32nd Army (Soviet Union)

The 32nd Army was a formation of the Soviet Army during World War II. The army was formed twice during the war, disbanded as part of the post-war demobilization and then reformed in 1969 to protect the Soviet-Chinese border.

First Formation
Formed on 16 July 1941 in the Moscow Military District near the cities of Naro-Fominsk, Kubinka, and the settlement of Dorokhovo. The army was formed with four divisions of Moscow Militia. The assigned units included: 2nd, 7th, 8th, 13th. In addition, on 20 July 1941, 18th Moscow People's Militia Divisions was assigned to the Army, west of Moscow, with about 10,000 men assigned.

On 18 July the army was incorporated into the Moscow line of defense and took up defensive positions in the vicinity of Karacharovo. On 30 July the army was assigned to the Reserve Front.

Composition on 1 October:
 * 2nd Rifle Division
 * 8th Rifle Division
 * 29th Rifle Division
 * 140th Rifle Division
 * 685th Corps Artillery Regiment
 * 533rd Antitank Artillery Regiment
 * 877th Antitank Artillery Regiment
 * 200th Naval Artillery Battalion
 * 36th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion

On 3 October the army was heavily engaged in a defensive battle against German forces advancing on Vyasma as part of the northern wing of Operation Typhoon. On 5 October the army was reassigned to the Western Front and two days later along with the 16th, 19th, 20th and 24th Armies were encircled by the German 4th and 9th Armies and 3rd and 4th Panzer Groups. The 32nd Army was disbanded on 12 October 1941. Small elements of the army were able to break out of the encirclement and were assigned to the 16th and 19th Armies.

Second Formation
STAVKA ordered the army reformed on 2 March 1942 and this was completed on 10 March 1942. The army was formed from the Medvezhegorshaya and Maselskaya Operational Groups in the Karelian Front. On 1 April 42 the army was composed of:
 * 37th Rifle Division
 * 71st Rifle Division
 * 186th Rifle Division
 * 263rd Rifle Division
 * 289th Rifle Division
 * 313th Rifle Division
 * 61st Naval Rifle Brigade
 * 65th Naval Rifle Brigade
 * 66th Naval Rifle Brigade
 * 1st Ski Brigade
 * 2nd Ski Brigade
 * 196th Ski Battalion
 * 197th Ski Battalion
 * 198th Ski Battalion
 * 17th Mortar Battalion
 * 208th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 6th Aerosleigh Battalion
 * 9th Aerosleigh Battalion
 * 36th Aerosleigh Battalion
 * 227th Separate Tank Company
 * 261st Engineer Battalion
 * 1211th Sapper Battalion
 * 1212th Sapper Battalion

Until the end of May 1944 the 32nd Army defended the frontier in the Medvezhyegorsky District and from 21 July to 9 August the army participated in the Svir-Petrozavodsk Offensive, when part of the army reached the Finish border in the vicinity of Longonvara. When Finland was knocked out of the war on 19 September 1944 the army was relegated to protecting the state border. During the offensive the army consisted of:
 * 289th Rifle Division
 * 313th Rifle Division
 * 376th Rifle Division
 * 65th Naval Rifle Brigade
 * 80th Naval Rifle Brigade
 * 33rd Ski Brigade
 * 1237th Gun Artillery Regiment
 * 173rd Mortar Regiment
 * 280th Mortar Regiment
 * 298th Mortar Regiment
 * 63rd Guards Mortar Regiment (minus 297th Battalion)
 * 275th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 208th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 446th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 376th Tank Battalion (minus Tank Company KV)
 * 21st Aerosleigh Battalion
 * 22nd Aerosleigh Battalion
 * 26th Aerosleigh Battalion
 * 261st Engineer Battalion

Composition on 1 November 1944:
 * 135th Rifle Corps
 * 176th Rifle Division
 * 289th Rifle Division
 * 313th Rifle Division
 * 621st Mortar Regiment
 * 63rd Guards Mortar Regiment
 * 275th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 32nd Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 446th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
 * 29th Tank Brigade
 * 90th Separate Tank Regiment
 * 261st Engineer Battalion
 * 6th Flamethrower Battalion
 * 194th Flamethrower Company
 * 196th Flamethrower Company

On 15 November 1944 the 32nd Army was put into STAVKA reserve and on 21 April 1945 was directly assigned to the STAVKA.

On 1 May 1945 the Army was composed of:
 * 203rd Gun Artillery Brigade
 * 621st Mortar Regiment
 * 275th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 194th Flamethrower Company
 * 196th Flamethrower Company

The army was disbanded in August 1945.

Third Formation
This army was reformed using the command staff of the 1st Army Corps in 1969 when the Central Asian Military District was reestablished to protect the Soviet Chinese border.

Composition:
 * 155th Motorized Rifle Division
 * 167th Motorized Rifle Division
 * 203rd Motorized Rifle Division
 * 78th Tank Division

The army was redesignated on 4 June 1991 as the 40th Army.

Commanders

 * Lieutenant General Nilolai K. Klykov (July - August 1941)
 * Major General Ivan Fedyuninsky (August - September 1941)
 * Major General Sergei V. Vishnevskii (September 1941 - October 1941)
 * Major General Sergei Trofimenko (March - June 1942)
 * Lieutenant General Filip D. Garelenko (June 1942 - 1944)