Eastern Front
In 1940 the Army became a part of the Baltic Special Military District.
From the morning of 22 June 1941 as part of the Northwestern Front the army (10th Rifle Corps with 10th, 48th, and 90th Rifle Divisions and 11th Rifle Corps with 11th Rifle Division and 125th Rifle Division, 12th Mechanised Corps, 47th, 51st, and 74th Corps Artillery Regiments, and 9th anti-tank artillery brigade and a number of other units) joined the heavy fighting with superior forces of the German Wehrmacht on the Shyaulyay axis.
On the 23–25 June its 12th Mechanised Corps with the part of the 3rd Mechanised Corps of the 11th Army southwest of Shyaulyaya executed a counterblow on the forces of the enemy’s Panzer Group 4, as a result of which their advance was delayed by several days. During July–August the troops of the 8th Army conducted persistent defensive actions in the territory of Estonia. On 14 July the army was transferred to the Northern Front, and on 27 August of the Leningrad Front. At the beginning of September 1941 the army's troops fought on the neighboring approaches to Leningrad, retaining contact with the forces of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet on the Oranienbaum bridgehead which played an important role in the Siege of Leningrad. At the beginning of November the Army headquarters and some formations and units of the 8th Army were relocated into the eastern sector of the defense of the Leningrad Front and to the bridgehead on the Neva river in Moscow Dubrovki (Neva Pyatochok). During November- December they conducted persistent offensive combat for achieving Leningrad blockade break-through. At the end of January 1942 the administration of army, crossed on Lake Ladoga ice to the Volkhov direction, combined formations and units of the Sinyavinsk operations group of 54th Army, which occupied defenses from the south coast of Ladoga lake to the Kirov railroad.
On 9 June the army was subordinated to the Volkhov Front. In August- September it acted as a part of the Front's assault group for the Sinyavinsk Offensive Operation. During January 1943 the 8th Army participated in the Leningrad blockade break-through, covering the southern flank of the Front’s assault group. During July–August it conducted furious fighting in the Mga Offensive Operation.
During January 1944, the army headquarters and its support units were moved between Novgorod and Lake Peipus.
After accepting new formations, the Army participated in the Novgorod-Luga Offensive Operation. After regrouping as part of the Leningrad Front (from 16 February), the Army made several attempts to encircle the German Army Group Narwa in the battle for Narva Bridgehead. After the failure to do so, the army took up defensive positions in late March to July. The Army participated in the Narva Offensive (July 1944) and the Battle of Tannenberg Line, 25 July to 10 August 1944. During September in cooperation with the 2nd Shock Army and the Baltic Fleet, the army conducted the Tallinn Offensive, as result of which, mainland Estonia and the capital Tallinn were captured.
In October–November the army together with the Baltic Fleet conducted the Moonsund Landing Operation to capture the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago).
From December 1944 the Army carried out coastal defense tasks in Estonia to the end of the war.
In September 1945 the Army was disbanded by being redesignated HQ Western Siberian Military District in Novosibirsk.
Read more about this topic: 8th Army (Soviet Union)
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