| Unit Name: | 5th Shock Army (1942–46) |
| Country: | Soviet Union |
| Branch: | Red Army |
| Dates: | 9 December 1942 – December 1946 |
| Command Structure: | Stalingrad Front Southwestern Front 4th Ukrainian Front 3rd Ukrainian Front 1st Belorussian Front 3rd Belorussian Front Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany |
| Size: | Army |
| Battles: | Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Rostov (1943) Liberation of Left Bank and Right Bank Ukraine, Jassy–Kishinev Offensive Vistula–Oder Offensive Battle of Berlin |
| Disbanded: | December 1946 |
The 5th Shock Army was a Red Army field army of World War II. The army was formed on 9 December 1942 by redesignating the 10th Reserve Army. The army was formed two times prior to this with neither formation lasting more than a month before being redesignated.
The 5th Shock Army was formed on December 8, 1942, based upon the headquarters of the 10th Reserve Army, which was assigned to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command at the time. It was formed within Stalingrad Front, and was brought together in the remarkably short span of four days (December 9–12). Its first commanding officer was Lt. General M.M. Popov.[1] The composition of the army on formation was:
After the German 6th Army was encircled at Stalingrad it was apparent to both sides that there were two possible routes that a German relief operation could follow: from the west from the area of the confluence of the Don and Chir Rivers; or from the southwest from the area around Kotelnikovo. As the distance from the west was significantly shorter than from the southwest, 5th Shock was formed specifically to counter the former threat, which it successfully carried out over the next two weeks.[2]
Assigned to the Stalingrad Front, on 26 December 1942 the unit participated in Operation Saturn. Its composition on 1 January 1943 was as follows:[3]
5th Destroyer Brigade
6th Guards Cavalry Division
32nd Cavalry Division
152nd Mortar Regiment
8th Cavalry Artillery Battalion
3rd Guards Tank Destroyer Battalion
274th Howitzer Artillery Regiment
331st Howitzer Artillery Regiment
1162nd Gun Artillery Regiment
507th Tank Destroyer Regiment
764th Tank Destroyer Regiment
21st Guards Mortar Regiment
1068th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment (2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Division)
258th Engineer Battalion
827th Engineer Battalion
Transferred to the new Southern Front (the former Stalingrad Front), the army took part in the Salsk-Rostov Offensive as part of the 4th Ukrainian Front. In August 1943, it finally succeeded in breaking through the German Mius-Front defensive line on the river Mius, after which it participated in the Melitopol Offensive during the Battle of the Dnieper.
On 1 August 1943, the army was composed of the following formations:[4]
31st Guards Rifle Corps
126th Rifle Division
1st Guards Destroyer Brigade
506th Gun Artillery Regiment
1162nd Gun Artillery Regiment
331st Howitzer Artillery Regiment
8th Anti-tank Artillery Brigade
15th Anti-tank Artillery Brigade
491st Tank Destroyer Regiment
507th Tank Destroyer Regiment
489th Mortar Regiment
15th Anti-aircraft Artillery Division
342nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
723rd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
1264th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
1617th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
32nd Guards Tank Brigade
22nd Separate Guards Tank Regiment
28th Armored Train Battalion
43rd Special-Designation Engineer Brigade
258th Engineer Battalion
827th Engineer Battalion
In 1944, as part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the army took part in the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine and in the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive. On 1 August 1944, the unit consisted of the following formations:[5]
44th Guards Gun Artillery Brigade
92nd Corps Artillery Regiment
507th Tank Destroyer Regiment
521st Tank Destroyer Regiment
489th Mortar Regiment
1617th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
61st Engineer-Sapper Brigade
In early September the army was transferred to the Reserve of the Supreme High Command, relocated to the area of Kovel, in Ukraine, and on 30 October 1944 it was transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front.
In 1945, the army took part in the Warsaw-Poznan Offensive and Berlin Strategic Offensive operations. During the final assault on Berlin the army was heavily reinforced and composed of:[6] Rifle
26th Guards Rifle Corps
416th Rifle DivisionArtillery
6th Artillery Penetration Corps
2nd Artillery Penetration Division
20th Light Artillery Brigade
16th Guards Gun Artillery Brigade
4th Guards Heavy Howitzer Artillery Brigade
121st High-Power Howitzer Artillery Brigade
5th Mortar Brigade
68th Artillery Reconnaissance Battalion
14th Artillery Penetration Division
169th Light Artillery Brigade
172nd Howitzer Artillery Brigade
176th Heavy Howitzer Artillery Brigade
122nd High-Power Howitzer Artillery Brigade
21st Heavy Mortar Brigade
24th Mortar Brigade
6th Guards Mortar Brigade
112th Artillery Reconnaissance Battalion
44th Guards Cannon Artillery Brigade
97th Heavy Howitzer Artillery Brigade (22nd Artillery Penetration Division)
124th Howitzer Artillery Brigade
32nd Special-power Artillery Battalion
322nd Special-power Artillery Battalion
331st Special-power Artillery Battalion
3rd Guards Anti-tank Artillery Brigade
4th Guards Anti-tank Artillery Brigade
39th Anti-tank Artillery Brigade
507th Tank Destroyer Regiment
35th Guards Mortar Brigade
32nd Mortar Brigade (22nd Artillery Penetration Division)
6th Heavy Mortar Brigade (22nd Artillery Penetration Division)
489th Mortar Regiment
2nd Guards Mortar Brigade
25th Guards Mortar Brigade
41st Guards Mortar Brigade (22nd Artillery Penetration Division)
37th Guards Mortar Regiment
92nd Guards Mortar Regiment
2nd Guards Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division
302nd Guards Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
303rd Guards Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
304th Guards Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
306th Guards Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
1617th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
4th Separate Artillery Observation Balloon BattalionArmor and Engineers
20th Tank Brigade
36th Tank Brigade
65th Tank Brigade
12th Motorized Rifle Brigade
50th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment
1071st Light Artillery Regiment
1461st SU Regiment
1493rd SU Regiment
93rd Motorcycle Battalion
243rd Mortar Regiment
115th Guards Mortar Battalion
1388th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment
220th Tank Brigade
11th Guards Heavy Tank Brigade
67th Guards Heavy Tank Brigade
92nd Engineer Tank Regiment
396th Guards Heavy SU Regiment
1504th SU Regiment
61st Engineer-Sapper Brigade
8th Flamethrower Battalion
The army took part in the Berlin Victory Parade of 1945. The 5th Shock Army was then assigned occupation duties in eastern Germany and was responsible for securing the Berlin area. When the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany was formed the army was composed of:
The army was disbanded in December 1946.[7]