3rd Shock Army - Campaign History

Campaign History

The Army was created from the 60th Army (1st formation), which had been formed in the Moscow Military District in November 1941. Initially 60th Army comprised the 334th, 336th, 348th, 352nd, 358th, 360th RDs and the 11th Cavalry Division, and was tasked to fortify the left bank of the Volga River from Unza to Kosmodemiansk.

60th Army was converted into 3rd Shock Army on 25 December 1941, under the command of General Lieutenant Maksim Purkayev. On 1 January 1942, the Army was composed of the 23rd, 33rd and 257th Rifle Divisions, 20th, 27th, 31st, 42nd, 45th and 54th Independent Rifle Brigades, and a number of artillery and other units. The Shock Army was also singled out by having its own aviation units attached in view of its intended operational doctrine which included: 163rd fighter aviation regiment (Yak-1), 728th fighter aviation regiment (I-16), 128th short-range bombing regiment (Pe-2), 621st aviation regiment (R-5) and 663rd aviation regiment (Po-2). However by the beginning of April this was reduced to one light-bombing regiment (twelve Po-2) and three fighter regiments with twelve I-16s in total.

It was initially a part of the Moscow Defense Zone in the Reserve of the Supreme High Commander (RVGK). However, 3rd Shock was soon allocated to join North-Western Front (from 27 December 1941) as part of the Moscow counteroffensive. Matters were not improved by the lack of supplies, aggravated by horrible communications; the assault troops did not get a full meal before the offensive due to food shortages.

However after a few days the offensive – the Toropets-Kholm operation – began to roll forward, with 3rd Shock approaching Kholm, but it was getting dangerously separated from its neighbour, 4th Shock Army. By mid January, 3 Shock had surrounded Kholm and its forward units had cut the road between Kholm and Toropets. Kholm itself was surrounded on 22 January (but never taken and relieved on 5 May). With some success in view, Stalin widened the operation's goals, and with a Stavka directive of 19 January directed 3rd Shock, as part of the wider operation, to head for Velikie Luki, and thence to Vitebsk, Orsha, and Smolensk. Two days later, 3rd Shock was shifted from North-Western Front to the Kalinin Front. However the forces available were becoming dangerously thin for the enormous tasks Stalin was setting them. But the Army got no further than Velikie Luki (though not taking the town) in the face of stiffening German resistance and shortages of food, fuel, and ammunition. Velikie Luki was finally taken by Kalinin Front on 17 January 1943.

The Army's next major effort was as part of the Nevel'-Gorodok offensive operation in October- November 1943. Nevel was taken at the start of the offensive on 6 October 1943. Kalinin Front had been renamed Baltic Front on 13 October 1943, and under Yeremenko, used two armies on the left flank, 43rd and 49th, to distract the Germans’ attention from his main blow, from 3rd and 4th Shock Armies against Third Panzer Army focused on the Nevel area. This would see the Soviets astride the routes leading to the rear of Army Group North and cut vital rail links.

Following the Starorussa-Novorzhev offensive operation (February 1944), the Army's next attack was as part of 2nd Baltic Front's July 1944 offensive – the Rezhitsa-Dvina offensive operation. Kicking off on 10 July, 3 Shock Army had reached the Velikaya River by 12 July, captured the bridges despite the demolition charges laid on them, and gone on to outflank Idritsa. Idritsa was liberated that same day. Five days later the Army liberated Sebezh after a deep outflanking movement. Rezhitsa (now Rēzekne, Latvia) was taken on 26 July 1944, with the help of 10th Guards Army. 2nd Baltic Front was now facing central Latvia, and on 2 August 1944 the armies were on the march again, with 3rd Shock tasked to move south of Lake Lubań and on to south of Madon, but after the Soviet forces seized Krustpils, some heavy fighting followed with only limited success. 3rd Shock forced a passage over a tributary of the Dvina River, the Oger, on 19 August, but then had to fend off a strong German attack mounted by three divisions with air support. Slowly the Soviets moved toward Riga, but the emphasis was shifted south, and 2nd Baltic Front found itself playing a supporting role from early October as Bagramyan's First Baltic Front raced for the Baltic coastline itself to sever the remaining connection between the German forces in East Prussia and those in Latvia and Estonia. Riga fell on 13 October and the remaining German forces in the area were bottled up in the Courland area.

3rd Shock then took part in the blockade of the Courland pocket, and the first Soviet attacks started on 16 October. However by the end of October it was seen that despite some advances, there was little hope for full success, and the Army was shifted south. 3rd Shock became part of the 1st Belorussian Front from 31 December 1944. The Army was placed in the second echelon for the Warsaw-Poznań' strategic offensive operation, attacking in the direction of Poznań under Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front. It then took part in the Vistula-Oder Offensive between 12.1.1945 – 3.2.1945.

As the Army moved quickly across Poland in March 1945, during the Eastern-Pomeranian strategic offensive operation, it liberated a number of cities: Vangerin (now Vengozhino, Poland) and Labes (now Lobez, Poland)(together with the troops of the 1st Guards Tank Army) on 3 March, and Frayenvalde (now Khotsivel, Poland) and Regenvalde (now Resko, Poland) on 4 March 1945. The same day, in conjunction with the Polish 1st Army and the 1st Guards Tank Army 3rd Shock entered Dramburg (now Dravsko-Pomorske, Poland). A day later, 3rd Shock entered Gyultsov (now Golchevo, Poland), and on 6 March: Kammin (now Kamen'-Pomorski, Poland). On 7 March, 3 Shock entered Shtepenitts (now Stepnitsa, Poland), and liberated Gollnov (now Golenyuv, Poland) together with troops of the 2nd Guards Tank Army.

The Army was in the 2nd echelon of the 1st Belorussian Front in the Battle of Berlin.

In April 1945 the 3rd Shock Army (HQ Stendal) as part of the 1st Belorussian Front had the following major component formations and units:

• 7th Rifle Corps (146th, 265th, 364th Rifle Divisions)
• 9th Tank Corps (23rd, 95th, 108th tank and 8th motor-rifle brigades) (attached from front headquarters)
• 12th Guards Rifle Corps (23rd Guards, 52nd Guards, 33rd Rifle Divisions)
• 79th Rifle Corps (150th, 171st, 207th Rifle Divisions)
• 1203rd, 1728th and 1729th Independent self-propelled assault artillery regiments
• 136th Gun-Artillery Brigade
• 45th Antitank Brigade
• 25th Sapper Brigade
• 5th and 13th Pontoon Bridging Brigades

The Army took Pankow, a suburb of Berlin, on 23 April 1945. A week later, two regiments of the 150th Rifle Division, 79th Rifle Corps were responsible for erecting flags over the Reichstag on 30 April 1945, one of which was known as the "Victory Flag". A future commander of the Army, V.I. Varennikov, would also command the honour guard of the "Victory Flag". The curtain came down on the Army's war service when fighting ceased in Berlin on 8 May 1945.