Combat history of the 2 nd Guards Tank Army commenced with the Directive of the Red Army Supreme Commander Joseph Stalin of September 1 st 1942 № 787391 to form the 3 rd Reserve Army at the staff location in KALININ. According to the war diary of the Army on 5.9.1943 an operational group of the staff arrived in the city and began to set up an army, work on organization of military training and exercises in the army units. General-Major Bondarev, Deputy Army Commander and Colonel –Lieutenant Chizh, Head of Army Operational Division arrived amongst the first officers. Initially the Army comprised from 15 th , 20 th , 23 rd and 33 rd Separate Rifle Brigades, 43 rd Guards Latvian Rifle Division, 183 rd , 374 th Rifle Divisions and some other formations. Arrived units started combat studies since 1.10.1942 alone with the army field management. By December 1 st 1942 formation of the army field staff and management was completed. On January 10 th 1943 at 18.00 a directive to set up 2 nd Tank Army on the basis of the 3 rd Reserve Army of the Bryansk Front was signed.
STAVKA OF THE SUPREME COMMAND DIRECTIVE № 46002 TO THE COMMANDER OF THE BRYANSK FRONT ABOUT FORMATION OF THE 2 nd TANK ARMY
STAVKA of the Supreme Command orders to set up by February 1 st 1943 2 nd Tank Army in the area of Efremov, Rossoshnaya, and Yelets. General-Lieutenant Roma-nenko to be assigned as the Chief Commander of the 2 nd Tank Army. The field mana-gement of the 3 rd Reserve Army with support, maintenance and army rear units to be included to the 2 nd Tank Army. 3 rd Reserve Army to be renamed into 2 nd Tank Army. Army to be located at Ploskoye (20 km to the north of Elets). The following formations to be integrated into Army: 11 th Tank Corps (to be armed with the Soviet tanks), 16 th Tank Corps, 11 th Guards Tank Brigade, 29 th and 30 th Guards Heavy Tank Regiments, two armor vehicles battalions and one motorized rifle battalion, 60 th , 112 th and 194 th Rifle Divisions, three ski rifle brigades, two anti-tank artillery regiments, two engineering battalions, three truck battalions. Joseph Stalin
General Nikolay Biryukov, deputy commander of the Red Army armor troops made a following record in his diary on this matter: “8 th January 1943. Directions of the Comrade Stalin:”Board Member for the 2 nd Tank Army with the understanding of the tank warfare to be found. Formation of the 2 nd Tank Army to be started in the area of Efremov. A directive draft on this subject to be presented. The Army should comprise of two tank corps’ (11 th and 16 th ), three rifle divisions (60 th , 112 th and 194 th ), one tank brigade (11 th Guards); two truck battalions with 200 machines, one Self-Propelled Artillery and mortar Regiment. Tank brigades to be taken from the Bryansk Front. Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment should have sixteen 76-mm and eight 120-mm field guns. Mortar Regiment should have 36 mortars. An order on assignment of General Romanenko as the Army Chief Commander and assignment of the Army Staff Commander and Board Member to be signed.”
On January 13 th 1943 an order about army location change and transportation of the 3 rd Reserve Army units by railroad to a new area was received. On January 14 th 1943 the Army Staff embarked on the trains at the Kalinin station and at 18.00 was dispatched on the route Kalinin-Moscow-Elets- Lozovaya.
January 15 th 1943 is celebrated as the Birtday of the 2 nd Tank Army. This was a day when field command of the Army, which was in train headed from Kalinin to the area of the Bryansk Front received the STAVKA order about transformation of the 3-rd Reserve Army into 2-nd Tank Army.
These were days of the victorious Red Army winter offensive on the immense space of the Soviet-German Front. Tank and mechanized formations played a great role in a decisive offensive of the Red Army. The first train with army personnel arrived in Lozovaya station on January 19 th 1943 and commenced dismemberment. According to the STAVKA directive trains with the personnel, armored vehicles, fuels, munitions, rations were arriving daily to the army build-up area. Transferred artillery, engineering and support units were moving at night along the roads. According to the army war diary General-Lieutenant Prokofiy Romanenko, the Army Chief Commander arrived on January 21 st 1943. Army Staff departments were completing tasks on the units and formations reception arriving at the army build up area. 11 th Tank Corps of the General-major of armored troops Ivan Lazarenko comprising of 53 rd , 59 th , 160 th tank brigades and 12 th motorized rifle division was arriving on the same day. 16 th Lithuanian Rifle Division arrived on January 23 rd 1943 and on the same day was engaged alone with 11 th Tank Corps in an exercises aimed at marching on the eve of the opposite combat.
11 th Guards Tank Brigade of the Colonel Nikolay Bubnov, which had significant com-bat experience, was integrated in 2 nd Tank Army on January 20 th 1943. 563 rd , 567 th Anti-Tank Artillery Regiments, 37 th Guards Mortar Regiment and 29 th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment were included into army between 25 th January and 1 st February 1943. 16 th Tank Corps of the General-Major Alexei Maslov arrived by that time. This Corps was formed in June 1942 and participated in Stalingrad Battle. It comprised from 107 th , 109 th , 164 th Tank Brigades and 15 th Motorized Rifle Brigade. Other units and formations were also arriving to the army build-up area. Along with the combat-expe-rienced formations army got a fresh inexperienced replenishments. From the very first days of the army formation political indoctrination played an important role. Comman-ders, politruks, units’ veterans’ talked with their men about situations on the front. They were talking with the young soldiers about combat traditions of army’s units and formations. New men who came as a replenishment studied arrived KV, T-34 and T-70 tanks as well as other vehicles and weaponry. Management led works on organization of tank crews, armor, artillery and rifle formations. Goal oriented careful revising for offensive carried out in all army units accounted for enhancing personnel combat skills. Army was ready for an offensive operation on Orel-Bryansk direction in a winter conditions.
Shortly after defeat of the enemy at Stalingrad and conducted successful assault of the Voronezh Front troops- STAVKA decided to inflict a blow in the area of Kromy, Orel to defeat a strong German grouping there. 2 nd Tank Army was supposed to play an important role in this offensive. It was shifted from Bryansk Front and was placed under the command of the Central Front. Army was composed of 11 th and 16 th Tank Corps’; 11 th Guards Tank Brigade, 29 th Guards Tank Regiment, 37 th Guards Mortar Regiment, 60 th and 112 th Rifle Divisions, 563 rd and 567 th AT Artillery Regiments and 115 th Rifle Brigade. As of 1 st February 1943 2 nd Tank Army was situated with its main forces in the area of Lyubovsha, Verkhovje, Solovievka, Prostor, Srevo-Petrovskoye (all locations 30-50 km to the north and north-east of Livny). Having completed two-side military exercises Army was ready to execute its combat mission.
Guards General-Lieutenant Alexei Rodin, a Hero of the Soviet Union appointed as the new Army Chief Commander and successor of General-Lieutenant Prokofiy Roma-nenko arrived on 12 th February 1943. At the same day Army was placed under command of the Central Front and in the night of 13 th February 1943 began its 200 km marsh to the designated area.
Prokofiy Romanenko , the first commander of 2 TA Alexei Rodin, the second commander of 2 TA