1st Ukrainian Front

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=1st Ukrainian Front


caption=The commanders of the 1st Ukrainian Front at the Moscow Victory Parade. June 24, 1945.
dates=1943-1945
country=flag|Soviet Union|1923
allegiance=
branch=
type=Army Group Command
role=Co-ordination and conduct of Red Army Operations in Ukraine, Poland, and Germany
size=Several Armies
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=
battles= Korsun-Shevchenkivskyy
Hube's Pocket
Lvov-Sandomierz Operation
Vistula-Oder Offensive
Silesian Offensives
Battle of Breslau (1945)
Berlin
Halbe Encirclement
Prague
notable_commanders=General Nikolai F. Vatutin (October 1943-March 1944)
Marshal Georgy K. Zhukov (March 1944-May 1944)
Marshal Ivan S. Konev (May 1944-May 1945)
anniversaries=

The 1st Ukrainian Front (Russian:Первый украинский фронт) was a front—a force the size of a Western Army group—of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.

Wartime

On October 20, 1943 the Voronezh Front was renamed to the 1st Ukrainian Front. This name change reflected the westward advance of the Red Army in its campaign against the German Wehrmacht, leaving Russia behind and moving into Ukraine. The front participated or conducted battles in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and Czechoslovakia during 1944 and 1945.

During 1944, the front participated with other fronts in the battles of Korsun-Shevchenkivskyy, and the battle of Hube's Pocket in Ukraine. It conducted the Lviv-Sandomierz Offensive, during which the Front was controlling the Soviet 1st Guards Tank Army, 3rd Guards Tank Army, 4th Tank Army, 3rd Guards, 5th Guards, 13th, 38th, and 60th Armies. It then took part in the battle for Ternopil'.

In 1945 the front participated in the Vistula-Oder offensive, and conducted the Silesian and Prague Operations, and the siege of Breslau. It also participated in the Berlin operations in Germany and Poland. The front also conducted the major part of the Halbe Encirclement, in which most of the German 9th Army was destroyed south of Berlin. By this time the Polish Second Army was operating as part of the Front. Finally 1st Ukrainian Front provided the defence against the counter-attacks by Armee Wenck which aimed to relieve Berlin and the 9th Army.

The front was victorious in all of its operations over the opposing forces of the Wehrmacht. The Prague Operation was the final battle of World War II in Europe.

Following the war, the Front headquarters formed the Central Group of Forces of the Red Army in Austria and Hungary, guarding the Iron Curtain.

Commanders

* General Nikolai F. Vatutin (October 1943-March 1944)
* Marshal Georgy K. Zhukov (March 1944-May 1944)
* Marshal Ivan S. Konev (May 1944-May 1945)

Armies

The armies that were part of the 1st Ukrainian Front included:

*3rd Guards Army
*13th Army
*5th Guards Army
*2nd Polish Army
*52nd Army
*2nd Air Army
*3rd Guards Tank Army
*4th Guards Tank Army
*28th Army
*31st Army

References

* Konev, I.S. "Aufzeichnungen eines Frontbefehlshabers"
* Konev, I.S. "Das Jahr 1945"
* Ziemke, E.F. "Stalingrad to Berlin"
* Tissier, Tony "Slaughter at Halbe"
* Duffy, Christopher "Red Storm on the Reich"
*Antill, P., Battle for Berlin: April – May 1945, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_berlin.html

Further reading

*http://www.unithistories.com/units_index/default.asp?file=../units_russian/000_sta_front.asp?