1st Air Army

1st Air Army
Active May 10, 1942—January 10, 1949
July 1, 1957-1998
Country Soviet Union
Branch Air Force
Type Air Army
Size Several
Part of Western Front[1][2]
3rd Belarusian Front
Engagements Battles of Rzhev
Battle of Kursk
Battle of Smolensk
Battle of Memel
Operation Bagration
East Prussian Offensive
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 T. F. Kucevalov (May — June 1942)
S. А. Khudyakov (June 1942 — May 1943)
М. М. Gromov (May 1943 — July 1944)
T. T. Khryukin (July 1944 — May 1945)[3][4]

The 1st Air Army (Russian: 1-я воздушная армия) was an Air Army in the Soviet Air Force which served during World War II. It was formed on May 10, 1942 within the Soviet Western Front, and renamed the 26th Air Army on January 10, 1949 in the Belorussian Military District.[5]

After the war, it was reformed on July 1, 1957, and was active until 1998.[6]

Second World War

When it was formed, the 1st Air Army was made up of two fighter aviation divisions (with four fighter aviation regiments each), two mixed aviation divisions (with two fighter aviation regiments, two assault aviation regiments and one bombing regiment each) a training aviation regiment, a long-range reconnaissance aviation regiment, a communications squadron, and a night close-range bombing aviation regiment.

Structure 1942

May 10, 1942:

May 23, 1942:[7]

In March 1943, the Air Army also included the French Normandie-Niemen squadron, which was later reorganized into a regiment.[4] In 1942, the 1st Air Army fought alongside the troops of the Western Front, supporting them near Yukhnov, Gzhatsk and Rzhev. The Air Army later participated in the Rzhev-Sychevka, Rzhev-Vyazma, Oryol, Smolensk, Belarusian, Memel and East Prussian offensive operations.

In May 1945, the 1st Air Army comprised the:[8]

Throughout the war, the 1st Air Army made 290,000 sorties. Five of the Air Army's formations where reorganized as "Guards Units", 50 formations were given "honourable titles", 44 formations received various awards, 145 pilots and navigators received the title "Hero of the Soviet Union"[9] and over 17,000 of its servicemen were also given various medals and decorations.

Command structure

Source: Militera.lib.ru[10] Commanders:

Chiefs of Staff:

Postwar

After the end of the war, the army was reformed within the Soviet Air Forces and served in the Far Eastern Military District until 1998.

The army's order of battle c.1988 according to Vad777 and supplemented by Holm/Feskov et al 2013 was:[11]

In 1989 the 1st Air Army disbanded the headquarters of the 33rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division,[20] and in 1994 the headquarters of the 303rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Division.

The 1st Air Army was merged with the 11th Air Defence Army in 1998 to form the 11th Air Force and Air Defence Army.

References

  1. ↑ Western Front. 1st Air Army (in Russian)
  2. ↑ 1st Air Army. Allaces.ru (in Russian)
  3. ↑ Commanders of the Soviet Air Force 1942—1945 www.soldat.ru (in Russian)
  4. 1 2 3 1st Air Army victory.mil.ru Russian Ministry of Defense (in Russian)
  5. ↑ www.mod.mil.by Belarusian Ministry of Defence
  6. ↑ http://newskhab.ru/?p=7154
  7. ↑ (in Russian)
  8. ↑ Michael Holm, 26th Air Army, accessed August 2011
  9. ↑ 17 of them received this title twice
  10. ↑ Commanders of the Soviet Air Force 1941—1945 http://militera.lib.ru (in Russian)
  11. ↑ Vad777, http://www8.brinkster.com/vad777/sssr-89-91/vvs/fa/1-dvo.htm, see also Michael Holm, http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/army/1va.htm
  12. ↑ http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/iap/216iap.htm
  13. ↑ http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/iap/404iap.htm
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/bap/277bap.htm
  16. ↑ Michael Holm, 18th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment, accessed 2012.
  17. ↑ http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/shap/224apib.htm
  18. ↑ Michael Holm, 523rd Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment, accessed November 2012.
  19. ↑ http://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/orap/799orap.htm
  20. ↑ See for example Michael Holm, 33 ADIP
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