1st Guards Tank Army


The 1st Guards Tank Red Banner Army has been the only tank army of the Russian Ground Forces since its restoration in 2014. It was previously one of the tank armies of the Soviet Union during World War II and the Cold War.
The army traces its heritage back to the 1st Tank Army, formed twice in July 1942 and in January 1943 and converted into the 1st Guards Tank Army in January 1944. The army fought as part of the Red Army on the Eastern Front during World War II. The army was commanded throughout most of the war by Mikhail Katukov.
It fought on the defensive during Case Blue, ultimately being partially destroyed and disbanded. After its reformation in 1943, it participated in the Battle of Kursk, the Proskurov-Chernovtsy Operation, the Lvov-Sandomierz Operation, the Vistula-Oder Offensive and the Battle of Berlin. After the war, the army was stationed in East Germany as part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.
After the end of the Cold War and the resultant withdrawal of Soviet units in Germany, the army was relocated to Smolensk, and disbanded in 1999. The army was reformed in 2014 as part of Russia's military expansion. This reformed army fought in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where it was claimed to have suffered heavy casualties following its eventual retreats from the northeast Ukraine and later from Kharkiv. After being reconstituted, the army fought against the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, and later fought in the Kupiansk offensive.

First formation

The 1st Tank Army was first formed within the Stalingrad Front from the 38th Army in July 1942, under the command of Major General Kirill Moskalenko. The army was encircled and partially destroyed. It was disbanded as a result in August 1942, its headquarters becoming the Southeastern Front headquarters.

Second formation

The 1st Tank Army was formed a second time on 30 January 1943 from the headquarters of the 29th Army, under the command of famous armoured troops commander Lieutenant General of Tank Troops Mikhail Katukov, personally appointed by Stalin. The army was transferred to the North-Western Front. The 3rd Mechanised Corps and 6th Tank Corps joined it on formation, and served with the army throughout the war. It was quickly transferred to the Voronezh Front for the defense of the Kursk salient's southern shoulder, adding the newly formed 31st Tank Corps to its subordinate commands.
Its order of battle prior to Operation Citadel was as follows:
1st Tank Army
  • 3rd Mechanized Corps
  • * 1st Mechanized Brigade
  • * 3rd Mechanized Brigade
  • * 10th Mechanized Brigade
  • * 49th Tank Brigade
  • * 58th Motorcycle Battalion,
  • * 35th Tank Destroyer Regiment
  • * 265th Mortar Regiment
  • * 405th Guards Mortar Battalion*
  • 6th Tank Corps
  • * 22nd Tank Brigade
  • * 112nd Tank Brigade
  • * 200th Tank Brigade
  • * 6th Motor Rifle Brigade
  • * 85th Motorcycle Battalion
  • * 1461st Self Propelled Artillery Regiment
  • * 538th Tank Destroyer Regiment
  • * 270th Mortar Regiment
  • 31st Tank Corps
  • * 100th Tank Brigade
  • * 237th Tank Brigade
  • * 242nd Tank Brigade
  • 71st Engineer Battalion
  • 267th Engineer Battalion
  • 316th Guards Mortar Regiment*
  • 8th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division
  • * 797th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
  • * 848th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
  • * 978th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
  • * 1063rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
  • Guards Mortar Regiment was the overt designation used for Katyusha rocket launcher units.

    First Guards Tank Army

After Kursk, 1st Tank Army participated in the Proskurov-Chernovtsy Operation, the Lvov-Sandomierz Operation, the Vistula-Oder Offensive, and the Battle of Berlin. It was awarded a Guards title and became the 1st Guards Tank Army in April 1944, and Katukov was promoted to Colonel General.
On 1 January 1945, the Army's principal combat formations were:
  • 8th Guards Mechanized Corps
  • * 19th Guards Mechanized Brigade
  • * 20th Guards Mechanized Brigade
  • * 21st Guards Mechanized Brigade
  • * 1st Guards Tank Brigade
  • * 48th Guards Separate Tank Regiment
  • * 353rd Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
  • * 400th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
  • * 265th Guards Mortar Regiment *
  • * 405th Guards Mortar Battalion *
  • * 358th Guards Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
  • * 8th Guards Motorcycle Battalion
  • 11th Guards Tank Corps
  • * 40th Guards Tank Brigade
  • * 44th Guards Tank Brigade
  • * 45th Guards Tank Brigade
  • * 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
  • * 399th Guards Heavy Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
  • * 362nd Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
  • * 1454th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
  • * 350th Light Artillery Regiment
  • * 270th Guards Mortar Regiment *
  • * 53rd Guards Mortar Battalion *
  • * 1018th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
  • * 9th Guards Motorcycle Battalion
  • Army Troops
  • * 64th Guards Tank Brigade
  • * 11th Guards Separate Tank Regiment
  • * 19th Light Self-Propelled Artillery Brigade
  • * 197th Light Artillery Brigade
  • * 79th Guards Mortar Regiment *
  • * 17th Motorised Engineer Brigade
  • * 191st Guards Liaison Aviation Regiment
  • * 6th Motorcycle Regiment
  • * 12th Guards Motorcycle Regiment
  • Guards Mortar Regiment was the overt designation used for Katyusha rocket launcher units.

    Cold War

The 1st Guards Tank Army was awarded the Order of the Red Banner postwar. It became part of the Soviet occupation force in Germany, known as Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, with its headquarters in Dresden. In 1968, it, along with the 11th Guards Tank and 20th Guards Motor Rifle Divisions, took part in the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, after which the units returned to their garrisons.
In the late 1980s the Army included the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division, 9th Tank Division, and 11th Guards Tank Division. The headquarters was withdrawn to Smolensk, in the Moscow Military District in the early 1990s, and lost the 'Tank' from its title in 1995. In its last period within the Russian Army it comprised the 4th Guards 'Kantemir' Tank Division and the 144th Motor Rifle Division.
In July 1992 the 336th Independent Helicopter Regiment returned from Germany to Oreshkovo airfield and was placed under the Moscow Military District. The regiment then came under 1st Guards Tank Army from 31 December 1992.
1st Guards Tank Army was disbanded in 1998.

1988 structure

The army's composition in 1988 was, with honorific titles in italics:
  • Army Headquarters, Dresden
  • * 234th Separate Guard and Security Battalion, Dresden
  • 3rd Separate Guards Carpathian Communications Regiment, Dresden
  • 253rd Separate Radio Engineering Regiment, Merseburg
  • 51st Separate Radio Engineering Battalion, Dresden
  • 106th Separate Electronic Warfare Battalion, Dresden
  • 595th Separate Intelligence Gathering Battalion, Chemnitz
  • 6th Separate Airborne Battalion, Dresden
  • 308th Artillery Brigade, Zeithain
  • 181st Guards Novozybkovskaya Red Banner Orders of Suvorov and Alexander Nevsky Missile Brigade, Kochstedt
  • 432nd Missile Brigade, Wurzen
  • 53rd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade, Altenburg
  • 443rd Separate Engineer and Combat Engineering Battalion, Dresden
  • 68th Pontoon Bridge Regiment, Dresden
  • 41st Materiel Support Brigade, Dresden
  • * 303rd Separate Repair and Recovery Battalion, Dresden
  • * 338th Separate Repair and Recovery Battalion, Dresden
  • 225th Separate Attack Helicopter Regiment, Allstedt
  • 485th Separate Attack Helicopter Regiment, Brandis
  • 6th Separate Transport Helicopter Squadron, Klotzsche
  • 9th Bobruisk-Berlin Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Tank Division, Riesa
  • 11th Guards Berlin-Carpathian Tank Division, Dresden
  • 20th Guards Taganrog Red Banner Order of the Suvorov Division Motor Rifle Division, Grimma

    Reactivation

After a 15-year hiatus, the 1st Guards Tank Army was reconstituted in November 2014. It was reportedly planned to consist of 500–600 tanks, 600–800 infantry fighting vehicles, 300–400 field artillery units and 35,000 to 50,000 soldiers.
The army was formed as the main ground forces manoeuvre and reserve operational formation of the Western Military District, in addition to the 6th Combined Arms Army and the 20th Guards Combined Arms Army. It is considered an elite formation of the Russian Ground Forces. The army carries on the traditions of the chronologically first army of the Soviet Union to reach 'Guards' status.
It commands the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle and the 4th Tank Divisions, which are considered the elite formations of their respective combat arms. The most decorated divisions of the Soviet Army, they were garrisoned the closest to Moscow for the city's defense. Due to their proximity to the capital, extra scrutiny was applied to personnel of these formations, making these postings especially prestigious. These units received the latest hardware and were thus known as the 'household' divisions of the Soviet Army. Their loyalty to the government was demonstrated by their involvement in the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt. The divisions retained their elite status within the Russian Army. The army also included the 27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. While the 4th Guards Tank Division uses T-80 tanks, the rest of the Army uses T-72B and T-90 tanks, and Kurganets-25 fighting vehicles.
the Army was composed of:
  • Army Headquarters
  • 60th Command Brigade
  • 2nd Guards Motor Rifle 'Tamanskaya' Division
  • 4th Guards Tank 'Kantemirovskaya' Division
  • 47th Tank 'Chenstokhovskaya' Division
  • 27th Guards Motor Rifle 'Sevastopol' Brigade
  • 112th Guards Missile 'Novorossiysk' Brigade
  • 288th Guards Artillery 'Warsaw' Brigade
  • 49th Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade
  • 96th Reconnaissance Brigade
  • 20th NBC Defence Regiment
  • 69th Logistics Brigade