Soviet Fronts strengths: Overview

[Art]

Personnel and weapons strength of Soviet forces by sector as of 1 July 1943 (start of the summer campaign of 1943):

Includes ground and airforces of the Soviet Army, without navy and long-range air force. Source: Volume VII of the official history of the WW2 from 1976

[Kelvin]

A new Russian book published recently contains many interesting tables covering total strength of the Soviet army.
http://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/23 ... tner=AMVAS
It title: "Velikaya Otechestvennaya Voina 1941-45. Dejstvuyushchaya Armiya"

During the forum downtime I translated some data tables from this book giving the strength of Soviet Armed Forces for several reference ponits in the period 1941-45. Apart from the number of personnel they include numbers of equipment, but I hope nobody is against it. The primary source of these data is a series of handbooks "The combat and numerical composition of the Soviet Armed Forces in the period of GPW" issued by the Institute of Military History at the Russsian Defence Ministry beginning from 1993 . Here the personnal numbers pertain to military personnel in ranks of the Red Army and Red Navy. Civilian personnel, hospitalized wounded and sick, military personnel of NKVD troops and other organizations are not included in the tables.

1st December 1941



1st May 1942



1st November 1942



1st July 1943


1st January 1944



1st June 1944


1st January 1945

Hi, Art, if in comparsion with her German counterpart, operational army mean Field Army, inoperational army mean Replacement and Stavka mean OKW reserve outside of Heersgruppe, this comparsion is correct or not ?

[Art]

From report on the Red Army personnel strength as of 20 December 1941 (chief of the General Staff's organizations directorate major general Chetverikov to GKO on 1.02.42):

On the front:
Formation/Officers/Enlisted men/Total men/Total horses
Karelian Front - 23 674/194 866/218 540/28 918
Leningrad Front - 58 286/330 757/389 043/16 243
Volkhov Front - 27 892/248 022/275 914/76 734
North-West Front - 28 331/203 756/232 087 /32 429
Kalinin Front - 41 417/308 590/350 007/78 291
West Front - 97 274/775 855/873 129/179 375
Bryansk Front - 24 886/176 217/201 103/51 047
South-West Front - 72 144/506 710/578 854 /115 998
South Front - 59 786/432 774/492 560/117 510
7 Separate Army - 8 750/75 026/83 776/13 989
54 Army - 12 183/93 144/105 327/17 082
Maritime Army - 8 540/96 361/104 901/20 182
51 Army (Transcaucasus Front) - 8 438/84 598/93 036/17 564
58 Reserve Army - 6 241/71 962/78 203/20 670
28 Reserve Army - 530/2 853/3 383/330
1 Special Rifle Corps - 1 926/20 623/22 549 /10 975
Moscow Defense Zone - 18 012/179 522/197 534/33 963
Total front: 498 310 officers, 3 801 636 enlisted, 4 299 946 men total, 831 300 horses

In military districts:
Formation/Officers/Enlisted/Courses attendees/Cadets/Total men/Total horses
Arkhangelsk MD - 9 897/89 548 2/394/7 447/109 286/10 358
Moscow MD - 76 111/687 348/9 604/50 481/823 544/60 917
Volga MD - 55 381/409 172/5 429/56 560/526 542 /42 789
Stalingrad MD - 16 914/124 657/14 211/155 782/19 981
North-Caucasus MD - 25 799/204 610/25 668/265 077/43 058
Ural MD - 28 545/152 858/9 015/44 144/234 562/16 148
South Ural MD - 17 125/104 332/1 515 /33 089/156 061/28 807
Siberian MD - 21 068/112 220/452/72 220/205 960/34 862
Central Asian MD - 33 048/219 925/10 289/54 464/317 726/64 103
Transcaucasus Front - 58 046/474 998 /1 298/31 078/565 420/99 892
Transbaikal Front - 39 514/326 990/15 049/381 553/31 567
Far East Front - 80 282/682 844/2 046/14 477/779 649/107 853
Total districts: 461 730 officers, 3 589 502 enlisted, 42 042 attendees, 418 888 cadets, total 4 512 162 men, 560 335 horses

Total in the Red Army: 960 040 officers, 7 391 138 enlisted, 42 042 attendees, 418 888 cadets, total 8 812 108 men, 1 391 635 horses
Source: RGASPI f.644, op. 2, d.32. ll.166-167

Report on the number of wounded and sick in hospitals as of 20.12.41 (not included in the numbers above, Chetverikov on 28.12.41):
In military districts:
Arkhangelsk - 19 720
Moscow - 43 975
Volga - 38 739
Stalingrad - 25 836
North Caucasus - 58 318
Ural - 71 706
South Ural - 25 595
Siberian - 65 602
Central Asian - 24 722
Transcaucasus Front - 22 836
total districts - 397 049

In fronts:
Karelian Front- 13 791
Leningrad Front- 73 238
Volkhov Front - 3 817
North-West Front - 4 838
Kalinin Front- 25 581
West Front - 56 995
South-West Front- 9 707
South Front - 16 140
7 Army - 1 942
54 Army - 2 444
total fronts - 208 493
Total men in hospitals - 605 542

Source: RGASPI f.644, op. 2, d.32. ll.168-169
published online at:
http://sovdoc.rusarchives.ru/#showunit& ... 17;tab=img

Based on these reports on 10 January 1942 GKO allocated for the month of January 4 299 946 food, 208 493 hospital and 831 300 forage rations to operational fronts and 4 298 649 food, 397 049 hospital and 560 335 forage rations to military districts. In addition allocated were 96 000 rations for the Polish Army in the USSR, 11 000 to GUShOSDOR NKVD, 8 000 to Civil Air Fleet, 55 000 to Special Railroad Corps and 69 077 for railroad engineer units transferred to the People's Commissariat for Transport, total 124 077 rations for railroad troops.
Source: GKO decree No.1119s of 10.01.1942:
http://www.soldat.ru/doc/gko/text/1119.html

[Der Alte Fritz]

Art
Do you have the missing May 1942 table please?

[Art]

Sure:

[BobTheBarbarian]

Sure:

Sorry for thread necro, do you have the data for May 1945 as well?

[Der Alte Fritz]

Hi Bob
It is given further back in the thread but here it is again:

1945.jpg

[BobTheBarbarian]

Hi Bob
It is given further back in the thread but here it is again:

Hi Der Alte Fritz,

Thanks for the response, though I believe that table is for January, not May.

[Art]

Red Army's personnel as of 20 April 1945 (from a request for allocation of military rations in May 1945):

Formation/Officers/NCOs/Privates/Courses attendees/Cadets/Total personnel

Leningrad Front/134 462/220 277/ 495 226/4 839/ 9 767/ 864 571
3 Belorussian Front/120 060/179 444/412 145/971/6 658/719 278
2 Belorussian Front/95 129/157 500/388 104/41/3 325/644 099
1 Belorussian Front/170 295/285 515/660 387/474/6 310/1 122 981
1 Ukrainian Front/159 426/261 877/572 795/280/6 128/1 000 506
4 Ukrainian Front/59 324/90 911/216 056/442/3 902/370 635
2 Ukrainian Front/91 582/146 855/354 677/872/3 456/597 442
3 Ukrainian Front/83 095/132 644/320 819/290/4 839/541 687
37 Army/10 795/22 868/57 698/202/123/91 686
Sep. Maritime Army/2 951/6 681/15 732/-/-/25 364
22 Army/5 563/12 348/24 467/-/-/42 378
HQ 3 Baltic Front/3 296/4 485/10 207/335/1 657/19 980
Reserve Front HQ/6 301/5 651/16 407/369/1 811/30 539
Cental PVO Front/7 459/19 276/48 788/-/-/75 523
Unit en route and Stavka's reserve/11 496/22 127/39 234/-/-/72 857
Replacements en route/-/-/74 991/-/-/74 991

Total operational army/961 234/1 568 459/3 707 733/9 116/47 976/6 249 517

Transcaucasus Front/36 720/66 329/174 396/683/10 276/288 404
Transbaikal Front/39 565/76 283/195 980/245/7 580/319 653
Far East Front/86 826/177 811/412 391/2 701/7 545.687 274

Total non-operational fronts/163 111/320 423/782 767/3 629/25 401/1 295 331

Moscow Military District/102 171/119 708/366 688/39 814/47 997/676 378
Belorussian-Lithuanian MD/28 801/45 346/170 252/-/590/244 989
Kiev MD/21 526/26 247/95 757/1 168/11 479/156 177
Lvov MD/17 390/21 772/62 108/-/702/101 972
Odessa MD/12 499/14 040/68 695/673/3 335/99 242
Orel MD/14 757/14 916/76 629/1 068/9 792/117 162
Kharkov MD/20 317/21 543/86 175/965/17 072/146 072
Volga MD/31 762/29 890/118 806/3 938/34 530/218 926
North-Caucasus MD/17 446/17 715/64 855/1 297/15 888/117 201
Ural MD/23 007/20 699/115 630/2 462/24 737/186 525
South-Ural MD/13 207/14 156/64 616/1 140/17 586/110 975
Siberian MD/18 547/14 562/69 395/252/29 213/131 969
Central Asian MD/19 077/13 690/41 709/1 721/20 508/96 705
White Sea MD with 14 Army/20 901/34 954/93 585/5/3 713/153 158
Recruits and replacements en route/-/-/4 500/-/-/4 500

Total military districts/361 408/409 238/1 499 400/54 503/237 402/2 561 951

Total Red Army:
1 485 753 officers
2 298 120 NCOs
5 989 900 privates
67 247 courses attendees
310 778 cadets
10 151 799 men total

Wounded and sick in hospital (not included in the numbers above):

Leningrad Front - 84 795
3 Belorussian Front - 123 776
2 Belorussian Front - 67 903
1 Belorussian Front - 112 957
1 Ukrainian Front - 109 306
4 Ukrainian Front - 50 814
2 Ukrainian Front - 82 765
3 Ukrainian Front - 91 193
37 Army - 1 006
3 Baltic Front - 45
Reserve Front HQ - 587
Central PVO Front - 510
Sanitary train en route - 37 950
Total operational army - 763 607

Transcaucasus Front - 41 979
Transbaikal Front - 8 015

Moscow MD - 118 272
Belorussian-Lithuanian MD - 15 572
Kiev MD - 39 477
Lvov MD - 5 423
Odessa MD - 4 829
Orel MD - 14 075
Kharkov MD - 48 496
Volga MD - 40 772
North-Caucasus MD - 50 701
Ural MD - 53 898
South-Ural MD - 9 704
Sibir MD - 6 014
Central Asian MD - 5 368

Total military districts - 430 669

Total Red Army - 1 244 269 men

From:
http://paul-atrydes.livejournal.com/67757.html

[Der Alte Fritz]

Great material. How about the NKVD elements performing internal security duties in the occupied countries such as Poland, what sort of numbers were involved in that?

[Art]

Overall strength of NKVD troops was between 0.5 and 1 million men. For example, on 5 August 1945 the authorized strength was 916 thousand men, actual - 818 thousand:
http://pogranec.ru/showthread.php?t=19611
I've seen only fragmented information.

[Der Alte Fritz]

I did see that 3 NKVD Divisions were deployed for rear area security once the Red Army moved into Poland but I assume that this would increase the further west the front line moved?

[Art]

The number of NKVD troops abroad was on the order of tens of thousand men. If you are interested in details, when the RA crossed the Soviet border the usual arrangement was a NKVD staff with several regiments (1000-1500 men in regiment attached to each front). The total number of NKVD troops attached to the operational army by the end of 1944 was about 70 000, probably. On 18 December 1944 the GKO decreed to additionally raise 6 new NKVD divisions for security of rear areas in Eastern Europe, each division of 3 regiments and 5000 men. The appendix to the document lists the planned strength of NKVD security forces in Europe by area and command:
In Prussia
3 Belorussian Front with 6 NKVD regiments (8191 men) already present + one newly formed division additionally assigned (5000)

In Poland:
2 Belorussian Front - 5 regiments (7072) present + one newly formed division (5000)
1 Belorussian Front - 8 regiments* (10 375) present
1 Ukrainian Front - 4 (6122) present
Total in Poland - 23 570 present + 5000 additionally assigned

Czechoslovakia:
4 Ukrainian Front - 5 regiments (7015) present + one newly formed division (5000)

Hungary:
2 Ukrainian Front - 6 regiments (8528 men) present + one newly formed division (5000)
3 Ukrainian Regiment - 4 regiments (6223) present
Total in Hungary - 14 751 + 5000

Romania - one newly formed division (5000)

Bulgaria - 1 regiment (1398)

Reserve - one division (5000)

Total 39 regiments (54 925) present plus 6 newly formed divisions (18 regiments, 30 000)

* apparently including 4 regiments in the Composite Rifle Division operating in Poland.

In reality 9 new NKVD divisions (No. 57-65) were formed in the following months, of which one (64th) was a renamed Composite Division.
The NKVD order of 11 January 1945 listed the following order of battle and strength of units assigned for rear security:
2 Baltic Front - 3 regiments, 4020 men
1 Baltic Front - 4 regiments, 5004 men
3 Belorussian Front - 5 regiments + 57 NKVD Rifle Division (3 regiments), total 12 035 men
2 Belorussian Front - 4 regiments + 63 NKVD Rifle Division (3 regiments), total 9993 men
1 Belorussian Front - 4 regiments + 64 NKVD Rifle Division (4 regiments), total 11 160
1 Ukrainian Front - 4 regiments and 1 border detachment, total 7 331
4 Ukrainian Front - 3 regiments + 59 NKVD Rifle Division (3 regiments), total 9 456 men
Total about 59 000 men, including 28 000 in newly formed divisions and newly assigned units.

Not listed in the order were NKVD troops in South-East Europe which included among others 61 NKVD Rifle Division in Hungary and 65 NKVD Rifle Division in Romania.

[Art]

Ok, from the report on NKVD personnel strength as of 5 July 1942:




1. Border troops - total 96 633 men, including:
Caucasus - 18 183
Central Asia - 19 898
Kazakhstan and West Siberia districts - 6 003
Far East - 48 117

2. Internal troops - 189 807, including:
Operational fronts - 54 430
Behind fronts (intermediate zone) - 45 614
Leningrad - 2 806
Moscow - 29 721
Other central Russia - 10 082
Volga region - 23 208
North Caucasus - 13 615
Transcaucasus - 5 064
Turkmen SSR - 2 273
Central Asia - 1 239
Kazakh SSR - 545
Far East - 3 061
on operational assignment - 493

3. Convoy troops - 44 823
4. Railroad guard troops - 119 816
5. Industry guard troops - 66 189

Total 517 268 men versus the authorized strength of 604 565

Signed by deputy chief of NKVD general Apollonov

[Art]

Personnel in the Soviet Navy and its components:



From V. Zhumatiy, 2012. Some numbers belonged to other dates then indicated, hence they don't always fit. Highlighted with bold - elements of operational Navy forces. "Attached..." - civil and army personnel under the Navy's control, not included in other numbers.