Formations of the Soviet Army

List

• Theatre of Military Operations or theatre of war
• Theatre of military operations — Strategic Directions were set up and maintained at the beginning and at the end of World War II, and are considered a part of the TVD for the purpose of determining operational directions. During World War II, six strategic direction commands existed as part of the Stavka:
• * Chief command of the troops of the Western Direction, replaced by Stavka representative role
• * Chief command of the troops of the North Western Direction, replaced by Stavka representative role
• * Chief command of the troops of the North Caucasus Direction, replaced by Stavka representative role
• * Chief command of the troops of the South Western Direction, replaced by Stavka representative role
• * Central Staff of the partisan movement
• * Chief command of the Soviet troops in the Far East
• Military district, and group of forces. These peacetime administrative units would provide support to between one and six fronts during wartime. Groups of forces in Eastern Europe included the Central Group of Forces, the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, the Northern Group of Forces, and the Southern Group of Forces.
• Front — the largest wartime field formation, equivalent to an army group in many other forces.
• Army — the largest peacetime field formation. Each army was designated a combined arms army or a tank army. During World War II, the Fortified Region usually corresponded to an Army frontage formation. See Karelian Fortified Region and Kiev Fortified Region.
• Corps — Rifle, Cavalry, Artillery, Mechanised, Tank, Aviation and Aviation of PVO, and Airborne Corps.
• Division — originally rifle or cavalry, later motor-rifle, tank, artillery, aviation, sapper or airborne. See divisions of the Soviet Union 1917-1945, list of Soviet Army divisions 1989-91