Steppe Front
The Steppe Front, later the 2nd Ukrainian Front, was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War.
On 9 July 1943, Stavka formed a new Reserve Front in the Voronezh region, effective 30 April.[1] It consisted of the command component of the 2nd Reserve Army (augmented by several officer and NCO courses), the 27th, 52nd, 53rd, 46th, 47th, 4th Guards Tank, 5th Air Army and eight mobile corps (Tank, Guards Tank, and Mechanised). Most of these armies had been reassigned from the Northwestern Front, North Caucasus Front, or the STAVKA Reserve, the RVGK. On 13 April 1943 the Front was renamed the Steppe Military District, to be effective 15 April.
The Steppe Military District was redesignated the Steppe Front on July 9, 1943. It incorporated forces from the Soviet rear areas to the West of Kursk salient along the line Tula-Yelets-Stary Oskol-Rossosh (Тула-Елец-Старый Оскол-Россошь). It included units pulled out of the battles of Stalingrad and Leningrad and others. Under the command of Colonel General Ivan Konev from July to October 1943, it took part in the Battle of Kursk.
2nd Ukrainian Front
It was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front on October 20, 1943. During the second Jassy-Kishinev Operation, 2nd Ukrainian Front, led by Army General Rodion Malinovsky, comprised:[citation needed]
- 6th Guards Tank Army – Major General A.G. Kravchenko
- 4th Guards Army – Galanin
- 7th Guards Army- Lieutenant General M.S. Shumilov
- 27th Army – Lieutenant General S.G. Trofimenko
- 40th Army – Lieutenant General F.F. Zhmachenko
- 52nd Army – Lieutenant General K.A.Koroteev
- 53rd Army – Lieutenant General I.M. Managarov
- 18th Tank Corps – Major General V.I. Polozkov
- Cavalry-Mechanized Group Gorshkov – Major General S.I. Gorshkov
- 5th Guards Cavalry Corps
- 23rd Tank Corps – Lieutenant General A.O. Akhmanov
On 1 January 1945, during the Siege of Budapest, the Front consisted of the 7th Guards Army, 27th, 40th, and 53rd Armies, 6th Guards Tank Army, a Cavalry mechanized group consisting of 4th and 6th Guards Cavalry Corps, and 5th Air Army.[2]
On 10 June 1945, in accordance with a Stavka directive of 29 May 1945, the 2nd Ukrainian Front was disbanded. Elements thereof were incorporated into Headquarters Odessa Military District.
