Belomorsky Military District

The Belomorsky Military District (Беломорский военный округ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, active from in the immediate aftermath of the Russian Civil War and just after the Second World War.

The District was formed by the decree of the Council of the Peoples Commissars in May 1918. It existed: from May 4 - to August 15, 1918; from March 20, 1920 - to May 17, 1921; from 15 December 1944 year (note 1 January 1945 according to the Encyclopedia "Second World War") - to June 29, 1951.

Initially the Belomorsky Military District included the territories of the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, and Olonets districts, the islands of the White Sea and part of the islands of the Arctic Ocean. However, the territory of the Military District repeatedly changed. After abolition its territory was incorporated in the Northern Military District. Command of the Military District was located in Arkhangelsk, and later in Vologda, Kem' and Petrozavodsk. In 1944/45 when it was reformed from the previous Arkhangelsk Military District, the territory of the Military District included Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Murmansk, Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic and the Komi ASSR; its headquarters were established at Kem'. Included in the military district was the 14th Army and a number of separate formations and units. The Military District was tasked with defending the northern borders of the USSR.

Simultaneously the Belomorsky Military District executed formation and preparation of reserve formations and units for the active army. It was reorganized after the war.

The Northern Military District was established from the Belomorsky Military District in June 1951, with its headquarters at Petrozavodsk. Its territory included the Karelo-Finnish SSR, the Murmansk Oblast, and the Pechenga district of the RSFSR. Military District Commanders included 06.1951-05.1954 Měreckov, Kirill Afanasjevič, 05.1954-01.1956 Kolpakči, Vladimir Yakovlevich, 01.1956-03.1960 Stučenko, Andrew Trofimovic. From June 1951 to April 1952 it also included 31st Rifle Corps.

16th Guards Fighter Aviation Division was part of VVS Belomorsky Military District from November 1944 until January 1952, and then became part of 22nd Air Army, seemingly Northern Military District's aviation component, from 25.1.52 until October 1953. In 1949 the division included two fighter regiments of Bell P-39 Airacobras, the 19th Guards at lakurtti, and the 773rd possibly stationed at Monchegorsk. The 20th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, the third regiment of the division, was also possibly stationed at Monchegorsk, and equipped with the Yak-9.

In May 1960 the Northern Military District was subsumed into the Leningrad Military District, and Headquarters Northern Military District became Headquarters 6th Army.

Commanding officers

 * Ogorodnikov Fedor Evlampievich (26 May 1918 - 15 August 1918)
 * Kraevskiy Bronislaw Ignatevich (09 April 1920 - 27 August 1920)
 * Dudnikov (28 August 1920 - 18 September 1920)
 * Shipov M. (19 September 1920 - 10 November 1920)
 * Natsarenus Sergey Petrovich (November 1920 - April 1921)
 * Shevaldin Trofim Ivanovich (1944–1945)
 * Colonel General Valerian Alexandrovich Frolov (15 December 1944 - April 1948)
 * Colonel General Mikhail Stepanovich Shumilov (1948–1949)
 * Kirill Meretskov (1949 - 29 June 1951)
 * Colonel General V A Frolov (29 June 1951-4 April 1956)

Sources and references

 * Source is translation of http://samsv.narod.ru/Okr/bmvo.html
 * History of the Red Sixth Army
 * See also http://bdsa.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=736&Itemid=30