42nd Army (Soviet Union)

The 42nd Army was a field army of the Soviet Union's Red Army, created in 1941.

Created on 5 August 1941. Formed on the basis of the 50th Rifle Corps under the command of Major General Vladimir Ivanovich Shcherbakov. The army initially consisted of the 291st Rifle Division and the 2nd and 3rd Guards Leningrad Peoples' Militia Divisions. The 51st Corps, 690th Anti-Tank and 740th Artillery Regiments, and the Krasnogvardeisk Fortified Region soon joined the Army. Sources disagree on when the army was disbanded; V.I. Feskov et al. says that it 'ceased to exist in Summer 1945' while David Glantz lists the army on an order of battle for November 1945 in the Baltic Military District with no forces assigned. He also says it was 'disbanded in 1946.'

1941 - 1943
During August 1941 the army formed a defensive line to the west, northwest and southwest of Krasnogvardeisk. By 19 August 1941, the leading German troops (1st and 8th Panzer Divisions) were fighting the troops of the Krasnogvardeisk Fortified Region. The army's final line of defence was formed on August 21, 1941, when German troops were forced to suspend the offensive in the south-western approaches to Krasnogvardeisk and go on the defensive. The 2nd Guards People's Militia Division especially distinguished itself during the fighting.

The army took part in the Leningrad Strategic Defensive operation from 9–30 September 1941. Conducted combat operations in the approaches to Leningrad from the Gulf of Finland to the city of Pushkin.

Composition on 1 September 1941:
 * 2nd Guards Leningrad People's Militia Division
 * 3rd Guards Leningrad People's Militia Division (minus 2nd Rifle Regiment)
 * Krasnogvardeisk Fortified Region
 * 51st Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 690th Antitank Artillery Regiment
 * Mixed Artillery Regiment
 * 704th Artillery Regiment (198th Motorized Division)
 * 42nd Pontoon-Bridge Battalion
 * 106th Motorized Engineer Battalion

Composition on 1 October 1941:
 * 13th Rifle Division
 * 44th Rifle Division
 * 56th Rifle Division
 * 189th Rifle Division
 * 21st Rifle Division (NKVD)
 * 6th Naval Infantry Brigade
 * 7th Naval Infantry Brigade
 * 268th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 282nd Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 291st Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 14th Antitank Brigade
 * 28th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 47th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 51st Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 73rd Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 101st Howitzer Artillery Regiment (RVGK)
 * 704th Artillery Regiment
 * 296th Antitank Artillery Battalion
 * 1st Separate Mortar Battalion
 * 2nd Separate Mortar Battalion
 * 3rd Separate Mortar Battalion
 * Separate Guards Mortar Battalion
 * 51st Tank Battalion
 * 29th Sapper Battalion
 * 456th Sapper Battalion

The army's intensive fight for the defense of Leningrad began on 9 September 1941. At this time the army occupied a the line from Trinty to the southeast to Krasnogvardeisk. From north to south the following units occupied the line; 264th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion, 3rd Guards Leningrad People's Militia Division, 277th, 4th, 265th, 276th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion 2nd Guards Leningrad People's Militia Division, 126th and 267th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalions. On the right flank of the was the 8th Army defending Oranienbaum and to the east the 55th Army. Against this Army Group North sent the 291st, 58th, 1st Infantry, 30th Motorized, 1st and 6th Panzer Divisions. The SS Police Division and the 269th Infantry Divisions reinforced the attack.

At the start of the German offensive the 42nd Army was composed mostly of militia units and inexperienced soldiers and lacking in weapons, ammunition, transport and communications. On the first day of the battle the 36th Motorized Division broke through the 3rd Guards Militia Division and by the evening had penetrated 10 kilometers deep into the defense taking Duderhof Heights. (See Kurowski, Franz (2015). Infantry Aces: German Mechanized Infantrymen in World War II. Stackpole Books.) Thereafter the 1st Panzer Division arrived on 10 September 1941 to continue the advance, and forced the 3rd Guards People's Militia Division back. Meanwhile, parts of the 42nd Army continued to defend Krasnogvardeisk stubbornly, despite German troops reaching the rear of the fortified area, threatening to cut off their communications completely, as well as the linkages with the neighboring 55th Army. The 42nd Army only left Krasnogvardeisk on September 13, 1941, after intense street fighting. The remnants of the army were forced to take up new line of defense. During the night of 12–13 September took up positions of the Pulkovski defensive line, extending from Strelna through Konstantinovka, Finskoye Koyrovo, Upper Koyrovo, Upper Kuzmin near the Kuzminka River, and Pulkovo. From 12–15 September the front added a rifle division, a NKVD division, two militia divisions, two antitank brigades and several rifle brigades.

From 13–15 September the army conducted a stubborn defensive battle, interspersed with counterattacks all along its front. On 15 September German forces broke through to Strelna, cutting off part of the 10th and 11th Rifle Divisions on the right flank of the army. From 17–21 September the army attacked Uritsk trying to reconnect with the 8th Army, but with no success. The last attempt to break through the defensive lines was on 23 September on the armies right flank in the Pulkovo Heights area but the attack was repelled. On 30 September the army participated in the operation to take Uritskom, Pine Glade, village Volodarskogo and output to Strelna, where parts of the army were to meet with a sea landing, but the operation was unsuccessful.

The defensive line had stabilized by 23 September with the army occupying a 16.5 kilometers front from the Gulf of Finland to the junction with the 55th Army at Pulkovo. The forward line of troops extended from the eastern edge of Uritsk, eastern outskirts of the old-Panov, New Koyrovo, and the southwestern outskirts of Pulkovo. By 1 November the from expanded by 10.5 kilometers before crossing the Vitebsk Railway line at Kolpino, and then further to the outskirts of Putrolovo finally reaching a total length of 36 kilometers. The army defended this line until January 1944.

During the period September 1941 to January 1944, the army was focused on improving the defense lines. An important mission for the army was Counter-battery fire against enemy long-range artillery firing on Leningrad. In January 1943 the army allocated half of it forces to participate in Operation Spark, an attempt to break the blockade of Leningrad.

Composition on 1 January 1942:
 * 13th Rifle Division
 * 189th Rifle Division
 * 21st Rifle Division (NKVD)
 * 247th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 291st Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 292nd Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 14th Antitank Brigade
 * 47th Artillery Regiment
 * 73rd Artillery Regiment
 * 541st Howitzer Artillery Regiment
 * 1st Antitank Artillery Regiment
 * 2nd Antitank Artillery Regiment
 * 3rd Antitank Artillery Regiment
 * 4th Antitank Artillery Regiment
 * 5th Antitank Artillery Regiment
 * 3rd Special-power Artillery Battalion
 * 72nd Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 89th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 51st Tank Battalion
 * 29th Engineer Battalion
 * 54th Engineer Battalion
 * 106th Engineer Battalion

Composition on 1 July 1942:
 * 13th Rifle Division
 * 21st Rifle Division
 * 72nd Rifle Division
 * 85th Rifle Division
 * 189th Rifle Division
 * 34th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 247th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 291st Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 292nd Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 339th Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 14th Guards Artillery Regiment
 * 73rd Army Artillery Regiment
 * 541st Howitzer Artillery Regiment
 * 289th Light Artillery Regiment
 * 304th Light Artillery Regiment
 * 509th Light Artillery Regiment
 * 705th Light Artillery Regiment
 * 706th Light Artillery Regiment
 * 884th Light Artillery Regiment
 * 72nd Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 89th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 2nd Separate Armored Car Battalion
 * 72nd Armored Train Battalion
 * 29th Engineer Battalion
 * 54th Engineer Battalion
 * 585th Engineer Battalion

Composition on 1 January 1943:
 * 85th Rifle Division
 * 109th Rifle Division
 * 125th Rifle Division
 * 189th Rifle Division
 * 79th Fortified Region
 * 14th Guards Artillery Regiment
 * 289th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 304th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 384th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 509th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 705th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 760th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 533rd Mortar Regiment (unnumbered Artillery Division)
 * 474th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 71st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 1st Tank Brigade
 * 31st Separate Guards Tank Regiment
 * 1st Separate Armored Car Battalion
 * 2nd Separate Armored Car Battalion
 * 54th Engineer Battalion
 * 585th Engineer Battalion
 * 914th Mixed Aviation Regiment

Composition on 1 July 1943:
 * 56th Rifle Division
 * 85th Rifle Division
 * 109th Rifle Division
 * 125th Rifle Division
 * 189th Rifle Division
 * 79th Fortified Region
 * 18th Artillery Division
 * 65th Light Artillery Brigade
 * 51st Gun Artillery Brigade
 * 38th Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 15th Mortar Brigade
 * 12th Guards Artillery Regiment
 * 14th Guards Artillery Regiment
 * 73rd Gun Artillery Regiment
 * 1486th Gun Artillery Regiment
 * 324th High-power Howitzer Artillery Regiment
 * 304th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 384th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 509th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 705th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 760th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 533rd Mortar Regiment
 * 534th Mortar Regiment
 * 320th Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Division
 * 465th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 474th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 602nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 632nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 631st Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 72nd Antiaircraft Artillery BAttalion
 * 1st Tank Brigade
 * 49th Separate Guards Tank Regiment
 * 1439th SU Regiment
 * 2nd Separate Armored Car Battalion
 * 72nd Armored Train Battalion
 * 54th Engineer Battalion
 * 585th Engineer Battalion

1944
The army participated in the Leningrad-Novgorod and Pskov-Ostrov operations, the later while assigned to the 3rd Baltic Front.

In the late hours of 1944-1-13, long-range bombers from the Baltic Fleet attacked the main German command points on the defensive line, presaging the Krasnoye Selo-Ropsha Offensive. On January 14, troops from both the Oranienbaum foothold and Volkhov Front attacked, followed the next day by troops of the 42nd Army under the command of Ivan Maslennikov from the Pulkovo Heights. An artillery barrage was launched all along the front, laying down 220,000 shells onto the German lines. Fog inhibited major progress for the first few days, although the 2nd Shock Army and 42nd Army advanced two miles on a seven mile front while in combat with the 9th and 10th Luftwaffe Field Divisions.

The 42nd Army was tasked with breaking through the heavily fortified bands of enemy defenses established over the past two years. The 42nd Army first was to strike west to connect with the 2nd Shock Army advancing from the Oranienbaum bridgehead. Before the operation, 42nd Army was significantly reinforced; the main striking force of the army was the 30th Guards Rifle Corps. Soviet troops confronted L Army Corps (126th, 170th, 215th Infantry Divisions). The German artillery group consisted of 43 artillery battalions, 12 divisional artillery battalions ( summarized in the 125th, 240th, 215th and 11th Artillery Regiments ) and 31 from OKH reserve. Front line of defense was from the coast of the Gulf of Finland to the river Izhorka Popova in the east. In the main line of defense, there were 13 German centers of resistance, Uritsk, Old Panov, Novo-Panov, Finnish Koyrovo, Kokkolevo rarely Kuzmino - Alexandrovka Big Kuzmino station Children's Village, New, State Farm "Pushkin", settlement Volodarskogo Pushkin and Slutsk. In total, there were 34 centers of resistance strongpoints. The total depth of the enemy defense reached 13-15 kilometers. It took the army two full days to breakthrough the left flank of the German lines. On the right flank was not as successful, with the army taking almost a week to breakthrough the front lines and into the German Rear Areas.

Composition on 1 January 1944:
 * 30th Guards Rifle Corps
 * 45th Guards Rifle Division
 * 63rd Guards Rifle Division
 * 64th Guards Rifle Division
 * 109th Rifle Corps
 * 72nd Rifle Division
 * 109th Rifle Division
 * 125th Rifle Division
 * 110th Rifle Corps
 * 56th Rifle Division
 * 85th Rifle Division
 * 86th Rifle Division
 * 79th Fortified Region
 * 18th Artillery Penetration Division
 * 65th Light Artillery Brigade
 * 58th Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 3rd Heavy Howitzer Brigade
 * 80th Heavy Artillery Brigade
 * 120th High-power Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 42nd Mortar Brigade
 * 23rd Artillery Penetration Division
 * 79th Light Artillery Brigade
 * 38th Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 2nd Heavy Howitzer Brigade
 * 96th Heavy Howitzer Brigade
 * 21st Guards High-power Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 28th Mortar Brigade
 * 1157th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 1106th Gun Artillery Regiment
 * 1486th Gun Artillery Regiment
 * 52nd Guards Heavy Gun Artillery Battalion
 * 304th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 384th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 509th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 705th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 1973rd Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 104th Mortar Regiment
 * 174th Mortar Regiment
 * 533rd Mortar Regiment
 * 534th Mortar Regiment
 * 20th Guards Mortar Regiment (minus 211th Battalion)
 * 38th Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 320th Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 321st Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Division
 * 465th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 474th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 602nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 632nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 32nd Antiaircraft Artillery Division
 * 1377th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 1387th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 1393rd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 1413th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 631st Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 72nd Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 220th Tank Brigade
 * 31st Separate Guards Tank Regiment
 * 46th Separate Guards Tank Regiment
 * 49th Separate Guards Tank Regiment
 * 205th Separate Tank Regiment
 * 260th Separate Tank Regiment
 * 1439th SU Regiment
 * 1902nd SU Regiment
 * 2nd Separate Armored Car Battalion
 * 71st Armored Train Battalion
 * 72nd Armored Train Battalion
 * 54th Engineer Battalion
 * 585th Engineer Battalion

Composition on 1 September 1944:
 * 93rd Rifle Corps
 * 219th Rifle Division
 * 379th Rifle Division
 * 391st Rifle Division
 * 110th Rifle Corps
 * 2nd Rifle Division
 * 168th Rifle Division
 * 268th Rifle Division
 * 124th Rifle Corps
 * 48th Rifle Division
 * 123rd Rifle Division
 * 256th Rifle Division
 * 141st Gun Artillery Brigade
 * 304th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 311th Guards Tank Destroyer Regiment (6th Guards Antitank Artillery Brigade)
 * 122nd Mortar Regiment
 * 93rd Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 310th Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 42nd Antiaircraft Artillery Division
 * 620th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 709th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 714th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 729th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 631st Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 64th Guards Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 1297th SU Regiment
 * 24th Engineer-Sapper Brigade

1945
Conducted a number of attacks against the German Army Group Courland positions. The attacks were conducted on 20–28 February 1945, again on 17 March 1945 but were unsuccessful. The army was still on the front lines for the surrender of the Army Group Courland.

Order of Battle as of 1 April 45:
 * 23rd Guards Rifle Corps‡
 * 51st Guards Rifle Division‡
 * 67th Guards Rifle Division‡
 * 8th Estonian Rifle Corps‡
 * 7th Estonian Rifle Division‡
 * 249th Estonian Rifle Division‡
 * 122nd Rifle Corps†
 * 56th Rifle Division†
 * 85th Rifle Division†
 * 332nd Rifle Division‡
 * 130th Latvian Rifle Corps
 * 43rd Guards Rifle Division
 * 308th Latvian Rifle Division
 * 118th Fortified Region
 * 27th Artillery Division‡
 * 78th Light Artillery Brigade‡
 * 74th Howitzer Artillery Brigade‡
 * 76th Gun Artillery Brigade‡
 * 783rd Artillery Reconnaissance Battalion‡
 * 69th Light Artillery Brigade (6th Guards Artillery Penetration Division)‡†
 * 141st Gun Artillery Brigade
 * 87th Heavy howitzer Artillery Brigade (6th Guards Artillery Penetration Division)‡†
 * 395th Howitzer Regiment‡
 * 304th Tank Destroy Regiment
 * 4th Mortar Brigade (6th Guards Artillery Penetration Division)‡†
 * 122nd Mortar Regiment
 * 14th Guards Mortar Brigade‡
 * 72nd Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 93rd Guards Mortar Regiment‡
 * 310th Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 42nd Antiaircraft Artillery Division
 * 620th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 709th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 714th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 729th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 631st Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 32nd Guards Tank Regiment‡
 * 1052nd SU Regiment
 * 1503rd SU Regiment‡
 * 24th Engineer-Sapper Brigade
 * 54th Motorized Pontoon-Bridge Battalion‡
 * 45th Flamethrower Battalion

† Located in the Far East by November 1945 ‡ Removed from the army by 1 May 1945

Before the war ended the Army was already drawing down forces. A few of the forces headed east for the attack on Japan. More were to be demobilized.

Commanders

 * Major General Vladimir Ivanovich Shcherbakov - (5 August 1941 - 1 September 1941)
 * Lieutenant General Fedor Sergeevich Ivanov - (1 September 1941 - 15 September 1941)
 * Major General I.I. Fedyuninsky - (16 September 1941 - 24 October 1941)
 * Major General Ivan Nikolaev - (24 October 1941 - 23 December 1943)
 * Colonel General I.I. Maslennikov - (23 December 1941 - 14 March 1944) May 1942, lieutenant-general
 * Lieutenant General Vladimir Z. Romanovsky - (14 March 1944 - 24 March 1944)
 * Lieutenant General Vladimir Petrovich Sviridov - (24 March 1944 - 9 May 1945)