| 63rd Army | |
|---|---|
| 63-я армия | |
| Active | 10 Jul. 1942 – 4 Nov. 1942 27 Apr. 1943 – 18 Feb 1944 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Combined arms |
| Size | Field army |
| Part of | Stalingrad Front |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Vasily Kuznetzov Vladimir Kolpakchi |
The63rd Army (Russian:63-я армия) was afield army established by theSoviet Union'sRed Army duringWorld War II.
The Army was formed on July 10, 1942 from the5th Reserve Army, a part of theReserve of the Supreme High Command.
Since July 12, 1942 the army was incorporated into the newly createdStalingrad Front for defensive battles on approaches toStalingrad.
On August 20, 1942 the 63rd Army attacked with197th,203rd and14th Guards Rifle Divisions across the river Don against the ItalianSforzesca Division (XXXV Corps) and successfully gained a short-lived bridgehead across the Don northwest ofKletskaya. The advance by 63rd Army was imitated by1st Guards Army, then to the left of 63rd Army, with an attack on 22 August againstGerman XI Corps west ofSirotinskaya. An Italian counterattack byCelere Cavalry Division on August 23 briefly slowed the 63rd Army, but it continued the expansion of its bridgehead with a breakout attack by3rd Guards Cavalry Corps (which had crossed the Don on August 23) and by the 14th Guards Rifle Division. Eventually, the arrival of Italian reinforcements on August 28 allowed the XXXV Corps and theGerman XVII Corps to stop the expansion of the bridgehead.[1]
On September 30, 1942Stalingrad Front was renamed asDon Front for thebattle within the city. On October 29, 1942 the army subordinated to the reconstructedSouthwestern Front for theOperation Uranus counter-offensive.
On November 4, 1942, the 63rd Army was grantedGuards status and briefly transformed into the1st Guards Army (Second Formation) before being split and reformed into the3rd Guards Army on 5 December.
April 27, 1943 the Army was formed for the second time on the basis of the 2nd Reserve Army. Originally it consisted of the129th,235th,250th,348th,380th and397th Rifle Divisions, artillery, engineering, and other parts. On April 29, 1943 the army was incorporated into theBryansk Front. Initially it conducted defensive operations along theZusha andNeruch Rivers and the region south ofMtsensk. It participated inOperation Kutuzov at Orel, and theBriansk andGomel-Rechitsa Offensives. WithMarkian Popov'sBryansk Front at theBattle of Kursk it comprised the5th,41st, 129th, 250th,287th,348th and 397th Rifle Divisions. On October 8, 1943 the army was assigned to theCentral Front (renamed asBelorussian Front on October 20, 1943). It was disbanded on February 18, 1944, with its troops transferred to the3rd and48th armies.
| Armies |
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| Guards | |
| Tank/Mechanized | |
| Guards Tank/Mechanized | |
| Shock | |
| Cavalry | |
| Sapper |
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| Reserve Army |
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