| 9th Guards Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1945–1946 |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army |
| Type | Combined arms |
| Size | 3 rifle corps |
| Part of | 2nd Ukrainian Front 3rd Ukrainian Front |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Vasily Glagolev |
The9th Guards Army was afield army of theRed Army duringWorld War II, which fought in theVienna Offensive and thePrague Offensive at the end of the war. The army was formed in January 1945 and included airborne divisions converted into infantry. Postwar, the army headquarters becameSoviet airborne headquarters.
The 9th Guards Army was formed on 5 January 1945 under the command ofVasily Glagolev as directed by theStavka directive of 18 December 1944.[1] It was formed from the headquarters of the7th Army and theSeparate Airborne Army.[2] It was composed of the37th,38th and39th Guards Rifle Corps. In February, the army was transferred to southeasternHungary, nearBudapest. It became part of the2nd Ukrainian Front on 27 February to participate in the Vienna Offensive.[1][3]
It was transferred to the3rd Ukrainian Front on 9 March. Between 8 and 14 March the army was moved from theKecslemet area across theDanube into theZámoly sector, replacing the4th Guards Army.[4] Between 16 March and 15 April, the army fought in the Vienna Offensive. Units of the army broke through German defences north ofSzékesfehérvár in conjunction with the4th Guards Army. Advancing in the left flank and rear of the6th Panzer Army, the 9th Guards Army broke through other German units betweenLake Balaton andVelence. For the assault on Vienna, the army's 39th Guards Rifle Corps would follow the attack of the6th Guards Tank Army in the southwestern sector. The 38th Guards Rifle Corps was to cut the Vienna-Linz road and use two divisions to protect the attack from the west. The 37th Guards Rifle Corps protected the assault force's left flank. The 9th Guards Army attacked the northwestern road out ofVienna in conjunction with the6th Guards Tank Army and broke German resistance in early April. On 13 April, the army helped capture Vienna.[5] The army then fought in thePrague Offensive, where it capturedZnojmo on 8 May in conjunction with the7th Guards Army. It also capturedRetz andPísek, ending the war on theElbe.[1][6]
The army had its headquarters inSzolnok from July 1945 to June 1946 and was part of theCentral Group of Forces.[7] In 1946, its headquarters became theSoviet airborne headquarters and its corps were converted into airborne corps, while rifle divisions became airborne divisions.[8]
The army was composed of the following units in February 1945.[9]
| Armies |
|
|---|---|
| Guards | |
| Tank/Mechanized | |
| Guards Tank/Mechanized | |
| Shock | |
| Cavalry | |
| Sapper |
|
| Reserve Army |
|
.svg)
.svg)