8th Cavalry Corps (Soviet Union)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=8th Cavalry Corps (1942-3)
7th Guards Cavalry Corps (1943-5)
31st Guards Mechanised Division (1945-57)
23rd Motor Rifle Division (1957-92)


caption=
dates=1942-1992
country=Soviet Union
allegiance=
branch=Cavalry
type=
role=Breakthrough and Exploitation in Deep Operations
size=Corps
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=Operation Ring
notable_commanders=
decorations=
battle_honours=Brandenburg
anniversaries=

The 8th Cavalry Corps of the Soviet Union's Red Army was a cavalry corps active during the Second World War.

It was created on 18 January 1942 at Tula. ["Perechen No.4", p. 121.] General Lieutenant P.P. Korzun took command. [Bonn, Keith E. "Slaughterhouse: Handbook of the Eastern Front". Bedford, PA: Aberjona Press, 2005, p. 347] From January to June 1942 to complete its formation, it was quartered in the Orel and Tula regions.

econd World War

It was concentrated north-west of Stalingrad and included the 21st mountain (14th Guard) cavalry division, 55th (I formation; renamed 73rd cavalry division with retention of subunits; II formation renamed 15th Guards) cavalry division, and 112th (renamed 16th Guards) cavalry division ["Perechen No.6"] , 13th Separate Signals Battalion, and 23rd signals air-flight. The Corps was assigned to the Southwestern Front’s in the area of the 5th Tank Army (2nd formation) (Serafimovich) north of Stalingrad where it cooperated with the 1st Tank Corps (General V. V. Butkov) during Operation Uranus. [Glantz, "Soviet Military Deception", p. 115] in which they had the task of cutting the rail road in the region of the stations Bolshaya Osipovka, Surovikino, and Oblivskaya.

During 1943, on January 30 from the area of the Seversky Donets river the Corps went over to the offensive in the direction of Voroshilovgrad (now Lugansk) as part of the 3rd Guards Army under the command of lieutenant general Dmitri Lelyushenko, where it was engaged in furious fighting on the approaches to the city. At dawn on February 14 began the assault, as a result of which the first provincial city in central Ukraine was liberated. Although the main role in this operation was played by the 59th, 243rd, 279th Guard rifle divisions, 2nd Guard and 2nd Tank Corps, active assistance in the liberation of Lugansk was rendered by the 8th Cavalry Corps now under the command of General Major M.D. Borisov.

The Corps was assigned by the Soviet Southwestern Front to break through German lines at Debaltsevo near the city and cut German communications. [Michael Parrish, Sacrifice of the Generals: Soviet Senior Officer Losses 1939-1953, p.54] On the night of February 8, 1943, the Corps accomplished this and by February 14 the raid had been so successful that the whole corps was raised to Guards status. The Corps became 7th Guards Cavalry Corps, and its three divisions, the 21, 35, and 112 became the 14th, 15th and 16th Guards Cavalry Divisions. During the raid the corps also included the 148th Mortar Regiment, the 263d Separate Cavalry Artillery Battalion, and the 8th Separate Antitank Artillery Battalion. [A.A. Maslov, [http://leav-www.army.mil/fmso/documents/raid.htm The Unknown Pages of a Heroic Raid] , Foreign Military Studies Office] It completed this most difficult raid on the rear areas of enemy, distracting significant forces of enemy from reinforcing the frontline units. [ [revolution.allbest.ru/history/00014864_0.html Struggle for the liberation of Lugansk during the Great Patriotic War (Борьба за освобождение Луганщины в годы Великой Отечественной войны)] The Corps sustained very heavy losses breaking out of the encirclement, but the enemy also sustained losses in manpower and material which were essential for reinforcement of the forward units. [Glantz, "Companion to Colossus Reborn", p. 81.]

During 1943 and 1944 7th Guards Cavalry Corps helped liberate Left-bank Ukraine and eastern Belorussia, and participated in the Lublin-Brest operation. In 1945 the Corps took part in the Warsaw-Poznan, East Pomeranian, and Berlin offensives. In April 1945 it was given the honour title 'Brandenburg'.

Campaign history

:Bryansk Front July 1942:Voronezh area August 1942:Middle Don September 1942:Southwestern Front October 1942:Reserve of VGK November 1942:Stalingrad offensive as a mobile group of the 5th Tank Army November 1942:Seversky Donets December 1942:Raid in Debaltseve area February 1943

Postwar

In July 1945 14th and 16th Guards Cavalry Divisions were merged to form the 31st Guards Mechanised Division, [Craig Crofoot, Axis History Forum [http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=283685&sid=68138cacbf3ba10da91c7b9568090601 Soviet Cavalry after 1945] ] while the other division of the corps, 15th Guards Cavalry Division, became 12th Guards Mechanised Division and then, finally, 15th Guards Tank Division. [Feskov et al 2004] 31st Guards Mechanised Division became the 23rd Motor Rifle Division around 1957, [This should not to be confused with the NKVD's 23rd Motor Rifle Division of the Second World War. See Isayev, chapter.3, in ru icon Dubno to Rostov, "Исаев А.В. От Дубно до Ростова". — М.: АСТ; Транзиткнига, 2004] assigned to the 4th Army (IIIrd formation) [ [http://www.victory.mil.ru/rkka/units/03/18.html ВОВ-60 - 4-я армия (4-я Отдельная армия) ] ] , and garrisoned in Ganja in the Shahumyan region. In 1988 it also included the 131st Tank Regiment, the 366th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR) (equipped with BMPs) based at Stepanakert, [de Waal, Thomas. "Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War". New York: New York University Press, 2003. p. 166 ISBN 0-8147-1945-7.] and the 368th and 370th Guards MRRs, equipped with BTRs. The division's regimental artillery battalions were equipped with towed D-30 artillery pieces.Beglaryan, Ashot. [http://mrav.net/2007/north-artsakh/ The Northern gates of Artsakh] ]

Elements of the division took part in Operation Ring in May 1991. During the operation the division's commander was Colonel Budeykin. Immediately following this, the larger scope of combat engagements in the area of Stepanakert took place, including the use of BM-21 "Grad" artillery and Mi-24 assault helicopters through to February 1992.

The division, along with the other three divisions of the 4th Army, was ordered to be withdrawn amidst the fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh War in May and June. However, on June 21, 1992 the divisional column was prevented from departing Ganja by the civilian Azerbaijani population. The Azerbaijanis demanded that the division surrender its military equipment during Azeri declaration of independence, and the division commander, General Major Yury Pokhamov, complied to avoid civilian casualties. [Isayev, chapter.2, from Dubno to Rostov, Исаев А.В. От Дубно до Ростова. — М.: АСТ; Транзиткнига, 2004] This was largely due to a lack of direction and indecision at Headquarters Transcaucasus Military District and at the General Staff. This did not occur because for the most part the officers of the 366th Motor Rifle Regiment had begun to offer assistance to the Armenian population, while the units based in Ganja deciding to side with the Azeri population. This was largely due to about 50 of the remaining 350 personnel of the 366th Motor Rifle Regiment being Armenian, including the commander of the 2nd Battalion, Major Seyran Ohanyan. [de Waal. "Black Garden", p. 167.] Of particular use to the Armenians was the regimental tank company's ten tanks.

The remaining personnel and equipment of the division was incorporated into the new Army of Azerbaijan.

ee also

*

References

ources

* Glants, D.M. (1), "Soviet Military Deception in the Second World War", Frank Cass, London, 1989
* Glantz, D.M. (2), "Companion to Colossus Reborn: key documents and statistics", University of Kansas2005
* "Perecheni No.4, Command of Corps which were a part of the active Army during the years of the Great Patriotic War 1941-45", Supplement tot he direction of the General Staff for year 1956 No.168780, Moscow, 1956
*Murphy, David E. "'Operation Ring': The Black Berets in Azerbaijan." The Journal of Soviet Military Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, March 1992.