58 army. Army of the USSR and Russia. History of the Army

During the years of the Soviet and Russian armed forces, there were several formations of the 58th Army. All of them carried out various tasks and were stationed in different places.

Soviet years

For the first time 58 army was formed in November 1941. The original place of deployment is the Siberian Military District. However, immediately after the formation, the personnel was transferred to the Arkhangelsk Military District. This was done to carry out work to create a line of defense from White to Onega Lake. After the task was completed, this composition was reorganized into a new army - the 3rd Tank Army.

In the summer of 1942, colossal fights took place on the strategically important Kalinin front. There arose a new army. She was stationed in the area of Ostashkov, but she did not take part in the Rzhev battle. At this time, many Soviet soldiers were trapped in boilers and German prisoners. The mistakes of the leadership led to the fact that the army had to be re-equipped. This also happened with the 58th. Her soldiers became part of the 39th Army.

On South

In the same August, the command and the Stavka decided to create a new formation that could protect the Soviet Union in the Caucasus, where fighting with the Germans took a decisive turn. The new 58 army was located on the territory of the Dagestan and Chechen republics. All autumn, its units fought against small detachments of the enemy, and also tried to keep the line of defense. Especially strong was the confrontation on the banks of the Terek, along the line from Upper Kurla to Mozdok.

With the advent of the new 1943, 58 the army became one of the leading forces of the Soviet counteroffensive in the North Caucasus. Terek was forced on January 3. The movement of troops was complicated by extreme weather conditions. Anyway, by the spring the connections reached the coast of the Azov Sea. At this planned operation was carried out, and the 58th Army was finally withdrawn from the armed forces. The victory of the USSR was approaching. The army was divided, and the personnel was transferred to the Volga Military District.

The fourth formation

Many years passed, and the collapse of the USSR. The army needed reform, including in the administrative one. Ethnic conflicts among the many indigenous peoples immediately began in the North Caucasus. One of them was Ossetian-Ingush, which flared up in the winter of 1992. The 42nd Army Corps took part in bringing order to the region. After the task was completed, this formation was liquidated, and the next 58th Army was created on its base, the fourth one already.

She immediately found an application, since in 1994 the war in Chechnya began. Parts of the 58th Army were in the republic until December 1996. At the same time, they took part in the first attempt to enter Grozny. The movement was hampered by the resistance of the local population, for example, in Ingushetia along the road blocked roads and detours.

When the military finally found themselves near Grozny, it became clear that they would have to take the city by storm. By that time, Dudayev's units had brought there a large number of equipment: guns, mortars, Grad launchers, tanks, armored troop carriers, etc. Of the 58th Army, assault units were assembled, which were to conduct a surprise attack on New Year's Eve.

The operation was led by Colonel-General Troshev. Heavy fighting lasted until February, when the city was finally taken.

The Second Chechen War

Despite the concluded truce, the history of the Russian army was preparing another test for the soldiers. In August 1999, two thousand well-armed militants crossed the border of Dagestan. They managed to seize several auls and disarm the local militia. When it became clear that the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs do not cope with the situation, the army, including the 58th, undertook the task.

She carried out a special operation in the mountainous areas to destroy the militants, who had a strategic advantage in a favorable position. The methods of partisan war were used against the federal troops . In September, the 58th and 22nd armies were merged into the "West" grouping, which was to confront the Wahhabis.

Throughout the autumn the troops fought back the aul, effectively using aviation. The key objects were roads, the control over which blocked the communications of the enemy. By December, the soldiers had managed to enter Chechnya and free all of its plains from terrorists.

In January, the 58th Army began the storming of Grozny. The attack was conducted from two directions. However, the militants were well prepared, they had many weapons, they terrorized the local population and conducted successful sorties. Still, they were knocked out of the city, which nevertheless finally did not solve the problem.

The fugitives settled in the mountains, from where they could lead the guerrilla war. There were many groups, each of which was destroyed by the 58th Army of the North Caucasus Military District. The last military operations took place in March 2000. On the 14th the village of Komsomolskoye was cleared, as stated by the commander of the 58th Army.

Beslan

Active hostilities ceased, but terrorist attacks on civilians in the North Caucasus continued. When the militants seized school No. 1 in Beslan on September 1, 2004, the 58th Army was thrown there, which together with the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was supposed to destroy the terrorists and release the hostages.

Its units deployed a field hospital near the school to help those taken hostage. In the same place the operational headquarters was located, from where the leadership of the school building of the third school stormed.

South Ossetia

In August 2008, a conflict erupted in Georgia. Local authorities and the South Ossetian autonomy became opponents. After the threat to Russian peacekeepers, which were located in Tskhinval, the 58th Army was the first to be sent to the rescue of compatriots.

The history of the Russian army received another lightning operation. Columns from tanks of the motorized rifle division from the 58th Army successfully passed along the highway and fired Georgian positions. Those had to retreat from Tskhinval. However, the danger of shelling from fire points remained. They were also suppressed within an hour of the previous task. All this happened on August 8.

Already on the 9th the units of the 58th Army successfully broke through to the positions of Russian peacekeepers. In the afternoon, one of the staff columns fell into a Georgian ambush, of which only 5 cars out of 30 managed to get out. No one was killed, but many were injured, including Anatoly Khrulev, commander of the 58th Army, and Russian journalists.

At the moment, this is the last combat operation of the connection. In both Russia and the USSR, the army successfully carried out the orders of the command.