Air Army (Soviet Union)

An Air Army was a formation of the Soviet Air Force from 1936 until its dissolution in 1991. Air Armies continue to be used in the successor Russian Air Force.

The first three Air Armies, designated Air Armies of Special Purpose were created between 1936 and 1938. [2nd Army was created on the 15 March 1937 in the Far East, and somewhat later the 3rd Air Army was created in the North Caucasus Military District] On 5 November 1940 these were reformed as the long range bombardment aviation of the High Command of the Red Army due to lack of combat performance during the conflict with Finland. [http://www.allaces.ru/cgi-bin/s2.cgi/sssr/struct/main.dat Kharin]

From May - November 1942, seventeen Air Armies were created from air forces of the Fronts and Combined Arms Armies, and in December 1944 a long range aviation Air Army was created as the 18th Air Army. [p.317, Wagner]

The 1st Air Army was the first created on 5 May 1942 as part of the Western Front, and included:
*two fighter aviation divisions (with four fighter aviation regiments each)
*two mixed aviation division (with two fighter aviation regiments, two assault aviation regiments and one bombing regiment each)
*learner-training aviation regiment
*long-range reconnaissance aviation regiment
*communications squadron
*night close-range bombing aviation regiment

The next to form during 1942 were the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th Air Armies.

The Air Armies were integrated formations of the Fronts, and were subordinated to the Front commanders for all operating and operational reasons, including combat air operations.The Air Armies consisted of subordinate fighter, bombing, assault and mixed Aviation Divisions, aviation Corps, and separate aviation regiments. The structure of an Air Army during the Second World War fluctuated depending on the operational planning needs, and could include 3-4 aviation divisions, up to 8-9 aviation Corps, up to 10 separate aviation divisions, and a number of separate aviation regiments, operating from 200-1,000 aircraft in 1942-43, and 1,500 to 3,000 aircraft in some strategic operations by 1944-45. [http://www.allaces.ru/cgi-bin/s2.cgi/sssr/struct/main.dat Kharin]

Also formed were the Air Armies of the Air Defence Forces, which combined all the air formations and units of the military districts [http://gm-vicsv.narod.ru/ww2/vvska41.htm Svischev] , and operated predominantly interceptor fighter aircraft. Many of these formations and units were subsequently transferred to the Frontal Air Armies. [http://www.allaces.ru/cgi-bin/s2.cgi/sssr/struct/main.dat Kharin]

While intended primarily for support of the ground forces, the Air Armies also cooperated with the naval forces of the Red Navy Fleets.

On 10 January 1949, the 1st, 2nd, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17th armies of the World War II period were renamed the 26th, 28, 61, 37, 48, 73, 62 (then 34), 23 (then 59), 54, 29, 45, 57, 30, 24,6, 9th. [V.I. Feskov et al, 'The Soviet Army in the period of the Cold War,' 2004, p.135] The 18th Air Army became Long Range Aviation (АДД), consisting of three armies - the 43rd, with its staff in Vinnitsa, the 50th in Smolensk, and the 65th at Khabarovsk. On the basis of the air defence aviation divisions and corps PVO armies were created - the 19th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, 32nd, 42nd, 52nd, and 78th (in Leningrad, Batumi, Arkhangelsk, Tallinn, Kiev, Baku, Yaroslavl and Moscow respectively).

Air Armies

There were eighteen air armies formed in World War II, with many others formed after 1945. [pp.335-340, Bonn]

*10th Air Army (Soviet Air Defence Force)
*11th Air Army (Soviet Air Defence Force)
*12th Air Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces)
*14th Air Army (Soviet Air Defence Forces)
*15th Air Army (Baltic Military District)
*16th Air Army (Group of Soviet Forces in Germany)
*17th Air Army (Kiev Military District)(primarily a training force)
*19th Air Army (Soviet Air Defence Force)
*23rd Air Army (Transbaikal Military District)
*24th Air Army (South-Western Strategic Direction) At the dissolution of the Soviet Union this Army had forces in Belarus and Ukraine. In Ukraine forces consisted of the 32nd Bomber Aviation Division, at Starokonstantinov, the 56th Bomber Aviation Division at Cherlyany, and the 138th Fighter Aviation Division at Mirgorod. In the Ukraine in 1991-92, this Army had available over 140 Su-24 Fencer, over 35 Yak-28 electronic warfare aircraft, and 40 MiG-27 Floggers and 40 Su-27 Flankers for strike escort. [Steven J Zaloga, 'Armed Forces in Ukraine,' Jane's Intelligence Review, March 1992, p.135]
*26th Air Army (Belarussian Military District) On 15 June 1992, by decree № 05 of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Belarus, the 26th Air Army headquarters became the command of the Air Forces of the Republic of Belarus.
*30th Air Army (Irkutsk, Long Range Aviation)
*34th Air Army (Transcaucasian Military District)
*36th Air Army (Southern Group of Forces, Hungary)
*37th Air Army (Moscow, Long Range Aviation)
*46th Air Army (Smolensk, Long Range Aviation)
*73rd Air Army (Alma-Ata, Central Asian Military District)
*76th Air Army (Leningrad, Leningrad Military District)

References

ources

*Kozlov, M.M., (ed.), "Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" (Russian), encyclopaedia, Moscow, Soviet Encyclopaedia (pub.), 1985
*Svischev, V.N. Gen.Maj. Aviation, "Preparation of USSR for war" (Russian) [http://gm-vicsv.narod.ru/ww2/vvska41.htm] , 2002
*Wagner, R. (ed.), Fetzer, L., (trans.), "The Soviet Air Force in World War II: The official history", Wren Publishing Pty.Ltd., Melbourne, 1973
*Keith E. Bonn (ed.), 'Slaughterhouse,' Aberjona Press, Bedford, PA, 2005
*http://www.allaces.ru/cgi-bin/s2.cgi/sssr/struct/main.dat V.V. Kharin, Aviators of the Second World War (in Russian)