5th Shock Army

The 5th Shock Army was a Red Army field army of the Second World War. The army was formed on 9 December 1942 by redesignating the 10th Reserve Army. The army was formed two time prior to this with neither formation lasting more than a month before being redesignated.

History
The 5th Shock Army was formed on 9 December 1942 on the basis of the 10th Reserve Army which was assigned to the Stavka reserves at the time. The composition of the army on formation was:
 * 87th Rifle Division
 * 300th Rifle Division
 * 315th Rifle Division
 * 4th Mechanized Corps
 * 7th Tank Corps
 * additional artillery and support units.

1942-43
As part of the Stalingrad Front with 26 December 1942 Southwestern Front participated in the defeat of the enemy force during Operation Uranus.

Composition on 1 January 1943:
 * 4th Guards Rifle Division
 * 258th Rifle Division
 * 315th Rifle Division
 * 5th Destroyer Brigade
 * 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps
 * 5th Guards Cavalry Division
 * 6th Guards Cavalry Division
 * 32nd Cavalry Division
 * 152nd Mortar Regiment
 * 8th Cavalry Artillery Battalion
 * 3rd Guards Tank Destroyer Battalion
 * 274th Howitzer Artillery Regiment
 * 331st Howitzer Artillery Regiment
 * 1162nd Gun Artillery Regiment
 * 507th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 764th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 21st Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 1068th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment (2nd Antiaircraft Artillery Division)
 * 258th Engineer Battalion
 * 827th Engineer Battalion

Transferred to the new Southern Front (former Stalingrad Front) took part in the Salsk-Rostov Offensive and as part of the 4th Ukrainian Front and in August 1943 finally succeeded in breaking through the German Mius-Front defensive line on the river Mius, participated in the Lower Dnieper Offensive's Melitopol Offensive operations.

Composition on 1 August 1943:
 * 31st Guards Rifle Corps
 * 4th Guards Rifle Division
 * 34th Guards Rifle Division
 * 40th Guards Rifle Division
 * 96th Guards Rifle Division
 * 126th Rifle Division
 * 127th Rifle Division
 * 221st Rifle Division
 * 315th Rifle Division
 * 1st Guards Destroyer Brigade
 * 506th Gun Artillery Regiment
 * 1162nd Gun Artillery Regiment
 * 331st Howitzer Artillery Regiment
 * 8th Antitank Artillery Brigade
 * 15th Antitank Artillery Brigade
 * 491st Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 507th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 489th Mortar Regiment
 * 15th Antiaircraft Artillery Division
 * 342nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 723rd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 1264th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 1617th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 32nd Guards Tank Brigade
 * 22nd Separate Guards Tank Regiment
 * 28th Armored Train Battalion
 * 43rd Special-Designation Engineer Brigade
 * 258th Engineer Battalion
 * 827th Engineer Battalion

1944
In 1944 as part of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, the army took part in the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine and in the Jassy–Kishinev Offensive.

Composition as of 1 August 1944:
 * 10th Guards Rifle Corps
 * 49th Guards Rifle Division
 * 86th Guards Rifle Division
 * 109th Guards Rifle Division
 * 32nd Rifle Corps
 * 60th Guards Rifle Division
 * 295th Rifle Division
 * 416th Rifle Division
 * 248th Rifle Division
 * 266th Rifle Division
 * 44th Guards Gun Artillery Brigade
 * 92nd Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 507th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 521st Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 489th Mortar Regiment
 * 1617th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 61st Engineer-Sapper Brigade

In early September the army was transferred to STAVKA reserves, put in reserve the Supreme Command, relocated to the area of ​​Kovel Ukraine and on 30 October 1944 transferred to the 1st Belorussian Front.

1945
In 1945 the army took part in the Warsaw-Poznan Offensive and Berlin Strategic Offensive operations.

During the final assault on Berlin the army was heavily reinforced and composed of:

Rifle
 * 26th Guards Rifle Corps
 * 89th Guards Rifle Division
 * 94th Guards Rifle Division
 * 266th Rifle Division
 * 9th Rifle Corps
 * 230th Rifle Division
 * 248th Rifle Division
 * 301st Rifle Division
 * 32nd Rifle Corps
 * 60th Guards Rifle Division
 * 295th Rifle Division
 * 416th Rifle Division

Artillery
 * 6th Artillery Penetration Corps
 * 2nd Artillery Penetration Division
 * 20th Light Artillery Brigade
 * 16th Guards Gun Artillery Brigade
 * 4th Guards Heavy Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 121st High-Power Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 5th Mortar Brigade
 * 68th Artillery Reconnaissance Battalion
 * 14th Artillery Penetration Division
 * 169th Light Artillery Brigade
 * 172nd Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 176th Heavy Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 122nd High-Power Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 21st Heavy Mortar Brigade
 * 24th Mortar Brigade
 * 6th Guards Mortar Brigade
 * 112th Artillery Reconnaissance Battalion
 * 44th Guards Gun Artillery Brigade
 * 97th Heavy Howitzer Artillery Brigade (22nd Artillery Penetration Division)
 * 124th Howitzer Artillery Brigade
 * 32nd Special-power Artillery Battalion
 * 322nd Special-power Artillery Battalion
 * 331st Special-power Artillery Battalion
 * 3rd Guards Antitank Artillery Brigade
 * 4th Guards Antitank Artillery Brigade
 * 39th Antitank Artillery Brigade
 * 507th Tank Destroyer Regiment
 * 35th Guards Mortar Brigade
 * 32nd Mortar Brigade (22nd Artillery Penetration Division)
 * 6th Heavy Mortar Brigade (22nd Artillery Penetration Division)
 * 489th Mortar Regiment
 * 2nd Guards Mortar Brigade
 * 25th Guards Mortar Brigade
 * 41st Guards Mortar Brigade (22nd Artillery Penetration Division)
 * 37th Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 92nd Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 2nd Guards Antiaircraft Artillery Division
 * 302nd Guards Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 303rd Guards Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 304th Guards Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 306th Guards Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 1617th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 4th Separate Artillery Observation Balloon Battalion

Armor and Engineers
 * 11th Tank Corps
 * 20th Tank Brigade
 * 36th Tank Brigade
 * 65th Tank Brigade
 * 12th Motorized Rifle Brigade
 * 50th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment
 * 1071st Light Artillery Regiment
 * 1461st SU Regiment
 * 1493rd SU Regiment
 * 93rd Motorcycle Battalion
 * 243rd Mortar Regiment
 * 115th Guards Mortar Battalion
 * 1388th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 220th Tank Brigade
 * 11th Guards Heavy Tank Brigade
 * 67th Guards Heavy Tank Brigade
 * 92nd Engineer Tank Regiment
 * 396th Guards Heavy SU Regiment
 * 1504th SU Regiment
 * 61st Engineer-Sapper Brigade
 * 8th Flamethrower Battalion

Post War Occupation
The army took part in the Berlin Victory Parade of 1945.

The 5th Shock Army was assigned occupation duties in eastern Germany and responsible for securing the Berlin area. When the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany was formed the army was composed of:
 * 9th Rifle Corps
 * 248th Rifle Division
 * 301st Rifle Division
 * 26th Guard Rifle Corps
 * 89th Guard Rifle Division
 * 94th Guard Rifle Division
 * 266th Rifle Division
 * 32nd Rifle Corps
 * 60th Guards Rifle Division
 * 295th Rifle Division
 * 416th Rifle Division
 * 230th Rifle Division
 * three independent tank brigades

The army was disbanded in December 1946.

Commanders

 * Lieutenant General Markian Popov - (December 1942)
 * Lieutenant General V.D. Tsvetayev (Colonel General Sept 1943) - (December 1942 - May 1944)
 * Lieutenant General Nikolai Berzarin (Colonel General, April 1945) - (May 1944 - 16 June 1945) (His death while Berlin Commandant)
 * Colonel General Alexander Gorbatov - (June 1945 - 1946)