Corps participated in operations of the Great Patriotic War:
- Rzhev-Sychevsk operation of troops Western Front
- Battle of Kursk
- Kyiv defensive operation
- Dnieper-Carpathian strategic offensive operation (Liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine)
- Zhytomyr-Berdychiv front-line offensive operation
- Participation of parts of the corps in the defeat of the encircled Korsun-Shevchenko enemy group
- Proskurov-Chernivtsi front-line offensive operation
- Warsaw-Poznan front-line offensive operation
October 23, 1943 Order of the NPO of the USSR No. 306 of October 23, 1943 on the transformation of the 6th Tank Corps into the 11th Guards tank corps
December 24, 1943 Entering the breakthrough in the Zhytomyr-Berdichev operation of the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front
February 4 - 18, 1944 Participation of parts of the corps in the defeat of the encircled Korsun-Shevchenko enemy group
March 21, 1944 The transition of the corps to the offensive in the Proskurovo-Chernivtsi operation of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Exit of parts of the hull to the Dniester
March 29, 1944
March 30, 1944 Order of the Supreme Commander with an announcement of gratitude to the personnel of the corps for successful fighting. Assignment of the honorary name "Prikarpatsky" to the corps
July 17, 1944 Entering the breakthrough in the Lvov-Sandomierz operation of the 1st Ukrainian Front. Entry of the corps to the Soviet-Polish state border of the USSR, the beginning of the liberation of Poland from the Nazi invaders
July 30, 1944 Vistula and the battles for the capture of the Sandomierz bridgehead
February 2, 1945 Crossing the Oder by parts of the corps, capturing a bridgehead on its western bank
May 2, 1945 Exit to the center of Berlin. The end of the fighting of the corps in the Great Patriotic War. Order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on conferring the honorary title "Berlin" on the corps
Final statement by type of combat activity (by number of days)
| on the offensive | on the defensive | in reserve | in reserve front | in the army reserve | in the 2nd echelon | in the 3rd echelon | |
| 1941 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1942 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1943 | 9 | - | 35 | 24 | - | - | - |
| 1944 | 88 | 62 | 85 | 56 | 31 | 43 | - |
| 1945 | 92 | - | - | 12 | 18 | - | - |
A glorious page in the heroic annals of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War was written by the 11th Guards Red Banner Army, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year.
The 16th (11th) army was formed from formations and units of the Trans-Baikal Military District in 1940 in Dauria. Lieutenant General Lukin Mikhail Fedorovich, an experienced, talented military leader, who enjoyed well-deserved authority among the personnel, was appointed the first commander of the army.
The army troops received their baptism of fire in 1941 near the city of Smolensk, where the fascists could not move forward for more than a month. During the defensive hostilities near Moscow, 38 fighters and commanders of the 16th Army, including 28 Panfilov soldiers, were awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union.
On April 16, 1943, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, for valor and combat skill, the 16th Army was transformed into the 11th Guards (commanded by Lieutenant General Bagramyan I.Kh.).
In the summer campaign of 1943, for two months of fighting, the 11th Guards Army participated in three offensive operations - Volkhov, Oryol and Bryansk. Army troops liberated the cities of Gorodok, Orsha, Vitebsk, Borisov from the Nazi invaders.
On October 18, 1944, units of the 11th Guards Army crossed the border of East Prussia. On the night of January 21 to January 22, 1945, army troops, in cooperation with the 5th Army, launched an assault on the city of Insterburg and captured the city by morning.
As part of the 3rd Belorussian Front, the 11th Guards Army took a direct part in the assault and capture of the fortress city of Koenigsberg. The fortress city of Koenigsberg was taken by storm in four days from April 6 to April 9, 1945.
For courage and heroism shown during the assault and capture of the city of Koenigsberg, 25 guardsmen of the 11th Army became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
The last battles in which the 11th Guards Army took part took place on the Zemland Peninsula. On April 25, army troops stormed the city of Pillau (now the city of Baltiysk).
During the war years, the 11th Guards Army conducted independently or participated in the 21st offensive and defensive operation, liberated 14 large cities, over 11 thousand settlements, captured more than a hundred heavily fortified cities and towns in East Prussia. 170 army soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
In the post-war period, the troops of the 11th Guards Army reliably protected the peaceful labor of the Soviet people on the westernmost borders of our Motherland. The personnel of the army units took an active part in the formation and development of the Kaliningrad region. Behind progress made in peacetime, the 11th Guards Army was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1967.
Chairman of the Council of Veterans of the 11th Guards Red Banner Army Major General, retired Kosenkov Boris Andreevich:
“The memory of those who died for the honor and independence of the Great Motherland will live forever in our hearts. Today we say a huge thank you to the army veterans living next to us for their military work and active life position, for the patriotic education of the youth of the Kaliningrad region.
By the end of the 1930s, a bloc was finally formed around the borders of our Motherland, which included Germany, Italy and Japan. Fascist Germany, encouraged by Western militaristic circles, having occupied one European state after another, was preparing to attack the Soviet Union.
Under these conditions, the leadership of the USSR directed all the efforts of the Soviet people to the creation and strengthening of the economic and defense might of the country and the Armed Forces.
Along with other large-scale state measures to strengthen the country's defense capability, the 16th Army was formed on the basis of the Trans-Baikal Military District in July 1940 (for outstanding military merits on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War in 1943, the army was transformed into the 11th Guards Army).
Lieutenant General Mikhail Fedorovich Lukin, an experienced, talented military leader, who at that time was 48 years old, was appointed commander of the army.
In May 1941, the army began redeployment to the Kyiv Special Military District. Early morning June 22, 1941 Nazi Germany treacherously attacked the Soviet Union, striking from the Baltic to the Black Sea. The Great Patriotic War began.
The first baptism of fire for formations and units of the 16th Army took place near SHEPETOVKA, where they, under the command of General Lukin, fought bloody battles for ten days and destroyed more than 6 thousand Nazis, 63 tanks and 80 enemy guns.
In connection with the dangerous situation that had developed in the central strategic direction, the 16th Army began to advance to the Smolensk region, to the Western Front. The battle of Smolensk, which unfolded on July 10 and lasted until September 10, was one of the glorious pages of the heroic annals of the Great Patriotic War.
The direct defense of the city was entrusted to the 16th Army. For three weeks in heavy battles with superior enemy forces, units of the army fought heroically in Smolensk and for Smolensk, did not give the Nazis the opportunity to cut the Minsk-Moscow highway, and inflicted significant damage to the enemy in manpower and equipment.
In early August, the headquarters and administration of the army were relocated to the Yartsevo direction and merged with the task force of General K.K. Rokossovsky, who was appointed commander of the 16th Army. The former composition of the army joined the 20th army, under the command of General Lukin.
The new commander K.K. Rokossovsky quickly gained high prestige among the troops. Sociable by nature, attentive and fair to his subordinates, Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky respected the human dignity of soldiers and officers, and endeared himself to people with genuine kindness.
On August 22, the final stage of the Smolensk battle began. On September 1, 1941, the 16th Army went on the offensive. In the eight-day battles, four enemy divisions were defeated.
Tough fights Soviet troops near Smolensk, in which the troops of the 16th Army were actively operating, exhausted the enemy, significantly weakened his strike force, allowed him to gain time, prepare reserves and defensive lines on the outskirts of Moscow.
On October 5, the headquarters and administration of the army, headed by General K.K. Rokossovsky, having transferred the troops and the defense zone of the 20th Army, marched to the Vyazma region. All troops in the area of the Volokolamsk fortified region were repaired by the 16th Army, including units and subunits that were leaving the encirclement.
The army took up defensive positions in the direction of the enemy's main attack, protecting the approaches to Moscow. As part of the army, the defense was occupied by: the cavalry group of Major General L.M. Dovatora, 316th rifle division Major General I.V. Panfilov, 18th militia rifle division, combined cadet regiment.
From October 16 to 27, formations and units of the army with active defense held back the powerful onslaught of the enemy. The Nazis attacked furiously day and night. The forces of the army were on the chapel, but the enemy was forced to stop the offensive for a while.
The pause in active hostilities made it possible to replenish the army with new formations, including the tank brigade M.E. Katukov, 78th Infantry Division A.P. Beloborodov. Came to the army from Central Asia four cavalry divisions.
The parade was of great importance in mobilizing forces to fight the enemy. military units on Red Square on November 7, 1941, dedicated to the 24th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Several units of the 16th Army also participated in the parade.
On November 16, 1941, the fascist troops of the Army Group Center, having concentrated fresh forces and means in the Moscow direction, went on the offensive. On the northwestern approaches to Moscow, the most fierce and bloody battles began. Fighters, commanders and political workers stood to the death in the way of the fascist invaders. During the defensive battles, an outstanding feat was accomplished by 28 Panfilov heroes at a height near the Dubosekovo railway siding. It was there that the inspiring appeal of political instructor V.N. Klyuchkova: "Russia is great, but there is nowhere to retreat - Moscow is behind."
For boundless courage, heroism, military prowess and courage in 28 wars, the Panfilovites were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Defensive battles in the Moscow region showed the increased operational and tactical skill of commanders of all levels, the mass heroism of the army personnel. During the defense of the capital, 38 fighters and commanders were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union, hundreds of soldiers were awarded orders and medals, ten formations and separate units of the army received the title of guards, including the 18th Guards Rifle Division.
In the course of a stubborn and active defense, the advance of the Nazi troops was finally stopped. The plan to encircle and capture the capital of the USSR suffered a complete collapse. In the counteroffensive near Moscow, which began on December 5, 1941 and lasted until January 20, 1942, the enemy was defeated and driven back to the west for 100-350 kilometers. Troops of the 16th Army, fighting in the offensive zone, liberated settlements Kryukovo, Istra, Volokolamsk, Sukhinichi. On March 8, 1942, at the command post of the army, the army commander K.K. was seriously wounded by a fragment of an enemy shell. Rokossovsky.
After his recovery, General Rokossovsky commanded the army for a short time. By decision of the headquarters of the VKG, he was appointed commander of the Bryansk Front. Lieutenant General Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan took command of the 16th Army.
In tense defensive and offensive battles in the summer, autumn of 1942 and winter of 1943 on the left flank of the Western Front, the 16th Army thwarted the enemy’s plan, which amounted to a deep breakthrough in the defenses of the 16th and 61st armies, developing success in the direction of Sukhinichi and Yukhnov , diverted significant enemy forces. The 16th Army made a certain contribution to the liquidation of the enemy's Rzhev-Vyazemsky bridgehead.
In the summer of 1943, Hitler's strategists chose the area for a new offensive. Kursk Bulge, where they concentrated up to 50 divisions, including 16 tank and motorized, a total of 900 thousand soldiers and officers, 10 thousand guns and mortars, 2700 tanks and 2050 aircraft.
The Soviet command promptly unraveled the enemy's plan. In preparation for the counteroffensive on April 16, 1943, for the valor and combat skill of the soldiers, the 16th Army was transformed into the 11th Guards.
I participate in the summer campaign of 1943 to defeat the strategic German fascist grouping in the area of Kursk and Orel, the 11th Guards Army, in two months of continuous and fierce offensive fighting, brilliantly carried out three offensive operations - Bykhovskaya, Orlovskaya, Bryanskaya. She fought 227 kilometers, liberated 810 settlements, including the cities of Karachev, Navlya, Khotynets, actively contributed to the liberation of the cities of Bryansk and Bolkhov. It defeated three infantry, seven tank and mechanized divisions, inflicted serious damage on ten infantry and two tank divisions, including the SS division "Grossdeutschland".
By the end of September 1943, the general military-political situation on the Soviet-German front was developing favorably for the Soviet Armed Forces. In the central strategic direction, hostilities were transferred to the territory of Belarus.
On November 26, 1943, Lieutenant General K.N. took command of the 11th Guards Army. Galitsky, who previously commanded the 3rd shock army. Colonel General I.Kh. Bagramyan was appointed commander of the 1st Baltic Front.
Breaking the resistance of the enemy, the war-guards fought forward, liberating the lands of Belarus. The formations and units of the armies that participated in the Gorodok operation showed their best side. For exemplary actions, courage and courage in the battles for Gorodok, the 5th, 11th, 26th and 83rd Guards Rifle Divisions of the army were awarded the honorary title of Gorodok. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief expressed gratitude to all participants in the assault on Gorodok, and the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, saluted the soldiers-guardsmen with artillery salvos from 124 guns.
After the defeat of the enemy near Leningrad, in Belarus and in the Lvov direction, the Supreme Command Headquarters considered it possible to launch active operations in the summer and autumn of 1944 in the Balkan direction, as well as in the Baltic states and in the Far North.
The idea and plan of Operation Bagration in Belarus assigned the 11th Guards Army as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front the main role in the operation to defeat the central grouping of fascist troops, advanced far to the east and covering the main routes to the most important industrial and food centers of Germany.
In terms of execution, decisiveness of actions, and also in terms of the pace of the offensive, the 11th Guards Army in Operation Bagration surpassed all the best examples of known army offensive operations. The guards liberated the cities of Orsha, Vitebsk, Borisov, Logoisk, Molodechno and thousands of other settlements. Together with other troops, the 11th Guards Army took part in the liberation of Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Army troops crossed the Neman River and approached the borders of East Prussia.
The whole army, from the private to the general, was imbued with one desire - to expel the hated enemy from native land. In this, feelings of patriotism and love for the Motherland, devotion to their people found their expression.
In the battles near Orsha, an immortal feat was accomplished by Guards Private Smirnov Yuri Vasilevich. In a night attack on tanks, he, being part of the landing force, was seriously wounded and taken prisoner in an unconscious state. During the painful interrogation, Yuri Smirnov did not utter a single word about the goals of intelligence of his unit.
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Yu.V. Smirnov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
In the battles for Orsha, the 1st Guards separate communications regiment, which received the honorary name Orsha, distinguished itself.
The 31st Guards Rifle Division, operating on the right flank of the army in cooperation with formations of the 5th Army, contributed to the defeat of the encircled enemy grouping in the Vitebsk region. For the courage and courage shown by the personnel in these battles, the 31st Guards Rifle Division was given the honorary name of Vitebsk.
In the battles for Minsk, the 1st Guards Rifle Division, awarded the honorary title of Minsk, distinguished itself.
In the Gumbinensky operation of the 3rd Belorussian Front, which began on October 16, 1944, the troops of the 11th Guards Army broke through the powerful defense in depth that covered the borders of East Prussia, broke into the long-term fortifications of the border strip and defeated the opposing fascist troops.
This operation had a great military-political significance. In a short time, the army troops broke through the fortifications that had been created by German militarists for decades, on the impregnability of which the fascist command so counted, and transferred their combat operations to one of the most important military-economic regions of Germany - to East Prussia.
The Gumbinen operation went down in the history of the Great Patriotic War as one of the instructive examples of the breakthrough of a heavily fortified enemy defense in depth. The advance of the troops of the 11th Guards Army and reaching the nearest approaches to Gumbinen created the prerequisites for a further offensive on Insterburg and Konigsberg.
On October 18, 1944, the 171st regiment of Lieutenant Colonel N.D. was the first to cross the German border. Kuroshov of the 1st Guards Rifle Division. Colonel S.K. distinguished himself in the battles on the outskirts of Gumbinen. Nesterov, deputy commander of the 2nd Guards Tank Corps, which operated as part of the army. For courage and courage, Stepan Kuzmich Nesterov was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Based on the experience of the October battles of 1944, everyone understood that the offensive in East Prussia would be in the nature of an assault on solid fortifications.
The East Prussian operation began on January 13, 1945. The 11th Guards Army, being in the second echelon of the 3rd Belorussian Front, entered the battle from the line of the Inster River on the night of January 20th.
Suddenly, without the usual artillery preparation, advanced mobile detachments of the first operational echelon of the army - the 26th, 31st, 18th and 16th Guards Rifle Divisions - entered the battle. Their night actions were crowned with success, wedged into the enemy defenses up to 20 kilometers.
Parts of the 1st Panzer Corps at dawn on January 20 immediately captured the village (now Bolshakovo) and launched combat operations in a southwestern direction along the highway connecting Koenigsberg with the eastern provinces. Destroying small enemy garrisons, the 89th tank brigade of Colonel A.I. Sommer, operating in the offensive zone of the 11th Guards Army, immediately captured the bridge over the Pregel River. For courage and bravery shown during the capture of the bridge behind enemy lines, tankmen I.S. were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Malov, I.P. Kondrashin, A.I. Sommer.
Formations and units of the army, in cooperation with units of the 5th Army, by night assault on January 22, 1945, captured an important stronghold on the outskirts of Koenigsberg - Insterburg.
The heroic actions of the army troops were noted by the Supreme Commander. On January 22, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, saluted the valiant warriors who captured the city of Insterburg with 20 artillery volleys from 224 guns, and each participant in the assault on the city received letters of gratitude from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The 18th Guards Rifle Division (commander Major General G.I. Karizhsky) and the 1st Tank Corps (commander Lieutenant General V.V. Butkov), who distinguished themselves in battle, were awarded the honorary title of Insterburg.
Having broken the enemy's resistance on the distant approaches to Koenigsberg, the army crossed the Pregel and Alle rivers and on January 28, on its right flank and in the center, reached the outer contour of the Koenigsberg fortress.
On January 29, formations of the 8th and 16th Guards Corps captured a number of strongholds in front of the first position of the defense of Koenigsberg with a swift strike on the move, and parts of the 36th Guards Corps reached Frisches-Haff Bay (Kaliningrad Bay). On the same day, units of the 169th Guards Rifle Regiment of the 1st Guards Rifle Division stormed the 9th Fort - one of the 15 forts of the outer contour, located in a ring around the city - the fortress of Koenigsberg.
Preparations for the assault on Koenigsberg demanded from the command and political staff of the 11th Guards Army great creative efforts, tireless work, and the full return of all knowledge and experience. In a certain short time it was necessary to plan the operation, bring in ammunition, material and technical means, concentrate and train troops in actions in a large fortified city, and prepare a bridgehead for the offensive.
Three more armies, the 43rd, 50th, and 39th, took part in the assault on the fortress city of Koenigsberg. But the 11th Guards Army was assigned the most difficult task. The idea of the Koenigsberg offensive operation it boiled down to delivering the main blows from the south, where the 11th Guards Army advanced, and from the north-west - the 43rd Army; encircle, crush and destroy the garrison of the Königsberg fortress with concentric strikes.
On the morning of April 6, 1945, the artillery of the 11th Guards Army, consisting of more than 1,500 guns and mortars, of which about half were heavy, began a three-hour artillery preparation for the attack. As a result of the fighting on April 6, the army advanced 3-4 kilometers, cleared 43 suburban quarters of the Nazis and fully completed the task of the day.
In order to prevent the enemy from regrouping his forces and organizing defense on the internal lines of the fortress, the 11th Guards Army continued to conduct heavy combat operations on the night of April 7th. Courage and skill were shown by the soldiers of the assault detachments of the 1st and 31st Guards Rifle Divisions in the battle for the South Station. The guardsmen of the 1st division were the first to begin the crossing to the right bank of the Pregel River.
During April 7, the army troops took 20 heavily fortified strongholds, broke through the first position of the fortress on a 9-kilometer section and an intermediate defensive line in a 5-kilometer strip.
On April 8, all formations and units of the army continued the assault on Koenigsberg with unrelenting strength. In the afternoon, divisions of the 16th Guards Rifle Corps of the Army reached the embankment of the Pregel River and fought in the center of the city.
On April 9, the army conducted combat operations to destroy the enemy in the central regions of the fortress. In the morning the 169th Guards rifle regiment 1st Guards Rifle Division, regiment commander A.M. Ivannikov, took possession of the Cathedral. The 1st Guards, Proletarian, Moscow-Minsk Division stormed the Royal Castle and the main post office. The Royal Castle was defended by special consolidated officer detachments of the 69th Infantry Division.
At 2 am on April 10, the commandant of the Koenigsberg garrison, General von Lyash, having accepted the ultimatum of surrender, was taken to command post 11th Guards Rifle Division of the 11th Guards Army. An ultimatum on unconditional surrender was delivered to General Lyash's command post by army officers, Lieutenant Colonel P.G. Yanovsky, captain A.E. Fedorko and translator Captain V.M. Shpitalnik.
Formations and units of the 11th Guards Army during the assault on the fortress city of Koenigsberg covered themselves with unfading glory, their battle flags deservedly decorated the new orders. The Order of Suvorov II degree was awarded to the 19th Guards Rifle Division, the Order of Alexander Nevsky to the 1st Guards Communications Regiment, the Order of the Red Banner to the 8th and 36th Guards Corps, and the 16th Guards Rifle Division the corps received the honorary name "Koenigsberg". 27 soldiers were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
After the defeat of the Koenigsberg grouping, the troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front were given the task of clearing the Zemland Peninsula from the enemy. The 11th Guards Army received an order - on the night of April 18, to change units of the 2nd Guards Army, break through the enemy defenses and, developing the offensive, capture the city, port and fortress of Pillau by the end of the second day of the operation. In the future, destroy the accumulation of enemy troops on the Frische-Nerung spit and completely master this spit.
Using extremely favorable conditions for defense, the enemy created five defensive lines on the Pillau Peninsula, consisting of a system of permanent, reinforced concrete structures, trenches, anti-tank ditches and firing positions.
By the time the offensive began, the 11th Guards Army had 65,000 soldiers and officers, 1,200 guns and mortars, 166 tanks and assault guns.
Overcoming the stubborn resistance of the enemy, the army troops captured the fortified city of Pillau in the early morning of April 26, and on May 1, formations of the 16th Guards Corps of the army completed the defeat of the enemy on the Frische-Nerung spit.
In the battles for Pillau and the Frische-Nerung spit, the 11th Guards Army defeated five infantry divisions and two tank and motorized divisions, including the Grossdeutschland division.
In these battles, the personnel of the army, as before, showed mass heroism. For exploits in battles with the enemy, 24 guardsmen were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The Order of Lenin was awarded to the 5th Guards Division, the Order of Kutuzov II degree to the 1st Guards Rifle Division.
On May 1, 1945, the battles of the 11th Guards Army in East Prussia ended, and with them the fighting of the army troops in the Great Patriotic War.
During the Great Patriotic War, the 11th Guards Army conducted independently or participated in the 21st offensive and defensive operation, liberated 14 large cities, over 11 thousand settlements, 34 formations and units of the army were given honorary names of the cities they liberated; 170 army soldiers became Heroes of the Soviet Union, 13 guardsmen became full cavaliers of the orders of Glory; 96 orders adorned the combat banners of units and formations; 6 warrior-heroes are permanently assigned to the parts lists.
In the postwar years, the 11th Guards Army was stationed on the territory of the Kaliningrad region. Along with intense combat training, the army personnel actively helped the population in the formation and development of the region's economy.
The army troops demonstrated their military prowess during the major exercises "Neman-79", "West-81" and "Commonwealth".
For great services in the defense of the Fatherland and the high results achieved in combat training in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Forces, the 11th Guards Army was awarded the Order of the Red Banner by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 22, 1968.
In 1997, the 11th Guards Army was reorganized into the Land and Coastal Forces of the Baltic Fleet.
And today, the soldiers of the units and formations of the Coastal Forces of the twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet revere and multiply the glorious combat traditions of the 11th Guards Army.
Veterans of the 11th Guards Army do a great deal of work on the patriotic education of servicemen and youth. Veteran guardsmen of the army are still in the ranks today!
The memory of the guardsmen who died during the Great Patriotic War in the fight against the Nazi invaders will forever remain in our hearts!
11th GUARDS ARMY created on May 1, 1943 on the basis of the directive of the Supreme Command Headquarters of April 16, 1943 by transforming the 16th Army from the Western Front. It included the 8th and 16th Guards Rifle Corps and the Rifle Division.In July, during the Oryol strategic operation (July 12 - August 18, 1943), army troops broke through the main and second enemy defense lines. By July 19, they had penetrated the enemy defenses to a depth of 70 km and created a threat to the main communications of the Oryol group of German troops.On July 30, 1943, the army was included in the Bryansk Front of the 3rd formation. Its troops continued their offensive to the south and southwest, contributing to the defeat of the enemy troops south of Orel.On October 15, 1943, the army entered the Baltic Front (from October 20 - the 2nd Baltic Front), and from November 18 - into the 1st Baltic Front. On April 22, 1944, she was withdrawn to the reserve of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, on May 27 - included in the 3rd Belorussian Front.In the Minsk (June 29 - July 4, 1944) and Vilnius (July 5-20) operations, the army troops, in cooperation with other troops, liberated Orsha (June 27), Borisov (July 1), Molodechno (July 5), Alytus (July 15) and other settlements of Belarus and Lithuania, successfully crossed the Neman River. In October, its troops broke through the enemy's defensive lines on the outskirts of East Prussia, reached its border, then broke into the enemy's powerful border defense line and, expanding the breakthrough to 75 km, advanced 70 km.During the East Prussian strategic operation (January 13 - April 25, 1945), army troops were brought into battle from the second echelon. During the offensive, they defeated the enemy's Insterburg grouping, reached the Frisches-Haff Bay on the Baltic Sea and blocked the city and fortress of Koenigsberg from the south.On February 13, the army was reassigned to the 1st Baltic Front, and on February 25 it was included in the 3rd Belorussian Front (Semland Group of Forces).In early April 1945, her troops took part in the assault on Koenigsberg. During the Zemland operation (April 13-25), on April 25, army troops captured the important naval base of the German fleet Pillau (Baltiysk) and completed the defeat of the Zemland enemy grouping on the Frishe-Nerung Spit (Baltic Spit).Army commanders: lieutenant general, from August 1943 - colonel general Baghramyan I. X . (April - November 1943); Major General Ksenofontov A. S. (November 1943); Lieutenant General, from June 1944 - Colonel General K. N. Galitsky (November 1943 - until the end of the war).Member of the Military Council of the Army - Major General tank troops Kulikov P. N. (April 1943 - until the end of the war).Army Chiefs of Staff: Major General P. F. Malyshev (April 1943); Major General Grishin I. T. (April - June 1943); Colonel, from January 1944 Major General - Bobkov F. N. (June 1943 and December 1943 - February 1944); Major General Ivanov N.P. (June - December 1943); Major General, from September 1944 - Lieutenant General Semenov I. I. (February 1944 - April 1945 and May 1945 - until the end of the war); Major General Lednev I. I. (April - May 1945
