Soviet Union: Northwestern (Baltic) Front June 22, 1941

v.1.0 January 28, 2001

This copyright article is by Mr. Craig R. Crofoot

Northwestern Front

22 June 1941

Commander:

General-Colonel F. I. Kuznetsov

Member of the Military Soviet:

Corps Commissar P. A. Dibrova

Chief of Staff:

General-Lieutenant P. S. Klenov

 
 

8th Army

11th Army 27th Army
Front Ground Assets:

Headquarters, 65th Rifle Corps

5th Airborne Corps:

9th Airborne Brigade

10th Airborne Brigade

201st Airborne Brigade

41st (Libavskii)[Libau] Fortified Region

402nd High-powered Howitzer Artillery Regiment RGK

11th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion

4th Pontoon Bridge Regiment

30th Pontoon Bridge Regiment

Front Air Defense Assets:

10th Air Defense (PVO) Brigade

12th Air Defense (PVO) Brigade

14th Air Defense (PVO) Brigade

Rizhskii [Riga] PVO Brigade Region

Estonskii [Estonian] PVO Brigade Region

Kaunasskii [Kaunas] PVO Brigade Region

21st Fighter Aviation Regiment PVO

Front Aviation Assets:

57th Fighter Aviation Division:

4th Mixed Aviation Division:

6th Mixed Aviation Division:

7th Mixed Aviation Division:

8th Mixed Aviation Division:

312th Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment

Total: 8 Bomber Aviation Regiments 8 Fighter Aviation Regiment

2 Assault Aviation Regiments 9 Artillery Correction Aviation Squadrons

1 Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment

Note:

The composition of the Aviation Divisions for 22 June 1941 was not listed in the Soviet order of battle. The Northwestern Front was responsible for defending the border from the coast to a point just north of Grodno. In addition, the NKVD forces operating in the rear area of the BSMD were: 2nd NKVD Railroad Division (elements), 9th NKVD Rifle Division and the 20th NKVD Railroad Division, the 99th NKVD Border Guards Detachment on Hango, 2nd NKVD Baltic Detachment of Border Boats along the coast and the 12th NKVD Separate Aviation Squadron (SB & MBR-2), plus the 6th (Rakvere), 8th (Haapsala), 10th (Kurosaar), 12th (Leipaia) and 99th (Hango) Border Guard Detachments.

8th Army

Northwestern Front

Commander:

General-Major P. P. Sobennikov

Member of the Military Soviet:

Division Commissar S. I. Shabalov

Chief of Staff:

General-Major G. A. Larionov

10th Rifle Corps:

11th Rifle Corps:

12th Mechanized Corps:

10th Rifle Division

11th Rifle Division

23rd Tank Division

48th Rifle Division

125th Rifle Division

28th Tank Division

90th Rifle Division

202nd Mechanized Division

10th Motorcycle Regiment

Army Ground Assets:

44th (Kaunasski)[Kaunas] Fortified Region

48th (Alitusskii)[Alytus] Fortified Region

9th Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade

47th Corps Artillery Regiment

51st Corps Artillery Regiment

73rd Corps Artillery Regiment

39th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion

242nd Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion

25th Engineer Regiment

Army Air Defense Assets:

None

Army Aviation Assets:

None

Note:

The 8th Army was formed in October 1939 in the Petrozavodsk area and participated in the war with Finland (1939-40). In August 1940 it was transferred to the Baltic area and was responsible for defending the Baltic Region from Riga along the coast, then along the border to the Neman River.

11th Army

Northwestern Front

Commander:

General-Lieutenant V. I. Morozov

Member of the Military Soviet:

Division Commissar I. V. Zuev

Chief of Staff:

General-Major I. T. Shlemin

16th Rifle Corps:

29th Rifle Corps:

3rd Mechanized Corps:

5th Rifle Division

179th Rifle Division

2nd Tank Division

33rd Rifle Division

184th Rifle Division

5th Tank Division

188th Rifle Division

84th Mechanized Division

5th Motorcycle Regiment

Army Ground Assets:

23rd Rifle Division

126th Rifle Division

128th Rifle Division

42nd (Shaulyaiskii)[Shiauliai] Fortified Region

45th Fortified Region

46th (Tel’shaiskii)[Tel’shaia] Fortified Region

10th Anti-Tank Artillery Brigade

270th Corps Artillery Regiment

448th Corps Artillery Regiment

615th Corps Artillery Regiment

110th High-powered Howitzer Artillery Regiment RGK

429th Howitzer Artillery Regiment RGK

19th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion

247th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion

38th Separate Engineer Battalion

Army Air Defense Assets:

None

Army Aviation Assets:

None

Note:

The 11th Army was formed in August 1939 in the Belorussian Military District. In September 1939, it participated in the invasion of Poland, attacking from east of Minsk to Ludi and Vilno in northeast Poland. In August 1940, it was transferred to the Baltic Special Military District and was responsible for defending the eastern area of the Baltic Region. By June 1941, it was defending the border from the Nieman River to a point just north of Grodno.

27th Army

Northwestern Front

Commander:

General-Major N. E. Berzarin

Member of the Military Soviet:

Division Commissar P. K. Batrakov

Chief of Staff:

Colonel V. V. Boloznev

22nd Rifle Corps:

24th Rifle Corps:

180th Rifle Division

181st Rifle Division

182nd Rifle Division

183rd Rifle Division

Army Ground Assets:

16th Rifle Division

67th Rifle Division

3rd Rifle Brigade

613th Corps Artillery Regiment

614th Corps Artillery Regiment

103rd Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion

111th Separate Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion

Army Air Defense Assets:

None

Army Aviation Assets:

None

Note:

The 27th Army had just started forming in May 1941 and was the second echelon force of the Northwestern Front, located between Lake Pskov and Ulbena.

Artillery & Mortar Totals

In the Baltic Special Military District (Northwestern Front)

 

1 January 1941 Summary

1 June 1941 Summary

Readiness Categories

Beginning of War (22 June 1941)

Weapons

1 & 2

3

4

5

Total

Total

Received in June

Total

Field Guns:

45mm AT Gun M1932/1937

740

34

13

1

788

1059

-

1059

76mm Regimental Gun M1927

233

23

-

-

256

311

-

311

76mm Divisional Gun M1902/30

105

1

-

-

106

250

-

311

76mm Divisional Gun M1936

207

1

-

-

208

396

-

396

76mm Divisional Gun M1939

56

-

-

-

56

72

-

72

76mm Mountain Gun M1909

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

76mm Mountain Gun M1938

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

107mm Gun M1910/30

37

1

-

-

38

62

-

62

122mm Howitzer M1910/30

386

29

-

-

415

415

60

475

122mm Howitzer M1909/37

15

-

4

1

20

15

-

15

122mm Howitzer M1938

40

-

-

-

40

100

94

194

122mm Gun M1931

59

1

-

-

60

60

-

60

152mm Howitzer M1909/30

134

19

-

-

153

153

-

153

152mm Howitzer M1930

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

152mm Howitzer M1910/37

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

152mm Howitzer M1938

64

-

-

-

64

108

-

108

152mm Howitzer Vikkersa

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

152mm Howitzer-Gun M1937

164

12

-

-

176

200

132

332

152mm Gun M1910/30

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

152mm Gun M1935

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

203mm Howitzer M1931

46

12

2

-

60

59

-

59

210mm Gun BR-17 M1939

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

280mm Mortar M1914/15

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

280mm Mortar BP-5 M1939

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

305mm Howitzer BR-18 M1914/15, /39

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Total Field Guns:

2286

133

19

2

2440

3260

286

3546

Mortars:

50mm Mortar

1527

6

-

-

1533

2081

-

2081

82mm Mortar

463

46

-

-

509

620

-

620

107mm Mortar

-

-

-

-

-

50

-

50

120mm Mortar

190

-

-

-

190

218

-

218

Total Mortars

2180

52

-

-

2232

2969

-

2969

Total Field Guns and Mortars

4466

185

19

2

4672

6229

286

6515

Anti-Aircraft Guns:

37(40)mm Automatic AA Gun M1939

48

-

-

-

48

116

-

116

76mm AA Gun M1931, M1938

246

10

-

-

256

232

-

232

85mm AA Gun M1939

48

-

-

-

48

156

-

156

Total Anti-Aircraft Guns

342

10

-

-

352

504

-

504

Total Guns and Mortars

4808

195

19

2

5024

6733

286

7019

Tank Totals

In the Baltic Special Military District

(Northwestern Front)

1 June 1941

 

Readiness Categories

Weapons

1

2

3

4

Totals

1) Basic Tank Types:

Heavy:

KV MB [KV-1

40

17

2

-

59

KV BB [KV-2]

13

6

-

-

19

T-35

-

-

-

-

-

Total Heavy Tanks

53

23

2

-

78

Medium:

T-34 line

30

-

-

-

30

T-34 with radio

20

-

-

-

20

Total T-34s

50

-

-

-

50

T-28

-

24

29

4

57

Total Medium Tanks

50

24

29

4

107

Light:

a) Scout Tanks

T-37 line

-

33

15

9

57

T-37 with radio

-

3

1

-

4

Total T-37s

-

36

16

9

61

T-38 line

1

41

24

10

76

T-38 with radio

-

7

2

-

9

Total T-38s

1

48

26

10

85

T-40 line

-

-

-

-

-

T-40 with radio

-

-

-

-

-

T-40 for training

-

-

-

-

-

Total T-40s

-

-

-

-

-

Total Scout Tanks

1

84

42

19

146

b) Regular Tanks

T-26 2-Turret

-

22

-

3/3

25

T-26 Line

227

63

17

16/9

323

T-26 with radio

26

92

21

9/7

148

T-26 LT3

11

-

-

-

11

T-26 RT3

-

-

-

-

-

Total Regular Tanks

264

177

38

28/19

506

c) Operations Tanks

BT-2

-

-

-

-

-

BT-5 Line

-

-

-

-

-

BT-5 with Radio

-

-

-

-

-

BT-5 Diesel Engine

-

-

-

-

-

Total BT-5

-

-

-

-

-

BT-IS

-

-

-

-

-

BT-7 Line

4

226

38

7/4

275

BT-7 Artillery

-

17

3

-

20

BT-7M Line

-

1

-

-

1

BT-7 with radio

1

242

41

12/10

296

BT-7M with radio

-

-

-

-

-

BT-7 RSMK

-

-

-

-

-

BT-7 Anti-Aircraft

3

81

5

-

89

BT-7M Anti-Aircraft

-

10

-

-

10

Total BT-7s

8

577

87

19/14

691

BT-8

-

-

-

-

-

Total Operations Tanks

8

577

87

19/14

691

Total Light Tanks

273

838

167

66/33

1344

Total Basic Tank Types

376

885

198

70

1529

Tank Totals

In the Baltic Special Military District

(Northwestern Front)

1 June 1941

(Continued)

 

Readiness Categories

Weapons

1

2

3

4

Totals

2) Specialized Tank Types

Chemical (Flamethrower)

T-37 Chemical

-

-

-

-

-

T-26 M130

-

1

-

-

1

T-26 TT-131

-

-

-

-

-

T-26 TU-132

-

-

-

-

-

T-26 M133

2

3

4

-

9

T-26 M134

-

-

-

-

-

T-26 BKM-3

-

7

1

2/2

10

T-26 TOS

-

-

-

-

-

BT-2 Chemical

-

-

-

-

-

BT-7 Chemical

-

-

-

-

-

Total Specialized Tanks

2

11

5

2/2

20

Total Basic & Specialized Tanks

378

896

203

72/35

1549

3) Self-Propelled Units

T-26 SU-5

-

-

-

-

-

Total Tanks and SU

378

896

203

72/35

1549

4) Armored Vehicles based on Tanks

T-26 Sapper

-

-

-

-

-

T-26 Tractor

-

2

1

-

3

Total Armored Vehicles

-

2

1

-

3

5) Tankettes

T-27 Line

-

38

4

25

67

T-27 Tractor

-

27

-

-

27

T-27 Chemical

-

-

-

-

-

Total Tankettes

-

65

4

25

94

Total Armored Vehicles

378

963

208

97/35

1646

Aircraft Totals

In the Baltic Special Military District

(Northwestern Front)

1 June 1941

Aircraft

Total

Non-Operational

Operational

Combat Crews

1) Combat Aircraft: