Southwestern Front (Soviet Union)

The Southwestern Front was a name given to a Front (or Army group sized military formation) by the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War, by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic during the Russian Civil War, and by the Red Army during the Second World War.

The Southwestern Front in this article describes several distinct organizations during the Second World War. This Red Army formation was first created on June 22, 1941 from the Special Kiev Military District. The western boundary of the front in June 1941 was 865 km long, from the Pripyat River and the town of Wlodawa to the Prut River and the town of Lipkany at the border with Romania. It connected to the north with the Western Front, which extended to the Lithuanian border, and to the south with the Southern Front, which extended to the city of Odessa on the Black Sea.

Operational history
The Southwestern Front was on the main axis of attack by the German Army Group South during Operation Barbarossa. At the outbreak of war with Germany, the Front contained the Soviet 5th, 6th, 26th, and 12th Armies along the frontier. 16th and 19th Armies were in reserve behind the forward forces. These forces took part in the tank battles in western Ukraine and were surrounded and destroyed at the Battle of Uman and the Battle of Kiev (1941) in August and September 1941.

The Front was immediately re-established with new forces. During the period of the Battle of Moscow it was under the command of Marshal Timoshenko, and included from north to south the 40th, 21st, 38th and 6th Armies. It was formally disbanded on July 12, 1942 and the forces transferred to the Stalingrad Front and Southern Front.

The Front was reformed from reserve armies on October 22, 1942. It was renamed the 3rd Ukrainian Front on October 20, 1943. 3rd Ukrainian Front's first operations were the Battle of the Dnieper and the Battle of Kiev (1943).

Southwestern Front on 22 June 1941
Composition Subordinate Front units directly under Commander of the Front:


 * 31st Rifle Corps
 * 193rd Rifle Division
 * 195th Rifle Division
 * 200th Rifle Division


 * 36th Rifle Corps:
 * 140th Rifle Division
 * 146th Rifle Division
 * 228th Rifle Division


 * 49th Rifle Corps
 * 190th Rifle Division
 * 197th Rifle Division
 * 199th Rifle Division


 * 55th Rifle Corps
 * 130th Rifle Division
 * 169th Rifle Division
 * 189th Rifle Division


 * 1st Airborne Corps (Soviet Airborne Forces)
 * 1st Airborne Infantry Brigade
 * 204th Airborne Infantry Brigade
 * 211th Airborne Infantry Brigade


 * Fortified Regions
 * 1st Kiev
 * 3rd Latichov
 * 5th Khorosten
 * 7th Novogrudok–Volynsk
 * 13th Shepetovka
 * 15th Ostropol
 * 17th Izaslav


 * Front Artillery
 * 5th Anti-Tank Brigade
 * 205th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 207th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 368th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 457th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 458th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 507th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 543rd Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 646th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 305th Cannon Artillery Regiment (RGK)
 * 355th Cannon Artillery Regiment (RGK)
 * 4th High Power Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 168th High Power Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 324th High Power Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 330th High Power Howitzer Regiment (RGk)
 * 526th High Power Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 331st Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 376th Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 529th Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 538th Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 589th Howitzer Regiment (RGK)
 * 34th Independent Special Artillery Division
 * 245th Independent Special Artillery Division
 * 315th Independent Special Artillery Division
 * 316th Independent Special Artillery Division
 * 263rd Independent Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division


 * Front PVO
 * 3rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division (PVO)
 * 4th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division (PVO)
 * 11th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade (PVO)
 * PVO Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade Regions:
 * Stanislavov
 * Rovno
 * Zhitomir
 * Tarnopol
 * Vinnitsa


 * Front Tank/Mechanized Troops
 * 19th Mechanized Corps:
 * 40th Tank Division
 * 43rd Tank Division
 * 213th Mechanized Division
 * 21st Motorcycle Regiment


 * 24th Mechanized Corps:
 * 45th Tank Division
 * 49th Tank Division
 * 216th Mechanized Division
 * 17th Motorcycle Regiment


 * 1st Independent Armoured Car Division


 * Front Air Forces
 * 44th Fighter Aviation Division
 * 64th Fighter Aviation Division
 * 19th Bomber Aviation Division
 * 62nd Bomber Aviation Division
 * 14th Mixed Aviation Division
 * 15th Mixed Aviation Division
 * 16th Mixed Aviation Division
 * 17th Mixed Aviation Division
 * 63rd Mixed Aviation Division
 * 36th Fighter Aviation Division (PVO)
 * 315th Air Reconnaissance Regiment
 * 316th Air Reconnaissance Regiment


 * Front Engineer Troops
 * 45th Engineer Regiment
 * 1st Pontoon Bridge Regiment

Commanders

 * Colonel General Mikhail P. Kirponos (June 1941 – September 1941: killed in action)
 * Marshal Semyon K. Timoshenko (September 1941 – December 1941; April–July 1942)
 * Lieutenant General F. Ia. Kostenko (December 1941 – April 1942)
 * Lieutenant General Nikolai F. Vatutin [promoted to Colonel General in December 1942] (October 1942 – March 1943)
 * Colonel General Rodion Ia. Malinovsky (March 1943 – October 1943)