76th Air Army

13th Air Army
VVS LVO
76th Air Army
Active 13th Air Army: 25 November 1942 — 10 January 1949
76th Air Army: 1949-1980
VVS LVO: 1980-1988
76th Air Army: 1988-1998
Branch Soviet Air Force
Part of Leningrad Front
Leningrad Military District
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 General-Colonel S.D. Rybal'chenko (13th Air Army) former commander of the Far Eastern VVS and the Far East Military District during 1950-1956

The 76th Air Army was a unit of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949–1980, and again from 1988-98. As the 13th Air Army, it was originally formed on 25 November 1942 and based on air units of the Leningrad Front.[1][2][3]

13th Air Army's initial components were the 275th Fighter Aviation Division, 276th Bomber Aviation Division, and 277th Assault Aviation Divisions.[4]

As the 13th Air Army, the formation participated in a number of offensives in 1943-45:

During the war, the 13th Air Army made 120,000 sorties. Ten units of the army were transformed into Guards units for their services. Twenty units were awarded decorations. 151 pilots were awarded the Heroes of the Soviet Union, and one, Pyotr Pokryshev won the award twice. The 13th Air Army had but one commander throughout World War II. Stepan Dmitrievich Rybalchenko appears initially to have been a General-Major upon his appointment as commander. He was promoted to General-Lieutenant с 07.08.43, and General-Colonel с 02.11.44.[9]

13th Air Army components during World War II

Allaces.ru gives the following composition of the Air Army:[10]

The 119th Fighter Aviation Division was subordinated to 13th Air Army from May 1942 - Aug 1943.[12]

On 1 May 1945, according to BSSA on tashv.ru, the army consisted of:

Postwar and redesignation as 76th Air Army

In July 1945, three Aviation Divisions joined 13th Air Army in the Leningrad Military District from 1st Air Army:

In January 1949, 13th Air Army was redesignated as the 76th Air Army.

In 1988, according to Feskov et al., the 76th Air Army comprised the 67th and 722nd (Smuravyevo) Bomber Aviation Regiments, 98th Guards Independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment (Monchegorsk), and the 138th Composite Aviation Regiment (Levashovo).[15] 149th Bomber Aviation Division arrived back from Szprotawa, Poland, 23.5.55 in July 1992 to supervise these three regiments, but was disbanded in 1998.

The Air Army was disbanded on June 1, 1998, when it was merged with the 6th Independent Army of the Air Defence Forces, also headquartered in Sankt Petersburg, to form the 6th Army of Air Forces and Air Defence.

References

  1. ↑ Inozemtsev IG under the wing - Leningrad. - Moscow: Military Publishing, 1978.
  2. ↑ GV Zimin Fighters. - Moscow: Military Publishing, 1988.
  3. ↑ Prachik IA Frontline sky. - Moscow: Military Publishing, 1984.
  4. ↑ Victory.mil.ru, 13th Air Army, (Russian), accessed August 2011
  5. ↑ Morozov M. spark the victory. Soviet Air Force in an operation to break the siege of Leningrad. - Aviamaster, 2004, No. 4
  6. 1 2 Book | author = ML Dudarenko, G. List, VT Eliseev et al | title = "Release of cities: Guide to liberate the city during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 "- Moscow: Military Publishing, 1985.
  7. ↑ (Russian) Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Наступление советских войск на Карельском перешейке и в Южной Карелии По замыслу Ставки войска Ленинградского и Карельского фронтов при содействии Краснознаменного Балтийского флота, Ладожской и Онежской военных флотилий мощными ударами должны были разгромить противостоящего противника, овладеть Выборгом, Петрозаводском и выйти на рубеж Тикшеозеро, Сортавала, Котка. Операцию начинали войска Ленинградского фронта, затем в наступление переходил Карельский фронт.
  8. ↑ David Glantz, 'Soviet Military Deception in the Second World War,' p.359
  9. ↑ Soldat.ru, air army commanders of the Red Army Air Force during the period 1942-1945., accessed August 2011
  10. ↑ Allaces.ru, 13 VA, accessed August 2011
  11. ↑ Michael Holm, 281st Military Transport Aviation Division, accessed August 2011
  12. ↑ Michael Holm, 119th Nevelskaya Red Banner order of Suvorov Fighter Aviation Division, accessed August 2011
  13. ↑ Michael Holm, 26th Red Banner Air Army, accessed August 2011
  14. ↑ Michael Holm, 330th Ostrovskaya Fighter Aviation Division, accessed August 2011
  15. ↑ V. I. Feskov et al, The Soviet Army in the Years of the Cold War, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, 2004, p.145

External links

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