Battalion

90th Pontoon-Bridge Battalion (8th Pontoon-Bridge Brigade)

14th Flamethrower Battalion

15th Flamethrower Battalion

Assigned to the 3rd Belorussian Front, the army Operation Bagration participated in the assault of German forces in the Minsk Offensive encirclement. In addition to the 31st Army, the 2nd Belorussian Front's 33rd, 49th and 50th Armies were given the task of containing the Germans within the encirclement, and defeating German forces in the surrounding area.

The elimination of the German forces escaping from the city took place in three phases:

July 5–7 – Destruction and suppression of organized attempts to break out. After the surrender of the city, the German forces broke up into several disorganized groups and attempted to escape the encirclement.
July 8–9 – Destruction of groups which had taken refuge in the forests south-east of Minsk.
July 10–13 – Soviet troops combed the woods, capturing any remaining small enemy groups.

By the end of the summer of 1944, the forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front and 31st Army had reached the border of East Prussia.